Putting my Illustration and Design skills into use in time for christmas

Here is a self set task, just in time for christmas. My sister required a black paper based photo album. After searching high and low for such a product that was suitable, I was not successful. I then thought I would produce my own personalized book for her as the photos with in were sensitive and there for this had to be reflected with in the design.
In terms of process, I initially began by finding a suitable shaped and sized book and covering it with this floral material. My sister really likes the home made feel of items at the moment, which seems to be a popular trend. After that I decided to illustrate a tea pot and sew it onto a variant material. I chose this design because she collects this particular item. I then decided to spruce it up further by adorning and embellishing the cover with jems and buttons, also adding a friendly bow. This added depth and intrigue to the cover. I was also sure to make sure the interior had a professional finish and so i recovered the inner cover with black paper to hide any tatty edges caused by the material covering.
The final product seemed to be a success, she said that it was beautifully designed and very much was what she was after.This self set brief made me learn the importance of being in touch with the clients tastes and sensitivity levels. It also made me use to extra precautions to make sure that a professional finish was gained.

All in the name of fashion

Today I was asked to take some photos in Ink Bar in Bournemouth town. It was in order to photograph a fashion students final garment. This photo-shoot was correctly arranged before hand. Unfortunately the model was unable to fit in to the dress properly and it zipped up and the side so it was a challenge to not reveal this with in the photographs. Considering I have never done anything like this before now, I think it went well. The staff were very accommodating to our needs and offered us changing facilities and props. We were also allowed to move the furniture about. While I was taking photographs, a woman approached me and asked for a copy of the photos. I believe I shall seek some guidance on how to email them across as I would not want them to be used with out my permission in the bar. However I would feel rather flattered. Anyway so here is an example of the results of photographs that were taken, unedited mind.

The catalyst to end all catastrophe

Today I have had a big of a revelation! whoever invented flash catalyst is an absolute genius, thanks adobe!I have been trying to tackle this website business for quite some time now with little to no success. Sometimes there are things in life that no matter how hard you try, u just can't seem to fathom, well Flash is kind of like that for me. Even after these booster sessions where I follow the procedures things do not seem to produce the same outcome. I now have faith in what I am doing after playing about on it and am now putting the final bits and pieces together so that I can sort out my photoshop document and jam it all into flash catalyst. I also feel as though I can be a bit more adventurous. Fingers crossed this could be the way forward for me.

2 crits, one post

Firstly today I had my critique for the animal farm project. It was far more casual than it was first made out to be. My idea was approved and I was given some good feedback. I also discovered that I would be able to execute my idea onto A3 paper.

In terms of my website, I was also given good feedback for my design. I was told that I had managed to capture my personality well within the imagery. In terms of progression, it was suggested a phone should be added to the room for my contact details and books for the about me section. The type for this would be integrated by a pop up of sorts containing the relevant information. It was also suggested to me that I may want to play with the idea of turning the light on in the room in order to enter the website. A really good suggestion is that I link to an external window in order to download my CV, therefore easy access to my information and hopefully the client will keep a copy for future referencing.
I also learnt some useful information about websites that is not currently relevant to the work that I am doing now but is good to retain for the future. I discovered that if you have a flicker account you can automatically upload/update you imagery through linking your account to your website and what ever you put on there will transfer across. Also if you place email address on you website you will constantly be attacked with spam messages. In order to resolve this the website name can be placed as a graphic.

Animal Farm

For our final major show we need to fundraise in order to make the whole thing happen in London. This would be a fantastic way to get known in this competitive industry. In order to do this we have been working towards putting a series of events on. Our first one will be held at sixty million postcards and will be an art auction with the theme of animal farm. It does not have to be related to the play but just an illustration or a screen print of an animal. I decided to do something quite random and in touch with my taste and sense of humor. here is the drawing I intend to take to the initial critique.

Update

Well I feel as though I have neglected my blog a bit lately. I think i was too wrapped up in the thought of a deadline I kind of froze, but I realise this is not the thing to do. Let me think what there is to catch up on. Well i suppose there is dreamweaver, was getting on really well with that until we had to stop that due to some unfortunate circumstances. But hopefully that shall be picked up on soon because I really want to gain the skill.

After having a positive critique the other day for my proposed website, I felt quite good about the whole project. However I was told to use a number of programs I am more than just a bit unfamiliar with. This left me feeling quite daunted by the whole prospect. But then a familiar face from foundation came into play. Lee I

believe his name is, came to give us some sessions on flash and such forth. I had a really nice chat with him about my ideas and he said he would guide me through the whole process of making a flash website. I was given the task of getting my imagery ready for next weeks session so he could start helping me to animate it and transfer my photoshop file. This is not quite finished but what I have come up with so far.

