BENTO Issue 04 by Bento Box Design Studio

March 2018

ISSUE | 04 FEATURING LONDON BASED ILLUSTRATOR ROSIE CONHEADY

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 Rosie Conheady © 2018 Bento Magazine All rights reserved

EDITOR Bento Box Design Studio

STUD IO DIRECTO R Leeanne Nguyen leeanne@bentoboxstudio.com.au

CR EATIVE DIRECTOR Tristan Ta tristan@bentoboxstudio.com.au

ART DIRECTOR Monica Widjajana monica@bentoboxstudio.com.au

MAR KERTING DIRECTO R Ashvin Nair ashvin@bentoboxstudio.com.au

F EATUR ED DE SI G N ER Rosi e Con h eady

CO N T R I BUTO R S

Eddie Atchison - The Dream Where You Drown Every Time Aneliya Barenska - Laundry Day Rick Caine - Six Sweet Fighters Blake Fullwood - PEAK Magazine Adam Greenfeld - The Birth of Nera Nicholas Huber - Love Coffee Chris Leopardi - Nova Jordan Lewerissa - Bus Stop, Wet Day Natasha Merrick - Untitled Adrian Perrine - Tokyo Tune Kam Redlawsk - Ponytale Lolita Russo - The Eccedentesiasts

S O C I A LS 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 U BSC R I PT I O N bentoboxstudio.com.au

PR ES S

press@bentoboxstudio.com.au bentoboxstudio.com.au/press BENTO is proudly published twice a year.

BENTO ISSUE 04

ROSIE CONHEADY

EDDIE ATCHISON

ANELIYA BARENSKA

RICK CAINE

BLAKE FULLWOOD

ADAM GREENFELD

NICHOLAS HUBER

CHRIS LEOPARDI

JORDAN LEWERISSA

NATASHA MERRICK

ADRIAN PERRINE

KAM REDLAWSK

LOLITA RUSSO

ROSIE CONHEADY ILLUSTRATOR | LONDON AGE | 26

I N S T A G R A M | @rosi ec onhead y W E B S I T E | rosi ec onhead y.c o.uk T O O L S | Gouac he and Col our P ap er

Tell us about where it all began. How did you become an illustrator? I have painted ever since I can remember. I was born in Brighton, a very creative and bohemian seaside town that had a strong influence on my art growing up. I would paint and draw most days, even on my bedroom walls! Illustration was a very gradual process, I was originally more of a fine artist. But when studying at college I discovered illustration for the first time, it felt so new and exciting. I was able to use my imagination a lot more, along with giving my work more character and fun. How did you discover your style of illustration? How would you describe your style? It was definitely a very gradual process to find my style, it really took me time to test ways of working. It was near the end of studying at Camberwell College of Art, when I really started to give my own character to my work. My style uses a lot of colour, but in a very balanced way. I use gouache paint and a mixture of coloured paper. I am interested in challenging preconceptions of logic and perspective in my work, which gives my illustration a naive feel. I also like art to make people feel happy, so I always stick to fun and playful subjects. Who and/or what influences your work? My style is very influenced by my travel. It is very important for me to be stimulated by new places and subjects very often. I am especially inspired by daily life and architecture. I am constantly finding new colour combinations for my work. I also use Instagram as my tool to get inspiration from other illustrators. Take us through your design process. How do you complete your illustrations from start to finish? I begin my creative process by gathering a lot of imagery from online sources and magazines. I often compose my illustrations on Adobe Photoshop to create a rough outline for my draft. I will then draw out the illustration, and once I am happy I will start to paint my image using gouache paint. Following that, I add coloured paper to the painting to balance the textures. To finish up my artwork I bring the image back into Adobe Photoshop and apply my final edits. Have you ever been commissioned to do any strange/unusual illustrations? I would not say anything particularly strange. I have had commissions which have had very strict and rigid briefs. This makes the project a lot harder to really show my style, as the clients just wants something quite mainstream and obvious.

