professional practice Sophie Ingledew
For most of my time
my work could go in. My
would be created digitally,
I have been a little bit
at AUCB has been on an
non-fiction art book about
studying BA Illustration intimidated
by
the
future, and the prospects
of earning a living from my practice. However in
these final weeks of my
three years of study, it is not an impending fear of
deadlines and graduation that has driven me, but a sense of excitement about
future possibilities and
the many directions that
practice whilst studying erratic
journey,
from
plasticine models to pixel art to digital painting to in
drawings
colour
entirely
pencil.
The
contexts of my work have ranged
from
editorial,
children’s book, general
publishing to animation.
I had always thought that my final project would be a narrative book that
and here I am working on a
the ocean, created entirely with colour pencils.
Initially I had wanted to
create a
of different texts. It was the project I
self-destructive habits,
think the work I produced from that
small informative book or zine about humanity’s
particularly related to diet. I decided to change that when I found it too intimidating to talk about the project
in front of my peers. From this I learned that creating work
with a personal
element is not something I wish to do, as it makes me feel too vulnerable to discuss, or share for critique. I feel this
is fine however, as I know that I respond well to highly-structured briefs where the choice of subject
matter is not
completely in my control. I know this
is a nightmare for some illustrators,
but it works for me. I think this is why I responded very well to the unit in Level 5 which involved the interpretations Work from ‘Negotiated Practice’.
enjoyed the most and although I don’t
was particularly strong (perhaps due to choice of media), it is often well-received
by people looking at my website or portfolio.
Because I enjoy structured briefs, level 6 has of course presented quite a
challenge with it’s completely open nature. I have struggled to be content
with my own project ideas, and in retrospect I should have worried less
and taken on more competitions. I know
this now, and once graduated I intend
to fill any gaps between commissions with more competitions than selfinitiated work.
I
chose
to
use
man’s
relationship with the ocean and the imagery associated
with it as a starting point for my EMP. It is rare for me to
begin a unit without having
some idea of what the final outcome will be, as this
is what I use to structure my time and development.
This vague approach was
very liberating and allowed
me to fall back in love with drawing again after
my
Negotiated
Practice
digital techniques for my final
had been very structured
me, having just built up that
work. The previous unit and outcome-based, with a lot of digital/texture work
involved. Although the final
context (greetings cards) was not very successful, the images themselves received
positive feedback online,
and a couple of people wanted commissions using
this style, which was a first. The
choice
to
abandon
unit is an intimidating one for interest in my digital/drawing hybrid
work.
However
I
have chosen to focus purely
on pencils for this project, not
even
taking
time to
experiment with other media,
but instead trying to build up
my ability to create detailed and delicate work, and really honing this skill.
I began by calling upon a broad
management is not a weakness of
I visited aquariums, watched wildlife
condense research
selection of influences and research.
and diving documentaries, looked at myth and folklore related to sea to create a wide range of mini ideas. I think something I need to work on
as I move into the professional realm
is condensing the amount of time I research before I begin drawing. I feel
a need to be very informed about a
subject before I begin making images about it, particularly if it involves
personal opinion (such as an editorial piece). I do not think this will be a
massive problem however, as time
mine and I have learned how to and only
use
what is important during my time at university. It was suggested in
a tutorial to focus on the natural
mysteries in the sea, and the many weird and wonderful sights that are completely natural.
I also enjoyed drawing underwater
landscapes, and wanted to evoke feelings of isolation but also of exploration, adventure and discovery.
These latter themes run through all
of my work and are important to my practice.
One of the key developments in this unit is the use of shapes and negative space. In my previous
two years of work I have not really considered
this aspect of image making, opting to work in rectangular areas or whatever shape the brief defined. I have enjoyed working in the middle of A2 and A3 sheets of white paper in this unit, letting
the composition and overall shape of an image be created at the same time, rather than one defining
the other. This has allowed me to explore different
viewpoints and angles in the landscapes I am drawing. Peers who have seen my work in tutorials
have said that they enjoy the drawings that seem
to be inside droplets or water or liquid (undefined shapes). I have also used negative space to draw
a few images as if the viewer is peering from
behind a rocky surface/out of cave, and others where the image is in a simple circle, reminiscent of a diver’s helmet or ship cabin window. Whilst I have not really participated in exhibitions
or competitions this year, I have found myself focusing on preparing for the area of publishing,
particularly when constructing my book for EMP. I made a mock-up children’s book in level 5 for the Macmillan Prize, and this experience proved
invaluable in getting a book ready for professional printing this time around. Creating a book myself with my own content including text (or quotes in
the case of my EMP) has taught me a lot about the
practical application of my work and how it could be used.
My Investigative Study essay was about
the relationship between text and image in narrative books, it is something I am interested in, even if it is not always at the
forefront of my practice. The essay has left me better informed about text and it’s role next to
illustration. My personal preference is to use less text, and let readers figure out or come
to their own conclusions about a book when they pick it up. For example, in my EMP book
‘Mortal Lungs’ there is no introduction by me, and all the text featured is quotations from explorers, conservationists about the sea. However I have spent a lot of time carefully
selecting which quote will sit opposite
which image, in order to imply things that
are sometimes obvious and sometimes more
subtle, and mostly left open to interpretation. I am incredibly fond of work (both illustration
and the wider world of media) that is thought-
provoking rather than work that spells out every detail for the audience. I enjoy open texts very much and I think my work reflects that.
