About the Author- Group tutorial

I'm really struggling with this project, as I feel like I've used all my ideas, and I just can't seem to focus enough on creating imagery. Also I'm finding time management really difficult at the moment, as I want to put work into COP and Responsive, as well as trying to balance my home life and work.

In the group tutorial today with Teresa I really didn't have much to show and it just made me feel even more behind and lost to begin with, but after talking to my peers about my ideas and where I'm wanting to head, I started to get a clearer idea of what I want to make.

What next?
- Start creating!! Drawing, printing, painting, roughing, anything. By shying away from starting I'm just making it feel like a bigger task
- Create a timetable of what I need to do when to help balance my workload
- Consider suitability of ideas and how it will work in practice- it's ok to try it then change ideas!
- Experiment with different print methods- I love printing, so this should be the perfect project for me- I really need to just start trying to create some print based imagery, if only to break through the 'wall'
- Don't hide away! Because I've been feeling so overwhelmed with this project I've been avoiding asking for help, but in the last brief I learnt it really helped with my development, so I need to ensure I ask for help as soon as I need it rather than just wait around not doing anything!

Digital Workshop

Today we had a software workshop where we independently played around with halftone and bitmapping with the support of the tutors.

- I used photoshop to make some mock ups of what my prints would look like with the half tones, and I actually quite like the outcomes, and I am looking forward to see how they would work as screen prints

- Think the process to get a preview of how the positives would print is very laborious, and the use of channels makes the process quite frustrating, but I'm starting to understand how to manipulate the software to get the results I want

- Making low quality mock ups (like final image) helped me to quickly visualise how the final traditional print would work, which is useful in deciding on tweaks for the final composition

About the Author- Study Task 3

William Edmonds:

- Screen prints made in residency with Anaick Moriceau

- One third of Nous Vous

- Lecturer at UAL

What do I think?

- I was really excited to look at Edmonds, as I actually met him in the summer and have one of his prints on my wall and his badge on my jacket- I love how versatile and diverse his practise is, as he has not only stuck to print but used other medias creatively 

- His beautiful regard for colour and simplistic shapes make his prints really something I admire, and I find how he overlays slight, harsh lines ensure his prints command attention 

Lucy Ketchin:

- Screen printing done by third party- good option if lacking in resources
- Graduated from Graphic Arts in Leeds
- Sells at independant stores and online

What do I think?
- I love the process of screen print, so the thought of handing it to someone else frightens me, but I realised that it may actually be the most cost effective way of getting them done if I'm not able to access print facilities myself
- I love her ambition with bright, contrasting colours, and I think this composition works really well to expose enough white space to ensure the images can move and that the vivid colours do not become too busy on the page


Kate Gibb:

- Works in 'makeshift studio' in London

- Self taught

- Uses silk screen for 'non commercial' goods

- Sells prints in independent stores and online, and converts them to digital images for wider distribution (such as album covers)

What do I think?

- I think the way she works is so inspirational, as it is all pulled together through her simple, naïve love of pattern and print, yet shows how much you can achieve through dedication and passion

- I also really admire her sense of colour and over printing techniques, as she really helps to give a life and movement to her prints through careful layering of select colours

About the author- Shapes

I've decided to create a book for this project, and I really want to push myself, so I'm going to look at creating a third colour through overlay, as it's something I've never done before

What do I want to work on?

- Develop a new way of thinking about print, and how to manipulate shape in order to consider form as well as function

- Create an interesting book which reflects the layered nature to Yutangs work and life

- Play with scale and composition to try and represent subtlety 

- Consider how to represent his core themes through cohesive image and text

Beginning to think about how to construct my own
overlays

I've had a fairly slow start to this project, as I feel like I exhausted many of my ideas in the first studio brief, so I think I will revisit my initial roughs and pick up on the ones which I didn't develop before.

What next?
- PLAY in the print room

- Create more roughs about different layouts of overlapping two colour prints

- Work on how to transform existing imagery into more shape based images

Responsive- Study Task 1

How to start:
- Check date
- Look at who set the brief (What are they looking for?)
- Check what the brief exacts
- Find out who the intended audience is
- Look at previous winners
- Research judges (articles etc)

YCN BEAR

- I'm wanting to focus more on children's illustration, especially since I may be working more with Anorak
- Great opportunity to spend more time on idea generation and scamping, which I'm not too confident with at the moment
- Because this brief has such a specific audience and function, it will ensure I am making work which is appropriate and pushes my abilities
- It doesn't need to fit in with their feel and brand, so I can really experiment with style and media
- This brief does scare me a bit as it's so out of my comfort zone, but that might be a good thing

YCN UK GREETINGS

- Exciting brief- really focusing on pattern design, which I experimented with a little in 401 last year and thoroughly enjoyed
- Chance to see how my designs could work in different formats and for different purposes
- Freedom of how artwork can be created and what it will look means I will be able to explore whatever avenues I want to and develop the personal response I like the best
- Will be able to develop my strengths in colour to make attractive designs

