Process

Stephen Carley




For me the most recent series of projects by Sheffield based artist Stephen Carley summarises what process within the creative practice is all about. After spending years focused on highly conceptual art he recently stripped backed his practice to the most basic elements alowing process to drive his both his image making as well as the ideas behind them. This has led the creation of a bold, visceral and highly dynamic body of work that has explored drawing as a process alowing instinct and action to drive the image making. This is something I have been trying to bring into my own practice, for example with various 'improvised' rhythmic drawings and collages produced for visual narrative, and is something I am keen to further develop.

The Nazusk



In a similar manner a whole portion of  The Nazusk's work explores processes such as paint dragging, mixing as well as mixing ink, water and oil which are all incredibly hard to control and subsequently produce a varied and rather explosive set of out comes. Again letting the actual process dictate the visual outcome is something I have been trying to explore and refine myself through my creation of textures such as those made with block ink, acrylic paint and brusho.

With both these artists it is the uncontrollable/unpredictable element that alowing process to drive the outcome that seems most pertinent to my own practice. This is because I feel it gives your work a certain organic feel that I believe too much refinement and control removes.

Product

Kid Acne




Although I don't usual think his work is the most content heavy, with a focus more on aesthetic/style, I do think graphic artist Kid Acne is a brilliant example of a practitioner who can very effectively transfer imagery onto products. I think this in part due to the simplicity of the work he choices to use which has a real immediacy and sense of balance which make it both pleasing and memorable; perfect for products such as clothing and record covers.

Optigram



Although much more sophisticate and seemingly complex in contrast to Kid Acne's naive cartoon like work, Optigram's design are able to transfer onto products due to a similar set of principles. This is due to the fact that the seeming complexity of the images is usually governed by a series of rules that break the images down either in to basic, easily readable distinguishable elements or pattern like compositions which when transferred on to a product, such as an item of clothing or record cover have a similar level of immediacy and memorability as that of Kid Acne.

Therefore this in mind it is essential to carefully consider the type of product you are displaying your work on. For example simplicity is key to making effective designs for clothing where as for record covers, books etc something immediate and memorable is needed, this could be achieved through simplistic imagery or something with more complex elements and depth so long as it is still easily readable by potential buyers.

Aesthetic

Michiel Schuurman



Schuurman's work is evidence of a practitioner for whom aesthetic is the most important element of creative practice. He has a strong and easily recognisable visual language that contains strong references to African Patterns and which has been carefully curated with each image being carefully constructed right down to the smallest details.
In relation to my own practice it is the use of strong graphic elements that are often repeated to mesmerising effect that I find most relevant. This is something I have frequently tried to bring into my own work and it is therefore highly revealing looking at how Schuurman manages to achieve the same aesthetic to I much higher level of success.

Dann Botlek



Although there are clearly some consistent themes within his work, such as geometry and physics, given his position as a graphic artist rather than illustrator I think Botlek is also I good example of a practitioner who manages to successfully put aesthetic at the forefront of his work. Again it is the mesmerising use of repeat elements and strong geometric forms that I feel ties Botlek's practice to my own. I particularly like the surreal sense of dynamism within his work which is something I want to try bring into my own practice given that often i feel that my work is too static.

Content

Noma Bar



The work of Noma bar shows just how important the inclusion of content within your work is to creating effective and memorable imagery. In his own words he is 'after maximum communication with minimum elements' a philosophy which is clear within his body of incredibly minimal and reductive work. Simple shapes and negative space effectively communicate the content of his work, which is often complex and challenging, in a manner which I feel is unrivalled in its clarity, immediacy and subtlety.
Trying to effectively communicate complex ideas through minimalist, reductive imagery is something I have been wrestling with through out most of this first year and something which I still feel I have a long way to go with in terms of reaching a effective level of clarity and subtlety within my own work,

Context

Laurene Boglio







Given the context of screen based gifts Laurene Boglio's super simple, contrast heavy work is a good example of an illustrator who's process and aesthetic fits the context their work is viewed in. This is because the simplicity of the elements allows the images to function effectively within the given format on a technical level, ie buffer/load quickly without disrupting people's connectivity, as well on a aesthetic level in that it allows the images to have a memorable, 'viral' quality in the sphere of online image sharing which makes people more likely to remember and share them.