Introducing the Illustrators of The Glasshouse ~!
We are almost 2 months from the first anniversary of The Glasshouse ! For those who have been with us throughout these months, we hope you have been enjoying the stories and activities from within our virtual music and arts sphere ~!
Do you know that all the illustrations and animations from within The Glasshouse #origins are bespoke and specially created by a team of professional illustrators of CMAS ~? Today, we’d like to introduce these talented people to you !
First ~ our head illustrator and the illustrator behind our stories of Bach and Beethoven, Ms. Cheryl Ong ~!
*even before the launch of The Glasshouse ~ Cheryl has been with CMAS (formerly TTK Grand Series) since 2015, creating all of our beautiful activity booklets designed to accompany our LIVE Concerts for Children, as part of our bi-annual LIVE projects held at Esplanade, Victoria Concert Hall and other well-loved spaces in Singapore !
An individual who enjoys problem-solving, Cheryl’s favourite aspect of being an illustrator is the sense of fulfilment she gains from being able to communicate all the necessary information through aesthetically pleasing images !
Beyond still visuals and animated gifs, Cheryl also hopes to one day embark on other forms of art ~ such as short films and VR pieces. As an artist frequently involved in producing work for children and young audiences, Cheryl also hopes to publish her very own children’s picture book soon ~!
Another young talent within our team of illustrators is Ms. Jolene Tan ~ the illustrator behind our stories of Bernstein, Britten, Dvořák and Grieg !
Jolene’s passion in fine arts during her JC years fueled her journey in pursuing a major in digital animation at ADM.
Upon graduation, she began to focus more on motion graphics and whilst exploring different visual styles, she often finds herself going back to geometric shapes and flat design patterns !
The illustrators within CMAS receive Storyboards written and laid out by our Artistic Director, Ms. Tang Tee Khoon – and this is where they begin their work in research and visual conceptualisation, before sketches, colour and animation happens !
Our #origins stories are built around the lives and works of great classical composers ~ and they are not only accompanied by illustrations and animations, they are also enhanced and brought to life by specially chosen audio and video listening opportunities.
When embarking on a new Storyboard, Jolene shares that she usually begins by listening to the music by the featured composer. This is to gauge the overall mood and style of the Storyboard. After which, she begins on sketches and then colours ~ which are shared amongst the team for feedback and consideration !
The Storyboards are then complete after a round of light animations ~!
Also an illustrator who worked on a story of Bernstein (as well as those of Brahms, Fauré and Haydn) ~ we have Ms. Soh Fia, a passionate illustrator whose career originated from drawing commissioned art on forums while she was still a child !!
In the face of creative blocks, Soh Fia takes time for research. She believes that when knowledge is accumulated, one’s strokes and outcomes will be intentional – and the illustration process smoother, as it would be the knowledge that guides her through !
Here, Soh Fia shares some of her favourite personal works with us ~!
Other than Cheryl, Jolene and Soh Fia, we have other amazing illustrators amidst the team ~ and you can look out for each of them on our Instagram ~!
We are immensely stoked by our team of illustrators ~ who work hard each month to bring the stories of classical composers to visual life within The Glasshouse !
Do drop by The Glasshouse if you have yet to !
Our stories and activities can be enjoyed by all ages and not just children & youths (:
Join us now ~ and stay tuned for our next blog post coming up in a fortnight ~!