Major Project Progress.

I Just thought I would post an update on how my major project is going so far. I have spent several days carrying around stuffed jeans and other various props (and had a lot of funny looks along the way). I really wanted to get some crude photographs of my work so that I could then alter them on photoshop and rework in to them with collage and hand drawn typography.

Some of the outcomes are really exciting! And because there is huge focus on the history of the Levis brand within my project, my tutor suggested that I incorporate the famous red tag in some of my final images. This way that can be used in my portfolio as posters intended for a particular client.

I then have a few other photographs that I have taken for portfolio purposes. When I spoke to Lord Whitney about my work, they said it would be interesting to get some 'in the making' images. I got a few photographs of me working on  a small set against a white backdrop and zoomed the camera out so that you could see all of the tools I was using and a glimpse of the studio in the bag round.

I really liked the images, so I decided to use it as the header on my website and also used it as the main image for my business cards (along with some collaged typography) of course!

I am now working on a new set of photographs I have taken. I am currently editing them in photoshop and thinking what else i can possibly add. I am not sure that type will work on these?

Here's a sneak preview...

Stepping in to gear.

So today I had a well needed 'crit' with my group at University, we all presented the work we have done so far on our final projects and discussed how we would use the weeks we have left. I was panicking to begin with because I felt as though I hadn't really had a particularly productive easter, but once I began to hear what amazing things everyone else is doing, it really got me pumped up and ready to go again.

I have a lot of ideas, I feel as though I am back in to the routine at University, so now I can just get on with it. Being back in the work environment amongst other creative people always gives me a boost and that's what today did for me! I am still creating all the elements I want to be displayed in my end of year show and managed to find a lot of the props I needed over the easter holidays whilst spending hours cleaning out my boyfriend's family shed/garage.

 Now I have started to think about how I can produce some imagery to hand in at the start of May. I have thought about photographing some of my 3D creations in different compositions and then forming layers over them with collage and some hand rendered type.

Here is an example of something I have seen on the Beach London website:

Image is a screen shot from the homepage of the Beach London Website.

I really like the idea of printing and then working on to my own photography, because I am not really confident with a camera so I guess this way I can disguise or even make the most of some of the 'rough' areas with some extra collage and hand drawing. It also brings together all the techniques I have always enjoyed working with, and knits them all together successfully (or so I hope).

I also think that photographs of my messy/crazy desk and works in progress would be good to use for my website. Again I can work in to them with type and could perhaps use them as project thumbnails or even as a main header for my homepage.
Here an example I have found on a short video by Zim and Zou on vimeo. I think this image works well on its own and would work as a main image on a website or perhaps the front page of a portfolio

Image is a screent shot from A Zim and Zou film on Vimeo

Happy Planet (Beind the scenes)

Available at: http://vimeo.com/58174324 [11.04.13]

Final Project Progress.

For my final major project, I wanted to focus on the book 'People Watching' written by Desmond Morris. Mainly because I am a nosey parker, and I am always interested in watching people, analysing there behaviour and mannerisms.

I just began reading without really knowing what I might find, in the hope that something would spark off some creative ideas.

I found a really interesting section surrounding what and why we wear the clothes that we do and there was a particular focus on the history of jeans. Morris states that Jeans are responsible for a change in teenage behaviour and refers to the 'flop out period' which is what he says to be a time when youngsters began to sit on the floor rather than on conventional seating. The reason behind this change in behaviour is down to the trousers they were wearing, jeans are a long hardwearing item, so people felt as though they could go ahead and sit on the floor without damaging their clothing.

The first thing I decided to do was create my own sculptures of some of the scenarios mentioned, such as reading from books whilst studying. Youngsters in jeans would feel comfortable reading whilst lying on the floor rather than sitting on chairs.
I have made a 3D cardboard book with a section of text from Morris' book painted on, and have also stuffed a pair of old jeans with newspaper. The jeans will be somehow fixed to the book as though they have fallen in to it whilst reading.

My 3d book. Still awaiting black lines to be painted on the side to look like pages.

Me and my friend Mr Stuffed Jeans.

I then went on to research the history of Levis, of course the most iconic and recognisable designer of jeans. I found a timeline that shows the key moments throughout the companies growth. I decided to pick out the most important symbols and pieces of information and have begun making and finding these things.

