Mad Men though set in the world of 60s advertising has never promoted itself in a way that mirrors that. Until now. I was overly excited to read that English illustrator Brian Sanders had been asked to produce a series of works in an authentic 60s style. A resurgence in authentic 60s style illustration? Some of the old legends getting a moment in the limelight again? Let’s hope so. Full article here
Some of Brian’s work from ‘back in the day’, including onset pieces he created whilst working as set illustrator, charting the making of Kubrick’s 2001.
The Grillust blog has always been good. Indeed at times it verges on the sublime. Where else can you find soup reviews, scale model passenger planes made from Papier-mâché, pictures of tall hair, scathing reviews and truth bombs? We do 'em all.
But lately we came to a sudden and terrifying realisation. The Grillust blog just wasn't wide enough. Gasp, weep, swoon!!! Fear not dear reader (singular). With characteristic 'will do' attitude the Grillust boffins have, after countless hours of calculation, experimentation and deliberation, been able to add a mammoth 180 pixels to the width of posts. So don't be afraid of the sheer magnitude of imagery from here on in, do not recoil under the utterly overwhelming amount of picture bearing down upon you - be brave and embrace these shocking changes (which we can, kinda' verify as being more or less safe). Together we step into a slightly widescreen, XL, cinemascope type of new world (blog).
Mark and Ollie (both 21) with the Statue of Liberty behind. It wasn't as big as they thought it was going to be...
Is it for or against? Do we know if see-sawing is a problem in Manhattan? Answers on a postcard please.
We think this is where Roy Walker was inspired to create his timeless Catchphrase.
Deep...
H.R.H. The Typographer Royal, Rhiannon Robinson (33) in front of the Statue of Liberty. Disappointingly, it wasn't as big as she thought it was going to be either...
The last project was all about showing our first year students the delights of traditional, manual, 'craft' skills. Computers are OK but they can't make dummy books, staple, use pen & ink, paint in acrylic using a dry-brush technique etc.
As more and more people become slaves to technology we want our students to see the bigger picture and stand out from the crowd. Yes; it is important that illustration students experience, explore and experiment with as many media and techniques as possible. Yes; graphic design students should be able to perfectly mount work, make 3D models and draw beautiful, freehand curves.
We therefore turned the computers off for two weeks, originality was put 'on hold' and the design and illustration students were given 21 slightly different technical challenges which included:
Making a stab-stitched book with a sequence of square holes on each page
Creating an A5 saddle-stitched book with die-cut holes in the cover
Window mounting (45 degree bevel) a postcard
Hand cutting a 100mm diameter perfect circle
Embossing geometric shapes
Draw a 42mm square in the middle of an A4 sheet
Construct a three dimensional letter 'A'
Various technical drawings (orthographic, isometric and oblique)
Hand-painted colour wheel, grey scale and tone scale)
Large constructed 'R' (graphic designers)
Various drawn/painted curve exercises (graphic designers)
Copy a 1930's poster in paint (graphic designers)
Copy the work of various illustrators using a range of media (illustrators)
Charismatic illustration lecturer Dwayne Bell (33), demonstrates what a compass can achieve to a totally engrossed Kate (21)
Tom (21) has downloaded the audio book MP3 of 'How to construct the Roman Alphabet (Chatto)' and is carefully following instructions.
Beth (21) cuts a perfect circle in a sheet of paper and unwittingly creates a portal in time and space. If you look through it, you can see Telford town centre on a rainy, winter's night!
Cameron (21) shows the correct use of a parallel motion.
Sophie (21) at work on her travel poster copy...
...while nearby, Julia (21) puts the finishing touches to her William Nicholson forgery.
Ben (21) has mastered the difficult technique of using a parallel motion/45 degree set square combo. In the background, Sam (21) looks scared... ...very scared!
One of these 'A's' is slightly better than the other, but can you guess which?
Ben (21) proudly displays his constructed letter 'R'.
The beautifully cut square holes in a stab-stitched book.
Some perfect (and not quite perfect) white cubes.
Insert your own witty caption here...
Some William Nicholson copies (original bottom right) done using waterproof black ink with watercolour tinting.
Missed by a 'country mile'. A 'rubbish' 42mm square with the staff 'master' overlaid to check for accuracy.
3rd year graphic designers Dave
Wharton and Josh Elliff (both 21) have recently collaborated with BA(Hons)
Journalism students on the design and production of the 2013 Words by the Water
publication for the Keswick Literary Festival. And damn fine it looks too!
Unfortunately, Josh decided to go on a
‘fact-finding mission’ to the flesh pots of Amsterdam mid-production, leaving Dave to pick-up the
slack. And therein lies the heart of our story today. For, it seems that Dave has been kipping
through his print lectures and therefore was unfamiliar with some of the
terminology, specifically the bit about ‘full-bleed’.
