Spill and Chill with Hannah Plane!
- Kerry Thompson
- Feb 21, 2017
- 4 min read
"I’m a bit of a mix bag, I do a lot of different things."
Hannah Plane is an Illustrator in the making. She started off at Croydon College and is currently studying at the University of Portsmouth on a placement year with Liquid Creative.
Why did you decide to choose a creative career?
“I think it was the freedom to be able to make what I want to make, and I’ve always been inclined to be creative ever since I was a kid. I was always drawing or colouring or doing something creative like writing so it's something I’ve always been drawn back to, so its natural progression I think.”
What challenges have you faced so far?
“I failed A- levels twice, but that was partly because I was trying to do A-level science whilst trying to be a vet, and my brain clearly just did not think in that kind of mindset. Once I did a foundation (Foundation Diploma in Art and Design) at college, I got distinctions so I think that was my natural calling.”
Describe your typical way of working?
“Probably a lot of print or 3D, I like to do screen printing and linos. I also really like playing about with clay, models and stuff like that. It’s a bit of a mixture but I’m open to doing a lot of different things but these are the main ways in which I work.”
What has been your most successful project and why?
“Probably my social awareness project that I did. I chose Hue Syndrome, which is not very known about. It was only discovered in 1983. It's still relatively new and it runs in my family, it’s a blood clotting disorder so it basically means the blood is hyper-coagulant, so it clots a lot easier therefore there a lot of risks and all that kind of of stuff involved with it. Being able to do massive linos, print and develop ideas thoroughly was definately a good thing for me because I was struggling to go from one idea to the next. I was able to develop it and progress with it naturally.”
What projects are you most interested in doing?
“Looking forward to doing my year-long project for my third, I’m hoping to look into serial killers. I’m really looking forward to exploring the psychological element of that, fictional characters and a lot of different avenues. I wanted to go more into female serial killers cause it's not a topic a lot of people know about and it's not as big of a phenomena as male serial killers, so I think it’s an avenue worth progressing into.”
If you could spend the day with any artist dead or alive, who would it be and why?
“Quentin Blake hands down. Hands down, he honestly inspired me to do what I do and growing up I was always a fan of Roald Dahl books so he was always a presence there and it just engaged me a lot more because his art was present in that. I'd love to meet him because I’d probably cry but he’s honestly been such a big inspiration.”
What would be your ideal career in illustration?
“Ideally probably something freelance, or in an agency where I have freedom to do work, I could explore different avenues of work. I find with certain companies they probably want you to do it ion certain or specific way where I need that freedom to go, right this is my work and this is how I do it, some places don’t do that so ideally that or freelance”
Is there a technique or method in working you have found useful and would recommend to other artists?
“I really liked playing about with ink a lot, that was quite fun. So not necessarily drawing with a pen and ink, although I have tried that too but I actually like painting with ink. You use a paintbrush but with black ink you dilute its degree so you add a certain amount of water to it. Being able to play about with shading and tone in that respect was really fun to do. I did that in foundation I haven’t actually managed to do a lot more it and I would really like to. I think it gives a lot more depth to a piece I think”
Do you have any pictorial product or equipment you’ve found useful and would recommend?
“I’m a bit of a mix bag, I do a lot of different things. At the moment ink is my go to, I recently got for Christmas a glass pen that you can dip into ink which I’m yet to play about with it cause I’m scared I’m going to break it because its very delicate. I’m playing about with that kind of aspects at the moment, so I’m kind of following into Quentin Blake footsteps with that. I also want to explore more with watercolour, I use Reeves watercolour and they give a really nice bright colour.
Are you working on anything at the moment?
“There are a couple of things I’m working on for Liquid Creative. I’m helping design an ice cream van wrap, so that will be on a vehicle out on the open and then also just doing personal projects so I’m working a bit more digitally now as well because I’ve developed my skills in illustrator. I’m doing a piece on Jillian Holtzmann from Ghostbusters, it’s taken a while but I’m getting there, I’m hoping it will be finished soon so I can put it up for sale. Also a watercolour piece based on an image I saw from the women’s protest march in London. It struck me and I like I have to make this. It was a lot a people crossing a bridge in London; I’m not sure which bridge. They stop and hold up these banners saying ‘queer solidarity mashes boarders and I really liked it. The rest of the people on the bridge held up smoking flairs, which made the colours of the rainbow.”
The Visual Spill would like to thank Hannah Plane for taking the time to talk to us. There are links below to the products discussed today Next week we’re joined by Connor Dyer stay tuned!
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