Artist Statement: - Tait Wayland
For many years now I’ve had a strong interest in
science and technology. The way a society adapts and reacts to these fields is
even more interesting to me. The implications of technology open up an entirely
different level of storytelling. Science fiction stories such as Metropolis,
Dune, Blade Runner, The Matrix, and The Terminator are just a few that inspire
my perception.
I wanted to illustrate a seemingly innocent story
about a girl who rides a metro, in a very twisted but appropriate way. I chose
to place the setting within an apocalyptic city. I wanted the setting to have
an ominous feel, but not to a point where it was very melancholic and otherwise
unfit for children. I resolved this by making the main character a cute child
robot. In this way, she is not emotionally attached to the abandoned city that
has been destroyed by her fellow robots. I intended for this to add a level of
adult humor to the story, while not scaring children.
I tend to do a lot of my work in pen. When working
in this medium, I try to draw the idea of things, rather than trying to render
exactly what I see. This adds an impressionistic element to the work, which
helps me emphasize the subjective aspects of the image. This works very well
when combined with wet medium. I then scan this work into a computer and trace
over the lines to remove imperfections and give the illustration a cleaner
look.
Artist Statement - Jeneatte Vasquez
Having grown up on the Gulf Coast, I am quite
familiar with hurricanes. In particular, I remember the minute details of the
event and the emotions I dealt with. For instance, the day after hurricane
Opal, I got into my mother's blue station wagon, permanently stained with the
scent of Virginia Slim 120's menthols, and searched for a brave store owner who
was open for business. Hopefully, they would have the necessities we'd never
planned for. We drove slowly down a road which was typically lined with
centuries-old magnolia and oak trees; being about six years old, I distinctly
recall being fascinated at the idea of the destruction of nature by
nature, the power it possessed. We crawled along, up to a magnolia tree which
had once gallantly flanked the road, now being supported only by the ranch home
it had landed on, leaving barely enough room to drive under.
The view was frightening; there was no telling
what lay beyond the next hill. Of all the hurricanes I survived during my
childhood, this memory has stayed with me indelibly. I wanted to evoke the
innocence of childhood, my childlike nature, the curiosity and whimsy of such
numinous experiences. To capture this, I used simple shapes similar to the
paper cutouts of childhood crafts. I paired these with different textures from
a variety of digital sources. Together, they blend cohesively and maintain a
unique quality. The image is a cover, to draw people into that sense of
innocence.
Artist Statement: Ryan
Waldo
The attractiveness of illustration is that it
seeks a clarity and readability that is accessible to all. I begin by
exploring imagery of my mind and expanding upon it by finding and researching
real world relations. Once I settle upon a design and direction I begin
its exploration with line utilizing its definitive and ornamental nature with
graphite, ink, watercolor and paper edge.
The inspiration for this work was the child and
her obsession of her possessions. Her concern for her own material
wellbeing supersedes all other thoughts and dominates her prayers.
She has unknowingly twisted her faith from sacrifice, dedication and community
to self-preservation and material wealth.
Artist Statement: - Alejandra Garbutt
My interest in art, specifically illustration,
has been with me as far back as I can remember. Traditional Mexican myths and
legends were engrained in me with stories of La Llorona, spirits, hauntings,
and such. In a sense, my upbringing had a dash of magical realism, which
fostered boundless, child-like imagination. My experimentation with media led
me to create illustrations that are a collage of analog and digital elements to
achieve an aesthetic that is quasi-naturalistic and otherworldly. After I
sketch out what I want the finished illustration to look like, I intuitively
pick out elements that I want to paint/draw and elements that I rather render
digitally. This process involves back and forth dialog of scanning analog work
into the computer and tweaking it in Photoshop.
What inspired me about The Firefly Jar was
the children’s sense of wonder and hope. They believed that the fireflies that
they so patiently waited to see in the summer were good luck stars that fell
from the sky. I tried to convey this wish and nostalgia with the painted night
sky and linocut mason jar that I placed in a windowsill rendered in Photoshop.
