Study Task 8: Artists Influences

In order to create posters that communicated the theme of cats in a funky and abstract way, before creating my collages and during creating them I researched into collage styles and the work of other designers which would influence and relate to my work. The main 2 designers that inspired me when collaging were Quentin Jones and Antoine+Manuel. Both designers/duos produce extremely quirky and fun collage work whilst still both having contrasting overall aesthetics.

Antoine Audiau and Manuel Warosz are two Paris based artists who have joined together to create Antoine+Manuel. Each of them explores his favourite fields and techniques of working. What I liked about their work was that they combine hand drawing and computer illustration with photography and typographical design, I really like the contrast between handmade and digital that runs throughout. This influenced the my cat collages in terms of first working handmade and then re-creating the collages digitally. The result, although varied, has an evident unity and a unique graphic style. The overall quirky, busy aesthetic also works really well as the pieces are structured, clean and professional at the same time.

Furthermore, the other artist that inspired me when creating my collages was Quentin Jones. Quentin is a is a mixed-media artist known for her short, black and white, surrealist videos. She was born in London and is based in New York. She is an artist who counts photography, animation, painting and filmmaking among the tools of her trade. When creating art, she is keen to play with the combination of layers of accidental and intentional paint combined with collage, which is what inspired by cat collages. Quentins work tends to have quite an abstract, geometric aesthetic combined with shape and handmade, experimental collage, I think this contrast works really well together as it creates a funky aesthetic. Her work which includes collage of two or more people/animals together was found most interesting and influencial when working on the on my designs. This plays on the idea of giving a face/person a new style through collage and scale.

Furthermore, since I based my prints purely on the technique of screen print, I researched into a wide range of different screen printing artists. One that stood out to me most was Ben Rider, I loved the vibrant aesthetic of his work and the bold imagery and messages behind his pieces, this is what inspired the playful aesthetic that I have tried to achieve throughout my screen prints. Ben specialises in rough, raw, punky image making bursting with energy and loud graphics and has worked for clients such as Film 4, 5SOS, Heineken, and Samsung. Ben loves the gratifying nature of print and what it can add to an illustration, he believes that the sense of physically making something with your hands has an honesty.