Over the last few months I've been commisioned by Richard Turley at Bloomberg Businessweek to illustrate portraits for their Hard Choices column. Basically various business people are interviewed about a crucial decision they've had to make which affected the course of their company.
Before I took over they had a problem in that the straight photographic portraits often resulted in a rather stiff and unattractive outcome.Instead they wanted a painted portrait of each person surrounded by extra elements which were relevant to that particular story i.e. company logos, other relevant characters, symbols etc.
It's sometimes a challenge to make these guys look interesting but here's a select few that I think have worked.
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Political Magazines - Covers For Newsweek and Internazionale
by jimmy turrell on Wednesday, 21 December 2011
I've worked on a few illustrations for magazines of a more political bent lately including the covers for both Italian magazine Internazionale and Newsweek. For their cover story about the crisis of capitalism they wanted Karl Marx as Santa Claus - a fairly straightforward assignment that I gave them three options for. They went for the more photographic piece with the sun over NYC.
Another cover I worked on for them concerned Assad's censorship of the media in Syria. Again I gave them two options - the Syrian flag blocking out his mouth was chosen over the barbed wire.
The Newsweek illo's were both based around the negative connotations of the financial collapse so I tried to keep them both relatively gritty - there of Angela Merkel and Jon Corzeen. Big up to the Art Directors - Giovanni De Mauro and Nick Mrozowski for Internazionale and Leah Purcell and Lindsay Ballant for Newsweek.
Just set up this morning down in Great Western Studios. I'm selling prints from the new collaborative project I'm working on - Primitive Heritage. Working alongside James Horwitz from 2xelliot and Mark Bloom at Mashcreative we aim to produce a series of limited edition risoprints and screenprints and the occasional one off piece. The torn up Michael Jackson and Kanye Prints are the first of this run. If you get a chance pop down to the open studios this weekend - it runs from 12 - 6 Saturday and Sunday.
Details are here: http://www.greatwesternstudios.com/events/399-05-10-11-open-studios
Pop down to Great Western Studios this weekend if you get the chance. I'll be opening my studio along with hundreds of the other artists, designers and craftspeople. I'll be selling Primitive Heritage prints (see the Kanye and Michael Jacksons prints above - only £25) and some one off collage pieces and screenprints (the other two pics). It would be great to meet up and have a cup of tea so hopefully see you down there.
Heres the details: http://www.greatwesternstudios.com/events/399-05-10-11-open-studios
I was asked by a friend to contribute a few pieces to A Gala Charity Art Auction for Bafta and The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. It will take place at the BAFTA's and be hosted by Sir Richard Attenborough and John Cleese. I have two of my own pieces in there and also a couple of collaborations I've done with 2xelliott and Mashcreative. Other artists include Terry O'Neil and Kate Gibb.
The first is Mid Fi by Emil Kovak. Mid-Fi takes a extensive look at the recent change in the perception of how a computer can be used in a graphic-design/ illustration process. It basically examines how the computer is being used more as a tool, instead of as the main instrument for creating graphics and art. It examines this hybrid crafts-based approach, mixed with modern technology, and the new forms of expression that it brings.
Also out is Andrew Hall's Illustration - This broad introduction to illustration reveals the artistic, intellectual and organizational skills needed to practice as a freelance illustrator, and helps the reader navigate the specialist areas of its application.
Lastly Atlas Of Illustration which features 600 pages of the most promising new talents from different international backgrounds, sharing their best commercial art and personal projects.
Heres a little interview I did with Varoom magazine about the Yellowire project.
To mark the launch of www.jimmyturrell.com I'm giving away an original collage I made while creating the Yellowire video. Become a fan on http://www.facebook.com/JimmyTurrell.Illustration or follow on twitter - winner picked at random on Wednesday 12th October
I'm really pleased to say that my design for Yellowire's packaging has just been chosen for Creative Review's Album Cover Of The Month. Check their blog here.
My first new website for 5 years (www.jimmyturrell.com) went live yesterday and thanks to everybody who've given it their support. Due to the nature of the site and the ease in which I can now edit the imagery there will be fresh updates on there all the time so keep checking back. Consequently this blog will now feature much more than just my own work. I'll be posting up music (a monthly Spotify playlist), video and also other artists and subjects that I find inspirational - basically anything that floats my boat and feeds back into my work. Site designed by Two Times Elliot.
I recently completed the artwork for new Universal Records band Yellowire. They lets me go to town about a bit with the packaging on this one - I managed to get die cuts, fluro inks and metallics all in the same piece of artwork so big up to Olly Beach, Ruth Ward, Ali Essen, Jim Beach, Fernando Gutierrez, Kerry Wadsworth, Dean Rose and James Horwitz at Two Times Elliott (for the pack shots). Hold tight for the video….