YCN GREENALLS GIN

- Different to the other briefs- think it will be very focused on drawing, which should be enjoyable
- The variety of possible outcomes ensure that I wouldn't be too focussed on the designing at the start, and it would be more about the artwork
- May be slightly limiting, as there is a very strong emphasis on certain themes/looks

OR:
D&AD ADOBE

- Telling a story/instructions without using type is not something I'm used to, so may be quite difficult- would be a good way to push myself though
- Could be too design orientated?
- This is SUCH a broad brief, think I could really push the outcome to something that I'm not sure of right now, which will keep my practice fresh and interesting

CHOSEN BRIEF:

UK Greetings
- Create own collection, including 4x single greetings cards (105x159, 121x184 or 140x140 mm) 1x boxed notecard set (110x132mm) 1x gift bag (267x330mm) 1x repeat pattern for wrap (show one or two swatch samples) 1x notepad cover (A4 or A5)
- Style and audience loose- up to my own interpretation, colour palette very important (maybe do some research first before deciding)
- Designs will be used in a product application, so must be practical and fairly flexible
- Ensuring I create a range which all link together yet work as stand alone pieces may be quite difficult- I will need to ensure I use my colour skills so that they tie together and work as a set


Potential collaboration brief:
D&AD MONOTYPE

- Really want to improve my typography skills
- Think I want to work with graphic design disciplines, so this might be a good way to use type and illustration based ideas and practices

Digital workshop- Bit map and halftone

Today we had a digital workshop based more around halftone, which was so useful for screen printing.

Process:

On Photoshop
Ensure it's on Greyscale mode
Channels -> = -> New Spot Layer -> choose colour
(black will equal solid, white will be negative space, use tones in between)
- paint/magic wand in where you want the tones
- Once happy, save as PSD (ensuring spot colors is checked)

Then:
On Illustrator
New document -> File -> Place saved photoshop document
Window -> Separation preview
(check overprint preview- turn others off the ensure spot colour will work)
File -> Print -> Output ->
Mode -> Separations
Set frequency (lpi- Lines per Inch)
      - Upper limit 65- very fine but will screen print
      - Lowest really 20, will be distinct
(Angle can be left for single colour)
-> Change printer res. to 300dpi
-> Uncheck all except colour channel
-> PRINT
-> Uncheck all except line (black)
-> PRINT


For a preview:
In Photoshop
In channels -> colours -> cmd+a -> cmd+c
New document -> cmd+v
Select channels -> image -> mode -> bitmap
Output -> 1200
Method -> halftone screen
Frequency -> 20-65
-> Choose shape

Can't print with this method, but will give an overview of what it will look like

This workshop was so useful to me, as halftone is something I've been wanting to learn for a long time, and I know it will be something I will use

Responsive- Initial live brief investigation

To start this module I looked at all the currently released briefs from varying illustration and design websites.

Below are the briefs I was most drawn to:

I signed up to D&AD and one of the only ones which really jumped out at me was the Adobe one, as it specifies illustration as a related discipline, which the others don't.

I'm really excited by this brief, as it really links with the editorial work I've been doing recently in 504, and I love this new, innovative way of thinking about how to tell a narrative without words.

Another D&AD brief which interested me was from Monotype, which was completely type based, as type is really something which I would like to use more effortlessly within my practise. However, my typography skills aren't really very advanced, so I think this would possibly be a good project for the collaboration with some Graphic Design students.

This live brief was the one which excited me the most, as I used to do a lot of work with natural based forms, but I've recently fallen out of practise with this kind of work, but I would love to try this sort of stimuli again. Also, I think the opportunities for using natural resources to create the illustrations is so exciting, as I'm wanting to move my practise into more sustainable means, and I think this is the perfect way to trial it with my work.

This brief is probably the one most similar to work I've already done, but I think since the stimuli are created solely for this project, it would be such a good opportunity to try visualising some brand new ideas in innovative but familiar manners.

About the Author- Proposal

I intend to produce ……

A two colour (plus stock), 16-page publication, around 20 cm x 15 cm and including text, which will be made using traditional printing methods.

The content will focus on (identify 3 specific themes, texts or concepts)

1.     The idea that everything is different yet equal, and some things, whilst still equal, are wrong 2.     That there is beauty in all aspects of life, and the bad parts only amplify the good 3.     More abstract ideas such as plants and rocks not needing mouths or stomachs

I will be aiming to communicate (identify 3 specific messages, ideas, moods etc.)

1.     Equality 2.     Tranquility 3.     The idea of unearthing/translating meaning

To an audience of ….. (name 3 characteristics)

1.     Aged over 16 2.     Interested in arts/graphic design subjects 3.     Interested in physchology/philosophy

Digital workshop- Photoshop

During this digital workshop, we went over the basics of layers in preparation for screen printing.

