Mark Hearld
Mark Hearld studied illustration at Glasgow School of Art and then completed an MA in Natural History Illustration at the Royal College of Art, London. Taking his inspiration from the flora and fauna of the British countryside, Mark works across a number of mediums, producing limited edition lithographic and linocut prints, unique paintings, collages and hand-painted ceramics. Mark has recently completed commissions for Faber & Faber and Tate Museums. A children’s book illustrated by a series of Mark’s unique collages was published by Walker Books in 2012. In Autumn 2012 Merrell Books published “Mark Hearld’s Work Book” - the first book devoted to Mark’s work.
Mark Hearld’s describes himself as an artist designer. He works entirely analogue and I find it rather impressive. Hearld talks very strongly about his personal inspirations, both contemporary and historical. While showing his audience his chart of themes and connects he comments:
“Any artist that says they’re not influenced or doesn’t reference other people’s work in their work is a liar or they’re deluded.”
Hearld explains that he finds it fun, as an artist, when he’s reading about someone else work, to look at what influences them also. I found this interesting as I had never really thought about this before. Hearld studied Illustration, however he finds himself looking all sorts of different things which include: printed textiles, fine art, British folk art, illustrated work and also artists who work as designers.
“The more you look, the more you fill up your own reference bag.”
A map of an artist mind. He suggests that as we develop our creative practice, we plot all of our inspirations and connections and keep it updated, because it really helps find out who and what we find important. Its all well and good filling a sketchbook of artist research, but pin-pointing those who inspire me the most may be a good idea. However, I haven’t yet found my own style. Perhaps this process may help.
Hearld takes inspiration from well known paintings and pieces, but bringing his own style to it. I have felt that as copying? However, really its just an interpretation. Just as creating an interpretation of every day life. Thats certainly not a copy.
“I am not interested in drawing animals in a scientific way, but throughout my life, I’ve always intended to draw other things and always come back to drawing animals in the natural world.”
Mark Hearld needed a year to recover after college as he wasn’t too sure on which path to take. He mentioned that he felt more confused having left college than to begin with. This brought me to a sigh of relief. I certainly have no clue as to what graphic designer I wish to be when I finish university. I just need to make sure I experiment thoroughly and get the most out of it while I’m here.
Having not had the chance to attempt collage in college, he felt it was a ‘light switched on’ moment for him when he finally did. Felt as though he was going back to primary school, working on the floor. Hearld described it as an abstract process and feels he learns more about composition using collage than any other discipline. “If you manage it well, you can celebrate the paperiness as well as creating a figurative image.” Everything is flexible and you can make a dynamic image by slightly shifting things around until you get what you are looking for. The ability to change depth of field is so simple, laying down each cut out shape, often overlapping each other. ‘Scale’ communicates visually and doesn’t actually make literally sense. But if it works on paper thats good enough.
How do you work from reference material? Hearld likes to combine memory and observation. Working from reference not only brings his own style to his work - a fabrication of his own character and personality - but also, maintains the liveliness and wholesomeness of the animals he creates. Hearld prohibits ‘copying’, he likes to study various images hard, before walking away and creating work from memory. Combining various aspects and view points of a place in one image. Hearld feels you can be more yourself, when you’re drawing from reference and imagination.
Making collages of night time allows a sudden limitation of the colour palette and creates a magical atmosphere. Hearld is inspired by looking and reading and is quite clearly passionately involved. He’s creating his very own visual world.
However, he does like to work outside. He feels this puts him in the same environment as his subject. A height for inspiration. Inspiration comes from funny places. Embrace it. Hearld is strong on inspiration. He sees himself as: enthusiastic, passionate and resourceful. He stands by seeing the potential in everything. He tells us to tune our eye to look, to be excited, to see and to interrupt, as it will keep us visually resourceful, always. Hearld suggests that we re-order the visual world of imagination all around us. Looking and responding is the real way to be creative.
