Study Task 1- Creative Selection
When approaching briefs you always need to remember to:
-research the brand
-find out who the client is
-what they do
-what's their ethos
-what's their product
-if relevant what he previous winners are and what you can learn from their work
Research who judges are:
-what they do/their ethos
-what they look for
-what they have written
-what have they made
Most importantly: Are the briefs relevant to our own personal practice?
Brief Selection: D&AD
Adobe
Of all the briefs on the D&AD new bloods awards section this is possibly the most straightforward and relevant to my own personal practice given that it is aimed specifically at illustrators and photographers and with a focus on craft and visual communication.
-the brief wants a series of posters giving positive or rebuking bad advice for working within the creative field
-although it says you can specify who the specific audience is it is most likely to be aimed and students of the creative disciplines as well as newly graduated professionals just getting their foot into the industry.
-the brief asks for images and subsequent ideas behind them to be delivered in a series of three printed posters. However the media and processes by which you choose to create these is completely open.
-although you can use type/lettering if you feel it's relevant it seems the main idea behind the brief is that 'a picture speaks a thousand words'.
-as with many briefs one of the main problems is just how open ended it is therefore it requires you to solve this by bending towards you own specified outcome and target audience.
-unlike many of the other briefs this one has a strong focus on personal practice and craft and therefore seems more suited for the Studio Brief 1 than Studio brief 2 where collaboration is needed.
Hasbro
-create a exciting party game that young adults will engage with in the digital age
-specifically aimed at an audience of 18-25 year olds
-this will involve coming up with the game play for a completely original game, board crd or anything else as long as it's physical.
-can't be too explicit or involve drinking-the actual game play needs to be its main selling point
-this is the main problem with this brief in that it isn't that relevant to my practice.
-this is because although it highlights how craft can be used to enhance and ultimately help sell the game, it will be its actual dynamics/gameplay that they are looking for.
-therefore I feel like with this brief it would be too easy to get bogged down with the mechanics of the game rather than creating some conceptually and visually relevant to my own practice.
Mubi
-aim is to create a campaign encouraging/persuading streaming service users to put their faith in Mubi's film curation rather than spend hours scrolling through various websites them selves.
-promote the idea of less is more in the internet age where problems can arrive from the prospect of overwhelming/limitless access to film and television shows online
-audience is film lovers, probably more specifically people into more highbrow films who want a more tailored experience through the use of Mubi's limited curation rather than watching any old thing on Netflix, Amazon Prime etc.
-seems more aimed at advertising students than illustrators
-however it creates more of a potential fro collaboration than say the Adobe brief as, although the campaign is the main point of the brief, specific crafts such as illustration and graphic design will be needed to create a set of visually appealing and well crafted images,graphics,branding wtc to accompany the campaign.
Wednesday 26 October 2016
Studio Brief 2: Printed Pictures
Study Task 3: Printed Images
Personally the most appealing part of screen printing is how I can use it to further refine and develop the graphic shape based approach to image making I have been working with in study brief brief 1.
Iconori
What I found most interesting about the screen prints of illustration duo Iconori is how there work is comprised of lots of individual graphic shapes that a put together to make much more complex and busy finished pieces. Furthermore the use of overlays, cross hatching and half tones has been used to add a wide tonal palette given the image a graphic yet three dimensional feel despite both eh above examples being limited to a simple 2 colour palette.
Conceptually I also like how each of the individual components of the above images is relatively mundane and normal yet, when juxtaposed next to other contrasting elements has create to very surreal final images. This is something I could bring into my own work to give it the ephemeral and uncanny feel I want when tackling the more intangible aspects of Murakami's work.
Dominic Kesterston
The above print by Dominic Kesterston has taken the graphic shape based approach to a much more extreme outcome being comprised of only flat graphic shapes with overlays being used to either create simple line work or a third set of coloured shapes rather than tonal variation.
