Digital Art and Illustration - Be a Creative Athlete

Be a Creative Athlete

Digital art & Illustration

In 2024, a group of young artists from across regional NSW participated in the Horizons mentorship program. They received tailored industry advice and guidance from their mentors, while also building lasting relationships and professional networks with one another. This is what they have to share.

About the Digital arts & Illustration Groups

This film highlights insights from three of our mentorship groups, each with a shared approach to creative practice. These groups—Digital Arts, Graphic Design & Illustration, and Multidisciplinary Practice—came together with mentors and young creatives to explore their passions. Although each group met separately, they shared exciting experiences and formed strong bonds during their time together.

Illustration and Graphic Design

The Illustration and Graphic Design meetup, led by artist and designer Sally Huguenin, began with a vision board exercise in the morning, followed by a collaborative studio tour with Sydney-based artist Missy Dempsey.

The group started the day in Hyde Park, exploring the city and observing inspiring patterns, designs, architecture, and environments. They photographed their discoveries, identifying common threads to explore how these elements could be translated into their own creative work.

Continuing their exploration, the group met Missy Dempsey, who guided them to her shared studio space with other artists, architects, illustrators, set designers, and interior designers. Missy discussed her creative journey and the work she produces. She also led an exercise called “Finding Your North Star,” a practice she uses to reflect, stay inspired, and remain focused in her work.

Digital Art

The Digital Arts meetup, led by mentor Scott Baker, included a tour of the Animal Logic digital animation studios at Disney Studios Sydney. During the tour, participants explored different studio areas, where staff explained their roles in creating special effects for films like The Matrix and animated features like Happy Feet.

Participants were able to observe the entire production process. A script or idea is passed to artists who create concept artwork, which then moves to the storyboard department to become illustrated animations. From there, 3D artists model the designs, which are then animated and refined, ultimately leading to the final film.

To wrap up the experience, they visited the Art Gallery of NSW and the Museum of Contemporary Art, where mentor Scott led discussions on technique, artistic theory, and the significance of art.

Multidisciplinary Practice

The Multidisciplinary Practice group worked across a variety of art forms and mediums, from photography and film to animation, illustration, and graphic design. The group was mentored by Danny Stanley.

The group also visited Missy at her studio, where they spoke with other artists and designers with interdisciplinary practices. They explored different ways of working with multiple mediums and participated in Missy’s “Finding Your North Star” exercise.

After the studio visit, the group spent the afternoon drawing and sketching together in a nearby park. They concluded the day by attending the opening of the Magritte exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW.