Theoretical Links Continued...

Briony May Smith was a big inspiration for the comic idea and talking to her and getting her thoughts on how she goes about design resonated with me. Having said this I spoke to lots of other artists all of whom had some interesting thoughts on design. Felicita Sala's design process is one that is very similar to my own and very similar to how I have and will continue to create my comic strip so It felt prudent to include and consider her thoughts throughout this project. Wetransfer's brief asks us to carefully consider the medium that we choose whether it be handmade or digital - concepts that resonate with me as an illustrator. As well as this, after looking at a lot of the work featured on the Wetransfer website its very clear that they appreciate good design and celebrate a diverse range of styles and illustration.

In regards to design medium and process Felicita Sala has clarified how the digital and handmade/hand-drawn which has really helped me to cement my own ideas on the subject.


Felicita Sala:

"Yes, in some cases, definitely. I think in my case the digital must help the hand drawn shine, and not the other way around. there's a fine balance in not overdoing it with digital I think, which is a temptation because it's so easy to intervene too much, to cover all the imperfections and take the soul out of the work. If the artwork is made by hand, then that original intention must shine. the digital is the invisible support to this intention. it must not take over. Conversely, if an illustration is created with a digital process in mind, the hand drawn base is the 'hidden' support to this end"

Since I draw my elements by hand on the computer I love this idea of the hand-drawn being viewed as a support to the digital elements. That human imperfections can be generated via the computer as well as physically. I am pretty much glued to my graphics tablet in this regard so although I have more control and flexibility I am very careful to choose brushes that are imperfect, to include lines and elements that are slightly off to ensure that the hand-drawn elements do indeed "shine through" and support my chosen medium. 

Felicita Sala, email correspondence received on the 26th January 2015