Tag Archives: INK

Ailene Gray

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I found Ailene Gray on the internet. She appears to be an undergraduate student, just like me. But unlike me, she can draw some very pretty pictures.

There is a site online which I’d never heard of called the ‘just us’ collective. It showcases student illustrators and artists and gives them the chance to appear in exhibitions and publications in the coming year. Hundreds of people submit their work and you can vote online for your favourites. The top fifty get accepted into the collective. This voting page is where I discovered Ailene Gray.

On the site, the artists are given the opportunity to describe themselves alongside examples of their work. Ailene’s says:

“Escaped from Bedford to somewhere with more sea and less Bedford to study Illustration. If ink was a person, me and ink would be in love. The first inspiration I can remember was seeing the concept art for ‘The Ocarina of Time’ instruction manual when I was 6. I’m a mother to two rats, I’m obsessive and my insides are made out of bread.”

I liked her description.

As well as the evident quirkiness of character which this artist displays both in her work and her words, I think Ailene’s illustrations are marvellous. The three pieces shown offer a fantastic range – one shows intense intricacy where another appears haphazard and amusing. In spite of this, they all exude a style that shows true artistry – you can tell they all came from the same artist. Her whole page exudes personality – her succinct use of language only supports the fantastic artwork she submits to be judged.

If you too like the pictures on this article, please vote for Ailene Gray at http://www.justusdesigncollective.com/lumpygraybles

 

UNKN

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Alper Dostal & Sylvia Moritz, a dynamic Austrian duo working under the pen name ‘UNKN‘ have teamed up again after previously collaborating on projects with the release of a short film discussing the idea of abstraction, focusing on the movement of ink on the human body. Having been featured for their previous work ‘Disappear’ on online art communities, which involved large scale psychedelic black and white pen drawings that filled an entire white room. Receiving praise from arts writer Sally O’Reilly, the pair are ‘sticking’ together with this messy but engaging performance art. 

“follow the track. step back. wear black. turn white by light. go dark if you like. transform by night. we pour. you take. you move. we pace. what once was black has now come back. you fear while hear. we shape we rape. we rinse we spin. you lose you win. you can’t deny. we identify.”

The ‘slick’ editing and contemporary production skill is immediately clear from Alper, incorporating a dramatised soundtrack that does the interesting footage justice – black and white ink, trickling over a professional model, performing under the watchful eye of Creative Director Sylvia Moritz. “Making a video like this it is important to have outgoing and like-minded collaborators to make it a reality”.

INK

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My friend first introduced me to this up-and-coming mysterious boy/girl duo INK a few months ago, and ever since I have been hooked. Their songs are incredibly catchy, with their beautiful indie/soul/electronic/pop melodies. I find their sound and music so addictive that INK’s song “Ink Goes On” has already entered my Most Played playlist on iTunes, in just two months. INK is another gem the creative London music scene has produced, emerging on the music scene in autumn 2012. The duo has formed beautiful constructed enigmas around their identities, which leaves audiences, and myself, desperately wanting to know more about the band.

Although what we know about INK is little, this is what I can tell you. This mysterious London based duo comprises of Liverpudlian Miriam Massie, and Glaswegian Colin Mac. You can hear through their musical talent, that these artists have come from musical backgrounds, even though they are both very different backgrounds. Massie has a classical background, with being a classically trained pianist. Whilst Mac’s musical path has formed uniquely from hearing his uncle perform in cover bands, down at the local pub. In my opinion, Massie has a pop music flare to her voice, but she has chosen to do something interesting and unique with her sound. Instead of going down the pop music field, Massie has used her voice to create innovative indie music. Massie and Mac’s musical backgrounds form together to create a sound similar to Lykke Li and Sufjan Stevens. Although these artists may be their inspiration, together they form their own unique quirky sound.

Although INK is a new band, they already have formed an Internet buzz around their music and video. Not only have they worked alongside with Amy Winehouse’s Grammy Award Winning engineer Dom Morley, the Guardian has already declared that INK is “going to be massive”. With the help of Morley, INK creates a unique sound, with the perfect blend of indie-rock and soul. Their video “Ink Goes On” is a visually gratifying video, which transforms viewers into a modern day Alice in Wonderland. As their press release states, INK’s video creates “an anti-social media love song”, following the girl meets boy narrative, where the young lovers only communicate through handwritten ink love letters. Not only is “Ink Goes On” a beautiful song, but also the video is a film within its own rights.

Check INK out before they explode onto the music scene worldwide. Give your ears a break through purchasing their debut single, “INK Goes On”, both digitally (for £1.58- bargain, I know!) and on vinyl via ATG Records. And, to find out more about this addictive band, tour dates and to listen to more great music, go to:

http://www.inkmusic.tv

https://soundcloud.com/inkmusictv

https://www.facebook.com/Inkmusic.tv

“Ink Goes On” is going to be my summer song. It is the perfect accessory to a picnic in the park, with that Alice in Wonderland feel.