Applied Illustration- 504 development

One thing I will take forward from 504:
- I want to further explore print, especially in reference to colour and overlay

One way you will push yourself outside of your comfort zone in 505:
- By trying to incorporate more simple shapes into my work/ try to include character

One thing you want to accomplish by the end of May:
- I want to be more confident in my work, and strengthen my ability to pursue and execute ideas as tests without the stress of having them as finished outcomes necessarily

Packaging & Retail

Responsive- Papyrus Brief

Today I was talking to my friend Beth from Graphic Design and she suggested I look at the Papyrus brief she had been working on, and sent me the link:

WHY?

- This is really a brief that appeals to me, as I have had a lot of experience with mental health and suicide through my friends and family, so the idea of being able to contribute something which really makes a difference to those who are struggling excites me so much

- I think this is something that will help me explore my raw drawing ability, as it is simplistic and focused, but still has a real purpose and needs to be appropriate

WHAT?
- The brief calls for me to draw what relaxes me, and immediately I thought of crocheting and knitting, which I have been doing a lot recently, as I started when I was going through a rough patch and it really helped me to focus on something else and relax, which is something I would love to share with others
- Therefore I will create a simple, A3 landscape drawing of my hands knitting in 0.3mm fineliner, which will offer a good variation of colouring for the participant due to the repetitive, simple structure of knitting

RESEARCH:
- I looked at some existing colouring books for adults to ensure what make is suitable and functional

Grace Sandford 

Johanna Basford

WHAT DO I NOTICE?
- Varying in space size- allow different detail/open spaces?
- Fairly simple shapes- easy to colour and fairly repetitive
- Easy to read without colour- needs to be incredibly legible so that colour has little impact on readability

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
- Needs to ensure I am varying with my shapes and forms
- My drawing needs to be something fairly basic and understandable- knitting would fit with this
- How would I frame it? Include hands and have knitting as main focus for colouring in?

Applied Illustration- Initial briefing

In order to ensure I follow what I want to do and reflect on my learning from the last module, I will ensure I further explore print, especially in reference to colour, as this is really a skill I wish to develop further. I will try to push myself out of my comfort zone by trying to incorporate more simple, line driven shapes into my work, perhaps through including character. Some things I want to accomplish by May is to be more confident in my creation and experimentation within my work, and strengthen my ability to pursue and execute ideas as tests without the stress of necessarily having them as finished outcomes.

For the initial briefing for Applied Illustration we started by getting into groups based on our interests within the subject.

I chose 'Packaging and Retail' because I'm immensely interested in creating packaging, and loved the scope this subject area offers through all the varying outcomes I can focus on.

GROUP PLAN:

- We brainstormed some initial thought on what research resources there were within our topic, and decided on the following:

House of Fraser
Paperchase
Anthropologie
Oliver Bonas
John Lewis (Furniture)
Waitrose/other super markets (packaging)
Joy
Pulp/HMV

Oh deer
Etsy
Not on the High Street
Urban Graphics
Red Bubble
Behance
Tictail

- We decided on the main categories within our topic and split into 7 groups as follows to gather our initial research:

Packaging- Wilf & Polly
Textiles and Fashion- Siobhan, Ruby & Hannah
Homewares- Meg Swan, Emily & Alice
Paper Products- Shelly & Meg Ojari
Murals- Annie & Lydia
Advertising- Ben & Matt
Music and Band Merch - Josh & Kieran

ACTION PLAN:

- Each group to gather 1 industry fact, 1 online resource, 1 trend, 1 case study and a few photographs from primary research
- Meet on Friday and collate the information into a 20 slide presentation and work out who will say what
- Decide which aspect I actually want to pursue after the research presentation

Responsive- Illustration 12" The Lemon Twigs outcome

FINAL OUTCOME:

WHAT DO I THINK?

- I was interested to see how the different stocks looked, and how even though I had used the exact same inks as I had in 504, I preferred a completely different stock to the outcomes in the previous module, which may be because of the difference in print quality, as this is a lot more solid than the 504 outcomes.

- I was slightly annoyed with how there were slight gaps and imperfections in the print quality, which was due to the first few bleeding slightly before I changed my squeegee, meaning I only had a couple of chances to get it right
- I'm really happy with the colour overlay and how bold it is, I just wish I had spent a little more time making the actual shapes a bit more fluid and flowing

Responsive- Illustration 12" The Lemon Twigs development

I decided to have another go at the Lemon Twigs album cover:

WHY?