BENTO 06

TITLE | Botanical People

TITLE | Dollhouse

What is your favourite commissioned project so far, and why? I really enjoyed the project I worked on for a charity called One Drinks, which advertised their new flavoured waters. They gave me a lot of freedom and time for my work. This really allowed me to create a more detailed and intricate illustration. I painted botanical flowers with little women sitting on the flowers drinking water. I was happy with the outcome and it felt good to have more time to complete the project. If you could steal credit for any great piece of art, song, film, book etc which one would you claim and why? I have always loved the work of Henri Matisse. His use of colour is just beautiful! I guess I would have to claim the artwork The Desert: Harmony in Red. I especially like the colours he has used, his use of pattern and composition has a naive, yet sophisticated feel. Would you let us hook up your ‘Recently Played’ list on Spotify to the office speakers? Yes I guess so! My music is a real mix of genres, I enjoy listening to all types of music. Where do you see yourself in 10 years time? In ten years I would hope to be a lot more established as an illustrator. This would give me the freedom to work with more arts charities. I have always loved teaching, and I would really love to teach illustration classes. I would also like to set up an arts centre, giving artists the space to work for free. Two unique facts about Rosie! // I only eat cereal with a teaspoon. // My sister and I share the same birthday but we are not twins. ARTWORK ONE // This illustration was commissioned for a charity campaign for flavoured water. The different fruits represent the flavours that are used in the water. The little women represent the health and prosperity of the people drinking the water. The originally illustration is A3, I used gouache paint for this illustration, and really enjoyed creating it. ARTWORK TWO // This is my latest illustration and I really enjoyed creating it as I got to use my imagination a lot more. It also felt like a new subject that I had not previously looked at in my earlier artworks. I enjoyed conceptualising the different rooms and it felt more improvised than my other pieces. This was made for a personal project of mine. I am creating a series of different houses showing the diversity of living. I enjoy wworking on the little details as I find it creates a satisfying outcome. I also have a fascination at looking into people’s houses, so this felt like the perfect project for me.

BENTO 09

“ G O A N D M A K E I N T E R E S T I N G M I S TA K E S , M A K E A M A Z I N G M I S TA K E S , M A K E G L O R I O U S A N D FA N TA S T I C M I S TA K E S . B R E A K RU L E S . L E AV E T H E W O R L D M O R E I N T E R E S T I N G F O R Y O U R B E I N G H E R E . M A K E . G O O D . A R T .”

NEIL GAIMAN

EDDIE ATCHIS ON ILLUSTRATOR | PERTH A G E | 18

I N S T A G R A M | @ed d _at c hi son T O O L S | A d ob e P hot oshop CC, W acom Gra phics Ta ble t

DESCRIPTION // This illustration started out as an investigation into colour theory and combinations above all else – even before I’d settled on a theme or idea. Each of the four quarters reflects a different season of the year (Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring), represented by the colour of the background (background colour being the most dominant). This then leads into the least dominant section, being the eyes. The abstract/underwater imagery came about due to my own personal interest in psychedelic and abstract art styles. This illustration acted as a personal extension of my usual style into the more abstract - something that I was really striving for at the time. The bright, flashy, contrasting colours act as a representation of the panic and confusion you’d experience if you were on the verge of drowning underwater, and the dreamlike imagery helps to turn what I think is quite a dark idea into something beautiful. DESIGN PROCESS // My design process began with a rough sketch with an opaque brush setting, where I was essentially just trying to create a character for the scene with obscene/unreal facial proportions (I spent a little bit of time playing with facial composition before I settled on this one). I then drew each shape of the face on different layers (i.e. the red skin, the blue hair, nose and mouth, and the purple eyes) with a hard brush to create sharp, clean edges. Feeling like it was missing something, I outlined the eyes and other facial features with a thin black brush, adding the monobrow along the way. As a way to balance the colour proportions and visual weight of the image I added some abstract shapes such as the squiggly line and the bubbles either side, which helped to finish off the design. Once happy with the design I simply duplicated the layers 3 more times and changed the colours to suit my idea for the seasons of the year. How would you describe your style? I usually describe my style to people as strongly aligned with pop-surrealism – I really enjoy being able to think of the most obscure, unsettling and abstract ideas I can come up with and bring them to reality through illustration. I also draw influence from psychedelic artworks. I love the loud, bright, warm colours and long, flowing lines and aim to incorporate these elements into my designs frequently. Who and/or what influences your work? My all time favourite artists are the Instagram power couple @kliuwong and @lukepelletier. Kristen’s usually obscene, wild visuals depicting people, often women, in otherworldly scenarios and use of bright neon colours are my idea of the perfect art style. Her comfortability with portraying the human body is also something that I think is extremely cool. Luke’s style is similar in aspects but is a bit more vintage retro and has a what I’d describe as a ‘tropical’ influence. Both artists have very clean, sharp shape and pattern based styles which I absolutely love (you should definitely give them a look). If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? I would be a golden retriever because they are the absolute cutest animal to ever exist and it’s impossible to not love them. They also get pampered by wealthy suburban families and to be honest I wouldn’t be complaining. 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 am usually a huge rap/hip-hop head (I listen to a stupid amount of music daily) but if I had to choose just one song it’d be the not even remotely rap song Say My Name by ODESZA because I’ve been listening to it frequently for 4 years now and it’s one of the very few songs I’ve never stopped loving.

