Chloe Isteed Illustration

I was really looking forward to seeing the Picasso exhibition, and although it was busy because of the closing weekend, it did not disappoint.  I particularly liked seeing his sketches and sketchbooks, as it showed me that not all drawings need to look finished and perfect. It was quite overwhelming to see how much work he was able to produce in just one year. On some days he even managed to complete a few full paintings! It made me think about how much work I produce and whether it is enough. I enjoyed seeing series of paintings he had completed that were very similar but with small changes to composition or colour, clearly testing and experimenting. I found it amusing to read that instead of attending his own retrospective exhibition at the Galeries Georges Petit in June 1932, which was a rare and therefore significant event at the time as retrospectives were unusual, Matisse being an exception, Picasso decided to go to the cinema, missing his own exhibition opening.  I also real

Shape of Light: 100 years of photography and abstract art This exhibition explores artists who work with light to create abstract work. I am quite interested in photography, having recently helped out at a photography workshop. I found this exhibition to be very surprising. Some of the photos had such high contrast between black and white that they almost looked like they could be prints or paintings. I have always been interested in creating an atmosphere, particularly during my foundation course exploring strong light and shadow using photography. This exhibition inspired me to try and bring this back into my work again, and think about the light and shadow. I also really liked the photos of textures, as texture is something I like to try and explore in my own research and work. The photographers in this exhibition prioritise shape, form and expression over recognisable subject matter. It was surprising to me that photos of this quality could have been produced in the 1920s and 1930

For my IPS and dissertation, I am interested in exploring the objects we own and our relationship with them. I went to the Design Museum to look at their permanent display, including a collection of objects chosen by the public in response to being asked what their favourite/most important objects are. The collection was diverse yet familiar.  I found the collection really interesting to look at. These objects are significant in most people's lives. Some things were repeated, such as the humble ceramic mug. I would like to explore objects as part of my IPS, looking at what objects people surround themselves with and consider important in their lives, and the stories behind them. This exhibition has inspired me to ask people to choose an object as part of my research. I think this approach will be useful because it will give me lots of research, and will help me shape my narratives for animations. 

London Transport Museum and The AOI often run a competition culminating in an exhibition at London Transport Museum. I went to the exhibition last year, and decided to keep an eye on when the next competition opened. I have enjoyed illustrating London in the past, because it's a topic that's so familiar to me, and it's easy to go and find inspiration. The brief for the competition was 'London Stories'. The story could be true or fictional, big or small. Whilst looking online for interesting facts and stories, I started looking at old newspaper articles. I found a story about a man who drove his double decker bus over the gap between Tower Bridge. This story stuck in my head and so I decided to illustrate it. Telling a whole story in one image can be a challenge, so I wanted a story that wasn't too complicated, and this seemed right.  I used my iPad to make some quick sketches to work out what kind of composition I wanted, and collected some images for referenc

Whilst working as an outreach ambassador for UAL, I was fortunate enough to get asked again to make a short film for Canon and Ideas Foundation, showing some behind the scenes footage of the Creative Media Camp hosted at Chelsea.  I worked at the 2017 Creative Media Camp, and it was a great experience to be able to return again this year and make another film.  I spent the whole week filming and taking photos, and by the end of the week I was the photographer at Canon HQ for the pitches and the announcement of the winner. I really enjoyed being able to practice editing a film. It was rewarding to be given so much freedom and trust. The mentors running the workshop gave me complete creative freedom, and trusted me to be able to get it done in time to show at the end of the week. Once the film was completed, they wanted to be surprised and so didn't watch the film themselves until it was shown to everyone at Canon HQ. It was amazing to be trusted so much with it. I really enjoyed

As an outreach ambassador, I often work at workshops run by UAL Insights, including summer school. It's always an enjoyable experience, and I often come away having learned a lot and feeling inspired to create. I enjoy getting the chance to work with students who will eventually be applying to university. From experience, I know how valuable it can be to hear first hand what the experience of applying and actually being at university is like, so I find it rewarding to be able to offer my advice.  This year's summer school was slightly different, more focused on graphic design (with small elements of illustration) rather than equally weighted. I was asked to help out for a couple of days to push the illustration side. Although of course graphic design and illustration do overlap considerably, some students felt the illustration side was a bit lacking, and so I stepped in to help answer questions about studying illustration.  Photography and Long Exposure Workshop My first d

The World Illustration Awards is always an exciting exhibition to see, and it came at a time when I was in need of some inspiration.  Here are some of my highlights: Owen Davey - 'Facebook Fundraisers' Magoz - 'Do you have questions? Ask!' and 'Fishing' I always like looking at how illustrators approach animation. These gifs created by Magoz are creative but convey a simple idea. They inspire me to try creating more short animations, keeping them simple.  Anthony Zinonos - 'bigSWELL' His work showed me how powerful collage can be, and the importance of decision making. It made me consider the difference between ripping and cutting paper, and the strength of negative space.  Loris F Allessandria - 'Adobe - Education Exchange' Cinyee Chiu - 'Acknowledgement' I really like the use of texture in this animation. It reminded me of the kind of work I want to create.