August 2018
ISSUE | 05 FEATURING BRISBANE BASED GRAPHIC DESIGNER ALYSSA BUTCHER
BENTO is a bi-annual online magazine of all things art and design brought to you by Bento Box Design Studio. A collection of innovative and eye-catching visuals in the one place ready to inspire and open your mind to new and exciting things. BENTO prides itself in featuring emerging creatives consisting of local, national & international talent. We understand how important it is to follow your passion and how little opportunities there are for you to get your name out there. Through BENTO, we want to connect aspiring designers together with other like-minded individuals all across the world. Bento Box Design Studio aims to build a wide community involving all facets of art and design. If you are interested in becoming a contributor and submitting a piece for our next issue please follow the steps found at bentoboxstudio.com.au/press . We would love to see what else is swimming around in the minds of creatives. If you would like to work with us on any further issues of BENTO we are always looking for opportunities to collaborate. Reproduction of this publication in whole or in part is prohibited in any form or by any means, including photocopying, scanning or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the editor, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the editor, addressed “Attn: BENTO Permission,” to info@bentoboxstudio.com.au The views expressed in BENTO Magazine are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily shared by the publisher, company or its staff. Cover artwork by Alyssa Butcher. © 2018 Bento Magazine All rights reserved.
EDITOR
FEAT URED D ES I G NER
Bento Box Design Studio
Al yssa Bu tch er
STU DI O DIRE CTOR
CONT RI BUTORS
Leeanne Nguyen leeanne@bentoboxstudio.com.au
Chai Oek - Khon Portrait Daniela Jiménez - Black Beauty Emily Hicks - Pork and Cider Concept Emily Unity - Lifeline Glenn Brucker - Skerry Blossom Jared Johnson - Nouveau Homeless Jemma Garnett - Daring and Brave Joe Caputi - Tatakau Sake Jovana Lazovic - Emotea Kathryn Heaney - Fremantle Crane Illustration Kezia Albores - Decomposing Kristina Rondilla - Little Tanji Lihying (Ling) Tan - Wibbly Sized Merinda Chong - Path of the Unknown Rach Collier - Pretty in Peach Rebecca Rumball - 90’s Minion Pro Ryan Tuke - Autopsy Sara Bianchetti - Lost in Epping Forest Sean Sinclair - Introspective // Poster Series Shona Wong - Brain Submarine
CREATIVE DIR E CTOR Tristan Ta tristan@bentoboxstudio.com.au
ART D IRE CTOR Monica Widjajana monica@bentoboxstudio.com.au
M A RKE RT ING DIR E CTOR Ashvin Nair ashvin@bentoboxstudio.com.au
DESIGNE D BY Bento Box Design Studio
S OCI A L S I N S T A G R A M | @bentobox.studio F A C E B O O K | @bentobox.studio D R I B B B L E | Bento Box Design Studio
S UBSCRI P T I ON bentoboxstudio.com.au
P RES S press@bentoboxstudio.com.au bentoboxstudio.com.au/press/ BENTO is proudly published twice a year.
BENTO ISSUE 05
06
ALYSSA BUTCHER
12
CHAI OEK
14
DANIELA JIMÉNEZ
16
EMILY HICKS
18
EMILY UNITY
20
GLENN BRUCKER
22
JARED JOHNSON
24
JEMMA GARNETT
26
JOE CAPUTI
28
JOVANA LAZOVIC
30
KATHRYN HEANEY
32
KEZIA ALBORES
34
KRISTINA RONDILLA
36
LIHYING (LING) TAN
38
MERINDA CHONG
40
RACH COLLIER
42
REBECCA RUMBALL
44
RYAN TUKE
46
SARA BIANCHETTI
48
SEAN SINCLAIR
50
SHONA WONG
ALYSSA BUTCHER GRAPHIC DESIGNER | BRISBANE, QLD AGE | 23
I L L U S T R A T I O N I N S T A G R A M | @_proj e ctpe ncil P H O T O G R A P H Y I N S T A G R A M | @_ proj e ctca pture T O O L S | A d ob e P hot oshop , A d ob e Illus tra tor, Adobe inDe s ign, Procre a te
Tell us about where it all began. How did you become a graphic designer? Architecture was something I had glorified all throughout high school. I wanted to drink coffee and sit on a hill overlooking the city and sketch high rises day in, day out. This dream was cut short when I realised that what I had imagined wasn’t quite the reality. I still have a passion for Architecture but my passion for graphic design has definitely outweighed it. Graphic design had always been in the forefront of my mind - I was always the kid in school that would put together the yearbooks, help design logos for musicals, and spent all of her downtime learning new programs so it felt like quite a natural transition for me. How would you describe your style? I’d say my style is a simplistic and minimal approach of converting iconic Australian products into two-dimensional compositions. My work is definitely a tribute to my childhood - and I really try to select products, characters and people that influenced the person I am today. The real importance to me lies deep within the nostalgia connected to the products I draw, and I hope that when my audience see my illustrations it resurfaces memories. I discovered this style of illustration completely accidentally. While I can’t quite remember a time before computers existed, I have always had an appreciation for graphic designers that worked magic without the assistance of an iMac and the adobe suite and somehow still managed to make exciting, beautiful and inspiring designs. This appreciation has definitely translated across into my work through the use of colours and simplicity. What are your influences? Nostalgia plays a very big part in my inspirations. Let me paint a picture. You know, when you were a kid, and you’d come home from a tough day of being in grade 3 and sit in front of the TV with your favourite snacks and watch ABC Kids, then go for a play outside with the neighbour’s kids and life was just so simple and blissful? I really want to revisit those memories and help keep them alive for as long as possible and I try to do that through my illustrations. What’s your design process? My design process isn’t very methodical. It changes as frequently as my favourite colour does. However, it usually goes something like this - spark of inspiration while driving, eating lunch, or during the commercial breaks while watching TV and then the biggest urge to start drawing straight away. As a digital designer I use my Wacom or iPad to sketch however sometimes I’ll quickly scribble a composition idea or write some notes on some loose paper and pray it doesn’t get lost in my bag.
