I recently stumbled upon these beautiful illustrations by Charlotte Hoyle. I think her style is really unique, I had a really hard time chosing my favorites for this blog post. Charlotte is an illustrator and artist from Surrey with a BA (Hons) in Fashion Promotion and Illustration. With tradeyourtalent she speaks about her favorite fashion themes and why she likes to draw celebrities.
What are your favorite themes to work with?
Charlotte: Definitely fashion, beauty and the macabre. For example I can't see myself creating children's illustration. I like to play around with the ideals of fashion try and give it a dynamic edge, but also I'm really inspired by gothic and weird artwork. I created a series of anatomy fashion illustrations for my graduation show but I haven't done work like that in a while. I'm working towards creating imagery with the same theme but at the moment I'm happy drawing anything fashion related. It's fun to play around with shapes and colour's but also to capture the essence of a garment.
You often illustrate celebrities from a different angle. What inspires you to these illustrations?
Charlotte: I grew up absorbed in popular culture, celebrities, reality tv, music videos...etc which all question the idea of beauty and promote unrealistic ideas of what beauty is. Celebrities have to be seen to be perfect all the time, drawing them brings out a different reality. I think true beauty is being a bit ugly. I'd love to draw a celebrity from real life, I think that would be interesting. Someone like Lady Gaga or Cheryl Cole, two extremes I know but I think they really use make-up and styling to promote a false ideal of themselves, just in very different ways. Drawing them would strip all that away.
What is it like being an illustrator/artist in the fashion world?
Charlotte:You get a lot of knock-backs but its really worth sticking to your guns and keeping at it. My work has developed immensely over the past two years and thats because I continued to draw and focus on my goals. Someone at a high profile magazine told me to never draw celebrities, I think I have proved them wrong, but only because I stuck at it. You have to take these things on the chin and believe in yourself.
If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be and why?
Charlotte: My dream would be James Jean. I'm obsessed with him. I pretty much check his blog everyday. He isn't a fashion illustrator per-say (he created the faerie illustrations for Prada) but he is awe-inspiring. Literally blows my mind, both his concepts and techniques. When I think of my career I just focus on getting to his standard one day.
This weekend left me wondering about artists and self-promotion. I read a shocking article about graduates of liberal arts classes in Germany. The article says, that ONLY five percent of these graduates can live off their own artwork or sculptures. I don't really know where they got this number from (I really hope that it was a mistake), but they were definitely right in proposing that young artists should take courses in self-promotion throughout their studies.
Or should they? I guess thinking of self-promotion is something some artists greatly disapprove of, because they don't feel it is part of what an artist should do. But where does self-promotion begin, where does it end? And this is what I came up with after some serious brainstorming ;-) :
Do's and Don'ts
1) Don´t: Obviously it is not necessary to literally WEAR your own artwork PRINTED on your pants and tshirt ( I saw a guy on Sunday who looked like a colorful painting in motion)
2) Do: Blog about your progress. I love to read about how artists develop their work and what inspires them.
3) Don't: give up. Even if you don't get millions of twitter followers like Justin Bieber does, 3 real fans can be of the same greatness.
4) Do: Show your inspiration and creativity to the world. I've discovered so many great artists through social media, artists I probably wouldn't have met otherwise.
5) Don't: be shy! A facebook page is sometimes helpful! If you don't like facebook, you can still blog or create your own website, there are so many possibilities!
6) Do: Connect! there are so many great artists out there who love to collaborate with you.
More do's or don'ts on self-promotion, what are your experiences? Feel free to comment below!
Mariano: To create my paintings I am inspired by nature and the different ways of perceiving the world and people that art gives to us. I think the creative process should result in the departure from reality and also take a part of the real world which is significant for the artist.
What is it like being an artist in Argentina?
Mariano: Being an artist in Argentina may be complicated by the lack of attention given to the arts but it is also comforting to know that Argentina has great talent and great people doing great things. I feel that in my country some are not closely linked to the world on the theme of arts I think it's a gradual process that will change over time.
When did you start painting?
Mariano: I'm self taught, Iam 35 years old and started painting 15 years ago, learning is a slow process and takes many years of work and study.
