elnasart

[elnasart]

My wall!! Look at all that work!!

I set all of my illustrations out in rows of seven, ordering them by each week, 16 weeks in total. I am amazed by the amount of work I have produced and how cohesive it looks as a whole. It is just like a diary on my wall, a complete insight into who I am, how I feel and what I've spent the past semester doing. I hope those who view it will enjoy scanning through every image and understanding every aspect of my personality.

[elnasart]

"I spend all my money in Tesco"

Yes I literally do, it's just fun. I love to spend all my hard earned cash on junk that I absolutely don't need in Tesco. It's just lockdown vibes isn't it.

[elnasart]

"side effects may include constant panic attacks"

After starting new medication, some of the side effects were included as heart palpitations, fatigue, sickness and nausea. So all the main symptoms of a panic attack, it's been a rough few weeks. But communicating this stress and sharing it with my followers makes me feel less alone, I know I'll get through it and it'll be okay.

[elnasart]

"I am so afraid of doing anything alone"

After the news of Sarah Everard's death last month, I don't think I'm alone in saying I'm scared, all the time. I don't want to go anywhere by myself, I don't want to travel alone. It's so frightening to know that we as women are still so unsafe, targets on our own streets.

[elnasart]

"I am so tired, I can't stop crying"

Life is feeling very very tiring at the moment, my life consists of deadlines, work, sleep, repeat. It's a lot to deal with. The crying bit is a lie, antidepressants have stopped my ability to cry, now I just feel the need to cry constantly, without the release.

[elnasart]

"Why am I nostalgic of Lockdown #1"

This is a very strong feeling that I've been feeling recently, lockdown 1 felt so pure and innocent, all of us being so naive and sure that it wouldn't last long. I almost miss it, back when life felt like it was just on pause, not so scary and uncertain, just on a break.

[elnasart]

"I miss touch, I miss it I do, I do, I do, I do"

This is a response to the feeling of missing touching other people. I miss holding people's hands, I miss hugs, I miss brushing past people at the bar. This is such a universal experience, we have all felt this way since covid took over our lives, and it's soul crushing to think we might now be able to ever go back to normal.

[elnasart]

"Yes I saw my mate, don't arrest me"

This is a response to my feelings of stress and anxiety over seeing my friends, even though I know I'm allowed to again now. I wonder whether that guilty feeling will ever not be there again?

[elnasart]

"Maybe the sun will make it all better"

Goodness me, I hope it does. That promise of sunshine and warm days and bright evenings, brings so much hope and excitement to our lives, it's the only thing that feels like it could make everything better now. If only the sun had the magical healing ability to rid the world of covid.

[elnasart]

"Fuck you Boris you fucked up"

This is a quick response I had to my feelings about Boris Johnson and the way he has completely abandoned students over the past year. We feel forgotten, ignored, absolutely disgusted by the way the government have treated students and we are so angry about it.

[elnasart]

The other 10 dolls

[elnasart]

Paper dollies

I found these paper dolls in Tesco on my weekly shop, and I just knew I had to do something with them! I used them as blank canvases, to create lots of different versions of myself, 20 of them to be precise. Each represents a different day, who I was on each different occasion. There's something so comforting about having them all in one place, together, like they're holding hands with one another.

[elnasart]

Lize Meddings

Lize Meddings is the creator of the "sad ghost club", something I became familiar with through Instagram. Her work is so incredibly heartfelt and sensitive, and pushes me to make my work more sincere. Her use of bright, beautiful, colour palettes keeps me coming back for more, I am absolutely amazed.

Her piece below, speaks to me so much, it is so similar to my own life, the way in which I talk to my plants every day and expect them to respond. I love this brutal honest of her playfulness and childlike imagination coming through in her illustrations. This is something I want my work to convey too. Her people are so easily recognisable, as she draws her noses like little socks, so you can tell her work is hers right away. This is something I've tried to achieve in my own work, my characters always have swirly little red cheeks, something that I feel makes them recognisable as my own.

[elnasart]

Simone Lia

Simone Lia is a cartoonist and author, and has created a number of children's books. She is also known for her work with fellow cartoonist Tom Gauld, who I have previously looked into. I am very much entranced by her ability to explore the world of humanity and the way in which she so easily communicates her ideas and questions through her work. I also find many of her illustrations very funny and light hearted, often making little jokes and digs at life and it's struggles, much like what I do in my own work.

[elnasart]

Tom Gauld

Tom Gauld is a Scottish cartoonist and illustrator, and creates incredibly dead-pan one page cartoons. I am fairly new to his works, but find myself totally entranced by his ability to keep me engaged through a fair amount of text and characterization. His drawing style reminds me very much of the small scale cartoons I used to read in the newspaper as a kid, something that began my love of drawing.

[elnasart]

Gemma Correll

Gemma Correll is one of my favourite artists of all time. My mum bought me a bag covered in her cartoons when I was 13, and I've been encapsulated by her ever since. I draw a lot of inspiration for my own work from her, her work mostly consists of black and white drawings with a bit of red colouring in. Her colour palette and consistency is so exciting to me, I know I will love every single piece that she releases.

Gemma, like myself, is very honest and open in her works, sharing her frustrations, stresses and worries through her character. I love this sincerity that she is able to convey through such light hearted and humourous illustrations. It is something I strive for when creating my own work, to be as open and brutally honest with my audience as possible, whilst keeping it easy to engage with.

[elnasart]

David Shrigley

David Shrigley has always been one of my biggest inspirations, his ability to covey humour and visual communication through is work astounds me. Every piece is so different, and his honesty makes me want to create works as truthful as his. He said "I thought my degree show was brilliant, but the people who were marking it didn't. I got a 2:2", and this feels so funny to me, it also feels like something I would probably say. I have often felt that my work isn't good enough because it is illustration, but seeing artists like David Shrigley succeed so prominently in the art world with work very similar to mine in terms of theme and presentation, is so inspiring.