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TITLE | Nineties Kid
TITLE | Nineties Kid
Have you ever been commissioned to do any strange/unusual illustrations? I’m challenged on a daily basis through my job; especially in the Illustration department. In a day I can go from illustrating flax seeds to doing a fashion illustration and back around to drawing dogs and smoothies. This kind of variety definitely keeps me on my toes but I undeniably love the challenge. What has been your favourite project so far? I absolutely love being commissioned to design a branding package from scratch. The thought process, the ideation phase, sketching and presenting ideas to a client gives me such a thrill. My favourite commissioned project would have to be a package I designed for a café in Rockhampton named “Archer Brothers.” The illustration component of this package still makes me so happy. If you could steal credit for any great piece of art, song, film, book etc which one would you claim and why? I’d steal the credit for everything Walt Disney did - the original illustrations/storylines/movies, all of it! When I recently visited Disneyland I sat in the room that showcased the illustrations, animation process and models and have never felt so inspired. The whole world knows about Disney, how cool is that? Would you let us hook up your ‘Recently Played’ list on Spotify to the office speakers? I’d encourage it. Go ahead. My account is under @lysbutcher Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Smashing it. I hope that I’m still prioritising my creativity and accepting challenges that will help me grow as an individual and a designer. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? My dog, Spencer. Because I spoil him. If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? “My Happiness” by Powderfinger. It is such a beautiful song, how could anyone get tired of it? Two things that are unique about Alyssa! // I get way too excited over finding visually and physically appealing designs than I rightfully should. // I have just started ballet as an adult. ARTWORK // My Illustration ”Nineties Kid” is a tribute to growing up in the nineties in Australia, it’s a small recollection of memories that influenced and shaped the person I am today. In retrospect, the colours, products, logos, illustrations helped me gain a large respect toward design and illustration, it introduced me into the design industry from when i was a child. The real importance of @_projectpencil to me, lies within the nostalgia that is connected to the products I draw. I want to give my audience that hit of nostalgia and take them straight back to a memory attached to what I have illustrated.
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“ I H AV E A LWAY S B E E N M O R E I N T E R E S T E D I N EXPERIMENT THAN IN ACCOMPLISHMENT ”
ORSON WELLES
TITLE | Khon Portrait
CHAI OEK ILLUSTRATOR | PERTH, WA A G E | 29
I N S T A G R A M | @h el l o_oek W E B S I T E | o e k . d e si gn T O O L S | A d o be P hot oshop
DESCRIPTION // This piece is one part self portrait exploration, one part cultural identities exploration and one part wanting to do something cool. I wanted to apply my style of line-art handling, whilst exploring ideas of portraits, performance identities and POC cultures in a pop surrealism concept. I wanted to represent concepts from my family’s background, something that I don’t feel is represented often enough - especially in this pop style. The piece I chose to submit is a re-colouring piece, during this process I fell in love with risograph printing palettes. I feel that this bright, high contrast palette suites my harsh line-work better than the muted tones I had previously explored. DESIGN PROCESS // My design process usually begins with finding a single point of inspiration, in this case the Khon masks used in traditional Thai performance. From that point, it is a process of free sketching until I come to an intersection where my inspiration can meld with my process and style. How would you describe your style? I would say my style emphasises lineart to convey form, depth and texture where possible. It’s influenced by growing up reading comic books and watching anime. I tend to focus on the human form and portraits, having taught myself how to draw from comic books and my sister’s fashion magazines.
What are your influences? Thematically, I’m influenced by 80s science fiction novels, books by authors like Joe Haldeman and Robert Heinlein. I find the content held within this genre to be intriguing. It definitely has an impact on the type of content I choose to produce. One of the biggest influences on my drawing style, would be the French comic artist Moebius. I love his storytelling and use of line and colour. His works are complex and multi-layered, exploring myths and unknown universes in a way that leaves you wanting to know more. I hope it’s something I can one day achieve. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? Definitely the Marine Iguanas of the Galapagos. They’re vegetarian (though I’m currently not), they swim, eat algae and hang out on the rocks. If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? Definitely the Super Mario Bros theme, it easily fits into the background and by the time you notice it, it’s in your head and stays with you for quite a while.
BENTO 13
DANIELA JIMÉNEZ ILLUSTRATOR | COSTA RICA, CARTAGO A G E | 26
I N S T A G R A M | @d ani jg 2 2 B E H A N C E | @d ani jg 2 2 D R I B B B L E | @D ani J G T O O L S | A d ob e P hot oshop , A d ob e Illus tra tor
DESCRIPTION // This piece is a part of a personal project that represents the beauty of black skin. This topic is especially poignant in today’s political climate, where the importance of representation is currently being highlighted. Beauty can be found everywhere and this is especially true in people. This piece aims to portray the beauty inherent in every person. DESIGN PROCESS // I like to start my process through sketching. From this point I will select the colour pallete that best matches the illustrated style. I then move my sketch into Adobe Illustrator where I further refine my hand drawn piece. From there the digital drawing is moved into Photoshop, this is where I add the final details, playing with the effects of light and shadows as well as texture. After I am satisfied, the piece is complete. How would you describe your style? I would describe my style as being very clean, while still being playful. I include a lot of colour and details in my creative pieces, which work together to present a whole, unified piece, rather than in-coherent separate attributes. I love illustrating women and nature, this subject matter has a strong influence on my drawing style. What are your influences? There are many illustrators that I admire, but I love the style of Malika Favre. I am drawn to her bold yet minimal style and especially admire her use of colour within her work. Like me, she creates a lot of pieces that revolve around the female form. She is world renown and her work is instantly recognisable as hers. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? I would definitely be some sort of bird, possibly a Macaw, native to Central America. They are colourful, beautiful and unique. If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? This question is quite difficult - I think it would be “Karaoke” by Gustavo Cerati. I love dancing to that song and I never get tired of listening to it.
BENTO 14
TITLE | Black Beauty
EMILY HICKS ILLUSTRATION | PERTH, WA A G E | 21
I N S T A G R A M | @e h i ck sd esi g ns T O O L S | A d o b e I l l u str at or, p en and p ap er
BENTO 16
DESCRIPTION // This concept was a university assignment for a Pork and Cider festival. I needed to create something that would appeal to a higher socio-economic target market. As this was the specified audience for this assignment. As such, I designed this piece in clean cut and minimalistic style. To contrast this, I utilised a hand-drawn style that would convey a sense of “rawness.” The purpose of this was to encourage engagement from the primary target market without being exclusionary of other individuals who any potentially also be interested in the event. DESIGN PROCESS // The first step was to source images of pigs and apples in varying styles and forms. From there I hand drew a basic outline of the various collected images. I selected the outlines that I felt were most appropriate for the brief, these outlines formed the base of the image. I then worked back into the selected outlines by using the technique of etching/shading to create depth and add details. This hand-drawn process enabled me to create the raw and minimal feel that I was aiming to capture. I then scanned both images, and digitalized them in Adobe Illustrator. This allowed me to further manipulate the images until I was satisfied with their presentation. I was then able to combine them into one document as a pattern that served as the final design.
