Chris Ofili at Tate Britain

Balls of elephant dung. Not your first choice of things to place on a canvas maybe. But why not? My taste in art is varied and wide, like most people. I first saw Chris Ofili at Sensation in 1997 just before he won the Turner Prize. His paintings are intensely rich, colourful and vibrant. Like some of my staples, Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollack, he uses differing forms of media to layer his work. Art is often vibrant and uplifting, but I also think it can be beautiful when it's moody and in your face. Especially when it captures moments in time, something that Tracey Emin often does in a way I love.

Anyway, I'm off to see the new Chris Ofili exhibition at Tate Britain next weekend. Can't wait.

Above image © Chris Ofili

Sketchbooks

Planet Claire

A before and after sketch of Claire that I did for her birthday last year. The final version is my first real attempt at pulling something together in Illustrator. Looking at it now I can see where I'd change some things but I think it works rather well. I liked the idea of using Claire's words and phrases around her face to make it feel more personal. In a perfect world I'd have used them to shape her features, but I'm not there yet by any means. I do like the freshness of the original sketch though.

Michael Gillette

This is Michael Gillette. As with everything at the moment, I'm finding people whose work I admire by chance as I wander the web searching out differing styles. Illustrating Emmanuel Adebayor, as part of a four piece ad campaign for MCFC, will as anyone who knows me certainly grab my attention. 

But it's his diversity I admire the most. Apart from the fact that the Adebayor illustration covered a large concourse in the Manchester Arndale, he opens himself up to a variety of media depending on the brief. He paints, sketches, cuts block prints, and uses chalk. Anything goes if he thinks it will work and he wants to do it. Rather cool. I'm not so sure I can draw or paint as well as he does, but that's part of the challenge. Find a way. Be something different. There's a really interesting interview with him on his blogspot where he discusses what he loves about being an Illustrator.

Above images © Michael Gillette

Seanne

So the cat's out of the bag. I've taken the plunge and I'm in upto my neck. I guess there's no point wanting to make the move from Marketing into Illustration without putting something on the line. So with that in mind, I'm going to start posting things I've either drawn, created or am fooling around with at the moment. I'm teaching myself Illustrator and learning the basics of design, type etc. I'll try and make it eclectic while I find a style that works for me. So to start the ball rolling, here is a sketch of Seanne. It's a couple of years old but I like it. I'll post more from my sketchbook as I get to grips with this blogging malarky.

The end always has a start

Since this blog is about my initiating over the next twelve months, a move from being a suit to a creative, I may as well start somewhere. And it's here. The blog title comes from a Delphic song. As fellow Mancunians, it has a nice symmetry. And it fits, amongst other things, alongside my Joy Division, Doves, Radiohead and Interpol cravings. Expect more of the same, along with illustrators/design I like, anything creative I find, and various things I design, make, draw along the way.