The advert, which includes work by eight of the Column artists, will be featured in the 30th edition of Directory Of Illustration (DOI), which comes out in January 2014.

DOI is distributed on an international scale and is a key resource for art directors that are looking for image-makers to work on commercial projects.

Keen to impress, we constructed a tight brief because we wanted to link all the Column Arts Agency artists’ work together and produce an advert that would be innovative and eye-catching.

Inspired by the idea of children’s alphabet wallpaper, we asked the artists to draw a letter from their name and an animal that begins with the same letter. They rose to the task and the results were incredible, we’re sure you’ll agree.

Column Arts Agency Founder William Astbury said: “Not only does the Directory Of Illustration advert present the agency with an opportunity to find more work for our artists and expand our industry contacts. It also gives our artists a chance to create some truly wonderful new work!”

Alan Dalby, a Column illustrator who produced ‘A Is For Armadillo’ for the agency’s advert, added: “I’m excited about being in my first American publication and the advert looks amazing!”

18,000 creatives in the U.S. will receive Directory No. 30 in 2014, including the largest and most eclectic mix of illustration buyers in the industry.

“I like to use the Directory when I’m looking for fresh talent. The online site is particularly useful because the work is updated all the time,” Manny Velez, Art Director of The Wall Street Journal, explained.

If you would like to have a browse through the Column Arts Agency artists’ portfolios just click right here.

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Illustrators Alan Dalby and Guy McKinley will be alongside some of the world’s leading image-makers as part of international collaborative paper sculpture project, known as the Gerald Project.

More than 100 artists have customised a version Gerald the Lazerian Dog, a 3D paper sculpture (and design classic) that has been produced by British bespoke paper-makers James Cropper.

The dogs will be on show at the Gerald and James exhibition and book launch on Broadway, New York City, from Thursday 16 to Sunday 19 May 2013.

Everybody at Column Arts Agency is dead proud of Alan and Guy for being involved in such a prestigious project, which has taken more than two years to co-ordinate.

We asked them how they felt about being part of the Gerald Project and why they decided to get involved.

Alan said: “It feels pretty great actually. The project brings together some really great artists and the resulting body of work is very impressive.

“I find the challenges of the project are what makes the resulting work so interesting, ” he added, “The Gerald design is so complex, it was really difficult to work out exactly what I was doing when making the design.

“It gives me a really great admiration for a lot of the designs, particularly the ones which really make great use of the shape. It’s also interesting as it forces each artist to change the way they work slightly, and they almost become wallpaper designers.  Looking more at pattern, than composition on a flat surface.”

Guy answered: “It feels great. Liam Hopkins, one of the creators of the Gerald project and designer of the sculpt himself is a lovely guy and when we got chatting about it and what he had in mind it seemed a million miles away from what we have now.

“It’s a bigger better version of the whole concept, and with that the excitement has mounted as all the designer/illustrators and artists have slowly but surely given their work over to Liam and his team to be constructed by hand. The line up is ridiculous. I cant wait to see them all laid out for the upcoming exhibitions.

“I also like the item itself, it a lovely looking thing the Gerald sculpt, simple and striking, its looks ace when its plain, never mind when all this great art has been attached to it.”

Starting in 2011, paper dogs were been shipped from the UK to the 105 artists that are collaborating in the project. Geralds were received in studios in Europe, USA, Australia, Argentina, South Korea and New Zealand.

Some notable names from the design world have applied their unique talents to the Gerald project including; Oliver Hibert, Tatiana Arocha, Insa, Stanley Chow, Kai and Sunny and Pete Fowler to name but a few.

Liam, who co-created Gerald alongside British 3D designer Richard Sweeney, said: “We created Gerald as a challenge to ourselves and to challenge paper as a material. It stood up to the test and became a blank canvas for us to start adding elements of colour and more intricate design.

“Putting Gerald out there for other creatives to customise seemed like an obvious thing to do, but the response has been overwhelming. Being able to count influential illustrators like Simon Spilsbury, Tim Lahan and Andy Smith as part of the project, plus multidisciplinary creatives like Nous Vous, Munye & Co, Goo For Brothers and Atelier Doodle has exceeded even our expectations for the project.”

Guy was selected to decorate two dogs for the show, one large and one small. We asked him and Alan to describe their Gerald designs.

Here’s what Guy said: “Well… I have to admit, initially I was really excited about the designing of them two Geralds I have done, both processes were very different though. The smaller one was all digital work and the second larger animal is all hand-painted in watercolours.

“The smaller dog, called Dropleaf, was as simple an idea as to represent the changing season from outside my studio window. Autumn has the best colour palette of all the seasons and using colour and pattern is a large part of the way I work. So it was more of an exercise in colour and form. Though I found working with the dog shape difficult, the method I adopted for the first was expanded on for the second one.

