Callum Benfell
Multidisciplinary designer and storytellerWork
Method RecyclingPolicy NZ
Torotoro
Sam & Spoons
Common Ground
Beansprout
Bella
Mozart! Poster
Bella
University projectIllustration
2022
Brief
I was tasked with creating an illustration that would pair with an essay I had written for a university course (Concept Art & Illustration). The essay focused on the work of Hayao Miyazaki and his influences.Solution
I decided to follow Miyazaki’s process when creating my illustration: I explored my local environment to find real references, animated each frame by hand and even pondered the meaninglessness of life while doing so.The illustration features my girlfriend’s dog, Bella, near the entranceway of Mt. Kaukau. I initially took a range of photos around several of Wellington’s parks and walkways, because depicting Wellington’s natural environment seemed congruent with Miyazaki’s shinto influence and reverence for nature. I settled on this particular spot because of its liminality. Situated on the threshold between kilometres of native bush and dense suburbia, the bridge and the stream that sparkles beneath it would not look out of place in one of Miyazaki’s films.