- I really didn't like the outcome I made previously for this song, and I don't think it really captured the feel of the song either, so I decided to take a different approach.
- I wanted to further push a print that I had started in my previous module, as I unfortunately didn't have time to complete it, but felt it had strong imagery, but wasn't executed too strongly:

Idea from OUIL504

Rough for screen print

WHAT?
- I decided to create a screen print, as I had gained a lot of confidence in the previous module plus had plenty of left over inks which I knew would work well as a colour overlay, as well as being extremely appropriate for this cover

HOW?
- By using cut black paper and lots of sketches on the light box I was able to quickly and effectively make a far more appropriate and satisfying outcome

WHY?
- I wanted to build on the line of 'close despite lots of space', so used cropping and focusing in to offer an insight into this visceral moment of human emotion through having touch so close but not attained

REFLECTIONS?
- The print process initially went disastrous! It turns out I had used too small a squeegee, meaning there wasn't appropriate, even pressure, but after I asked Mike in the print room for some help it was a lot easier!
- Although there are a few things I would like to tweak, such as the form of the blue to make it more fluid, I'm happy I just quickly followed my intuition and didn't make it into a bigger task than it was
- I'm happy I tried out different stock, and it was really interesting to see how, even though I used the same ink colours as 504, I actually preferred the white background on these solid colour prints, which is different to the 504 outcome

Responsive- Illustration 12" Krzysztof Komeda outcome

I stumbled across this outcome from the negative spaces I had cut out from my intended outcome and then put together on photoshop

POSITIVES:
- I think the striking colours work well against the soft cream background, and contrast effectively with the black negative space
- The busy, fairly ambiguous nature of the image reflects the tone and feel of the piece of music
- The varying scales and tones ensure that the eye moves across the image from the most important aspects to the least noticeable ones, which I took from the varying emphasis on certain instruments from listening to the track

NEGATIVES:
- I could have considered the negative space more- perhaps put in some line detail?
- In places the paint is too close to the black, but this was due to the spontaneous nature of the outcome, and when I tried to replicate it but more controlled it lacked the loose feel of these brushstrokes
- The composition could have been more considered, as although I like it overall, there are places where the instruments are noticeably closer than others and it feels a bit uneven- I could have roughed it a bit more to get the right shape of the instruments

What have I learnt?
- To listen to serendipity! Without strict rules it's ok to follow what I feel looks better simply because I want to!
- To just get on with making, and not stress about having it perfectly planned- especially with these smaller, quicker briefs, it's more about making quickly and effectively

Responsive- Illustration 12" The Handsome Family development

INTENT:

- I really focused in on a line in the song of 'rattlesnakes unfold' as I could immediately see interesting imagery for it

- I wanted to make something slightly odd and unconventional, whilst still easily recognisable

- I was aware that I didn't have much time, so wanted a fairly quick process that I could use after developing a composition through roughing

- Also, I was keen to add text to this piece, especially a verb, as I feel it gives the piece movement and keeps it lively

HOW:

- I found roughing extremely useful in this piece, as I could quickly get to grips with the snake almost as a 3D form and how to manipulate it

- By using the lightbox to create a clear but rough line drawing, I could transfer it to lino using tracing paper, which was a really quick way of image transferring

- By thinking in negative space I was able to leave the majority of the lino untouched, and just use white space to create my design, which was an interesting way of thinking about image making

- I will use mono for the second colour, and hopefully print these fairly quickly

WHY:

- I wanted a handmade vibe, which is why I will traditionally print this design

- Because of time constraints, I wanted to quickly print this piece, so chose relief rather than screen, which I think is a sensible to make certain aspects quicker when necessary

- By using simple shapes and patterns, I was able to create a fairly abstract, but easily recognisable snake

REFLECTIONS:

- I could have included some more patterns to make it more interesting

- I'm not too sure how the registration will work between mono and lino print, but it is the necessary process since I have such limited time to work on this design

- I really enjoyed working in negative space and seeing how I can create designs without using line in a conventional sense

Responsive- Illustration 12" The Lemon Twigs development

- I found the music video for this track particularly inspirational, especially the limited but bright colour palette

INTENT:
- To create an artwork which shows the longing to be together whilst maintaining the solitude evident in the song
- I wanted to make a piece which felt lonely but not alone at the same time to reflect the eerie tone of the song
- I also wanted to keep it quite ambiguous, as The Lemon Twigs are visually so diverse that I wanted to make an accessible album artwork

HOW:
- By focusing on the colour palette from the music video I could ensure I stayed relevant to the song
- I was strongly influenced by a scene me and my brother saw at a nearby quarry of a single chair amidst the quarry, and I thought how lonely it looked, but how if it was accompanied by a second it would be with someone in its solitude
- I wanted to focus on drawing and layering, so drew all the elements then put them together in photoshop so that I could be flexible with my composition

Screen shot from music video

Initial ideas

Photo my brother took on quarry trip

Drawing final

Photoshop alterations

WHY:
- By playing around with different compositions and colours (e.g. in the sky) I could ensure that I developed this piece past just a simple planned out drawing
- I wanted the only colour to be that of the vibrant deckchairs to show them thriving in solitude