“I decided to fully lean towards abstraction, especially on the large Gerald. As I was going to be painting it by hand I decided to get the component parts sent flat packed, I thought this method may be a better way of working, most of my personal works are watercolour and I wanted it to reflect that. I had used a warm palette for the first, I swam another way with the next. It’s altogether more aquatic. It’s a colour way I love and kind of has that feel of painted china. The actual large dogs are made of 88 individual paper pieces and it was hard graft I can tell you. One of the hardest things I have ever painted, but I think it came out great. I really love both of my designs, that said there are a lot of the designs I love.

“The second Gerald is called Honeywood, which is a named after the Reverend Phillip Honeywood who it is said had pack of hounds that has originated a lot of the hunting hounds of the modern world.  Its a great name and I think it just clicked.”

Explaining his design, Alan said: “Shortly before I was asked to participate in the Gerald project. I’d created a piece of work for the a charity fund-raiser called Manchester and Salford Illustrated.

“I’d begun to play with a series of circles to create a pattern for a cloud and was really pleased with how It turned out. I experimented with the circles further to create a fur texture for the Gerald. Hopefully, everyone will like the results.”

The Gerald and James exhibition will be held at 60 Reade Street, New York, NY 10007. The opening night takes place on Thursday 16 May 2013 – attendees are by invitation only.

If you would like to get a ticket to attend the show you can book tickets via the Gerald website http://gerald.lazerian.co.uk.

The book of the project, also titled Gerald, costs £101 and will be available for order at the show and via the Lazerian website.

You can view Alan, Guy and the other Column Arts Agency artists’ portfolios via this web page http://columnartsagency.co.uk/our-artists/.

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Super illustrator Peter Beatty is a skilled draughtsman that loves to create dreamlike scenes that explore nature and fantasy; and everyone at Column Arts Agency is chuffed to have him on board.

Peter’s work is colourful and detailed and often contains a strong narrative that can lead the observer into another world.

Hailing from London, Peter uses pencil to form his ideas before developing them with ink, paint or collage and completing them digitally.

Inspired by the likes of Sean Tan, Sara Fanelli, William Blake and Charles Keeping, Peter, who specialises in editorial and publishing illustrations, also admires the screen prints of US poster artist Jay Ryan.

You can check out more of Peter’s work via his portfolio page on the Column Art Agency site by clicking here.

To contact Column Arts Agency email hi@columnartsagency.co.uk.

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Colourful and detailed, Peter uses pencil sketches to form a folkloric narrative in his creations before enhancing them with ink, paint or collage and finishing them digitally.

He draws influence from the likes of illustrator Sean Tan, collage artist Sara Fanelli and the drawings of William Blake, Charles Keeping, Sydney Symes and Edward Gorey. He is also inspired by Japanese prints, and screen prints by US poster artist Jay Ryan.

Clients/Publications/Exhibitions:

Arts Council
Times Higher Education Magazine
Loud & Quiet Magazine
United Nations
Cork French Film Festival
BBC
VCCP Advertising
International Planned Parenthood Federation
Fire In The Mountain Festival
Two For Joy Music
Urusen
Because The Night
Coningsby Gallery, London: ‘Contemporary Illustration & Animation’
Hotbath Gallery, Bath: ‘Creative Alternative – an exhibition of alternatives to fine art’
54 Gallery, Greenwich: ‘Fifty Four @ 54 and exhibition of fine art, illustration and photography’

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We thought this mono odyssey warranted a bit of extra explanation from the artist so we asked him some questions. Here’s what he had to say:

Why did you decide to draw something that was inspired by The Beatles?

Cos Beatles are best! I loves them, me. Lyrically they just suit my drawings too I think. I wanted to do a drawing where the experience would last a bit longer for the viewer so I stuck a shed load of visual references in to give them something to do. How many can YOU see?

What is your favourite element of the drawing?

The octopus is probably my favourite because it was the first thing I drew, before it all got painfully complicated and before my fingers started bleeding. It was a simpler, less gory, time.

What was your drawing process? Did you sketch it out, do the whole thing digitally?

I sketches it all out first in pencil, then I scans it in and I photoshops the living daylights out of it don’t I? I keep the process fairly simple so that the digital work still has a hand drawn quality

How long did it take to draw?

Longer than it takes to paint the Golden Gate Bridge. Which gives me a tremendous sense of underachievement, frankly.

With Peppertown you seem to have taken your practice to a new level in terms of size and detail? Was this a conscious decision? Why did you decide to do something on this scale?

I’ve done something this big before by the old trusty pen and paper method, but this is the largest piece I’ve worked on digitally. I’ve always been a fan of ‘worlds’ in art/books/films, and to get that feeling of being transported takes more than just a snippet. That’s why I drew a whole town. Its actually a fairly small town, there’s only five buildings. It’s nice to think of a parallel Beatle universe existing inside the songs. It’s just fun.

What projects are you working on next?

