#30Works30Days was, as the name implies, a month long project that took place for the month of April 2021. It is an annual project set up by 12ø Collective, a collective based in London, in which artists are invited to post a new work everyday. These works can be based on the given theme each day or whatever the artist wishes. This year I chose to use the project as a way to brush up on my illustration skills, build up my own style, or just see if I have one. Inspired partly by a fascination with illustrations from medieval times and the illustrations used in fairy tale/story books - Also partly inspired by the works of Tove Jansson, the Finnish artist, author, and icon.
In choosing what to draw I went for a mixture of real life places and objects I’d seen and had decided to draw, as well as this I drew imagined worlds and scenarios. In truth I feel like all of the illustrations have some degree of a fantasy aesthetic, the drawings that are of real life ordinary scenes have some magical elements injected into them. I wanted the landscapes and scenes to be a form of escapism in which the viewer can lose themselves and dive into the illustration. For the illustrations of objects and representations of singular creatures, animals, and figures I wanted them to be fun, colourful, while still in keeping with the fantastical fairy tale book style. Hopefully I achieved that, I think I might have.
#30Works30Days was really enjoyable yet again this year, there were some moments where I struggled and some illustrations were posted a little late but overall it was highly positive. The whole project was very very rewarding, it gave me some confidence, showed me that I do still have the ability to make work like this. To do illustrations to a good level of quality.
Below is 12ø Collective’s descriptor/open call for the project attached to the announcement post on their Instagram - @12ocollective
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
30Works30Days, is a month long project for artists where they are required to submit a new piece of work daily, every day for the month of April. If you fail to submit something on one of the days, you are out of the project.
3030 is to encourage making and experimentation, testing what you think you know about your practice. With the restriction of one day you may find that the choices you make, the corners you cut and those ideas that you couldn’t quite realise, are just as telling as the work that you produce. Be as lazy or ambitious, as devious or honest as you like, remember it is your choice and ultimately your representation of the concerns within your practice.
The project is open to everyone and any medium is encouraged.
@12ocollective