‘'Too much sometimes is just enough’’
By Simone Vos
A selection of international and recently graduated talents made new work for the editions of Wobby of 2021 and 2022. They participated in the Open Call for graduates 2020 & 2021. The latest edition, Wobby #30 - Overgrown, showcases the work of three of these upcoming artists: Rachel Cannings (UK), Elijah White (CA) and Fynn van der Ziel (NL). “Risograph has a big place in my heart. I love working with limited colors and I use the red and blue from risograph a lot”, states Elijah White, illustrator, printmaker and designer. “Also, the risograph scene is pretty big here in Toronto, for both comics and underground. It’s really a craft that is alive, so cool!”
Rachel Cannings for Wobby #30
A communal garden
Rachel Cannings (UK) is a Glasgow-based illustrator and 2021 graduate from the Glasgow School of Art in Illustration. She made a spread for Wobby #30. “I think the best thing (and worst) thing is the endless possibilities of images you can create. The ability to communicate intangible or imaginary things like thoughts, anxieties, secret love affairs and animals that couldn't possibly exist - is very fun.”
The theme for this issue was immediately appealing to Rachel. “I have recently been doing work looking at earth, animals and plants. I thought it was interesting, as 'overgrown' can be interpreted in a quite a few ways, not just in a literal sense. I think there is a comedic aspect to 'overgrown'. Something larger than it should be. It has lots of potential for humor”, she explains.
“The idea for my spread came to me while I was walking home. The land near my house is very overgrown and hasn't been built on for a long while. I wanted to reimagine it as a community space and thought of all the ways in which it could be used. That's where I got the idea of a communal garden or allotments. I thought it would be funny to look at some of the relationships between these imaginary people in their imaginary allotment, imagining the rivalries and romances they have.”
Elijah White for Wobby #30
Human control
Elijah White states: “For me ‘overgrown’ refers to the plants that are growing in my backyard, which is right now really overgrown. There is a beauty in excess, and sometimes I think we want to prune back too much. I want to make a statement with this illustration; too much sometimes is just enough. Humans always want to control everything. Why do we do that? It’s beautiful the way it is. That’s why I drew this woman that really takes her space in the spread. She is carving her own space there. Then I also added some Greek elements in it because I really like historical stuff. It is a mix between modern visuals and classy vibes. It’s sleek and new. A mix of ancient history, feelings, nature: an outlet of my own frustrations in a way.”
Fynn van der Ziel for Wobby #30
Creating life
Fynn van der Ziel (NL) is an illustrator and filmmaker. He graduated in 2021 from the Academie Minerva Groningen in illustration & animation. In his spread for Wobby #30 he made illustrations of bees and the moment they start to get together in one group. “The theme made me also think of some kind of puberty. When you say a lot of stuff, but actually nothing really happens. Besides that, I like to draw animals like a big family or group of friends that all live together in the same garden. Then I also make a story about this group, which I add to the illustrations”, he states.
“My own style of drawing is very important, because it’s the basis for the potential movement and vividness of the animations I also make. For me it’s like I am a creator of a small universe when I draw and animate”, Fynn tells. “I love riso printing very much and I also used it in my graduation piece. I made an animation about the earthquakes in Groningen (Bewogen Woerde) and used absurd and funny images to explain the problems the inhabitants dealt with and to entertain people. The images I made with the riso printer were only a split second in the animation, and the absurdism in this makes it fun to do for me.”
About the Open Call
In September 2021, Wobby launched the first ‘Open Call for Graduates’ for artists that graduated in the years 2020 & 2021. The 150 applicants came from all over the world, including Colombia, China, Nigeria, US, the Netherlands and Germany. “Because of Covid, there were hardly any graduation shows to discover new, international talent”, Marjolein Schalk, chief editor of Wobby states. “We wanted to provide an opportunity for illustrators, artists and writers to show their work to a worldwide community of illustration, art and riso-lovers. A chance to get their first assignment, within the challenging technical framework of the risoprint, and with guidance from our team.”
Wobby #30 – Overgrown is now available in our webshop.