What are the major hemes in your work?
Mariano: The topics I discuss in my paintings are varied from nature and landscapes to abstraction and the human figure, more important than the subject seems to me the plastic approach that makes the observer have diferent sensations. You can paint a still life from a revolutionary approach or paint in a traditional manner, the difference between the two situations interests me and too the constant search for new forms of expression. The idea is to convey to the viewer feelings whatever the subject of painting from figurative painting or abstractions .My work currently fluctuates between abstraction and figuration and the gradual and progressive deconstruction of the image.
Mikael Kangas is an illustrator, art director and graphic designer from Sweden. Mikael started studying industrial design, but later on he realized that illustration and graphic design is what he likes best. With tradeyourtalent Mikael speaks about inspiration from Greek mythology and saving the world.
What are your themes in your work?
Mikael: A lot of fashion and animals and ornaments! I started out inspired by Aubrey Beardsley and did only black and white. Somehow I wanted to update the illustrations and make them more contemporary and take use of all the tools available when working digitally and started experimenting with colors, overlays and transparencies. But even though I like the use of strong colors I try to keep down the number of different colors in one illustration so it doesn’t go overboard.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Mikael: I get my inspirations from all kinds of things in everyday life but also from the Art Nouveau books, Greek mythology, fairytales and fashion magazines.
What are your current projects about?
Mikael:Right now im working on a couple of diffent things. Instructional workout illustrions, a magazine cover and art directing photoshots for H&M!
Is it hard being an artist today?
Mikael:Well there is a tough completion since it's a more global market now but at the same time that also increases the number of clients you can reach. Even though I live in Sweden almost none of my clients are Swedish magazine or brands.
Do you have favorite artists?
Mikael: I loved stories and books illustrated by incredible Swedish illustrator Hans Arnold when I was younger and still think his images are incredible. Unfortunatly he isn't alive anymore but i do like some more ontemporary illustrators like Richard Gray, Autumn Whitehurst and David Downton.
Did you ever want to do something else besides art?
Mikael: I´ve been drawing and sketching all my life, fascinated by “how to draw” books and addicted to comic books. Later I studied industrial design, decided on illustrations. But if i didn't do that or illustrations i would probebly want to work with animals or something like that. saving the world?
Kerry Candaele, producer, writer and director (Battle Hymns Productions, LLC) speaks about his documentary "Following the Ninth - In the Footsteps of Beethoven's Final Symphony." Kerry is originally from Vancouver, he attended California State University Chico, U C Santa Barbara, and Columbia University where he was a Richard Hofstadter Fellow and President’s Fellow in U.S. history. He has also worked all over the world (including China, East Timor, Guatemala, Indonesia, Jordan, South Africa, Gaza, and the West Bank) for the Democracy Council, an NGO dedicated to peaceful reform in developing nations.
You are working on the documentary "Following the Ninth".What inspired you to this project and what is it about?
Kerry: I was inspired to begin a film about Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and it's global impact for two primary reasons. The first is the music itself. The first time I heard the Ninth, I thought it was as powerful and profound as the best of any popular music that one hears today. And as I grew to young adulthood during the 1960s and early 70s, my musical influences came from the great rock and roll artists of that period, most notably the Beatles and Bob Dylan. So in a sense I was surprised by the Ninth's capacity to move me at the depths of my soul, as I didn't come from a background where classical music was a household item.
The second reason for my attraction to the Ninth as a cinematic possibility is the man behind the music. Beethoven biography is, simply put, the material of justified legend. In brief, here is a man who at the height of his musical powers confronted a cosmic joke: he started to go deaf, to lose the one sense that we imagine would be the most critical for a composer of his stature. By the time he composed the Ninth, his final symphony in 1824 and just three years before his death, he could have added up all his suffering and come to the conclusion that life was a bust, an absurd con, and that it would be fine and just to write music that reflected these existential facts. But instead Beethoven wrote a symphony about human connection across all borders, about how art delivers us from fear, pain, heartbreak and wretchedness. Beethoven composed a Symphony about all these emotions and experiences, but settled on joy as the final statement for the Ninth, about how music can heal and repair.