Mark Hearld loves the idea of shadow boxes as he feels this style of working is poetic and romantic. Those created by Joseph Cornell create a theatrical feel. Hearld created a range of boxes that feature representations of animals and people he’s come across. He describes them as fiddly to make, however, I feel it is a neat way of displaying a 3D collaged story, with excessive depth of field.
Hearld also creates lithographs. Using a combination of linocut and large Italian rubber stamps and mono-prints onto acetate to create different separations and his own unique style.
“All the art is on the floor” - Picasso
The materials that are lying around, Hearld sometimes informs the image he is to make. The things that are left over from previous collages often provides him with a starting point and a visual queue for the next piece of work. Also, when he cuts out a shape, the shape that is left may be just as visual gripping with the possibility of using it elsewhere.
Hearld inspires us to set ourselves limitations to begin with. He explains that a tight limitation, gives you the ability to add other aspects if they increase the aesthetic of the piece. Does it add to the narrative that is being portrayed?
“I suppose, I collage with objects because collage can be a metaphor of how I approach visual things - bringing things together in coherent ways”
Hearld feels he appreciate objects. I feel he’s a hoarder. However, I guess you have to be if you produce collages. Perhaps not the objects he collects - why not take photographs, but I guess thats personal - but certainly the envelops, water colour papers, wrapping papers, printing paper, book binding paper and old photographs. A bank of resources is needed as Hearld uses everything as raw material. It excites him to appropriately use all the stuff he find. “I love stuff.”
Mark Hearld feels that his work now, to date, is a lot more abstract. He often begins his work with a few coloured marks, not initially knowing what he was going to do. This allowed the marks to determined the drawing. Sometimes colour can be a reason for making an image. Materials often inform next choices of inspiration.
There is so much emphasis on the idea, the idea can actually ruin the experiment. Most feel that they have to have an idea before they can put pen to paper. Hearld almost shouts, “if you don’t know what to do, move your hands. Put a layer of colour on a paper”. An idea is committing a mark to paper, a great source of creativity. Very true, you can’t produce an idea out of thin air. Nobody has that many fully formed ideas to make a drawing every day. I feel I certainly need to be less conceptual and more doing. I find myself writing down ideas and defining each and every word of a brief before I have the ability to sketch out anything in my head or put any colour down.
When you do something. You have to make a living. Being commercial is not a compromise, its simply a part of the creative game. Don’t focus on creating a brand straight away. Maximising every idea and creating works that relate to each other, not only helps you learn from each approach but quickly helps you create a body of work. He suggests we start off slowly and work up from there, seeing the potential in everything we do.
One of the things I would say to all of you is the things that you look at out of the corner of your eye, even if its not quite your thing, just take note.You never know what opportunity you might get to introduce that into your work. To a degree, you need to specialise. It opens out. Open to make experiences you can be playful in your approach. Anything that inspires can become part of your world. No matter what that might be. Take note.
Mark Hearld comments on people who are studying graphic design or illustration at the moment and how much they focus on whats on trend at the moment. “The way to be individual is to look at everything”. He then goes on to say, that we need to look wide to be individual and unique. If we were to look just at whats happening, we are likely to become a boring ‘sheep’. Look into what you enjoy and feel inspired by. Hearld describes his taste to be very broad and daring but also very particular.
How do you get an idea? Experimentation and collaboration.
I never realised how useful collage actually is. Its so free and playful. The ability to move the visuals around before creating one final outcome is exhilarating. Photographing different compositions until you feel you have created one that works best. I may use this technique more when researching and creating development pieces in projects. I like to create rather simple drawings as a final piece, however, combining them with others may be something I need to experiment with.
Hearld uses Instagram as a visual scrapbook. I use instagram for a completely different reason. To showcase final photographs that I have taken and adjusted. Candid shots I keep to myself, not to be shared to other people. But I guess its a good way to store inspiration. He also keeps physical scrapbooks full of imagery he has found. I have a box so I know for sure they’re not all stuck down, just incase I need to use them. Hearld photocopies what he needs. Clever.
