WIA2022 Longlist Highlights From The Professional Exploration Category

Anne Wilson : Reflections of a world that once was…

These illustrations were created as developmental work by Anne, and were intended to be a sequence of images in book form, visually highlighting the destructive path mankind is on and the affect we have on the natural world around us.

The pieces started with research and sketches of a variety of species of primates and compositions which then led to a final concept. The end results were created primarily in Photoshop with a Wacom pen over multiple layers.

Anne Wilson is an Illustrator born on Ascension Island in the South Atlantic, who now lives in the much less remote town of Reading.

Hélène Baum-Owoyele : Women of Colour

Using a technique where she has combined watercolour and vectorised illustration, Hélène was inspired to create a series of portraits of famous women of colour that have inspired her.

This part of the series focuses on writers, and the composition was influenced by patchwork, quilting and collage.

Hélène Baum-Owoyele is an afropean illustrator living in Berlin.

Alona Millgram : Growth

This piece was created as part of a group exhibition entitled “The Pink Period”, inspired by Picasso’s Pink Period. Alona’s piece was inspired by her own pink period, her pregnancy.

She chose to reflect on a moment of inner peace and patience in this slow growth process.

This is a digital illustration created using Photoshop.

Alona is an illustrator based in Israel.

Thomas WH Compton : Folklore Festivals of the British Isles

Created as a series of images that responded to Thomas’s interest in Folklore Traditions from around Britain, he was fascinated that there are customs that harken back to a time forgotten.

He wanted to consolidate elements of his style by merging techniques in this series though a combination of analogue and digital, from screen printing to letterpress and finishing with Adobe Photoshop.

Thomas Compton lives in Plymouth, UK, where he works as an illustrator and printmaker

Rachael Saunders : Patterned Panoramic of Krka National Park, Croatia

This epic patterned panoramic pays homage to Krka National Park, Croatia, which Rachael was inspired to capture after visiting on her honeymoon.

She wanted to create an image that was truly immersive and playfully explored the flora and fauna of the park.

The artwork was created entirely digitally, using a Wacom tablet and iMac.

Rachael Saunders is an Illustrator based in Southampton, UK, with a passion for storytelling and character design.

Weronika Marianna : Anima Mundi, a soul of all the living things

This series of animations were an opportunity to investigate the idea of Anima Mundi, an esoteric concept of a spirit connecting all living beings, a vital force of the universe.

It’s an exploration of the unity of all creation, but also Weronika’s tribute to animation as an art form. She imagines the small looped gifs are a metaphor for the never ending cycle of life.

Weronika Marianna is a Polish animator, illustrator and painter based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.