Student of the Month: Tim King

Date
29 April 2011

Tim King is April Student of the Month! Currently in his second year of studying BA Illustration & Animation at Kingston University, Tim caught our eye with his genuinely engaging, originally depicted graphic novel constructed with clay and card, balsa and paint to great, almost animated, effect. A tale as good as A Journalist’s Story is always going to win prizes and when it as nicely executed as this, we’re bound to be excited by it’s model making illustrator.

“This is based on a true story that happened to my Granddad. He was a Fleet Street Journalist in the 1950s and spent some time working as a foreign correspondent on the Suez Crisis. Whilst he was away he was asked to track down and get a story about this character, who was a known villain, dangerous and very unwelcoming. Spending the day traveling in the desert sun, he finally got there but guards told him to go home, and that he had no chance of talking to the Prince. At this moment he collapsed in the heat and the guards dumped him to one side. The Prince by chance spotted this man, and asked who he was. They didn’t know, but he told his guards to look after him and give him anything needed. It turned out that the prince, like my granddad, was a fellow fan of Somerset cricket team, and saved him when he spotted the tie my granddad was wearing. Therefore he finally got his scoop!”

At the time of making/creating this project, who or what was your biggest influence?

I was inspired by the look and feel of Johnny Kellys animation The Seed, where he animated using folded card to create his imagery. Also on my mind were the sets and models in Aardmans A Town Called Panic, which are shot really nicely. The photographs by Slinkahu of miniature models left on the streets were also of interest to me.

What is the most valuable thing you have learnt at university to date?

Thinking more deeply about the concept/narrative within your work. It’s no good having a weak idea with nice looking visuals. A strong story/concept should always come first.

What would you be doing now if you weren’t at Art School?

I’m not really sure as I have always planned to come. Before I came to Art School I was working in a shop, and also volunteering at design and film companies around Bristol. I guess I would have carried on doing this and see where it got me.

Where are you making/creating most of your work?

I mostly like to work in the studio at university on projects, and also like getting out to draw on location. Although having said that, this particular project was actually made on my kitchen table at home, I borrowed a camera from a friend and got my brother to hold a builders work lamp for the lighting!

What are you working on at the moment?

At the moment I am working my end of year project which is actually another 3D story, about a man who is too safety conscious. I’m also finishing a reportage project I have been doing where I have been illustrating with the London Ambulance Service, observing paramedics in ambulances to document the work they do. I’m currently working turning these drawings into a book.

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About the Author

Bryony Quinn

Bryony was It’s Nice That’s first ever intern and worked her way up to assistant online editor before moving on to pursue other interests in the summer of 2012.

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