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Posts Tagged ‘illustration’

Call for Papers: Science, Imagination, and the Illustration of Knowledge

Monday, March 25th, 2013
Posted in: Blog

Illustration Research - Science, Imagination & Illustration by Ian Whadcock
Illustration by Ian Whadcock

Call for Papers: Science, Imagination, and the Illustration of Knowledge

4th International Illustration Symposium

Organised by Illustration Research, in collaboration with University of Oxford Museums and Collections Oxford, UK

7 – 8 November 2013

‘Every great advance in science has issued from a new audacity of the imagination.’
John Dewey

The Science, Imagination and the Illustration of Knowledge symposium will consider the contemporary and historical role of illustration in relation to the collection, processing, understanding, and organisation of knowledge and associated questions of epistemology and pedagogy.

The symposium is organised by Illustration Research in collaboration with the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, the Pitt Rivers Museum, and the Museum of the History of Science and these world famous collections will provide an important context for the exploration of these issues alongside presentations from curators.

We therefore invite submissions of papers on any of the following themes, and/or the suggestions of panels (three speakers).

Drawing as a means of investigating the world
Diagrams, working drawings and field notes
Books and manuals, info-graphics, instructional and pedagogic material
Visual taxonomies, classification and differentiation of categories of knowledge
Visualising the invisible
Visualising the body
Phantasms, grotesques, shadows: the imagined body
Science and magic
Healing images
Darwin’s legacy

Papers are invited from practising illustrators, from scientists and from academics.

Please submit 500 word proposals for papers and/or panels to Adrian Holme a.holme[at]camberwell.arts.ac.uk by Friday July 5, 2013.

The Journal of Illustration

Papers selected for presentation will also be considered for submission to the forthcoming Journal of Illustration (Intellect).

Illustration Research

Illustration Research is an international network of academics, researchers and practitioners in the field of illustration. It has held annual International Symposia for the past three years: 2010 (Cardiff), 2011 (Manchester MMU), 2012 (Krakow Ethnographic Museum, Poland).

March 19, 2013
image by Ian Whadcock

Tags: illustration, Research
Posted in Blog | No Comments »

Jabberwocky Shadow Puppet Performance

Monday, March 18th, 2013
Posted in: Blog, Collaboration

Jabberwocky Shadow Puppet Performance

This is a recording of the Jabberwocky shadow puppet performance that we performed at Milkwood Gallery, Cardiff, on the 2 March 2013. Jabberwocky is a nonsense-verse poem that was written by Lewis Carroll.

The puppets were made by myself, Layla Holzer and Rachel Gibson and the audio was taken from Jan Swankmajer’s Jabberwocky.

Tags: Events, illustration, Pack of Wolves, video
Posted in Blog, Collaboration | 3 Comments »

Laura McKellar Embroidered Photographs

Saturday, March 16th, 2013
Posted in: Blog

Laura McKellar Embroidered Photographs

There seems to be a trend for creating embroidered photographs at the moment. The internet seems to be awash with these images, from Maurizio Anzeri who will be exhibiting here in Cardiff this spring to Stacey Page.

I’m not sure what I make of this trend at the moment. There’s no denying that the process is effective from an aesthetic point of view. The bright colours of the threads creates a high impact effect against the monochrome background of the old or ‘vintage’ photographs used. However, whilst the maker inside me enjoys the aesthetic, the artist in me is struggling to find much to engage with beneath the stitched surface of these works.

These works by Laura McKellar make use of that combination of colourful thread and old photographs to great effect. Rather than embroidering directly onto the old photographs though Laura creates digital prints on fabric after working some additional colour into the photographs.

Laura is an illustrator/designer based in Melbourne. You can view more of her work at www.lauramckellar.com

Tags: Craft, illustration, Photography, Stitch
Posted in Blog | 2 Comments »

Star Sailor Sampler

Monday, February 18th, 2013
Posted in: Blog, Collaboration, Work In Progress

Star Sailor Sampler

This star sailor sampler is a a little test piece that I worked on with fairy tale illustrator Layla Holzer with a view to undertaking some collaborative work. The piece is inspired by a fairy tale that Layla wrote.

Layla has painted the scene out in gouache on linen. I’ve then embellished the painting with embroidered elements such as the moon and stars as well as the text.

Although it needs a little refinement I think we’re both happy with the outcome of this test piece.

Tags: Art, Collaboration, illustration, Stitch
Posted in Blog, Collaboration, Work In Progress | 3 Comments »

Once Upon Again Exhibition

Friday, February 15th, 2013
Posted in: Blog, Exhibitions, News Feed

Once Upon Again Exhibition

Dates: 27 February – 9 March 2013
Location: Milkwood Gallery, Cardiff
Late night opening: Saturday 2 March 2013: join us for an evening of enchanting fairy tales, puppet shows and performances.

“Every fairy tale had a bloody lining. Every one had teeth and claws.” – Alice Hoffman

Once upon Again will be an exhibition of fairy tale inspired work. The title suggests the idea of re-imagined narratives – taking existing fairy and folk tales and retelling them. This follows the tradition of stories being passed from generation to generation over centuries, through cultures and societies, books, art and film. These stories were once rife with violence, disobedience and punishment, dark magic, sex, cannibalism, beasts and fantastical wishes that came true.

