Here at Cass Art we believe in young emerging artists - they are the artists of the future, after all. We take a look at the talent across the country, delving into the work of the Cass Art Student Ambassadors. Read on to have a look at the diverse illustration and drawing being created by young artists in the UK.
Above: On The Bone- Kate Ashton- fineliner- 10 W x 10 H inches- 2015
Kate Ashton lives in Cornwall and studies Drawing at Falmouth University.
Kate works mainly in fineliner, but also dabbles in watercolour and block printing. The artist's current body of work includes a collection of small-scale pointillist drawings of animals and plants. She has begun experimenting with the size of her pieces; increasing their scale to see what effect this has on the acutely detailed nature of each drawing. She is drawn to naive art pieces, and incorporates this influence into her own practice by using a relaxed and unrefined line quality in much of her work, creating a visual sense of nostalgia and warmth within her drawings. Kate is also a book-maker and has recently finished a number of commissioned pieces for bespoke wedding guest-books.
You can see a small collection of Kate's more recent works here.
Chalk and Charcoal Butterfly Wing- Maria Quintin- chalk & charcoal- 9.4 W x 7 H inches- 2015
Maria Quintin currently studies Drawing and Print at UWE in Bristol.
Inspired by the natural world and all things fantastical, her work ranges from photography and sculpture to sketching and printmaking. She is currently exploring the idea of "a sense of place", and researching the local natural areas around Bristol, specifically the parks around Vassals and Snuff Mills. Her main influences are illustrators such as Toni DiTerlizzi (illustrator of the spiderwick chronicles) and Douglas Carrel (One of the Dragonology illustrators), who both incorporate animals and natural elements to inspire their fantasy creations.
Maria's website is currently being designed. For now you can find her work here.
Ela e Ela- Livia Pinheiro- pencil & ink- 16.5 W x 23.3 H inches (2015)
Brazilian born Livia Pinheiro currently studies Fashion Design at the London College of Fashion.
Livia finds inspiration while wandering around London, and views fashion as not solely about making clothes. She finds inspiration in the way people relate to clothing every day, and how they can be perceived through illustrations. This interest has led her to draw more and more. “I just fell in love with fashion illustration when I moved to London”, she says. Using vibrant colours in ink and watercolours she draws her two biggest influences: people and fashion. Confident about the future, she promises to bring art, fashion and people closer because, “in the end, it is all about how we relate to each other and to what surrounds us”. Be prepared – she has only just started.
Follow Livia on Instagram: @liviarpr
Sketchbook Extract- Cora Clarke- coloured pencil- 2015
Cora Clarke is a second year Illustration student at the Arts University Bournemouth.
Aiming to challenge perceptions of what it means to be an illustrator, Cora engages with diverse practice, bringing together a love of craft and modern contexts. Alongside a love for making, drawing forms the foundation of her work, with nature and organic forms often influencing subject matter and palette. Dedication to life drawing allows her to maintain her ongoing curiosity for the human form. Cora is currently creating work with a view to better understand and find her place within the publishing industry.
Follow her work here.
Leaving Uganda- Neneh Patel- fineliner- 5.9 W x 4.7 H inches- 2015
Neneh Patel is studying Illustration at Leeds College of Art.
Her work centres on the idea of family, and finding a sense of place within the modern world. Valuing the opportunity to work free-hand, Neneh enjoys playing with materials, and is drawn to flowing mediums, such as fineliner, ink and watercolour. She chooses to work on a small-scale during the developmental stages of her creative process and has also experimented with textiles and hand-sewing to translate sketched images into embroidered tapestry. She is inspired by Lucinda Rogers and Olivier Kugler, whose layered pieces offer insight into the lives of his subjects. Neneh says of her own work; "Being able to communicate my own personal experience with my surroundings is something that I try to put across in my pieces. My current work explores the sights and sounds of everyday life, and finding a voice in the city."
Jack Frost- Kathryn Ottley- Copic markers, pencil, fineliner, ink- 2015
Kathryn Ottley is currently undertaking an Art Foundation at The Bristol School of Art, producing work under the name Kye.