Jeans started out as workwear, for those in hard labour; such as builders. They were also worn by cowboys for horse riding, before going on to be used as performance gear by cyclists. Levi Strauss and Jacob davis (A tailor from Reno, Navada) worked together to create the first pair of Blue Jeans named 'XX'. They were made using the trademark rivets, which were responsible for giving the jeans such great strength.

The beginnings of 3D builders tools. The first X for the 'XX' logo.

 Pages from my sketchbook showing some of the key concepts/ symbols.

My next step is to find more pairs of jeans (I am currently asking everyone I know for donations), I am then going to stuff the pairs of jeans and mould them in various positions in order to show some of the different roles they have been used in. I am also thinking about painting on to some of the jeans to perhaps tell the specific story behind them, things like where a tear may have occurred, or what created a stain etc.

I also making as well as looking for props such as tools, and cowboy hats. Just generally gathering all of the elements together so that I can go ahead and put them in to compositions and think about how they will be arranged as an exhibition for the end of year show.

'Nonsense'

Lord Whitney came to visit us at Stockport College not so long ago and set us a fun brief, in order to relieve us of the dreaded thoughts about our final projects, and get us making something.
They set us the task of illustrating any of Edward Lear's 'nonsense' stories (Find a collection of his work here)

I chose a the small tale of Mr Lear, The Polly and The Pussybite.

"Mr. Lear goes out a walking with Polly and the Pusseybite. Mr. Lear, feeling tired, and also the Polly and the Pusseybite, sit down on a wall to rest.

Mr. Lear, the Polly and the Pusseybite go into a shop to buy a Numbrella, because it began to rain. Mr. Lear, the Polly and the Pusseybite having purchased umbrellas, proceed on their walk.

Mr. Lear, the Polly and the Pusseybite arrive at a bridge, which being broken they do not know what to do. Mr. Lear, the Polly and the Pusseybite all tumble promiscuous into the raging river and become quite wet.

A page missing here from the manuscript.

Mr. Lear, the Polly and the Pusseybite peruse their journey in a benevolent boat. Mr. Lear, the Polly and the Pusseybite incidentally fall over an unexpected cataract, and are all dashed to atoms.

A page missing here from the manuscript.

The 2 venerable Jebusites fasten the remains of Mr. Lear, the Polly and the Pusseybite, but fail to reconstruct them perfectly as 3 individuals.

Mr. Lear and the Pusseybite and the Pollycat and the 2 Jebusites and the Jerusalem Artichokes and the Octogonal Oysterclippers all tumble into a deep hole and are never seen or distinguished or heard of never more afterwards."

I have mentioned in my previous posts, that I have had chance to think about what it is I would like to do after University, so I thought it would be best to tackle this brief with a new approach. I decided to start working in 3D, without jumping too far away from my flat collage work, after all this was a first attempt at this sort of thing.

I made a flat collage version of the image too, just to keep both working methods running alongside each other. I think that this helps me work out how I am going to bring all the separate elements to life, as well as show a diverse range of work in my portfolio.

Time for Christmas.

So it has finally reached the end of the negotiated project and we have displayed our work in the form of a (very) mini exhibition in one of the empty photography studios in the college. This is when I can stand back and look at what I have actually managed to produce since returning back for my third year in September. I have taken a huge leap with my work whilst working on the most recent BMW WHF Brief. My illustrations are finally gaining character and reflecting my personality which is what the tutors said they really wanted to see from me.

I am excited to come back in January and work solidly on one Major Project. It seems as though everything has managed to come together at just the right time and hopefully you should start to see good things coming from me in the New year.

Here is a photograph of the work I have presented.

Merry Christmas!

Music-The Fishtank

Music is a manchester based design company that has created a rolling project for illustrators to create a design that will cover the huge wall of glass that surrounds their meeting room; AKA The Fish tank.
They decided to make the glass windows more noticeable after people "either walked straight in to the glass, or mimicked spider-man as they mimed their palms over it."

For this brief they ask illustrators to create a visualisation of any music track. I have chosen to illustrate The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows by Brand New.

Well here is the PDF document which I will email them. It describes the reasons behind the particular design as well as a plan of how I will actually apply it to and around the glass.

