Ciara McAvoy is a Scottish artist who primarily creates hand-drawn film posters using oil paint.[1] Her work has been used by a wide variety of movie studios and production companies for modern films like X-Men: First Class[2] and Filth.[3] She has also painted posters for classic film series like Star Wars and Indiana Jones.[4]
Ciara McAvoy | |
|---|---|
| Education | Diplôme Supérieur d'Art Plastique |
| Alma mater | École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts |
| Occupation | Film poster artist |
| Website | www |
McAvoy has won numerous awards for her work in the film industry, including a Davey Award and a Creativity International Award for her Filth poster in 2014[5] and five total Communicator Awards in 2015 for Filth, X-Men, and Star Wars Revenge of the Sith. Her current work includes projects for the film Enemy of Man and Victor Frankenstein.[1][6]
Early life and education
editMcAvoy is a native of Glasgow, Scotland and started drawing at the age of 8, selling her first oil painting by the time she was 12 years old. Her grandfather, who studied at Montmartre, was an early inspiration in her artistic endeavours.[1] McAvoy also cites films like Star Wars and other poster artists like Tom Jung, John Alvin, and Richard Amsel for spurring her interest in movie art.[7][8]
McAvoy attended the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris.[1] To fund her schooling, she worked at a local cinema as an usher and, later, a projectionist. After work, McAvoy would go home and paint scenes from the films she'd watched earlier in the day. Some of those early paintings were used as posters at the cinema where she worked. Upon finishing her schooling, McAvoy received a Diplôme Supérieur d'Art Plastique.[4][7]
Career
editBecause McAvoy's early posters were successful, she decided to pursue a career in movie poster design. Despite the fact that most movie posters after the 1990s were created digitally or with photographs, McAvoy believed that more "traditional" types of movie posters could prove to be successful. She submitted some of her work to magazines and was published almost immediately. She was also contacted by LucasFilm, which asked to see her portfolio. Rick McCallum, who produced the second Star Wars trilogy has some of McAvoy's art hanging in his home.[4] McAvoy paints primarily with oils, but also has created works using acrylic, watercolor, graphite, charcoal, and pastels.[1]
Most of McAvoy's work that is used as actual promotional material is featured in Europe, because US markets are less receptive.[2] However, her artwork for the Scottish film Filth was used for the movie's American promotional campaign and she has also worked on promotional campaigns for films like X-Men: First Class.[4] While some of the films for which McAvoy is commissioned feature actor James McAvoy, the two have no immediate familial relation.[9] McAvoy received multiple awards for her work on the film.[10][11]
McAvoy's most recent work is for the Paul McGuigan film Victor Frankenstein."Alex Simon"[12] Scheduled for release in November 2015, McAvoy created the alternative movie poster for the film.[6][13]
Selected works
edit| Date | Project[4] | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade | Anniversary poster |
| 1991 | Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves | |
| 1996 | The Empire Strikes Back | Anniversary poster |
| 1996 | Mission: Impossible | |
| 2005 | Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith[14] | |
| 2011 | X-Men: First Class | Official promotional material[15] |
| 2013 | Filth | Official American promotional material |
| 2014 | Kaleidoscope Man | Associate Producer |
| 2015 | Enemy of Man | Associate producer, official movie poster |
| 2015 | Victor Frankenstein | Alternative movie poster[citation needed] |
Awards and recognition
editIn 2014, McAvoy was an award winner in the 44th Creativity International Print & Packaging Design Awards for her work on the film Filth.[16] The same year, she received a Davey Award for the Filth movie poster from the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts.[11] At the 2015 Communicator Awards in Beverly Hills, California, McAvoy won a total of five awards, being recognized for her work with Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, X-Men and Filth.[1][6]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Simon, Alex (27 May 2015). "Sweet Painting Lady: Ciara McAvoy Resurrects the Art of the Movie Poster". HuffPost. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
- ^ a b "In pictures: Glasgow artist creates hand-drawn movie posters which are taking Hollywood by storm". Daily Record. 11 June 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ "Ciara McAvoy Paints Filth". ArtInsights. 26 October 2013. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Bateman, David (9 June 2014). "Glasgow artist preserving the lost art of the hand-drawn movie poster". STV Glasgow. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ Dale, Jill. "Ciara McAvoy Honored at the 45th Creativity International Print and Packaging Design Awards for Victor Frankenstein". Splash Magazines. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
- ^ a b c Simon, Alex (30 October 2015). "Ciara McAvoy Cops Three Awards for Her Iconic Victor Frankenstein Design". The Hollywood Interview. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
- ^ a b Dale, Jill. "Hollywood Illustrator/Poster Artist, Ciara McAvoy Review- The Magic Behind the Art". Splash Magazines. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ "Artists Up Close Ciara McAvoy: Photorealism Perfected". ArtInsights. 2 March 2013. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ^ "Hand-drawn Hollywood. Via Glasgow". Creative Clyde. June 2014. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
- ^ Thyra, Karina (25 September 2014). "McAvoys win prestigious Awards for their work in FIlth". Movie Pilot. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
- ^ a b Bateman, David (31 October 2014). "Glasgow poster artist wins awards for work on Filth". Glasgow TV. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
- ^ Simon, Alex (18 August 2015). "Ciara McAvoy Throws the Switch on Victor Frankenstein". The Hollywood Interview. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
- ^ "Exclusive Interview with Victor Frankenstein Poster Designer, Ciara McAvoy". Movie Pilot. Retrieved 12 October 2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Ciara McAvoy Paints Revenge of the Sith". Art Insights Magazine. 16 February 2015. Archived from the original on 6 November 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
- ^ "Ciara McAvoy Paints X-Men First Class". Art Insights. Archived from the original on 17 February 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2015.
- ^ Baltes, Alan (25 September 2014). "Ciara McAvoy Wins Outstanding Creative Design Award for 'Filth' movie poster". The Examiner.
