Shelby x Sophie Bass
Q1. You made the beautiful illustrations for our Shelby x Studios manifesto, could you explain your process and anything else about what you created?
My process is very routine. I read and re-read the brief, until it’s set in my soul. I do a lot of research into the context and history of the brief, any visual research, then I just draw. I spend a day or two just drawing away in my book, and from those loose and dreamy drawings I begin to compose the final image.
Composition is my favourite part of each project, it’s the most monumental stage for me - putting the pieces together and building it up to be its most powerful and effective. The drawing at the beginning can be intimidating because you might not know where it’s going, you’re working from a blank page, but then when it all starts coming together it feels incredible! I will redraw the composition until it’s just perfect, then begin the final artwork, done always by hand, in this case in fineliner pen.
With the manifesto I broke down each point and thought about how to most powerfully portray it through a mix of symbolism and realism as a stand alone image. From digesting a lot of existing Artists and Activists manifestos, I felt the strength and intentions in their points and the need to make the imagery as powerful as the words.
Q2. Your illustrations evoke so much emotion and you capture themes of identity, music and politics in such a unique way. What or who has influenced your art the most?
Thank you!! My visual influences span far and wide, but what seems to connect them all is the way humans create striking things of beauty to serve a higher purpose, be that political, religious or musical etc. The work I love is created from a deep sense of human emotion.
Some of the political art that touches me the most includes the work of Paul Peter Piech, Emory Douglas, The Chicago Women’s Graphics Collective, Carlos Cortez and all the amazing Anti Apartheid graphics.
Types of religious art I draw inspiration from are Tantric Hindu art, Orthodox iconography and Persian and Indian miniatures.
When it comes to music and art, there is so much! But to name a few, Wilfred Limonious’ steamy dancehall scenes, acid rave flyers from the 90s, jungle mix-tape covers, DIY Punk posters, old spiritual Jazz artwork and psychedelic 60s sleeves.
Q3. What projects have you worked on that have really aligned with your values as an artist?
My favourite projects are the ones that combine music, politics and art, the pyramid of joy! I feel so lucky to have worked on several strongly political album covers. For conceptual music, that was born from political pains and revolutionary ideas, the album cover may be the first thing to enlighten the listener to the message of the music.
I have felt this alignment of values on albums such as ‘The Black Peril’ by Soweto Kinch, ‘Shoal of souls’ and ‘Polyhymnia’ by Yazz Ahmed - which are, respectively, about the 1919 Race Riots and the concept of the ‘Black Peril’, the loss of lives of Refugees crossing the Ocean, and a Feminist album dedicated to celebrated Women’s Rights figures.
For me, music is the most emotive force, a literal call to action in the face of Fascism, Colonialism and the Patriarchy. It is about freedom and movement, the exact ideals that oppressive forces seek to abolish. Music transcends cultures and countries, it is a universal language, and that in itself is Antifascist.
With an album cover you are visualising the music, the emotions that it encourages, it’s history and stories – when the music is political, the artwork follows suit and that is a powerful combination.
Q4. What role do you think the artist has in society?
The magic of the world exists in all the arts. I believe the role of the artist is to open people’s minds, encourage forward thinking, motivate and comfort, challenge and subvert ideas, and to entertain and enlighten.
I mean, what have we been doing to keep sane over lockdown… watching films and tv, reading books, listening to music, perhaps being creative ourselves. Art saves lives! The role of the artist encompasses everything and it shouldn’t be underestimated. It doesn’t take too much imagination to picture a world without art, and it is a bleak picture.
Q5. What advice would you give someone who wants to pursue a creative career?
In my experience of being a freelancer, my main piece of advice would be to look after yourself and believe in yourself! It is a career path that comes with a lot of challenges, financial instability, major work overloads and strange working hours that can sometimes feel overwhelming. But it is absolutely worth it!
Why I say to believe in yourself is because artists are not valued as they should be in society, it’s a joke how often people ask me to work for free or barely anything. You have to know that your skills are irreplaceable and unique, and are a service worth being paid properly for and respected. You have to stand up for yourself! But also have fun with it, sometimes through the stress I have to sit back, recalibrate and take a moment to appreciate how amazing it is to be doing what I’m best at for a living. Being able to use your creativity to make change is the best feeling in the world, keep going!
Q6. If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
I’m actually working on a dream collaboration right now that I can’t quite believe is happening! But it is top secret so I can’t say more than that.. you’ll have to watch this space!
I would love to collaborate with more Authors and Poets. When I work with Musicians I love turning their music, with all its atmospheres and stories, into imagery. In the same way I would love to do this with literature and poetry. Some of them are no longer with us, but a few of my favourite writers are Audre Lorde, Maya Angelou, Benjamin Zephaniah, Sonia Sanchez and Arundhati Roy.
Q7. Where can people find/buy/commission more of your work?
You can find me on instagram @sophiebass_illustration
Contact me at sophbass@googlemail.com
And buy some artwork at my online shop www.sophiebassillustration.bigcartel.com