Computer Arts Gallery: November 2006

CHRIS COOPER
LOCATION Manchester, UK
JOB Motion graphics animator and illustrator
CONTACT www.lifeinthecosmos.com
SOFTWARE Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects

Chris Cooper, 22, recently graduated from the University of Glamorgan with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. During his time there, he applied himself to various projects and won four student film awards. Since then, he's been working on a title sequence for a new television program, while at the same time illustrating a children's book from his home in Manchester.

"My illustration work started out in life as a break from the computer," Chris admits. "I love to get my hands dirty by doing as much drawing and painting as I can. Creating work by hand gives me a real creative buzz that the computer just can't touch."

Using Photoshop and Illustrator to complete his illustrations, Chris then moves to After Effects to add the finishing touches. The animation showcased here is a perfect example. Chris is now looking for more work, and considering leaving the UK to get away from the rain.

LIFE IN THE COSMOS "Working in film has inspired me to look at the diverse approaches of storytelling, and the biggest story of them all is life itself. This work illustrates the chain of events that created the world we all share. The images were sketched out with a fine-liner and then scanned-in before being coloured and textured using Photoshop and Illustrator. To bring the illustrations to life, I imported the layered images into After Effects. The large file sizes took their toll on my Mac, but the end result was worth the 90 hours of render time."

CHRIS COOPER
LOCATION Manchester, UK
JOB Motion graphics animator and illustrator
CONTACT www.lifeinthecosmos.com
SOFTWARE Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects

Chris Cooper, 22, recently graduated from the University of Glamorgan with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. During his time there, he applied himself to various projects and won four student film awards. Since then, he's been working on a title sequence for a new television program, while at the same time illustrating a children's book from his home in Manchester.

"My illustration work started out in life as a break from the computer," Chris admits. "I love to get my hands dirty by doing as much drawing and painting as I can. Creating work by hand gives me a real creative buzz that the computer just can't touch."

Using Photoshop and Illustrator to complete his illustrations, Chris then moves to After Effects to add the finishing touches. The animation showcased here is a perfect example. Chris is now looking for more work, and considering leaving the UK to get away from the rain.

LIFE IN THE COSMOS "Working in film has inspired me to look at the diverse approaches of storytelling, and the biggest story of them all is life itself. This work illustrates the chain of events that created the world we all share. The images were sketched out with a fine-liner and then scanned-in before being coloured and textured using Photoshop and Illustrator. To bring the illustrations to life, I imported the layered images into After Effects. The large file sizes took their toll on my Mac, but the end result was worth the 90 hours of render time."

CAROLINE AYELLOWRIGHT
LOCATION Suffolk, UK
JOB Illustrator
CONTACT www.foliofollie.co.uk
SOFTWARE Photoshop

Caroline Ayellowright graduated earlier this year with a BA (Hons) degree in Illustration from Kingston University, and shortly after received a prestigious D&AD Best New Blood award.

A baby-pink Fiat 500, vintage girl's annuals, the Alps and an extensive fabric collection have all played a vital role in Caroline's creative upbringing. "I'm also influenced by my illustrator friends at foliofollie.co.uk, William Morris, Julie Verhoeven, David Shrigley and ex-tutor Johnny Hannah," she says.

Caroline's technique lends itself mainly to hand-drawn images created with paintbrush and ink. These are then scanned into Photoshop, where colour and texture is introduced with the aid of a graphics tablet.

So what are her plans for the future? "I'd like to attract a diverse clientele through my work, from pattern design, to editorial, to book illustration," says Caroline. "Once I have gained enough experience and knowledge then I'd really love to set up my own creative company."

SPIRAL 60S "My father gave me an original 1960s textures and patterns book when I was younger, and since then I have tried to incorporate some of the patterns within my own work. This image is a perfect example of that."

CAROLINE AYELLOWRIGHT
LOCATION Suffolk, UK
JOB Illustrator
CONTACT www.foliofollie.co.uk
SOFTWARE Photoshop

Caroline Ayellowright graduated earlier this year with a BA (Hons) degree in Illustration from Kingston University, and shortly after received a prestigious D&AD Best New Blood award.

A baby-pink Fiat 500, vintage girl's annuals, the Alps and an extensive fabric collection have all played a vital role in Caroline's creative upbringing. "I'm also influenced by my illustrator friends at foliofollie.co.uk, William Morris, Julie Verhoeven, David Shrigley and ex-tutor Johnny Hannah," she says.

Caroline's technique lends itself mainly to hand-drawn images created with paintbrush and ink. These are then scanned into Photoshop, where colour and texture is introduced with the aid of a graphics tablet.

So what are her plans for the future? "I'd like to attract a diverse clientele through my work, from pattern design, to editorial, to book illustration," says Caroline. "Once I have gained enough experience and knowledge then I'd really love to set up my own creative company."

HEADCASE "This image was first created using watercolours and ink, but I then re-worked it a little using ink and digital. This image is important to me as it marks a turning point in the development of my style and technique."

CAT FINNIE
LOCATION Nottingham/London, UK
JOB Multi-disciplinary graphic designer and illustrator
CONTACT catfinnie@googlemail.com
SOFTWARE Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, InDesign and Director

Since graduating recently with a BA (Hons) degree in Graphic Design from Nottingham Trent University, 22-year-old Cat Finnie has been seeking work in both London and Nottingham.

Cat's project, shown here, was originally created as an idea for a music video. "Each of the characters and backgrounds were made by hand using a combination of colouring pencils, felt-tip pens and collage techniques," she reveals. "I then scanned the images into my computer where I adjusted them using Photoshop."

The elements were then combined in After Effects using 3D layers to create a stage set in which characters could interact. "I love colourful, textured images and using materials to create new meanings," says Cat.