TITLE | Pork and Cider Concept
How would you describe your style? I love to utilise traditional hand drawing techniques as a large component of my design process as I feel that this drawing with pen and paper is a strength of mine. I find that I lean on a monochromatic colour scheme in a lot of my work, however I try to incorporate different colours into my work where I can. I admire Minimalism as a style and like to take the key principles of this genre and apply it to my work, resulting in pieces that stay true to my style, but are simple - conveying only the information that needs to be expressed. What are your influences? I’m always inspired by the Perth art scene - what my university colleagues are creating as well as other Perth artists. Anya Brock is an example of a Perth based artist that I really admire. Brock, is a prominent artist within the Perth art scene, who paints bright and exciting pieces from canvas to murals. As an individual who enjoys painting as a hobby, I can admire the techniques that Anya invokes in all her pieces, especially the warm pastel colours that are a feature in her signature style. I love that you are able to instantly recognise her work all over Perth and especially appreciate her murals around Northbridge, Leederville and Fremantle.
If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? A cat - obviously! Although dogs are my favourite animal, have you ever met a cat that didn’t rule their own house? They sleep all day, wake up for food and demand cuddles whenever they want! That’s a bloody good deal if you ask me. If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? Probably “Father Stretch My Hands Pt.1” by Kanye West. It’s that feelgood song that gets you up and about and always gets you in the mood to get started!
BENTO 17
TITLE | Lifeline
EMILY UNITY ILLUSTRATOR | PERTH, WA A G E | 22
W E B S I T E | emi l yuni t y.c om T O O L S | A d ob e P hot oshop , A r tRa ge
DESCRIPTION // This piece was oddly inspired by a text-based game! Written by Dave Justus (The Wolf Among Us), the reader follows Taylor, a marooned astronaut, through the aftermath of a crash on an alien moon. The crew are missing and Taylor’s communicator can only reach you. The most unique part of the game is that the story plays in real time, immersing the reader and leaving them in suspense waiting for the next message to see if your astronaut is okay. Simple actions have a profound effect, and as a reader, you slowly fall in love with Taylor’s determination, intelligence, and often unexpected but undeniable wit. DESIGN PROCESS // My design process is often experimental and involves far too many layers on my Photoshop file! For this piece, I started with Taylor - I wanted to capture the sweetly-sad beauty of her and her situation. To convey this message I chose to use soft lines and curves to draw Taylor’s profile. The style of which, matches the background, where I added subtle constellations with minimal use of colour. Overall the piece came together well, clearly conveying the emotion that the Justus’ game evoked in me. How would you describe your style? ‘Experimental’ would be a good word. My style varies greatly depending on the inspiration or idea. I appreciate learning all forms of art and design, but this particular piece was definitely very enjoyable. What are your influences? I love looking through other artists work, whether it be digital, painting, sketching, sculpture, website, or architecture (the list goes on!). I love seeing people push boundaries and I enjoy finding approaches that I have not previously seen. I also like to take note of the smaller details in everyday life. It makes my day infinitely more enjoyable and I often find some art in places I would never have considered before. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? I would say an Owl or a Fox. Foxes are fun, adventurous, cheeky, and honestly just really interesting! Owls can be serious or very affectionate, but also can fly! I think I read somewhere an owl being described as “an angry flying pillow” and I honestly think that’s great. If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? Wow! What a question. I think it would have to be “You Make My Dreams Come True” by Hall and Oates! I adore this song and it’s a huge part of my childhood - never fails to make my day just a little brighter.
BENTO 19
GLENN BRUCKER ILLUSTRATOR | LANGLEY, BRITISH COLUMBIA A G E | 45
I N S T A G R A M | @g l enn_b ruc k er T O O L S | A d ob e P hot oshop , Col Er a s e Pe ncil on Bris tol Boa rd
DESCRIPTION // This is a concept art from a graphic novel that I’m working on about being weird, being a kid and what being in love truly means, even when that love may not work out. The illustration is done in Col Erase Pencil on Bristol Board to preserve the raw energy of the ideas that inspired it. I want my work to inspire creativity and imagination if possible, this particular piece was inspired by a trip to the sea, the tides and just how much is hidden below the surface. DESIGN PROCESS // My design process consists of overthinking the word until an image makes it way into my mind. When the shadowy figure of a thought turns into a blur and starts to focus I pencil it into whatever unfortunate drawing surface is available. Once I have a rough composition, I put on my headphones and let things take shape. How would you describe your style? Whimsical, I’ve been told. What are your influences? Bill Waterson, nature and too many words bouncing around in my head… I come from an animation background and always love to watch the line tests from Movie Studios like Disney and Studio Ghibli. The finished products are always very beautiful, but the raw linework possesses an electric energy - like childhood and making new discoveries that were right in front of you all along, that really inspires me. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? A bear. Bears do whatever they want and inadvertently do good simply by digging or pooping. It’s a bit crass and self-indulgent but you asked! If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? “A Total Eclipse of the Heart” by Bonnie Tyler. I guess it makes me want to do Jazz Hands… is there any better reason?
BENTO 20
TITLE | Skerry Blossom
JA RED JOHNSON ILLUSTRATOR | PERTH, WA A G E | 30
I N S T A G R A M | @th i n k _ f ound ry T O O L S | A d o b e P h o to shop , A d ob e I l l ust rat or, I nk mark ers
DESCRIPTION // This piece was inspired by an encounter I experienced one day as I was approaching the entrance of a local supermarket. I walked passed a ‘homeless man’ sitting on the floor, with a cardboard sign in hand and an empty McDonalds cup at his feet. I passed him and heard the sound of a ring tone, immediately aware that I didn’t have my phone on me at the time I turned to witness irony at its finest. The ‘homeless person’ pulled out a smart phone from his jacket pocket and said, “Hello love, yeah I’m coming home now!” I found this encounter quite intriguing and when I returned home, I got to work immediately in creating ‘Nouveau Homeless.’ DESIGN PROCESS // Utilising the idea from what I had just experienced. I started by sketching the image by hand. Once I had arrived at a composition I was happy with, I rendered this drawing with marker pens. From there I imported the piece to photoshop and adjusted the image balance, smoothed drawing edges and created a canvas mockup. These steps made up the completed work.
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How would you describe your style? I am quite a big procrastinator, but once I’ve finished I would describe my style as Illustrative, observational art that relates to society and culture, through the use of mixed media.
TITLE | Nouveau Homeless
What are your influences? Mostly emotions from things I see/hear, particularly society and culture and personal experiences and beliefs. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? A lion because they’re the ‘King of the jungle’. If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? “B***h Don’t Kill My Vibe” by Kendrick Lamar. Need I say more!?
