Stedelijk Museum | Karel Appel

The Appel Wall, Stedelijk website

Another artist that had their work exhibited at the museum was Karel Appel, and I was instantly taken with it. The childish, messy appearance of the paintings really appealed to me. They seemed very immediate, straight from Appel's head, and didn't come off like they needed to be understood or dissected by the viewer.

This huge wall mural was painted in 1956, and has been restored by the museum. Even though it was from over 60 years ago it looked so new and vibrant.

poster, 1962

Amongst Appel's inspirations are primitive art, children's drawings, and the artist Jean Dubuffet (art brut). Although his work faced a lot of negative criticism during the early years, I think it could very well appeal to contemporary audiences due to the graphic appearance. I like how the work isn't elitist, or staunch in its attitude. It's just expressive and, I think, made on a gut feeling.

Two Owls and Untitled

Stedelijk Museum | Willem Sandberg

Sandberg, Director and Designer
Stedelijk website

Willem Sandberg (1897-1984) was director of the Stedelijk Museum between 1945-63. Whilst he championed new artists and developed one of the most important collections of modern art in Europe, he also designed almost all of the posters, catalogs and graphic material for the museum - an unusual activity for a museum director.

Sandberg's graphic design reflected his vision and defined the look of the museum. With a focus on experimenting with type as image, his style was marked by simplicity, bright colours, torn paper shapes and the re-use of images in multiple contexts.

With the belief that art should be integrated into daily life, Sandberg introduced an education program and modernised the museum by transforming it into an inviting environment with a library, reading room, a restaurant and an auditorium with a film and music program. Sandberg constantly aimed to lower the threshold of the museum to make it more appealing and easy to access for everybody.

These posters demonstrate Sandberg's playful use of type and how type becomes an image. For 'Het dagblad door de eeuwen' (The newspaper through the centuries) a newspaper spread is overlaid with simple contrasting types.

The five golden rules adopted by Sandberg were:

1) a poster has to be joyous, unless it has to arouse compassion
2) red has to be in every poster
3) a poster has to provoke a closer look, otherwise it doesn't endure
4) with a respect for society, designer and director both are responsible for the street scene. A poster does not only have to revive the street, it also has to be human
5) every poster has to be an artwork

—

Sandberg's design work is simple, playful, and I believe it still has impact and charm today. I think it's admirable how Sandberg was aware of his responsibility not only as a museum director, but as a creative himself - bringing the wider public, if not society as a whole, into the equation.

The concept of integrating art and design into everyday life, and maybe even using it to make life better and more interesting is a very positive outlook that makes me think "yeah, that's a pretty good idea!". I find it affirming, because it suggests that art and design isn't just this howling void of stuff, or at least it doesn't have to be.

Stedelijk Museum | Jean Tinguely

During a trip to Amsterdam over the break I visited the Stedelijk museum. There was a really good range of art and design there, some I was quite inspired by. From contemporary art, to graphic design, furniture and product design, sculpture, painting, and more.

I also liked how the design section laid out posters and printed materials (pamphlets, programs, catalogs, etc) as if they were art objects in their own right. In some ways, presenting it as art but in a different context. The text about the artists in italic is from the museum itself.

Machine Spetacle, Stedelijk website

"I don't know if one can be operative without drawing" stated Tinguely. This room presents an overview of all the ways his works on paper took shape. The variety of drawing styles and techniques is striking ranging from meticulous pen drawings to brightly coloured expressions in chalk, and from dark watercolours to absurd Dadaist collages covered with stickers and feathers (which Tinguely always kept in the pockets of his overalls)

Drawing also played a crucial role in maintaining Tinguely's international network. Through an immense number of letter-drawings he communicated with the curators, collectors, and artists he befriended. The good-humored and personal letters are generally made up of a mix of languages, and are often combined with drawings of current projects.

In this way Tinguely transformed drawing from a traditional medium into an experimental component of the new network society. The catalogs in this room reflect this same tendency towards experimentation. The artist stretched the boundaries of the medium and used innovative forms of publication in order to constantly rewrite his own oeuvre and keep it in motion.