The firefly glow was amplified in Photoshop as well. My wish is that the
audience feels the same sort of child-like wonder when they see this book
cover.
Artist Statement:
- Christina McCoo
This piece was inked on the computer and printed
on Bristol board and colored using color pencils and watercolor pencils. The
girl’s design is based on personal experiences and observance of cats. The
pastel colors and thin line quality are used to reflect a light and airy
feeling. I wanted to create an animation within a space of the picture plane.
I became interested in illustration at the age of
3. My favorite was Archie’s Sonic Comics. My inspirations for these
pages include various illustrators such as Lois Van Baarle, Katri Valcamo, and
Tegan White.
Artist Statement: - Daesy Vences
My name is Daesy Vences and I am a BFA Graphic
Design major here at UAB. My illustration here today consists of gouache and
acrylic paint. I like to experiment with different materials and then
incorporate them into my illustrations. Illustration allows me to express the
way I am and the reason it does is because it is open to many types of
methodologies and various ways of expression that anyone can think of. It
allows me to think beyond that of imagination and respond to the different
voices that most decide to ignore. This bridge allows me to get where I
want to be as an artist with my approach to illustrations, usually from a very
emotional side. I as an artist want to influence others and create an emotion
the same way that I was influenced.
I have always admired the work of different
illustrators. But the ones that influenced me the most would be street artists
from urban areas. I love to incorporate my street background into some of my
pieces and my Latin culture, always staying true to my roots and showing a
glimpse of my interpretation of my heritage. One particular artist that
influenced me into taking an interest in illustration was David Hale. The way
he mixes materials and typography to create dimension in his pieces is amazing.
The line qualities that David’s illustrations have influence me greatly.
Another influence in my work is from Egyptian art. I am really interested
in including different cultures other than my own in my art. Its just a melting
pot in my esthetic.
Artist Statement: - Christina Daniel
As I read this story, I visualized the characters
vibrant and very much alive within the narrator’s life. To illustrate
that, I used bright but minimal coloring and the addition of a collaged image.
I can remember all too well how afraid I was of household objects at night as a
child so I wanted the nature of the Boom Box Bat to be playful but still
relatable. I feel that these two illustrations reach out to an influence of
children’s expressive play within their imagination and the voice of the
narrator.
Artist Statement: - Britney Truitt
My
interest in illustration came when I was a child. I would be given books
to read, but I was more interested in the pictures on the page than the words
in the book. I was enthralled by the bright colors and the presentation of an
idea through an image. Images spark my imagination and help me to create
parts in a story that I would not have initially thought of while reading the
words alone. The images took me to a place beyond the words and helped me
to be able to imagine my own scenes, to books without pictures that I read, as
I grew older.
I chose
to work with watercolors because I have always been interested in the washy
look of watercolors. In this case they allowed me to achieve the colors that I
intended to present and give the characters a fun, childlike quality. Ever
since I learned about Photoshop, I was amazed by all that it could do. I
wanted to be able to use Photoshop to enhance what I had already done with the
watercolor paintings. When I took the images into Photoshop, I was able to add
images of real grass and a sky. By being able to take something that I
created and place it into a real setting, this makes my images come to life and
helps the viewer to imagine that this is a scene that could actually take place
in the real world.
I have
always been fascinated by the moral lessons that are in children’s books, such
as the tortoise in the hare and the boy who cried wolf. The scenes helped me
learn and grow into the person that I am today. When illustrating this story I
was inspired to choose the scene that I thought had a moral lesson behind it.
The scene is when the horse realizes that the tractor can do something that he
can do, but just in a different way. I found this scene particularly
interesting, because it reminds me of when children today learn that there can
be people who are very different than them, but can achieve the same things
that they can. Every person has a different way of doing things, just as
the tractor and the horse do. They become friends in the end despite their
differences, so this scene can inspire social skills in children and inspire
them to respect the people who are different than them.
