Sophie Ingledew - Professional Practice
-
Upload
sophie-ingledew -
Category
Documents
-
view
214 -
download
0
description
Transcript of Sophie Ingledew - Professional Practice
For most of my time
studying BA Illustration
I have been a little bit
intimidated by the
future, and the prospects
of earning a living from
my practice. However in
these final weeks of my
three years of study, it is
not an impending fear of
deadlines and graduation
that has driven me, but a
sense of excitement about
future possibilities and
the many directions that
my work could go in. My
practice whilst studying
at AUCB has been on an
erratic journey, from
plasticine models to pixel
art to digital painting
to drawings entirely
in colour pencil. The
contexts of my work have
ranged from editorial,
children’s book, general
publishing to animation.
I had always thought that
my final project would
be a narrative book that
would be created digitally,
and here I am working on a
non-fiction art book about
the ocean, created entirely
with colour pencils.
Initially I had wanted to create a
small informative book or zine about
humanity’s self-destructive habits,
particularly related to diet. I decided
to change that when I found it too
intimidating to talk about the project
in front of my peers. From this I learned
that creating work with a personal
element is not something I wish to do,
as it makes me feel too vulnerable to
discuss, or share for critique. I feel this
is fine however, as I know that I respond
well to highly-structured briefs where
the choice of subject matter is not
completely in my control. I know this
is a nightmare for some illustrators,
but it works for me. I think this is why I
responded very well to the unit in Level
5 which involved the interpretations
of different texts. It was the project I
enjoyed the most and although I don’t
think the work I produced from that
was particularly strong (perhaps due to
choice of media), it is often well-received
by people looking at my website or
portfolio.
Because I enjoy structured briefs, level
6 has of course presented quite a
challenge with it’s completely open
nature. I have struggled to be content
with my own project ideas, and in
retrospect I should have worried less
and taken on more competitions. I know
this now, and once graduated I intend
to fill any gaps between commissions
with more competitions than self-
initiated work.
Work from ‘Negotiated
Practice’.
I chose to use man’s
relationship with the ocean
and the imagery associated
with it as a starting point for
my EMP. It is rare for me to
begin a unit without having
some idea of what the final
outcome will be, as this
is what I use to structure
my time and development.
This vague approach was
very liberating and allowed
me to fall back in love
with drawing again after
my Negotiated Practice
work. The previous unit
had been very structured
and outcome-based, with a
lot of digital/texture work
involved. Although the final
context (greetings cards)
was not very successful, the
images themselves received
positive feedback online,
and a couple of people
wanted commissions using
this style, which was a first.
The choice to abandon
digital techniques for my final
unit is an intimidating one for
me, having just built up that
interest in my digital/drawing
hybrid work. However I
have chosen to focus purely
on pencils for this project,
not even taking time to
experiment with other media,
but instead trying to build up
my ability to create detailed
and delicate work, and really
honing this skill.
I began by calling upon a broad
selection of influences and research.
I visited aquariums, watched wildlife
and diving documentaries, looked
at myth and folklore related to sea
to create a wide range of mini ideas.
I think something I need to work on
as I move into the professional realm
is condensing the amount of time I
research before I begin drawing. I feel
a need to be very informed about a
subject before I begin making images
about it, particularly if it involves
personal opinion (such as an editorial
piece). I do not think this will be a
massive problem however, as time
management is not a weakness of
mine and I have learned how to
condense research and only use
what is important during my time
at university. It was suggested in
a tutorial to focus on the natural
mysteries in the sea, and the many
weird and wonderful sights that are
completely natural.
I also enjoyed drawing underwater
landscapes, and wanted to evoke
feelings of isolation but also of
exploration, adventure and discovery.
These latter themes run through all
of my work and are important to my
practice.
One of the key developments in this unit is the
use of shapes and negative space. In my previous
two years of work I have not really considered
this aspect of image making, opting to work in
rectangular areas or whatever shape the brief
defined. I have enjoyed working in the middle of
A2 and A3 sheets of white paper in this unit, letting
the composition and overall shape of an image be
created at the same time, rather than one defining
the other. This has allowed me to explore different
viewpoints and angles in the landscapes I am
drawing. Peers who have seen my work in tutorials
have said that they enjoy the drawings that seem
to be inside droplets or water or liquid (undefined
shapes). I have also used negative space to draw
a few images as if the viewer is peering from
behind a rocky surface/out of cave, and others
where the image is in a simple circle, reminiscent
of a diver’s helmet or ship cabin window. Whilst
I have not really participated in exhibitions
or competitions this year, I have found myself
focusing on preparing for the area of publishing,
particularly when constructing my book for EMP.
I made a mock-up children’s book in level 5 for
the Macmillan Prize, and this experience proved
invaluable in getting a book ready for professional
printing this time around. Creating a book myself
with my own content including text (or quotes in
the case of my EMP) has taught me a lot about the
practical application of my work and how it could
be used.
My Investigative Study essay was about
the relationship between text and image
in narrative books, it is something I am
interested in, even if it is not always at the
forefront of my practice. The essay has left me
better informed about text and it’s role next to
illustration. My personal preference is to use
less text, and let readers figure out or come
to their own conclusions about a book when
they pick it up. For example, in my EMP book
‘Mortal Lungs’ there is no introduction by me,
and all the text featured is quotations from
explorers, conservationists about the sea.
