Fear and Loathing Photos

These are made mostly from metal gauze and wire. They were easier to make than i thought & im really pleased with how these photos have turned out, i just used coloured acetates on a light box. The bat and cactus are for an illustration based on the first scene in the book which opens "We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold". The problem iv got now is cutting the object out of the photo to put in my design...

Container+ : Luise Vormittag

Myself and Roisin have arranged a visit to Container Plus studio in London. Im really looking forward to it cos itll be good to speak to a group of Illustrators who work in 3d, im hoping to get some good advice about where to promote this type of work, and also about running a succesful business in the design industry. They describe their work as "a multidisciplinary art and design collective specialising in concept creation and execution across a multitude of 2D and 3D platforms", and have a long and varied list of clients. I find their work very interesting, the first example is from a self initiated project, the piece is based on Alice in Wonderland, and its inspired me to start thinking about possibly building whole scenes and photographing them rather than making individual components and arranging them digitally. The second was done for the TopShop annual press show, it reminds me alot of some Christian Boltanski stuff i posted up here a while ago.

Alexander Calder

I love these cheers ian!

Carl Wiens

http://www.carlwiens.com/retroroborama.html

Iv posted the link above cos you cant copy and paste from the website. I emailed him just cos of this series of designs; stylistically its nothing like my work, but i loved the idea of these robots being made out of various mechanical / metal objects, & its given me the idea of actually making things in 3d from found objects, rather than creating them digitally like hes done. I dont even particularly like the rest of his work, though i found it interesting how his career has so far covered pretty much every area of design. Heres the answers to the questions i sent him:

1. I love the Retroroborama series, did this come from a brief or is it a self initiated project? If so, where did the idea come from and where do you intend to use them?

The Retroroborama is self-initiated. I collect a lot of dusty old magazines, catalogs and books. I wanted to utilize the images that I connect with. I have always been fascinated by science and see a certain beauty in diagrams. Exploring personal work like this can open up unseen opportunities. It also drives my work and can lead to new styles and techniques. It’s important to keep creative energy flowing and move in new directions. That’s why I developed this series. I am sure it will lead to something down the road. Last week I received a call from Newsweek magazine. The cover editor mentioned the style of the pieces in reference to a cover assignment.

2. I read on your website that you have designed labels for beer and winemakers, this sounds like a great job! I was wondering how did you go about getting it, or did they approach you?

The beer labels were a favorite. I received a call from an independent brewer after a local newspaper featured my work. I play hockey with him once a week now. An interesting, fun and challenging assignment. Shortly after that project a number of local wineries opened up and I was able to get work based on the beer labels. I didn’t receive much in terms of pay for these assignments but it was personally rewarding to develop these projects and work closely with the people involved.

3. When (and if) I start working as an illustrator, id ideally like to be working for clients all over the world, im interested in Canada particularly because I loved Toronto when I visited, I have family there and would love an excuse to go back! Do you have any advice on the industry over there?

As an illustrator, location is no longer much of an issue. I started out in the Toronto area, an back then I trotted my portfolio around (20 years ago). I don’t deal with clients face to face as most of the work I get is commissioned over the phone or via email. If you want to target Canada, send out postcards to the people you’d like to work with.

(Toronto is a great city, but personally I always found it much easier to develop clients in New York)

4. Have you noticed this recession having any effect on the world of illustration?

So far – not much - I am still getting regular work from my steady clients, although things have slowed down a bit. Sometimes getting paid takes a bit longer. In the long run, I don’t expect to make nearly as much over the next couple of years. When I started out, the economy was in a big rut. I’ve been through these cycles before. I will just ride it out. I am worried about the publishing industry – newspapers are losing a lot of money right now and some big clients might go under. I hope that they can find a way to survive this downturn.

