Happy 3rd Annaversary

March 10, 2015March 7, 2015 | Anna Cull

Time flies, ink doodle, 2015

Friday will be the third anniversary of my little blog. My, how time flies!

Three years ago, I graduated from Design and Arts College NZ with a Diploma in Communication Arts and Design (graphic design). I started this blog as a way of putting my student projects online ― and then I wondered what to do next:

‘The Great Job Hunt’ 2012 (click on image to embiggen)

There were graphic design jobs (logos, business cards, posters), a couple of research projects (when I considered becoming a children’s book illustrator), and I even entered a few design competitions (which I didn’t win):

Love the shape you’re in – mixed media, poster design competition, 2012

Lilac Wolf NZ – mixed media, logo design competition, 2012

Nothing motivated me quite like my blog, though, to experiment and really explore my options. In particular, there were the ‘Shoot it, Sketch it’ posts…

Windermere House, Akaroa – photograph, ink sketch, watercolour and acrylic painting, 2012

…the ‘Thank You’ posts…

…and the ‘just for the heck of it’ posts:

Straven Road photograph with ‘tilt shift’ effect – Christchurch, 2013

A letter to my teenage self, 2012

Two years ago, I started getting more serious about painting. I taught myself about underpainting and painted on canvas for the first time:

The colour of snow – underpainting and final painting, 2013

I began my ‘In the Style of…’ posts and was inspired by some of my favourite artists and illustrators to experiment and see things differently:

Gold – acrylic on paper, 2013. Inspired by André François.

Tram – ink and digital, 2013. Inspired by Fougasse.

I was thrilled when, out of the blue, I got my first commission…

Peonies triptych – acrylic on canvas, 2013

…and over the moon when someone asked to buy one of my ‘Shoot it, Sketch it’ paintings:

Sparkle and shine – acrylic on canvas, 2013

About a year ago, I opened my Etsy shop… and sold my first painting online!

Redwoods – acrylic on canvas, 2013

2014 was also, rather astonishingly, the year I passed the ‘1000 followers’ milestone on WordPress:

Thank You, 1000 followers, 2014

Since then, it’s been more of the same, really ― I’ve painted and sketched, posted ‘Wordless Wednesday’ photographs and inspirational quotes, I participated in my first craft market late last year…

Art and crafts mini market, Christmas 2014

…and I’m still happily working from home as a graphic designer:

Cashmere Road Studio Flat, business card design, 2014

Phew!

Now I’m getting ready for my first big (proper big) art show… but I’ll tell you more about that next week. Thanks for reading : )

Art and crafts in the city

November 24, 2014November 21, 2014 | Anna Cull

Art & Crafts pop-up mini market 2014

I’m taking part in a pop-up mini market next week in Christchurch (NZ). It will be my first ever market! I know, I know… it’s about time. This is the poster I designed for the event.

We’ll also be popping up on December 13th and 20th ― perfect timing for a spot of last-minute Christmas shopping : )

Art & Crafts Mini Market on Facebook

Make mistakes

October 2, 2014October 2, 2014 | Anna Cull

John Lennon poster 1 — digital illustration, 2011

John Lennon poster 2 — digital illustration, 2011

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” Scott Adams

The first image was created by following a tutorial on Tuts+ (the design is based on street artist Shepard Fairey’s Obama campaign posters). The second image was a mistake* I made when messing around with layers in Illustrator.

*Visit this post if you would like to know what I really think about mistakes.

Me, my man and our music

February 15, 2014October 2, 2022 | Anna Cull

Festival of Flowers event banner, Christchurch, 2014

As I mentioned in last week’s post, we’ve finally decided on a name for our duo. We’re now performing as Pavlova Paradise (more of a ‘dessert island’ than a ‘desert island’). I’m chief graphic designer, art director and publicist… I also sing and play egg ― oh and I’m now learning to play a Novation Bass Station II (a very cool synth). James is the rest of the band: vocals, guitars, drums, backing tracks, sound engineer and roadie. We both write songs and we LOVE harmonies. Most of our songs are covers but we do throw in an original from time to time.

Creating our logo was not the easiest project I’ve ever worked on (I place the blame entirely on the clients) but I got there in the end. The circle design is a stylised compass that also looks a bit like a pavlova (at least we think it does), and who doesn’t love pavlova!

Thanks for reading : D

In the style of… Fougasse

October 7, 2013March 22, 2014 | Anna Cull

Tram – ink and digital, 297 x 210 mm, 2013

Tram (edited and unedited photos) – Christchurch, 2010 — Tram (edited and original photos) – Christchurch, 2010

Simple lines and a few splashes of colour. I really enjoyed this one — does it show?

Fougasse

Posters from 1944 Images from www.pickmix.co.uk — Posters from 1944
Images from www.pickmix.co.uk

Fougasse was the nom de plume of London-born cartoonist Cyril Kenneth Bird (1887–1965). I’m a big fan of the posters he designed for the London Underground. I love the simplicity of these illustrations — and the humour.

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.

In the style of… Edward McKnight Kauffer

August 12, 2013January 30, 2014 | Anna Cull

Sky Tower – watercolour and acrylic, 295 x 210 mm, 2013. — Sky Tower – watercolour and acrylic, 295 x 210 mm, 2013

Sky Tower – Auckland, 2007. — Sky Tower – Auckland, 2007

Here is Auckland’s Sky Tower ― the tallest man-made structure in New Zealand ― surrounded by little fluffy clouds. The sketch was an exercise in simplicity and contrast. Left to my own devices, I would have added more details and shading, but that’s not really the point of this exercise. I used watercolour pencils and my new Molotow acrylic paint markers (oh what a wonderful world we live in!).

Edward McKnight Kauffer

Posters from 1923,1932 and 1934 Images from www.pickmix.co.uk — Posters from 1923, 1932 and 1934
Images from www.pickmix.co.uk

I’m a little jealous of American-born artist and designer Edward McKnight Kauffer (1890–1954). He studied in Paris, illustrated several of T. S. Eliot’s books (apparently he was Eliot’s preferred illustrator) and designed posters for the London Underground. Not a bad career.