Computer Arts Gallery: April 2007

SARAH HANSON
LOCATION London, UK
JOB Illustrator
CONTACT www.sarahhanson.co.uk
SOFTWARE Photoshop

Sarah Hanson recently graduated from the University of Hertfordshire with a first-class honours degree in Graphic Design and Illustration. Since then she's been busy working as a freelance illustrator for big-name clients including GQ, The Times and More magazine (US).

"My collages often combine traditional and digital techniques," she explains. "I incorporate hand-drawn elements, photographs and found ephemera." Using these elements, Hanson either photographs her handmade collages or scans individual pieces and edits them using Photoshop to enhance colour, contrast and layout.

Hanson's illustrations reflect her passion for surface and pattern, retro design and nostalgia. "I'm particularly inspired by travel and culture, which is often at the heart of my self-directed work," she says. "I bring my work to life using a photocopier, a digital camera, a PowerBook, a Wacom tablet, a scanner, a pair of scissors and a stick of glue!"

TRAVEL "I was asked to produce an image that depicted some of the benefits and importance of new things to society. I really love travel and am inspired by different cultures and countries, but I also wanted the viewer to question the image. Is travel really such a good thing?"

SARAH HANSON
LOCATION London, UK
JOB Illustrator
CONTACT www.sarahhanson.co.uk
SOFTWARE Photoshop

Sarah Hanson recently graduated from the University of Hertfordshire with a first-class honours degree in Graphic Design and Illustration. Since then she's been busy working as a freelance illustrator for big-name clients including GQ, The Times and More magazine (US).

"My collages often combine traditional and digital techniques," she explains. "I incorporate hand-drawn elements, photographs and found ephemera." Using these elements, Hanson either photographs her handmade collages or scans individual pieces and edits them using Photoshop to enhance colour, contrast and layout.

Hanson's illustrations reflect her passion for surface and pattern, retro design and nostalgia. "I'm particularly inspired by travel and culture, which is often at the heart of my self-directed work," she says. "I bring my work to life using a photocopier, a digital camera, a PowerBook, a Wacom tablet, a scanner, a pair of scissors and a stick of glue!"

NEW SHOES "This is one of a set of three images that I produced in response to the psychological effects shoes have on women. Subliminally, shoes can be so desirable that comfort and practicality simply go out the window. In this piece I used a shoe that resembled the curves of a woman to suggest their sexy allure."

CHRIS DENT
LOCATION London, UK
JOB Freelance illustrator/artist
CONTACT www.hybridbunny.com
SOFTWARE Photoshop

Chris Dent is a 22-year-old illustrator who graduated from London's Camberwell College of Arts in 2006. He has been busy working for a range of clients across a range of media ever since.

"In the last six months I have worked on commissions for Capital Records, Pernod, Don't Panic, The Great Eastern Hotel, Purpose, Oki-ni, Swindle magazine, Kingpin, Dazed and Confused, Lodown, Noise, Point and Illustrated Ape," he says.

Dent has also created images for global property company Jones Lang LaSalle, which has taken him on as its official illustrator. He will now create work for the company's headquarters all over the world.

"I tend to explore my fascination and intrigue in all forms of buildings, cities and street culture," says Dent. "My obsessive hand drawings are created by working straight onto paper with pen. Without the use of pencil or guidelines, my natural trail of thought creates character within my work. Once scanned, I enhance the contrast using Photoshop to give a true black line."

DOWNTOWN "This image was created for an exhibition called Hey Man Hattan. I drew it by hand, using a photograph I'd taken from the Empire State Building. This is one of my favourite pieces because it shows the intensity of my style."

CHRIS DENT
LOCATION London, UK
JOB Freelance illustrator/artist
CONTACT www.hybridbunny.com
SOFTWARE Photoshop

Chris Dent is a 22-year-old illustrator who graduated from London's Camberwell College of Arts in 2006. He has been busy working for a range of clients across a range of media ever since.

"In the last six months I have worked on commissions for Capital Records, Pernod, Don't Panic, The Great Eastern Hotel, Purpose, Oki-ni, Swindle magazine, Kingpin, Dazed and Confused, Lodown, Noise, Point and Illustrated Ape," he says.

Dent has also created images for global property company Jones Lang LaSalle, which has taken him on as its official illustrator. He will now create work for the company's headquarters all over the world.

"I tend to explore my fascination and intrigue in all forms of buildings, cities and street culture," says Dent. "My obsessive hand drawings are created by working straight onto paper with pen. Without the use of pencil or guidelines, my natural trail of thought creates character within my work. Once scanned, I enhance the contrast using Photoshop to give a true black line."

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST "Originally drawn for my solo exhibition, this piece aims to capture the energy and atmosphere of Times Square. Due to the intensity of my work, I don't feel the need to use colour."

LEO HILLIER
LOCATION Cambridge, UK
JOB Illustrator/artist
CONTACT www.leohillier.com
SOFTWARE Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver

Leo Hillier, 25, is a freelance illustrator and artist who graduated from Norwich School of Art and Design two years ago. "I'm particularly inspired by natural systems, such as food chains, organs and the weather," he says. "Colour and texture are always important in my work."

Hillier works across a range of fields, including editorial and publishing, T-shirt and clothing design, children's books, character design and paintings. "My image-making process involves sketching ideas in pencil or pen, developing a composition, and then scanning and tracing the shapes digitally," he says. "I often build the picture with scanned textures and patterns of dots or shapes made in Illustrator, and go through several re-workings to reach the final piece. Editing is the greatest benefit of producing images digitally, but the hardest thing is realising what could be changed to make a picture better."

