Artist 10: Gemma Randall

Gemma Randall is a dog loving multi talented illustrator/art director/ prop maker based in Bristol. She has a wonderful style with striking lines and flowing visual. She also directs the blog called OutSmart 2010 which embraces that special little invention, the smart car, check it out!

Who are you:

Gemma Randall is a freelance illustrator and art director based in Bristol UK.

What do you do:

I draw and paint sometimes by hand and rather more often via my Mac. I like to create striking semi real portraits mostly. I seem to be doing quite a few dogs at the moment but it's all fun work.

How did you start:

I used to work in the art department for TV but decided I wanted more control on my artwork and dreamed of working solo. I took the leap last year and it's been the best career move I've made so far!

A Personal statement about you or your work:

[I hate these] I'm a country girl who loves to draw. My work is quite varied but I really enjoy portraits, sometimes the subject dictates the style and materials I use.

I love my Mac but I am equally happy with a good pencil and my sketchbook. I love what I do and even when it gets tough I never want to go back to a proper job!

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Months of the year: May

May

By Serena Katt

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Artist 09: Lauren Mann

Lauren Mann is a young, talented, self motivated illustrator/graphic designer who's amazing sketches are reinforced with deep understanding and technical knowledge gained since she started freelancing at the tender age of 14. (I was still running around the town...) Check out our interview with this powerhouse illustrator!

Who are you:

Lauren Mann

What do you do:

I'm currently a freelance graphic designer and illustrator. I recently graduated with a degree in art and am looking for full-time work in the design industry.

How did you start:

It's hard to say as I've been drawing from a very young age. I've been driven by the inspiration all around me, the hunger to learn something new and the challenge of improving my skills. It was only a few years ago that I decided to consider art a career option and impulsively transferred to an art degree!

A personal statement about you or your work:

While I am a figurative illustrator, I aim to play on the viewers sense of curiosity and create a world for them to explore and characters for them to engage with. My work is varied and influenced by everything from classical art and childrens illustration to decorative art and animation.

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Months of the year: April

April

By Aniela Murphy

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Months of the year: March

March

By Nicola Ellen

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Artist 08: Felice Perkins

Felice Parkins is our next beautiful feature, her work instantly grabs you with it's bold lively colours and evocative imagery. This collection is themed around Mexican culture and the day of the dead celebrations. Her style is vibrant, full of life and movement and I hope you will enjoy it as much as me!

Who are you:
Felice Perkins(FEP)

What do you do:
I'm not actually totally sure what I am! I like to say I make stuff because artist/illustrator sounds scarily defined. I've illustrated student magazines, been in Fine Art shows and am currently doing some childrens book illustration. I like to just follow my intuition, if I'm still having a good time doing it then its going in the right direction.

How did you start:
Its just what I do, I can't remember a time when I didn't want to create. As a young child I spent my lunch breaks in the school yard obsessively drawing fish, adding bizzare elongated fins and hundreds of intricate scales. This is probably my earliest memory of being totally compelled by creating.

A Personal statement about you or your work:
My work is an ever changing delight in colour/materials and ideas. Most recently I have found myself becoming interested in more provoking subjects's such as the wealth divide and the environment (something which I now have mixed views about) and I have slowly been trying to filter this into my artwork. The end product varies from pencil drawn scantily clad designer branded anorexic ladies, to blobs of paint peppered with strange creatures, to what you see above. Mostly my main criteria is to have fun and not feel too boxed in, I hope that this feeling is projected in the work.

http://feptopiachronicles.blogspot.com/

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European countries: Le Tricolore

France

By David Booth

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European countries: Finland

Finland

By Ian Caulkett

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Months of the year: February

February

By Lea Wade

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Artist 07: Simon Cheadle

Simon Cheadle is another young talented illustrator who whilst still in his first year is fast becoming an established illustrator. You can tell from his vibrant exciting work, he is really enjoying himself and his work. Never one to be tied down Simon is proud of his evolving style and we are sure you will enjoy to hear a little bit more about him!

Who are you:

Simon Cheadle

What do you do:

I'm currently studying BA (Hons) Illustration and Animation at Kingston University, London - about to go into my second year. I am also part of an illustration collective called '717', named after an abondoned office in my old college that we turned into a studio, pillaging photogoofs of old ladies and making shrines to Jade Goody and meat. We make zines, prints, drink gin and terrorise our neighbourhood in our biker gang 'the grim wizzards'.

How did you start:

I officially started 'illustrating' two years ago on my foundation course at Suffolk College, at first it was a bust-up between illustration and graphic design, being told by my high school art teachers that I should be a graphic designer, but illustration won.

A Personal statement about you or your work:

I don't really like to get philosophical about my work- I like to make stuff, in what ever form that might be, that I would want to see myself. I always have to enjoy what I'm doing and my work always starts with drawing. On a few occasions in the past, my work gets taken 'off the page' into the 3D, although I never would make my work 3D if I thought it unneccessary. I don't like to think I have a 'style' , to quote Charles Eames - ' The extent to which you have a design style, is the extent to which you haven't solved the problem' and because of this, I enjoy the way my work evolves and shape shifts.

http://www.simoncheadle.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/s_cheadle

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Artist 06: Thereza Rowe

Thereza Rowe is a lovely girl/dedicated illustrator with a wonderful sense for the dramatic. She excels at creating beautiful products such as her pretty and sweet hand made paper houses, zines and prints you can buy them all at her shop. She also has a blog which is a joy to read and full of inspirational images and moments, you should all enjoy her interview, here she is!

Who are you:

I’m Thereza Rowe. Illustrator, pink milk junkie, owner of thousands of pens and mountains of papers…

What do you do:

Most of the time I can be found drawing and illustrating in my tiny red workspace. Other times in daydreamland where everything makes sense.

How did you start:

The beauty of being able to create something has always been my main drive. One ordinary day I woke up and decided I wanted to draw and so I did and never stopped ever since…

A Personal statement about you or your work:

My work is honest and simple and it relies pretty much on the way I view the world.. Some say I’m weird, some think I’m from another planet and maybe I am… if I had a choice I’d move permanently into one of the little worlds I create :)

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European countries: Estonia

Estonia

By The Tree House Press

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Artist 05: Jamie Mills

Here is our fifth artist feature on Jamie Mills, he is still studying at his university but he already has obtained a style and I pretty much love his use of colours and observation of things along with his good sense of composition. I think we are going to see a lot of him in the future! :)

Who are you:

Jamie Mills - often known as Jamie Milk.

What do you do:

I study illustration at the University of Gloucestershire and I spend a lot of time getting distracted by excellent dogs in the park.

How did you start:

I suppose I haven't really 'started' yet - but I am about to enter my third year and the prospect of what happens after that is a little daunting. Starting a blog this year and making myself do something creative every day has helped my work massively. I'm just trying to get involved with as many things/projects as possible now to, hopefully, give myself some sort of platform for when I do 'start'.

A Personal statement about you or your work:

Currently, my work seems to be about mountains - nature, generally, plays a very big part in my drawings as does geometry. I like quite fine, textured pencil work mixed in with big, simple, colourful shapes which, ideally would be screen printed. And bears. I really like bears.

Follow me on twitter - www.twitter.com/jamiemilk

Blog - www.jamiemilk365days.blogspot.com

Flickr - www.flickr.com/photos/jamiemilk

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European countries: Denmark

Denmark

By Emma Armitage

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Months of the year: January

January

By Laila khubeize

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