BENTO 12

TITLE | The Dream Where You Drown Every Time

TITLE | Laundry Day

ANELIYA BARENSKA ILLUSTRATION | SOFIA, BULGARIA A G E | 34

DESCRIPTION // This Illustration is inspired by my escapades to Portugal, which is a place I would love to return to again and again. Although a cliché, the laundry on the streets is a perky part of Lisbon, which seduces experimentation with media and techniques. DESIGN PROCESS // I always carry a sketchbook and coloured pencils with me as most of my ideas are born on paper. My sketches are a colourful amalgamation of what impresses me, situations I get involved in, places I visit and stories people tell me. After that, I select part of my drawings to develop further digitally, with aquarelle and coloured pencils or a combination of both worlds. All finishing touches are done with the graphics tablet. How would you describe your style? My style is very vivid and colourful. My designs are also quite experimental. Who and/or what influences your work? A majority of my illustrations and sketches are influenced by projects that are shared by other creatives on Behance. I love to explore and try different styles and techniques. Behance has proven to be an immense source of inspiration for that. However, I still learn from my teachers from IED Barcelona, Eva Sánchez Gómez and Daniel Torrent. I would love to develop my drawing skills to the extent that they feel airy, light, ethereal and spontaneous, but at the same time profound and sincere as the ones of Quentin Blake. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? I would be a red-eared slider so that I can play and lay in the sun, swim and share the aquarium here at home with my lonely turtle Paskal. 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 choose the song Jive Babe by Mikhael Paskalev. It gives you that feeling of freedom and not wanting to stay in any room any more, resonating with that tingling feeling to travel, to hit the road, dance, move and crash in the middle of a Tarantino-like movie.

BENTO 15

RICK CAINE ILLUSTRATOR | SYDNEY A G E | 38

DESCRIPTION // As a kid, I was addicted to video games. Now that I’ve grown up, one of the joys of being a cartoonist is the fact that I can relive those days whenever I pick up a pen and bring back my favourite childhood characters in my own unique style. DESIGN PROCESS // I never ever sketch a rough draft first. I immediately start drawing with pen and paper, and if I make a mistake I simply start again. Once the drawing is complete I’ll transfer it to Adobe Photoshop where I will apply all my colour and shading. How would you describe your style? My style is both cute and cuddly. It is similar to the Chibi style that features characters with big heads and little bodies. Who and/or what influences your work? My illustrations draw inspiration from Disney, however, people like Derek Laufman and Matt Kaufenberg are also major influences on my work. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? I would probably be a snow leopard because I like the cold, despite the fact that I live near the beach. 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’d chose to walk into a room playing the Cake version of War Pigs . It helps me get into the right headspace to attack the day.

BENTO 16

TITLE | Six Sweet Streetfighters

TITLE | PEAK Magazine

BL AKE FULLWOOD PUBLICATION DESIGNER | MELBOURNE A G E | 22

I N S T A G R A M | @b l ak ef ul l wood. de s ign W E B S I T E | b l ak ef ul l wood .c om T O O L S | A d ob e P hot oshop , A dobe InDe s ign a nd Adobe Illus ra tor

