ILLUSTRATION Course Mag, Cov Uni

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BA ILLUSTRATION Issue 1

BA (HONS) ILLUSTRATION . COVENTRY UNIVERSITY . SCHOOL OF ARTS AND CREATIVE INDUSTRIES

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Remi Cloud

CONTENTS

Each year group is at a different stage in their journey to becoming professional illustrators and creatives.

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Hello from the illustration team and introduction to this course mag.

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Future Proof. Year 3 work with personal reflections from their final year.

First-year students have learned a variety of new skills and processes this year, incorporating these into project briefs that mirror the real-world experience of being an illustrator.

These projects have covered 2D, 3D, print, and digital techniques.

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Interview Relay. Year 2 reviews and responses to Year 1 Q&A relay session.

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Peek at Processes. A look at some Year 1 studio projects and processes.

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Growth and Change.

Year 1 work with personal responses to the theme.

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Spotlight Alex Rose

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Contact Us See Backcover for contact details

Second-year students have begun exploring their personal strengths and stylistic preferences. They have worked on a variety of projects, including children’s books, vlogs, websites, and numerous real-world illustration briefs.

Third-year students have focused on defining their professional futures, creating work in response to a range of live, professional and self-initiated briefs. They have been working toward building a portfolio for future client work and employment opportunities. These students will showcase their work at this year’s Degree Showcase in May. With thanks to...

Mark Buttree, Adam Rushton, Susan Watkins, Helen Makin, Ailsa McWilliam, Rob Hamp, Sarah Coleman / Inkymole, Fig Taylor, Catherine Miller and ALL the students.

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INTRODUCTION

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HELLO!

from the illustration team

T

he concept behind this magazine is to provide students with an opportunity to create a publication where illustration takes centre stage, showcasing some of the fantastic visual work they’ve produced throughout the year. It features students from all three years of the BA (Hons) Illustration course at Coventry University, highlighting a diverse range of work from various briefs undertaken over the year.

This year has been particularly busy for the course, with students involved in a range of live project briefs, such as creating large-scale murals for a new office complex, designing theatre posters for two productions, producing coffee shop interior signs, and participating in a live drawing event for the Swan Orchestra. Students have also undertaken competitions such as the Batsford Prize, D&AD, Macmillan Children‘s Book Prize and the international Animayo Competition for which one of our students was shortlisted.

Danielle Burgess-Rollason

Additionally, we’ve had the pleasure of hearing from a variety of professional speakers across multiple creative disciplines, including children’s book illustration, editorial illustration, comic books, games design, graphic design, writing, creative technology, and theatre-making.

Illustration is approaching nearly 20-years at Coventry University, and we are proud to see our graduates go on to thrive in their creative careers. Many of them return to give back to current students by sharing their experiences.

This magazine offers a glimpse into some of the remarkable work students have done this year, but each year brings something fresh. We look forward to seeing what our next intake of students come up with.

Lucy Schedlok

Andrew Spackman, Joy Monkhouse, Jay Taylor, Alex Rose BA (HONS) ILLUSTRATION

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FUTURE PROOF SECTION HEAD

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“The course has really got me prepared for my future” Lia Mobbs

Lia Mobbs Lia Mobbs is an Illustrator based in the Midlands, UK. She mainly works digitally using Procreate and an IPad Pro, however they love to focus on the details of traditional drawing, finding it highly therapeutic.

She is passionate about creating imagery combining elements of fashion and beauty with touches of fantasy, and playing with the different ways they can be intertwined. She designs digital pieces that often reflect their interests around different perspectives of femininity, vintage fashion, old cartoons, and the timelessness of traditional Japanese art and film.

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“On the course I really got to “On themy course got to explore style”I really Leigh Elkington explore my style” Leigh Elkington

FUTURE PROOF PROOF FUTURE FUTURE PROOF

Future Proof

Leigh Leigh Elkington Elkington

Leigh is known as ElkIllustrations on social media. They are in their final Leigh known as ElkIllustrations year ofisthe BA (Hons) Illustration on social media. They are in their final course. year of the BA (Hons) Illustration course.