—

What I enjoyed about the exhibition was the breadth of Tinguely's work and how across all of the different formats and mediums there was a sense of invention, play, and humour. Another aspect that I appreciated was how he consciously tried to make his work, and consequently, the environment it was placed in, a more open and accessible thing for all.

He encouraged visitors to make work, and his drawing machines (controversially) became the artists themselves, mechanically producing their own works of art.

His sculptures and kinetic artworks were meant to make people laugh, his weird contraptions created confusion yet involved the viewer through the use of buttons and launchpads that activated the machines. As well as that, they were intended for adults and children alike. He had a real do-it-yourself attitude, using scrap materials to bring his ideas to life.

Hannah Waldron | Visiting Lecturer

We just had a talk from Hannah Waldron. Going into it I knew nothing about her work apart from her involvement in textiles, coming away from it there were lots of interesting thoughts and connections!

What struck me the most was how Hannah's work was incredibly research-based, the concepts were so strong which helped to add another dimension to her pieces.

I think because the concepts of her work is so strong, this is how the work manages to suit and adapt to a multitude of contexts and purposes.

 Japanese furoshiki scarves designed by Hannah

I also really admired how many different things she has done, not being defined solely as an illustrator. Projects including printed textiles, editorial, product design and packaging, as well as publishing and narrative-based work.

Hannah also seemed to take inspiration from a lot of different places and things, such as travel, Bauhaus art and design, Modernism, exhibitions, as well as traditional textiles and cultural art. This is something I try to do also, being influenced by things outside of the illustration sphere.

• Drawing is spending time with your thought process

• Maps - turning experiences, sights, sounds, feelings, into diagrams and maps. Telling a narrative through marks and simple shapes.

• How textiles can be used - wrapping, wearing, displaying, carrying, very versatile!

Thinking about this made Hannah's work have so much more depth, and showed that it could be applied to real-world objects and situations in many different ways.

Illustration about Dream Studios

• Space - also mentioned how the places which work are displayed can add so much more meaning to a piece of work. New contexts are created. So this would include locations where art is placed, or how it is. Galleries? Public spaces? Places completely unrelated to art?

• Packaging and presentation - Not just the object itself, but how it is packaged and delivered. Boxes, sleeves, inserts, posters, fold-outs, how can an audience interact with an object?

• Be aware of context and explore different ones. Hannah explores the relationships between art, craft, and manufacture.

• Manifesto - what's your work about? What do you set out to do? How? Why? What values are important to you and your practice?

DR ME | Visiting Lecturers

Yesterday we had a talk from visiting lecturers, DR ME. They are a creative team based in Manchester, who dabble in illustration, design-work, and general image-making.

Commercial work they have undertaken includes event posters, branding, vinyl sleeve designs, as well as other self-initiated projects (such as 365 days of collage).

Although they don't define themselves as strictly being graphic designers, or illustrators, I found their work to be quite design-orientated. However they said that defining your work/practice isn't vital, as you may possess more than one skill.

Examples from 365 Days of Collage

It was valuable to hear from their experiences, especially concerning their studies, internships, as well as their time in the commercial world. However I got the impression a lot of what they did was up to chance, or luck? Or maybe just having the assertiveness to approach people and ask for work.

Is content important? Is hard work important? Or is it just down to being confident and forward with people, and selling yourself? Hmmmm....I found that bit tough. This is where I feel different from these people.

Event poster designs

Notes from talk

• Internships can be valuable

• Mailers - interesting way to contact people. Goes beyond an ordinary email. Can show your personality, more handmade, personal.

• Taking on commercial work - what's important? Generating income, or having the freedom/independence to pick and choose what work you do? Only doing work you agree with personally?

• Self-led projects may open up other opportunities.

• They left university 8 years ago, and are still learning things. It's all a process of learning and finding things out.