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JEMMA GARNETT TYPOGRAPHER | PERTH, WA A G E | 33
I N S T A G R A M | @jemmagarnet t d es ign B E H A N C E | @jemmagarnet t d esi gn T O O L S | P roc reat e
DESCRIPTION // This is a personal hand lettered piece created in Procreate. I’ve recently been practicing my hand lettering, trying to further develop my design skills. This piece was inspired by my daughter who is a fierce and determined (and very stubborn) little soul. I hope she remains that way. I chose to use a pink colour palette as it represents femininity, and paired it with a bold and striking mustard. I also absolutely had to incorporate an ampersand as it is my favourite typographic symbol. DESIGN PROCESS // I usually start my designs with a colour palette I want to use, which forms the inspiration for what I will write. Once I have chosen a word or phrase to letter, I sketch out a few different layouts and decide on a lettering style. I then use a lettering guide to make sure my letters are evenly spaced and lined up. I will then draw out my design and build it up from there, erasing and adding as needed. I then add colour and any other flourishes or design elements. How would you describe your style? As I’ve recently graduated university, my style is pretty experimental. At this moment, I’m trying to find what I like and what works for me. I’m still trying to find my style, but it definitely involves a lot of pink and pastels. What are your influences? I’m a sucker for a positive quote so I find them creeping into my work a lot. I also tend to draw flowers a lot, so I guess nature inspires me. As for who, there are so many amazingly talented letterers/designers/artists that I admire. To name a few off the top of my head- Gemma O’brien, Jessica Walsh, Lauren Hom, Stefan Kunz and Ian Barnard. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? A dog, just running around excited about life all the time. Plus sleeping a lot and snacks. If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? That’s a tough one, probably something by Blink 182 (maybe Dammit). I have a lot of good memories associated with them and they remind me of my fading youth.
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TITLE | Daring and Brave
TITLE | Tatakau Sake
JOE CAPUTI GRAPHIC DESIGNER | PERTH, WA A G E | 20
L I N K E D I N | J oe Cap ut i W E B S I T E | joec ap ut i .c om T O O L S | A d ob e P hot oshop , A dobe Illus tra tor
DESCRIPTION // This is my design for a Japanese Sake called Tatakau Sake. I designed and created the logo, symbol and typography; also designing a campaign and advertisement. Through my design process I decided upon the name Tatakau Sake (English Translation: “Fight Sake”) as I wanted to give it a potent and strong name. The brief specified the use of a hand drawn animal, object, person or thing using fine-line pens and stipple. I then had to design and conjure a product and product name that reflected or related to the drawing we had previously created and then use the stipple drawing as a design aspect or logo. DESIGN PROCESS // I chose to take a sample from an anatomy drawing I had previously done and recreate it into something completely new. Most of my time went into drawing the fish and getting it perfect. I decided to colourize the fish blue to portray the ocean/water without drawing it literally. I then, reduced the logo and type in order to create negative space and give my design a clean and simplistic look. I chose the product name ‘fighting fish sake’ and then branched out into many ideas. However, as a result of the drawing process I had carried out, I chose to rename the product. Initially, I thought of ‘fight sake’ as a name, but decided against it. I then changed the name to the japanese translation of fight/fighting which is tatakau. Combining the naming process with my drawing process helped me to arrive at the final piece as you see it today. How would you describe your style? I like to design aesthetically pleasing work, however I prioritise creating pieces that come about from a purpose or message that needs to be conveyed. The resulting style is clean and simplistic. What are your influences? My family is probably the biggest influence on my work, having two sisters who are also designers gives me a very creative environment to work from. There is also a little bit of a competitive nature between all of us, which pushes me to do better with each piece I create. We all appreciate each other’s work and collaborate to create and help one another produce the best work we can. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? Probably a wolf. I love the pack mentality of the wolf, the brotherhood and bond. They always have a competitive nature however they are all loyal to one another. If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down - Diddy feat. Mase
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JOVANA LAZOVIC GRAPHIC DESIGNER | PERTH, WA A G E | 21
I N S T A G R A M | @j.l a d e si g ns W E B S I T E | jo van al a z o v i c .myp ort f ol i o.c om T O O L S | A d o b e P h o to shop , A d ob e I l l ust rat or, A d ob e i nDe s ign
DESCRIPTION // Emotea was a brand packaging assignment for one of my third year units at Curtin University. Tea has been around for centuries, and while tea evolved into something a lot more casual and light hearted, it is often considered ‘old,’ ‘boring’ and ‘uncool’ by the millennial generation. It was my primary focus to not only repopularize tea into the staple that it was in the past, but to shift and remodel the ideologies and identity associated with tea. I also endeavoured to make consumers aware of the plethora of benefits that tea is able to provide, hoping to attract a new consumer base and recreate tea’s ‘identity’.
How would you describe your style? I am an avid lover of clean and clear, minimalistic designs. I try to incorporate negative space and the use of grid systems into my work, along with pastel or bold colours. Pop art is my forte, and I have produced work that I’m very proud of within this style. The Swiss style has also greatly influenced the techniques and colours I use in my work. Although I love working with what I am comfortable with, I also derive a ton of excitement from pushing my boundaries, learning to utilize and incorporate new techniques and styles into my future designs.
Emotea offers a range of tea’s packaged according to the mood that the tea’s would be most suitable for. Notable moods include; Irritable Irene and Anxious Ari. Emotea offers a product that would consist of loose tea leaves pre-packaged within plastic bags, nestled within small cubic containers.
What are your influences? Notable artists such as Roy Litchenstein have been a strong source of inspiration and have played no small part in influencing my work. However, the strongest source of inspiration on my designs, comes from what I experience in my life; from the simplest ups, to the deepest downs. I am a staunch believer that behind every great work of art, is an equally great amount of passion, and behind the creation process must exist a depth of emotion. What helps me fuel my drive to create work that I think is beautiful, is the process of extracting inspiration from what I feel, see and taste throughout my day to day life.
DESIGN PROCESS // I like to take a very methodical step by step approach when it comes to my design process. Ample amounts of research into my target market, as well as major competitors enables me to fashion a design which I believe would be most fitting for the brief. This gives me an idea of what is trending, and how to set my design apart from the existing competitors. Inspiration is a necessity for any artist, and the inspiration behind Emotea was through my own experiences and the iconic Mr. and Mrs. Men! The ideation stage allowed me to brainstorm my ideas onto pen and paper. Through trial and error, combined with feedback from peers and my university tutor, I was able to develop my concept into my final design. The translation of my design from ideation to final piece occurred via a quick pencil sketch which was transferred onto Adobe Illustrator and used to create the final submission.
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If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? I don’t think any one animal could describe me down to a T, but if I had to pick one, I would say a chameleon! I would consider myself an extremely social person, and I believe that one of my strengths is that I excel in team oriented projects, and have terrific interpersonal skills. I blend and mesh well into any given environment, no matter how easy or challenging that may be! If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? This is such a tough one! It would have to be a toss between; ‘Uptown Funk’, ‘Let Her Go’, ‘Perfect’ and ‘Call Me Maybe?’