This piece also have a slightly off kilter and dreamlike feel to it due to the use of of combing the real world shapes of plants with bizarre graphic patterns. Also in both Kesterston's and Iconori's work the choice of colour has been important in create this surreal aesthetic particularly Iconori's use of a low key colour palette to give their images a subdued and moody dreamlike feel.
Simon Fowler
There is an immediate difference between Simon Fowler's work and the previous two artist's work. This is that line is used almost exclusively to define the individual elements as well as lighting/tonal work within the above pieces. Arguably this is due to the fact that his print based work is almost all lino and wood block. Therefore you can see how process here has defined the out come given than the most effective designs in lino and woodblock are usually line based given that cutting away large neagtive spaces so as to create exclusively shape based images often results it small lines from where the cutting tools have been used still showing through on the final print. Therefore using line is usually the best way to avoid this.
Study Task 3: Printed Images
Personally the most appealing part of screen printing is how I can use it to further refine and develop the graphic shape based approach to image making I have been working with in study brief brief 1.
Iconori
What I found most interesting about the screen prints of illustration duo Iconori is how there work is comprised of lots of individual graphic shapes that a put together to make much more complex and busy finished pieces. Furthermore the use of overlays, cross hatching and half tones has been used to add a wide tonal palette given the image a graphic yet three dimensional feel despite both eh above examples being limited to a simple 2 colour palette.
Conceptually I also like how each of the individual components of the above images is relatively mundane and normal yet, when juxtaposed next to other contrasting elements has create to very surreal final images. This is something I could bring into my own work to give it the ephemeral and uncanny feel I want when tackling the more intangible aspects of Murakami's work.
Dominic Kesterston
The above print by Dominic Kesterston has taken the graphic shape based approach to a much more extreme outcome being comprised of only flat graphic shapes with overlays being used to either create simple line work or a third set of coloured shapes rather than tonal variation.
This piece also have a slightly off kilter and dreamlike feel to it due to the use of of combing the real world shapes of plants with bizarre graphic patterns. Also in both Kesterston's and Iconori's work the choice of colour has been important in create this surreal aesthetic particularly Iconori's use of a low key colour palette to give their images a subdued and moody dreamlike feel.
Simon Fowler
There is an immediate difference between Simon Fowler's work and the previous two artist's work. This is that line is used almost exclusively to define the individual elements as well as lighting/tonal work within the above pieces. Arguably this is due to the fact that his print based work is almost all lino and wood block. Therefore you can see how process here has defined the out come given than the most effective designs in lino and woodblock are usually line based given that cutting away large neagtive spaces so as to create exclusively shape based images often results it small lines from where the cutting tools have been used still showing through on the final print. Therefore using line is usually the best way to avoid this.
Editorial Illustration: Final Images
When creating my final images i initially decided to recreate them digitally by drawing out each component and scanning them in. I felt that, given how each image is comprised of a series of graphic shapes interlocking within a full bleed image, this would give me the best level of control as I would be able to freely alter the sizes and smooth over any problems ie edge quality, shapes out of line etc.
I still wanted them to retain some of the rough humanness that the use of pencil crayon had given my roughs. This was because I felt it further reinforce aesthetically this idea of visceral/emotionally evocative images I had been trying to create.
Therefore I scanned in a series of pencil textures and over laid them over each shape. However I found that the textures were too loud and clashed together too much due to the amounts of tonal variation, particularly due to white paper inevitably showing through.
To solve this problem I played around with the levels, knocking out as much white as possible and adding noise digitally to each texture so as to take the harder edge off of them. In this way digital is much easier to work with than analogue media as you can alter individual elements in a none destructive manner.
However, after he final crit a few main problems were brought to light which, for the most part, I would agree with. Firstly, although it was a much more practical solution given the short time frame and its flexibility, the use of digital media over analogue, people overwhelmingly felt took away the human/visceral edge that my images had originally had in the roughing stage of this brief.
With this in mind I tried recreating the square and portrait images in paper cut, which was effectively the same approach I had used digitally in that I created a series of textures, ink and pencil, and sketched the shapes onto the back to be cut out.