The likes of the Brothers Grimm rewrote such narratives to make them palatable for children. They added cautionary and moral awakenings to ensure good judgement, wisdom and common sense was instilled in their audiences. However, the traditional motifs remaining in today’s fairy tales are diluted – happily-ever-after now litters the endings of stories and any trace of real darkness has been stripped away.

“Fairy tales serve a meaningful social function, not just for compensation but for revelation: the worlds projected by the best of our fairy tales reveal the gaps between truth and falsehood in our immediate society.” – Jack Zipes

The Pack of Wolves will retell fairy tales, as they should be – as they once were, bringing back old values and themes… Once Upon Again. The artists will take inspiration from existing fairy and folk stories and either reinvent them or present new stories using visual narratives. Fairy tales should not only enchant and entertain the audience but also illuminate and inform.

“The enchantments universalize the narrative setting, encipher concerns, beliefs and desires in brilliant, seductive images that are themselves a form of camouflage, making it possible to utter harsh truths, to say what you dare.” – Marina Warner

Puppet Shows

On the evening of Saturday the 2 March 2013 you are invited to join us at Milkwood Gallery to view a series of short puppet shows performed by members of the Pack of Wolves. This will include a traditional Punch and Judy show and a Jabberwocky shadow play.

What’s more the evening will present an opportunity to meet many of the artists involved with Pack of Wolves. We do hope you’ll be able to the Once Upon Again exhibition celebration.

www.packofwolves.org
www.milkwoodgallery.com

Tags: Art, Cardiff, Exhibition, illustration, Pack of Wolves
Posted in Blog, Exhibitions, News Feed | 16 Comments »

Punch & Judy Puppets

Wednesday, February 13th, 2013
Posted in: Blog, Work In Progress

Punch & Judy Puppets

We’ve recently been working on some Punch & Judy puppets for the Pack of Wolves’ exhibition at Milkwood Gallery that opens later this month. I was tasked with working on the policemen and doctor puppets pictured here. They’re still both works in progress at this stage but they’ll be finished in good time for a dress rehearsal.

The painting of the heads for these puppets was undertaken by fellow member of the Pack of Wolves, Layla Holzer. She has also painted up a wonderful crocodile puppet which I’ve yet to make a body for.

The exhibition at Milkwood gallery opens on the 27 February and runs until the 9 March. we will be performing our Punch and Judy Puppet show on Saturday the 2 March along with a shadow puppet show of the Jabberwocky.

www.packofwolves.org

Tags: Art, illustration, Pack of Wolves, Work in Progress
Posted in Blog, Work In Progress | 2 Comments »

Linocutboy

Wednesday, February 13th, 2013
Posted in: Blog

www.linocutboy.com

Tags: illustration, Inspiration, video
Posted in Blog | No Comments »

The Woodcut Art of Incredipede

Wednesday, December 12th, 2012
Posted in: Blog

The Woodcut Art of Incredipede

This project is rather impressive. Incredipede is a side-scrolling computer game that has been constructed using a series of intricate woodcut illustrated panels.

The illustrations for this game is the work of artist and photographer Thomas Shahan. As Thomas explains in the video the prints are cut from woodblocks before being digitally coloured.

Having been dabbling with some wood cutting techniques lately I’m very impressed with the way in which this game has been constructed. There’s clearly a hell of a lot of work has gone into the design of this game. Being new to this my own panels are a long way from this standard. I’m also not intending to make prints from my woodblock but embroideries instead.

You can play a sample of Incredipede on their website: www.incredipede.com

View more of Thomas Shahan’s work on his website: www.thomasshahan.com

Tags: Art, illustration, Inspiration, video
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Once Upon Again Homework

Wednesday, November 14th, 2012
Posted in: Blog, Work In Progress

Click the images to enlarge them…

These are a couple of sketches that I drew as a part of my research for the next Pack of Wolves exhibition which is entitled Once Upon Again.

Once upon Again will be an exhibition of fairy tale inspired work. The title suggests the idea of re-imagined narratives – taking existing fairy and folk tales and retelling them.

The sketches above are inspired by the Russian tale about a witch named Baba Yaga and a Norwegian fairy tale called Tatterhood. I’m working towards some new embroidered works for this exhibition – these sketches are just the start.

Baba Yaga

In Russian folklore there are many stories of Baba Yaga, the fearsome witch with iron teeth. Her nose is so long that it rattles against the ceiling of her hut when she snores, stretched out in all directions upon her ancient brick oven. Not being a boringly-conventional witch, she does not wear a hat, and has never been seen on a broomstick. She travels perched in a large mortar with her knees almost touching her chin, and pushes herself across the forest floor with a pestle.

Tatterhood

The tale of Tatterhood is quite common in Norway and Iceland and tells the tale of a beautiful princess and her ugly twin ‘Tatterhood’.

During a battle with the trolls the beautiful sister’s head is snatched off by a troll and replaced with a calf’s head, after which the trolls flee from the castle. To restore her sister’s head, Tatterhood sets off in a ship with no crew or company aside from her own sister. They arrive at the isle of the trolls and Tatterhood battles the trolls and successfully regain her sister’s head.

‘Once Upon Again’ will be exhibited at Milkwood Gallery, Cardiff, in February/March 2013. For more information visit www.packofwolves.org

Tags: Art, Drawing, illustration, Pack of Wolves, Sketchbook, Work in Progress
Posted in Blog, Work In Progress | 2 Comments »