Artist Statement: Rob Clifton
I have been drawing cartoons since childhood. As
I grew, so did my line. These lines have led me to understand variety in
texture, value, rhythm and balance. In this piece, I achieve variety through
the combination of gouache, watercolor, and graphite. Before I use additional
materials, I start by creating
a refined line drawing. Then after the
composition is established, I carefully build value and texture to create
pictorial depth.
In this piece, I have attempted to convey the
inner beauty and delicacy of the main character by carefully handling her lines
and value (opposed to the train and stairs). Her love shows through her pose
and expression, and because love is contagious, her light spreads throughout
the city. Her purity exceeds all barriers and sets her apart from the mundanity
of society. Because of her freedom, she sets her own path. Although she may be
free, darkness looms below, and is always closer than expected.
Artist Statement: - Chynna Nuccio
From a
childish perspective I was always interested in what I couldn’t have, or what I
was told wasn’t for children; a complex story. But I cherished that story and
clung to the graphic novels they presented from an early age. While these
Illustrations appeared to be just black and white drawings at first, they became
much more to the line and fluidity of the panels and how they presented a
story.
What drew
me to illustration, and art in general, was the nonstop doodling and scratching
of ideas flowing through my head. Something about being a child we understood that
adults had long forgotten; courage to just draw. We didn’t worry about
line quality or getting the ink just right, we wanted those ideas out of our
heads as fast as humanly possible. For that courage, I envy children artists.
This became the basis for my artist experience. I wanted to release as many
ideas as I could, and that gave me clarity. Rather a particular picture, or image in my mind I play upon a
scene or a movie playing constantly in my mind. First I brainstorm, and let the
characters build themselves. Then I form a basic idea, and then slowly build
upon that idea until I can visual the story behind the scene or create an
independent world this scene comes form. The world slowly envelops a basic
idea, and a world is created. Before even drawing, or sketching, I begin
thinking of the characters and the world they interact with. And because most
of my world is figure based, I care especially for the person involved and
their experiences or perceptions of this world. For this illustration, I wanted to first get to know the
children involved in the story I wanted to illustrate. First I wanted to know
what the boys, Caden and Patrick. Then I wanted to understand their
relationship to one another. I pictured two little boys, having grown up with
one another, and playfully picking on one another. Then it became a place, and
then another world. And I slowly began expanding their experiences. Finally I
could see a scene I wanted to play with, and I began sketching out my ideas and
finding out about the place they were playing in. At last it finally all came
together. Drawing and detailing things are the last step in my process, despite
most illustrators go to drawing first. But I prefer to think it over for
a while and see the picture clearly before I even sketch.
What I
cared for most was the story and how it came to life on the page, and not so
much on the art itself. But the art was extremely important to me as well, in a
contradictory manner. The style didn’t hinge as much on the artist or
their personal preference, but rather they reflected the characters they
illustrated and the moods the story presented.
Artist Statement: Jasmine Gooden
The girls in the story immediately reminded me of
my sister and I. We would always take each other’s toys just to get on each
other’s nerves. We would always find some type of common ground, and that is
what this story represents. I began the book illustrations by doing research
first. I always start by searching for reference images, and inspiration to
create a mood board. After the initial research process, I created sketches
that were then scanned into Adobe Illustrator. This illustration is vector
based, and includes textures that were also scanned in to add depth to the
piece. Many different things influence me when it comes to illustration and
design. I am interested in hand written typography, and decorative ornaments. I
am always aware of color, texture, pattern, and composition.
Artist Statement: Amy Vaughn
Typography has always held my interest. At
a very early age, signs and billboards with different fonts and styles inspired
me to learn how to go above the simple standard of print and cursive.
