Hand to mouse
What is the hand approach to design?
The ‘hand’ approach is the illustrative technique that is created by hand. This technique is a messier approach but can have a lot of freedom with. These kinds of illustrations can be done anywhere and are much more accessible to do.
Dan Fern
Dan Fern is known as a ‘legendary teacher’ for his many years of experience and his beautiful illustrations he has created over these years. Fern taught at the Royal College of Art, where he created his illustrations. Looking at his illustrations, it is clear to see that he loves landscapes as many of his pieces reflect nature scenes. Looking at his work he liked to express the idea of nature that is viable with us but in interesting and colourful ways. Looking at the piece below, it gives me a printing vibe due to the lighter and darker tones within the piece. It does not give a nature scene right away, but the more I look at it, the more the illustrations look like trees that turn into a forest area. His hand work to his pieces can be deceiving as the piece below could fool me and could be done by mouse however, that shows the level of skill that Dan Fern has.
Martin O’Neil
Martin O’Neil is a graphic artist and illustrator that is most known for his work in design and especially in advertising. O’Neil’s work consists of mixed media collages which there are several ways of doing this work. This process includes Photography, paint, silkscreen, and digital touches. With this type of art, O’Neil’s technique was known as incredibly old school as he is so involved with his process that it even comes down to gluing and cutting bits of paper. With this art process, O’Neil developed a successful reputation within branding due to this unique style. Looking at the piece below, the art piece is so well rounded, you would never guess so much went into his process which is why he is successful.
Marion Deuchars
Being a British illustrator, Marion Deuchars is most known for her children’s books and her own recognized style and hand lettering. Deuchars had a tutorial book called, ‘Let Make Some Great Art’ which highlighted a lot of her work. Her art has a combination of photography along with text which gave me a scrap book feel and showed an incredibly fun and creative side to Marion Deuchars’s work. Her work is fun and eye-catching, which would explain why her work is successful.
Mouse
This is the illustration technique that is created on designing programs like figma or illustrator. This gives you the freedom to create art that is controlled and gives you the tools that are needed to create illustrations.
Rogie King
Rogie King is a multidisciplinary designer that works with the intersection of art and code. His website is very interactive and is very impressive due to its game and animation feeling. Due to the website being more interactive, his website is very mysterious and exciting; I was excited to look through it and it felt very inviting. Looking at his Instagram, his artwork is incredibly detailed and colouful while having a such a playful feel as well. His illustrations are exceptionally good and can appeal to anyone due to what he draws and how he draws. They remind me of tattoos and animations that can be used for posters or albums. His work would be great for advertising.
Veerle Pieters
A graphic designer that offers classes and inspirational ideas for people wanting to start in design. Her website is highly creative and can be informative and inviting to look through. I like how she offers the course on design as it becomes a very safe and comfortable space to learn design for people who feel intimidated. Her art varies from landscapes, animations, and greeting cards which shows she is a truly diverse artist and offers so much for others. Her art is very colourful but also modern as her work looks great for advertising, especially with what I see today on social media and tv.
Looking at both perspectives of illustration showed to me that so much can be created either way. You have so much access to all these tools and can allow anyone to create whatever you want and are free to express how you feel. I am usually a hand person due to how long I spent on my work without learning online, however, with University, I have been able to learn and create work that looks professional and what I could see online.