DESCRIPTION // With PEAK, I wanted to steer away from what commercial snowboarding magazines are doing and create a large format publication that is more experimental with both written and visual content. I combined the world of design with snowboarding, and explored board graphics by looking at their origins and development, and asked why we care about them so much. I also highlighted several key designers that have worked in the snowboarding industry, such as Aaron Draplin of Draplin Design Co., and looked at how snowboarding has influenced their design careers. The photographic treatment and colour scheme used throughout the A3 magazine was chosen to create a unique point of difference with high impact. I predominantly used black and white imagery to create a cold, stark feeling in the work, with small bursts of red and blue to generate movement. Additionally, this splash of colour was intended to create a similar effect to anaglyph 3D, and I developed custom 3D glasses in the form of snowboarding goggles, which added an extra dimension to the publication. DESIGN PROCESS // My design process for publications start with looking through a bunch of books and magazines, as well as on Behance, Dribble or any other similar sites to generate a moodboard and gain inspiration. Then I will do some rough sketches of layouts to test different grid structures before refining them on InDesign and begin to play around with typography. I generally do multiple layouts for each spread to see what works best, constantly printing out tests at 100% scale until I reach something I’m happy with. How would you describe your style? I would describe my style as technical; I always pay attention to fine details in my work and I work closely to a structured grid or guideline. My colour palette is generally pretty minimal and controlled as well, generally sticking to monotone with the occasional hints of highlight colours. Who and/or what influences your work? One of the biggest influence on my design work is an American designer, Aaron Draplin. Not only do I really look up to his incredible style and process, but I also love the passion he shows when talking about design and how immersed he is in the creative world. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? I would be a butterfly because “nobody ever suspects the butterfly.” 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 probably choose Trippin’ the Light Fantastic by Ball Park Music. This one gets a lot of airtime on my design playlist, and helps me get into a creative mood.

BENTO 19

ADAM GREENFELD DIGITAL DESIGNER | PERTH A G E | 22

L I N K E D I N | A d am G r e e nf el d W E B S I T E | ad am g r e e nf el d .word p ress.c om T O O L S | G o o g l e T i l tbrush, H T C V i ve

DESCRIPTION // My VR artwork is a work of science fiction, which centres around the creation of a star child named Nera. Nera is a beautiful, young galactic deity who harnesses the power of the cosmos in her hands. Seeing as the name Nera means light/candle in Hebrew, she can therefore be seen as a bright light bursting through the darkest reaches of space, bringing colour and vibrancy throughout the galaxy. Her colourful appearance suggests a burst of energy which she applies in every aspect of life. Furthermore she can be seen holding a cannon/claw like object which allows her to shoot beams of light and stars across space, often resulting in us humans down on Earth witnessing some truly beautiful sightings of shooting stars. DESIGN PROCESS // One of the reasons I fondly enjoy using Google Tilt Brush is because it allows you to create stunning imagery within a 3D space. This means that every brush stroke and curved paint line can be seen from all ends. It basically offers an entirely different approach towards digital art. In many ways, this was my first attempt at creating a proper character in Tilt Brush. Nera was constructed in a space environment/background to create a proper setting for this character to settle in. I then started using guide shapes which were then painted over, in order to create the head, arms, torso and legs of Nera. I then used some of the brushes with audio-reactivity enabled, meaning that whatever music I was playing at the time (which I am usually playing when painting in Tilt Brush) would sync with the brush strokes, making them react to the music. I ended up using a lot of bright neon colours to emphasise the sci-fi aspect of my piece.

BENTO 20

TITLE | The Birth of Nera

How would you describe your style? I would describe my style as very experimental. I have always been fascinated with how technology can create new ways of generating art, so Tilt Brush just seemed like a perfect fit for my style of work. My work is also fairly colourful, as I am a visual person by nature. I enjoy using visuals and colours often to tell stories on their own, as I believe in giving the audience the chance to create their own narrative out of the imagery I present to them. Who and/or what influences your work? Most of my influence is heavily rooted in psychedelia and surrealistic art, or in my case, art that pushes the envelope for what is usually expected within the medium. Off the top of my head a few artists which I take great inspiration from include Leif Podhajsky (Australian Graphic Designer, best known for his album artwork for Tame Impala), Ralph Steadman (Illustrator for ‘Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas’, aka. one of the godfathers of Gonzo), Jamie Hewlett (creator of Tank Girl and the Gorillaz) and Salvador Dali (no introduction needed for this iconic surrealist). Music also plays a big part into the mood and feel of what I make, especially when combined with an Audio-Reactive Brush in Tilt Brush. Bands/artists such as Tame Impala, Pink Floyd, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Led Zeppelin, Aphex Twin, Frank Zappa and so on, are musicians which I love for the colourful imagery they present through their music and experimentations.

If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? I would probably be a penguin, due to the fact that I operate best in cold weather (I reckon the Arctic would do wonders for me). Also I just love they way they waddle around, they just look so cute! 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? It would have to be Elephant by Tame Impala. This is mainly because it boasts such a colourful production of fuzzy guitars and synths to create this psychedelic mind trip, also, it would suggest to people that I am a guy who occasionally likes to think outside of the box here and there, and finally, this (as well as ‘Staying Alive’ by The Bee Gees) is just a good song for strutting in general.