Their passion for art has led them to explore a wide range of style’s Theirtheir passion for artbeing has led with favourite anthem old to explore a wide range of love style’s vintage cartoon style.

They to with their favourite being art an that old create visually appealing vintage cartoon style. They love to tells a story and captures humour in create visuallyreferences. appealing art that contempoary tells a story and captures humour in contempoary references.

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FUTURE PROOF

Lake Felton Lake creates artwork inspired by vintage and academia styled aesthetics that is the perfect antidote to the fast paced nature of social media in the modern era.

Their work often focuses on moody and expressive character art, with an emphasis on melodramatic and gloomy atmospheres.

Over the past few years they have been developing a small cast of characters that frequent their art. Each piece is a small glimpse into their world and lives. I plan to one day tell their story in the form a graphic novel.

“It’s great to be shortlisted for live projects such as Animayo” - Lake Felton

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“The course allowed me to express my own ideas and story” Danielle BurgessRollason

Danielle Burgess-Rollason Danielle is an illustrator based in the West Midlands and finishing her degree on the BA (Hons) Illustration course at Coventry Univeristy.

She enjoys creating surrealistic and aesthetic pieces with expressive and vibrant colour palettes. Their work focuses on drawing digitally.

Their work is inspired by a variety of topics, but mostly draws inspiration from the media such as films/tv shows, fashion, music and books.

BA(HONS) (HONS)ILLUSTRATION ILLUSTRATION BA

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Interview Relay BA Illustration second years have been intereviewed by the first years to talk about themselves and their work.

Kainitta I’m Kainitta, an illustrator that uses a mix of medias through both digital and traditional to create bright and meaningful images.

I’m inspired by television series, games, antique objects, and comics.

When it comes to my work I enjoy exploring themes of mental health and nostalgia. The idea of my work is to bring familiar emotions to the viewer.

Remidy (AKA Remi Cloud) Hi, I’m an illustrator focusing on giving the viewer a feel of nostalgia through my art.

I can do digital and traditional, no matter which one, I like to use line art that feels handmade.

My main focus is designing goofy characters to give you a smile or even a giggle.

Q: Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years time?

A: Commercially as advertising or animation (eg. Glitch Productions or Indie animation) Q: Describe your work in 1 word A: Nostalgic

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Remi Cloud

Q: What motivates you?

A: Short films, Youtube (eg.

BigTopBurger, Ena, Don’t hug me I’m scared) Q: What new techniques have you used recently?

A: Brush pens, acrylic markers, and experimenting with materials continuously, I’m always learning.

Q: What would you like to be doing in 5-10 years?

A: Entertainment. Or work at a kids charity, I like working with recycled materials to make plushies and I’m working on my upcoming website shop.

Kai Sierra-Calderon BA (HONS) ILLUSTRATION

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Balakey I’m an illustrator fascinated by stories and concepts that spark wonderment against our cynical reality. I allow my own personal perspective of life to greatly shape much of my work into sharing what is not easily expressed through words alone with some magical twists. I hope to reignite playful imagination whether it’s through my zines, character designs, or comics.

Kylie Ng

Kylie Kylie Ng is an illustrator, mainly working digitally as a Concept artist and Character designer.

Currently studying BA (Hons) in Illustration, they focus on a mix of Anime and comic style character art. Kylie has developed deep, dark, humourous art.

Q: When you have artblock and feel unmotivated, how do you move past it?

A: Take a step back and enjoy other interests, avoid negativity around your work. Don’t burn yourself out.

Q: What are your future plans?

A: No set plans, don’t want to stay in the same place. I would like to travel and be freelance.

Q: What is your perfect Sunday?

A: Staying at home drawing, relaxing and listening to music.

Q: What is your proudest artistic achievement?

A: I was a finalist in High-school contest, big achievement! I’m proud that my art has grown and developed over the last 6 years.

Balakey Poolton BA (HONS) ILLUSTRATION

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PEEK AT PROCESSES

A peek at processes

During the first year, students explore a variety of media and materials within the Processes module. Here’s a peek into what they created...

