V&A Illustration Awards 2011

If you follow this link it will take you to the work I submitted for the 2011 V&A Illustration Awards. The brief asked for up to three images, which worked as a series or led up to a one final piece.

James and the GIANT Peach

I'm attempting to re-design the front cover for one of the most loved children's books by Roald Dahl for the Penguin Design Awards. These are some of the characters; the ladybird, spider and Grasshopper. I didn't want to characterize them too much as its already been done so well. I want the rough and quirky line of mono-printing to dominate and work well with the scene I'm developing. 

Below is the final image after many rough drafts, I wanted the front and back cover to work together as a whole and be interesting for children. The Illustration depicts the scene underground where the larger than life creatures are affected by the magic beans that James spills on the ground, which also affect the roots of the Peach tree to produce a GIANT peach, which is subtly shown in the right hand corner. I placed the peach here to lead the characters and the reader inside the peach, into the book and into the adventure.

The design in its final context

A Recipe For...

This image forms part of the publication A Recipe For...

Its a catalogue of Illustrations that fellow course mates and I put together. The whole publication can be viewed here.

Nautical Nonsense

By the way this is an underwater giraffe (above). Underwater Giraffes still have not developed the ability to breathe underwater so, even though their necks are already pretty long, they need to be able to the reach the surface to come up for air, naturally they would therefore have a 'spring neck'. The Giraffe also has to wear goggles to protect its eyes from the salt water, but that Illustration is for another day... 

Here are some more interpretations to the nautical brief. The bottom composition is the final Illustration I submitted for the competition, taken from the landscape scene just above it. My work was selected and exhibited at 60 Million Postcards in Bournemouth. The prints could be purchased on the night but you can also grab one from:


http://www.shop.thisissomething.co.uk/sophieharding.html

Nautical Nonsense

I have recently started working on a brief titled 'Nautical Nonsense' set up by 'this is' collective. The starting point can be interpreted in any way, the only limitation is the dimensions (A2 portrait). I have used this opportunity to create playful Illustrations that are often weird, humorous and lighthearted. By taking reference to the ridiculous things that are already found in the sea and putting my own spin on them I want to create a snapshot of a strange underwater scene, continuing to use traditional methods of printing or painting. I want to challenge myself to combine a number of elements within one composition and amalgamate them on good old Photoshop.

By also taking on the challenge of the Penguin Design Awards 2011 to re-design the book cover for James and the Giant Peach I have been able to continue to produce Illustrations that are about fictional characters, events or locations. 

Commission - The Sting in the Tale a festival of stories

Since June when I completed all the Illustrations for this story telling festival, about 28 of them, they have gone to print and been distributed. Here is a sample of the final product. Also my Illustrations have been published on the official website. Check them all out  >>>>> here.

Music collaboration

These images are part of a collaboration I am involved in with a drummer and songwriter. They are a response to lyrics and will form the artwork for a CD. The top image will be the front cover.

Bodies as a canvas         

         

                       

            

        

Some drawings done in henna/jagua on peoples bodies, a new summer job which I'm Loving! And a design I drew on a willing participants back, pure spontaneity.

Painting nature

Just some creative fun.

Represented by Advocate Art Illustration Agency, London

I am currently represented by Advocate Art Illustration Agency on their Blog. To see some of my prints and read more about what they do and what I did as an intern click here.

Internship Website

I've just completed a three week internship with Advocate Art Agency in London. It was a great few weeks and everyone at the company was really helpful and friendly. I got a great insight into how the business was run, insights which will definitely aid me in making some decisions when I progress my Illustration work further in the professional world after graduation. Less than a year away. To finalize my time at Advocate my work has been published on their website which can be viewed here. 

A Painting based on a poem by J. Alfred Prufrock

This is a painting for a friend, she gave me one of her favourite poems and asked me to interpret it however I wanted. I loved playing with the colours and detailed lines over the top and working on a canvas for a change rather than paper.

Commission - The Sting in the Tale a festival of stories

These are some of the original Illustrations before they go into print for the story telling festival I'm Illustrating for this summer. My Illustrations will go alongside each event, about 28 of them, to form a booklet to advertise the event. Additionally posters and bookmarks should be being made with my Illustrations on. Nearly finished the project now. Has been a great experience so far and I've learnt a few things which has enlightened me about the world of professional freelance Illustration. 

An Exhibition at LSE - The Lottery of Birth

My work was selected for the exhibition at the London School of Economics and here you can see it being displayed.  There was a presentation at the opening and they spoke about my work and its concepts saying how it illustrates the theme well, showing how we are born into our circumstances and we do not all have equal opportunities. 

Exhibition at 60 Million Postcards - Expose Yourself

I took part in an exhibition at a venue called 60 Million Postcards in Bournemouth, displaying a number of prints created during my recent Narrative project. It was really fulfilling to see my work being appreciated by the public and over-hearing some wicked comments. I look forward to getting involved in more in the future.

My animation - 'The Divergence of Birds' a collaboration with Becky Hatwell

I have just completed the final project for my second year! The unit was titled 'The Digital Revolution'. The brief was to produce an animation on the theme of divergence. After talking to my lovely friend Becky we realized our intentions for the project were very similar and decided it would be a great venture to work together and produce a collaborative final piece.
You can also view the final animation here on youtube


Our main aim for this project was to find a way to express our love of printing and collage techniques through moving image. Above are some of the scenes and birds which are featured in the short animation.
The concept was sparked by our trip to the Natural History Museum. We found a mutual interest in the variety of birds and how captivating they were. We felt that our practice would lend well to the aesthetic quality of the birds and the locations they live in.


We wanted to express the difference in development of the birds to suit their environments.
The prints were digitally scanned and compiled in Photoshop, then taken to After Effects and Final Cut Pro where all the traditional artwork and sound was edited and amalgamated.

Greetings cards

These are a couple of drawings I've recently done and put on cards for friends or family to say thanks or wish a Happy Birthday. Being able to make them personal is a great incentive in making cards for people.

Print making workshop

This giant print was produced in a Print workshop I was involved in, led by Andy Parker. We each worked in pairs and were encouraged to try something new on a massive scale and to consider repetition. By carefully hacking away at a large piece of corrugated card me and Jenny inked up the monster and placed a giant roll of paper over the top to slide, roll and skate around on. This is the outcome, with a subtle addition of string to highlight interesting shapes and link the repeated prints together.

Below is the corrugated card. I love printmaking as a process in making my Illustrations and this workshop has sparked ideas of ways I could further this in the future. Interesting what you can do with throw away items/packaging.

LSE exhibition piece

 I have recently produced some art work for an exhibition at London School of Economics (LSE). The exhibition is run by the United Youth Development Organisation and explores the theme of 'The Lottery of Birth'. In my relief / mono print I wanted to symbolize that from birth we are immediately restricted from some opportunities. Here a blindfolded infant tries his luck at throwing a dart onto a map of the world. This for me connotes that some people are born directly into problems and that not everyone gets a fair chance at a life from the start. The Lottery of Birth states that our postcode has a major impact on our lives, we are not all born with the same opportunities, and this should be changed.

You can view more about the event here:

http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/artsAndMusic/artProjectsAndExhibitions/LotteryofBirth.htm

Poster

I designed this poster for a one day festival in Bournemouth. The client asked for something colourful, and for the name of the festival, 'Smile' to be illustrated. This is my interpretation. 

I loved producing artwork for something other than my degree and maintaining my artistic identity, by incorporating an Illustration which furthers the the way I want to work.

A Narrative of Obsession