• Build up an online body of work

• Keep in touch with people. You may get hired by past collaborators

Why Children's Drawings Matter

While looking at animated videos for studio practice, I found this. I really like it's message about how accuracy in art and when being creative shouldn't always matter. Please have a
watch.


Why children's drawings matter from Delphine Burrus on Vimeo.

S.W.O.T.

Take these points that would usually be applied to a business, and apply to yourself.

Strengths

• Research and idea generation

• Organisation

• I'd say my work isn't just surface level? Concept and meaning are important to me.

Weaknesses

• Selling myself, putting myself forward

• I'm not a person who does slick, well-crafted, high-detail work. And in a lot of people's minds, those things = a good piece of work

• I don't think my work would be trendy/widely liked by a broad audience

Opportunities (what does this category mean??)

•

•

•

Threats

• Too many illustrators, a creative community that is full of recycling and fads I guess?

• Where would my work even fit?

• Having to entirely reshape myself/my work to suit the needs of a client or market. Pandering to what others want and value, moving away from where my own interests lie.

Study Task 2 | Creative Industries

In today's session we talked about the creative industries and where they sit economically, and how they can relate or be integrated into many different sectors.

There were also some interesting statistics that I had never seen before, which gave me a sense of the scale and potential of the creative industries.

The creative industries encapsulate a lot of sub-categories, including:

• Advertising

• Arts & Antique markets

• Crafts

• Film, video and photography

•  Graphic Design

• Software, computing, electronic publishing

• Visual and performing arts

• Publishing

• TV, Radio, Music, Film, Animation, Games

Three main types of companies working in the creative industries...

• Design studios/consultancies/agencies

• In-house creative teams

• Freelance practitioners

Two main disciplines (though they cover many different ones)...

• Communication Design

Graphic design, illustration, retail & promotion, publishing & editorial, product & packaging, branding & identity, information, type, print, production, digital, multimedia...

• Digital & Multimedia Design

Web design, interface design, design for mobile tech, games design, motion graphics, digital film and animation, special effects...

Where am I in all of this?

When reflecting on my own practice (currently, and where it could go in the future) there are a lot of potential avenues that it could align with. I'm pretty open to the opportunities that lie within all of the industries.

Book cover design by Jason Booher / TheBookCoverArchive

1. Publishing & Book Design

Whether this would be on a commercial scale (the likes of Penguin, for example) or for a more independent market with smaller press companies and publishers, I am interested in designing the exterior of books and publications as well as potentially contributing or creating content for them. It would involve illustration and design in equal parts, as well as an understanding of subject matter through research.

Editorial illustration I made as part of a set based on William Burroughs

2. Editorial & Reportage

Similarly with the above, what appeals to me about editorial and reportage is the research side of things and having to grapple with context and subject matter in order to effectively portray the story, message or meaning of something. Also there is the potential for a broad sweep of information and topics to be covered, as well as numerous publications that utilise illustration to accompany articles. Also, magazines and newspapers have been expanding to the internet, with web versions being widely available. Here is another option for editorial illustrators but in a more digital format.

Storyboard from last year's Visual Narratives brief

Small characters from last year's postcard brief

3. Character & Narrative

Although I think I have approached these things from a stance that isn't what I immediately think of with character and narrative (e.g. children's books..) I have dealt with both of these things in my work. Narrative is the one I am more interested in as it involves creating a tone or atmosphere, as well as communicating something to an audience. This links with publishing also, and could be used in advertising and motion too.

Archer Farms Coffee packaging by illustrator Adrian Johnson

4. Product & Packaging

This wouldn't usually be on the top of my list of interests, but I do think there is a lot of potential for illustration and design to be utilised in these ways. Whether it's about making something ordinary and everyday look exciting or appealing, or packaging that isn't necessarily just for stuff like brillo pads, such as CDs, records, film, tshirts, and other things people buy for leisure or entertainment. However it would be a concern of mine that I'd just be reimagining something that's been released ten times over, or creating something that's quite empty and vapid.

