Sam Wagstaff BA (Hons) Illustration with Animation
I am an Illustrator from North Yorkshire with a background in Photography and Graphic Design. My practice focuses on combining hand-rendered illustration with digital editing processes. Through using pen and ink, I can achieve a high level of detail and a wider range of mark-making techniques. However, by following this with a series of digital editing processes, I can achieve an increased level of refinement and versatility to develop my images further.
Thematically my practice explores translating pre-written narratives into the form of a graphic novel. Illustration is how I communicate with the world and by methodically interpreting textual narratives into visual imagery I can provide others with an alternate perspective on an existing narrative using my visual language. In doing so, I hope to engage an audience to texts they may never have considered reading otherwise, using the dual-narrative track of the graphic novel.
Primarily, I intend for my practice to engage a young adult audience who are perhaps struggling to transition into more advanced literature, offering them the opportunity to experience more complex works in a visually stimulating way. Although my practice focuses on graphic novels, I also see opportunities for individual illustrations to be used in an advertising or editorial context, particularly some of my more complex pieces that contain multiple levels of imagery and meaning.
