Monique Thouin Kantor I Mtk I
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MONIQUE THOUIN KANTOR Design Portfolio I MTK I ELTON JOHN VINYLS vinyl album covers ALBUM COVER REDESIGN ILLUSTRATION + TYPOGRAPHY + COLOR 3 COVERS 12� X 12� + 3 LABELS 4� X 4� SPRING 2018 Elton John announced to the world that, after fifty years of performing and touring, he will retire, but not before completing a climactic two-year world tour. Recogniz- ing that albums are simply musical forms of story-telling, I thought to bring a twist to the idea of packaging and apply it to Elton’s music, rich with story. What better way to accompany a farewell tour than to re-release some of the best-loved albums that launched a life-long career as an iconic rock star? And who better to design them than me? My personal interpretations of the albums, integrated with relevant 2018 design, inspired and informed the direction for the designs. Impactful yet sparing use of soft gradients and transparent colors placed these designs firmly into the 2018 aesthetic. Carefully-chosen script type for Elton John that evoked the ‘57 Chevy ideal paired with the swirling hem of a poodle skirt reinfoced the ‘50’s theme for Don’t Shoot Me. Metallophile’s rough-hewn edges evoked the feel of chiseled bricks in Yellow Brick Road. I created an original typeface for Honky Chateau to reflect the never-been-seen- before journey of Rocket Man—one of its most iconic tracks. Album labels were designed within a system to unify them, and expanded images from the jacket designs created the backgrounds which served to differentiate them. All together, these labels and covers emanate a cohesive retro/ modern feel. WATERBIRCH art catalog PASSION PROJECT ILLUSTRATION + TYPOGRAPHY + WRITING + PRINTMAKING 1 BOOK 16� X 11� SPRING 2018 Waterbirch is the name I ascribe to the collected works of my original giclée and hand-printed designs. These prints reflect many disparate influences — my middle-school art class, children's picture books, mid-century modernism, travel, lazy summer days, crisp winter afternoons, autumn trees, plants and birds, animals and bugs—that drive and inform my sense of process,color, composition, and theme. Although whimsical, sometimes nostalgic, and invariably explorative, these images carry themselves with an elegance and sophistication that unify them, that tell a story, yet they all existed in different times and spaces. Therein lay my challenge—to unite them in time and space and to ground them with written story. My solution was to create a personal art book to compile and organize the images and their stories into a usable and accessible system. The published book can be used for enjoyment purposes, or it can be used as a reference catalog from which those interested might request cards or prints of their choice. GICLÉE AT THE LAKE Sunlight dapples through the branches of the birches that tower above me. Tender leaves flutter overhead. A lone sparrow sings. A breath of lake breeze floats past. Lying on the grass, I become earth, and I gaze up and away into a blue universe that is endless, and I am held, like a precious stone, in an omnipotent hand. With only a few exceptions, at the lake is where my childhood lives. Endless days with bare toes spent digging in the sand, wading through water, scrambling over rocks, running through the grass. Here there were no walls, no lines, no borders, no rules, no hours or minutes—just endless days of exploring the world and discovering me. It is also where I discovered what was beautiful to me and what inspires me—a blade of grass, a drop of rain, the wing of a butterfly—all the simple elements of matter that comprise and sustain our world, that color our lives. Whether microscopic or distant, my renditions portray the pure simplicity of peace, joy and beauty always to be explored and discovered at the lake. l-r Cabin Grass 5" x 10" Dragon Wings 5” x 10” Evening Grass 8” x 6” 2011 l-r Birches en Été 8" x 6" Birches en Automne 8” x 6” Birches en Hiver 8” x 6” l-r Night Owl 11" x 14" 2011 Fox Pup 11” x 14” Redbird 10” x 8.5”Bard Owl 8" x 11" 2015 Fox Pup 8” x 11” Red Bird 8” x 6” 2015 PRINTS IN THE STUDIO There is no sound but the clock ticking on the wall, marking time. Every drawer, every surface, every tool, every thing in this room has a purpose, a job, a role to play in the making of art and of history and of humanity. It is a place of creation and ritual, belief and patience, respect and honor. In this world, time matters, care is essential, and process is key. Here it is as much about the community as it is about the self; about