BENTO 21

TITLE | Love Coffee

NICHOL AS HUBER GRAPHIC DESIGNER | NEW YORK A G E | 20

I N S T A G R A M | @d esi g ned b yhue F A C E B O O K | d esi gned b yhue.com T W I T T E R | @d esi gned b yhue T O O L S | A d ob e I l l ust rat or and Adobe Photos hop

DESCRIPTION // A 3D-pixel style logotype of a designer’s favourite drink - coffee! I aimed for a retro/playful feel with the intention of keeping the design simple yet still holding visual interest. DESIGN PROCESS // I always begin with a pen or pencil and paper. I typically prefer using grid paper to sketch logos and anything more rigid and geometric based. I sketch in front of a pile of books and an open web browser tab to search for inspiration. I am always on the go for school and work, so I keep a photo album of inspiration I’ve snapped from my travels. After I’m comfortable with my sketches, I head on over to Illustrator to create the final product, and sometimes a little Photoshop for finishing touches. How would you describe your style? I try to keep things modern for the most part, very clean and simple but enough to keep things interesting. I don’t quite like things that are ‘over-designed.’ Who and/or what influences your work? I take influences from all aspects of my life. If I had to name one thing, one important influence would definitely be music. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? I would be an elephant because they remind me of my great grandmother. 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? With You Friends by Skrillex. It’s been one of my favourite songs for the better part of the last decade. It carries such a vibe with it and always puts me in a good mood.

BENTO 23

CHRIS LEOPARDI GRAPHIC DESIGNER | PERTH A G E | 21

I N S T A G R A M | @c hri sl eop ard i F A C E B O O K | @c hri sl eop ard i .d esi gn W E B S I T E | c hri sl eop ard i .c om T O O L S | A d ob e I l l ust rat or, A d ob e Photos hop a nd Adobe InDe s ign

DESCRIPTION // This artwork was used in a magazine concept called ‘Nova’ which aimed to bring astronomy to a mainstream audience. These visuals were influenced by the mini series ‘Cosmos’ and the stunning imagery seen throughout. It’s something that has become a personal interest of mine and I really enjoyed putting them together. I’m happy that they have turned out vivid and eye-catching, bringing across a sense of surrealism. DESIGN PROCESS // It was produced using Photoshop montage, effects and photographic techniques. This included photographing and distorting various textures from my backyard like grass, rocks and wood to create the various components. Using these textures brings across an added sense of realism to the visuals. How would you describe your style? This piece appears very surreal. I tried to bend the boundaries between reality and fantasy. I think using textures like grass, wood and rock help to communicate this feeling. I like to practice other techniques throughout my graphic design work such as illustration and more traditional photographic methods, depending what is required. Who and/or what influences your work? I binge watched a lot of Netflix documentaries at the time so that probably influenced me. I also had a look at various Photoshop artists like Renato Prkic. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? I would love to be a dog. I wouldn’t mind taking long naps. Plus they’re just the best! 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? Tighten Up by the Black Keys. I have been listening to it so much, for so long, and I’m still not sick of it.

BENTO 24

TITLE | Nova

TITLE | Bus Stop, Wet Day

JORDAN LEWERISSA ILLUSTRATOR | BRISBANE A G E | 38

I N S T A G R A M | @jord anl eweri ss a F A C E B O O K | @jord anl ewerri sa a rt B E H A N C E | J ord an Lewerri sa T W I T T E R | @l eweri ssajord an T U M B L R | M onst ers Never D i e W E B S I T E | jord anl eweri ssa.c om T O O L S | Cl i p St ud i o P ai nt EX, Pe nte l Pocke t Brus h Pe n, C opic Multiline r (0. 1 a nd 0. 3), P ri smac ol or Col -erase ( Carmi ne Re d)