Finally, after hearing the music and studying his life, I found that the Ninth had a role in some important world events. Students at Tiananmen Square in 1989 were playing the Ninth over makeshift loudspeakers as the Chinese army was called in to crush their movement for freedom. In Chile under the Pinochet dictatorship, women would march in the streets to the torture prisons while singing a version of the "Ode To Joy," part of the final triumphant fourth movement. In Japan, a nation that has embraced the Ninth like no other, every December hundreds of Ninth concerts are performed, sometimes with 10,000 people in the chorus.
I then, in a leap of faith, decided to make Following The Ninth.
What were the hardest and the best parts about this project?
Kerry: The best part of making any documentary film is meeting people who are willing to share part of their lives with me. Making a documentary is a decidedly more interesting way to travel. The individuals in this film took me into their homes, introduced me to others who shared part of their personal histories, and, most importantly, they told me stories, often intimate and moving stories, about how Beethoven's music transformed their lives in some way. Connecting with people at that level is the big payoff. And who would not enjoy traveling around the world to Japan, Chile, South Africa, and various European countries with music as the subject of their art? I also believe that a film crew should have fun on the job. And, indeed, we had a lot of fun making this film, whether it was exploring Shinto temples in the mountains of Japan, or drinking copious amounts of Chilean wine with a group of new friends on the southern Island of Chile.
The most difficult part for an independent filmmaker is the perennial one: raising money. I had to go out and shoot, come home to raise money, and repeat a routine that can be both discouraging and a good way to sap inspiration. I thought the film would take two years to shoot. It took four.
Being a filmmaker is hard today.Do you agree?
Kerry: Yes. If you are not backed by a big studio and you don't have a trust fund from which to draw, there is no way around the obstacles, especially for a film that requires travel to several countries. One has to make a long-shot gamble. With such long odds, it's best to make sure that you love the process, because the monetary payoff is, of course, never guaranteed.
Was filmmaking always your passion?
Kerry: No. I have many passions. I love the study of history, for example, which dovetails nicely with filmmaking. I have taught history at various colleges, and I still occasionally put fingers to the keyboard to work on books and articles. I also have a perhaps unhealthy attraction to politics, both domestic and international, which also connects to the type of projects I enjoy. My passion for music is a given. The same is true for my family and close friends.
Your advice to young artists would be...?
Kerry: Cliches are rarely useful for complicated lives in a complex world, but the one about doing what you love and accepting what follows seems to be spot on. I don't think anyone would enjoy the prospect of arriving at the end of life and muttering "I shouda...." It's not at all easy, and the journey is never complete, but Nietzsche's admonition to "become who you are" is worth contemplating. Just ask Beethoven.
Artists Help Japan is a charity movement initiated by Dice Tsutsumi, an art director at Pixar Animation Studios who was also behind 2008 Totoro Forest Project to help preserve Sayama Forest in Japan and Sketchtravel Project, to gather the force of communities of artists and creative minds around the world. They believe that artists have special roles to contribute to the society.Within a week, 10 art communities from LA, San Francisco, New York, Paris, Toronto and Pittsburgh have signed up to do fund raising events to contribute to this movement. We are calling for more artists communities to join the forces of Artists Help Japan Movement. More on Artists Help Japan movement
Terry Wong's illustrations are filled with lots of humor. I really enjoy his Mad Men illustration of Christina Hendricks. Terry was not always an illustrator, he started out as a graphic designer in Vancouver. After several years he decided to move into illustration full time. He is a graduate of the Alberta College of Art and Design and the Vancouver Film School. Terry Wong is represented by Anna Goodson Management.
Terry: A consistent theme in my work is humor. Being able to look at an article, or story and convey the situation in a concise manner with a humorous component. Growing up I was taught up to find the humor in a situation, as an illustrator I've found that finding the applicable humor helps to engage the viewer right away.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Terry: I try to get inspired anywhere and everywhere. A walk in the park, a stroll through the mall, watching a good movie. Inspiration is everywhere, you just have to be aware of it and let it get to you.
What advice would you give young artists for pursuing a career in art?
