What was it that originally inspired the ‘a love letter for you’ project?

Being on the train as a youth and seeing girls look at the graffiti on the rooftops facing the elevated. Even though they always looked at the graffiti, they weren’t all that interested in talking to me about it, so I thought about creating graffiti that girls would want to talk about, for the lovers who’d want to talk to them.

The murals are both romantic and inspirational, did you want the pieces to have a deeper message to society or were they more designed just to make people smile?

Yes to both

The pieces are more like the painted advertisements of the 50′s than conventional graffiti do you think that you would have had the same kind of acceptance for the project if you had gone down the route of conventional graffiti?

Graffiti is only graffiti if it’s non-conventional. Once graffiti coalesces into convention its just decoration. My graffiti defies convention, pretension and prevention. The guiding influence in Love Letter are two distinct schools of painted American letterforms, Sign Painting and Graffiti. I’ve painted graffiti that looks like signage and vice-versa. In Love Letter, we followed the basic rules of sign painting, but we used spraypaint and graffiti’s palette and speed in order to maximize the impact and fun.

Other graffiti artists such as Banksy have taken their artwork out of it’s original location and taken it to other cities around the world, would you ever try and recreate the love letter project somewhere else?

I started Love Letter in Dublin and Belfast. Letters like these overcome all distance. It might be the distance that gives them power

You have had some interesting comments about the murals one women commented ‘If someone did that for me I’d like it better than being taken to Red Lobster’ what is the most interesting comment you have heard about the project so far?

I don’t know, is busting out in tears a more interesting comment?

You can find out more about the ‘a love letter for you’ project on their website, I have picked a few of my favourites but essentially they are all awesome.

Reporter and former Green Beret Michael Yon is an unabashed supporter of troops in Afghanistan and Iraq.  A divisive figure, he is openly critical of the management of the war but remains very popular with both servicemen and those at home in the US.

Where are you now and what’s happening with your embeds since your last one was cut off?

Today in Singapore but recently was covering the serious fighting in downtown Bangkok in which about 86 people were killed and about 1,900 wounded.  Insofar as embedding with the U.S. military in the future, I do not envision that happening again. I will go back to the war but unlikely to be embedded.

Is it likely you can get embedded with British forces again?  What about other different countries – does the attitude differ country to country towards embedded reporters?

The British invited me several times when news broke of my disembed with U.S.  I had planned to go with them this summer, but after what happened with U.S. (and disembed with U.K. last year), it makes more sense to go alone.  U.S./U.K. will not hesitate to waste your time and money.  No longer makes sense to embed.  Not with so much censorship creeping in under McChrystal and the unpredictable, moody nature of senior public affairs officers such as Admiral Gregory Smith.

What made you take up being a photographer?

Photography is fascinating.  Insofar as communications, I would argue that still photography is by far the most powerful and versatile communications vector for reaching large audiences quickly and powerfully.

You’ve previously said that you initially used the camera as a notepad for your writing – when did it start to kick in as a proper creative tool?

In the earliest days, I just liked taking photos so I bought a new Nikon FE2.  This might have been 1983.  I shot mostly plants, birds, weather, whatever interested me.  But for years I hardly picked up a camera.  Then I started writing in about 1996 and eventually bought a cheap digital as a note pad.  I shot thousands of images mostly as notes and finally photography started taking a life of its own.

What were you writing about when you first started out then?  How do you feel that has developed over the years alongside your photography?

My first book is called “Danger Close” and you can see it on Amazon.com.  My other writing projects are still somewhat confidential as have had to put them on hold during the war.  Insofar as the relationship between writing and photography, the more you do both, the more they meld into one.  Writing and photography used to seem like completely different art forms, and on some level they are, but on another level they are the same thing.

What sort of gear do you use – how much do you have to hump about?  How robust does equipment have to be to work in the desert?

For the first few years, I was a minimalist.  Not because I was truly a minimalist but because my skills were not sufficient to warrant buying top of the line gear.  I went to Iraq in December 2004 with a Nikon D70 and a cheap 50mm prime.  I made a readers’ choice Time photo of the year with that camera and lens. (Dispatch title: “Little Girl.”)  For probably the first couple years of work, nearly all of my images were made through 50mm prime.  In mid-2005, I bought a Canon Mark II 1ds and on nearly the first mission, shot some of my most well-known photos during a firefight.  (Title: “Gates of Fire.”)  These days I shoot with only the best bodies and lenses available, using everything from fisheye to 400mm f2.8.  The gear has no serious problems in the desert but often you need to bag it up from the dust.

