WorkMotion

Emmeline Pankhurst, Rosa Parks, Kusama and Malala "star" in superb new illustrated music video

We’ve long admired the lo-fi, but skilfully crafted aesthetic of illustrator and animator Ewen Farr, and he’s taken things up a notch yet again with this superb animated music video for Gin Wigmore’s track Girl Gang.

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Illustrated figure with bright pink bob haircut, red polka dot top and turquoise wings against dark background, from the Girl Gang music video

The video was created using a mixture of very analogue media – tracing paper, pens, and coloured pencils – before being painstakingly finished by scanning the images in and working them up in Photoshop and After Effects.

Farr is no stranger to making music videos, and this work was won through the Creative Commission website. He was briefed to create a piece that focused on the women’s rights movement, or "showcasing badass strong women," he tells.

The result is something of a dream #squad of illustrated women, all lip-syncing along to Wigmore’s track. Among the gang are Emmeline Pankhurst, Marie Curie, Rosa Parks, Maya Angelou, Yayoi Kusama and Malala Yousafzai. Badass indeed.

Bold black letters reading "GIRL GANG" on a textured grey background with scattered colourful confetti-like marks
Illustrated portrait of a person with yellow skin, purple eyes and pink lips, wearing a blue top with decorative neckline and orange hair with horn-like protrusions, against a dark brown background
Illustrated portrait of Yayoi Kusama with orange bob hair, green-lined eyes and lips, wearing a green polka-dot top against a teal patterned background
Illustrated portrait of Yayoi Kusama wearing red-framed glasses and yellow striped clothing against a green textured background
Illustrated portraits of three women with coloured pencil styling: a woman with pink wavy hair on the left, a woman wearing a vibrant patterned headwrap in the centre, and a woman with reddish-brown hair on the right
Illustrated portrait of a woman with auburn hair and blue face paint, wearing an olive shirt with an orange sun motif on the chest, against a dark starry background
Illustrated group portrait of notable women including Emmeline Pankhurst, Rosa Parks, Yayoi Kusama and Malala Yousafzai, drawn in colourful lo-fi style with varied skin tones and distinctive features
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