And a run through of the synopsis I provided:

I have chosen the song, The quiet things that no one ever knows by Brand New.

My favourite line in the song is ‘Nurse the shoreline like a wound’- Hence the strip of sea water across the bottom of the glass. The Characters have had a ‘lovers tiff’ so they stand a huge distance apart in the rain. Brand New’s lyrics are often like poems with a narrative you can decode for yourself. To me this song is about a husband and wife who's relationship is in shatters, but they choose to keep it quiet.

This image would be applied to the window using tissue/parchment papers and PVA glue and decoupage. Silhouettes of a man and a woman will be left so that people can stand in the space and become the characters themselves. Rain drops will be applied using oil based paint.

Origami birds will be hung from the ceiling and will fall level with the rain drops. These birds will be made from greetings cards/letters and envelopes that people have received (I have asked people to hand them in). As well as self confessions or perhaps ‘quiet things that no one ever [knew]’ about them.

BMW Warm Heart Fund

As I have mentioned in my previous post 'Hopes, Fear and Opportunities', I am currently working on a brief provided by BMW's Warm Heart Fund, which is a charity that supports educational and social projects. They currently use an ad agency in Beijing for some of their material, but the images used for items that are given to the volunteers and children, have often been created by some of the children themselves or staff members who are not trained in design.
So this is where we can step in and try to offer them something new.

I have been given a list of all of the programmes that BMW China has to offer;
BMW JOY Home
Light-up Hope program
2012 BMW Children's Traffic Safety Education
Mentor Program.

Xialolin Wu who is the fund manager of the BMW WHF based in Bijing has set the brief itself. She has asked for designs to be used for certain/required products in particular. These items are handed out to the volunteers and children involved in the various programmes.
These items are:
New years/Thank you card
Certificates
T-shirts

Other examples given are pen/credit card drives and mugs, which are products I would also like to design imagery for.
My designs focus on some of the concepts we were given, such as Giving hope, Growth and a positive outlook. I began by researching the symbolism of colour within Chinese culture, and then created a palette that would consist of

GREEN - growing, generating, sprouting.

RED -blooming, dynamic, enthusiastic, reaching upwards.
and
YELLOW- nourishing, supporting, stabilising.
 

When studying the five elements chart, I also discovered that the fruit assigned to the colour Green is a plum. I have used images of plum seeds, trees and blossom to signify the growth through education and learning. I have also chosen to incorporate images of a horse because when I was researching the BMW group I found out that "BMW: The Chinese translation is Bǎo Mǎ, which means Precious Horse." 

Here is an update with what I have produced so far.

 Certificate.

 Tshirt.

Only the front desin is complete. There will be a leaf that will curve around the back of the neckline.

Thank you/ New Years Card design.

Still needs a background.

My illustration work in books.

The 8x8 Anthology launch took place at 2pm on the 24th of October at The Anthony Burgess Foundation. Many came to see our presentation as part of the Manchester Literature Festival, where the creative writing students included in the book went on stage to read small sections of their stories, and some of the illustrators went up to answer questions prepared by our tutor Joanna Spicer.

I worked with Laura Brown and her story; 'As It Was' and was asked about how I chose what to put in to my two illustrations.

"Jo asked Jadine Butler about how she set about the task of designing something to go with Laura Brown’s As It Was, and she explained how she “tried to pick the two most symbolic moments in the text”, which includes a half-eaten piece of toast, which, indeed is very representative. Robert says of Laura: “She’s very good at leaving it entirely to the reader to work it out, using the little tiny things to say a lot more.”(MLF Blog 2012)

It is great to see my work in context and actually published in to a book (even though the main image sadly got cropped). We all managed to keep a copy for ourselves, and mine now shares a shelf with all the other illustration books I have purchased over the years.

I have also being printing my 'Female Facade' summer project work in to a zine, after having several book binding workshops with Lucy Wilson. This was another great opportunity to see how my work would look when presented in a book. A zine is a way to put a small amount of your work together in to a tangible object for the public to look at, almost like a hand out. They have always been something quite disposable for me, but Lucy taught us that the process of book binding can be just as important as the content and both can inform one another. So my final product holds more value to me now. It feels special, and I hope that this will make it stand out amongst many others.