Because I am illustration based I thought it was only appropriate that my website reflected this. I wanted all my information to be on the one page, in terms of being convenient. In order to see my portfolio the client will click/hover over a smaller picture frame then it will appear in the larger central frame. When hovering over the light it will change and my contact details will appear in the central frame and so on and so forth. Today I'm going to continue to develop this idea and we shall see what is said in the critique tomorrow. Fingers crossed I'm on the right line.

Communication in context 2

I always find that this unit is one that really tests your organizational skills. I can for see how this can prepare you for the world of work as often you would only be given a small time scale to work with in. I do however find this difficult because creativity goes not always flow from the offset so sometimes I feel like I have spent more time than necessary committing to an idea. This is something that I feel I am gradually over coming through this process of short briefs. I feel that this is boosting my confidence within the design world. If I could I would have ideally liked to have some more time to develop some of these concepts into more concrete pieces of work.

Thank You!

Out of this whole unit I enjoyed this brief the most. It allowed me to be sensitive and statemental towards my final outcome. I liked the fact that I could introduce my product into the every day world by the sending of my postcard to my Granny. I found in the critiques that I got positive feed back to this work.

Business Identity

I was allocated Boudica for this Brief to design her business identity. I found research was key to the success of this, as I had to refresh my knowledge. I used a variety of means to do this including an episode of Time Team. I have never designed such a thing before so I found it a little difficult to begin to design as I did not know where to start. After doing some research into this found that things do not have to be as conventional as the brief first appears. I thought of several differing ideas and settled with the idea of showing the trail Boudica left behind. I decided to use a statue depiction of her in order to show her heroic side. Also because it is a recognizable symbol of her located with in London. My final product is not particularly to my taste however is a fair depiction of her as a person and meets the criteria of the brief.

New from Old.

We were given a list of food products that required rebranding. This included such items as lard and tapioca. I chose to pay closed attention to rice pudding as it is something I have eaten on many occasions and had the best knowledge off. I felt this to be important as not having much time to fully research

an item in depth could effect my final product. Where as this way I gave myself a head start. It also happens to be a product I enjoy. I explored several different concepts and settled on one after discovering this cookie dough pot. I really liked the way the information has been displayed in a fun and imaginative manner, using an art deco style. The color pallet is simple yet effective. I initially made my first mock up in a western style, however my final result was also in a deco format. I found this part of the brief challenging because i have never been restricted to designing for a particular object/shape.

For the last part of this unit, we were given a list of videos to watch. From here I made notes on each and found that I was most captivated by the words of Elizabeth Gilbert. She spoke about nurturing creativity in relation to genius. I decided that best way to transpose all the concepts that she mentioned, would be to design a website. I wrote a proposal to describe my concept as it would mainly be down to the participants to create the websites through posting blogs and such forth. I have to say that I would like to have designed the website in dreamweaver, however I have not yet fully aquired the skills to do so. I am working on this though.

Overall I have found this unit a bit of a struggle. I think that i have had alot of personal things going on lately that have clouded my mind and I have found it difficult to concentrate, especially when we have had such a short period of time for each brief. I hope that for the next project we will have longer to develop and progress our projects so that more consideration can be taken.

Proposal for transposing the messages with in Elizabeth Gilbert's talk on genius and creativity

When listening to Elizabeth Gilbert's speech for Ted on nurturing creativity, she mentioned how she had written an award winning book and how this was not necessarily a good thing, in terms of her future career, as it was likely that her greatest success was already behind her.

She appeared to have inherited an attached stigma that her next book will not be as successful. People speak to her as if she is "going to die in a scrap heap of broken dreams", with her "mouth filled with the ash of failure".

There is no such obvious negativity attached to scientific works and only artists appear to be suffering the anguish of anticipated failure which generates mental instability, manic depression and occasionally allows suicidal tendencies to develop.

Elizabeth was left asking the question "should anyone feel afraid of doing what they have been put on this earth to do?". She also pondered "what it is about creative ventures that really make us unsure about each others mental health, in a way that other careers don't do?" I consider it to be that the imagination is closely linked to the subconscious mind.

Other cultures historically have handled this issue in the past. The Ancient Greeks and the Romans found a way to protect their creative artists by putting psychological distance between the artist and their work. By introducing Damans and Genius they shared the weight of responsibility with these spirits so that no one was fully to blame for failure, which reduces mental anguish.