the journey as it is about the destination, And that, my friends, is what renders this space and this type of image-making so supremely sacred. Ancient and timeless are the tools, the methods, the materials, and the wonder that inhabit the world of hand-rendered printmaking. The pencils and erasers, tape and pins, rulers and mesh screens, wing-nuts and screws, water and light, darkness and air all connect our minds to our bodies, our present with our past and our future. The l-r Hummingbird Perspective cyanotype + silkscreen paper and the ink are not simply seen, they are also felt. Each step requires attention 8” x 8” to time, space, and order. Fluctuations arise and problems are solved. Experience and Through the Mist faith drive our process. van dyke non-silver 14” x 10” But there is nothing like that split-second moment of wonder and anticipation where 2017 process meets revelation and the paper is peeled from the screen or the press or the water- bath and the image you hold in your hand is always a surprise. Unique, real, and forever. BUMPITY BUMP CHOCOLATES typographic triumph PRODUCT LINE TYPOGRAPHY 3 BOXES + PACKAGE DESIGN FALL 2016 5� + ILLUSTRATION X 3� X .5� + COPY My objective was to create an identity and packaging for an original brand of artisan chocolate bars. My conceptual invention, Bumpity Bump Chocolates, was inspired by the sledding hill of my childhood, a long, steep, and thrilling SNAP run over and surrounded by jagged boulders of iron ore. ALMOND Illustrative elements of mineral-colored triangles tumble down a mountain set against a vast background of open space and create the visual setting for the piece. Three ITY B delectable flavors P U T ANG M dubbed Snap, Zest, and Tang, and were differentiated from M CHERRY each other by their ivory, rust, and charcoal backgrounds. U P SLEDDING —almond, cherry, and cinnamon B Sans serif fonts meticulously typeset in the colors of the CHOCOLATE mountain created clarity and visual interest on the front, Y back, and side panels. PIT BU M M The brand name, Bumpity Bump, was set in bold sans serif — were P U ZEST in a badge configuration that mimicked a boot-print in the SLEDDING B CIN NAMON snow. Carefully-written descriptive copy underscored the CHOCOLATE story of the brand. A stylized star adorned the top and side panels of the packaging identifying them from the small est sides. The result is a playful yet sophisticated presence TY that commands attention through its clarity and concep- PI BU tual uniqueness. NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART M M 75% CACAO | NET WEIGHT 3 . 5 OUNCES U P SLEDDING B CHOCOLATE - Y NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART PIT BU M M 75% CACAO | NET WEIGHT 3 . 5 OUNCES U P SLEDDING B CHOCOLATE SNAP ALMONDS IN 75 PERCENT DARK CHOCOLATE Y Not for the faint of heart, Bumpity Bump chocolate was PIT BU inspired by the sledding hill of the same name set on the M M NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART northern face of Hibbing’s Winston‒Dear iron mine dump. U P SLEDDING Created from ore cleaved from the world‒renowned Hull B 75% CACAO | NET WEIGHT 3 . 5 OUNCES Rust pit, it is a sledding run bounded by and peppered with CHOCOLATE sharp and jagged boulders set at a pitch severe enough T A NG to match that of the screams of thrill and delight of the sledders careening their way to the frozen marsh below. CHERRY INFUSED 75 PERCENT DARK CHOCOLATE Engagingly provocative with a lively charm, our chocolates are stimulating to the palette and parallel the piquancy of Not for the faint of heart, Bumpity Bump chocolate was a true Bumpity Bump ride in real time; with a richness, snap, inspired by the sledding hill of the same name set on the tang, and zest that is to be relished with gusto. northern face of Hibbing’s Winston‒Dear iron mine dump. ITY B Y Created from ore cleaved from the world‒renowned Hull P U T M I BUINGREDIENTS Rust pit, it is a sledding run bounded by and peppered with M P P chocolate liquor, cocoa, sugar, cocoa butter, almonds. sharp and jagged boulders set at a pitch severe enough U SLEDDING M B to match that of the screams of thrill and delight of the M CHOCOLATE MAY CONTAIN PEANUTS, TREE NUTS, MILK, EGGS, WHEAT, AND SOY sledders careening their way to the frozen marsh below. U P Engagingly provocative with a lively charm, our chocolates SLEDDING ZEST B are stimulating to the palette and parallel the piquancy of HULL RUST CHOCOLATES a true Bumpity Bump ride in real time; with a richness, snap, CINNAMON INFUSED 75 PERCENT DARK CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE .