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Bookshelf: Student designs on notable quoteables

 

The degree show distilled. The next generation of illustrators show their stuff in hardback form inspired by notable quotables…

Book of Illustrated quotes and sayings 3

University College Falmouth, £12.75
ISBN 978-0-9505680-4-1

Ah, THE HUMBLE degree show. A regular fixture on the academic calendar. A chance for the great and the good (and ever supportive friends and relatives) to critically examine the outputs of a years’ creative work.

Student designers go to work on more quotes and sayings...

Student designers go to work on more quotes and sayings…

Taking the idea one step further, students at University College Falmouth, also get to produce a lovingly-produced hardback book – Illustrated Quotes and Sayings – to accompany to their own summer shows.

As well as showcasing a rich seam of illustrative talent from the institution’s BA(Hons) Illustration course, Illustrated Quotes and Sayings, is an ideal vehicle with which to promote students’ talents outside the confines of any mere degree show.

“Fundamentally, it is an essential industry source book that provides publishing, advertising and media professionals with a rich vein of creative talent to commission work from,” explains programme leader Alan Male.

Melanie McPhail astutely captures daytime television in illustrated form

Melanie McPhail astutely captures daytime television in illustrated form

“I selected the quotes and sayings theme because you can apply any illustrative context to it – from advertising illustration and narrative fiction to editorial comment and information.”

Now in it’s third year, this years’ edition includes a foreward from Quentin Blake – probably best known for his instantly-recognisable illustrations of Roald Dahl characters – who describes the publication as “a large box of chocolates, with a wonderful range of assorted centres” offering “something for all tastes”.

And he’s right. It’s the eclectic mix that makes this proposition so compelling and the attention to detail really shines through each and every page. As a result, picking favourites is hard as there’s simply so much variety in focus and form.

That said, this wouldn’t be much of a review without some appreciation of the artisty involved… So here’s our pick of those illustrations that shouldn’t be missed…

  • Kayleigh Short‘s illustration accompanies a quote from Titus Maccius Plautus – “Flying without feathers is not easy“. A bizarre cast of characters seek to prove the point – taking to the skies in a plane, a balloon and on the back of a dinosaur. With a rich palette and very commercial style it’s not hard to imagine this offering gracing the pages of some fantastical work of children’s fiction.
  • Once upon a time, I gave you my heart...

    Once upon a time, I gave you my heart…

    The technical detail of Arran Lewis‘ skeleton, cleverly shaded to show muscles and bones, and with hand outstretched above a heart is simply superb and must surely have taken an age to get so right. The quote, from Jean Jaques Rousseau – “Nothing is less in our power than the heart and far from commanding we are forced to obey it“.

  • Melanie McPhail‘s quote may give you some clue as to its source – “I found out my sister is my mum… but who is my dad?“. Well guessed – she sketches Jeremy Kyle as a circus ringmaster with a grotesque audience and hairy-legged participants.
  • Praise too for Erlend Espedal who may have made my GCSE History lessons a little more palatable had he been around to illustrate the textbooks. His illustration shows warriors on horseback doing battle with spears, arrows and swords. His quote? “I do not know how to defeat others, but only how to defeat myself.”

Of course a collection like this is only ever the beginning – leading, hopefully, to many varied and interesting careers. Quentin Blake is quick to seize upon the students’ potential – “as they get to work in the world they will be able to respond to a whole range of challenges and develop in all kinds of interesting ways,” he suggests. We have no reason to disagree – and the contact and online portfolio details at the back of the book are guaranteed to be put to good use.

All that said it’s easy to forget the contributions of the staff who have made it all happen. Alan Male is no stranger to the world of international book publishing, having illustrated more than 30 complete books during his career. His latest book – Illustration: A Theoretical & Contextual Perspective – was recently published by Thames & Hudson in the UK, and is being translated into 30 languages for publication across the globe.

Useful websites

University College Falmouth – Book of Illustrated Quotes and Sayings 3
www.falmouth.ac.uk/illustrationbook