Good or bad our environment affects the work we do and how well we do it. Illustrator Hayden Maynard takes a moment to share how his space keeps him humming along. Clean and simple does the trick.
Where is your studio?
My studio is a small desk in my living room. Just big enough for my laptop, tablet and a cup of tea!
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Ever wonder how an artist sets up their studio? What motives them? What inspires their creativity? In this studio spotlight Illustrator Greg Stevenson shares how he gets set up to create consistently exceptional illustration.
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See where the magic happens. Artist work spaces are endlessly fascinating. The voyeur in all of us love to know how people live AND work. Illustrator Ane Arzelus shares a bit about their space and how it helps them create the best art possible. Take a peek and get inspired.
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We are thrilled to announce that our very own Thom Sevalrud has been named this year’s Illustrator/ Educator of the Year by 3x3 Magazine.
Thom’s bold colour choices and geometric patterns are just a few elements that make his illustration so intriguing. Thom attributes his light and airy style to growing up in the open space of the prairies. Combing his unique use of line and texture, Thom’s conceptual illustration has an added a layer of depth that draws you in and tells a story.
Read MoreThe exhibition SEVEN: A Peformative Drawing Project at the Montserrat Gallery was a perfect opportunity for illustrator Mark Hoffmann to spread his creative wings even further. Mark, along with six other artists, put their creative process on display by executing a large mural on one of the gallery's walls in an open studio environment. The mural itself was meant to be the "residue of an artistic performance." We found both the process and the final product pretty spectacular.
We chatted with Mark Hoffmann after the show...
i2i Art: How were you approached with this project?
Mark: Leonie Bradbury (the gallery director at Montserrat College of Art, where I teach) contacted me in the fall to see if I had any interest. They usually try to get one faculty member involved and thought I would be a good fit with the other artists.
i2i Art: Was this your first mural?
Mark: Yes, and it was quite overwhelming.
i2i Art: Tell us about the piece. What was your inspiration?
Mark: I really wanted to paint a giant horse and started to research. Somehow I ended up reading about the early exploration of what would later become the first national park of the U.S., Yellowstone. In my research I found the story of the Cook, Folsom, Peterson expedition to explore and survey the land. I thought this might make a fun image with them, a horse, and geysers. I also had a previous color palette worked out that I wanted to apply to the piece.
i2i Art: What was it like working on that scale?
Mark: Difficult. It's hard to get a sense of the scale until it is right in front of you. I found that I had to stand back and look at it a lot, otherwise I wouldn't take the scale into full consideration.
i2i Art: The gallery was open while you were working on the piece, tell us about the atmosphere.
Mark: As I was working, quite a few folks stopped in to look, but very few chatted with me. They later told me they were afraid to interrupt. I must look deep in thought when I paint. It was nice to have the freedom to paint and explore at that scale and really knock people over with an image.
i2i Art: Do you have any tips, tricks or lessons learned you want to share?
Mark: I realized that some of the techniques I planned to use are hard on that scale and surface. Use a paint with primer in it (I used house paints) so you don't have to apply it twice to get good coverage. Bring plenty of Aleve and Tylenol, the work can be a little back breaking.
http://youtu.be/RNxRIeZmY-Y
On view through March 28, 2015 at the Montserrat Gallery.
Mark Hoffmann offers a playfulness to his americana, folk art style. View Mark's entire portfolio.
Recently featured in a post on the popular Design Sponge blog, is one of Harvey Chan's pieces from his Close Strangers series. Jacqui Oakley, a fellow illustrator and designer Jamie Lawson's apartment was featured. Jacqui is quoted as saying, "The fireplace in the living room was one of the selling points of this apartment — we love the blue tiles and dramatic mantel. We’re so lucky to have a Harvey Chan original to contemplate from our comfy vantage point." Below is a video taken from the opening night of Harvey's Show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OhoZZBz-bo
Tracy Walker "unplugs" in warm weather and retreats to her backyard studio for some painting, sketching and contemplation. The studio was built with reclaimed materials from Habitat for Humanity, the local junkyard and neighbours (and still looks more design magazine worthy than my house). With our world becoming so "plugged in" (the "electronic cottage" Alvin Toffler predicted in his book Third Wave), it's important to find the balance and return to the tactile and physical world from time to time. Luckily, the virtual workplace seems to be allowing more of us to find that work/life balance. With the lush, serene surroundings of Tracy's studio and garden, we can understand from where Tracy gets her inspiration.
The metal sculpture is from made from "reclaimed" materials as well - from an African Artist Co-op
Inspiration!
Tracy's unplugged studio.
Not all illustrators work the same - another illustrator, a very different studio. Sarah is currently working out of her studio on a farm in the Gold Coast region of Australia.
You've heard of "Food Porn" and "House Porn" - those gorgeous glossy magazines that make everything look so good! Now we have "Studio Porn" - check out John Webster's picture perfect studio.
