It was a time for exploring, discovering, and experimenting.
I gained great insight into the worlds of graphic design, illustration, and animation. Apart from art lectures and design seminars, I also attended a few courses that followed a radically different approach. For example, I took part in the ‘Urban Illustration’ course taught by Professor Marcus Herrenberger, who described the course with the sentence, ‘The city is our sketchbook.’ A lot of the time our classes were outside—in old and abandoned industrial complexes or buildings scheduled for demolition. The goal was to explore and investigate the area and think about how to realize an illustration in this environment, either instantly or at a later date.
Until then, most of my work had been created using tape as the main medium. But having to figure out a new project every week pushed me out of my comfort zone. For the first time, I tried using different materials like acrylic and oil paint to come up with new textures and effects.
The artwork resulted from an experiment to see if oil paint could be applied directly on a wall. The answer—yes! I painted this wall, which was in an old ice rink in Muenster scheduled for demolition, within two days.
Learning about the strengths and weaknesses of various materials. Broadening my own horizons. Being forced to think outside of the box. All of these things were possible thanks to the unique approach of the Urban Illustration course. I especially value this time for teaching me about my skills outside of digital design. Because for me, at this wall, it was my first experience painting where I felt like I could really enjoy the process and let myself go.
Until then, most of my work had been created using tape as the main medium. But having to figure out a new project every week pushed me out of my comfort zone. For the first time, I tried using different materials like acrylic and oil paint to come up with new textures and effects.
The artwork resulted from an experiment to see if oil paint could be applied directly on a wall. The answer—yes! I painted this wall, which was in an old ice rink in Muenster scheduled for demolition, within two days.
Learning about the strengths and weaknesses of various materials. Broadening my own horizons. Being forced to think outside of the box. All of these things were possible thanks to the unique approach of the Urban Illustration course. I especially value this time for teaching me about my skills outside of digital design. Because for me, at this wall, it was my first experience painting where I felt like I could really enjoy the process and let myself go.
ART — ENNI
LOCATION — MÜNSTER, GERMANY
YEAR — 2018
MATERIAL — OIL PAINT
PHOTOS BY ENNI VUONG