I read an article recently which detailed other photographers using their iphone to get smaller, more intimate pictures in a war zone – is that anything you’ve been tempted by?  Are you also thinking about making more use of video?

Had planned to use more video this year until the disembed.  Have not heard of photographers using their iPhones for smaller, more intimate pictures, but I did buy a phone with a good camera.  When you walk in with a Canon Mark IV, everyone notices and it changes the situation which is bad for writing and for photography.  Few people pay attention to the small cameras.

Does your approach differ on reporting from a small, tightly compacted conflict like in Bangkok to one spread over a wider time and space in Afghan/Iraq?

The fighting I saw in Bangkok was very localized.  You could walk to everything or take a motorbike.  Fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan is/was spread over vast distances and requires far more logistics.  In Thailand, the fighting was happening near the base of my hotel (which hotel was hit with a grenade while I was talking on the phone).  At times at night the fighting was so close that I could crawl onto the balcony or just walk downstairs and watch.  It was odd.  I would eat breakfast and walk straight out into the mix by walking across the street into the Red Shirt camp.

How do you find a balance when writing or shooting delicate moments?

Tough to do sometimes.  Especially with a big camera which changes the situation.  It’s all judgment.

Does people’s behaviour and attitude towards you in those moments vary between countries?

Yes, much.  Was just in heavy fighting in Thailand and they were letting people photograph anything under the sun.  U.S. or U.K. troops would never have allowed photographers to shoot some of the gore they were shooting.  I am not in for shock photos but some were and they were getting plenty of shock photos and nobody was stopping them.  Every culture is different.  Some are camera hams, some are the opposite, and there is everything in between.

Some of your best photography work is outside of the actual conflict, things like the Kopp-Etchells effect and the glowing star field pictures.  Apart from probably being relatively relaxing to shoot, what do you feel you get out of this particular aspect of photography?

That is pure enjoyment!  That’s why I love photography.  Photography can be like that box of chocolates.  You know there is a great shot, but are not sure what you are going to get.  This is especially true of low light shooting.

What other photographers, writers or artists do you like?

No particular favourites because there are so many great ones.  There is no shortage of outstanding photographers, writers and artists.  It’s like sampling food across Asia or Europe.  Don’t force me to pick a favourite because I don’t have one but get to enjoy widely.  That said — when I think of art, Italy often comes to mind.

Is this something you see yourself doing in 10/20 years time?  Could you see yourself reporting on a different area or subject?

Exploration has been a lifelong passion.  Writing and photography are also passions, and I like to combine these things with something worthwhile.  Something that benefits mankind and the planet.  Something that promotes peace while recognizing reality.

See more of Michael dispatches, go to http://www.michaelyon-online.com/

For more background on Michael, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Yon

Squidge Magazine: Can you tell us a little about how you started in Illustration?
Simon Wild: I completed an MA in Children’s Book Illustration in 2007 from Cambridge School of Art, and since then I have been propelled forward and been busy ever since.

SM: Your work is very psychedelic and bold. What are your major inspirations?
SW: Travel, film soundtracks, Space, science, The Yellow Submarine, colour and the desire to make a better more colourful world. I like contrast, shape and form. I am inspired by nature’s ability to adapt. I love to tell little stories in my work even if they do not make sense. I love the novels of Douglas Coupland, they are so visual and emotive. Maurice Sendak once said ‘Most illustrators are frustrated writers’ I am also both frustrated and influenced by the fact that I fall into this category.

SM: Which artists are you watching at the moment? Who’s work do you admire?
SW: I am a big fan of Swedish illustrator Linn Olofsdotter. Her use of colour and the real world to tell imaginative stories is wonderful. I also love the colourful compositions of Maya Hayuk, the iconic work of Margaret Kilgallen, and the beautiful universe that belongs to Wilson Hsu.

SM: Can you run through a typical work day for us?
SW: Starts with a cup of tea, quick whizz round the social networks, emailing invoices, replies, etc. If I am working on a commission I need to go into town where there is lots of visual and audio stimulation. Then I come back and begin work. If it’s personal work then I pick from around 5 or so different projects I have running at the same time and continue work on it. Somewhere in the day I always create a piece of work inspired by an album I listen to, and I work on it for no longer than the album’s length.

