Hi!
I'm Eleanor Szydlowska, a Merseyside based freelance illustrator.
I enjoy designing characters, and using these designs to create vibrant illustrations, juxtaposing them with natural elements and bold colours. I mainly create my work through digital illustration, however I also love to use traditional mediums like gouache paint or sketchbooks to inspire my practice. I get inspiration from a variety of things like video games, my peers and the environments around me (like the coast!)
When I’m not drawing, I’m usually shooting a roll of film, in a local cafe or out on my bike!
Projects
- Comics Youth CIC - Colourful Stories (2021)This illustration was commissioned for upcoming exhibition 'Colourful Stories', this piece reflecting the significance of Liverpool as a vibrant port. I took inspiration from the early underground drag shows performed by gay members of the Navy and incorporated the secret language of Polari.
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Skills
- Photography
- Adobe
- Printmaking
- Paper Sculpting
- Book Making
- Illustration
- Video Editing
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Premiere Pro
- Adobe Indesign
- Adobe After Effects
Education
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Chinese Language and CultureHubei University
- Wuhan, Hubei, China
I was selected to take part in the Generation UK-China scholarship facilitated by the British Council in 2018. I undertook a semester of a non-degree Chinese Language and Culture course at Hubei University in Wuhan, China.
Throughout this experience, I was immersed in Chinese culture and greatly improved my Chinese language level. From this experience, I know I can adapt well to new cultures and through living in a city so different from my home, I broadened my world understanding. Through this course, I not only met many Chinese students, but many other people from Indonesia to Kazakhstan to Brazil. Meeting this wide variety of people and cultures strengthened my intercultural communication and understanding of others.
BA Fine Art (International)University of Leeds
- Leeds, United Kingdom
Within my degree, I studied art history, cultural studies and fine art, with a focus on fine art in my final year. I was a key member of our Degree Show committee, undertaking the role of the Treasurer. Through this I managed our spending budgets, created fundraising and spending targets, and adapted these to our show’s ever-changing needs.
Throughout my degree, I had a solid technical foundation in sculpture, printmaking, painting and photography. I chose to specialise my practice in intaglio printmaking and bookmaking, showing a high level of skill and understanding in all aspects of the craft.
Awards
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Ben Read Acquisition AwardLeeds Art Gallery
My printmaking work was selected from my graduating classes’ Degree Show, “So What Of The Future”, in June 2017.
For this acquisition, Leeds Art Gallery selected an existing piece of work from my portfolio to join their Picture Loan library.