I chose coptic binding to hold the book together because the pattern which forms down the spine resembles a platt, which of course has female connotations. I also doubled the thread I used (which was already incredibly thick) so it was very difficult to stitch, but worth it, because the pattern is much more noticeable. The images inside portray the story of adam and eve and how the female was initially created from a physical part of man, and how from the moment she picked fruit from the tree, she has been seen as a deviant.

MlF Blog [Online] Available at: http://manchesterliterature.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/sweet-sixteen.html
See Lucy Wilson's Website here: http://www.elizabethsheart.com/

Personal project

I have been continuing with research for my personal project over the summer, surrounding the idea of women being an object of the male (and female) gaze. The amount of information and theories available is rather overwhelming, there are so many ideas I am interested in, and they all seem to interlink with one another.

Some of the key ideas I am focusing on are:

-Women must continuously watch themselves.
-Adam and Eve- She is to blame for the sin. Deviant, and feels shame.
-How women disguise what they truly look like and why do they feel it's necessary?
-Women try to differentiate themselves from the male species through behaviour and looks, yet they still do so to please men and want to be treated the same.
-Women replace a penis with fetish objects of 'extension' such as cigarettes and high heels

(Derived from John Berger Ways Of Seeing and Carolina Hein Laura Mulvey, Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. seminar paper.)

So many paths to follow.
Here are some photographs of my sketchbook.

Telling it like it is- One day Brief

On the 17th of April, my illustration group and the graphics group at university joined together to do a one day brief. We were given questions from the tutors in relation to our course, questions such as:
-What are the most valuable things you have learned in the last two years?
- How would you describe your studio space?
- Describe an average day in the life of a graphic designer/illustrator

Our answers were to be presented in the form of an A3 poster in order to promote our courses.
I worked with Katherine Smith on describing our studio spaces. We sat down for half an hour and brain stormed some ideas, asking the group how they would describe their personal space. There were many similarities between graphics and illustration, both groups felt as though their studio spaces were unique and helped them to be creative. The only thing that really differentiated the two, was the work being produced. The clean compositions and typography work displayed in the graphics room set a different atmosphere from the clutter of textures and line drawings pinned up on the walls of the illustration room.

We wanted to show people that graphics and illustration do not exist separately and that they both work alongside each other. Yet at the same time we appreciate that they are visually different. We came up with an image of a studio split in half to represent both illustration and graphics, the styles contrast one another but the images still works as one. A laptop sits in the foreground because we agreed that both areas seemed to rely on digital technologies (even though there are preconceptions that graphic design is all computer based), the word creative will eventually be displayed across the screen of the laptop. The font will be different on both sides but will have some sort of pattern connecting both together.

We have also discussed incorporating some of the words we gathered when asking our group to describe the studios, they will be displayed on the spines of the books.
....Anyway, here is what we have created so far. To be continued...

8X8 tweaks

For those of you who have seen my previous post on my progress with the 8X8 brief, here is an image of what it looks like now. After having many discussions with my tutors I went back to drawing the shape of the body in various positions in order to make my characters convincing, the ones I had created were to angular and their poses didn't seem natural. I am still unsure as to whether I will work in to this piece more, after looking at it for so long, I find that I often have to return to it another day.
...But here it is...

I have also completed the 'spot illustration' which will sit on the pages amongst text. I wanted to keep this image simple. It shows a piece of half eaten toast on a plate, a significant symbol from the story. If the young boy had not eaten his toast that particular morning, or had he finished it, he would have caught another bus, a bus that didn't blow up and take his life.

E- Books

On Friday, Andy and Sophie from my illustration group at university, held a discussion about the possibility of producing work to be used in E-books. They were saying that the artwork in many of the E-books they had found seemed basic and not 'iconic'. We questioned whether expense had been spared in the design because of how cheap an E-book is in comparison to a physical book?
 I must admit that I have never really seen a difference between books and E-books and both have always seemed to be on par with one another when it comes to the quality of the design/illustrations.

