I love illustration, and at one time decided that it was to be my profession. I spent months and months practicing, observing and applying different techniques. However, unfortunately the harsh reality is that it isn’t where my talents lie, and so I turned to sculpture and photography instead.

But this tool is so good that it makes even the most simple illustrations look effective, and in the hands of someone really talented it really looks great.

This was my attempt at a basic illustration, using the computer mouse pad and a Wacom tablet.

The Grin

and this was a drawing by someone much better than I at this sort of thing:-

To commemorate this, and also as a birthday gift, I made this figure:-

The Reader

The figure was made initially of plasticine, coated in paper mache and then cut in half, the plasticine removed and then the figure reconstructed. The books were made from wire and paper mache as it was far easier on this scale to use those materials. I hand painted a minature copy of Pablo’s book, which the figure is holding, and then painted the whole lot in vinyl and acrylic paints. I really enjoyed making this figure, and managed to combine both techniques successfully. I hope that this will be a creative turning point.

However by November I was feeling much better about many things and I decided to try a new technique for me, which was to model in plasticine first, and then to paper mache over the plasticine, cut away the paper mache coating once it was thick enough and then to work on top of that with more layers and extra additions of clay and wire.

I like this technique as it is kinder to the hands and it also makes the figures very light. However I think it works well only on small figures. For anything large I enjoy more the manipulation of wire and the ability to create whatever shapes I like.

However this was my first attempt using this technique. I am not happy about some things with the figure but I think it was a good experiment.

Doggy Space

and here is the original drawing:-

The flamboyance and energy of the South American carnivals is something that has always interested me – the amount of work that goes into the costumes, the processions, that floats and the dancing is very special. It is also a very positive thing to come from the culture here – the desire to dance and celebrate no matter how difficult things may be, and I wanted to ensure that my work conveyed a positive message.

I studied many photographs and videos of dancers from the carnivals and designed the collowing four figures:-

These figures were different in many ways – they were much larger than the work I usually do – they stand at about 2 feet tall. Also I used a lot of multimedia – feathers, sequins, glitter and much more colour than I usually work with. The figures needed heavy wooden bases to support them, and of course I used the usual mix of clay, paper mache and paper. They were very difficult to transport once they were finished as they were so delicate and so big! I decided not to work to this size again unless they figures didn’t need moving.

It was a nice experience and I had the opportunity to talk about my work with an audience which is always difficult and exciting in equal measures!

The weather was amazingly cold, and the ice rink in Bryant park had just opened.

The figures were all made from paper mache, modelling compound and wire, and were all 30cms or less.

Here is a video of the work that I produced:-

I also took another figure to New York – a model of a cow sailing, which was a gift to some friends.

Sailing Flies

and the illustration here:-

The idea of looking at a traditional painting via a 3D perspective is very interesting. When I visit a gallery I  always wonder what was behind that man/that tree? How would the house look from a different perspective?  What might those people be doing facing the other way? And with a little help from technology we have the option of exploring this in greater detail. We have an option of seeing things from a whole new perspective.

Below is a link to the video

and a link to her website

This is probably my favourite figure that I have created. It is made from the Delight modelling compound, wire and paper and is about 30 cms tall. After making it I decorated it with traditional patterns that I researched on the internet.

and the illustration:-

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