SAA Cross Category Award For New Talent Shortlist
Meet the 5 illustrators shortlisted for the WIA2024 Society of Artists Agents Cross Category Award for New Talent.
Image Credit: Emma Simpson – Clara and the Birds
For the sixth year running, The Society of Artists Agents are awarding one unrepresented New Talent illustrator the opportunity to receive six-months of agent representation and mentorship.
Established in 1992, The Society of Artists Agents (SAA) is a group of like-minded Agents representing World Class Illustrators. With a vast amount of industry expertise, the winner will be given the tools to flourish in the illustration industry.
The SAA Cross Category winner will be drawn from the five shortlisted illustrators below. Selected by all of the SAA Agents, the shortlist features illustrators chosen from across all of the ten categories. A big thanks to the team at SAA for continuing to champion New Talent illustrators navigating the industry.
We can’t wait to share the winner at the WIA2024 Awards Ceremony on the 10th September!
Emma Simpson – Clara and the Birds
This heartwarming book emphasises the importance in seeing each child as an individual.
Championing those with an introverted nature, the book explores being lost in your own world and reframing this into a positive.
Whilst the main character hears others say she is shy, Emma wanted this story to show that there is nothing wrong with feeling shy and it should not define a person.
The tactile use of medium creates human and emotive illustrations. Combining ink rollers, water colour, fine liner pens and collage.
Emma Simpson is an illustrator based in Germany.
Ciel Chen – Girls in New York City
Created as a series of posters for The Art On Link screen in New York City, this series celebrates the diverse women of New York.
Inspired by iconic New York locations, each character showcases iconic fashion and individuality in New York, through a curated location colour palette.
Inspired by locations such as The Metropolitan Museum, Coney Island and Washington Square Park. The illustrations perfectly capture the mood of each setting.
The final illustrations were displayed on screens around NYC bringing the work to life within their own environment.
Ciel Chen is an illustrator based in the USA
FANGFANG HAN – The Tube
Inspired by a museum visit to The London Transport Museum, this beautiful animation celebrates the 160th anniversary of The London Tube.
Highlighting the small moments that we all experience, the animation captures everyday moments of joy. Bringing them to the forefront amongst the hustle and bustle.
The glass half full perspective is perfectly captured using a combination of paper cut out stop-motion and frame-by-frame digital drawing using Procreate.
Fangfang Han is an illustrator based in London.
Lea Berndorfer – Not so bright
This interactive infographic on the topic of light pollution sheds light on the negative effects of artificial light on nature and shows why protecting dark skies is necessary to preserve biodiversity.
The illustrations were created for a fully illustrated storytelling experience, that allows the viewer to engage and learn more through using narrative.
Using these interactive infographics makes scientific subject matters more accessible to a whole new audience.
Lea Berndorfer is an illustrator based in Germany.
Afan Zeng – 404
This impactful illustration explores Afan’s frustration surrounding censorship in her country. After being unable to access numerous news stories on social media, feelings of isolation lead Afan to create this animation.
Using a repetitive loop animation, this reflects a feeling of refreshing information that remains inaccessible. The figures appears to be in a location that’s far away due to their frustration. The empty book and face on their back create an emotive and powerful illustration.
Afan Zeng is an illustrator from China, currently based in the Netherlands.
If you enjoyed reading this curated list, be sure to keep explore the rest of the WIA2024 Shortlist Showcase. We will be adding materials until September.
We’ll be sharing the winner of SAA Cross Category Award at the WIA Awards Ceremony on 10th September 2024.
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