From Paris to Birmingham – Milan Topalovic revives Art Deco glamour
One of Birmingham’s most beloved artists, Milan Topalovic celebrates the city’s past and present, often evoking the Art Deco glamour of the 1920s. Birmingham has a fascinating industrial past and some great Art Deco architecture, which is a big influence on Milan’s work. Originating in Paris in the 1920s as a successor to the earlier Art Nouveau movement, Art Deco represented luxury, glamour and technological progress. It influenced everything from buildings and furniture, to fashion, trains and ocean liners.
The Electric Cinema, Birmingham Interview: Illustrator & Cartoonist Tom Dearie Keeps it Surreal
Since graduating from the prestigious Royal College of Art in London where his focus was painting, Tom Dearie has made a successful leap over to the world of comics and illustration. Last year he received the coveted ‘Grand Prix’ award at the 31st International Comic Competition (Komiksus) in Poland for his comic F is for Fire. Inspired by the fire department Tom lives near in Warsaw, the comic tells the story of a heroic firefighting father who is injured in service.
With satisfyingly simple forms and eye-catching colour palettes, Tom’s work feels both completely current and strangely familiar. It would be equally at home in a classic comic or on a New Yorker cover. While the commercial potential of his work is obvious, it’s also playfully surreal and often catches you off guard – his Steamy Pete illustration for example looks like some kind of psychedelic Where’s Wally or Tintin in a parallel universe.
Magic, Mice and Medieval Maidens – An Interview with Illustrator Serena Malyon
Rising star Serena Malyon is a Canadian illustrator mainly known for her work in children’s books. Inspired by artists from the Golden Age of Illustration but with a totally unique style of her own, Serena has the gift of conjuring whole worlds from just one image.
A master of watercolour and gouache, Serena has worked on a huge variety of illustration projects including children’s books, graphic novels, textbooks and fantasy maps. She has won a number of awards, with her Salt Harbour map winning the Cartographer’s Guild ‘Most Creative Map’ award in 2019.
Some of her most impressive work to date can be found in the Mouse Guard Alphabet Book, created with established comic book creator David Petersen. His beloved Mouse Guard series is set in a world of sentient mice who live in a medieval era, protecting and serving their fellow mice. Serena has brought this world to life with timeless illustrations that are sure to make this book a classic. Each illustration is a stunning work of art in its own right.