Although I think they do have a lot more warmth and humanness to them I think the same problem that I was having digitally is evident in these. Although I think the ink has worked better, the pencil textures in particular are too loud and clash together, removing the bold graphic effect I had aimed for by using shape based imagery.
Furthermore I tried it with a red background instead of yellow as some of the feedback had suggested the yellow was too strong. However comparing the two versions together I think the yellow works a lot better both visually and aesthetically. This is in that I felt it gave the image a slightly off kilter ephemeral feel which reflects the more surreal and intangible aspects of Murakami's work.
Conceptually I was also slightly worried about these images given that they rely more on a having visceral and emotive impact/feel to them rather than using visual metaphors to communicate a specific message or narrative. Something that was also brought to light in the crit.
However given the intangible and often metaphysical nature of much of Murakami's work and philosophy I do think this is the best way of approaching him visually. I realise there have been a few problems in trying to create this for the editorial brief given the cliental and intent of communicating clear messages to a specific audience.
Despite this I definitely want to pursue and further refine this approach to visually communicating complex ideas in Studio Brief 2:printed images.
When creating my final images i initially decided to recreate them digitally by drawing out each component and scanning them in. I felt that, given how each image is comprised of a series of graphic shapes interlocking within a full bleed image, this would give me the best level of control as I would be able to freely alter the sizes and smooth over any problems ie edge quality, shapes out of line etc.
I still wanted them to retain some of the rough humanness that the use of pencil crayon had given my roughs. This was because I felt it further reinforce aesthetically this idea of visceral/emotionally evocative images I had been trying to create.
Therefore I scanned in a series of pencil textures and over laid them over each shape. However I found that the textures were too loud and clashed together too much due to the amounts of tonal variation, particularly due to white paper inevitably showing through.
To solve this problem I played around with the levels, knocking out as much white as possible and adding noise digitally to each texture so as to take the harder edge off of them. In this way digital is much easier to work with than analogue media as you can alter individual elements in a none destructive manner.
However, after he final crit a few main problems were brought to light which, for the most part, I would agree with. Firstly, although it was a much more practical solution given the short time frame and its flexibility, the use of digital media over analogue, people overwhelmingly felt took away the human/visceral edge that my images had originally had in the roughing stage of this brief.
With this in mind I tried recreating the square and portrait images in paper cut, which was effectively the same approach I had used digitally in that I created a series of textures, ink and pencil, and sketched the shapes onto the back to be cut out.
Although I think they do have a lot more warmth and humanness to them I think the same problem that I was having digitally is evident in these. Although I think the ink has worked better, the pencil textures in particular are too loud and clash together, removing the bold graphic effect I had aimed for by using shape based imagery.
Furthermore I tried it with a red background instead of yellow as some of the feedback had suggested the yellow was too strong. However comparing the two versions together I think the yellow works a lot better both visually and aesthetically. This is in that I felt it gave the image a slightly off kilter ephemeral feel which reflects the more surreal and intangible aspects of Murakami's work.
Conceptually I was also slightly worried about these images given that they rely more on a having visceral and emotive impact/feel to them rather than using visual metaphors to communicate a specific message or narrative. Something that was also brought to light in the crit.
However given the intangible and often metaphysical nature of much of Murakami's work and philosophy I do think this is the best way of approaching him visually. I realise there have been a few problems in trying to create this for the editorial brief given the cliental and intent of communicating clear messages to a specific audience.
Despite this I definitely want to pursue and further refine this approach to visually communicating complex ideas in Studio Brief 2:printed images.
Friday 21 October 2016
Editorial Illustration: Final Roughs
It is definitely my favourite of the two landscape ones as I much prefer the layout and composition as it is quite and interesting viewpoint, something that was agreed upon in the crit.
-However given my reflections int he last post I am not sure why I didn't include a wake as this was a good way of adding interest to the image through the use of movement and contrasting colours to give the image a surreal dreamlike feel giving it more conceptual weight.