DESCRIPTION // This started as an ink sketch for day 23 of my 365-day drawing challenge featuring my Nature Kid character. The prompt word was ‘shelter’. I’d been ruminating on a Studio Ghibli inspired drawing for some time prior to this and it felt like the right time to pull the trigger. I always loved the bus stop scene in My Neighbour Totoro, but I wanted to avoid straight-up fan art or anything that just replicated that iconic image. I only intended it to be a quick ink sketch, but my partner took a liking to it and encouraged me to throw some colour at it. So I scanned it, brought it into Clip Studio Paint, and ended up with this. The title is a reference to the amazing 1966 song by The Hollies. DESIGN PROCESS // Before putting pen to paper, I gather a lot of photo references and do some super loose thumbnails, kind of a modified mood board. I always do analogue inks over a coloured pencil sketch. The line art is the most critical stage of my image-making process, and any poor judgments at this point will echo through to the finished piece, so I try to take my time. For larger drawings, I’ll get a rough plan together at actual size using a ballpoint pen on copy paper, then transfer it to clean sheet of heavier paper using a light pad. I use a variety of inking tools, from brushes and dip pens to felt tips and brush pens. Once I’m happy with the inks, I scan the drawing and colour it digitally in Clip Studio Paint, kind of like an animation cel with the ink lines on top and the paint layers underneath. How would you describe your style? My style is just drawing, mainly a blend of Eastern and Western comic book and animation techniques. My visual language is always developing and morphing, but I hope it’s heading in a direction that people will start to recognise as my own unique mix. I love narratives and how a single image has the ability to suggest a deep, rich story. I have a passion for the dynamism and clarity of line intrinsic to 2D animation, but at the same time I also crave the opportunities for detail and texture that comics present. Who and/or what influences your work? My influences come from all over, but I’m fascinated by northern hemisphere forests in autumn, the features of microscopic worlds enlarged to human proportions, Japanese folklore and pre-anthropic evil forces. Some artists whose work I admire are Arthur Rackham, Naoki Urasawa, James Jean, Sachin Teng, Art Adams, and Lorena Alvarez. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? I’d be a pangolin. They have kind eyes and they look amazing with all those keratin scales. They must have had an amazing evolutionary journey. Most of them are nocturnal, which is my default nature—and what I wouldn’t give for a prehensile tail. Then again, maybe I’d be a platypus. 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 personal room-entry theme song would be Everything Went Black by The Black Dahlia Murder. What an album opener. The intro riff is melodic enough to sing along to (and get stuck in your head!) and heavy enough to give you a decent kick in the guts if you turn it up loud.

BENTO 27

NATASHA MERRICK ILLUSTRATOR | MELBOURNE A G E | 23

I N S T A G R A M | @nannasai d no W E B S I T E | nat ashamerri c k .wi xsi t e . com/na nna s a idno T O O L S | P en, P ap er, F i ne Li ner

DESCRIPTION // This piece means a lot to me, it was one of the first drawings I did when I moved to Melbourne. Moving and leaving my hometown, Byron Bay, behind was a very big deal for me because I had never lived in a city before and didn’t know how I would adjust. While creating this piece over those few months, it was the only times my head was clear and I was happy where I was. DESIGN PROCESS // Writing about my design process is quite difficult and I’m not really sure where my ideas come from. Most of the time they pop into my head while I’m about to fall asleep, then I think about them constantly until I’m able to create the picture in my imagination. I generally start with a really rough sketch and go over it with a pen/fine liner over red wine and music of course! It can take weeks to complete some of my pen work, whereas my vector art normally takes under one day. I find it very difficult to finish a piece since I have a very short attention span and need to set goals for myself. If I had a dollar for every artwork that I’ve started I’d be rich! How would you describe your style? My style for this piece is more illustrative, however, I’ve been playing and experimenting with a range of different techniques, which I showcase on my Instagram. Who and/or what influences your work? I feel a lot of tattoo designs influence my art and pattern designs such as mandalas. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? I would choose to be a duck of course! They are fabulous, kind and intelligent! 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 choose the song Let’s Get this Party Started by Pink!

BENTO 28

TITLE | Untitled

TITLE | Tokyo Tune

ADRIAN PERRINE ILLUSTRATOR | PERTH A G E | 31

I N S T A G R A M | @wi l d erg ri m T W I T T E R | @wi l d erg ri m T O O L S | A d ob e I l l ust rat or

DESCRIPTION // The illustration is a character which came out of some abstract daydreaming about Japan, music and urban life. DESIGN PROCESS // For client work I like to find out about what they are hoping to achieve with their audience. I then do a bit of visual research and I will sketch out some initial concepts that I think will work well. For my own artwork I rarely do sketches. I actually just start designing in Adobe Illustrator when I happen to get inspired or have the urge to draw anything. Usually my characters start with eyes or a nose, and then develop and change from there as I work in shapes and colours. I like to try different colour palettes and part of the fun for me is picking the right colours for each image. How would you describe your style? I would describe my style as bold and graphic. In saying so, my style is actually quite loose and asymmetrical. Who and/or what influences your work? I grew up watching cartoons and anime, playing games, reading comics and enjoying sci-fi and fantasy. While I was doing all that, I was very much inspired and started coming up with my own stories, drawing characters and all kinds of creatures. It hasn’t really changed! If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? I would probably pick a wolf because they are awesome. I like the idea of a few close family and friends that you can rely on. 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? First song that popped into my head was 透明少女 ( Toumei Shoujo ) by Number Girl. Just because I really love it and while I’m not a super energetic person, it always manages to get me pumped up! And I play it a lot anyway!