5. Retail & Merchandise

There is a lot of overlap between this category and the above. As far as I know, merchandising is more about the display of products and items to make them more visually interesting and to garner attention from buyers. Again, not something I'm totally into or that I fully understand, but if I was to find out that this could be done in an interesting and engaging way maybe I would be more open to being involved in this.

Gino Bud Hoiting illustrative mural

6. Object & Environment

Again, another category that I'm not sure about the options that are available. I suppose this could be to do with spacial design, events, and maybe even move into animation and projection/light/sound/film (for example, motion graphics at a music event). The idea of making an environment interactive, and visually stimulating could hold a lot of exciting possibilities. Maybe I could look into this more.

1960s Magazine Advertisement / flickr

7. Advertising & Promotion

Although I'm not completely sure how illustration is used alongside promotion, I guess advertising would be in the sense of designing a piece of work to make an audience aware of an event, item, or happening could be interesting. Especially seeing as advertisements don't have to be bland. Maybe this could tie in with being a part of an agency and only working on visuals/illustrative components of a larger project. I think I'd have to see some existing examples to gage where I could be in this.

Thoughtbubble Festival

Yesterday I attended Thoughtbubble for the first time. It was way more varied than I thought it would be. Although it was a lot of people selling items (not that that's a bad thing), it was a good way to see how broad illustration and similar disciplines can be, and what shapes it can take on.

It made me think about what I'm interested in too. I was weirdly inspired by all of the people sharing and appreciating illustration and graphic art. All of those people putting their work on display for the public to see. Well done everyone.

I saw a lot of interesting things, including illustrators and visual artists that I was a fan of, as well as small press companies and independent publishers. Here are some of the things I spotted or picked up.

1. Josh Shepherd - I liked this funny little comic because of its weird sense of humour. I enjoy things that are made because the person wanted to say something or share a joke.

2. Wai Wai Pang - A postcard and a small book of drawings. Her work is very fun and loose, and doesn't take itself too seriously. A world of tiny people and clouds where you are welcomed with open arms.

3. Maria Stoian - 'The Figure in Art (School)'. A short zine based on art theory to do with the female nude in art. Also has an autobiographical feel? I found it quite emotive, and the mix of theory (big world problems or ideas) with personal (memories, anecdotes, confessions) is really interesting. I think this could be about her own experiences in the arts perhaps.

4. Lorenzo Fruzza / Jinku Comics - Sketchbook and postcard. The book is a collection of character development sketches and concepts, as well as some pages that look like they could be finished designs for posters and such. A nice collection of images that show ideas and how an idea has became fleshed out.

5. Isaac Lenkiewicz - A comic fold-out poster that tells a short story of a group of lichens. I found this really charming and cute, and it a nice way of presenting a comic narrative in a format which has limited space/pages. In some ways the poster is like one big panel of the story.

6. Rosie Barratt / Hot Parsnip - Postcard. This illustrator had some really nice prints, and a mix of digital and traditional/hands-on work. There was a bizarre and funny tone to her work, as well as some observational stuff involving pubs and bingo halls and the atmosphere within these places.

7. kuš! - The name of a Latvian comics anthology and comics publisher, each book hosts the work of both Latvian and international artists and illustrators in attempts to promote the medium in Latvia and sharing the work of its native artists around the world. Really lovely publications that had such a variation of work inside. A more left-field approach to comics, open to experimental work it seems.

PPP Megatask

Last week we were part of a cross-course megatask where we had to pitch ideas as small teams, vote, and then assemble to create one big team to carry out a pitch for the chosen idea.

I was paired with Molly, we had to match our assigned numbers which created a word combo. Our word combo was hangry hi-five.

 Our sheets from brainstorming as a team of two

We did some thinking about how we could make these two words into a product. We went on to the idea of creating some app-based solution to hunger and loneliness (like JustEat and Tinder or something). Our idea ended up being carried forward to the last round of voting.

The whole thing was weird and stressful, but actually okay?? Was interesting speaking to people from other courses too. As it was our idea, we were elected as the default project leaders much to our dismay.