TITLE | Emotea
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TITLE | Fremantle Crane Illustration
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KATHRYN HEANEY GRAPHIC DESIGNER | PERTH, WA A G E | 26
I N S T A G R A M | @p ri nt sb yb ow F A C E B O O K | @p ri nt sb yb ow E T S Y | @p ri nt sb yb ow T O O L S | A d ob e P hot oshop , A dobe Illus tra tor, C a non 500D
DESCRIPTION // I create detailed illustrations of iconic buildings and landscapes in the Perth and Fremantle regions. This piece is a bold and bright depiction of the well-known Fremantle cranes overlooking Port Beach in North Fremantle. DESIGN PROCESS // Before commencing a new print design, I take photos of the landmarks to use as a reference point and base for the design. This allows me to accurately capture the detail in the scene. Each brick, tile and line is individually and carefully placed. I like to use bold colours to enhance the vibrancy of the location, to capture a mood or personality, and to highlight the detail in the design. Countless hours and levels of detail are put into my illustrations, which is evident in the final product. How would you describe your style? My style is very colourful, bold and graphic, with occasional retro influences. What are your influences? I am inspired by contemporary Australian artist, Jeffrey Smart, for his depiction of urban landscapes. I like how Smart used strong geometric shapes and bold colours in industrial scenes to create contrast and interest within the piece. I greatly enjoy the Pop Art movement for the inclusion of imagery from popular and mass culture, and hold high respect for Pop Artists Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein for their bold and graphic approach to their subjects. I also love any sort of vintage illustration for it’s simplistic approach, the use of quirky typography, pattern, colour and shape. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? I love the ocean, so it would be amazing to be a dolphin. They are highly intelligent and cheeky creatures, with the freedom to go anywhere. If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? I grew up listening to 50’s and 60’s Rock n Roll, so it would have to be “Tequila” by The Champs. The instrumental is so fun and bouncy and it makes me think of warm, tropical summers sipping cocktails.
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KEZIA ALBORES ILLUSTRATOR | PERTH, WA A G E | 23
I N S T A G R A M | @al bo r e s_art F A C E B O O K | @K e z i a a lb ores S O C I E T Y 6 | @k e z i a a l b ores T O O L S | A d o b e P h o to shop , F i nel i ner
DESCRIPTION // Decomposing is a part of a growing series of illustrations inspired by the journey of beauty within the cycle of life and death in nature entitled “Decay”. This artwork not only reflects the fragility and uncertainty in nature but also in human life. The laborious stippled style is reminiscent of the journey taken through life - seemingly random, unpredictable events that in the end, create a life full of purpose and beauty. I am ever amazed at the fractal based lines and shapes that are repeated throughout all of nature, these same mathematical properties are seen everywhere. To me, this speaks volumes about the world around us. DESIGN PROCESS // I first look for my inspiration in nature photography and macro images - I am intrigued by intricate detail and I highlight this detail by magnifying and inflating the subject. In my “Decay” series I start off creating the basic outline using light graphite on white canvas paper, this may be very quick. Afterwards comes the laborious stippling and filling in black fine liners. The black on white creates a silhouette effect which further suggests the line, shape and pattern, despite there being no lines and having only used a stippled technique. Lastly, I bring my artwork into Adobe Photoshop to refine it.
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How would you describe your style? As an artist and designer born with roots in the technical world I feel I am both a creative and a realist. I think this has resulted in a very particular way of looking at things and expressing myself where I focus on balancing the organized and the apparently chaotic. What are your influences? I am inspired by many things around me, foremost, the natural world. In fact I feel there is no greater beauty than that which is found in nature. I was also bought up as an avid reader and gardener and as a child I was always fascinated at the level of detail in both botanical drawings and in stippled drawings in old bibles, classical literature, and old horticulture books. When I got a little older I enjoyed the whimsical, smooth brush strokes of J.M.W. Turner, and the textures and beautiful colours of Claude Monet. I continue to be influenced by many modern artists I follow today. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? A (free range) silkie chicken. These girls are carefree, they live their days taking sand baths in the sun, eating almost half their body weight in food, they can fly - just a little, they’re always up to mischief and I think they are super cute. What’s not to love? If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? “Blood” by The Middle East. It’s the most hauntingly beautiful song I know.
TITLE | Decomposing
TITLE | Little Tanji
KRISTINA RONDILLA ILLUSTRATOR | PERTH, WA A G E | 24
I N S T A G R A M | @yani np oart T W I T T E R | @c herryc ut e_013 1 T U M B L R | @ mk rond i l l a T O O L S | A d ob e P hot oshop , SAI
DESCRIPTION // This will be my first step into the industry of children’s book illustrators. I plan to do a short story about fairies, as I’m a fan of fantasy and semi-realism. This piece makes up a part of the concept art for my picture book called “Little Tanji.” Tanji’s physical characteristics are inspired by a tangerine fruit, with a bit of Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away hopping lanterns and the story of Thumbelina. By doing this short story, I hope to inspire joy for the children who will read it. DESIGN PROCESS // I start by seeking out inspiration from resources and people around me. Once I have a point of inspiration, even if it’s as simple as one word, I will start sketching by hand to develop the idea further. Once I have developed a sketch that I believe suits the original inspiration, I take that piece and digitize it. Using software on my computer, I then develop the sketch further until I believe I have successfully communicated the most important elements that are derived from the original inspiration. How would you describe your style? In my work I try to capture a sense of childlike positivity, meaning that the characters I create need to be adorable and friendly. In order to capture these elements, I try to draw in a way that isn’t too realistic, focusing on using simple shapes to show movement and expression. What are your influences? Ladybird Books, which is a collection of fairy tales, were the first story books that I had as a child. They still influence me now, I take inspiration from the illustrations throughout the books that utilised watercolours and markers to draw the characters I loved. Added to this, the artist Frey Blackwood’s simplistic drawings are a great inspiration to me. Her drawings are gorgeous and even though they don’t possess much details they do convey a sense of childlike style and as a reader you still understand what is happening in the story. Shawn Tan is another illustrator who’s drawings clearly convey the story they’re a part of. I especially admire his use of texture, colour and symbolism. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? I would be an Eagle. Eagles carry a lot of symbolic meaning, being viewed as symbols of wisdom and freedom. Being an eagle would allow me the wisdom to know more about my environment without judging and freedom to do what I want. I love to stare at the sky and imagine where I would go if I were a bird, and could go anywhere. If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? I have a lot of songs but Spirited Away’s song “Itsumo Nando Demo (Always With Me)” is what I would choose. The melody has a delicate and dreamy feel to it, while the lyrics always give me goosebumps. I have a strong, spiritual connection to this song, it makes me feel at peace and sometimes a little melancholy.