Terry: The more you are like yourself the less you're like anybody else. This is a good thing, ultimately clients will want you for your unique way of looking at the world.
Could you imagine doing something else besides art?
Terry: If I wasn't an illustrator, I'd be doing something else with an artistic component. It's always been a part of who I am.
Sue
Pownall is a nomad, always traveling for
work and inspiration. Sue is also one of the first artists I interviewed
for Trade Your Talent and we have been in touch ever since. Since we
both travel a lot our exchanges are not very frequent, but somehow our
creative projects keep us connected and linked in a very special way.
Sue captures her surroundings in realistic pen and ink drawings. Her
sketchbook is Sue's
constant companion during her travels. In January
2011, a book of her illustrations and photos of Khartoum was published.
In April 2011 she participated in the Trans-Siberian Arts Centre
group exhibition, last December she had her first solo exhibition in
Oman. With Trade Your Talent she speaks about her travels and why new
places and experiences are the source of her inspiration.
Your blog is called "Art of a Nomad". What is it like being an artist that travels all the time?
Sue:
It has its good and bad points, although overall it's a positive thing.
Changing countries provides new places, sights and experiences, so you
are never stuck for inspiration. On top of that, as a member of the
nonprofit organization Urban Sketchers ,
I can often find new people to sketch with, which brings creativity in
itself. With others and alone I can discover both out-of-the-way spots
or snapshots of everyday life to draw and paint, which I probably
wouldn't if I stayed in one place.
How has the path of being an artist been like for you?
Sue:
I have always drawn since my mum and dad gave me my first crayon and
piece of paper. I attended art college in Colchester, then Plymouth, UK
way-back-when and then worked as a graphic designer for about 8 years
until I left the formal art world. After that, I continued to sketch and
produce the occasional finished artwork in a limited way until
September 2009 when I returned to being an artist and illustrator.
What inspires you most when you are visiting a new country?
Sue:
The architecture, the culture and the people. As an artist I find decay
fascinating and have drawn crumbling building all over the world,
however as I do not like the cold so I prefer to draw them in the summer
or in warm places.
What does Africa mean to you and how did your travels there influence your art?
Sue:
Until last year I had visited only a small part of Africa having hiked
in Morocco, and had holidays in South Africa and Tunisia. Then early
last year, I was fortunate enough to get a short contract to work in
Khartoum, Sudan and fell in love with the people and the city. In every
country I travel to I always carry a sketchbook and use it it more
often in some places than others. I found Khartoum to be a very peaceful
and simple place to stay with beautiful people, so it allowed me the
time to sketch and draw without the normal distractions of life and it
provided a constant source of inspiration.
Which countries are next on your list?
Sue:
I loved my time in Khartoum and the other places I have visited in
Africa, so I plan to return to Africa soon, possibly Ethiopia. However,
Cuba is at the top of my list of destinations and I hope to go there
this summer. Also, I want to see more of the Middle East specifically
Syria. I'd like to go to Sri Lanka... the list is endless, which is why I
call myself a nomad.
I've been working on my new website/art collaboration/magazine project this week, neglecting the things I should be doing, again! But I have so many ideas that it is hard to stop, I've become a little addicted to being creative.
I think I'm going to start a new side event, Bloggers Anonymous or something like that, although creativity is someting positive, right? If there is someone else who can relate to ATC (Addicted To Creativity) please make yourself known...
And here are the five things I would love to have for creative support (in my creative dreamworld):
1) a smart and friendly computer nerd who has lots of time and will and patience to help me (for free OR alternative payment: lots and lots of thank you emails...)
2) an artsy sponsor who would love to help me build my artist community
3) a creative partner
4) free time to develop my crazy creative ideas (I have just been avoiding what needs to be done all day!)
5) a location where I can hold my first blog/arts event this year (by the rate I'm going, maybe next year :-) )
If you think you have any of the above qualities, don't hesitate to contact me :-)
And now the good news (things that are going to happen for real):
three lovely exhibitions are coming up on Trade Your Talent soon. Please look out for them!
-Maybe at some stage between dream and reality I'll be able to host exhibitions on my new website! Who knows...
