ISSUE 01

A/W 2016

ART - CRAFT - DESIGN - DIRECTION - ILLUSTRATION - PRINTMAKING

IN CONVERSATION WITH IRMA GRUENHOLZ & PAWEŁ NOLBET, ALSO FEATURING KASTAAR, KRISTEN MARTINCIC & NAOSHI

studio-hush.com

jazminberakha.com

lenarevenko.com

JAZMIN BERAKHA “I am a stranger”

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EDITOR’S NOTE

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LENA REVENKO “Goodbye”

Hello and Welcome to Create-Zine!

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yambo.me

eloise-heritier.tumblr.com

We are excited to bring you the first issue of our independent publication that showcases some of the best talent in global illustration, art, craft, design, direction and printmaking. The idea behind the zine was to enable a select number of image-makers to showcase their work directly to you, the commissioners. Create-Zine is not precious; it’s meant for sharing, for viewing and reading, its purpose is to be a creative hit. It provides a window into a curated bite size selection of talent who demand their work to be seen, admired and commissioned.  As ex-colleagues of The Central Illustration Agency we worked together for seven years before spreading our wings to enjoy pastures new. Over time we have represented, worked with, interviewed, promoted and become friends with many talented and commissionable creatives. We came together again to put to good use these experiences and encounters to realise our dream of creating our own publication filled with work that we are passionate about and want to share.  We are honoured to have Hush adorn the cover for this first issue, street-art being a powerful and expressive art form, one of which we are both huge fans of. While the rest of the zine explores the many creative disciplines we so truly admire. Our hope is that you will devour this rag, soak up the exciting talent it presents and use it as inspiration, as well as enjoy learning about the artists we have chosen to write about. We are already in the process of putting together issue #02 and ask that if you would like to retain your place on our mailing list that you drop us a line at [email protected] or Tweet us @createthezine and give us your feedback. We hope you love it as much as we do! Jules Beazley and Alicja McCarthy

YAMBO “Lucre”

ELOISE HERITIER “Untitled” (Le Col De Claudine)

Above: HUSH - “Lay Down” Cover Artist: HUSH - “Blind Fade”

jamesdawe.co.uk charlottedaydesign.com

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CHARLOTTE DAY “Spring Hedgrow”

JAMES DAWE “IFS16” (British Fashion Council)

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bjornoberg.com BJORN OBERG “Financing A Better World” (Finansliv)

marttala.se

andrewbannecker.com

ANDREW BANNECKER “Modern West”

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ELISABETH MARTTALA “Viktor & Rolf”

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kaiandsunny.com

KASTAAR

KAI AND SUNNY “My Eye On You”

Kastaar is a graphic design and print studio based in Antwerp. Having trained in graphic design, founders An Eisendrath and Stoffel Van den Bergh met whilst teaching at Sint Lucas School of Art in Belgium. With a background in product design, the crafty pair felt an incessant urge to step away from their Macs and use their hands to communicate their work. By connecting digital knowhow with analogue printing, Kastaar is not only preserving the history of print but is using age-old mastery in a touch-of-the-button mass print production era. Why? To challenge the limitations of slow-print techniques, which has encouraged them to develop their own creative process. Intentionally distanced in part from the computer, although never totally abandoning it, Kastaar studio has, by proxy, created a home for unwanted, headedfor-scrap letterpress machinery. Their obsession with press paraphernalia came from one small piece of equipment that has now grown into a vast collection that could be described as a mini working letterpress museum. Rescuing them from numerous out-of-commission print houses across Belgium, their noteworthy collection

includes a rare original Heidelberg Windmill Press and a Vandercook Proofing Press, not to mention cabinets and cabinets of lead type. The juxtaposition between digital and analogue print does not stop with printing on paper either. With a keen interest in 3D printing, laser cutting and CNC mills, the aim is to advance the studio into cutting their own wood type and physical illustrations. Eisendrath and Van den Bergh are such advocates of using traditional techniques in new ways that they are seasoned public speakers and demonstrators of their style and process. On numerous occasions they have travelled with their incredibly heavy cast iron machinery to demos and festivals. Collaboration and an open dialogue is key at these happenings. During deSingel Art and Design Festival in Antwerp last year they asked their audience to tweet them their favourite quotes and printed them over a ten-hour period intentionally building a bridge between digital and analogue. kastaar.com