Ian suggested that i should try using wire to create a similar effect to these pen drawings. Not sure who did them, im sure it would tell me if i read the magazine. I used gauze to make the shape of a cactus & wrapped wire around it, i used a green fairy light inside, its produced an effect that i think could be really interesting when photographed properly. I'll definetly use wire in this way again, trying different colours and experiment with light.

Robert Jacobsen

I found this when I was looking through some work by Cobra artists. He is a self taught artist and sculptor. His skills are way over my head but understand the sensitive way he is using materials and allowing them to have a voice.

Juan Carlos Federico

Heres the answers iv got back from Juan Carlos Federico, i think hes misunderstood one of the questions a bit cos of the language, but i plan to follow this up anyway.

Hello,
I am a third year undergraduate studying Illustration at Stockport college (near Manchester, England). I noticed your work on the IllustrationMundo website, and i love the metal creatures you have designed - its really inspired something im doing in my final major project. I was wondering if you would mind me asking you a few short questions? I realize that you must be quite busy but id be really grateful if you could spare a few minutes.
Thanks, Jenny Reed.

Hi Jenny!
It will be a great pleasure to answer your questions.
Only I warn you that my Tarzan-English is very limited. I hope you understand :)
Moreover, the questions should be in writing, because my oral English is almost nothing :(
Have a nice day!
Juan

Hello Juan, how are you?
Thanks for getting back to me. Your English is much better than my Argentinian! I have attatched the questions to this email, just send them back to me when you have time. Cheers again!
Jenny

Hi Jenny!
Here are my answers.He joined the 2 and 3 in oneI remain at your disposal for any question. I wish you good luck with your final major project!!
Cheers, Juan

1. I love the metal creatures on your website, have you actually made them in 3d or did you just photograph each part and put them together digitally?
I do not do 3D drawings. They are digital assemblage (Collage / Object resignification), from fragments of photographs and textures

2. Was this a brief given to you, or is it a project you invented yourself? If so, what do you plan to do with them next?
3. What influenced you to work in this way?
I became involved in illustration in two stages: the first one 12 years ago as part of my teaching activity. In those years I devoted many time to the writing of theoretical essays about design and I tried to apply those principles in the workshops with professors and students. I was interested in verifying how theory could be applied to the composition of a visual piece.
This became an exercise where the objective for the students was to make the portrait of a character and the technique pre determined was collage/ assemblage.
It wasn’t the technique that I cared about, but the strategy used to choose the pieces (images or part of them), in a way that by yuxtapositioning them, they became completely different from its individual parts. The practical work implied a “mise en scène” of a group of objects related directly or not with the character. The assembling of these objects should be able to produce a new discourse telling a story about the character that a caricature or a photograph could not tell.
Some of the illustrations I show today date back from these years. I just made them as an exercise before the other professors in my team so that they could guide our students through the process. Later, I gave up teaching and illustrating. I devoted 100 % of my time to corporate image projects.

The second stage connected to illustration began a few years ago, partly as a game with my son Joaquin, aged 7. Sometimes he comes to my studio in the evenings since last year, when he started primary school. We have fun composing imaginary characters. He can’t deal with the Photoshop yet, but he actively participates in the choice of objects, in the photo production and he also enjoys naming the characters.

This year I have written and illustrated a book for children which will probably be published soon. I have also finished another one and looking for a publisher.
I have also developed an educational illustrated game of cards (http://algebranos.com.ar) which I will try to have it published.
e than a decade ago. I am currently finishing two other books, one for children and one for teenagers. I have also started to illustrate them. But sometimes it’s the other way around and the illustrations determine the stories.

In the long run, I am starting a pending activity: sculpture. I have been filing sketches, which will resemble the final works, and I will make them out of metal, pieces that I have been keeping and documenting in photos (the same photos that I use to create my preliminary works.)

4. Have you noticed any difference in the amount of work you have been getting as a freelance illustrator since the global recession?
The global recession has not affected me yet. But I guess I feel its impact in the short term. It will be a good time to apply creativity.