Craig Atkinson

Cally Gibson

Mark Beer

Anne Luck

I like this illustration by Anne Luck because of how she has created a realistic looking woman using only as much detail that is necessary.

Joanna Barnum

I really like this image by Joanna Barnum because of how the detail is done in a washy paint like yet realistic way.

i wish id done this

I love the image M-maybe by Roy Lichtenstein because of his use of primary colours and his use of black and white which contrasts this.  I also like how there is a strong sense of emotion and expression in the painting - the pose of the woman suggests she is deep in thought about something even without the speech bubble. Despite being in a comic book style there is a sense of realism about the image,despite the fact the proportions are simplified compared to a real person, they are done so in an accurate way - although idealised the womans facial features etc arent too exaggerated. The image is more dominant than the speech bubble because the outlines are much bolder and they are also darker than the text , which draws your attention on this first. In my own work I could think about using varying thicknesses of lines to highlight certain aspects of my illustrations like Lichtenstein does. 

The best 3 pieces of advice I have been given all year

One of the best piece of advice I have been given all year is to plan. This will be essential for me when I start my second year as in the past year lack of planning caused me to struggle with deadlines amd end up with only producing a bare minimum of work and resulting in me scraping a pass in most modules.
Another good piece of advice I was given was to be more experimental. Admittedly in the past I limited myself in terms of the media i used to produce work for example I mostly used media which wasn't particularly messy and was more confident with such as biro and pencil. I feel that by using more media it  will greatly improve the quality of my work. I think I could also be more experimental with colour as most of the time I either use bright colours or just black and white.
The last good piece of advice I was given was to broaden my research. This applys to me in particular because in the past year i didnt use the library as much as I could have and instead mostly relied on the internet when looking for inspiration and artists to look at. By broadening my research I will be able to find new working methods to experiment with.

I wish I had done this

In the past when working on an illustration brief and looking for inspiration I came across the  welsh surface pattern illustrator Hannah Davies on the website illustration web. This particular illustration she did of an owl caught my attention the most. My favourite thing about the image is the highly detailed texture created throught the use of shape and layered patterns which are reminiscent of doodles.It is also clever how Davies has used flowers for the eye detail and some of the feather patterns of the owl. I also like how the black and white patterns contrast with the coloured aspects of the image. The media she has used ( a combination of collage and watercolours) add to the beauty of the illustration - they give it a feminine/elegant quality, her textile background is reflected in this . Excluding all the patterned detail the image is actually very simplistic in style and has a cartoony/ childlike aspect to it. This makes the image appealing to children as well as adults. One example of this is the unrealistic proportions of the owl -  its legs are tiny compared to the rest of its body.I like how despite all the variations of pattern in this illustration you can still concentrate on the focus of the image - the fact that it is a drawing of an owl. I find it interesting that the owl only has one wing shown, it makes me want to know why the Davies has chosen to do this.  The flowers underneath the owl are a good contrasting feature  because of the lack of pattern on them because of this they balance the image out. The image is more appealing to females because of the decorative quality . At first the position of the owl seems quite clear - that it is facing forward but because of the missing other wing I metioned earlier it makes me question this. In terms of the mood reflected in the image I feel that  is neither happy or sad in particular rather just peaceful because of the natural feel  and theme of the image.
      I can learn from this image by thinking more carefully about my use of colour/lack of  colour and use more contrast in my work. It has also made me want to experiment with texture and pattern to enhance  work as normally when I draw I never really use either and tend to stick with what I am comfortable with.  I can also think about using nature and the environment around me as a source of inspiration like Davies does. It has also made me think more about position - for example not showing all of a character body to create a sense of intrigue.