Above: Kastaar Studio

DOG AND RABBIT “Line Up”

JESSIE FORD “Shelves”

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jennybowers.co.uk

wijtzevalkema.co

dogandrabbit.com

8 WIJTZE VALKEMA “Italy” (Le Petit Balloon)

jessieford.co.uk

briangrimwood.com

crayonfire.co.uk

BRIAN GRIMWOOD Canary Wharf Posters

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NEIL STEVENS “Daniel Ricciardo” (REDBULL)

JENNY BOWERS “Basque” (Hardie Grant Books)

LLEW MEJIA (Adidas)

HELENA PEREZ GARCIA “The Jungle”

SAM CHIVERS “Winters Lookout”

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studiobilbey.com

llewmejia.com

helenaperezgarcia.co.uk

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STANLEY CHOW “Girl in the Fair Isle Jumper”

samchivers.com

stanleychowillustration.com

sandradieckmann.com

SANDRA DIECKMANN “Ghosts”

IAN BILBEY “Porsche 917”

Irma Gruenholz CZ: You use clay and other materials to shape your illustrations. Please tell us about the creative process, how do you start? 

CZ: How important is photography in your work? Do you take the photos yourself? 

IG: If I had to work with only three tools, I would choose a thin modeling stick, a roller and a cutter.  

IG: Photography is a very important step in my work. At this point lighting and framing are essential to building the proper atmosphere. It is very exciting to see how the same scene changes completely depending on lighting. CZ: Your figures have a very distinctive look. What inspired you when you were honing your style? IG: I’m inspired by nature, painting, sculpture, design, and cinema. If you have an open mind to stimulus this facilitates the creative flow and inspiration can arise out of the most unexpected things. Regarding style, it is not something premeditated. It is a mixture of my personality, experiences and likes that evolve.

CZ: How long does each illustration take from concept to finish? For example, how long did Duck Tamer take to complete?

CZ: One of the reasons we were drawn to your work was because of the emotion the figures communicate. How do you capture this?

IG: The time I take on each project depends on the complexity of the illustration and the range is very wide, it is usually between two days to a month. The creation of Duck Tamer took about two weeks.

IG: I’m glad that this aspect of my work has aroused your attention because communicating the emotions of the characters is the main aspect of my work. I think of the scene and what the characters are feeling.

CZ: How would you describe your work?

deplastilina.com

IG: I find it quite hard to define my style. I suppose that working in three dimensions defines my work somehow. I do not like limitation in a certain style so I love to explore the possibilities of each project and experiment with new solutions. Regardless of the technique I use, I like the simplicity, both in composition, forms and colour. From left clockwise: “Duck Tamer”, “Wishes to fly”, “Birds”, “Titi”, “Connections”.

IG: My academic background is in Graphic Design. I have not received specific training in illustration or sculpture so it could be said that I am self-taught.    CZ: What are your three most essential tools?

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In conversation with

CZ: Where did you learn to sculpt? 

IG: The process varies greatly depending on the project. I can summarise it with the following basic steps: I read the brief or text carefully and emphasise what I consider most important. I then gather all the information on the subject and start to develop concepts. I do not draw sketches in detail; I prefer to dive into the illustration, working directly in three dimensions as soon as I have a clear idea in mind. My sketches are very schematic drawings that help me direct the illustration and specify the materials and palette that I will use. Sometimes I build quick sketches in three dimensions using foam board and plasticine to check dimensions, composition and framing. Once the sculpture is completed I take a photo and retouch the image digitally.

