Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Allotment Alphabet




Greg Becker's Allotment blog has spread it's roots and growing well. He is now working on an allotment alphabet, which he says is an "idea (which) came via various stages through the gardening blogosphere". With humour at it's core, this has added another dimension to his gardening diary. Take a look.

Lonely Planet Kid's Guides



Christopher Corr's book covers for Lonely Planet, just published, are a treat for any adventurous kid. Covering London, New York, Paris and Rome, and strictly not for parents, Christopher's enthralling illustrations are a successful book opener. In shops now.

Rosie's BIG Picture





 This fiery beauty is a recent private commission for Rosie Sanders, one which has required to her think bigger than ever before! Measuring 83x57 inches, this canvas painting will take home in Barbados. Rosie says "It was really exciting working this large, and (I) had to reinvent my way of working. (I) am really excited about it though and it feels like a new venture."


Paul Daviz's Scrapbook



Humorous illustrator and animator Paul Daviz on his love of the process of drawing & how it continues to inspire him. Paul's Scrapbook.

Monday, November 28, 2011

John Holder - Honorary Doctor of the Arts


Super news comes in the form of artist John Holder and his very prestigious award of Doctor of the Arts. It is a most deserved accolade. Please read the citation below:

John Holder 
Honorary Doctor of Arts 
Faculty of Arts, Law & Social Sciences

Alumnus John Holder is a veteran illustrator who is known internationally for his phenomenal creative talent. He specialises in classic pen drawing with a generous twist of humour and these intricate, expressive and mood-setting drawings have been acclaimed by art critics from every corner of the globe. 

John is a published author illustrator. His published credits include distinguished authors, john Steinbeck, Dickens, Evelyn Waugh, Kurt Vonnegut, Graham Greene and Henry James. John has exhibited his drawings, paintings and illustrations in England, Croatia, France, Poland and the USA. His work is seen across the UK, Europe and the USA appearing in books, magazines and newspapers as well as for advertising and packaging. He penned the distinctive illustrations that helped to put Phileas Fogg crisps on the world map. 
An alumnus of our Cambridge School of Art, John has kept a close connection with us for the past 50 years as a teacher, mentor and friend to our many art, design and media students. He is among a number of other famous former students of Cambridge’s only university-level art school, including classmates and lifelong friends Spitting Image creators Roger Law and Peter Fluck and the illustrator of the world-famous St Trinian’s school cartoons, Ronald Searle. John attributes his career success to the fact that he was top of his class in art at school and cites his biggest inspiration as Paul Hogarth, his former tutor. 
John was most recently a Visiting Fellow of the Faculty of Arts, Law & Social Sciences specialising in Illustration. Today, when he could be long retired, he still enjoys working from his 17thcentury home and studio near Cambridge. 
His vast portfolio of work includes original and highly creative drawings commissioned by governmental organisations, corporate contacts and private individuals. Some of his most notable clients include Penguin Books, Harper Collins, Random House, Saatchi & Saatchi, BBC, Macmillan, The National Trust, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Observer, Prospect and New York Times. 
A man with many creative talents, John founded the first ‘bluegrass’ bands in Europe in the 1950s and helped set up the Cambridge Folk Festival a decade later, which still today enjoys huge success. 
In the mid 1980s, he co-established the Friends of Cambridge School of Art (more affectionately and less reverentially known as ‘Posers’) and set up a weekly ‘Life Drawing’ session which still takes place in the Ruskin Building. He is currently working with Philip Hodkinson of the Simmons Group, to whom he is mentor, to arrange drawing trips in innovative commercial buildings around the country. 
John has ensured that, while being open to the public, current students of the Cambridge School of Art do not have to pay the nominal fee to attend the weekly drawing sessions in Ruskin building. He has also insisted that surplus revenues from this project together with Philip Hodkinson’s philanthropy, be used to subsidise the cost of the annual European drawing field trip. This has enabled students with limited means to attend an incredibly worthwhile trip that they would often otherwise not be able to attend. 
A lifelong follower of both Cambridge School of Art and the discipline of drawing, John has been a great ambassador for the school and the Ruskin Gallery and is an inspiration to budding artists everywhere. 
Vice Chancellor, it is my pleasure to present John for the award of Doctor of Arts, honoris causa.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Alex Fuentes in Illustration Now! 4



Check out Alex Fuentes's spread in Taschen's latest Illustration celebration. Illustration Now! Vol 4, showcasing the best contemporary talent, happily includes Alex's superb work.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Lux Harmonium 7'' Single


This fine drawing created by Hannah Megee is for Lux Harmonium's recent 7" single. The Bones You Break / Camel Bones came out a couple of weeks ago on the Static Caravan label. Hannah says " I decided to use the image of the donkey for two reasons; firstly, it was play on words as both songs have the word 'bones' in the title, so a little reference to the saying 'the straw that broke the donkey's back'. The second reason is that Luke Jones, the talent behind Lux Harmonium, often reminds me of a sad donkey." The image was produced in pencil and then lightly coloured in Photoshop.


Anthony J Foti's Scrapbook



California based Anthony J Foti, on illustrating Star War's Games, whilst still studying his profession at University. Anthony's Scrapbook.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

dpi

Arrow Head
This fab painting by Shannon Toth is currently on the cover of dpi magazine.  Shannon is the featured artist too, a very happy Shannon says: “… I was pretty proud to see my painting on the cover, I had no idea they were going to do that”. 
Sueno Chica

And this dreamy image; Sueno, Chica, has also been donated to raise money for buying art supplies for children in hospital, it’ll be auctioned in New York next month for the Design Dreams Foundation.

Greenpeace Poster



Laura Dollie’s powerful image has won the Applied Art Magazine Student Awards. Entered on her behalf by her former professor, Laura’a anti-pollution poster is featured in the November Issue. It’s a striking, beautifully composed piece, well deserving of a winning place. Well done Laura!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Mitosyl

Katmo have created this loveable dragon character for Mitosyl. Working with Publicis Dialog Paris, the brief was to create a female dragon, carrying the baby. Marie Bastille, our agent in France says "The baby was photographed separately as the dragon was too big to fit in the studio !" The piece is being used in editorial advertising in France.

BDA Cover


Ben Tallon completes this cover for the British Dental Association's products catalogue. This piece takes Ben in a new exciting direction with his work, he says "It's a huge step forward for me in terms of working full colour, (a) whole new world opened up after I turned a technical corner".

Recession Dip



Robert Carter creates this very 'of the moment'  image for Investment Advisor magazine. Are the States facing a double-dip recession? With another recession looming, investment advisors discuss how the recession is measured, and the reaction of the stock market during recessionary periods. Robert's fantastic portraiture makes for a very believable pose.