-Furthermore, although the group liked the colours, I can't help but feel the connotations of having a red liquid are too strongly towards blood and violence, a thought also shared by the tutor.However I do think the use of two colours in the water is needed so when reproducing it I will have to think of what will work best in place of the red.
-Although conceptually I think the tidal wave image is stronger I much prefer how the swimming pool image looks and think that, given how I like to work with bold graphic shapes and texture, I'll be able to transfer it more effectively into a final refined image.
-I included the ice cube image in my final set of roughs due to the overwhelming positive response it got from peers, and once again in the group feedback people seemed quite drawn to it.
-However, given the issues I discussed in the previous post, I really don't want to use it and when discussing the idea with tutors they agreed that the use of ice changed the meaning too much and moved it too far away from the themes/concepts I was trying to convey.
-This has shown me how important it is to take your own opinions/misgivings/feelings about your work into account as well as how important it is to get as many different opinions on your work as possible as some may be completely conflicting/too far in favour of one image/idea.
-For the final two images I think I am going to create the portrait and figurative images as once again the themes seemed to be communicated strongly to the group through this visceral/emotive approach.
-However when I got tutor feedback a few major issues with both the square and portrait images.
-Firstly in the square image although the mood and feeling was working well, a hint of the face or hand would also need to be included to give it some sort of grounding as at the moment it feels too ambiguous.
-Furthermore it was said, and having had time to reflect properly on it I would agree, that the use of jigsaw pieces conceptually seemed too clumsy and compositionally seemed to be fighting too hard against the graphic shapes of the face.
-Therefore when reproducing it as a final I would need to consider simplify fiying the image down by removing these elements.
It is definitely my favourite of the two landscape ones as I much prefer the layout and composition as it is quite and interesting viewpoint, something that was agreed upon in the crit.
-However given my reflections int he last post I am not sure why I didn't include a wake as this was a good way of adding interest to the image through the use of movement and contrasting colours to give the image a surreal dreamlike feel giving it more conceptual weight.
-Furthermore, although the group liked the colours, I can't help but feel the connotations of having a red liquid are too strongly towards blood and violence, a thought also shared by the tutor.However I do think the use of two colours in the water is needed so when reproducing it I will have to think of what will work best in place of the red.
-Although conceptually I think the tidal wave image is stronger I much prefer how the swimming pool image looks and think that, given how I like to work with bold graphic shapes and texture, I'll be able to transfer it more effectively into a final refined image.
-I included the ice cube image in my final set of roughs due to the overwhelming positive response it got from peers, and once again in the group feedback people seemed quite drawn to it.
-However, given the issues I discussed in the previous post, I really don't want to use it and when discussing the idea with tutors they agreed that the use of ice changed the meaning too much and moved it too far away from the themes/concepts I was trying to convey.
-This has shown me how important it is to take your own opinions/misgivings/feelings about your work into account as well as how important it is to get as many different opinions on your work as possible as some may be completely conflicting/too far in favour of one image/idea.
-For the final two images I think I am going to create the portrait and figurative images as once again the themes seemed to be communicated strongly to the group through this visceral/emotive approach.
-However when I got tutor feedback a few major issues with both the square and portrait images.
-Firstly in the square image although the mood and feeling was working well, a hint of the face or hand would also need to be included to give it some sort of grounding as at the moment it feels too ambiguous.
-Furthermore it was said, and having had time to reflect properly on it I would agree, that the use of jigsaw pieces conceptually seemed too clumsy and compositionally seemed to be fighting too hard against the graphic shapes of the face.
-Therefore when reproducing it as a final I would need to consider simplify fiying the image down by removing these elements.
Editorial: 18 developed scamps
After the last feedback sessions I decided to go with the images that best demonstrated the themes of isolation/alienation through extreme far out panning. As well as this I also decided to produce a series of more refined figurative/portrait based images evoking themes relating to memory/warped perceptions of reality and the people around you.