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L I H Y I N G ( L I N G ) TA N ILLUSTRATOR | PERTH, WA A G E | 25
I N S T A G R A M | @@littlelingdesignco F A C E B O O K | @@littlelingdesignco W E B S I T E | www.littlelingdesign.com
T O O L S | A p p l e P enc i l , i P ad P ro, Adobe Illus tra tor, Procre a te
DESCRIPTION // I have quite the obsession with plush toys and in particular, pigs! Wibbly Pig is actually a cartoon character that I came to fall in love with - not exactly from the cartoon, but because he was such a cute plush toy. He’s a fluffy little pig that poses well for illustrations. Wibbly loves to do everything we humans do. He’s a little foodie and has a sweet tooth. Recently there have been mini collectables from the supermarket that just so happen to be the perfect size for Wibbly. During Winter months he loves to stay rugged up in his star jumper and fluffy mittens. DESIGN PROCESS // I do most of my work on Adobe Illustrator Draw on my iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil. When it comes to illustration, depending on what it is and what outcome I am after, I usually start off with a photo I have taken. I then outline and create base colours for each section on different layers, finishing off with shadows and highlights. In this particular case I wanted a blended-in finish. How would you describe your style? My usual style would be cute, playful and clean. As of late though I have been illustrating cars, this is where I try to get a more realistic feel, but also try to incorporate my take on it. What are your influences? Certain things and people around me. Plush toys and anything cute jumps out at me in an instant and I love creating cute things so other people can adore too. Personally when I see something cute I have a mini squeal. I hope to bring that effect to others with some of my work. As for other work, I would say my boyfriend as he is heavily into cars. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? Although I love pigs, I would probably pick a penguin - a cute fluffy baby penguin. They can swim and be on land. The little waddle they do is just too adorable as well. If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? I would rather not listen to any songs than have to choose just one song haha. There are way too many good songs out there to have to pick one.
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TITLE | Wibbly Sized
TITLE | Path of the Unknown
MERINDA CHONG TYPOGRAPHER | PERTH, WA A G E | 22
I N S T A G R A M | @meri nd ad esi gns F A C E B O O K | @meri nd ad esi g ns T O O L S | P roc reat e, Ez y-Carve blocks , Block printing ink, wa te rcolours , Adobe Illus tra tor
DESCRIPTION // This collection of work represents someone who can’t make up their mind. Over the past few months I have been exploring methods and styles that aren’t ‘traditional graphic design’. At the moment I’m trying printmaking as the process of carving up the block is super fun and the repetition of it is relaxing. DESIGN PROCESS // For lettering, I try to think of funny phrases or letter some encouraging words to myself. I usually do this on Procreate, only since I can’t let that expensive iPad go to waste! Hand lettering on paper is a skill I would love to develop further in the future. How would you describe your style? I don’t know. Basic? Simple? Clean? Overcomplicating is something I don’t like to do, but I also haven’t settled into a definitive style. What are your influences? HomSweetHom, Stefan Kunz, Lili Arnold, Heather Day, Gal Shir, Perth Houseplant Club. I take inspiration from traditional sources, like typographers and artists, but I also draw inspiration from nature and plants. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? A chimpanzee who can paint! Congo the chimp had paintings that sold for $25k <insert laugh cry emoji> I wish my splatters of paint could sell for that much. If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? “Amen” by People and Songs. This tune is relaxing, uplifting, gospel, sing-along worthy! What more can you ask for?
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RACH COLLIER ILLUSTRATOR | PERTH, WA A G E | 20
I N S T A G R A M | @rac hc ol l i er_i l l ustra tion T O O L S | A d ob e P hot oshop , p encil a nd pa pe r
DESCRIPTION // I like to challenge myself and try new things when it comes to evolving my art style. Typically working in black and white, I wanted to try something completely different to what I am comfortable with. I motivated to actually do it in a moment of pure boredom during the university semester break. I really wanted to play around with colour for this piece and make it as dynamic as possible, try to come up with something a little bit crazy. DESIGN PROCESS // Before starting any project, I gather as many reference images on a subject as humanly possible so I have something to work from. I get inspiration from other artists, particularly tattoo artists and designs as they often incorporate strong linework and form, and start piecing a design together. Always starting traditionally, I play around with composition and form, kind of hoping for the best. After this, I scan the sketch into Photoshop, which is where the fun really happens. Choosing some basic colours, I start to block off sections and slowly build up shadows, highlights and texture as I go. How would you describe your style? This piece is completely different to my usual style. I usually favour a black and white colour palette and wanted to challenge myself to do a piece in colour. As such this piece is one that really pushed me artistically, this artwork is a highly dynamic piece inspired by the strong linework and form demonstrated in tattoo artists drawing style. What are your influences? On any given day, you can find me scrolling through hundreds of amazing artworks on Instagram and Pinterest, drooling and fangirling a little bit over their work. One artist who I have been obsessing over recently is Lois Van Baarle (also known as Loish), who is known for her crazy character development and colour palettes using digital software. As mentioned before, I am also heavily influenced by tattoo design and art styles, which influences my linework and compositions. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? A fox. Smart. Decisive. Aggressive when they need to be. Plus Fantastic Mr Fox was a great movie. If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? “Lydia” by Highly Suspect. A song for when you don’t have your hype man with you.
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TITLE | Pretty in Peach
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TITLE | 90’s Minion Pro
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D A V I D C A R S O N w a s a m a j o r g r a p h i c a n d t y p e d e s i g n e r i n t h e 1 9 0 0 ’s . H e g o t into design when he did a two week design workshop. What he took from to breaks the rules that they taught him by doing what made sense to him, not f o l l o w i n g g r i d s a n d g i v e t y p e a n e w a a p p r o a c h . C a r s o n’s t y p e s t y l e f i t t e d the grunge era, he created a typography movement which was messy and chaotic, it broke the basic rules of type. He is well known for is work with Ray Gun Magazine, which was a lifestyle and alternative music magazine which debuted in 1992. He was there for 3 years where he designed and art d i r e c t e d t h e m a g a z i n e . C a r s o n s t a r t e d h i s o w n s t u d i o i n 1 9 9 5 i n N e w Yo r k ca l le d D avid C ars on D esig n. He had a lot of maj or clients a l l of t he Unite d States and internationally such as; Pepsi, Nike, NB C, American Airlines, B r i t i s h A i r w a y s , S o n y , W a r n e r B r o s . , M T V, a n d m a n y m o r e . I n 1 9 9 7 C a r s o n created a new adventure lifestyle magazine 1997, called Blue. The first i s s u e s w h i c h C a r s o n d e s i g n e d t h e c o v e r f o r w a s s e l e c t e d a s o n e o f t h e ‘ To p 4 0 Ma g a z i n e C ov e r s o f A l l Ti m e’ by t h e A m e r i c a n S o c i e t y o f Ma g a z i n e E d i t o r s . In 2000, Carson closed his studio and moved to Charleston, south Carolina to follow his children. He has since lived in many place such as; San Diego, S e a t t l e , To r t o l a a n d Z u r i c h . N o w h e l i v e s a n d w o r k s i n E u r o p e , C a l i f o r n i a a n d To r t o l a . H e c u r r e n t l y w o r k s l e c t u r i n g t h e w o r l d i n d e s i g n a n d c r e a t i v i t y .
