Marian Leven

Since working with the guys on a collaborative music video, I've rekindled my appreciation for the fine art realm, and started exploring more traditional forms of art in the hope they'll inspire my way of working in animation.

I think growing up by the sea has had a huge influence on my go-to colour palette and texture preferences. Deep down, I'm not sure anything will ever be as beautiful to me as a palette of greys, pthalo blues and sea greens (the odd yellow or orange splash of sailboat occasionally granted), and the wonderfully organic edges of ink spreads and watercolours, textures that remind me of pebbles and lines that flow like overlapping ripples. There's something about these things that speak to my soul and remind me of a childhood  spent on the coast of the Irish Sea.

One of my current projects is a short 1 minute animation about climate change, and I'm taking this opportunity to go loose, watery and inky in my animation style. In looking at fine artists, I came across Marian Leven, and I've fallen in love with the tones and colours she uses, the minimal approach to mark-making and her combination of textures. Originally I was just contemplating inks and watercolour for this animation, but now I'm considering some graphite, pastel or charcoal work would really bring some energy to it all after looking at Leven's work. There's some abstract elements and quick changes in the storyboard that would really benefit from a bit of added texture and interest. It can all get a bit flat with just some pen lines and watercolour washes. I do like this white space around the darker inkiness in this deconstructed image though, and that's definitely something I've been playing with in the RSA climate change animation.

Designs for the Shine Project

After being inspired by the batik and screen-print patterns of Zimbabwean fabrics, I decided to replicate the effect using brusho and bleach. It seemed to work quite well... I've had to make my own bleach pen so I don't have the problem of drips when using a brush but that's been a useful invention for future brusho projects too. Keeps the lines much cleaner.

I've drawn designs today for the endpapers, characters and general layout of the book. Although this book is for a very young audience, I like the idea of having little visual jokes and a beauty in the design for the parents and older children to appreciate too. For example, I've designed the pages for the 'lost shoe story' so that there is a clear narrative progression across the double page spread by following Tatenda's footprints (this story is only one double spread because we are limited on the number of pages we can print), but I've made the footprints a little joke too by making one a shoe print and one a bare footprint. Poor Tatenda!

Character design

Alphabet lettering mock-up

Zimbabwean Home sketch

Sample of animals in brusho/bleach style

Basic layout design

More bleached animal designs

Character design - Tatenda has lost his shoe!

Endpaper design - pre photoshop touch ups and letters/numbers.

Miro and More

I've got several things on the go at once at the mo, but the music video I'm helping out in is proving to be really useful to my other projects too. Everything is connected!!!

Installation piece from the YSP 2 summers ago.

Anyway, tomorrow morning I'm heading down to the studios to do some character designing with a painter called Robin, who is also collaborating with ABK on the music video. He's drawn some lovely patterns, bird and warrior designs and symbols already, so we'll be using a similar style of drawing using Chinese inks for the main characters too.
Working with someone like Robin, who is an older, more experienced painter, has made me realise that I need to constantly be looking for inspiration in classic and contemporary art and sculpture, as well as in the 'here and now' artists. We've been drawing inspiration from Joan Miro, Picasso and Paul Klee to name but a few and it's allowing me to explore styles I would never have come to on my own. Collaboration seems to get more and more useful and interesting the further you delve!