I think it is important that illustrators and artists in general aim to provoke thought and
critique important issues once in a while as well as providing entertainment. This is something I hope to do in my future, and it’s why I would
like to seek out editorial/reportage work as a
secondary interest in addition to publishing. I feel that the work created with coloured pencils would compliment these areas.
Something I have struggled with
have probably suffered from lack
course in general is coming into
result. Whilst I maintain a good
both this year and during the
the studio to share my work. I have no problem sharing and
talking about my practice when it is at certain stages of completion, however I prefer to do the actual
creation in my own space and
of constructive criticism as a
relationship with everyone in our
cohort and enjoy seeing other
people’s work during scheduled tutorials, I have probably missed
out by not working in the studio more often.
Whilst it is not directly related to my artwork, I have put in effort towards the fundraisers
for the Free Range graduate show, whether it’s clearing the studio for the Silent Auction or serving drinks in other fundraisers. Because the work on the course itself is quite solitary I have enjoyed the teamwork involved in putting together these events and have found
these experiences useful in terms of working with people professionally and networking/ making connections for my future career. This is in addition to making important group
decisions relating to the publications and logo for Free Range, which has enlightened me on how challenging it can be to make creative decisions on a large scale with a group of over forty people.
My website at www.sophieingledew.com
I have also made the effort to get to a
it a lot more and restructure how my
and have them very helpful, in addition
the deadlines for this current unit have
few TLK talks about self-promotion to Hayley Potter’s
workshop
on
writing about yourself. These events have subsequently informed
the
construction of my website and other
promotional materials. I currently have a simple website up which I have
made sure works with mobile devices and so forth, however I intend to tweak
work is archived and displayed when passed, in preparation for Free Range. I
have
found
indexhibit
excellent,
providing a simple structure which can then be edited to your personal needs. I
intend to use this in the coming weeks to add more features such as blog integration
and possibly a shop and a downloadable pdf portfolio.
My Tumblr blog page at: http://www.sophieingledew.tumblr.com Blogs have been an important developmental tool
and
publicity
throughout the course. I
have finally settled on Tumblr as my preference, mostly for it’s
community and the ‘reblog’ system
which allows your work to spread
throughout the site, which I have found excellent for getting my work
out there. Something I need to do is get some consistency in the design of my blog and website, so that they will link up well.
I have also designed business cards
with rounded corners.
for my first set to keep them simple
designs, both to show variety and
for self-promotion. I have decided
and white, using the background from my work. However when I
finish this set I would like to design more that incorporate cropping and more inventive framing, perhaps
I have chosen to have four different
also have some collectable appeal.
I have made sure that the business cards share the same branding as my Tumblr and eventually my website.
Finally, I have been asked a couple of
but also given me some real briefs as
artwork for students on the BA
and working with clients. This work has
times to create publicity or concept Film Production course, which has broadened my professional network
an experience of real time constraints been used in promotional materials on the web and has been well received.
Concept artwork produced for the film ‘N-Day’ at the start of level 5.
I regard promotional materials as an
to facebook and twitter pages. I am
set aside time to work on after the EMP
my practice to move forward into the
ongoing venture, and something I have
is finished. I am excited to work on more unique forms of self-promotion such as merchandise, whilst working on my
web presence, including linking my site
currently in a confident place with professional world, and look forward
to exhibiting at Free Range and beyond.
www.sophieingledew.com t: 07403428333 e: sophie.ingledew@gmail.com
Objective
I would like to work in the publishing or editorial industries, taking on a wide variety of briefs that will challenge my practice as an illustrator. My work is fueled by my interests in exploration, folklore and storytelling. I aim to create deeply atmospheric work filled with delicate detail. I specialise in creating work with traditional media such as coloured pencils, but also enjoy using digital techniques.
Education
The Arts University College of Bournemouth BA (Hons) Illustration UA Level 4 Foundation Diploma in Ar t and Design (Merit) ABC level 3 Awards: Pixel-Based Image Manipulation Desktop Publishing Skills Life drawing Taunton’s College, Southampton 2 A-Levels (A, B) and BTEC Level 3 National Award (Distinction) St. Anne’s Catholic School, Southampton 9 GCSEs (3 A*, 2 As, 3 Bs, 1 C)
Exhibitions/ Published Work
2012 - Free Range, London (http://www.free-range.org.uk/) 2011 - ‘Bespoke’ at Boscanova, Bournemouth.
Skills
Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, After Effects & Dreamweaver. HTML/CSS. Excellent drawing skills that can be applied with both traditional and digital techniques.
Experience
Produced ar twork for student documentar y ‘Circles’. 2012 Produced concept ar twork for the film ‘N-Day’. 2010 Wet and Wild Graphics in Hamble. Work experience, 2 weeks. Assisting with tasks such as designing signs and laying out vinyl sheets. 2006