POT-TRAITS

Lucy Schedlock Clay Pot-traits Karime Proano, Daniel Turvey and Liv Dudzinska

GELLI PRINTS

Solomon Babola

Louis Lines Gelli prints Liv Dudzinska

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PEEK AT PROCESSES

Erin Urquhart Pot-trait from slip-cast clay pot

MUGSHOTS Gloria Yucheng Shi Glazed clay pot-trait

Kate Hall Sublimation printing with digital colour portraits

Lili Mai Barker Line and collage portrait

Cerys Winterbottom and Lili Mai Barker Sublimated (Heat printed) mugs

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Growth and Change

Recently our first years were given a project with the theme “Growth and Change” – here’s how they responded...

Sarah Baggaley

Growth and change can have endless connotations, mostly positive. As a theme it can fit into any sector and subject, but it is arguably most important to those in the creative industry. Those who create art, music, writing or design, rely heavily on growth and change induvidually, to develop their work and better themselves. It can come in many different forms and not always in the conventional way. My illustration narrates the growth and change through the story of New Order and how lead singer Bernard Sumner had to grow and change in order for him and his fellow bandmates to continue and carry on the legacy of their former lead singer Ian Curtis, after his tragic death. In this situation growth and change had to prevail, taking Joy Division and transition into New Order.

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GROWTH AND CHANGE SECTION HEAD

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I felt like a beanstalk is a comical but also a symbolic approach to Growth and Change.

From the iconic tail, ‘Jack and the Beanstalk’, a small bean is plant-ed that transforms into a huge beanstalk that reaches past the cloud.

I don’t think life is so different to this. We all start as small and innocent in life, and then we grow into something unique. I guess the beanstalk could be up to interpretation as to what it could represent. For me, it’s progress.

We can’t learn and progress as people without Growth and Change. Some people climb this change easily, some people struggle, and we all eventually have our slippery slides that bring us down. But that’s life. It is a journey that we should all learn to embrace.

Sian Macaulay

I did this drawing using my flower symbolism for the topic of growth and change. I did two figures each symbolises different part of the topic. First lively women symbolises the warmth and happiness of growth with lively colours and big lively flowers on her side. The second figure symbolises change because change is not always positive or easy. I used more cold tones and older dried flowers to symbolise time passing with change.

I chose to use two female figures and flowers to symbolise growth and change also the middle ground to show how it is connected and how a person needs to change and grow.

Sezin Yuxel BA (HONS) ILLUSTRATION

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GROWTH AND CHANGE

With my growth and change project I wanted to expressed the changes one will go through, in terms of their behaviour, personality and overall approach to life itself.

I wanted to portray the different phases one may go through in their life, such as happiness, mourning, ambition. Moments everyone will face in their life. The fluidity of man and our ability to adapt to our environment is a powerful attribute of being human and I wanted to show that being good or bad or a set way isn’t the case when you’re human and how we are this loose mix. I used a variation of textures and colours and fluid movements to express this, using myself as a base of self expression of my own personality and traits. I created a chaotic image that allows us to see what could make someone human.

Kate Hall

Change and Growth may seem scary to all of us, however it is so important to experience. This is because it allows us to blossom as we grow older into our best and happiest selves. Therefore, we’re able to appreciate how far we have come in life when we forget.

Lili Mai Barker

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SPOTLIGHT

Spotlight: Alex Rose

About Me: I’m Alex Rose, the newest memeber of the illustration teaching team. I create bold, expressive art with funky lines and bright colours. My goal is to reinterpret the world around me through my own creative lense, influenced by my love of music, movies and TV shows. My constant desire is to make everything colourful as well as inspiring creativity amongst others.

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SECTION HEAD

Contact Us Follow on Instagram: @ba_illustration_coventry @covuni_saci

Drop us an email Course Director BA(Hons) Illustration: Andrew Spackman aa9114@coventry.ac.uk Front cover illustration

by Sian Macaulay

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Back cover illustration

by Lili Mai Barker

BA (HONS) ILLUSTRATION