www.printmonthly.co.uk 57 July / August 2023 - Issue 343 FOCUS ON: NATHAN WARD, PAPER ARTIST the Financial Times, Samsung, and Who Gives a Crap toilet roll where printed patterns or specific Pantones were required, and it was not possible to use colours from a collection. Roger White, creative and technical director at F.E Burman, comments: “Understanding the intent of a client’s project, who it’s for, and what needs to be achieved is the beginning of the creative process to finding the right solution for each project. Working together with our clients is what we love to do. “We encourage clients to come in and see us to talk and show us their mock ups and ideas. In turn this gives the client the opportunity to explore our vast show space filled with endless creative samples and papers, which only fire up their creative juices even more.” White goes on to say that by working with clients to find the right solution through print, finishing, or web-based systems, F.E Burman can be “more than a provider” and become partners and build relationships instead. In terms of the printer’s capabilities, White says F.E Burman utilises different creative software, papers, print, and finishing technologies to further enhance its clients’ projects and provide deeper experiences and engagement. This ranges from high-end magazine covers, personalised marketing material, bespoke packaging, event and trade materials, to custom web-to-print websites each tailored to meet a client’s specific needs. Reflecting on F.E Burman’s relationship with Ward, White adds: “We have a wonderful relationship with Nathan, whether he only requires flat sheets or a series of complicated variable data PUR Books utilising different papers, he’s not just a skilled designer, he understands the print process which strengthens his artwork ability. “Nathan’s ability to ask questions and enquire about alternatives which he may be unaware of that we can guide him through makes him the kind of creative we love to work with.” A Fine-tuned Skill With his projects quickly having gone from smaller tabletop-based practices to largescale installation-based pieces, Ward says managing projects of such different sizes has been something he’s continually developing and becoming more skilled at. Some projects of note include work for The Ned’s fifth birthday installation and a papier mâché ball installation for the Grassroots Soccer Charity Gala. Ward says: “There is so much to consider when working on that scale, from rigging to in-depth material knowledge and managing assistants’ delivery and installation.” For The Ned’s fifth birthday project, Ward produced a paper installation for the historic hotel’s atrium in May 2022. The project was inspired by a confetti canon in mid-pop and the design consisted of 35,200 individual pieces of G.F Smith paper incorporating offcuts of G.F Smith Colorplan in eight different colours, collected from the factory cutting room floor. Sitting across six polycarbonate rings attached to the ceiling, the multi-tiered construction was created by a team of 20 people, involved a week of preparation to trim the paper, and took over seven hours to install. Managing the business aspects of his career has been another learning curve to navigate and not something you’re typically taught at art school. “Though I have illustration agent representation and a supportive team around me, the bigger projects take lots of planning and communication,” he explains. The Process Involved We’ve seen from Ward’s work with F.E. Burman the specific requirements that can be made when working with brands and on large-profile projects when it comes to colour management and printing. However, with so many paper weights and finishes, we were also curious to know what is involved in the process of paper crafting itself and what considerations are needed for this type of work. “A scalpel and my hands were where it all started for me. I used to spend hours painstakingly measuring out the nets for my 3D shapes, working out complex trigonometry with a protractor and compass, and making multiple iterations and mockups until I was happy with the results.” Today, Ward says it’s a very different story and whilst he still pays the same attention to quality and detail, he now has a fully equipped studio and freelance teams of assistants to support commercial projects and large production jobs. With each project’s outcome bespoke and tailored to the brief, Ward’s work can take anywhere between a couple of days and a couple of years to complete. When it comes to commercial work, he says he is used to only having a few weeks to deliver. “Depending on the project, I have a number of trusted freelance assistants I can call upon to support,” he says. “This allows me to flexibly increase or decrease production in line with the project’s demands. For editorial projects and photoshoots, I might have a few days. For larger sculptural pieces, I may have months. My offering is tailored according to the clients' budget and needs.” Having developed his skills and knowledge over several years, he now shares this experience with others. Ward was recently exhibited in an international paper art exhibition at MAKE Southwest in Devon and regularly leads workshops where he shares techniques and insights for working with paper. He
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