Luke Waller

Waller is a commercial illustrator in the editorial sector. Most of the time he works with pencil drawings and mono printing to put colour in his images however he will often use Photoshop if the deadline is very short and create a similar effect he would have using the physical method.

This illustration was commissioned by Highlife Magazine for the interview with Paloma Faith. The characters in the background are characters from the Wes's films. This is because during the interview she states that they were a massive influence to her work and sometimes inherit their personalities during her work. To me this image looks like it was made physically because of the very rough nature of the colour against the lines. This would match Wallers style of using monoprinting. A large variety of colours have been used, mostly cold colours like blues and greens; however a dark orange has been used which is a signature colour of Paloma's hair. This colour has then been used in other areas which enhances the importance it has to her character. I really love how the colours are so rough and raw compared to the detail that has been put into the portraits.There is also what looks like paint drippings along the bottom and left of the image which might have simply been done with a dropper and ink; this adds to how raw the image looks. I would like to learn how to use this style so that I can incorporate it into my own work.

This image is called the American dream and Waller states that it is all about how it has changed over time now that technology is so much more accessible. It also shows how we often see families on TV and social networks which has influenced how we behave and what we expect from a family. The blue tones on the flag and the family shows how cold and boring the dream has become. However the bright orange and yellows from the TV is covering up how boring it really is by making it look positive. The warm colours would make the viewer feel good about what they are watching which actually should all be a shade of blue. The warm colours is then transferred across to the family which is visible. This shows how influenced they are, it's a little like they are brainwashed.