When the music is finished, so is the work. Most of my time is spent in my studio either making a complete mess or moving the mess from one side of the room to another. And then the cat jumps on the keyboard and I email complete nonsense to people I don’t know very well. In the summer I rescue flies from the studio, and pull faces at the neighbours. When work is quiet in the studio I arrange my memory sticks in the order of purchase, and re-arrange my collection of vintage transformer toys. I have an original Bumblebee I am very proud of. I love my work so my typical work day has been going on for about 3 years now.

SM: And what are your essential ‘tools of the trade’?
SW: Good old paper and pens to start, with some inks thrown in. I jump around a lot in my practice, from drawing, to collage, to digital and screenprint when I can get studio time. My biggest tool is colour, I always seem to be drawn to duck egg blue, orange and hot pink a lot of the time. And of course my Mac, gawd bless Apple!!

SM: So what are you working on at the moment? Any projects we should be
watching out for?
SW: I am just putting together some location work for a trip to NY which will involve visible tweets on giant post it notes. I am currently developing new ideas for children’s books. My first book ‘Fantastical Flying Machines’ is published later this year by Macmillan. I am also working on the Nike 78 project, where 78 creatives have been invited to challenge the function of a pair of Nike’s, for a book and show at the London Design fair in September. I have also been commissioned to create an audio visual piece for this years Big Chill festival, which will include a full 360 degree projection. I am also preparing for some joint and group showswhich will be happening at various points of this year.

SM: You’ve worked for a fair few clients and publications. Which ones stand out the most for you/were most enjoyable?
SW: I would have to say working with Macmillan was a rich and rewarding experience. I was lucky enough to work with a brilliant team, and I think we have created a book which I hope children will really like! I have also enjoyed the projects I created for YCN. I was asked to write a travel blog to document a working trip to Iceland, where I created work for a show called ‘Quiet Voices’ for Tate Britain earlier this year.

You can see more of Simons work at his website, and catch up with him on Twitter.

Scott Meyer is the writer of Basic Instructions, a handy guide to living a more fulfilled life.

You started out as a standup and met or worked with people like Weird Al, Mitch Herberg, Doug Stanhope and Patton Oswalt.  What was the comedy scene in the US like at the time?

In the 80s, stand-up enjoyed what they refer to in the industry as “the boom.” It was a magical time when you could make a really comfortable living with nothing but twenty minutes’ worth of material and a willingness to travel. It lasted until 1991. I started in 1992.

It was like someone took the movies “Punchline” and “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome” and put them in a blender together. There was an ever-dwindling number of clubs, housing ever-smaller and surlier audiences and an ever more desperate and hostile group of comics fighting for the same jobs. People who had been making six-figure incomes and squandered them were struggling to eke out a living and us new guys were left wondering what we’d gotten ourselves into. Over time the industry found an equilibrium, but it was a much smaller and more low-rent affair than I had anticipated.

There was some great comedy going on, though. You mentioned three of the best: Mitch Hedberg, Doug Stanhope, and Patton Oswalt. First time I worked with Stanhope, I watched his set and couldn’t believe how easy he made it look.

Do you think you could go back to doing standup after doing BI for so long?

No. I’ve considered giving it a shot, but it’d have to be for the right reasons, i.e. that I have something to say that I can’t say in the comic, and I just don’t see that happening. Frankly, the comic is a much better vehicle for my style of humour than stand-up ever was. I just did a strip about a superhero who’s everywhere at once. That’s not an idea I’d be able to make work on stage.

Are your benevolent overlords at Disneyworld aware of BI? [Scott works as a cast member at Disney World Florida]

My immediate supervisors are.  If they’ve told Mickey or not, I don’t know.

What’s your approach to writing a strip?

Good question. I hadn’t really given it much thought until recently.

I had a bout of writer’s block that lasted a few weeks. I’d struggle to come up with anything I thought was good until the last minute, then I’d just go with the best idea I had, and it’d end up being pretty good. I realized that I’d been censoring ideas before they were fully formed for questionable reasons.

There’s a great documentary called “Gigantic” about one of my favourite bands, They Might Be Giants. Towards the end, one of the two guys named John who make up the band says that They Might Be Giants needs to be “a world of endless musical possibilities” in order for them to continue. At the time I didn’t get it, but now I do. BI has to be a reflection of whatever I find funny this week or it’s doomed. Nothing’s worse than someone writing something they don’t think is funny, but they think you will.