nvtodorova.wordpress.com/2013/10/16/david-carson-the-father-of-grunge/
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The TYPESET process refers to the selection and setting of type for a docu m e n t . It i s s o m e t i m e s c o n f u s e d w i t h t y p o g r a p h y, w h i c h r e f e r s t o t h e t y p e d e s i g n , b e c a u s e b o t h f o c u s o n t h e v i s u a l p r e s e n t a t i o n o f t e x t . B y t h e 9 0 ’s t y p e s e t t i n g h a d i n t e r g r a t e d i n t o t h e d i g t a l w o r l d . Ty p e s e t t e r s w e r e a b l e t o select fonts and manipulate many aspects such as; size, kerning, spacing tracking and leading with a click of a button and able to undo it straight away without any issues. With Adobe releaseing the suite of programs that m a d e t y p e s e t t i n g e a s y. T h e o n l y d o w n s i d e t h e j o b f o r a t y p e s e t t e r h a s g o n e low due to graphic designers and publishers being able to do it themselves.
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MINION is an old-style serif typeface which has a very large type f a m i l y, t h e r e a r e o v e r o n e h u n d r e d v a r i a t i o n s f r o m b a s i c t o o r n a m e n t a l charaters. This typeface is designed for body text and is a popular font for on-screen display as it clear and balanced. This font was released in 1990 by thew Adobe systems, being one of the oldest font faimlies on Adobe, and was designed by Robert Slimbach. This font wasinspired by the late Renaissance period, giving it, its elegance and attractive look. In 1992 i t w a s u p d a t e d w i t h C y r i l l i c e d i t i o n s a n d O p e n Ty p e v e r s i o n s i n 2 0 0 0 .
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REBECCA RUMBALL GRAPHIC DESIGNER | PERTH, WA A G E | 19
I N S T A G R A M | @r eb ec c a.c reat i ve W E B S I T E | r e be cca rumb al l .myp ort f ol i o.c om T O O L S | A d o be i n Desi gn
DESCRIPTION // This is an A1 typography poster based on the 1990’s and revolving around the typeface Minion Pro. The poster is made up of a number of pieces of information; a brief history of the typeface, upper and lowercase lettering, numbers and symbols within the typeface, information on the typesetting during the 90’s and a piece on David Carson. This information is all bundled together in the poster meant for the State Library. DESIGN PROCESS // My design process is firstly understanding what I have to do, reading the brief and writing down what is needed to be done. I then carry out research and jot down ideas in words or sketches, that arise. I then take those first ideas/concepts and take them into digital form. These ideas and concepts are then developed to arrive at my final piece. I tend to ask for feedback during this process to see what others like and dislike about the direction I am heading in, I find this a great way to get the best finished product. How would you describe your style? For this piece, l would describe my style as Swiss design with a modern twist. I enjoy the typography style used and how it is the main feature of the piece. The bright colours also excite me, the tones and tint that can get brought into the piece, makes it bold and stand out from the crowd.
What are your influences? I feel I draw influence from everyone and everything. This gives me an advantage to be able to understand other styles and elements and to be able to create the best pieces I can. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? If I could be any animal in the world I’d be the lovely household cat. Who wouldn’t want to start meowing annoyingly and then have food brought to you straight away. Being able to be a loveable little creature and then change into the ultimate savage monster due to my belly being rubbed one too many times. I feel like that would be the life. If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? “Boom, Boom, Boom, Boom!!” by Vengaboys because the opening versus being; “If you’re alone and you need a friend. Someone to make you forget your problems. Just come along baby. Take my hand I’ll be your lover tonight” I can relate to this with the amount of breakdowns I have at TAFE and my classmates managing to pick me up.
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RYAN TUKE ARTIST | PERTH, WA A G E | 21
I N S T A G R A M | @t uk e.t v O N L I N E S T O R E | t uk et v.b i g c art el. com T O O L S | Sc i ssors, Gl ue, Exac t o K nife
DESCRIPTION // “Autopsy” is an A4 collage that explores my irrational fear of bees and medical procedures. Making the composition black and grey instead of colour was a decision that was made based off the bee being the focal point. I stumbled upon the image of the bee in an Australian wildlife book and the way it was shot reminded me of a old medical journal. The image was grainy, textured and yet very detailed almost like the memory of my first bee sting. The mummified figures at the bottom of the composition reinforce the power of this bee, insinuating that just one sting can result in death. This imagery represents how the mind can twist a fear and manifest the worst outcome possible. DESIGN PROCESS // I start my design process by digging through old books at op-shops. I really enjoy the experience of going through old books and looking at the way imagery was used/explored at different periods of time. I think I found the image of the bee in an old Australian Wildlife book that outlined some of Australia’s most dangerous animals. The rest of the supporting imagery was found in an Egyptian history book and old issues of Thrasher Magazine. Usually after I find a book I really like I will sit down with some scissors and go Through each page cutting out any imagery that jumps out at me or visually intrigues me. The next step is finding the focal point of the collage and then collating supporting material for the composition to come together and make sense. This involves me sprawling out hundreds of previous and new cut-outs I have collected on my floor/desk scanning each piece of paper trying to make something come together. How would you describe your style? When it comes to collaging I think my style would be bold and in-your-face and maybe “punk?” I really like imagery that smacks you in the face but you can’t take your eyes off. What are your influences? I really love skateboarding graphics used on boards and through advertising. They are quick, bold and get the point across instantly. Other than skateboarding I’d have to say another influence in the collage world is Annegret Soltau. She uses images of herself stitched together to create really confronting imagery that’s hard to look away from. Apart from that, anything that I can’t look away from is inspiring to me. It could even be an old sign or graphic in the street that impacts the way I explore composition and the relationship between images. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? I think being a cat would be insane. Everything you want/need is done for you and all you have to do is show a tiny bit of affection for your position in a home to be solidified. You’d literally get to eat and sleep all day. I don’t know if I’d get bored though. Probably not. If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? “PICK IT UP” by Famous Dex ft. A$AP Rocky. The way that beat comes in is so crazy I could never get tired of that.