A big part of this challenge was the deadline looming over our heads, as well as having to communicate with people (but without being bossy y'know). Gentle leadership was my intended approach.

We split everyone up into mini-teams: MARKETING, GRAPHICS/LOGO, COMMERCIAL (Animators), APP PEOPLE, giving them smaller jobs to accomplish each to assemble our pitch for the lecture theatre at 3pm.

Even though computers crashed, we lost our original ad and our voice over, and in the end the final product didn't matter, it was an interesting insight into collaboration. Maybe a glimpse of what's to come in the next semester where collaborative efforts will be assessed.

Big Heads | Rob Hodgson

Website

We had a big heads talk today with Rob Hodgson. An illustration man who has a load of different and varied projects to his name.

• He balances his time between freelancing and working with a publishing company called U Studios.

• His practice is drawn together by various themes and ideas that crop up time after time. (He didn't say what these were, but I think it's characters, fun, playful, making, imaginary and make believe and things from real life.)

• Projects are a good way of exploring a certain material, idea, or technique. But once a project is completed, it doesn't have to stop there. You can continue exploring these things, sometimes ideas span across different pieces of work and are there until you solve them or move on to something else.

• Rob said he thinks about where illustration meets products. (What can be illustrated? Packaging? Figurines and toys? Paper-based products? Stationary? Books and published material?)

• Although he does create a lot of commercial work which is readily turned into products, or applied on to existing items (like clothing, for example), he said he teeters on the line between worrying about being too commercial, and then reacting against that by making personal work.

• He also said that maybe he just has a commercial sensibility. This made me think that maybe some people's work is just more suited to be things that people buy. This could be a good thing or a bad thing. I guess it depends what appeals to you...

(makes me think about creative responsibility, about what illustration is and where it's going -- maybe just empty stuff that people fill their houses with? doesn't have to be?)

His professional and personal practices differ, but feed into one another.

I'm interested in this idea and how it could potentially apply to my own practice.

Study Task 1

1. Identify 5 things you've learned so far on the programme

• The end product isn't the be-all and end-all

• Concept and idea should come before aesthetics and what's on the surface

• You (the human) informs you (the work/creative person)

• Take inspiration from a wide range of places, not just illustration (film, tv, books, podcasts, talking to people, memories, something funny you saw on the bus)

• Ask people for their opinions and help ("hey man is this drawing of a dog okay?")

2. Identify 5 things that you want to know more about

• Professionalism (Putting work out there (like actually putting work out, and being mentally ready and okay doing that), pricing, the business side of things)

• Context within illustration/visual arts & design (What exists out there? Is there really interesting and niche projects and ideas and formats that me/my work could exist in? Something amazing that I don't even know about?)

• My practice (What I'm good at, what I do, what forms my practice as a whole, where my interests lie)

• What illustration means to me and how this could inform my place in an industry-situation, where I go to next

• Facilities available to us once we leave here (printing, publishing, materials, all that serious stuff. Because thinking about buying paper keeps me awake at night ☺)

3. Identify 5 things that you consider to be your strengths

• Researching

• Creating links and connections between different info, sources...

• Drawing? (Just lines, really...)

• Idea generation (multiples, roughs, thumbnails, sketches)

• 

4. Identify 5 things you want to improve

• Having a level of assurance in my ideas/execution of ideas

• Ability to make quick, certain decisions

• Just going for it - taking initiative and going off gut feeling

• Expand skills with different techniques and media (so I can be an image-maker with a range of approaches, not just falling back on the same thing)

• The capacity to enjoy making things / worry-free creativity (solve this mystery)

5. Identify 5 practitioners that have informed your practice

• Mikkel Sommer
• Joost Stokhof
• Nathaniel Russell
• Michael DeForge
• 

6. Identify 5 websites/resources

• It's Nice That
• The Library (I like the photography and illustration/graphic novel sections. Wandering around is also good)
• Creative Review
•
•