July 23, 2024

Pictures change words

As an exercise in conceptual thinking, I’ve been practicing editorial illustration by illustrating my journal. I decided to start at the latest one and work my backwards through everything I’ve written whilst adding an image to every new entry. It started as an experiment but has now turned into a hobby.

The strange thing is that as I’m finding pictures to represent the ideas in my writing I’m finding that I want to change my writing – mostly because the title doesn’t really capture the idea of the article (but it seemed to be fine at the time I was writing).

I’ve long gone on about the relationship between words and pictures – especially in picture books where the relationship is at its strongest. Words create and change pictures and pictures create and change words.

It’s easy (and probably common?) to think that writing and drawing are two separate activities but it seems that I get better clarity of thought if I do both. Perhaps a better way to work is write some words, draw some pictures, then re-write the words. Pictures, it seems, help to clarify my thinking in a way that working in only words does not.

Other observations
June 3, 2025

The secondary job

Am I a software designer who practices art ‘on the side’ or is it the other way around?

May 27, 2025

Mis en place

Might I make better work if, at the end of everyday, I put everything back in its place – just like they do in commercial kitchens?

May 20, 2025

Artificial intelligence and art

Are artists under threat from generative artificial intelligence? Or is the ‘competition’ we see just misunderstood?

May 13, 2025

It ain’t gonna draw itself

What happens to an idea if I’m too scared to draw it? If I don’t feel skilled enough? If I’m just not ready?

May 6, 2025

Like a machine

Should artists aspire for robotic-like accurate and consistency like those who are the best in their sport?

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