Illustration Rally: April 2012

27 Apr 2012

Artist 138: Zagny S. Ormut-Durbin

A brand new day and a brand new spring feature over here in the land of eternal rains.. Though we are currently in a drought. We have a brilliant young artist for your delectation now with the exciting Zagny S. Ormut-Durbin. Zagny is a Tel Aviv based artist with international roots and a great sharp style. Her work is strong both in flavour and character, the smoldering eyes and charcoal chagrin expressions etching her characters into life and into the realm of fantasy that makes such fertile ground for current artists. Her work is skilled and has a genuine craft and penmanship that elevates her, with both the technique and artistry to give the images she wants to the viewer and put force into her work which gives us reason to take note. She has a way of making dark yet intriguing work that has a great tension to it. The perfect counterpoint to a still hot afternoon, there is a certain icy tone in her work that gives it a real edge. So without to much further ado, it's the wonderful Zagny S.

Who are you:

Zagny S. Ormut-Durbin - a 24-year-old someone resulting from being born in Hong Kong with Canadian parents, jumping between Canada and Australia and lucky enough to visit a bunch of other places along the way, only to currently be living in Tel Aviv.

What do you do:

I think a bit too much; the rest of the time I spend trying to get illustration jobs which, if I get them, I try adding my own twist. The remainder of my time is spent with some dear ones, which include a rather insane little dog. And if there's time, I even manage spending some time out of my little world or finally drawing something of my own.

How did you start:

When extraordinarily bored once as a child, I began drawing headless people with funny dresses. Then, discovering a fascination with MAD magazine caricatures, I copied their odd faces in a crappy sketchbook mixed with inanimate objects around the home. Discovering Edward Gorey was perhaps the biggest turning point. Between his works, and an art teacher from high school telling me, basically, "you're doing it wrong! those are illustrations, not art!" I started filling my longer-imposed time filling sketchbook after sketchbook with ink drawings. Then, finding out I could do an imitation of what I had become so obsessed with doing for a degree and job was the ultimate punch.

A Personal statement about you or your work:

Am not really sure how to talk about me or my work - always been a rather problematic feature of mine. I try doing what seems right and true to me in my work, and have an interesting amount of stress when I don't. Am apparently a tad old-fashioned in many way (not least of all in choice of techniques). I've an ever-present fascination with nature and the man-made, and try to regurgitate the witnessed and felt into some other semblance, through imagery.

Links:
facebook
flickr
portfolio on cargo (under construction)

14 Apr 2012

Artist 137: Alvarez Ortega Bianchi

A great treat now for IR followers and fellow creatives,with the fabulously playful work of Argentine creative Alvarez Ortega Bianchi. Alvarez is a multi-talented professional who illustrates and directs his own collaborative studio which creates work with a unique house style and hands on attitude. Alvarez excels in bringing the kind of complex packed images familiar from tattoo and outsider art into the limelight and giving them a great and unique twist, keeping things current and fresh but still preserving that great and saleable style. His work and that of his studio has a warm feel and is instantly evocative of Christian symbolism twisted with an autre charm that gives it bite and relevance. Cucacolor's work brims with tension and colour, vivid neons crackle against black backgrounds, like a fear and loathing style hallucinogen Cucacolor is a world of vivid shocking images and work that can't sit still on the screen. It's great to see alternative culture being so fresh and raw, after a while pushed to the sidelines of creativity. So with great respect here is Alvarez in his own words.

Who are you:
I´m Alvarez Ortega Bianchi. from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

What do you do:
I´m a director in my own studio, cucacolor, where we develop graphic design, art direction and illustration.

How did you start:
well I started drawing since I was a kid. a little obsessed with dogs, chuwaka, alf and furry creatures alike… then I started to read comics and to try to make some of my own, but the simpsons came in to my life and change the whole perspective. the only thing I wanted to do was to make something that big. then I grew up a bit and thought I wanted to be an architect. that was just a short period of a year. didn´t like it that much, but I learned about technical drawing and it´s tools. specially rotring pens. that was love at first draw! I moved to graphic design that felt much closer to the things I wanted to do. and it was! learned a lot in the university, but wasn´t enough for me, so right in the second year I started to work in a graphic design studio. since then I been working in different places, always trying to bring new stuff and love to the things I was involved. in the last six years I focused much harder in my drawings and painting murals, because they bring me lots of joy and happiness!!! also theres my studio, in which I have a profound love to work to make it possible. Not easy, but sure it is an awesome project to be in! My partners come form different backgrounds, such as photography and tattoo, but all together became one thing, with one style, that often makes impossible to others to recognize which thing it´s made by who, and that it´s probably because we try to put everybodys hands on it!

A Personal statement about you or your work:
The things I love, hate, like, watch, everyday stuff, etc. everything that make me felt something. I like to make crowded drawings, full of ideas, hybrids characters and feelings mixed up lying randomly in there. lots of details, just to stare at them a big amount of time. I love the idea of seeing something new every time I look at something, so I try to bring that too. salud!!!!!

Links:
studio
society 6
facebook

Artist 136: Max Lockwood

Feature time again, so me' hearties it's time for high adventure on the high inky seas with the swashbuckling young rogue that is Max Lockwood. Max has a great current style that captures the best of vintage and classic and moves it forwards with a great theme and coherence in his work. It is always great to see someone with genuine mechanical skill and a commitment to the traditional technique and Max has this in abundance. Max has a good cogent sense of where he is headed and his complex and often intricate stylings give his work a great depth. Max's work has that really nice sense of completeness that is generated through the marriage of good solid composition and polish. This is further added to be a great palette that gels well with his style and gives that authentic vintage flavour that is hard to conjure and even harder to get right. So wishing him the best of luck in all he does in the future, it's Max Lockwood.

Who are you:
I’m Max Lockwood a (fledgling) freelance illustrator, born in 1988 living in UK, Reading. I graduated in 2011.

What do you do:
I am currently working as a freelance illustrator. I’m a bit old-fashioned when it comes to illustration; I am inspired by old elements, nature and animals, especially objects which have plenty of textures and lines, incorporating contemporary mediums. In my spare time I like to create personal pieces and the last few weeks I have been drawn into creating intricate seamless wallpaper’s which I’m hoping to develop further for a chosen client.

How did you start:
I have always been a keen artist from as far back as I can remember and have always enjoyed following different creative processes through my education whether it be in Fine Art, Graphic Design, Print and so forth. I discovered Illustration in 2007 when visiting John Vernon Lords exhibition in Brighton and have been captivated ever since. I decided full-time work wasn’t for me and made the leap to pursue a career and went on to study Illustration at Southampton Solent University where I obtained a BA (Hons) in Illustration. I learnt a lot about myself, the industry and honing in on one specific style that I feel comfortable using. At this current moment in time I’m working on a few personal projects, hoping to create an online store to sell limited edition prints and tees and ultimately seeking exciting commissions that will push my work further.

A Personal statement about you or your work:
I love drawing and am mainly inspired by the old, nature, sea and animals. I try to keep my art quite traditional and line work is very important within my work. Once I've finished drawing and inking out a piece I scan it and combine it with different elements in Photoshop. I feel I have a long way ahead of me, of learning and developing my skills, but right now I am happy with the direction my work is taking.

Links:

Portfolio

Blog

Twitter