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Madrid based Irma Gruenholz is a self-taught artist. Creating in her preferred medium of clay, her work can be described as emotive, atmospheric and serene.  While the ‘magic’ of each illustration is attributed to photography and set design it is her hand-sculpted characters that convey her elegant and distinctive style. Lighting too plays a crucial part often dictating the mood of each artwork, her mini worlds telling more than just a story. We spoke to the highly accomplished clay artist about her technique, method and inspiration.

cmalbon.com

megamunden.com

CHRIS MALBON “Bullitt”

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sarahgwan.com

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stancikaite.com

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MEGAMUNDEN “Tiger” (Spartan Records)

AISTE STANCIKAITE “Fernando Cabral”

SARAH WILKINSON “Le Jardin Tattoo Wine”

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natalyabalnova.com

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myblankpaper.com

JOHANNA OLK “Black and Forever”

NATALYA BALNOVA “The Golden Nest of Blind Faith”

REBECCA GREEN “The Sea Saw and So Did I”

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olkstudio.com

samgilbeyillustrates.com

SAM GILBEY “Poe Dameron”

tomjennings.me

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TOM JENNINGS “Cloud Surfer”

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behance.net/andrescalderonphoto

NAOSHI

ANDRES CALDERON “Inspired by the Classics...” (Beckett Simonon)

Los Angeles based and Iwate born Naoshi is an artist who creates cute characters in surreal worlds using sand. Known as Sunae in Japan, the art form uses tiny grains of coloured sand to create designs that are fixed on sticky paper. Crafty and certainly fun to do, Naoshi is making it her mission to tell the world about Sunae with regular workshops, exhibitions and publications. Her character-led work is memorable and cultish, featuring super heroes and adventurers seizing the day in fantasy worlds. From outer space to ice cream towns with rainbow slides and doughnut cars, Naoshi’s work advocates surreal escapism. Having picked up a DIY Sunae kit in 2004 it took her some time to fine tune not only her distinctive style but to master the form. Sand is not particularly obedient and a substantial level of discipline and skill comes into play to ensure a solid line

and bold contours. Regardless of the sand itself, Naoshi’s Sunae work is distinguished by her charming nostalgic style, line and palate. Her characters lend themselves to a wide mix of media such as textiles, paper, metal and even skin. Some of her biggest fans even have Naoshi tattoos, which are attributed to her unique aesthetic. nao-shi.com

Above: Naoshi and her creations

MICK MARSTON “Red Car, Blue Car”

du.st

jacoporosati.com

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CAROLIN WANITZEK “Yellow Chucks”

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JACOPO ROSATI “12 Books For Your Summer” (L’Express Magazine)

carolinwanitzek.de

james-oconnell.com

lucyvigrass.co.uk

JAMES O’CONNELL “YOLO”

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LUCY VIGRASS “Cake”

fatinha.com

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gingermonkeydesign.com

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jessicanielsen.nl

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FATINHA RAMOS “Saudade”

JESSICA NIELSEN & OD “Special Moments” (JUMBO)

TOM LANE “Wet Paint”

Paweł Nolbert CZ: Your work can be described as colour-rich, surreal and vibrant. Where did you perfect your skills?

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PN: I am a self-taught artist. If you want to keep up to date with art and technology, I think a school cannot give you an effective education, as it is very hard for institutions to keep up with the speed of change. I picked up some graphic software and started playing with it. It became a hobby until my first commission. My formal education is in computer science technologies, which was bonus knowledge. I quit university in my final year, on the very last lap actually, to pursue a career in design and advertising. I don’t regret it.   CZ: Your work is predominantly digital, how do you approach a project? PN: Yes, it is mostly but not entirely digital. In the end the deliverable is always digital, but I try not to overdo the digitalisation so the final result is natural and believable. I do some sketches on paper or a digital painting but sometimes the idea just comes to me. With my painterly work, I break the given composition into segments, which I paint by hand with acrylic paint. I then scan it in at a very high resolution to get the best possible level of detail, after which I digitally recompose those segments into my final composition. I use Photoshop to shade, distort and compose the brushstrokes to look 3D.

From left clockwise: “Constructed”, “Square Space”, “Atypical T”, “Constructed”, “Atypical X”, “Atypical P”.