Magic wand -> select other layer and add colour
Hue/Saturation layer mask over black line to change colour
Once secondary colour added, can copy and paste layer, then Select -> colour range and change to black
Two layers now ok to print for positives
(Change normal to multiply to see colour from below come through)


We also had a quick tutorial on bitmap and CMYK printing

For bitmap printing, channels can be used to see difference, once the image is put into Illustrator:
File -> Print -> Output -> Mode -> Separations
Then choose lpi/shape (between 20 and 65 for screen print)
Check one at a time to print

Angles for over printing
15
75
105
155

Although I already used most of the tools within photoshop, it was good to go over it all thinking specifically about screen print, as I haven't had much practise digitally adding colour. One thing which I will bear in mind is about making registration easier (for example if printing with a black, don't have to leave white underneath lines if surrounded by colour)

The bitmap part was really interesting, but it was right at the end so was quite quick, I'm still trying to get my head around it! But I found it actually a lot simpler than I had imagined, I'm really looking forward to our next session on Friday where we will look at bitmap and halftone in more depth.

About the Author- Final editorial illustrations

I scanned the drawings and colour gouache in separately then worked to put them together in a cohesive and pleasing way.

Main considerations:

- Needed to apply a hue/saturation adjustment layer to the drawing to ensure it is black and white and the slight yellowy tones of pencil don't show through and fight the colour

- Lowering the opacity of the gouache ensures I get the over print I wanted, similar to some of the qualities I liked in Kate Gibbs work

- Had to be careful to alter the levels enough so that the background was white, but not too much so that it lost detail in the content

Tools used:

- Levels

- Layers and multiply

- Hue/saturation adjustment layer

- Cropping and transform tool

What do I like?

- Variant of tone in line- retains natural feel 

- Translucency of gouache ties the two together and links to Yutang's theory of contrasting equality

- Composition actually works really well- I imagine this would work well alongside text shaped to be alongside this illustration- maybe I should drop them by some text to see how it would look?

What isn't too successful?

- The line on the underside of the arm might be a bit too faint- this could be an issue with scanning and photoshop- maybe consider this when thinking about the quality of line during sketching

- Could the overlay have been more precise? Maybe even used vectors? Or would that have taken away from the natural feel? Would have been nice to have time to trial this

What do I like?

- Detail on the moon and difference in pencil tone create an ethereal tone 

- The lime green gives enough information for it to be seen as vines without being too obvious with the leaves

- I like how I've included quite a bit of white space within the moons, as I think this ensures they don't over crowd the composition

What isn't too successful?

- The alignment of the vines isn't exactly precise- think I could have been more careful whilst painting

- Could vines have been slightly thicker to draw more attention to them?

What do I like?

- The tonal differences on the rocks- really glad I listened to Teresa's advice- it grounds them on the page and makes them less ambiguous

- Think the composition works well portrait, I was worried it might not work and they would look 'stacked' but I actually think it makes a good layout

What isn't too successful?

- Wish I had tried differing tones of pink to add more interest

- Lips could have been more pronounced, as they could easily get lost

FEEDBACK:

Main points:

- People tended to like the compositions and use of negative space

- The contrast between the pencil and gouache was something my peers liked, which I'm really pleased with

- The general comments were that the tone was quite tranquil and calming

- There was a suggestion that the boxes on the rocks could have been just outlines to link with the others

What next?

- Try using lines rather than blocks for the rocks? I do think they stand out a bit too much to the others, so this might fix it

- Trial putting the illustrations with text so that I can visualise how spot illustrations work alongside text

- Ensure I ask for feedback whenever I'm unsure of things in the future to help improve my confidence in my work and make sure I'm creating outcomes which wider audiences relate to

About the Author- Asking for help!!

I was struggling a bit with getting the finals RIGHT. I talked to Emma from my course about it and she suggested I try my hand composition as a square like in my second roughs, which helped me to develop the strongest three I think.

Teresa helped me to re-think my drawings, as I was initially going to just expand on my roughs, but she helped me to consider the form of them more. I took this techniques through to the moon and hand as well, as I think the detailed but 'rough around the edges' feel works better for Yutang's imagery, as he talks a lot about how even the imperfect is just right in most ways.

Initially I was struggling with how to decide on the final layout, so once I'd drawn out my final main illustrations, I used Kat's suggestion of tracing paper to trial different colour compositions and basically have a play.

I then asked some of my friends from my course which one's they prefered and why, which meant I was confident with my ideas and knew that they had some grounding to the subject.


