Drawn to win
by Michèle Nardelli
A
pensive bully, a rascally rat, two very flexible zebras and a snow peak
with a distinct personality – all of these characters are alive on the
page at the Storylines exhibition at Gallery M, Marion Cultural Centre.
And they are the creation of budding illustrators from UniSA – a group of current students and recent graduates who were invited to display their work alongside published children’s book illustrators for the exhibition which runs until September 10.
Included in the group is work from the winner of the 2005 Scholastic National Illustrators Award, Josh Lee and runners up in the same competition, Sarah Bettany (pictured) and Denes Nagy. Lee’s purloining rat, Ratty, a creation from childhood, is featured in the display along with other characters from the story including hippos and flamingoes, all inspired by trips to the Adelaide Zoo. Lee was awarded the chance to illustrate a 24-page picture book with an advance fee as part of the competition.
Also on display is work from Gabriel Cunnet who, following the competition was commissioned to complete the illustrations for Calico Camel, the children’s story set for the competition entrants to illustrate.
Course coordinator for the Bachelor of Visual Communication, illustration design, David Blaiklock says the student success is extremely rewarding.
"The course has a strong emphasis on design theory and illustration techniques and we also focus on illustration as a narrative tool and a means of character development," he said. "So the learning environment is there but we also have some extremely talented illustrators in our program. It is clear from the results we get in competitions, and the fact that they are invited to exhibit, that their skills are top notch – and can only get better."
More information about the course is available from David Blaiklock on (08) 8302 0676.