Once in a blue moon

February 24, 2013September 16, 2014 | Anna Cull

Lilac Wolf NZ logo design, competition entry, 2012.

I entered this design in a logo competition a few months ago. The brief was to create a logo for dog spa Lilac Wolf NZ that was positive and memorable. The concept behind the brand is that every dog dreams of feeling like a wolf and being treated like a king.

My design shows Lilac Wolf surrounded by bubbles. He imagines they are craters on the moon… or snow falling in the forest. He is howling with happiness — or is he blowing/chasing bubbles?

These are the initial sketches. I really liked the texture of #1 but I decided to work with #2 because of the body shape.

The scanned sketch became a vector trace (flipped and altered slightly).

The traced fur was used as a guide for the coloured vector shading.

I deleted the original fur, continued to edit the shading and the bubbles, and gave the moon a gradient fill. I then redesigned the fur and tweaked a few things for the final logo.

P.S. For those who are curious, I’ve just been told that there was no winning design in the competition.

Cozy

January 24, 2013July 7, 2013 | Anna Cull

Cozy Knit (spots and stripes) #2 – surface pattern.

Cozy Knit (spots and stripes) #3 – surface pattern.

Cozy Knit (spots and stripes) #4 – surface pattern.

Cozy Knit (spots and stripes) #5 – surface pattern.

These were my entries for the recent Tigerprint Spots and Stripes design competition. The brief was to come up with a fresh take on surface patterns featuring spots and stripes and to follow key colour trends for spring/summer 2014.

The main pattern was taken from the little angel I drew for Shoot it, Sketch it a few weeks ago. I scanned the original ink drawing and edited it as a vector illustration. I ended up with quite a few combinations I really liked but had to narrow it down to just five. I picked a couple of the brighter patterns, a couple in some rather yummy grey-blue tones and one that looks a bit like knitted brown paper.

No, they didn’t win, but that’s not why I enter competitions. I do it for the challenge, for the experience and because it’s fun to have a go. Anything more than that is a bonus : )

The Word is Love

January 11, 2013July 7, 2013 | Anna Cull

This is my entry for the Embracing Our Differences billboard design competition. The centrepiece of the project — which is a celebration of diversity and inclusion — is an outdoor art exhibition featuring 39 billboards created by artists, writers and students from all over the world. It will run during April–May in Sarasota, Florida. 2013 will be the project’s 10th anniversary. Whether this makes it into the exhibition or not, it was a lot of fun to research and paint.

Love Your Body campaign poster

December 6, 2012July 7, 2013 | Anna Cull

Love the shape you're in – mixed media, 297 x 210 mm, 2012. — Love the shape you’re in – mixed media, 297 x 210 mm, 2012.

Here is my entry for a poster competition run by the NOW Foundation promoting the positive, healthy, inclusive portrayal of girls and women. Yes, another competition. It’s been a busy month.

My aim was to put a positive spin on the idea of body types and to create an image that would make people smile. All too often, we hear ‘pear’ and ‘apple’ shapes (et cetera) described as problems that require fixing in some way. Instead, celebrate your shape because it’s all natural and naturally beautiful. Love the shape you’re in!

The fruit characters are ink and acrylic — one is a self-portrait : ) The background collage was created using paper and gesso. I added the heart spotlight in Photoshop.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas

November 30, 2012July 7, 2013 | Anna Cull

Here is my entry for this month’s Tigerprint design competiton. The theme, Coming Together at Christmas, provided an opportunity to explore what Christmas means to me and to look at what things provide those “I love Christmas” moments.

For me, it’s about connecting with family and friends. When they are far away, coming together at Christmas also means sending handmade cards through the post (yes, the old-fashioned way). It’s one of my favourite things about the season.

My ‘Poles apart’ design features nine little scribble birds/animals (representing countries all around the world). I imagine them on wrapping paper, gift tags and bags. The design looks particularly festive in red but I’ve also made a bright green version and one using a brown paper background (see below).

I think my two favourites (penguin and polar bear) would also work as cards. The ink drawings have been scanned and turned into vector images. The backgrounds are a mixed media and digital collage of vintage stationery. Sometimes it pays to be a magpie : )

On a good day…

September 24, 2012September 15, 2013 | Anna Cull

Here is my completed entry for the Chronic Pain Awareness Month (New Zealand) charity auction/competition. As mentioned in my last post, this year’s theme is ‘the soul within’.

The competition is open to anyone who has a relationship with chronic pain and I suffered from monster migraines when I was a child. Doctors and specialists told me that I would ‘grow out of them’ and I have to admit they were right. It took more than twenty years (!!!) but they did eventually, slowly, bit by bit, diminish over time. The headaches I get now simply don’t compare. I’ve also had RSI/OOS in my hands. With rest, therapy, and a complete change of lifestyle, the condition is now under control. I still have bad days but it’s something I can live with. And I am very, VERY thankful.