This was both due to how present these themes are within Murakami's work and also because I felt it was a good way to go back to the visceral form of image making/communication that I highlighted when looking at other editorial artists work.
Thoughts and Feedback
-I tired to add in more surreal elements to the swimming pool image so as to better unify it with the themes I am trying to convey as well as give it some more narrative.
-However most of the feedback said that they looked too cluttered, something I would agree with, and that it was more successful in it's communication with the more minimal composition.
-The inclusion of a wake behind the figure however was seen as a good way of adding interest and movement to the image with the surreal aspect coming from the use of two colours.
-People liked the reference to Hokasai's wave as well as the tension and movement within the wave images with the image that was panned out the most being sited as the best in that set.
-However I'm not personally sold on the colours used in it, I feel they're too boring and perhaps not dreamlike enough for Murakami.
-The feedback seemed to overwhelming be in favour of using the ice cube idea as a further development. It was meant to be another way of showing the themes of isolation/alienation given that it is a pice of water that has been separated from a greater body locking the figure inside into his won world.
-However I think the use of ice/frozen imagery adds other connotations to the image that perhaps aren't the most relevant or effective.
-The visceral approach that I wanted from the portrait/figurative images seems to have worked very effectively when reading through my feedback as people have immediately got the concept behind them and written feedback describing an emotional response/strong sense of mood and feeling when viewing them.
After the last feedback sessions I decided to go with the images that best demonstrated the themes of isolation/alienation through extreme far out panning. As well as this I also decided to produce a series of more refined figurative/portrait based images evoking themes relating to memory/warped perceptions of reality and the people around you.
This was both due to how present these themes are within Murakami's work and also because I felt it was a good way to go back to the visceral form of image making/communication that I highlighted when looking at other editorial artists work.
Thoughts and Feedback
-I tired to add in more surreal elements to the swimming pool image so as to better unify it with the themes I am trying to convey as well as give it some more narrative.
-However most of the feedback said that they looked too cluttered, something I would agree with, and that it was more successful in it's communication with the more minimal composition.
-The inclusion of a wake behind the figure however was seen as a good way of adding interest and movement to the image with the surreal aspect coming from the use of two colours.
-People liked the reference to Hokasai's wave as well as the tension and movement within the wave images with the image that was panned out the most being sited as the best in that set.
-However I'm not personally sold on the colours used in it, I feel they're too boring and perhaps not dreamlike enough for Murakami.
-The feedback seemed to overwhelming be in favour of using the ice cube idea as a further development. It was meant to be another way of showing the themes of isolation/alienation given that it is a pice of water that has been separated from a greater body locking the figure inside into his won world.
-However I think the use of ice/frozen imagery adds other connotations to the image that perhaps aren't the most relevant or effective.
-The visceral approach that I wanted from the portrait/figurative images seems to have worked very effectively when reading through my feedback as people have immediately got the concept behind them and written feedback describing an emotional response/strong sense of mood and feeling when viewing them.
Editorial Images: 60 Thumbnails
Visual Metaphors
When starting the editorial brief I thought it was best to come up with a list of as many different motifs as possible in relation to Murakami's life and work given that, as previously discussed I feel this would give the more intangible nature of his a work some grounding.
These motifs, combined with the list of themes central to his work have formed the basis for the ideas, both visual and conceptual behind my initial 60 thumbnails.
Although I don't think they have all are my best ideas or most effective examples of communication or composition I do see the importance of producing so many rough ideas in such a small space of time. Mainly in that it forces you to make quick decision, sometimes result in good ideas that you would perhaps have over thought or second guessed as well as, on the reverse helping air out bad ideas.
Personal Thoughts and Group Feedback
-Personally my least favourite images were those that exclusively dealt with the more sterile aspects of Murakami's life such as his love of Western culture and personal rejection from Japan's literary institution.