You seem to have come across a great way of stuffing plenty of jokes into one strip with the minimal amount of artworking.  Did that style come straight away from being a comedy writer or take a while to get right?

In the first few BI’s, I averaged about one joke every other panel. Then I started putting at least one attempt at humour in each panel, and that’s when I started being proud of my work. I’ve referred to it as “The Iron-Body style of cartooning” because I’ve seen too many kung-fu movies. Others have called it the “death by a thousand cuts” approach. That’s probably more accurate.

Often I’ll have an idea I love, and three good jokes, but I’ll be stuck on the fourth. It’s always tempting to just go with three, but it’s much more satisfying when I come up with that fourth joke.

Your wife Missy and friend Ric feature a lot.  Have you ever written something, then thought ‘This might earn me a clip round the ear’?

Yes, but not from Missy. If you look, she’s the only person in the strip who consistently comes off well. I haven’t been married thirteen years because I don’t know what I’m doing.

Many times I have written something about Ric and thought, “This time I’ve gone too far.” Invariably, those are Ric’s favorite strips. I don’t know if he’s a masochist, or just super vain. I like to think it’s a little of both.

I wrote a strip in which I suggest he look for a woman like him. He recoils in horror at the idea of dating a self-absorbed asthmatic. I thought that was going too far, but his parents clipped that comic out and hung it on their fridge. You never know.

Actually, that’s just Ric’s and my sense of humour. To listen to our conversations, you’d think we were both wretched failures and horrible human beings. We take self-effacing humour to an illogical extreme. I stood for Ric at his third wedding. He and his bride walked down the aisle to the fight music from Star Trek, the original series. That’s just what he finds funny.

What’s the future for Basic Instructions?  A Rocket Hat offshoot perhaps, or More Advanced Instructions?

My friend Ray Freisen (a much better artist than I am) talked about doing a spin-off of Rocket Hat, but it didn’t work out. My part of that project is going to be in my second book.

I’ve thought about a side project, but I’m busy enough right now just juggling a day job and BI.

Any particular favourite web comics of your own?

(This question can be read two different ways, so I’ll answer both.)

“Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal” is awfully good, and “Penny Arcade” continues to be one of my favourites.

OR

I was very proud of “How to Write a Superhero Story.” Also the series I did about applying the laws of physics to your personal relationship was quite satisfying.

The best single joke I’ve ever written was in “How to Express Condolences,” when I told someone I was sorry to hear that their pet had died by texting them “ROFG” (rolling on floor, grieving).

Help Is On The Way: A collection of Basic Instructions Volume 1 is available from Amazon, Vol 2 is out in May.

You can also get BI collections on yer iphone.

Squidge Magazine: Can you tell us a bit about how HEL LOOKS got started?

Liisa Jokinen: We started in July 2005. We were on a summer holiday in Stockholm, Sweden, when we realized how colourful and diverse the streets of Helsinki are. As soon as we came home, we started taking pics. What especially inspired us were young glam rockers who were hanging outside Kiasma art museum in the centre of Helsinki. We thought they were worth documenting. And because we wanted to show the looks of Helsinki to the whole world, we published them online. We have continued doing HEL LOOKS because of the great feedback and simply because it’s a lot of fun! Meeting new people, taking pics, running the website.

SM: You mention that the site is a tribute to ‘the pioneers of street fashion photography’. Anyone in particular?

LJ: Shoichi Aoki in particular!

SM: The images have a real feel of documenting Helsinki sub-cultures. was this the plan from the outset of has it evolved over time?

LJ: Yes, the plan was and is to document the Helsinki street scene. We know there’s something worth documenting and showing to the rest of the world.

SM: So how do you go about getting the images? How do people react to being asked?

LJ: I usually always carry the camera with me. It’s nice to be surprised – to see something “hel lookable” when you really don’t expect it. Helsinki is a small city with only 500 000 inhabitants in it.

SM: So what about you two? Tell us about yourselves?

LJ: I’m freelancing, writing and photographing for lifestyle and fashion magazines. Sampo is working as a creative director at Sulake, the founder of teenager online game Habbo Hotel.

SM: Any other projects going on?

