My Favourite Illustrators

1. JESSICA DURRANT.
Jess I discovered through instagram a few years back. What I love about Jessicas work is she creates simple but realistic detail on her female faces but then adds a lot of detail to the bottom half of the painting, the females clothing. Not so much in this piece but in other peices, there are watercolour and ink paintings within the femals garments which gives an intreaging feeling towards her art. I love her use of contrast through out her work but furthermore, I love her skills and technique within the use of watercolour and ink. She will forever influence many of my own paintings. 

2. LEIGH VINER.

When studing art at GCSE I came accross Illustator Leigh Viner during a module and ever since that day she has been one of my all time faviorite illusators. Leigh Viner has infulenced me in all of my drawings I have ever done and even still to this day. What I love about Leigh Viners work is the detial she put in to created of these females faces. Besides this, I love the low tone of colour she uses over most of her creations with a small part of colour which makes the art really stand out.  Lastly I love the textures she uses that bring the image to life and feel more realistic, like the line textures through the hair and eyelashes. 

3. SARAH HANKINSON.

I discovered Hankinson during my studies at A Level. Sarah Hankinson has also become a personal faviroute of mine. Similar to Viner, I love the way Hankinson adds deail to the female faces. In addition, I love the use of colour and her techniques. She creates a bold divide between light and dark colours but also a contrast of faded and bold pigmintation which creates texture, definition and an allure to the eye.

House of Z - Zac Posen

Today I watched this documentary on Zac Posen and how his passion for creativity, curiosity, and determination lead him on a successful path of becoming a famous designer. When watching this documentary it really inspired me and opened my eyes to the fashion industry and the challenges that come with being successful. One thing that really caught my attention was when Zac's success was starting to deteriorate, he let other people and the fame change his original niche and style that made him successful in the first place. It taught me to always believe in yourself and your own creativity and to take other peoples opinions into account but not to let what they say to change who you are but to always develop your own conclusions and personal style. It was also inspiring to see how even tho his career in Fashion nearly ended, he never gave up and in the end was able to come back on top. Through this, it showed Zac's dedication and strength for something he loved. Even right from the start of the documentary, it was explained how hard he was constantly working. One thing Zac said that has really influenced me was, "I set a goal and just before I reach my goal I set it a little higher". He also took a lot of risks with his career. If he believed that the risk would better his company, even the slightest, he would take it. One of the risks he took was moving his whole team and house to Paris as he believed it would help put his brand back in a stronger position, which in the end it did.

 Overall, I LOVED this documentary. If there's anything you should watch it should be the house of Z. It has really inspired and motivated me to do better and to keep working hard towards my goals. I hope to carry the knowledge I have learned, the determination, curiosity, creativity, and strength from Zac Posen into my next module at uni. 

The True Cost -Fashion Documentary

THE TRUE COST.

The True Cost is a fashion documentary about the clothes we wear, the people who make them and the impact the fashion industry is having on our world. For many years the price of clothing has been decreasing whilst the safety and environment for humans in the third world countries have been cut dramatically. Filmed all over the world from the slums in Bangladesh to the New York fashion brands and runways, you really see the dramatic difference in the fashion industry. Before watching this documentary, I've heard of the conditions being poor in the third world clothing factories but had discovered advertisement and articles from brands like H&M claiming they have improved the working conditions and are producing more eco-friendly clothing. In addition, I got the impression these conditions weren't nearly as bad as what has been exposed on this documentary which was a huge eye-opener for me. They mentioned the synthetic cotton farms in India were causing its workers deformity and terminal illness such as cancer due to the exposure of the chemicals. Furthermore, the clothing factories in Bangladesh had caused too many deaths due to buildings collapsing and catching fire. Workers also get beaten pleading for a fairer living wage.  It was even mentioned that the fashion industry is the second biggest pollution to the planet alongside the oil industry being the first. Therefore, it's not only an issue to humanity but also to the environment. Interviews were included in this documentary, featuring world known designers and influencers such as Stella McCartney and her opinions on this troubled industry disaster. I think it’s positive that designers like Stella are appearing in these documentaries hoping to influence the consumers and other designers to make a change to this tragedy. 

Overall, this documentary really makes you realise and open your eyes to the fashion industry issue. It tells you untold stories and makes you think who really pays the price for the clothing? The stories I have been told and the facts I have learned will forever influence my part in the industry.

BBC Radio 4 - Perfume Makers

Shyamala Maisondieu & Caroline Gaillardot

Today I listened to BBC 4 radio discussion about two perfume makers, Shyamala Maisondieu & Caroline Gaillardot . I was interested to find out what it’s like to be a perfumer, what interests them to smells and what makes a good sellable scent.

Shyamaia Maisondieu is a perfume maker who is originally from Malaysia. She currently works for Givaudan in Paris which is one of the worlds larges perfume manufacturers. Her success in creating beautiful scents has also given her the opportunity to make fragrances for brands such as Tom Ford and Comme des Garçons. Shyamala mentioned that her childhood influenced her to the scents she is drawn to today. She was brought up being around frangipani blossoms, jasmine, ginger and many more.

Caroline Gaillardot is a perfumer who creates scents for beauty care products like shampoos, shower gels and deodorants. She was born in Grasse, France which is a country known for its scents. Caroline explained that it wasn't where she grew up that made her decision to be a perfumer but purely because she has always loved to smell. She currently works for Mane in southern France which is one of the global leaders in the perfume industry.

When listening to this podcast I learnt quite a lot about the perfume industry. They briefly explained the process of how they come to make the perfect perfume for that client/ brief. They explained that before they even begin to put together a potential formula, firstly they have to think of factors such as the bottle and the colour, as these influence the scent. In addition, they explained theres a lot of trial and error. They will create a formula that often isn't 100% right and therefore, it will require quite a few times to get that perfume formula right. Furthermore, it was interesting to know that before a well known brand launches their perfume, they would have been working on it for at-least 1/2 years before hand.

Overall, I found this radio discussion really interesting as there are many things into making a perfume that people often don't realise or even think about. Additionally, I found it helpful to know as for my next module at uni we will be making our own perfume so its great to have a head start in knowing what factors make a great scent.