Tending to work small, she counts herself as a perfectionist, and enjoys the challenge of creating highly detailed images. While her degree specialism is still undecided, she is free to explore her joint interests in illustration, comic work, and animation, and is happy not to be restricted within her varied practice.
Keep up to date with Kye's work here and here.
Sophie's Cafe at the Story Museum- Laura Sayers- cut paper and gouache- 8.3 W x 8.3 H inches- 2015
Laura Sayers studies Illustration at Edinburgh College of Art.
Her primary material choice is paper; working free hand with scissors to manipulate the different layers for her small designs which focus on detail, shape and colour. This style of working lends itself well to the themes of architecture, interior and the human form, which she favours as subjects. Illustration allows cohesion between narrative and visuals, and it's this partnership that inspires Laura's craft, stemming from her interest in literature and storytelling.
Find more of her work here.
Floral Hedgehog- Jodie Cox- watercolour and fineliner- 8.3 W x 11.7 H inches- 2015
Jodie Cox currently studies Illustration at Brighton University.
She loves to dabble in different styles and materials, but finds particular joy in traditional mediums such as pencil, paint and printmaking. She relies on trial and error, and gains true satisfaction from messy processes, which allow her work to develop in front of her. Ideas come impulsively, and she sees small-scale sketchbooks as an invaluable tool for visual notetaking. She finds great influence in atmospheric painters such as Edward Hopper, Jack Vettriano and Lucian Freud, and is particularly inspired by seeing the process behind their work; skeletal preliminary sketches blossoming into ambitious and captivating paintings. As her own work develops beyond the sketchbook, the scale of her pieces increases- in her own words "the bigger the better! (Or as much canvas as I can afford at the time!)" The palette, mood and composition of the illustrator Hope Gangloff are other major influences.
See more of her work here and here.
Sitting in the Grass- Emily Yendle- charcoal, graphite & ink- 10.9 W x 8.2 H inches- 2015
Emily Yendle is a London based Illustrator, who is currently studying BA Illustration at the University for the Creative Arts.
Preferring to work in a Monochromatic style, she aims to create visual narratives that not only touch on the surrounding world, but also attempt to highlight the beauty within it. The artist's own poetry is often at the soul of her work, taking inspiration from her own experiences and feeding them into her illustrations. Finished pieces branch out into a variety of formats, which include prints, animation, design work as well as self-published zines.
Find more of her work here and here, or follow on Instagram @emilyyendleillustration.
Birds Costume Design- 2015/ Grandma- 2014- Lucy Kembey- watercolour, pencil, coloured pencil, ink, biro & fineliner- 11.7 W x 16.5 H inches
Lucy Kembey is studying Costume Design for Theatre and Screen at Wimbledon College of Art
Her love of costume design is fed by an enjoyment of process and the satisfaction of watching an idea evolve; she says "designing and making it is like watching your artwork come to life and walk off the page". She strives to create a depth of character within her designs, and inspiration can be found anywhere; from a poster on the tube to a single colour. As well as drawing techniques, she enjoys experimenting with textiles; incorporating recyclable materials, and creating texture. She is inspired by other costume designers, including Sandy Powell, Gregg Barnes and Kate Hawley.
Rock Form- Megan Fatharly- etching on soft ground with sugar lift- 2015
Megan Fatharly studies Drawing at Falmouth University.
Her work draws a mirror to the natural world, documenting nature's objects through the use of colour and mark-making. She seeks to emulate the patterns and repetitive marks found on natural objects, such as trees and stones, and through her pen, capture the subtlety of the patterns within a landscape. Her practice spans beyond traditional notions of drawing, to explore further techniques including collage and printmaking; she says, " I have a very chaotic, fast-paced way of working. I love the process of printmaking, which is meditative and repetive, and helps me to slow down and refine my ideas". University peers, including Illustrator Sophie Eliza, and Fine Artist Joanna Hulin, are key sources of inspiration, as well as artists Claire Leach, Mimi Robson and John Howard.
Find more of Megan's work here and here, or follow her on instagram: @meganfatharly