DREAM SEQUENCE "In this scene, a dream sequence is followed through as the main character - an owl - undergoes surgery for a broken heart."

CAT FINNIE
LOCATION Nottingham/London, UK
JOB Multi-disciplinary graphic designer and illustrator
CONTACT catfinnie@googlemail.com
SOFTWARE Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, InDesign and Director

Since graduating recently with a BA (Hons) degree in Graphic Design from Nottingham Trent University, 22-year-old Cat Finnie has been seeking work in both London and Nottingham.

Cat's project, shown here, was originally created as an idea for a music video. "Each of the characters and backgrounds were made by hand using a combination of colouring pencils, felt-tip pens and collage techniques," she reveals. "I then scanned the images into my computer where I adjusted them using Photoshop."

The elements were then combined in After Effects using 3D layers to create a stage set in which characters could interact. "I love colourful, textured images and using materials to create new meanings," says Cat.

X-RAY OWL "In his dream, Owl's X-ray shows through him as a reminder of his reality in an operating theatre."

BAZ PRINGLE
LOCATION California, US
JOB 3D art director
CONTACT www.g66.co.uk
SOFTWARE Photoshop, Illustrator and Maya

British-born Baz Pringle graduated with a BFA in Illustration from The Art Institute of Southern California back in 1993. Since then, he has worked for several studios as both a 2D and 3D artist.

"I enjoy creating imagery that is bold, expressive and full of style and energy," he says. "My work is inspired by many things, but the biggest sources of inspiration for me come from music, travel and film."

So how does he achieve his trademark style? "It's important to always keep in mind the initial energy or vibe that inspired each piece, so I try to work quickly and take full advantage of the initial inertia of a new idea," says Baz. "I use Illustrator to create many of the 2D assets and Photoshop for final compositing and layout, and I also create and use many custom brushes, which are normally created from photographs taken especially for this purpose."

Baz often manipulates photos so that they will blend seamlessly with his vector work, then composites them into the final image. "I also like to render-out patterns and objects in 3D to add variety and another dimension to my work," he says.

THE 3 LIONS "After watching some of the 2006 World Cup, I felt inspired to create an illustration that captured the energy and excitement of the event. I used layers and custom brushes to give the scene a deeply chaotic feel, and tried to limit the palette to give the piece a raw and rough edge."

BAZ PRINGLE
LOCATION California, US
JOB 3D art director
CONTACT www.g66.co.uk
SOFTWARE Photoshop, Illustrator and Maya

British-born Baz Pringle graduated with a BFA in Illustration from The Art Institute of Southern California back in 1993. Since then, he has worked for several studios as both a 2D and 3D artist.

"I enjoy creating imagery that is bold, expressive and full of style and energy," he says. "My work is inspired by many things, but the biggest sources of inspiration for me come from music, travel and film."

So how does he achieve his trademark style? "It's important to always keep in mind the initial energy or vibe that inspired each piece, so I try to work quickly and take full advantage of the initial inertia of a new idea," says Baz. "I use Illustrator to create many of the 2D assets and Photoshop for final compositing and layout, and I also create and use many custom brushes, which are normally created from photographs taken especially for this purpose."

Baz often manipulates photos so that they will blend seamlessly with his vector work, then composites them into the final image. "I also like to render-out patterns and objects in 3D to add variety and another dimension to my work," he says.

IBIZA "Listening to music often inspires me to create an illustration. While working on this one, I remember listening to a lot of House music, and being compelled to create a piece with a carefree and loose feel to it."

KRIS HEWITT
LOCATION Cape Town, South Africa
JOB Designer/illustrator
CONTACT www.flickr.com/photos/kronk
SOFTWARE FreeHand and Photoshop

"I was schooled in design at the Cape Technikon, and it was from there that I was abducted by an experimental agency (codename Lunch)," says 24- year-old designer and illustrator Kris Hewitt.

Kris's influences include Dada, retro adverts, VH1 and his girlfriend, Heike. "I like to think my style is subversive in its use of layering, detail and mash-ups," he says. "I have spent the last two years drinking copious amounts of weak instant coffee, while crafting my haphazard brew of photography and hand-rendered elements, and my love affair with vectors."

Basing much of his work on intuition, Kris aims to create simple concepts, but his overactive imagination usually gets the better of him. As a result, his amazing illustrations are often infused with odd imagery, anomalous symbols and subliminal iconography. "I can't help it," says Kris, "they just seem to find me."

SUPERTUBE SURFING "I drive past a supertube everyday, and in the winter they're deserted and useless. I imagined what would happen if someone surfed it at night. I love transforming arbitrary objects and creating more possibilities for them."

KRIS HEWITT
LOCATION Cape Town, South Africa
JOB Designer/illustrator
CONTACT www.flickr.com/photos/kronk
SOFTWARE FreeHand and Photoshop

"I was schooled in design at the Cape Technikon, and it was from there that I was abducted by an experimental agency (codename Lunch)," says 24- year-old designer and illustrator Kris Hewitt.

Kris's influences include Dada, retro adverts, VH1 and his girlfriend, Heike. "I like to think my style is subversive in its use of layering, detail and mash-ups," he says. "I have spent the last two years drinking copious amounts of weak instant coffee, while crafting my haphazard brew of photography and hand-rendered elements, and my love affair with vectors."

Basing much of his work on intuition, Kris aims to create simple concepts, but his overactive imagination usually gets the better of him. As a result, his amazing illustrations are often infused with odd imagery, anomalous symbols and subliminal iconography. "I can't help it," says Kris, "they just seem to find me."

YOU'RE FLYING "I was inspired by old alien invasion movies, Dr Seuss and a bird-feeder in my garden. In my mind they came to life and taught people to fly."