What would be the benefits of E-Books?
- They are easier to get hold of
- They are environmentally friendly
- Characters can come to life, and have movement
- Don't have the process of taking it to print


With an E-book you don't get the same interaction as a book, you don't get to turn the pages, feel the texture of the paper or have pop ups. For a book to be online it needs to be made interactive, and elements need to come to life to make it different from the book itself.


Our generation is getting more literate through the use of computers and they are becoming more important at Primary School level.  E-books are definitely becoming more popular and they offer a new area for illustrators to work in, being able to create things for an online environment. They help us to extend what we can do and be paid to do!!

8X8 progress

I just wanted to show you what I had produced so far for the 'As It Was' story. I have been illustrating the last paragraph, it is the strongest memory held by the twin brother of a young boy who died in a London bus bombing. A lasting memory of them laughing uncontrollably at a joke whilst eating a Rocket ice lolly. I wanted to capture the memory almost in a capsule, the oval shape holds the the past like a photo frame and the characters fall out out of the frame to suggest that they are not held captive in this moment alone. 

Howkapow- Mug design.

I just thought I would upload the final front and back image for the Howkapow mug, as I have only shown a draft in my previous post. All it needs now is resizing and put in to the template I have received.

8 x 8 Live Brief

The time has come for the annual 8 x 8 Live Brief collaboration with creative writing students from MMU. 8 students have written short stories, and 2 illustrators have been assigned to illustrate each one. They will then be "brought together in a publication, which will be launched this year at either Didsbury art festival 2012 0r Manchester literature festival (still to be confirmed)”

I have been teamed with Laura Brown who has written a story title ‘As It Was’. This story tackles the difficult issue of loosing someone you love, it is about fate and how it is so easy to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Perhaps if they hadn’t have done this or they’d have done that, they would still be here……But As It Was….

There is a fantastic quote within the text that I am working with at the moment:

“All seasonal colours stopped dead”.

I will keep you up to date with my progess.

Howkapow Progress

I just thought I would post an update on the work I have been creating for Howkapow. I have created two illustrations, one to be screen printed on to a circular tray, and the other is for a mug. I have just received feedback from the company this afternoon, and it seems as though they are pleased with my designs. They said that the design for the tray was “strong with good use of bold lines against textures”, and that they would like the mug design to be blown up a little bigger so detail is not lost as well as make it as strong as the tray design.

Luckily the mug illustration was still at a rough stage and I had thought that I may need to make it bigger, so these are things that were already in my mind.

TRAY:

MUG:

John Hill at Stockport College.

John Hill, the design editor of The Times, came to do a presentation at our college last week. He spoke about his life after graduating from Kingston and how he worked his way up to where he now. Hill's first job was at Atelier Works where he worked during holidays as a junior designer. He then went on to be a senior designer at Esterson associates, which is where he said to have learnt from someone else for 6 years, before working from his London home.

It was an extreme transition from the working environment in his own house, to the grand scale of The Times building, where he would be working amongst a huge team of designers re-designing a smaller version of the times in 2006.

It was interesting to hear how someone so successful had worked they way up, and how he hadn't just jumped in to his dream job, nor had he sacrificed having a family.

When we asked Hill about his team, he told us that he likes to mix them up, so that they can dip in to other disciplines. Having people that had some understanding of all aspects of the job was very important to him. He also gives them a lot of freedom so that they can pretty much produce whatever they want.

And of course it was important for us to ask about how he goes about commissioning illustrators.

He responded by telling us he would always look for an illustrator who can illustrate an idea, and one that they can come up with themselves. He didn't seem at all interested in someone who would not have the confidence to have their 'own approach'. For me, this was the key comment that had been made. Briefs can often be so restricting, with almost everything handed to you on a plate, it can often feel like a page from a 'colouring in book'. The ever growing design team at The Times, recognise the potential in illustrators who can think for themselves.

Creative Review- Where is the content?Where is the comment?

Image source: http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2012/february/where-is-the-content

Towards the end of our working day in the college studio, my group got together to discuss an article from the creative Review. The article is posted by Lawrence Zeegan and is titled: Where is the content? Where is the comment?

