Sct. Mogensgade 44D
8800 Viborg
E: sofielouisedam@live.dk
T: 2534 6453
Dear admission board
My name is Sofie Louise Dam, and I am applying for admission to the bachelor
degree in Graphic Storytelling.
My way into the world of graphic stories started when I as a kid
inherited my brothers Donald Duck comic collection (the gem of which being The
Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck), but my first conscious fascination with the
media came years later when I discovered my parents' collection: the Belgian
“Les Cités Obscures” and “Les Passagers du vent”. I had always been drawing and
when my 13-year-old self discovered that I could find the art that appealed the
most to me compiled in paperbacks on the shelves of Fantask I was thrilled. Here
I got to know the art of Frank Miller, Alan Moore and David Mack (Kabuki), and
the first spark of my dream of creating graphic stories as amazing as theirs
was lit.
After graduating from high school in 2011 I set my mind on The Animation
Workshop: applying for the bachelor in character animation in 2012 and moving
there in august to attend the fall semester of The Drawing Academy. Here Artem
was my teacher and besides training my hand and eyes I was introduced to an
environment of passionate and creative people among whom I feel perfectly at
home. Most importantly it became clear to me that I definitely wanted to pursue
my dream of working with the creation of stories and universes. When I saw the
bachelor degree in graphic storytelling becoming a reality this winter, I
instantly knew that I wanted to stay in Viborg for the next four years of my life.
Lately I have found the styles of Art Spiegelman, Marjane Satrapi and
in particular Alison Bechdel (Fun Home) inspiring. Their way of dealing with
less action-packed narrative and biographical subjects is something I also
would like to explore within the comic book medium. I always return to artists like David Lynch and Cindy Sherman when searching for inspiration. In my world
creation project I wanted to capture some of the mood of Shermans
Hollywood/Hampton types photographs. Music is for me another great source of inspiration: songs
by Joanna Newsom have directly inspired my Cosmia story. I have a taste for
movies such as the vampire movie “Les Lèvres Rouges” from 72, the Japanese
“Pitfall” and the Serbian “Underground” – what they have in common is the craziness, subtle humor and unique visual styles.
The ultimate dream for me is to create a graphic novel in the same
caliber as Alan Moore’s V for Vendetta or From Hell. His way of combining the
comic book media with social criticism and dark humor is amazing. I am
intrigued by the way the media is evolving into new genres and getting new
audiences, and I sincerely hope to be a part of this in the future. From this
education I will strive to become a strong visual artist, so I can use my
skills professionally to create stories in the form of graphic
novels, comics, animation film, illustration etc. – commercially as well as
independently.
At the moment I am attending the web integrator program at the Media School in Viborg while working on my portfolio. In regard of software knowledge I have moderate experience in Photoshop, but will be working with this and other programs, for instance AfterEffects and Illustrator while at the media school.
I hope from the bottom of my heart that you will let me be a part of the graphic storytelling class of 2013.
Sincerely,
Sofie Louise Dam
At the moment I am attending the web integrator program at the Media School in Viborg while working on my portfolio. In regard of software knowledge I have moderate experience in Photoshop, but will be working with this and other programs, for instance AfterEffects and Illustrator while at the media school.
I hope from the bottom of my heart that you will let me be a part of the graphic storytelling class of 2013.
Sincerely,
Sofie Louise Dam