This interest developed during adolescence through experimenting with
graffiti. When first reading this children’s story, the multiple
onomonopias jumped out at me and I knew they must be illustrated. In
order to fully express these words, I brought life to them by allowing each
word to have their own style, which fit accordingly to its purpose in the story.
After writing down each onomonopia, brainstorming began with drawing each one
over and over until the word matched the sound. Different mediums were
used such as graphite, technical pen, gouache, gesso, and watercolor. In
the end, I chose to use only technical pen for the illustrations and scanned
them into the computer to add color and depth.
Artist Statement: Christopher Blackstone
My initial interest in illustration began a long
time ago when I was a little boy in school. For as long as I can remember
I’ve been drawing in class instead of taking notes. So when I heard there
was going to be an illustration class I knew it was right up my alley. I
already had a lot of experience with pencils, so in this class I wanted to
explore different mediums while still using pencil sketching as a starting
point. For example, I enjoy beginning the sketching process with pencil
to brainstorm ideas and then refine the illustration in a program like Adobe
Illustrator, which allows me to vectorize the image for print.
I was very inspired by the artwork in comic
books, particularly the work of Jim Lee. The ability to create characters
and their unique looks is what got me interested. For Riding the
Metro, the story I illustrated, I wanted to show the main character, as I
perceived her. Also the metro was very important and the fact that the
little girl is chasing it seemed fitting for the story.
Artist Statement: Haley Salzburn
When creating this double page spread for the
story, Sister, Sister Where Are You? by Sarah Stasiak, I first
drew the character Tiger by hand and then used to ink to apply a base
color. I also used an ink splattering effect before scanning it into a
computer. At this point, I manipulate the individual drawings separately
and then place them on the page where they go in the final illustration.
I allow the splatter texture to remain, as this is a key to overall feel in my
work. And finally, I paint over the drawings digitally to further add
highlights, color, and shadows.
I personally got interested in illustration at a
young age when reading children’s books. My grandparents were also
artists and they encouraged me to try and illustrate from the books and comics
I read. One of the first character-involved creations I began emulating
was from the series Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey. Lately,
however, I have become more interested in environments and atmospheres rather
than characters specifically. Video games are an inspiration for me,
especially regarding the conceptual art that goes into creating those
games. When specifically designing this illustration, Peter Pan’s
Lost Boys inspired me for the protagonist. The character in the story’s
name is Tiger, but I imagined him to be a little boy who thinks he is a real tiger.
In this way, he wears tiger-themed pajamas and imagines his entire world is a
jungle, even if that jungle is within his own house. These things helped
me create a more imaginative feel to the overall story, enforcing the way a
child would interpret it, whether they were reading about Tiger’s adventures,
or how they would see themselves.
Artist Statement: Nabela Washington
My name is NaBeela Washington and I am a BFA
Graphic Design major with a Japanese and Art History minor at UAB. My
Illustration consists of fireflies hand-drawn then scanned into the computer. I
use tech pens, graphite pencils and watercolor. I rely on make-up, markers,
acrylics and anything that I find innovative for other types of work. I am
presenting my work as a two-page spread because I feel this is the best method
to perfectly capture the essence and beauty of the fireflies depicted in the
story. I discovered I could create emotional artwork back in the Fall of 2011
and Spring of 2012. I realized that my mode of self-expression and
communication with the world could be transferred to reality so that others
might get to share my own experiences. I became increasingly interested in the
way shapes moved and came alive on a page and how shapes and simplicity can
create such complex pieces of imagery that can truly move an audience. I am
inspired by my personal success and the success of my peers because it makes me
feel like I am getting closer to living out dreams I never thought would become
real. I hope to communicate freedom through my Illustrations. I want people to
realize that they don’t have to accept the traditional perception and niches of
the world. They should realize that there are no limits and that art starts at
the soul. Freedom and beauty develop deep within. The world is a much more
beautiful place when you tap into yourself and realize that with this
understanding you can do anything and change anything , making the world and
art truly amazing.
