Thought Bubble

I was working at Thoughtbubble this year as a student ambassador and I had a bit of time before my shift started to have a look around and spend all the money I hadn't earned yet. I didn't have loads of time to look around but I tried to use my time as well as possible, I spoke to a few people but mainly took business cards and noted down what I would want to ask them in an email or social media message. 

Peony Gent

I came across Peony Gent's work online last week and I used her as a reference for my context of practice practical work so I immediately recognised some of her prints when I saw her table. I bought one of her zines titled 'growth'. I thought the illustrations were so fragile and beautiful and I loved that the whole zine was printed entirely in shades of blue. It was also digitally printed on nicer quality stock than a lot of the others I have seen today and it is actually really noticeable. When something feels nice to touch it really does the artwork justice, I know this goes against the idea of a zine but i'd consider this more of a book if I'm honest.

Questions I want to ask her: 
Your work spans various disciplines including illustration, print making and ceramics, what does the label of 'illustrator' mean to you? 
At thought bubble I noticed risograph printing is a popular way for people to print their work. What is it about this process that you like?

Colin Mayhew

 

I liked the line work of Colin Mayhew. Most of his work is digital based and a lot more clean cut than my work but I can draw parallels between the way we both use line as the fundamental aspect of image making. I bought a postcard with the space man design on it because I liked the way he has added colour in quite an unconventional way. I think it works really well and I know that I need to explore colour application in my own work beyond just colouring in my black and white drawings. This might be a good place to start. 

Emily Rose Lambert

I was drawn to Emily's work initially because I saw a zine on her table about a trip to Budapest and I love it when people record cities through drawing, it really made me regret not going on holiday this summer. Anyway, I took her card and researched her work online. What I found online was very different to the work she had on show at thought bubble but I found a lot of textural work which I really liked. It adds so much depth and atmosphere to her images and it shows particularly well in her patterns.

I found out she studied at Loughborough university which is where I did my foundation year and it is also my home town and where I might be returning after I finish university. She now has a job as a greetings card designer which I am interested in learning more about. I am more interested in her professional practice as an illustrator than her practical work. 

Questions I want to ask her:
What is the format of your job, do you work for a specific company or do you licence your own designs out to companies? 
What did you think of the opportunities available in art and design in Loughborough?

Mike Medaglia

I was browsing through Mike's prints at his table and he recognised me from ELCAF this summer and we started talking. Apparently Ellie and I were in a photo that was taken for his Instagram which we didn't even know about and that's why he remembered us. Anyway, we spoke about what he had been doing since then, he's been making new prints and now has another book and calendar. I love the messages in Mike's work and how they are all so positive and motivating. I can draw parallels between my linework and his but we differ a lot on our use of colour as I prefer to keep things very minimal and very rarely produce full colour images like his.