CZ: In your Constructed Series you appear to be elevating ‘the flat’ into new dimensions, can you tell us about that? PN: Yes! That’s my thing, putting flat stuff in a more three dimensional composition. I guess 3D came naturally with Constructed. I wanted the big graphic colour blocks to be seamlessly integrated within the photo environment, while at the same time still looking vaguely graphic. Putting it in a three dimensional environment by casting shadows etc. was necessary for that integration. CZ: Your Instagram account @hellocolor has a huge following. Why do you think this is?   PN: It’s not for me to say why people follow me; I just post my pictures and have fun with it. I started my Instagram with only mobile photos and once I gained an audience I switched to posting my graphic work. I guess I’ve lost some interest from the people following me solely for my photography, but it was a reasonable step at the time. I recently launched my other Instagram account @pawelnolbert for my regular photo stories. CZ: Can you tell us about your photography work where social media & distorted realities come into play?   PN: I’ve been observing the rise of popularity in fake realities on social media and it looks like people don’t like to see reality as it actually is. It’s as if they want to believe that what they see through those beautifying filters is actually real. I wanted to beautify my photos in a controlled but honest way so that you know that it has been Photoshopped, but it’s done in a way that it could be the real thing. CZ: Where do you get your inspiration?  PN: From everywhere! Things often inspire me outside my profession like fashion, technology or food. Recently the great stories in Chef’s Table, a Netflix’s series, inspired me. nolbert.com

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In conversation with 23

Warsaw based artist, illustrator, photographer and designer Paweł Nolbert is a master of altered realities. While his painted typographical forms are distinctively rich in tone and texture, his photographs adopt compositionally vivid landscapes that jump out of the screen. Nolbert’s aesthetic is presented in vibrant colour-rich 3D. By elevating the ‘flat’, the self-taught artist digitally remasters works of paint and lens that have become synonymous with his style. Behind the screen he is constantly questioning visual reality taking inspiration from fashion, travel, shape and form. His aim however is to ensure that the end result is always believable. We spoke to Nolbert about his art, his ‘real’ realities and how social media has influenced his work.

hannakonola.com paulblow.com

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PAUL BLOW “Kayak”

HANNA KONOLA From left Clockwise “Sokeri” (Kauniste), “Konfetti” (Kauniste), “Fika” Isetan

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bentheillustrator.com BEN THE ILLUSTRATOR “Dream Workspace”

umievskaya.com

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MARIA UMIEWSKA “Flamingo Pattern”

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wearegrownup.com

KRISTEN MARTINCIC

Widely exhibited artist Kristen Martincic, recognised for her infatuation with H2O, spent her childhood on the banks of Lake Erie in Cleveland, Ohio and at local swimming pools. Surrounded by vast bodies of water, being in or near it has had a lasting effect on her career. She is poetic about it and not just in ink, describing her encounters, “When we are in water our senses are enveloped by the experience. It’s the feeling of water on our skin, the sensation of weightlessness, the muffled sound, the skewed line of sight, and the inescapable attention to the moment. It’s very experiential.” The subjects of her work include swimwear, apparatus and inflatables; pretty much anything associated with the act of swimming. How she executes her often ink-based mixed media print and tactile sculptural works is of particular interest. She uses a process of ink transparency building using her favourite hues of blues and greens.

THOMAS BURDEN “Inflatables”

Indispensable in her mixing is Hanco lithographic transparency base, perfect for higher intelligibility. The technique creates a flawless layering effect that is tonally rich. Martincic’s delicate aquatic palate is expressive and hypnotic much like her subject matter. Her Pool Series focus on the interior volume of swimming pools, from the lucid tones of the shallow end to the deeper richer depths of the diving well. She uses hand made Japanese papers of various weight and transparency to compliment the choice of ink. Approaching her sculptural pieces in a much similar way, creating semi-opaque bathing suits that challenge exposure, transparency and form. kmartincic.com

Above: “Tile Life Jacket”, “Golden U back Suit Front”.

veravanwolferen.nl robclarke.com

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ROB CLARKE Lettering and Type Designer

VERA VAN WOLFEREN “Jeep Safari for the Cultural Anthropologist”

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vonfreter.com

hereticheretic.co.uk

AARON VON FRETER “Widow Maker” (Widowmaker Motorcycles)

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STUDIO HERETIC “Chromotopia” (People of Print)

VICTO NGAI “Window or Small Box” victo-ngai.com

We’d like to thank all of our contributors for making this zine possible. You can follow our updates on Twitter @createthezine If you have enjoyed the zine and want to get in touch please visit our website for contact details.

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