Ruth Stone (poet) described how she could feel a poem coming towards her and if she missed it and didn’t write it down in time it would look for another poet.

Tom Waits (musician) describes how an idea came to him while he was driving. As he couldn’t take down the ideas he looked to the sky and said out loud, “I am driving”. His approach was that he was doing the best he could and if the inspiration wanted to be helpful that would be appreciated. If the song wanted to be written it would need to return to him at a better time when he could do something about it.

New rationale is that people are being a genius rather than having genius.

Less anxiety is involved if the creative process is perceived as something that happens to you rather than comes from you.

Ideas will appear and can be captured or lost. Brilliance happens to you.

The artist role is to recognize what is happening, do their best “turn up and do their job” without being daunted or afraid of failure.

Sometimes dancers seem to be divine rather than mortal as they become transfixed in what they are doing. In Spain the audience calls out Olle. This is a word that derives from the word Allah, or God. The next day the dancer wakes again and is mortal rather than divine. It does not have to be difficult, brilliance is not from you but it happens to you.

In order to convey this message to the public I intend to create a web site that will deal with multiple issues raised. As a modern media form this will reach a wide audience and appeal particularly to artists seeking support and reassurance.

The main function of the web site home page will be to set out the site details and explain the purpose of the site.

It is intended that the style of the web site will be inviting yet simple in design and will briefly summarise the sites key aims and objectives. The 10 commandments of art and design will set out the format in a familiar way and add an element of light hearted fun to the site through illustrated design.

A principal function of the site is to help people to manage their creativity in a positive way.

An interactive question and answer page will enable people to seek and offer advice on creativity and share their experiences and ideas. On this page people can put up briefs, ask questions or specify work which they are seeking creative guidance on.

There will be an opportunity for other artists to leave comments on the site which will be monitored to prevent damage to creative minds. Constructive criticism will be encouraged.

The design format will be simple, concise and to the point in order to not distract from peoples ideas.

The page on how to boost creativity will invite helpful hints from psychologists on how to generate ideas and manage creativity.

Again, because there is a tendency amongst some artists to feel doomed, then the overall look of the web pages will be illustrated in a lighthearted, fun, simplistic style that does not detract from the key objectives of the site.

The site will provide space for story telling where people can leave a picture or design showing the places that they go to when they want to think about ideas, or, where they were when they got an idea for something. The examples in Elizabeth Gilbert’s talk of how Ruth Stone (poet) and Tom Waits (musician) became inspired would suit this forum to benefit other artists.

Other pages will provide useful contacts and reference pages, with a key objective to create a useful directory that can be used as a good place to research information. This will be divided up into different categories, such as a dictionary of photographers, illustrators, printmakers, designers, writers and other artists.

Feature pages will spotlight innovative thinkers of each month as an incentive and there will be profile pages linking to other sites and blogs effectively enabling people to network.

Support will be available to encourage positivity rather than negativity in order for artists to feel less isolated and share their experiences as part of a wider support forum.

The web site will enable poets, dancers, writers and other creative artists to learn from each other how to meet the challenges that face them realistically without becoming overwhelmed or depressed.

The web site will feature Bloggs to enable people to communicate directly with each other via news and updates pages.

Finally artists using the site can portray their own work on an exhibition page where they can invite constructive comments and take the opportunity to display individuality, creativity and genius on a day to day basis.

LDN

Yesterday we visited London. We were left to our own devices during the day, giving us the opportunity to explore. Firstly I went to the V&A on the hunt for an illustration exhibition that had been recommended to us. Unfortunately after asking several people about this, I was unable to locate it. I did however spend some time studying the statues, which has made me rethink the way I have approached my business cards for Boudica. These statues have managed to encompass the subject in such a way that it tells much about the persons character. Bernini's depiction of Neptune and Trition particularly caught my eye. Such characters were often spoken of in her time of living. The over all design is bold and the piece itself has been carved vigorously. This is an aggressive piece which generates excitement and intrigue.

After this I went to the Natural History museum and inspected the dinosaurs and the other animals on show. I felt a bit silly when I discovered, much to my sock, how small the Dodo really was. I was interesting to see animals of the past and how they lived and also present day creatures that you would not normally get the opportunity to see. I found all the interactive elements were useful to watch as they gave me a valuable insight into communicating a concept to a wide range of ages, in a fun, interesting and unique way. In doing this the learning process was made more fun and memorable. I think this is always worth baring in mind when working in the design world when it comes to captivating your audience.