However I have spent a lot of time carefully
selecting which quote will sit opposite
which image, in order to imply things that
are sometimes obvious and sometimes more
subtle, and mostly left open to interpretation.
I am incredibly fond of work (both illustration
and the wider world of media) that is thought-
provoking rather than work that spells out
every detail for the audience. I enjoy open texts
very much and I think my work reflects that.
I think it is important that illustrators and
artists in general aim to provoke thought and
critique important issues once in a while as well
as providing entertainment. This is something I
hope to do in my future, and it’s why I would
like to seek out editorial/reportage work as a
secondary interest in addition to publishing. I
feel that the work created with coloured pencils
would compliment these areas.
Something I have struggled with
both this year and during the
course in general is coming into
the studio to share my work. I
have no problem sharing and
talking about my practice when it
is at certain stages of completion,
however I prefer to do the actual
creation in my own space and
have probably suffered from lack
of constructive criticism as a
result. Whilst I maintain a good
relationship with everyone in our
cohort and enjoy seeing other
people’s work during scheduled
tutorials, I have probably missed
out by not working in the studio
more often.
Whilst it is not directly related to my artwork, I have put in effort towards the fundraisers
for the Free Range graduate show, whether it’s clearing the studio for the Silent Auction or
serving drinks in other fundraisers. Because the work on the course itself is quite solitary
I have enjoyed the teamwork involved in putting together these events and have found
these experiences useful in terms of working with people professionally and networking/
making connections for my future career. This is in addition to making important group
decisions relating to the publications and logo for Free Range, which has enlightened me
on how challenging it can be to make creative decisions on a large scale with a group of
over forty people.
I have also made the effort to get to a
few TLK talks about self-promotion
and have them very helpful, in addition
to Hayley Potter’s workshop on
writing about yourself. These events
have subsequently informed the
construction of my website and other
promotional materials. I currently
have a simple website up which I have
made sure works with mobile devices
and so forth, however I intend to tweak
My website at www.sophieingledew.com
it a lot more and restructure how my
work is archived and displayed when
the deadlines for this current unit have
passed, in preparation for Free Range.
I have found indexhibit excellent,
providing a simple structure which can
then be edited to your personal needs. I
intend to use this in the coming weeks to
add more features such as blog integration
and possibly a shop and a downloadable
pdf portfolio.
Blogs have been an important
developmental and publicity
tool throughout the course. I
have finally settled on Tumblr
as my preference, mostly for it’s
community and the ‘reblog’ system
which allows your work to spread
throughout the site, which I have
found excellent for getting my work
out there. Something I need to do is
get some consistency in the design
of my blog and website, so that they
will link up well.
My Tumblr blog page at: http://www.sophieingledew.tumblr.com
I have also designed business cards
for self-promotion. I have decided
for my first set to keep them simple
and white, using the background
from my work. However when I
finish this set I would like to design
more that incorporate cropping and
more inventive framing, perhaps
with rounded corners.
I have chosen to have four different
designs, both to show variety and
also have some collectable appeal.
I have made sure that the business
cards share the same branding as my
Tumblr and eventually my website.
Finally, I have been asked a couple of
times to create publicity or concept
artwork for students on the BA
Film Production course, which has
broadened my professional network
Concept artwork produced for the film ‘N-Day’ at the start of level 5.
but also given me some real briefs as
an experience of real time constraints
and working with clients. This work has
been used in promotional materials on
the web and has been well received.
I regard promotional materials as an
ongoing venture, and something I have
set aside time to work on after the EMP
is finished. I am excited to work on more
unique forms of self-promotion such
as merchandise, whilst working on my
web presence, including linking my site
to facebook and twitter pages. I am
currently in a confident place with
my practice to move forward into the
professional world, and look forward
to exhibiting at Free Range and
beyond.
www.sophieingledew.com
t: 07403428333
Objective I would like to work in the publishing or editorial industries, taking on a wide variety of briefs that will challenge my practice as an illustrator. My work is fueled by my interests in exploration, folklore and storytelling. I aim to create deeply atmospheric work filled with delicate detail. I specialise in creating work with traditional media such as coloured pencils, but also enjoy using digital techniques.
Education The Arts University College of BournemouthBA (Hons) IllustrationUA Level 4 Foundation Diploma in Ar t and Design (Merit)
ABC level 3 Awards:Pixel-Based Image ManipulationDesktop Publishing SkillsLife drawing
Taunton’s College, Southampton2 A-Levels (A, B) and BTEC Level 3 National Award (Distinction)
St. Anne’s Catholic School, Southampton9 GCSEs (3 A*, 2 As, 3 Bs, 1 C)
Experience Produced ar twork for student documentary ‘Cir-cles’.2012
Produced concept ar twork for the film ‘N-Day’.2010
Wet and Wild Graphics in Hamble. Work experience, 2 weeks. Assisting with tasks such as designing signs and laying out vinyl sheets.2006
Skills Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, After Effects & Dreamweaver. HTML/CSS.Excellent drawing skills that can be applied with both traditional and digital techniques.
Exhibitions/Published Work
2012 - Free Range, London (http://www.free-range.org.uk/)
2011 - ‘Bespoke’ at Boscanova, Bournemouth.