Raising Films commissioned Alex J Gardner, an artist and designer, to illustrate the responses to our Raising Our Futures initiative.
Alex’s gorgeous, powerful and we hope inspiring, linocut response is available as a colouring in sheet and to purchase as a digital fine-art print. Information on how to get your copy of Alex’s work or to access the colouring in sheet follows.
Over to Alex, who explains the process of putting together their visual response to Raising Our Futures…
“This work was born out of an extensive catalogue of community responses collected by Raising Films, all speaking to the things that need to change within the Film and TV industry to make it healthier, happier and more inclusive for those work in it.
The individual voices in these responses were powerful – they were angry and sad, hopeful and inspiring. But as a lone voice it’s easy to feel like you’re shouting into a void.
The work I’ve created aims to represent the values of Raising Films and pulls together these voices – the majority of words you see in the piece are taken directly from the responses – to create a unified call-to-action. And that call should ring out not only in the film and TV industry and more broadly across arts and culture, but in many more workplaces and industries across the country and beyond.”
Digital fine-art print
The work was created in linocut and printed in sections before being scanned and composited using digital design tools. Digital fine-art prints are available to buy and after production costs all proceeds will be split to support the work of Raising Films and Alex J Gardner.
Digital print on matt fine art paper (approx 300gsm), unframed and unmounted.
Available in A3 (420mm x 297mm) for £50 or A2 (594mm x 420mm) for £80.
Prices are inclusive of delivery. Please allow up to 3 weeks (15 working days) for delivery as things are taking a little longer to produce at present, due to COVID-19.
Please select from the SIZE drop-down box, and then click Buy Now.
All payments will be processed through Paypal (AJG Design will appear on your bank statement).
Colouring in version
Alex has kindly prepared a version you can download, print and colour in at home! There are spaces within the illustration to add in your own suggestions. We would really like to see what you come up with so please share your versions on social media using the dedicated hashtag #RaisingOurFutures.
Use the button below to download the colouring in version as a PDF file.
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About the artist
Alex J Gardner is an artist and designer based near Manchester. Inspired by the graphic art styles of 20th Century political posters, as well as artist-activists like Paul Peter Piech, Alex’s practice combines traditional printmaking and digital art mediums to create work on a broad range of subjects, from political process and social justice to environment and landscape. In addition to his independent practice, Alex has worked with number of LGBTQI organisations and charities on design and illustration commissions. He has also worked extensively with The People’s History Museum in Manchester on social justice and political history exhibitions, and co-curated ‘Continuum: Framing Trans Lives in 21st Century Britain’, an exhibition of art made by trans and non-binary creators at the museum in 2017. Discover more of Alex’s work online.