Illustration Showcase

The theme I chose for my project is aliens. I wanted to create a light-hearted, fun project because I think that everyone needs a bit of joy in their life, especially since the outbreak of COVID-19 and the negativity that surrounds the ongoing pandemic. The focus on aliens helped me to escape all that and allowed me the freedom to work on something fun, bright, and colourful. Aliens served as the perfect focus, as they are free from the laws of physics and can take the form or shape of anything.

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For my self-directed project I have written and illustrated my own children’s picture book using traditional techniques such as ink and watercolour. I enjoy working in this way because it makes the outcome feel more personal and organic, particularly in an increasingly digitised age. The story follows a headstrong young girl who is musically gifted and finds a strange invitation on the beach inviting her to a midsummer ball. I wrote the story to encourage musical interest in children as well as to subvert common misogynistic archetypes often found in traditional fairy tales.

View the full book 'Cordelia May's Fantastical Day' on Issuu

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The 'itchy, scratchy, rashy' zine is an exploration of the skin condition, eczema. This has been a chronic aspect of my life since I was a child and has largely ruled my life. This project is my opportunity to gain control and process my feelings through art by creating a concertina book that illustrates my daily routine with the disease. 

The aim of this is not only to show to myself that eczema is not the heroic battle I feel if I lose every once in a while, but to show how it can be conquered on a daily basis. 

The book is to document my experience of working with eczema and not against it, in the hopes of reconciling with eczema sufferers and individuals who want to learn about the topic. 'Itchy, scratchy, rashy' will also be available in limited quantities on the Tea Cup Press shop and in zine libraries.

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My project is about raising awareness about our oceans and their importance for our planet's survival. Its first aim is to promote understanding of the causes for the destruction of our oceans, marine animals and ecosystems. The second, more important, goal of the project is to show the changes needed to be made to prevent further damage.

My project ‘Hallan and The Adventures of Gumshoe Boy’ is a multimedia project based upon the development of visual content to accompany the release of an EP by my post-punk band Hallan. Throughout the project, I have examined the work of other visual artists such as Jonny Hannah and David Lynch and explored how they implement unique and striking visuals to create self-contained narratives and universes. The outcome of my project intends to take influence from these artists as I use collage, digital manipulation, film and design to create my own self-contained world.

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For my project, I created my own version of Tarot cards from the Major Arcana. Each card depicts a scene and a character. I used themes from mythology as well as contemporary issues such as the pandemic. The modern elements of the cards make them relatable to the younger people growing up in the current climate. The cards still maintain an escapist and entertaining feel, using references to mythology as well as humour.

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For my final project I decided to illustrate some of the most popular Lithuanian folk tales, which I think every Lithuanian child is familiar with. I chose a couple of tales that I wanted to approach in a contemporary manner and add my own interpretation of the visuals. The tales targeted for children usually mean creating  bright, colourful and cheerful illustrations. However, my art style is completely different - I wanted to portray how dark these tales can become and the uneasy atmosphere that can be felt while reading the tales.

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Nightmares And Daydreams is an artist book exploring the subconscious mind, the smokescreens and unknown corners within the mind and the emotions associated with dreams and nightmares. The book was formed from initial ideas on contrasting human experiences relating to dark and light. It developed into an exploration ofmemories and fragments of photographs, and visual examples of nostalgia. My illustrations reflect my interest in perspective and how the mind can alter reality.

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My Self-Directed Project titled ‘Adult Life’ focuses on young adults and their experiences with venturing from the comfort of home into the real world. As an outcome, I illustrated a Zine, with each comic going (eventually) onto the platform ‘Webtoon’, with promotional material such as posters and stickers being used to support my work.

My narrative focuses on a lazy human, Gary Gastropod, who one day woke up transformed into a sea slug. I wanted my work to focus on how he copes with adult life using the absurdity of the scenarios to add comedy and provide relatability to viewers. 

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This project raises awareness of ocean environmental issues relating to the rapid increase of oxygen-depleted dead zones in the ocean caused by sewage leaks to ocean acidification. Plastic pollution and other hazards caused by garbage, as well as human-caused boat pollution, oil spills and overfishing are the main causes for this issue.

Star people is an experimental comic that explores themes surrounding fulfilment and friendship between two main characters, with each character representing different age groups as well as different points of view. The narrative follows Lilith, a young lady who has been created to serve a specific purpose, and Bastet, a god whose spirit is trapped in a mortal cage, forcing her to live continuously as a mortal. Both women band together to fight and survive in the cruel universe that they live in. Seen as a very low species on Earth within the hierarchy of alien races, many of the humans have died or live on in slavery, servitude or fear.

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This project is based on Norse mythology, and mainly focuses on the Norse Gods themselves. My intention for the project from the beginning was to create a fun educational book that both fans of Norse mythology and the general public at large would find interesting. Each book centres on one God telling their story and interesting facts about them. I illustrated and wrote the books and used traditional bookbinding techniques to create a professional piece.