LJ: I’m planning an “non-profit social travel agency” with my friend Ulla-Maaria Engeström. A travel agency promoting local, high-quality, low-carbon services and travel destinations. Our aim is to re-define the meaning of luxury! Then I’m also planning to take the HEL LOOKS exhibition to Brussels next year (it has been on show in Copenhagen, Berlin, St Petersburg, Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius). Oh and one more thing: I’m one of the curators of Art Diamond art exhibition taking place next summer in Pori, Finland.

“It’s nicely positioned in that it’s not strictly a comic’s con and more an arts festival”

Ken Johnson

Thought Bubble is the Leeds Sequential Art Festival held over 4 days across various venues in the city.  Due to having only a short amount of time, I just went down to the main convention on the Saturday which was held in that dedicated monument of achievement:  Savile’s Hall in Leeds Armouries.

Wandering around, almost everyone exhibiting a table was approachable and happy to chat (although there were the odd one or two sourpusses – what’s the point of you being there if you’re just going to sulk?).  Adam Cadwell gave me a huge breakdown of every stand and exhibitor there (which I promptly forgot most of) and Matthew Craig crushed more information about the Birmingham comic scene into five minutes than I could fully digest or keep up with.

Sally-Ann Hickman

Oliver East

Paul Rainey

Mal and Jo of Fallen Angel Media

Things what were highlights:

• A massive amount to crush in.  The sheer breadth of stuff there was quite impressive and made the Eurogamer event I’d been to the previous month here look a bit sparse.
• The general atmosphere of cheeriness and enthusiasm (which is sometimes rare in events).
• Being able to chat to the artists and creators directly freely (with the odd bit of queuing for people like Adi Granov) without some surly PR or salesman scowling at you.
• Oliver East quite happily plugging stuff for Blank Slate, who couldn’t be arsed to man their own stall.
• The bloke on the Alpha Gods stall playing guitar and managing to clear the blocked crowd down that aisle so people could get through easier – sterling work fella!
• Going to buy The Manly Boys Annual from Steve Tillotson, only to be told he’d forgotten it (his mum later came to the rescue).
• Watching Keiron Gillen (Phonogram) regaling some tale to an itinerant hack in the Alea lobby like some senior club member blithering on about the Crimea.

There was a right old wodge of things to see and do, most of which I missed.  Tucked away in the curtained corner of the convention hall and in the Alea Casino opposite were talks, discussions, portfolio reviews and cosplay costume competitions.  On the Sunday, there were screenings at the Carriageworks, Alea Cinema and the Hyde Park Picture House of various Manga films, loads of workshops in Leeds Library and Art Gallery and a Dr Sketchy’s Burlesque Drawing Night.  If I’d have had more time, I would have ploughed into most of the events on the different days, but it’s also structured that the Saturday gives you enough to look at.

Ken Johnson

Howard Hardiman

Matthew Craig

For someone whose comic knowledge extends to the Beano and Viz, I found Thought Bubble really friendly and approachable.  I was initially hesitant to go, mainly because to me (and from reading up on similar events) it seemed a bit of a closed world and the cosplay stuff could come across as a bit much.  Once I got there though, there was enough for everyone at whatever level of interest.  As Ken Johnson says above, it comes across as more of an arts festival with a lot of comics in it, and because it’s got a very broad spectrum with the likes of Marvel and DC through to small press work and individual artists, there’s something for everyone.  If you’re planning to go next year, and it comes highly recommended that you do so, make sure you scrutinise the timetable on the Thought Bubble website and plan ahead.

These people particularly caught our eye:

Sally-Ann Hickman – http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2008/propaganda-sally-ann-hickmans-beautifully-crafted-tales-of-smelly-dogs-and-brutally-honest-autobiography/

Paul Rainey – http://www.pbrainey.com

Philippa J Rice – http://www.philippajrice.com

Jim Connolly – http://www.jimcportfolio.co.uk

Kristyna Baczynski – http://www.kriskicorp.blogspot.com/

Fallen Angel – http://www.thefallenangel.co.uk/

Howard Hardiman – http://www.cutebutsad.co.uk/comics/

Matthew Craig – http://thematthewcraig.com/

Liz Greenfield – http://www.lizgreenfield.com

Squidge Magazine: How did you get started in design?

Morgan Gibbons: Well I guess you could thank my mum for that, pretty much as soon as I could hold something she’d stick crayons in my hand to keep me quiet. When I was 5 my younger twin brothers were born and I found myself having to keep myself occupied, so I’d sit in my room and draw spaceships and cars for hours.

