WIA2021: New Talent Alternative Publishing Highlights

The Infinity Building is an infinite graphic novel about an infinite building and it was the outcome of Rafaela’s Final Major Project at university. The book explores the themes of the vicious circle and the maze.

Rafaela Pascotto is an illustrator from São Paulo, Brazil. She graduated in Illustration, at Escola Britânica de Artes Criativas, in December 2020.

This project explores the story of The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks. Using the physical format of the book, and the motion of turning the pages to represent the extraordinary condition of Dr P, a music teacher whose troubles with his vision and memory makes him mix his foot and shoe, look at faces as they were puzzles, and to approach everyday life through music.

Kata Kocsispeter originally from Hungary, is an illustrator based between Budapest and Cambridge. She recently graduated from Cambridge School of Art.

‘Snow’ is an exploration in storytelling, and an expansion on the comic page format. The book has no grid, the frames are sized and positioned according to the story’s needs. The technique used in this work mimics traditional printmaking techniques. Each page was inked with a fountain pen in three stages, then scanned, and colour adjusted using Photoshop, before being composited together.

Noa Peled is a senior year student at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem. Her work focuses on the emotional aspects of storytelling through the setting just as much as through the characters.

This 24 page graphic novel is a reflection on the insulation of the very rich in big cities and their paradoxical relationship with these places – living in the heart of vibrant metropolitan areas yet shielded from everything that makes these exciting places to live in. The story follows a wealthy man who grows intrigued by life outside his luxurious bubble.

Pedro Gomes is a Portuguese designer and illustrator based in London. After graduating from MA Illustration at Camberwell College of Arts, he completed an Art Fellowship with Guernica Magazine, where he contributed as an editorial illustrator.

Grace’s project is a series of illustrations based on the history of designer fashion brands that were founded in Paris, France. Each house depicts its unique history, inspirations of the founder, as well as the social events that were impactful at the time. The illustrations were intended to become an accordion-fold book.

Canada-based freelance illustrator Grace Park is a recent graduate of ArtCenter College of Design. She strives to tell stories that console people and bring warmth into their lives.

This book was created for a university project about panic attacks. Anxiety disorders are widespread, and panic attacks can be an overwhelming experience, so Max’s illustrations take a more light-hearted approach to talk about this difficult topic.

Max Bartram is a Berlin-based Illustrator and Graphic Designer. He graduated in early 2021 and worked in advertisement agencies. Recently he has done freelance illustration for small editorial projects and is looking forward to pursuing a career in illustration for branding and editorial.

The newspaper retells the mysterious disappearance of British explorer Percy Fawcett whilst looking for the Lost City of Z in the Brazilian Jungle. It references the classic newspaper look, with the illustrations in a blue colour palette, except the colourful centre fold.

Alana Keenan is a half German and half Irish illustrator based in Stuttgart, Germany. She graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Stuttgart with a degree in Visual Communication.

This work is part of an illustrated narrative that explores the themes of nostalgia, childhood holidays, and grandparent relationships in a way that would resonate with every reader, all through the pages of an old photo album. The narrative is based on Stephanie’s childhood memories spent with her grandmother at her home on the coast of Spain, and is a bittersweet homage to her.

Stephanie Jade Howe is an Illustrator, Animator, and Designer based in London. Since graduating with a First Class degree in Illustration from UCA Farnham in 2020, she has worked with clients including Harper Collins, British American Tobacco, The Queer Bible, and Westfield.

This work is a conceptual guidebook on the innovation of packaging inspired by the Museum of Brands in London. This work tells the story of six kinds of packaging boxes in the form of a pop-up book such as why cans were invented and how paper bags are used commercially.

Emily Liu graduated from MA illustration at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) in 2020. She is currently based in Taiwan.