Laura Mallaghan Illustration

A definition of drawing is “sketch (a figure, picture, etc.)with a pencil or pen” and “picture or plan made by means of lines on a surface; art of making drawings”. (Colins English Dictionary, 2004) My thought of drawing is in the same way as basic and improving skills with pencil by hand. Observational sketches, outline drawings and also delicate details, with basic hard media tools such as pen, pencil, charcoal, graphite, etc as well as some doodle drawing, a loosely imaginative sketch. An illustrator like myself, would draw for their own purpose such as pleasure, to please viewers, communicate, experiment and to give of expression. Here follows some example of artists’/illustrators’ drawings (my inspiration list) Furry Little Peach (aka Sha’an D’Anthes) sketches all kind of animals, mostly, in a soft watery style. She sketched many as rough ideas for her main artwork, like the stingray sketch. She also doodles out of pleasure and expresses the beauty of wild animals I belie...

I have collected artists’/illustrators’ online portfolio, to see how they use the layout, links, and what did they includes. (All of them are my influence artists and illustrators) Kristjana S William : www.kristjanaswilliams.com Her background is a large logo with simple black and white. She included her awards, store, tumblr feed and press. Easy finding the links. Her main page is a bit confusing to me. it’s like the layout a bit scattered around and was not sure what it is about. Nadia Flower : www.nadiaflower.com Plain white background. Easy to find the links on the left side. Images of her work on the right side, simple layout. Yet, enter her main page show her client work rather than somewhat personal work. But i quite like her structure. The web-design Flower using is Format. ( http://format.com/l/your_new_portfolio#peak ) Papernoodle (Cheong-ah Hwnag) : www.papernoodle.com Black background made it all dark and feeling not into it, but, with her am...

I have discovered that my two ancestors from my mother’s side who are my great grandmother and grandfather. My great grandmother sold her handmade owl calendars to Harrods or Selfridges, which I realised I am following her footstep of crafting. My grandfather’s passion and hobby of photography, I have found out that one of my hobbies is nature photography, also following his passion. And finally, my mother’s skill of pottery from her school, she used to enjoyed it and made it much better than me.

Fermynwoods Contemporary Arts This is a local exhibition I would to put my works in. Have been mentioned that this exhibition is for nature theme, will have to find out when visit it.

Disney's Digital Posters I found this through the Oh My Disney site. I was so interesting of these digital posters of In The Wood, as an GIF posters. This giving me an ideas along with my skill of gif/animation, something I could do after graduate. This is a big change in 21st century.

My list of career ideas/plan after university, this is something freelance illustrators do for the illustration career. • natural environment charities • craft markets/fairs • craft career (??) • installations (gallery/exhibition and window display) • nature relate galleries/exhibitions • e.g, esty - selling handmades and crafts work such as cards, artworks and sculptures. Residencies- local • exhibit in buildings • charity shops Relevant exhibition- • inkygoodness • Fermynwoods Contemporary Arts Day job - Local shops (for installation in window display, gifs, sculptures etc)

I looked at my old CV that i made in college. Though this doesn’t work well, I may make it simple or including my sketches of bird. In my mind, i find this  cringe. *Blushed*

I went to London yesterday with my university 'gang', as research, experiment learning and exploring for my professional practise work. Took the train from my hometown, as it's only an hour from here to London. Got off the train in St Pancras Station, walked to Euston Station to meet the gang then start the gallery visits. Good thing it was nice, warm and sunny day, for a Halloween's Day, even i carried my umbrella just in case, because i'm very well-prepared lady. Got home about 6ish in the evening, it was long tiring day. Even though on the outside i was quite enjoying with such a very little smile, but in the inside i'm still grieving about my family dog of 13 years, Max, passed away this month and my foster rabbit also passed away on the day before visit to London. It's really devastating and overwhelming, the recovering will come soon...

The kind of commissions I want to work are any roles relates to nature, it may be packaging designs for nature theme design, it may be editorial in nature topic articles, it may be window display, and so. Though I would like to work with the nature charities, which are RSPB, National Trust, Wildlife Trust, etc., that I could do with my fabric sculptures, animations and any others I can do. However I have been commissioned in 2011 and 2012, from my graphic course.  As in course-group, we were commissioned to design logo brand, in 2011, and to design website, in 2012, for Centara, the neighbourhood association in Corby Town. Yet it was not my kind of idea to work. As mentioned why I chose illustration over graphic design. Even so I did have a look at the agencies, the one I came across for years and simply useful was Illustrationweb. I looked through the illustrators that I was familiar with are Sarah Beeston, Jacqueline Bissett, Oliver Hasselluhn, and many more in there. I beli...

The world of the printed word may be in decline as digital technology expands. However, this is not a total decline and may be an essential, and even complimentary evolution. After all, print has largely replaced illustration as members of societies have become more literate. Books, papers etc are stable and reliable - not prone to the unreliable nature of internet connections. They are tactile (consider also pop-up books for children) can be shared and sold on. On the other hand, digital is immediate, fast and can be manipulated to improve access. Thousands of ebooks on one slim devices. However, they are knowledge, taxable, a tax on print and digital imitate and complement each other - e.g. ‘paper white’ readers. Digital presents endless possibilities for illustrators and both print and digital are evolving and may have different purposes. They back each other up illustrators should embrace both formats. Audio/taped books have not replaced vinyl. They can coexisting harmony so l...

Illustrators are essential to society. Historically and in some modern societies images produced by illustrators inform the illiterate as well as “fire the imagination” (Shaughnessy). Images are powerful tools of communication (Grace Helmer & Charlotte Mei Jones) of ideas as well as recording society and behaviour. In a visual world they inform, entertain, express the imagination and heighten experiences and emotions. Empire State Building poster by Brian James  Being an illustrator not only means communicator and recorder, but also communicator and recorder of self. The rewards can be immense – being able to represent information as you perceive it – and get paid for it. A dream job. (Grace Helmer & Charlotte Mei Jones) My thoughts of illustration mean that it is anything from drawings and printing to screenprint, monoprint, etching print, etc. There are many kinds of roles which relate to illustration, for instance, there’s cartoonist, designer, artist, gamer...

So, the reason why I choose to study illustration… At first, after I completed school at the age of 16, straight to college, I studied art and design in BTEC First Diploma, skipped the Foundation course. Even though it was only lasted for a year, I couldn’t think that did I enjoyed this and these projects I have done if I move to next level of art and design…? However I have learned something new in this course, about the creative computer, which mean as graphic design. I then studied graphic design in BTEC Extended Diploma, included photography but was not fond with it later. Throughout 2 years in this course I have spend so much on computer doing some projects such as packaging designs, logos, leaflets, posters, creating website, and list go on and less on drawings and printings. It was just too much… So when I was on final year of graphic design course, I started to research on any other course that have more drawing involves and so does the printing, then I have found illustration...

As a fifth research seminar, as a group, was the topic of advertising. We were required to find the any adverts for products, food, beauty, etc., that may be seen on TV, newspaper, magazine and billboard. On these covers, designs and animations that are designed by the illustrators so we were to find the illustrators, and also find who commissioned these illustrators. I considered that this may be a difficult topic to explore. So I researched the adverts from the Internet and watched TV, to spot some adverts. Later, I came up two adverts with illustrators, which were Maly Siri and Yulia Brodskaya. Maly Siri had been chosen by the English fashion designer, Vivienne Westwood. Westwood advertised her three Alice perfumes in women’s magazines, and appeared in London City on billboards and bus posters. Maly is a French illustrator, her drawings and illustrations are pin-up girls, her works beautiful vintage drawings. Maly was commissioned to use her pin-up girl illustrations along with...