State of the Union

Illustration 5 is here! and to begin we have the State of the Union. A series of daily blog posts based on questions tailored to discover the core of 'illustrator voices.'

Post 1:

What media do you like working in?
I tend to enjoy sketching with charcoal, and when things work out with ink washes they can be fantastic because of its inherent spontaneity, and in the last couple of months I started enjoying using graphite for finished character studies. However, for finished pieces I more than always start traditionally (ink or charcoal) then paint color and add textures to the final steps of the illustration in Photoshop.

What media do you hate working in?
I have developed a dislike for acrylic even though I've tried recently to return to the medium. I also despise pencil colors.

List three non-Illustration classes that have influenced you and/or your work positively.
Life Drawing- taught me that the rate at which you draw the human figure can drastically improve your technical and observational skills and that I also have a bit of a problem with pacing drawings. A life drawing blog I follow is here.
Drawing and Composition- the class affirmed hazy notions of mine about the power of composition and its uses other than making the picture 'fancy.' Also found out a load of painters that broke it down to a science and that color can be an important element of composing art. Composition is essential to me because its important for storytelling and as an aspiring animator, that's fairly important.
Color Studies: Ah, how little I knew and still did about the science of color and how for centuries artists have used color relationships to create wonder. Getting a taste for the techniques used in color theory revitalized my perceptions of color as an artist's tool.
Contemporary concepts in drawing was also good for conceptual and technical problem solving.

How has the work of your peers influenced you and your work?
Mostly in realizing that in comparison with my peers, the scope of my ideation process can be limited. I do a lot of research but not enough effort in realizing the sketches. I tend to get one good idea and stubbornly stick to it.

What sort of subject matter do you like to create work about?
I enjoy creating art based on West African Myth and legends, and West African history that has a heightened sense of reality. I also enjoy drawing from life adding my own mental exaggerations and of course making art based on stories I create. I wouldn't mind illustrating a couple of books like Phillip Pullman's his Dark Materials or Wole Soyinka's The Interpreters.

What sort of subject matter do you like to read about?
I read a lot of collections of West African folk tales, myth and history, a lot of graphic novels with varying subject matter. Recently I've been trying to read different religous texts out of curiosity, and about how stuff works (like lightbulbs) For as long as I can remember adventure fantasy although I'll only read them now if they come highly recommended, although ultimately,I think I'll read anything that is more than averagely interesting.

What kind of music do you like?
Ah music. Music always affects me profoundly (as does everyone of course), but for some reason I can't generate the effort or devote time toactively seek it out. I usually just stick to tried and tested musicians or bands. There are some favorite genres though like Afro beat (Fela and Femi Kuti), Jazz, and very specific Electronica (Massive attack, Chromeo, etc). I also enjoy movie sound tracks which is how I discovered Michael Nyman who created the soundtrack for Gattaca.

What non-art related interest/hobbies/skills do you have?
I like watching and playing soccer, cooking (when there's time), used to be a Lego enthusiat, but no time for that anymore, juggling

What is something that you like that nobody else likes?
the taste of Mouthwash

If you had run of the world's museums, what three works of original art would you like own?
Umberto Boccioni's Unique Forms of Continuity in Space 1913
Auguste Rodin's Monument to the Burghers of Calais 1889
Luis Baragan's Cuadra San Cristobal, completed in 1968
Heinrich Kley's sketchbooks