As I approached my teens Hip Hop and Graffiti were just arriving in the UK from the States and this immediately caught my interest. The manipulation of text in graffiti was so inventive I had to get involved. This is probably where my graphic design skills started proper as I find I’m still using skills I learnt then for work I do now. School was typical with nothing to note apart from being suspended on the last day for tagging up all the toilets and getting caught!

After school I started A Level Art and BTEC Art & Design which I didn’t complete due to personal circumstances, so I started working full-time in restaurants and sports shops and the like – I was 19 at this point. 2 years passed until my step-dad asked if I wanted to take a job at the newspaper printers where he worked. This was 1992 and when my career in graphic design started. I was at the printers for 5 years and this gave me good knowledge of what can and can’t work in print. I meet a lot of designers now that don’t know much about the print process and this shocks me.

After working at the printers in the pre-press department I decided I wanted to learn more about desktop publishing so I worked my way through various companies over the next 10 years to get the relevant skills… newspapers, fashion agencies, internet agencies, creative agencies, marketing and promotion agencies and advertising agencies. I ended up starting my own company and freelancing here and there. This led to SEGA.

SM: Apart from whining about wrong logos and colouring in pictures of Sonic the Hedgehog in-between the lines with blue crayons, what do you do day to day?

MG: Firstly our Head of Creative Services would fill me in on any pressing tasks for the day, and then I’d check over my emails. As we oversee creative for all of Europe and Australia there may be assets to supply or problems to solve from any of the local offices. My role is then divided between hands on creative artworking which usually involves talking an existing piece of artwork for a front of pack or advert and re-purposing it for our European customers, and managing the artworkers in the studio and helping them produce their particular job.

I love what I do as it can be so varied, from designing the logo for a game to making a design for a promotional item such as a T-Shirt to searching through our archive of artwork to find the packaging for an old title that we’re re-releasing on another platform. I’m also responsible for the templates that come in from Microsoft (360 and Games for Windows), Nintendo (Wii and Nintendo DS) and Sony (PlayStation 3 and PSP). I make sure everyone is up to speed on how a title would be produced using them if they’ve changed.

SM: Do you get much creative input in terms of the boxed designs or is it pretty much already set in stone?

MG: It all depends on the title in question. Usually on titles developed in Europe we’ll have more creative freedom. This is not always the case though.

SM: Do you still keep up with your own artwork or is it just a work thing?

MG: I wish I had more time to do my own art but with work and two children it’s not very easy finding the time. Saying that I recently got in touch with some of my graffiti mates on Flickr and that got my creative juices flowing again. Every Sunday morning my daughters and I sit down and do some drawing together, I can practice my graffiti skills and get to teach them as well.

SM: When was the last time you went out to bomb up Brentford?

MG: That’s wishful thinking; I gave up illegal graffiti activity almost 20 years ago!

So I just had to ask her if she would do a picture for us around the theme of ‘Squidge’ and find out a bit more about her work. This is what she came up with.

Squidge Mag: How would you describe our work to anyone who has never seen it before?

Lily Mae Martin: I would describe my drawn work as often grotesque and unsettling in the depiction of it’s subjects, but not without a little humour. They are sort of an overt representation of the inner psyche. Conversely my painted works are generally softer and not as immediately confronting. The subjects seem to hold their emotions further within. In each image I am striving to improve myself technically and conceptually, which I think is really starting to shape my work now.

SM: What artists and illustrators have been the biggest influence on your work so far?

LM: When I was younger, comic books were my biggest inspiration… Such as FooTrot Flats and Archie. Then I was really inspired by The Simpsons when it came out and Disney and Looney Toons. (Especially the earlier ones.) Osamu Tezuka and Peter Chung’s “Aeon Flux”. Then when I was older, I really got inspired by Masamune Shirow’s Ghost in the Shell, I really loved Alan Moore’s “V for Vendetta”, I enjoyed Neil Gaiman, and was very inspired by Garth Ennis’ “Preacher”, and David Mac. Other than comics and cartoons, I am very inspired by Caravaggio, Goya, William Hogarth, Munch, Lucien Freud, John Currin, etc.

SM: What’s your working space or studio like?

LM: My space is rather new so I am still waiting on some furniture. It’s decorated with old photographs I have been collecting and images I like from magazines, postcards etc. It’s pretty incomplete. But, it’ll get there. I have double doors that open up to the back garden so I can get some ventilation while looking at the pretty garden. Very nice light.

