Big Heads: Kyle T Webster

I attended the first big heads session of this year, where I got to meet Kyle Webster and listen to him discuss life as a professional illustrator, and talk about his custom digital photoshop brushes. As a massive fan of his brushes and digital artwork in general, it was great to hear from him directly. 

Notes I made during the talk:

- He started out drawing figures with a lot of energy, but still kept it very minimalist. 

- Make work first and then find a market for it

- He has a very diverse artistic background.
- He feels that he owes his success to the diversity of his work, not having a style. Handy Man of Illustration.

It has really got me thinking about the digital vs analogue media argument. Does the work lose authenticity if it replicates the media digitally?

Made You Look - Hyde Park Picture House 1/10/2015

Made You Look is a documentary about the UK DIY graphic arts scene of the 21st century. Via candid interviews with top British creatives, publishers and agency owners we explore the fact that more people than ever seem to be turning to analogue means of creating things, even though we are living at the height of the digital era.

 

My views

The film, I thought, was extremely eye opening in terms of seeing the effects of disconnecting yourself from the internet and just getting work done, without the urge to compare yourself to other practitioners etc. It was amazing to hear from artists first hand about the struggles of not being good enough, and their opinions on using digital media to make work. As someone who is really enjoying using digital media at the minute, the film has really inspired me to draw using analogue media and get my ideas down physically, because the discussion of the importance of creating an object that you have invested time and craft in, has really made me think about the way I want to create work, as opposed to disappearing into the digital cloud. 

Level 5: Study Task 1 - Who Am I? Why Am I Here?

5 things I have learnt so far on the programme:

Discovered a wide range of existing illustrators and artists.

The kind of work I want to create, and some medias that I enjoy using. (how to use a cintiq)

How to use roughs and scamps effectively to aid my work. 

The importance of planning my time, using a diary etc. 

"Work hard + be nice to people." 

~

5 things I want to know more about:

How to create certain textures through analogue media. 

How to use colour effectively in my work. 

Analogue printing and the different processes.

Publications that display student work/ competitions.

Resources for news relating to the creative industry. 

~

5 skills that I think are my strengths:

Pencil work in sketchbooks.

Getting ideas down quickly. 

Digital skills?

Working under pressure?

*NOT SURE AGH*

~

5 things I want to improve on:

Speculative Drawing, and the ability to make sense of a written text through drawing. 

Sketch booking.

Being less precious when getting my ideas down.

Making time to sit down and draw.

Engaging with illustration outside of my course, entering competitions etc. 

~

5 practitioners that demonstrate my interest in Illustration:

Michael Driver - mikewdriver.tumblr.com

Tom Clohosy Cole - tomclohosycole.co.uk

Sari Cohen - sari-cohen.com

David Doran - daviddoran.co.uk

Marina Muum - marinamuun.com

~

5 websites/resources that demonstrate my interest:

Wrap Magazine

It's Nice That

I follow a lot of practitioners on Instagram + Tumblr

Colours May Vary/ Village bookshop