More big drawings, probably on paper this time. Working with a theme was fun so I’d do that again probably, any requests?

Is it for sale?

Dang right it is! I’m going to produce a run of prints

You can view more of Trou’s work right here on the Column Arts Agency site –just click here

 You can also buy so of Trou’s limited edition prints from the Column Arts Agency shop!

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Organised by arts charity Shape, as part of its Creative Steps programme, the discussion provided some deep insights into the relationship between artists and those that represent them. Column Arts Agency have decided to share some of the points that William raised with everyone else so you can benefit too!

Here are William’s thoughts: “The main topic up discussion for at the meeting was ‘What are the benefits to creative organisations in working with artists that are part of a Union, agency or membership organisation?’. This is an issue which I, as an agent, feel needs clarifying because some creative organisations are hesitant about working with represented artists.

“The fact that agencies represent more than one artist is a benefit to a creative organisation. An agent can work alongside an organisation to help them choose the right artist for the job. Commercial art-working is not simply about aesthetics it is about choosing an artist with the right skills, be it illustration, animation, website design or whatever, and choosing an artist that fully understands the ideology of the project. That’s how the best results are achieved.

“This process of selecting the right artist for the project also forces the creative organisation to consider what they are commissioning more thoroughly. Every person working in the creative industries knows how difficult a project can be if the client doesn’t really know what they want or what they’re asking for. The artist selection process can help combat that hurdle.

“Second benefit: At Column Arts Agency we help creative organisations to create a strong project brief. Obviously this benefits us, our artist and the client. So we work with our client to compose an extensive brief that conveys exactly what the client wants and provides the artists with exactly the information they need.

“Again, this reduces the likeliness of mistakes happening and disputes flaring up.

“Another benefit of working with agents is that we make sure that every possible scenario is covered in the project contract. We outline sketch and final artwork deadlines, stipulate how images can be used, clarify who owns the copyright, and set-out dispute procedures.

“By making sure that all of this information has been confirmed at the beginning of a project we as agents have protected our artist, our client and ourselves. It guarantees the artist will produce the right product and that they will get paid on time and it ensures that the creative organisation get the result they wanted, on time.

“Finally, we agents act as a crucial mediator between the creative organisation and the artist. The very nature of working in the creative industries means that sensitive creative people commission sensitive creative people to work for them. This, in turn, means that noses can be put out of joint very easily when deadlines are looming. It is an agent’s job to make sure that this doesn’t happen and to help the project to run as smoothly as possible.

“It’s our job to take feedback, simplify it, structure it, remove any negative connotations and pass it on to the artist in a constructive manor. No artist likes re-doing work but if it is passed on in this manor it can avoid bad-feeling and disputes, and results in better work being created.”

William spoke alongside Jane Perry, Vice-President of media and entertainment union BECTU, and Louise Grainger, Marketing, Events and Training Manager of performers union Equity.

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Rebecca Jay, Alice Lickens and Priya Mistry have joined the eight other artists on the agency and will be getting involved in all things Column.

Priya is a graphics-based artist that draws inspiration from children’s stories and vintage art when creating her bright colourful characters and animations. She has a particular penchant for playful furry animals.

Portrait specialist Rebecca mixes modern techniques with traditional draughtsmanship when illustrating her intricate intimate creations. Poignant and realistic, Rebecca’s works often reflect the way their subjects act, think or work.

Alice uses a lightbox to manipulate and produce unique colours and textures in her, often humorous, illustrations. Her work caught the eye of Where The Wild Things Are creator Maurice Sendak shortly before his death and in 2012 she was invited live and draw in the woods of Connecticut, near his home, as part of the Sendak Fellowship.

Column Arts Agency founder William Astbury said: “Everyone at Column is dead chuffed that we now get to work with these incredible artists.

“2013 is already looking like it’s going to be an exciting year for the agency and I’m so glad that Alice, Rebecca and Priya will get to be part of that.”

If you would like to work with any of the Column Arts Agency illustrators email hi@columnartsagency.co.uk to find out more.

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Clients/Publications/Exhibitions:

Random House
Design Museum
Pavilion Books
Ivy Press
Flamingo Magazine
The Cheese Society
The London Comedy Film Festival
Sendak Fellowship
Zombie Collective
Tate Britain
Design Museum
House of Illustration
Ministry of Stories
Great Ormond Street
The Hayward Gallery
The British Library

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Clients/Publications/Exhibitions:

Spear’s Magazine
ECCA
Loco Films
Circle and Square
Ministry of Stories
Inscride Notebooks
Alongside many private commissions

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Clients/Publications/Exhibitions: 

BBC
Bauer Media
Unilever
Channel 4
RTE
Sony Playstation Home
Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB)
Invest NI
BT
Alamy iQ
Leicestershire County Cricket Club

Showreel 2012 from Priya Mistry on Vimeo.

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