Lads in the bookies and the offside rule explained care of The Graduates 2012's Ellie Andrews

Camberwell Graduate Ellie Andrews’ Portfolio is awash with vibrant colours, powerful fades and angular characters, all neatly aligned with obsessive precision. Ellie’s striking dioramas explore inherently masculine subjects like the off-side rule and hanging about at the bookies, yet the incongruous addition of pastel shades renders these activities instantly approachable and strips them of their gender-specific connotations.

Ellie first grabbed our attention back in April with her aforementioned Offside Rules project but has since produced an impressive body of work that equals, if not betters, the head-turning magic of three angular men dancing across a pastel pink pitch.

“I’m an illustrator based in South East London. Central to my work is the balance between bold sections of colour and intricate detail, blending hand-drawn shapes with geometric forms. My inspirations include textile design, marine biology and 1990s teen culture. I aim to show my interest in subject matter by making it look fun on paper.”

Why or who or what made you go to art school?

Going away to art school in Camberwell always sounded better than staying in Essex!! Art was the most fun class at my school.

What’s the best mistake you made when you were studying?

Not paying attention to every detail expected of us in terms of how our work was assessed as uni, and doing what felt natural for my own work to progress.

If you could show your work to one person, who would you choose, what would you show them?

I once drew a picture of Snoop Dogg with some dolphins. I have never showed it to anyone but I’d like to see how he feels about it!!

Can you give us one prediction about your work for the next year?

I’d like to work on a collaborative publication with artists/designers who work in a range of formats, yet share the same views on design aesthetics. Also, it would be good to see more of my work printed on a larger scale, like the work I exhibited at Boxpark (for Nike), in an open public environment. 

What’s the best thing you saw in the last three years?

Last summer I visited my aunties family who live in the Soloman Islands, where I spent a month exploring the beaches and the reefs – that was like nothing I’d ever seen before!

Represent

We are delighted that once again top creative recruitment agency Represent has teamed up with us to support our search for the cream of this year’s crop. Represent Recruitment Limited help some of the worlds most talented graphic designers find new work. We work with designers at all levels, from Junior through to Executive Creative Director. Our business thrives through the networks we develop and our impeccable eye for great work. Formed in 2003 Represent operate out of offices and gallery space in London, EC1.
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