Emily Thomas
Statement
After gaining a huge interest in Reportage Illustration during my time at UWE, I am now a professional working visual journalist who enjoys engaging with current topics of interest.
I work with an analogue methodology combined with Photoshop to digitally edit and refine images. I enjoy working with a range of media such as ink, collage, photography and pencils. I love drawing on location so I can be fully engaged with the subject matter I am portraying.
My personal work revolves around direct observation and discovery, and I have a great interest in things that go unnoticed and unseen. I love to fully investigate a subject by interviewing individuals and recording environments through sound, photography and drawing.
I am always building on my skills of organisation, pro-activeness, confidence and engaging with people. I want to continue telling stories in a unique and engaging way.
Achievements & Experience
Winner of the Gane Trust Travel Bursary Award 2019
Runner up of the Faculty of Arts, Creative Industries and Education Student of the Year 2020
Artist in Residence at Dartmouth Food Festival 2019
Artist in Residence at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London 2020
Featured Projects:
Through my most recent project, I would like to reveal the unseen of student nurses who have been working long hours at the frontline of the biggest killer of our time and describe their innermost thoughts and feelings through experimental Reportage Illustration. This project was a three week trip through Kraków, Warsaw and Poznań, where I wanted to find out how the current generation of young Poles viewed the freedom of work and travel across Europe in comparison to those who lived before them. Another image from my most recent project, describing the personal experiences of the individuals working on the frontline and putting their own safety at risk to protect those they care for. A project inspired by the unseen struggles and fears of women during and after pregnancy, exploring topics of worry and anxiety through Reportage Illustration. This example shows use on a wider scale as a poster setting for a Helpline relating to the issues experienced by childbearing women. A piece done through observational drawing of a queue outside a Barber's when it first re-opened, as I was bewildered by the huge queues of people waiting. This piece is an example of my interest in commenting the every day, and what may otherwise go unseen. An observational drawing completed during my residency at Dartmouth Food Festival, October 2019. This experienced challenged me to push my boundaries and observe and record the world around me with a pro-active eye, further encouraging my exploration into Reportage Illustration. 
Student Nurses and COVID-19
Stories of Poland
Student Nurses and COVID-19
Stories of Maternity
Observing the Everyday
Dartmouth Food Festival