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TITLE | Autopsy
TITLE | Lost in Epping Forest
SARA BIANCHETTI ILLUSTRATOR | LONDON, UK A G E | 30
I N S T A G R A M | @ sarab l ank art P r o c r e a t e | p roc reat e.art / sarabla nka rt/portfolio T O O L S | P roc reat e, p enc i l and pa pe r
DESCRIPTION // “Lost in Epping Forest” is a slice of life with my boyfriend. A sweet reminder that we always end up in magical places even when we get lost, which is exactly what happened when we went cycling in Epping Forest near London, last June. I wanted to capture the sweet and funny moment of when we got lost, but at the same time the beauty of the nature around us. DESIGN PROCESS // I normally always give myself the freedom to explore shapes and composition on a piece of paper with pencils, pens and sometimes colours. When I’m happy with the general feel of it I scan the drawing and start working on Procreate. I normally trace the outline to then add colour later on, and that’s what I’ve done initially for this illustration, but when I realised I wanted something more emotional, I ditched the outlined version and started from scratch. I decided to experiment directly with colours shading and details, and since I was liking where the illustration was heading I just continued in that direction How would you describe your style? My style was very much influenced by Mangas and Animes that I read when I was a teenager. When I started at the International School of Comics in Rome, I became fascinated by French Comics and slowly my style started mixing my Manga passion with French Comics and Pixar animation inspirations. What are your influences? Loish is probably my strongest reference for colours but I also love Jarom Vogel’s colour patterns and shapes combinations. Among my go-to artists I need to include Serge Birault, Alessandro Barbucci, Cyril Pedrosa, Enrique Fernandez, Aurélie Neyret, Dice Tsutsumi, Tomer Hanuka ... I could go on forever. When I start a new illustration I always do a lot of research to decide what’s going to be the feel of it, and those are the top artists I look at all the time. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? If I could be an animal I would probably choose the Polar Bear. Its white fur and the fact that is such a big animal always gives me a sense of warmth and comfort, but at the same time it can be a very strong and dangerous animal. I feel like I could generally relate with the softness yet toughness of a Polar Bear. If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? This is probably the toughest question I’ve ever been asked...But I think I would choose “Sunrise” by Norah Jones, because it always puts me in a good, positive and proactive mood. I just love Norah Jones’ voice, she makes me want to sing all the time.
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SEAN SINCLAIR GRAPHIC DESIGNER | LONDON, UK A G E | 25
I N S T A G R A M | @seanwsi nc l ai r B E H A N C E | @seanwsi nc l ai r D R I B B B L E | @seanwsi nc l ai r T O O L S | A d ob e P hot oshop , A d ob e Illus tra tor, Adobe inDe s ign, Adobe Afte r Effe cts
DESCRIPTION // Introspective is a poster series for a weekly event at Broadcast, Glasgow. It explores the use of data distortion and manipulation in graphic design. It is an expressive, yet contorted set of designs that combine bold and striking typography with surreal and other-worldly textures and shapes. The title of the project is derived from the meaning of looking inwards. Or in this case, looking under the hood and observing the underlying contents. This draws a parallel to the nature of the algorithmic distortion used. It treats each pixel in an image individually and applies a series of changes based on any number of criteria, giving rise to the hypnotic landscapes seen accompanying each poster. DESIGN PROCESS // I started playing with algorithmic distortion on images made in photoshop until I had a technique I liked. I used this to generate plenty of textures, then experimented with different layouts and typography until I was happy! How would you describe your style? Abstract and bold. What are your influences? Modern artists, particularly Josef Albers, Kandinsky and Robert Delaunay. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? A turtle: no need to get a mortgage or purchase a home, you already have one! If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? “Walk The Dinosaur” by Was Not Was. Every time I enter a room people have to walk the dinosaur? Hell yeah!
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TITLE | Introspective // Poster Series
SHONA WONG ILLUSTRATOR | PERTH, WA A G E | 22
I N S T A G R A M | @so m e chup p y F A C E B O O K | @so m e chup p y W E B S I T E | sh o n aw o n g.myp ort f ol i o.c om T O O L S | A d o b e I l l u str at or, p en and p ap er
DESCRIPTION // If I could tell you how I’m doing at life, I’d say this piece describes it in a nutshell. The rough waves represent how life is a roller coaster not just mentally, but emotionally. My brain riding the sea, with myself on top: my own identity itself is something I am still discovering, exploring and struggling with. The world is much bigger than I am and at the same time, there is a world within myself to explore. I always have constant frustrations with life, myself and the world yet I want to explore and discover and find appreciation in it. It’s a jumble of emotions but I’m still on the journey, discovering myself and life one step at a time. DESIGN PROCESS // For most works I do, I always ask myself these questions: What am I trying to achieve? What am I trying to explore and why will this be worthy of my time? What do I want to communicate and share with others? Why do I want to communicate this?
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For every work, I always sketch out a concept thinking about these questions and then once I am set with the idea, I gun for it. I feel like there
TITLE | Brain Submarine
is two different mindsets when I do my work: one that is imaginative and think of the concepts; why the concept is worth communicating. Another is a technical mindset, where once I have the concept, I use the skills I have to execute the artwork. At other times, I just start project for the sake of exploring and being curious.
What are your influences? The mixture of Asian and Western Pop Culture highly influences my work aesthetic and themes, as I grew up in an Asian/Western environment. I love the cute and wackiness of Asian culture but also enjoy the humor, openness and sarcasm of Western culture.
How would you describe your style? My style has always been a free-flow and hand-drawn style as I value and respect human quality: the perfections of our imperfections and embracing those imperfections as part of being human and expressing ourselves.
In my opinion, we take psychology and the human capacity for granted and so, I want to raise awareness in my work that we should appreciate and develop ourselves as we’re more capable than we think.
In every piece I create, I want to be as honest as possible. I enjoy creating immersive experiences for others, and so in every work I do, I want to give it plenty of thought and imagination for others to delve into. I love using symbolism and references from my personal life as hints to a bigger story. The most important part though is being child-like and curious. I find my best works is when I’m being playful and just exploring without any fears or worries interfering.
One of favourite design heroes is James Victore for his belief about being bold and fearless in the creative world. If you could only choose one song to play every time you walked into a room for the rest of your life, what would it be and why? “Shelter” by Porter Robinson and Madeon. It has this feeling of yearning for more yet staying in the comfort zone which I feel that’s where I’m at currently. BENTO 51
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