In the style of… Jim Flora

July 29, 2013September 24, 2015 | Anna Cull

CBD 2010 – ink and digital, 280 x 355 mm, 2013. — CBD 2010 – ink and digital, 280 x 355 mm, 2013

Bikes – Christchurch, 2010. — Bikes – Christchurch, 2010

Although I’ve always liked the composition of this photograph, I really wanted to have a bit of fun with the sketch. What better way than by utilising Jim Flora’s dynamic and colourful style?! The linework is ink on illustration board, coloured in Photoshop.

Jim Flora

American artist James (Jim) Flora (1914–1998) is probably best known for his jazz and classical album covers from the 1940s and 1950s. His work includes children’s books, paintings, woodcuts and commercial illustrations. If you’re not familiar with his art, I recommend checking out www.jimfloraart.com and www.jimflora.com. But be warned, his art is not only colourful and humorous, it has also been described as diabolic, sinister and mischievous!

In the style of… appears occasionally instead of my regular Shoot it, Sketch it posts. Using my own photographs as a starting point, I’m drawing inspiration from some of the world’s greatest illustrators. It’s not about slavishly copying someone else’s art; it’s an experiment in seeing things differently.

Climbing…

July 27, 2013March 23, 2014 | Anna Cull

What? Five hundred followers? No way!

Thank you all so very much. I really appreciate your lovely comments, likes and follows. Onward and upward : )

Dear diary, part seven

July 26, 2013July 20, 2013 | Anna Cull

‘Stagnant’ billboard design – word map and sketches Visual diary, two-page spread (student project, 2011) — ‘Stagnant’ billboard design – word map and sketches
Visual diary, two-page spread (student project, 2011)

‘Stagnant’ billboard design – composition sketches and final illustration Visual diary, two-page spread (student project, 2011) — ‘Stagnant’ billboard design – composition sketches and final illustration
Visual diary, two-page spread (student project, 2011)

This was one of my favourite projects at design school: an illustration of flora depicting the word ‘stagnant’ (for a billboard advertising an online dictionary). It had to be linework only (no colour) which meant making the most of tone and texture. My word is deliberately stuck in the mud and claustrophobic. I’m especially fond of the strangler fig around the tree and the tiny mushrooms on the text. The final illustration is a 205 x 405 mm ink drawing and I have no idea how long it took to complete (so please don’t ask) ― the black background alone took about four hours. Madness. Utter madness.

These pages are from the diary I designed for my Design & Arts College exhibition in 2012. Two years of research, ideas, word maps and sketches had to be reduced to a mere 72 pages. It was no easy task but I now have a beautiful, professionally bound journal that I’ll always treasure.

Dear diary, part six

July 19, 2013September 16, 2014 | Anna Cull

Boutique brewery logo, packaging and advertising campagin – word map and logo sketches
Visual diary, two-page spread (student project, 2011)

The design aesthetic for this student project owes much to the textiles of William Morris. My campaign evolved from the idea that the Old Mill could have been a converted textile mill. You can see the individual logo designs in my previous post.

Old Mill Brewers tee shirts and bottles (digital mock-ups).

I had ever such a lot of fun writing the menu too.

The diary pages are from a journal I designed for my Design & Arts College exhibition in 2012. Two years of research, ideas, word maps and sketches had to be reduced to a mere 72 pages. It was no easy task but I now have a beautiful, professionally bound diary that I’ll always treasure.

In the style of… Louis Rhead

July 15, 2013March 26, 2014 | Anna Cull

Rendezvous – acrylic and white gel pen, 280 x400 mm, 2013. — Rendezvous – acrylic and pigment gel ink, 280 x 400 mm, 2013.

I had something specific in mind when I started painting the Akaroa Harbour beachfront photo… and this painting isn’t it. Initially I was going to create a highly stylised image using simple shapes and patterns and fairly flat colours ― but sometimes I just can’t help myself… the temptation to layer colours and add texture is just too great. With Louis Rhead’s turn-of-the-century posters in mind (see below), I exaggerated the shape of the trees and the curve of the shoreline. He has also influenced the overall composition, my choice of colours and the romantic styling of the women in the foreground (although mine look more medieval than Art Nouveau).

I may have another go at painting this scene for next week’s Shoot it, Sketch it…

Louis Rhead

Images from http://commons.wikimedia.org

English-born artist Louis Rhead (1857-1926) made a career out of poster design and book illustration in the USA. I love the Art Nouveau influence in these posters dated 1896-1900. The sweeping curves and stylised trees are beautiful. The colours are fantastic too.

The beetles are coming

July 12, 2013February 8, 2014 | Anna Cull

The sketches and final drawing are from my first year at art/design school (2010). We were fortunate that our graphic design course (officially called ‘communication arts and design’) recognised the importance of drawing skills and provided a lot of opportunities to explore different mediums and styles. This was my first foray into pointillism. The composite image on the watercolour background is from the visual diary I put together for my final exhibition in 2012.