Scalpel in hand the dutiful Daltonian, Dave (aka Stumpy), proceeded to ‘have at’ his finger in some sort of ritual self-mutilation rite of passage. Hari-kari lite, so to speak.
In the spirit of entertainment, we obviously applaud such misguided dedication
to the craft, however, we did do a quick recap on bleed, slug and
trap on the way to A&E.
Readers will be pleased to note that it only took a sticky plaster and a spot of 'magic cream' to repair Dave's digit and he was back in action later in the afternoon.
Here's an 'action shot' of Year 3 'Action Man' Davey Rees (21) on a recent University trip to New York, U. S. of A.
He's deliriously happy with his newly purchased 'gripping hands' (see promo leaflet below) and put them to good use in the 'big apple'.
Davey can now photograph with ease the view in front of him while simultaneously producing a close-up image of his left nostril's physical response to the local odour. Conceptual photography or what?..
3rd Year Illustration student, Jade Wall, recently collaborated with our good friends at C-Art and Tullie House to produce evocative publicity material for an evening of illustrated talks with seven of the artists featuring in the C-Art exhibition. The real trick was to feature the work of seven very different visual artists without giving prominence to any one of them - after all, it would only end in tears!
All design, print and finishing was organised and overseen by Jade who also used her own photographs as backdrops for posters and postcards. She also had the presence of mind to 'requisition' first and second year students to do the folding.
As promised in an earlier blog post, here are a selection of the title sequences the students produced in response to programme descriptions taken from Charlie Brooker's excellent TV Go Home website.
The students were taught the basics of Adobe After Effects and were then given only two weeks to complete the finished sequence.
Considering the tight time-frame, the results were very impressive:
Aimee Stewart & Matthew Gordon (both 21) - Skyclimber 2000
'Action series starring Lee Majors as Aspen Detective John Kable, who patrols the alpine skies in an experimental police cable car, slowly fighting crime on symmetrically opposed mountains...'
Terri-Leigh Jones (21) - Disraeli Nights
'Erotic drama starring David Seaman as Tory politician Benjamin Disraeli. Exhausted following the 1875 Artisans Dwelling Act, Disraeli retires to Downing Street for a well-earned rest... but his slumber is soon disturbed by a visit from an inquisitive 17 year-old named Emily Pankhurst. Contains improper language, ankles, full-frontal nudity, sideburn clutching and goal kicks.'
'Deeply unconventional new series in which the gap-toothed A-ha frontman attempts to promote the use of geometric shapes by performing inexplicable ceremonial acts...'
'Occasional series in which Dennis Waterman, dressed as a blackbird, attempts to build a nest in a gigantic concrete tree, while Hywell Bennett clings to his back offering nothing but relentless criticism..'
Eilidh McKenzie & Sam Douglas (2 X (10+10+1)=?) - Held in Perpetuity
'Hard-hitting expose of the modern phone system starring Daid Schwimmer. One day "Five" falls through his phone receiver and discovers the innocent millions who are daily trapped on "hold" wandering around like ghosts.'
Kianna Poskitt (22-1=?) - Garcia
'Vintage 1960s crime series in which unconventional hippy detective Jim Garcia solves crimes with the aid of the consciousness-expanding drug LSD...'
Tom Kiernah & Josie Howker (both XXI) - Widdleplop III: Destination Mars
'Wearying of his continual ordure-orientated misfortune on Earth, cattle farmer Harold Walsh constructs a rocket ship, fills it with livestock and blasts off into space in an a bid to establish a new farm on Mars...'
'Mystifying gameshow in which contestants don blindfolds and gloves in an attempt to identify a patch of fabric glued to the base of a swimming pool without the use of eyes or fingers, before time runs out and a goose has its head pulled off by a specially-built clockwork machine in front of a party of confused and frightened German schoolchildren.'
Julia Ivanszky (21) & Jessica Julien (ditto) - Centrifuge Bay
'Australian soap made entirely on a set housed within a gigantic centrifuge and shot with cameras bolted to the rotating floor, thereby creating an eerie effect in which the furniture and cast slowly slide away from the centre of the room and wind up hopelessly pinned against the walls at the end of each episode.'
Hello and welcome. This blog comes to you from the GRaphic Design and ILLUSTration (GRILLUST) courses at The University of Cumbria here in beautiful Carlisle.
From time to time we'll be posting student work and other things that catch our eye, both inside and outside the studio.
We hope you like what you see and please feel free to get in touch. We would also like to point out that the views expressed here aren't necessarily the views of The University of Cumbria, although they could be...
