Samantha Landells

The book describes the history of Pictoplasma and how they wanted to form a new collection ‘The Character’ to ensure over time, no matter what the character’s medium it can be collected and shared for generations to come, safe from adaptation and reinterpretation. I found this really interesting as it aims to collect all forms of characters and bring them together as one, building bridges and communications between artists of all kinds. I bought this book as I have started to obtain quite a collection of Pictoplasma character compendiums, I love the way these books incorporate a wide variety of visual mediums from photography to knitting! All characters count! Due to this I often gather a lot of inspiration when looking through these books and felt it would be the perfect time to revitalise my imagination since I am coming to the end of this year of university, to ensure I remain motivated during the summer. I chose to look at 4 artists from this ginormous compendium of characters ...

I am really impressed by not only the quantity of illustrations I managed to create for this project, but also the quality maintained throughout all of the designs. I have never before managed to complete multiple illustrations to such a short time period, this is definitely an area I want to continue working on as if I am able to work more quickly and effectively this will be beneficial in my future endeavours. One area I am especially happy with the development of was my front cover of the book, considering the quality of my illustration for a book cover during Level 4, it is clear to see the level of improvement I have achieved so far over this year. I am really happy with the narrative I feel I managed to achieve during this project, despite having to make multiple alterations to my script and storyline. I am heavily invested in continuing with the progression of this story and making alterations in future so I can complete the whole story I had originally intended with the use...

Following my research into the artist Aman Khanna during my investigations into the Pictoplasma magazine, #1 Face Value edition, I decided to experiment with the creation of my own clay characters. I wanted to go with something really simple for the design similarly to the style of Khanna but also I felt this would be the most appropriate starting point for my first attempts attempting this with the medium. I used polymer clay which needed to be baked once I was happy with the final designs of my little characters. I used the technique of scoring sections of my characters heads in order to bond their accessories successfully as this ensured the clay had a textured format to cling to once wet. I quite like the charm these characters came out with; I went for the theme of ghosts as I felt it was something simplistic yet could be developed in future to make more intricate designs if I wanted to. However I really like how it was Khanna who inspired me to explore the use of a new medium...

Some of my favourite artists within this edition include Jun Seo Hahm, Aman Khanna and Rilla Alexander. Jun Seo Hahm: The illustrations presented for this artist were eye catching due to their 3D forms contrasting such simplistic expressions. I love these illustrations as they hold a strangely childish appearance due to the overly simplified expressions on each of the 4 characters. I find it interesting how the expressions of the characters within the ‘globule’ creatures are barely visible to ensure the main focus is the outer creature first before allowing the viewer to explore the rest of the design. I would love to be able to work in 3D however in the past I have struggled greatly trying to comprehend these software’s, and currently don’t have access to a device capable of downloading one since I have to work from home during the pandemic. However, 3D character design would definitely be something I would love to challenge myself with in the future as I feel the visual results can...