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For my final self-directed project, I explored the true origins of famous myths and monsters. As my project developed, I leaned into the premise of fear and what fear does to the mind. As a result of my research, I created a short graphic novel, ‘The Monster In The Woods’, created entirely out of handcrafted sculptures and characters. The plot follows a couple lost and stranded deep in the forest who eventually encounter a dark creature stalking them believed to be BigFoot. I want to create more graphic novels as a future career because of the outcome of this project.

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A sinister look into a dystopian world, this artwork is a small set of pages from a long graphic novel. From front cover to finish, the novel is 72 pages long and keeps you on the edge of your seat, introducing a theatrical element.

The main book is made up of hand-drawn dip-pen illustrations and then coloured with inks, with the background and shading finished off digitally to enhance the experience. Also included are oil paintings and sculptures used as featured artwork.

See the Trailer of 'Darker Shadows' on YouTube | See behind the scenes of the project on YouTube 

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My self-directed project ‘Mischievous Creatures’, reflects on ‘bad’ and the burden of  ‘good’ habits caused by the effects of mental disorders. Aimed towards those who are joining a work environment, these creatures attempt to spread awareness of what may happen. The pieces displayed resemble my transforming art style and my most beloved work throughout university, which includes the ‘Mischievous Creatures’ Zine, Plushie and Baoding balls.

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The project that I chose to explore in my final year is named ‘Interconnectivity’. It centres on the links between our inner selves and natural surroundings. The outcome is a two-piece children’s mural design based on a natural scene.

These have been created digitally for a young audience to be printed onto vinyl and installed in paediatric wards. The mural images can be sized according to the available wall space and are equipped with accompanying instructions to scan a QR code using a phone or tablet, which in turn connects you to an application called Artivive. This allows viewers to see the images animated with sound.

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I created a series of models for my short stop motion film ‘Lonely Falice’. The concept was influenced by the story of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and readers' different interpretations of it. I created a visual representation of how long periods of isolation can affect your mental health in a humorous way, with a mix of realism and fantasy in order to create a more approachable space for a difficult topic. The focus for my final piece was on designing models for stop motion animation developed from a storyboard of three scenes.

This project focuses on how each one of us can make small, sustainable changes in our day-to-day lives that add up to a positive impact. My final outcome is a zine entitled “A Day In My (Not Quite) Zero-Waste, (Reasonably) Sustainable Life”; an autobiographical story of the small daily decisions that can positively impact the planet, with some supporting notepads and extras.

From my experience, it is easy to become overwhelmed by unrealistic expectations of a zero-waste and vegan lifestyle at first. Therefore, in this work I focus on small, simple changes that are accessible to anyone, in order to look after our mental health at the same time.

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‘Little Waves to Hold Onto’ - An artist’s book exploring the comfort that can be drawn from embracing the constants in our lives. It is a capsule of little moments of happiness, joy and calm. Just like waves on the shore, these waves of positivity will always be able to roll into our present. Therefore, it highlights the value in taking time to acknowledge the little things that keep us going. The things which cannot be restricted or tainted by the unpredictable, modern world. It is for anyone and everyone who may need a reminder of the invincibility of joy.

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Non-Dualism is the philosophical concept that all things are in fact undivided or two sides of the same coin. Non-Dualism can be experienced during many spiritual practices where you start to feel centreless, or as if the lines between yourself and the rest of all other existing things, blend together. To believe in Non-Duality is to recognise this connectivity between ‘you’ and all other things. This understanding can lead to a productive view of the world encouraging kindness and acceptance. If there is no line between you and your enemies, why be angry? If there is no real change between life and death, why be afraid of dying. 

My short film is for multiple audiences; people who would benefit from learning about the concept of Non-Dualism and people who may already know about non-dualism but would appreciate aesthetically the puppetry and mystical nature of it.

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My self-directed project is titled ‘Snakes and Doves’ and focuses on British coastal folklore. I have produced a board game, based on the existing game of ‘Snakes and Ladders’, with elements of folklore interwoven into it. In certain squares are illustrations of folklore tales from British coasts, with ‘good’ folklore (such as St George and the Dragon) sending the player up, whilst ‘bad’ Folklore (such as the UFO of Rendlesham) sending the player downwards.

Included are images for the board game, box and an information sheet telling the player a bit about the folklore. 

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A figure of an old man with plaintive eyes and weather-beaten skin, dressed in simple attire.

Created by Elena Gliebute, BA (Hons) Illustration 2021 graduate.

An illustrated book cover design of the Rudyard Kipling classic 'The Jungle Book'. The design features the back, spine and front.

Created by Kitty Turner, BA (Hons) Illustration 2020 graduate.

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A figure of a woman with curly brown hair and dazzling rosy cheeks. She carries a staff in hand and is bedecked with pearls and gold.

Created by Stina Finander.

An illustrated book cover design of Roald Dahl's classic 'Danny, the Champion of the World'. The design features the back, spine and front.

Created by Phoebe Hoare, BA (Hons) Illustration 2020 graduate.