-Although I thought the visual metaphors such as the American/Japanese flag mash up as well as the baseball player in samurai armour effectively communicated this idea I feel that the tone of voice doesn't best reflect Murakami and seems to bogged down in specific facts rather than the philosophies and themes central to his work and personal outlook.
-On the other hand I made various visual metaphors, such as the wind up robot walking towards the edge of a table or parallel running train tracks, that I felt communicated the more intangible elements of Murakami's work such as fatalism, parallel worlds etc.
-However despite communicating these themes I felt they seemed too far removed/unspecific to Murakimi due to the lack of recognisable motifs, an opinion that was was supported/reinforced in the group feedback.
-Therefore the ideas that seem most potent are the ones that combine elements of the surreal and mundane as well as containing elements of his life. For example I felt that, given how he talks about using running/swimming, both solitary activities, as a way for him to enter the 'void' and disconect completely from society/the real world I thought the idea of him running/swimming through a vast expanse of emptiness was a good way of showing this.
-In the group feedback it was unanimously agreed that the best way of showing this was through the extremely far out panned shots such as the figure swimming viewed from above. However it was suggested that a slightly surreal element could be introduced so as to unite the themes of isolation/alienation with the merging of surreal and mundane.
-With this in mind I think the desk floating through the storm is another strong concept given how Murakami discusses how personal experiences are like a storm that either drags you down or transforms you into something else.
Visual Metaphors
When starting the editorial brief I thought it was best to come up with a list of as many different motifs as possible in relation to Murakami's life and work given that, as previously discussed I feel this would give the more intangible nature of his a work some grounding.
These motifs, combined with the list of themes central to his work have formed the basis for the ideas, both visual and conceptual behind my initial 60 thumbnails.
Although I don't think they have all are my best ideas or most effective examples of communication or composition I do see the importance of producing so many rough ideas in such a small space of time. Mainly in that it forces you to make quick decision, sometimes result in good ideas that you would perhaps have over thought or second guessed as well as, on the reverse helping air out bad ideas.
Personal Thoughts and Group Feedback
-Personally my least favourite images were those that exclusively dealt with the more sterile aspects of Murakami's life such as his love of Western culture and personal rejection from Japan's literary institution.
-Although I thought the visual metaphors such as the American/Japanese flag mash up as well as the baseball player in samurai armour effectively communicated this idea I feel that the tone of voice doesn't best reflect Murakami and seems to bogged down in specific facts rather than the philosophies and themes central to his work and personal outlook.
-On the other hand I made various visual metaphors, such as the wind up robot walking towards the edge of a table or parallel running train tracks, that I felt communicated the more intangible elements of Murakami's work such as fatalism, parallel worlds etc.
-However despite communicating these themes I felt they seemed too far removed/unspecific to Murakimi due to the lack of recognisable motifs, an opinion that was was supported/reinforced in the group feedback.
-Therefore the ideas that seem most potent are the ones that combine elements of the surreal and mundane as well as containing elements of his life. For example I felt that, given how he talks about using running/swimming, both solitary activities, as a way for him to enter the 'void' and disconect completely from society/the real world I thought the idea of him running/swimming through a vast expanse of emptiness was a good way of showing this.
-In the group feedback it was unanimously agreed that the best way of showing this was through the extremely far out panned shots such as the figure swimming viewed from above. However it was suggested that a slightly surreal element could be introduced so as to unite the themes of isolation/alienation with the merging of surreal and mundane.
-With this in mind I think the desk floating through the storm is another strong concept given how Murakami discusses how personal experiences are like a storm that either drags you down or transforms you into something else.
Editoral Illustration
Enzo Peres-Labourdette
When looking into editorial illustration I find the the New York time was a great source for finding more emotive/visceral imagery. For example the above images depict simple motifs from the real world relating to the article but include other elements that create a far more surreal final outcome that invokes a very emotional response in the viewer.
Despite being seemingly ambiguous images they do directly relate to the articles in question, one on suicide within traditional Amazonian tribes the other on the Tiger hunting trade in Chine, and communicate the given subject matter in a very immediate and provocative way.