REFLECTIONS:
- Having digital elements helped me to visualise the outcome without having to roughly draw it many many times
- I wasn't too keen on the look of the piece halfway through, but I had already invested so much time that I carried on, but I should have trusted my instincts and changed something

Potential Final:

THOUGHTS:

- I don't really like this outcome, as I feel like it is too structured and not 'weird' enough for The Lemon Twigs

- I don't think it is suitable for the content I want it to display

- If I get the time I think I will tackle this album artwork again in a more abstract manner

Responsive- Illustration 12" Krzysztof Komeda development

INTENT:

- My main thoughts on Cul-De-Sac was the contrast of the instruments and how they seem to fight each other

- I used to hate jazz music, but after seeing La La Land, I started to understand what jazz was about, and how visual it is, as it was described as a collaborative fight between the musicians, with each taking control at different times, so I wanted to portray this in a visual way

- Although I'm still not a huge jazz fan, I have enjoyed creating something which communicates a feel and emotion through simple motifs

HOW:

- I started by roughing out my ideas and focusing on a simple, upbeat yet slightly vintage colour scheme

- Then I used cut out paper and gouache to make simple shape illustrations, but I found controlling the gouache really difficult, so tried painting an area with gouache before cutting out the shape to ensure it was precise

- However, I didn't like that outcome, and was really down with what I had made, before I saw the cut out negative spaces of the gouache, and thought about how I could use them instead

- I therefore scanned in the cut aways and cleaned them up on photoshop for a more abstract, intuitive outcome

Initial sketches

Attempt at painting with gouache

Second attempt at using gouache

First off cuts layout

Second of cuts layout

WHY:
- Although this isn't how I imagined this idea going, I decided to use the offcuts as they offered a more interesting, resolved visual outcome

- I also feel the black ties the instruments together more and ensures they still work together as a 'band' yet are different enough to show how I view the jazz sound

REFLECTIONS:

- I need to change the outside of the trumpet, it doesn't fit with the others

- Could I play with scale a bit more?

- I think going with my gut instinct can be very beneficial, especially as an alternative to trying to make something work when I think it's going to be unsuccessful 

Responsive- Illustration 12" Research

- I was really excited to start this project, as I was looking forward to Secret 7, and when that was cancelled, I thought this was a really fantastic substitute!

- I started by listening to all the songs and writing down what I felt was the most important aspects and themes

- I have decided to look at and aim to produce outcomes for:

Let's Eat Grandma- Deep Six Textbook

Krzysztof Komeda- Cul-De-Sac

Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds- Rings of Saturn

The Lemon Twigs- As Long As We're Together

The Handsome Family- Far From Any Road

SELECTED PREVIOUS SECRET 7:

Responsive- Pitcha Pitcha slides

My work:

-  I found it really difficult to whittle the work that defines my practice to just four images

- I asked my peers out of a short list which they felt were most appropriate to my practice

- Overall, I'm happy with my choices, as I think they show a breadth of my practice and abilities with processes

Work I admire:

- Again I struggled to narrow down my choices, as I am influenced by a wide amount ot practitioners, so I looked more at what kind of work I would like to produce for these briefs

- I quite like looking at these illustrators and designers work alongside mine, as I found it easy to draw comparisons and pin point what aspects I like 

Briefs:

- The Grown Up Chocolate Company is the most exciting to me, as I would love to look at packaging and type alongside composition

- Greenall's Gin also interests me, as I would like to explore the diversity of this brief through potentially packaging and publications

About the Author- Evaluation

About the Author- Studio Brief 3 Final Outcomes

STING 1:

Lin Yutang 1 from Megan Ojari on Vimeo.

STING 2:

Lin Yutang 2 from Megan Ojari on Vimeo.

STING 3:

Lin Yutang 3 from Megan Ojari on Vimeo.

About the Author- Studio Brief 2 Final Outcomes

About the Author- Studio Brief 1 Final Outcomes

About the Author- Studio Briefs 2 & 3 Project Proposals

About the Author- Sketchbook Development ISSUU

About the Author- Final crit

Today was our final crit for OUIL504, and it was a great opportunity to see everyone's work and development over the year so far

Main points of feedback:
- Professional, consistent, clean, so well presented
- Final prints use colour and composition well and look professional
- Neat, organised presentation
- Keep screen printing
- Lino then screen print suits practice well

Although I didn't get as much feedback as I would have liked, I had managed to get all my prints finished for the crit before Christmas, so I already had feedback on them

What will I take from this?
- Keep ensuring I manage my time so that I have opportunities at the end to tie everything off nicely
- Think about where my practice lies- is it more print/shape based?