Later on we went to Paula Scher talk hosted by the D&AD. I found this to be an inspiring presentation. Paula, like myself, came form a fine art background and progressed to work in the design industry. I found it fascinating how she had managed to encompass such a thing and really think I learnt a great deal from her works and encouraging words.

In my quest to progress my typography skills, I was particularly interested by her map work. It has an essence of Hundertwasser to it. I think this has been achieved through the use of a similar color palette and symmetry of shapes. I would like to have a go at encompassing hand rendered type into my work in a similar matter.

Dream weaver

So when i first herd that we would be doing sessions on website design, a little bit of me may have died inside, on the basis that I have not got much faith in my ever expanding technical abilities. However I felt determined that I would get things right. After several sessions I am finding it actually rather interesting and not as difficult as one may have originally thought. I know that when I am left to my own devices things may be a little different aka I probably wont be able to reproduce much of the things taught but im going to try my hardest. I was browsing through the Guardian job section and most creative jobs relevant to my degree seem to be mainly website design based, this gave me more of an incentive to progress and develop this new skill. I also think it will be productive to make a website as it could get ones work known.

Great Feedback for Midnight Millionaires Magazine

Today I handed in my Illustration for the midnight millionaires club, a few days previous to the deadline I hasten to add. I pretty much got emediate feedback from the producer to which I sent it too. She told me that she was thrilled with the results and that my work was going to be used to make the bench mark for what could be accepted. She said that it was a nice and sensitive approach, that filled her criteria to the tee. This was great news because I was slightly dubious about wether my work was good enough. From this I have learnt that I must try and have more faith in what I am doing.

Hundertwasser

I was browsing through my book shelf and stumbled across a Hundertwasser book that was awarded to me many years ago.

His work focuses primarily on color and lineal forms. He seems to be very in touch with the environment + environmental issues covering a broad spectrum. He always portrays this in an expressionist manner.

Through the nature of his imagery, the eye initially takes the piece in as a whole form, allowing time to process the vivid spectrum of colours and psychedelic patterns. From here the work can then be dissected and understood for all its true worth.

At the moment my work has generally been void of color in order to focus on the drawing itself. I would like to take the opportunity to learn some of Hundertwassers trate's and experiment with the concepts with in my own work so that I can grow as an artist. I believe I will gain from doing this as it will add further depth to my work.

The Midnight Millionaires Club

So there is this new event in the pipe line called The midnight Millionaires Club, which I am involved with and along side this there will be a small A5 magazine. I was asked to do a relevant illustration to the branding, I thought about it for a little while then decided to draw an old business man smoking his pipe because of the interesting lines that could be formated, aulthough in subject a little on the predictable side. So here it is at the moment in its raw form.

10 commandments

So I have been looking for some inspiration for my new project and decided the way to go about this is to buy some very expensive magazines with my student loan. I invested in Territory and Fefe It. I located these 10 commandments and thought they were pretty sweet guide lines to follow and therefore share with you.

1 thou shalt strive to find your own voice until your distinctive style emerges.

2 thou shalt not copy (although in a hypocritical way I did just copy this)

3 thou shalt remember to give others a brake when you've gotten a break.

4 thou shalt honor thou ideals and beliefs.

5 thou shalt dare to learn the rules to break them.

6 thou shalt create beauty and new experiences for yourself and others

7 thou shalt engage with the environment around you and contribute creatively to therefore benefit your self and others.

8 thou shalt be conscious of the power of the medium and idea and be responsible for the messages you put out into the world.

9 thou shall honor creative freedom and expression in yourself and others.

10 thou shall remember that the only consistent thing in life is change.

Thank you

This is an illustration I did for our "thank you" brief in which we had to say thank you to someone . . . obviously.

I chose to thank my grandparents for the memories and the life lessons that they have taught me. I have made a series of illustrated post cards that I want to send to my granny simply with the phrase that has been illustrated on the font of the card, written on the back. After my Grandad passed away this summer I believe that my Granny could gain further strength from her own words of wisdom. I know that simply the phrase its self will be enough said and she will know that they have come from me. Once I have sent them to her I shall report back on how well they went down.

Meyoko

I was searching for inspiration, the other day and stumbled across the work of Meyoko. Like me her work is obsessed with the finer detail and generally includes bizarre characters and harmonic lines, which connect to make symbols. The work that I have seen thus far generally tends to be in black and white. In doing this I believe that you eye is drawn to the precision of every line made, instead of getting caught up in color. This would make the concept far too conceptual and therefore difficult too process.