For Drama Proof Pigeon Club Issue II

Issue I | Issue II | Issue III | by Beastly Worlds

3 Favourite Films

Lord of the Rings Trilogy based on the books by J.R.R Tolkien 

I love the message that heroes come in all different shapes and sizes and that even little folk can bring about great change. Plus, hobbit life. 

The Little Princess/ The Secret Garden, films based on the books by Frances Hodgson Burnette

In The Little Princess I admire Sara Crew’s kindness and ability to always see how much it means to other people. And I love the simple yet powerful magic of The Secret Garden. 

Studio Ghibli films (especially Kiki’s Delivery Service, Nausicaa and Princess Mononoke)

It’s so hard to pick one! I love how Nausicaa embraces misunderstood things without fear, and sees their beauty. And in Kiki’s Delivery Service: animal friend, magic powers, bakery- the dream. 

………………………………………………………………………………………………

2. Favourite Books:

The Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb 

Epic fantasy with wolves, dragons, magic, intrigue, intricately spun plots and profoundly complex and compassionately written characters. If I could only read one book series for the rest of my life, these would be it, and I would never feel wanting. “Wolves have no kings.”

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

This book was read to me when I was very little, I’ve re-read it many times since and its message has always stayed with me:

 “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly: what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak 

From strange happenings in the night, Wild Things, and a boy dressed as a wolf, what more could a kid ask for from a bedtime story? “Let the wild rumpus start!”

Favourite Graphic Novels

The Moomins by Tove Jansson

Cosy fantasy family adventures. Need I say more? Pancakes!

Mushishi by Yuki Urushibara

 Magical, etherical and otherworldly. These stories create a feeling that’s hard to put into words, but they always leave me inspired. 

………………………………………………………………………………………………

3. Tell us about your creative practice

For me, creativity can begin as a feeling or idea. By abstracting it into a story, poem or illustration I think I’m trying to better understand and communicate that feeling or idea to myself. 

So, to get into a creative flow, I start with ‘coffee and contemplation’ while watching the wildlife of Cornwall beyond the window. Then, I’ll sit down at my desk, put on music or an audiobook, start drawing and enter my creative space. 

For writing, I start a lot of things on the Notes app on my phone. I do this in bed, in the bath, while walking, anywhere, anytime or state of awake-ness. Sometimes I find nonsensical things written in a new note I made at 3 or 4am. It’s ordered chaos… I think? 

………………………………………………………………………………………………

4. A piece of advice you have for other creatives

Embrace the chaos. Love the process. Don’t overthink it. Finish it. For your own joy. 

I think everyone’s inspiration is different, but once you find it, nurture it and let it grow wild. Kindle an inner fire that nothing can put out. Light up your creativity and let it burn bright. Keep seeing the world with childlike wonder.

As Stardog would say, “Dream… to the stars, and keep going…” 

………………………………………………………………………………………………

5. A short bio

I was born in Paris, and grew up moving between London and Texas, before moving to Cornwall to study illustration at Falmouth University. When I was little, my beloved golden Labrador became my best friend and I had big dreams to be a wolf when I grew up. Still dreaming…­­

thank you for having me!

BEASTLY WORLDS

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Plymouth University

Illustration Student Questions

What do you love most about being an illustrator?

There many aspects to being an illustrator that I love. 

For one, I am always learning new things.

Secondly, it teaches me to be an observer and listener; getting inspired by nature and the world around me. 

Thirdly, I’ve always been drawn to illustrations ability to tell a story. I find it fascinating that illustration can either work alongside words to give greater depth and meaning to a narrative, or without any words at all; it can both help to communicate ideas, or be its own language entirely, a language we are all born understanding.  

Fourthly, getting to create worlds and characters and be a storyteller is what I love most about being an illustrator. 

Fifth, finally and most importantly, I love having my cat sit on my lap for hours while I work. A cat’s warmth and affection are never to be underestimated. 

How do you choose your colours for your illustrations?

Colour was a challenge for me starting out. I learnt a lot about colour while doing stencil screen printing at John Howard Print Studios in Penryn and by looking at art and illustrations that inspired me; from Japanese woodblock printing to impressionist paintings. 

Limiting the number of colours in a piece was very helpful to begin with too. In stencil screen printing I would cut out sections where a single block colour would go on different sheets of paper. Separating colour in this way helped me learn how to simplify and balance colour.  

After learning about colour theory, looking at other artists and lots of practice, I would say I also do what feels right too. I currently work in acrylic paint pens and when creating a piece there is usually an emotion I’m trying to convey. So, I gravitate to colours that feel like the emotion I want to put into the illustration. 

I think how I approach colour was also influenced by a boy in my art class at school who was colour blind. He created magnificent paintings and the colours were always balanced beautifully. In his work colours were not bound by what was real, they could be anything you imagined them to be. Anything could be any colour you imagined it to be. I thought that was wonderful. 

What is your creative process when starting a new piece?

Usually, it begins with an emotion or idea. Sometimes it’s composition heavy, other times it’s about creating a place, and other times it’s about character.

Occasionally I’ll start with a thumbnail sketch, but most of the time I’ll go straight into mapping out the illustration on A3 paper. 

Once the sketch is built, I’ll look at things that inspire me or that I want to put into the illustration I’m creating. A tree, a watering can, a clock, a compass, a musical instrument, a bird in flight. I’ll look at all these things and add them to the internal illustration library. A lot of times what I am drawing is already in the internal library and I’ll drawn straight from that. But it is always important to me to look at something tangible from time to time too, because you never know what you’ll learn or find. The history of watering cans and the evolution of their shape is surprisingly fascinating. 

Once the pencil outline is done, I draw over it in black line pen. Next, I scan the image into photoshop, clean it up if there are any mistakes and print the line art onto a heavier paper to apply colour. As I work traditionally, this stage means if I mess up in the colour phase I don’t have to start over completely. I started using this method of separating line from colour after studying screen printing and Japanese woodblock printing techniques.

And now we enter the world of colour. I work in acrylic paint pens and love how they are similar to screen printing, creating blocks of opaque colour. I also like how they are portable, dry quickly and can be blended. I find them a great way to play with colour and experiment. 

Lastly, I would say looking outward as much as looking inward is fundamental to my creative process. Books, films, music, art, gardening, cooking, the natural world, history, imagined worlds all feed my creative process just as much as the internal unseen things, like friendship, kindness, love, loss and memory.

Some final words that I tell myself are:

Embrace the chaos. Love the process. Don’t overthink it. Finish it. For your own joy.