SM: How did you get on with the theme of Squidge?

LM: The image I chose is about how we all live off our screens. We work with them, we study with them, we socialize with them, we entertain ourselves with them, we lust with them, we are glued to them and I think it is affecting our social behavior. I think how we run our work spaces and conduct our social lives are heavily influenced by these machines and are squidging our brains and ourselves!

You can find more of Lily’s work on her website

Squidge Magazine: What have you been up to recently?

Emmanuelle Walker: I moved to Paris 2 years ago especially for the third year of specialisation in Animation Direction at Gobelins School.  Before that I was living in Montreal Quebec where I studied traditional animation in a three years programme at The Cegep du Vieux Montreal, and worked three years in the animation industry. Since a year now I have been working on a few commercials, TV idents, clips, in different commercial/post-production companies here in Paris.

SM: Après La Pluie was your graduation film from Gobelins, what sort of reception has it been getting from the festivals it’s been shown at?

EW: People seem to appreciate it.  We often receive kind emails and comment concerning ‘Après La Pluie’. It has been in a dozen of festival around the world, so we are pretty happy with that, even if we can’t afford to follow it everywhere! The film gets to travel alone now.

SM: What was the process behind the character designs?

EW: I made a first series of characters, with all its psychological attributes in mind, and showed it to the team. Then everyone told me what they thought about it, and I made a few more series of drawing with their comments in mind, until everyone was pleased by the final design.

SM: Your illustration style has a very relaxed, cheery feel to it.  Do you find it’s quite an easy thing to do or is it harder than it looks?

EW: Well it depends. Sometimes it’s easier, because I am more motivated. Also, the more the brief is precise, the easier it is.  But it also depends of the mood I am in at the time. But like anything, if you sit down and draw for a while, something nice will come out in the end.  Oh and finally backgrounds are hard for me to do, that’s why mine are always so simple… or missing.

SM: You’ve also done a lot of visual development and direction work for people like Virgin, Orange, Lacoste, Cartoon+ and Midas. Do they give you free rein with what you can do or are they quite specific about what they want?

EW: A lot of the things I have worked on were pitches, so they weren’t all developed in the end, but it depends of the client. When I work as a designer/director, they usually like what I propose at first, but in the advertising industry, there are so many stages of approval that it is rare to be free from A to Z. There will often be someone telling you that this is too green or not big enough or that the character on the bike has to wear a helmet. However, clients that trust you, and let you try things out exists… but it’s rare. I have worked on some projects that could have been clearer, and more coherent, but (I find) ended up going in all kinds of directions, because everyone (and often non creative people) needs you to apply their artistic advice. But this is advertising, you have to accept it, defend your ideas, and make the client trust you. That’s why I so passionate about my job!

SM: Having worked in both Paris and Montreal, do you think there’s a different mindset between the two?

EW: Yes. It’s two different cities, with two different mentalities and culture. With as much differences as resemblances. So obviously it’s different at work too. I prefer some of Montreal’s aspects, and others from Paris… It’s really hard to stop comparing… that’s the uprooted’s problem I guess.

SM: Are there any specific differences that come to mind?

EW: I don’t want to make generalities, here, but in France, people tend to be very direct and critical, and on the streets sometimes even aggressive. While Quebecers use a little more diplomacy to say things and are often more laid back and accommodating. With these in mind, I don’t think that working in Paris is a bad thing. On the contrary! Being surrounded by critical and frank people will push me to put more effort into my work and make me evolve faster.

But working in Montreal has its good sides too. I think people trust you more easily, as well as personally than professionally. When I was working at Spectra Animation on Toopy and Binoo series, the boss often asked me if I had personal projects I would like to develop. I nearly didn’t have any previous experience in the animation field at that point so I was surprised by his offer.

Also, I could add that it’s harder to approach new people and to make friends in France, but once you are friends, it’s stronger and true. On the other hand, in Quebec, it’s easy to talk to people in bars and on the streets, but you probably won’t see these people again. Some people I spoke with think of it as hypocrisy, I don’t think it is… you might be friendly with everyone, but you can’t be friend with everyone.

SM: What are you working on at the moment?

EW: I just finished working at Wizz. A communication and post-production company based near Paris, on an ‘Origami Star’ commercial for Orange. At the beginning I was on the development team. Then I worked as a 2D animator and did a little coordination as well. I am developing my own personal project at home, whilst taking new animation/visual development offers in different companies.

