BIRMINGHAM CITY UNIVERSITY
Birmingham City University is made up of four faculties, each covering a range of subjects and specialisms. One of the faculties is Birmingham Institute of Creative Arts (BICA). Over 175 years of history blends with the contemporary to transform art and design and challenge convention. We are a creative, collective community but each School has its own individual and unique identity, consistently evolving practice across art, visual communication and digital work on games, film and animation.
As the Visual Communication employability coordinator at Birmingham City university, I am delighted to encourage the union of graduate talent with the high calibre publishers at CGA. Each year Birmingham City University develops the talent of 300+ Graduates from Visual Communication which includes subjects such as illustration, graphic design, photography, future media, and digital marketing.
We are excited to join the Greetings Card Association and unite the creativity of our alumni with the expertise and knowledge of the publishers at GCA and are delighted to be the first university to promote New Creative Talent on the GCA website.
To work with recent graduates from the New Creative Talent, see below student profiles and links. This will be updated with more talent over the next few weeks.
1. Erin Cullen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erincullenillustration/
I am an illustrator based in Birmingham. My illustrations celebrate colour, pattern, positivity and the beauty often overlooked in everyday life. My work is created digitally with a handmade feel to it. My inspirations come from my surroundings and the people I meet. They often include themes of quirky interiors, pets, self-love and friendship. My work is easily adaptable into a wide range of themes spreading a positive message!
2. Holly Steel
Instagram: https://instagram.com/hollymay.st?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
I am an illustration graduate from Birmingham City University who is currently making a lot of work targeted more towards children’s narrative, but I have started to work on some packaging design which has an older target audience. My work is primarily digital, but I also enjoy creating work traditionally too. My work is often inspired by nature and animals, and I try to keep colours happy and playful.
3. Matthew Gleeson
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/matt.g.illustration/
Hi! I’m Matt Gleeson and I’m an illustrator based in the West Midlands. work focuses on figurative drawing alongside conceptual ideas to create illustrations that have meaning or narrative behind them. I specialise in a wide range of areas of illustration but enjoy mostly editorial and book illustration work. I take inspiration from a wide range of things such as music, horror movies, 80’s toys and overall, just anything I find interesting. I incorporate this into my illustrative work which allows me to be a lot more flexible with the work and cover a range of different subjects while still making my illustrations unique and my own. All my work is done digitally through procreate but sometimes I sketch out ideas in a sketchbook before I move into a digital drawing.
4. Bethany Smart
Instagram: https://instagram.com/littlebeeillustrations?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
Northamptonshire based illustrator Bethany Smart, creator of Little Bee Illustrations designs fun,
bright and colourful illustrations and has a passion for illustrating for children. With an illustration degree from Birmingham City University and a love for storytelling, my work allows me to tell and bring to life visual stories through a child’s eyes. Each of my greetings cards features a wonderful combination of watercolour and coloured pencil which brings to life each scene and character you meet.
5. Lauren Hope
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lghcreates/
Lauren Georgia Hope is a passionate illustrator based in Birmingham. My work is focused on surface pattern, and I am interested in exploring products and packaging, editorial and advertising. I have a love of all things print and brings this element into my work in varying ways. I am also co-founder of The Crafty Coven Shops, a small business that supports local artists and crafters where I run classes and workshops.
6. Cameron Anderson
Instagram: https://instagram.com/cameronandersonart?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
Genres: Watercolour, Collage, Typography, Nature, Music, Narrative
Hey, I’m Cam! My illustrative practice surrounds all things nature, music, type and texture. To watercolor bird paintings, packaging design and collaged based concert posters I strive for self-expression in every aspect of my work. I employ a combination of traditional techniques to digital processes to maintain striking visual material. From exploring and using found objects, amongst creating multiple variants of handwritten type throughout my practice. My work consists heavily with research of social and environmental themes such as gender divides and conservation; whilst deriving inspiration from art movements which include Art Nouveau and the Psychedelic era. I strive for all card designs to employ positivity and the theme of expression to empower.
7. Lucy Smith
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucysmith_illustration/
Hello, I’m Lucy. A young illustrator based in the West Midlands, UK. Currently I am a recent graduate from Birmingham City University. I am a multidisciplinary artist who loves combining both traditional and digital software in creating my illustrations. My work inspiration can be based on my everyday activities and my passions however, mostly for these card designs in particular is my love of animals and how much joy they give me.
8. Zuzia Mowsisjan
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zuzia.mowsisjan/?hl=en
Genres: Art, Character Cards, Children, Contemporary
I am a West Midlands-based illustration graduate. I enjoy creating narratives in my digitally made illustrations and I am also passionate about character design. I tend to keep my work light-hearted by creating friendly, unique characters and by using bright, saturated colours. I believe my designs are simple and down-to-earth but also cheerful with the goal of gaining a warm smile from the viewer. My current work may appear to fit best in the children’s picture book publishing field, however, I am passionate about applying my illustrations to other creative fields, like greeting card design, making them more unique with the narrative approach I take in my work.