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KAM REDL AWSK ILLUSTRATOR | LOS ANGELES A G E | 38

I N S T A G R A M | @k amred l awsk F A C E B O O K | @k amred l awsk W E B S I T E | k amred l awsk .c om T O O L S | D i g i t al Med i a

DESCRIPTION // This illustration was inspired by the simple moment of tying my hair into a ponytail. In 2013 I wrote: “My hair has been short for the last few years but recently I have been growing it out. My shoulders, arms, hands and fingers are significantly weaker than they were a year ago.” This makes tasks like washing my hair, blow drying and doing something as simple as tying a ponytail much more difficult and glaringly obvious of what has left and what is leaving. I remember grabbing my hair and tying it up with a rubber band as a child, teenager and young adult. Never did I give this act a second thought. It was effortless. It took a second to accomplish. I took it for granted. Last month I tied my hair for the first time in years and frustratingly took five minutes to achieve. My weakened shoulders make it difficult to raise my arms. Holding a bundle of hair now gives my diluted fingers a challenge. “This has never been hard in the past,” I thought. “not this, too...” With a progressive condition there is no end, no finale, no rest. This trivial task serves as a reminder of things to come. It is the moments that make up a story. DESIGN PROCESS // I illustrate moments from my life, primarily thoughts on living with a rare, debilitating degenerative muscle disorder. My illustrations hope to connect to the viewer for the purposes of building awareness, but most of all understanding of the human condition and for those who struggle. I’m also a Korean Adoptee (adopted by an Australian) so sometimes I draw on that. These moments push my process and concepts. How would you describe your style? My style is often quite surreal and whimsical. I would describe it as a fairytale dreamland. Who and/or what influences your work? I am influenced by my life, other people, loss, life’s journey and the human condition. As well as those who experience loss, grief, grace, love, medical hardships. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? I would probably choose to be a fox or a snow owl. 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 go with Joni Mitchell’s Both sides now Life becomes illusive as you gain experience but you don’t discount your “younger” experiences, they’re still part of the bigger picture. Perception and experiences changes, no way we can have all the answers, it’s silly to think we have all the answers but experience is valid in whatever form.

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TITLE | Ponytale

TITLE | The Eccedentesiasts

LOLITA RUSSO ILLUSTRATOR | PEMBROKE PINES, FLORIDA A G E | 14

DESCRIPTION // In this illustration you will find two characters: Agnes Atsuke and her lover, Albert J. Hollingdale. They are two dastardly villains, therefore I think they are not very bright. With a progressive condition there is no end, no finale, no rest. This trivial task serves as a reminder of things to come. It is the moments that make up a story. DESIGN PROCESS // I begin my process by sketching and creating an outline. I then fill in the outline with colours that I like. Once this is done I change the colour of the outline to match it with the appropriate colours to get rid of the black line. I then begin to sharpen out the edges and thin out certain parts. To finalize I add some shading and other details such as airbrushing and shine until I am happy with the final result. How would you describe your style? I like to think my style is quite vibrant. Colouring is a therapy to me and I like my line-less style as I find it pleasing and clean. Who and/or what influences your work? I have none other to thank but the lovely ladies themselves, Megan Fisher (Twitter: @mfisherdraws and Lorelay Bove (Twitter: @lorelaybove). Also, Disney films such as Paperman and Wreck-It Ralph have breathed life and innovation into my work. If you could be any animal in the world, what animal would you be and why? I believe I would be a dainty fish or insect for I have a strong adoration of roaming and freedom. 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? Evelyn Knightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1949 hit, Powder Your Face with Sunshine would be a rather charing tune to match my overall finesse, for I love to dress in striking colours and styles, and I always carry my glee wherever I go.

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De lic io us ly p re p a red w i th

by Ben to Box Desi gn Stu di o