Zeegan's argument is that illustrators are obsessed with making things 'look pretty' rather than being able to tackle debates/issues within society. He pays reference to a large piece of Shrigley artwork that has been displayed outside the London Hayward Gallery, with a slogan "Fight The Nothingness." Zeegan describes this statement as a "wake-up call to contemporary graphic art and illustration."(Zeegan, Online)

Across the river, Somerset House is launching Pick me up 2012 which I have booked tickets to go and see on the 23rd of march, the event is described by Zeegan as a showcase of "contemporary eye candy"(Zeegan, Online) where everything is based on aesthetics rather that meaning, which is why he asks the question: where is the content?

Of course I understand this opinion and I do agree that illustrators do have a huge focus on the way an image looks, but this a comparison to fine art is it not? And illustration is a completely different discipline.

Fine artists can create whatever they want or feel, without having to really think about how someone is going to read it. Everyone has a their own interpretation and that is the beauty of fine art. However, when it comes to illustration, you usually have to present an idea in a way that makes it accessible for everyone! It is important that we portray a particular message clearly, without having to go and view it within a gallery. Illustration is a completely different career, if we were to approach a brief as a fine artist would, nobody would know what an earth was going on. Not everything can have such a profound hidden meaning, it is a craft in itself being able to portray ideas clearly to an audience and of course still have a sense of self, staying true to your own beliefs. It's not just about spilling the contents of your mind out on to a canvas, there has to be room for both!

Zeegan. L. 2012, Where is the content? Where is the comment? Creative Review (Online)

Available at: http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2012/february/where-is-the-content[16.03.12]

Where have all the book illustrators gone?

On Friday the 9^th of March, Adam and Cat showed the class a presentation asking the question: Where have all the book illustrators gone?

Originally books were illustrated with the illustrators and the writers working alongside each other, co-partners in the books production. A perfect example of this close relationship is Roald Dahl and Quentin Blake. Blake still illustrated Dahl’s books after he had died, simply because he had gotten to know him so well, he knew what he would have wanted.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory By Roald Dahl, illustrated by Quentin Blake Source: http://www.lookingglassreview.com/html/roald_dahl1.html

An example of a close contemporary collaboration is Paul Stewart and Chris Riddell: as one writes the other will draw.

Beyond The Deepwoods, The Edge Chronicles, by Paul Stewart, illustrated by Chris Riddell. Source:http://thelastwordbooks.blogspot.com/2010/12/young-adults-edge-chronicles-by-paul.html

Why don’t these types of collaborations happen so much anymore?

With the Internet and the convenience of emailing, you rarely have to meet an author or director in person. Nowadays these close collaborations between artist and author are very rare. Being able to interact via the web saves time and money, which is why many do favour it. Perhaps Authors are also too precious about their work to risk collaborating with an illustrator.

Why don’t contemporary adult novels have illustrations as standard?

When younger we are used to images filling the pages often with very little writing at all. When we are able to read at a much higher level, perhaps we could find an image distracting. We already have so much visual simulation that someone else’s interpretations are off-putting and hinder our own imagination.

An interesting concept to finish with from writer David Mitchell, who has said he doesn’t want to be branded and so he always wants someone different to illustrate each of his books. This is an interesting way of reinventing himself, and keeping his readers on their toes.

Howkapow-New brief

Last week I received a new brief as part of a University 'design in context' project. The brief has been set by Howkapow, "A colourful online shop selling design and illustration for the home. The company stocks ceramics, prints and posters, accessories and jewellery. The Howkapow shop showcases only the most innovative and interesting work from carefully selected designers."

This is a fantastic opportunity publicise my own work as well as learn how to apply my designs to various products. I have been given the opportunity to produce a mug, tea towel or a tray. There are two themes which Hokapow have identified as having current trends, these are Food and Scandinavian design.

I have been reading a LOT of Scandinavian folk tales recently, but one of my favourites is called East of the Sun and West of the Moon.

Summary:

A tale of a poor father with many daughters, one of whom is very beautiful. A white bear comes to their home and asks to buy her and in return, he will make the family very rich. The bear turns out to be a prince who has been put under a curse by his evil stepmother. Once the girl discovers he is in fact a man he is sent back home to the castle that is East of the Sun and West of the Moon. He is to marry a princess with a nose 'three ells long'. The young girl endures a long and tiring journey meeting many interesting characters along way, until she finally finds steals back her prince.

Here are some of my initial drawings, focusing on the image of the castle.