FRANK "This is a character design that follows on from the fishy characters in A One Night Stay, an artist book I created for the STAY exhibition at the Great Eastern Hotel in London. It's also featured in Pictoplasma 3."

LEO HILLIER
LOCATION Cambridge, UK
JOB Illustrator/artist
CONTACT www.leohillier.com
SOFTWARE Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver

Leo Hillier, 25, is a freelance illustrator and artist who graduated from Norwich School of Art and Design two years ago. "I'm particularly inspired by natural systems, such as food chains, organs and the weather," he says. "Colour and texture are always important in my work."

Hillier works across a range of fields, including editorial and publishing, T-shirt and clothing design, children's books, character design and paintings. "My image-making process involves sketching ideas in pencil or pen, developing a composition, and then scanning and tracing the shapes digitally," he says. "I often build the picture with scanned textures and patterns of dots or shapes made in Illustrator, and go through several re-workings to reach the final piece. Editing is the greatest benefit of producing images digitally, but the hardest thing is realising what could be changed to make a picture better."

THE WHITE WHALE "This is artwork for a book cover inspired by Herman Melville's classic Moby Dick. It's an inspirational story, so much so that one day I should like to say hello to a whale and perhaps ride it for a bit."

PASQUALE CRISPINO
LOCATION Milan, Italy
JOB Freelance illustrator and multimedia animator
CONTACT cp1art@libero.it
SOFTWARE Photoshop, Painter and After Effects

Pasquale Crispino, a 29-yearold illustrator and animator, was born in Naples but moved to Milan two years ago. "I lived in a very small flat in Naples where I used the white walls to experiment with design," he recalls. "Then I started to study Scenography at the Academy of Arts in Naples, so I moved from white walls to wood."

Crispino moved to Rome to study Illustration and Multimedia Animation at the IED (European Institute of Design). "It was then that I started to use a range of surfaces and colours and began to explore movement in my work," he says. "I moved to Milan because I wanted another new challenge, and I still work there as a freelance illustrator."

BANG BANG GIRL "These images, created for Sky, highlight the difference between past ages - the 1930s and 1960s -and the present, in which everything is easier. The inspiration for the first image comes from my passion for gangster movies and the second from my research into 1960s style."

PASQUALE CRISPINO
LOCATION Milan, Italy
JOB Freelance illustrator and multimedia animator
CONTACT cp1art@libero.it
SOFTWARE Photoshop, Painter and After Effects

Pasquale Crispino, a 29-yearold illustrator and animator, was born in Naples but moved to Milan two years ago. "I lived in a very small flat in Naples where I used the white walls to experiment with design," he recalls. "Then I started to study Scenography at the Academy of Arts in Naples, so I moved from white walls to wood."

Crispino moved to Rome to study Illustration and Multimedia Animation at the IED (European Institute of Design). "It was then that I started to use a range of surfaces and colours and began to explore movement in my work," he says. "I moved to Milan because I wanted another new challenge, and I still work there as a freelance illustrator."

EXTRAORDINARY WORLD "This illustration is one of a long series that illustrates how, by using Sky at home, everyone has the chance to see life in many different cities, ages, situations, etc - they just need to press the button on their remote control. I use a mix of papers of different qualities, from very expensive to very cheap."

PERTTU MURTO
LOCATION Finland
JOB Graphic artist
CONTACT www.overmode.net
SOFTWARE Photoshop and Illustrator

Perttu Murto is a 21-year-old graphic artist from Finland who's currently in the first year of his Information Technology course at the Oulu Polytechnic Institute of Technology. He freelances in his spare time and is a member of depthCORE.

"I remember when I got my first camera in 2003," he says. "It was pretty poor, but I kept photographing everything. After about a year, a friend showed me Photoshop 5.5 and 3ds Max. I was sold. After that I just spent all of my time in front of the screen playing with a Photoshop try-out."

So how does he fit freelancing around his academic timetable? "For me there's a really nice balance between freelancing and studying," he says, "but I also make sure I spend time with my girlfriend and friends. That's really important if you want to avoid burn-out."

NEW YORK "This is collaboration work created with the photographer Elias Tahan. I got this idea that I would make artwork to represent every big, famous city. This is how I thought New York would look. I also got some inspiration from the 1980s and stars like David Bowie."

PERTTU MURTO
LOCATION Finland
JOB Graphic artist
CONTACT www.overmode.net
SOFTWARE Photoshop and Illustrator

Perttu Murto is a 21-year-old graphic artist from Finland who's currently in the first year of his Information Technology course at the Oulu Polytechnic Institute of Technology. He freelances in his spare time and is a member of depthCORE.

"I remember when I got my first camera in 2003," he says. "It was pretty poor, but I kept photographing everything. After about a year, a friend showed me Photoshop 5.5 and 3ds Max. I was sold. After that I just spent all of my time in front of the screen playing with a Photoshop try-out."

So how does he fit freelancing around his academic timetable? "For me there's a really nice balance between freelancing and studying," he says, "but I also make sure I spend time with my girlfriend and friends. That's really important if you want to avoid burn-out."

NORTHSYSTM "I created this image for Northsystm. The idea was to mix Arctic animals. I also wanted to make it look like a sort of 'hunt poster'. I added the diamonds and dust in the middle to make it less symmetrical."