Emmanuelle’s portfolio site including acres of great sketchbook stuff is here. Her blog is here.

Emma studied at London College of Fashion before being given a Scholarship from Marchpole to make my graduate collection. Now the designer and textile artist set up the label ä elska from my studio space in the creative hub that is Cockpit Arts in Deptford. We asked her some questions and she said this…

Squidge Mag: Can you talk us through your work process, how do things go from a fuzzy concept to the finished article?

Demiswede: Well for me usually everything starts with a lot of photocopies! I’ll spend a lot of time in libraries and this creates loads of ideas that usually lead to a theme. For my graduate collection I was influenced by a lot of scientific diagrams and symbols that document movements or sounds. I thought about how even though most people can’t read musical notation they can enjoy the sound, so their brain understands the same symbols just in a different way! Its a thought process that feels simple and obvious but points to other ideas about interpretation. This leads to me scribbling a lot and playing with shapes on the mannequin which leads to garment shapes!

SM: What or who do you think has been the biggest influence on your designs to date?

D: I think Swedish culture is my biggest influence, I find the design aesthetic so beautiful, Its so pure and so functional yet has a massive visual impact, It is my aim to design like that.

SM: Which designer would you most like to work with?

D: At the moment my favourite designer is Erdem Moralioglu. It is difficult to combine femininity, modesty and modernity and he does it so so well. I also love Martin Margiela for his design ethos, it’s very admirable for a designer to shy away from the spotlight because a huge team of people will have worked on the designer’s collections. The work is so high end, yet exposes the processes behind making the garments.

SM: The fashion industry has been massively influenced by the recession, what effect do you think this has had on new designers?

D: I think it has hit everyone hard, I’ve definitely lost some opportunities due to the recession but I’ve gained the absolutely amazing one to have a studio space at cockpit arts and support from head for business that I never would have had otherwise! Seeing other businesses fail makes you realise that you can’t spend money you don’t have, and you have to be very clever about what you put on the market, but it pushes you to do well on your own. I don’t think it would be any fun if it was easy ; )

SM: How would someone reading this hope to get hold of one of your designs?

D: The garments you can see are made to order and you can email me at demiswede@googlemail.com. Later this year I will be selling accessories at Greenwich market and slowly but surely building up a bigger product range and stockists! Also look out for my label launching which is going to be called ä elska

SM: Your final collection features items which have incredible intricate patterns cut into the fabric, is the process as painstaking as it looks?

D: I drew the textile design by hand and used a laser cutting machine to cut the design.  So the laser does the really clever bit! Although it does take a long time to digitally match the textile design to the garment shape, not to mention make sure that you don’t set anything on fire!!

SM: I love that there is an origami element to your work, the pieces are incredible architectural, where did this feature in your work emerge from?

D: Architecture feels similar to fashion in a lot of ways, basically in both disciplines you are cutting out flat shapes and putting them together to make one big three dimensional shape. I also think that you inhabit your clothes as much as you do your home. Its funny that you say it looks like origami because at first when i was trying to work out how to fit people into the shapes I made little paper models of them!

SM: Your studios are in Deptford; South East London has often been suggested as a hub of creativity, do you think that the area has had an influence on you?

D: It’s impossible not to be influenced by your surroundings and Deptford is brilliant as the creativity is a really exciting undercurrent that bubbles underneath society and comes out in graffiti and little community projects. I think you will always find emerging artists and designers where the rent is cheap!

SM: What would you say has been the highlight of you career so far?

D: I’m really only just getting started so I feel like all the highlights are yet to come! I think my graduate show was a definite highlight even though I totally almost fainted afterwards! Can highlights exist in the form of people? I’ve been really lucky since graduating to work with some amazingly creative people at places like Amelia’s magazine and Louise Goldin.

SM: Have you got anything interesting in the pipeline for the future?

D: I have so many ideas and so many plans! I’m going to be doing large pieces of textile artwork to place in empty shop windows, converting negative recession-affected spaces into positive ones! I’m going to be setting up my market stall and I also have some really cool interior products in the pipeline!

SM: What other up and coming designers do you think we should watch out for?

D: Definitely look at Louise Goldin, she does absolutely astonishing things with knit and her shapes are so forward thinking. I also think Peter Pilotto is doing some really interesting things with digital print so I’d keep an eye on him!