What did they say/I decide?
- For the landscape moon, my coursemate Marnie said she felt the wrap around works best as it creates a natural line of sight from top left to bottom right whilst strongly linking all parts together
- I was concerned about having the hand square, and although my peers said it wasn't quite as effective as when it was landscape, it still worked and felt balanced with the negative space
- I wasn't too sure about the colours for the portrait, as the people I asked prefered the varying tones, but I felt that would make it too different from the other two with only one tone.

About the Author- Developing roughs

Today we had another feedback session about our roughs in group peer tutorials, where we could discuss our work and how to progress for the finals

What were my concerns?
- What media would work best? Do they all need to be the same? Does it need to be black or is dark grey ok?
- Will having two spot illustrations and one solid background work?
- Are my illustrations clear enough to show a message and narrative?

What did we decide?
- Could try having a solid background with negative space on the hand?
- Pencil and gouache work best- just gouache loses definition
- Need to be careful with colours on rocks with mouths- TWO COLOUR
- Hand works better in pencil- more fluid
- It's ok to have two spot and one solid illustration- solid could work as main illustration

Other questions/ what next?
- Kat suggested I try using tracing paper for the colour and scanning it in separately to the main drawings to play around with compositions, which I will definitely try
- Develop hand and moon as landscape then drop one, and develop brain for square and try rocks with mouths as portrait

About the Author- Narrowing roughs and Kate Gibb

I developed my favourite six of each composition to make 18 sketches which I could then get feedback on in an anonymous peer crit.

I found this really useful, as people were able to identify exactly which rough they prefered and why, which will help me develop my final ideas.

SQUARE:

What was successful?

- Moon, brain and hand offer the most fluid and pleasing compositions

- Detail in moon works well with the simple colour 

- Think the colours really create the tone I want within these illustrations, as I want them to be calm yet active, and I think the fairly bright turquoise contrast with the dark grey/white whilst not fighting them on the page

What doesn't work?

- Layered up imagery- didn't really put much thought into this though- could try and develop for next project

- Overlapped type on moon- think it worked better as solid (or near solid) background, and the type doesn't offer a strong enough contrast

What did the feedback suggest?

- That I continue development with the equal moon (1) and brain (3)- maybe trying different media (The hand also scored high, but I think this works better as a landscape format)

LANDSCAPE:

What was successful?

- Like how the line of the content shows through the colour- helps add to Yutang's dedication to translation and equality through contrast 

- Line of sight in hand (11) works well and really creates a flowing composition across the page

What doesn't work?

- Detail on moons and rocks lacking- need to draw more for prep for finals

- REMEMBER IT'S TWO COLOUR- make sure tones are of the same colour

What did the feedback suggest?

- That I develop the rocks with mouths (7) and hand (11) into final roughs

PORTRAIT:

What was successful?

- Like the compositions of 13 and 15, as they leave a lot of space and give the work room to breathe within the space

What doesn't work?

- 14, 15 and 16 were the ones I rushed near the end and were the roughs which no one really said they liked, which really taught me how important it is to put in the time and effort 

- Struggled with this format the most, feel like I'm not using the space to help tell a narrative rather than just contain items 

- Don't think I really put the messages across, they're a bit too simple/ambiguous- might be because they were the last set for me to do, so I had run out of ideas/enthusiasm?- plan time better!! 

What did the feedback suggest?

- Some people really liked the rocks and vines (18) so I will develop this, I will then take some of the successful landscape ones and develop them as portraits, which will be the moons and vine (8) and equal rocks (9)

OVERALL:

What will I do next?

- Develop 1, 3, 7, 11 and 18, and try both 8 and 9 in portrait formats

- Experiment with different media- maybe gouache since I enjoyed it so much during the zine project?

- Research some editorial illustrators and how they play with image to make a narrative without words

What have I learnt?

- The importance of putting in the time and effort and not just 'getting it done' - my passion really shows through in my drawings

- Be respectful of the briefs- although last year I would change the brief if I didn't like it, this is different, the limits are there to teach us- two colours is difficult, but I will learn a lot from practising it

FEEDBACK:

I found this so useful, as the specific feedback enabled me to get a clear idea of how people are receiving my work, which is something I really want to become more aware of during level 5.


KATE GIBB:

After feedback from the last session, I looked at the work of Kate Gibb, who is a silkscreen artist and illustrator based in London.

I really love her well thought out, yet easy layouts, as they seem so effortless, yet they offer a multitude of different, interesting compositions through the overlaps and negative space.

I'm really interested in this overlapping of shapes and images, especially since it links so well to screen print, which is a process I thoroughly enjoy. Hopefully in this module I can play around with overlapping of shapes and tones, as it's not something I do regularly in my work, but I would love to explore these processes and effects more throughout level 5.

Also, on a different tone, I like how Gibb describes herself as a silkscreen artist and illustrator, as I'm struggling to 'place' myself within the creative industry, as I enjoy many different processes for different reasons, but I'm becoming more aware of people who combine practices and descriptions in their working process.