Jon Hanlan is shortlisted for the project Pommme Ciderhouse in the WIA2021 New Talent Design, Product & Packaging Category. Find out more about Jon and his shortlisted project:
What’s your favourite thing about your shortlisted project?
The characters give the project such life and joy, and it’s what I centered the overall project around. When I see them on the cans they bring them to life, and it’s my favourite thing about the project.
What materials did you use?
Procreate and Photoshop.
What processes did you use?
I was illustrating entirely in Procreate, and periodically export the illustrations to Photoshop to see how they look on the cans. And checking in occasionally with the designs on the product mockup gave me a really clear sense of how I wanted them to look once finished. That gave me all the direction I needed to complete the illustrations. Once finalized I exported them one last time into Photoshop and placed them on the mockups.
How long did it take?
It took me about three weeks in total, while juggling a few smaller projects in the mix.
Why did you choose to enter this work?
I chose to enter Pomme because I truthfully believe in the project. I am proud of how it turned out, and couldn’t be more pleased with the results. It also helped me tremendously as a young illustrator give a clearer sense of which direction I’d like to take my work going into the future.
What is your favourite part of your creative process?
My favourite part is gathering my inspirations, things that catch my eye, and translating that into my own work. Whether it be when I am traveling, a love interest, discovering a talented artist from the past, an old book you stumble upon at a flea market. Bringing those notes into the studio and playing with them. It is something so satisfying to me that, hopefully, will be forever fascinating and rewarding to me.
What is your dream commission?
A dream commission of mine is to be responsible for creating illustrations, branding and sculptures for either a children’s museum or hospital. One of the reasons I fell into illustration as a career is because as a child growing up it was the artworks I was coincidentally immersed in that lead me to have a passion for art. And knowing that I could not only make people’s lives happier by having uplifting illustrations, murals and so on adorned in a children’s hospital or museum, but also to inspire future creators, that is a dream forsure.
If you could work for/with anyone who would it be?
I would love to work for Apple at some point into the future. I admire Apple’s mission and values, and think they’re still one of the most inspiring companies. Where they started, Job’s legacy and so much about them. I’d love to help out and contribute my work in any way I can. Also, I’m very interested in working with brands and organizing restructuring our planet to make it a more sustainble one. I think when art can contribute to helping people’s lives improve it is a very beatiful thing.
What is your best tip for other illustrators?
Follow your heart. Discover who you are. Be the artist and person you want to be, forget the rest. Focus on enjoying the process of it all. Work relentlessly, but only if you’re generally happy doing so.
What’s your favourite thing to draw?
My favourite thing to draw at the moment has been people in very fashionably clothing in uncomfortable poses. Something about that juxtaposition is endlessly amusing to me.
What are your plans for the future?
My plans for the future are to continue creating. I have such a strong sense to create these illustrations, and cultivate a world for my work to exist in. I hope to receive commissioned work similar to Pommme so my illustrations can eventually live out in the real world.