Eleni Kalorkoti
Although the tone of voice is much more subdued and ephemeral in these images by Eleni Kalorkoti I think they work in the same way as the previous set of images.
This is in that they take real world, tangible motifs and put them into surreal/impossible setting that both creates highly effective, emotional imagery but also communicates the themes of the articles: weighing up the costs of diamond mining and the potential costs of modern lifestyles.
When approaching my author I think in will be key to go about it by trying create slightly surreal visceral imagery that evokes a more emotional response in the viewer. This is due to the intangible nature of much of Murakami's work which I feel wouldn't suite/benefit from more tangible forms of visual metaphors.
Enzo Peres-Labourdette
When looking into editorial illustration I find the the New York time was a great source for finding more emotive/visceral imagery. For example the above images depict simple motifs from the real world relating to the article but include other elements that create a far more surreal final outcome that invokes a very emotional response in the viewer.
Despite being seemingly ambiguous images they do directly relate to the articles in question, one on suicide within traditional Amazonian tribes the other on the Tiger hunting trade in Chine, and communicate the given subject matter in a very immediate and provocative way.
Eleni Kalorkoti
Although the tone of voice is much more subdued and ephemeral in these images by Eleni Kalorkoti I think they work in the same way as the previous set of images.
This is in that they take real world, tangible motifs and put them into surreal/impossible setting that both creates highly effective, emotional imagery but also communicates the themes of the articles: weighing up the costs of diamond mining and the potential costs of modern lifestyles.
When approaching my author I think in will be key to go about it by trying create slightly surreal visceral imagery that evokes a more emotional response in the viewer. This is due to the intangible nature of much of Murakami's work which I feel wouldn't suite/benefit from more tangible forms of visual metaphors.
Thursday 20 October 2016
Zine: Finished Images and Feedback
For my zine I decided to create a series of full bleed images out of the various extreme close up portraits I had produced as well as cropping and enlarging some of the initial drawings I did of Murakami. I feel this did result In the personal and highly visceral/motive feel I wanted the images to have. Furthermore I think positioning certain images on corresponding pages, such as the male and female figures looking opposite directions helped communicate the more specific themes of isolation and miscommunication/understanding.
I tried to further support and reinforce this through including a few key quotes where Murakami discuses these ideas, either personally or within his narratives. I felt the one relating to him actively choosing to and being content with being on his own was particularly important as I've always felt, unlike for instance Kafka, Murkami approaches the subject of alienation/isolation in a way that seems quite contented and like something he's at ease with rather than something overly sullen and cathartic.
Although I think it was the right decision to include the quotes and that, conceptually the idea of splitting one of them over two pages to communicate the idea of things getting lost in translation between two people worked well, something that was mentioned in the group crit, I think I should have considered choice of type more. One of the main criticisms of my work during the megacrit which I'd entirely agree was that I hand drawn type would have visually been more complementary with the looseness of my work and conceptually would have better suited the ephemeral nature of the themes at hand.
Finally although, the ambiguous/mysterious nature of my images was at times praised during the crit and, for those who were familiar with Murikami's work, was said to reflect the themes and philosophies central to his work and life well others argued that the zine felt too vague. This is something I am really going to have to consider when tackling with such intangible and abstract themes as I definitely feel there is a risk of my work becoming too visceral and ambiguous to the point where it fails to effectively communicate a message and instead becomes a series of seemingly pictures lacking any conceptual basis.
For my zine I decided to create a series of full bleed images out of the various extreme close up portraits I had produced as well as cropping and enlarging some of the initial drawings I did of Murakami. I feel this did result In the personal and highly visceral/motive feel I wanted the images to have. Furthermore I think positioning certain images on corresponding pages, such as the male and female figures looking opposite directions helped communicate the more specific themes of isolation and miscommunication/understanding.
I tried to further support and reinforce this through including a few key quotes where Murakami discuses these ideas, either personally or within his narratives. I felt the one relating to him actively choosing to and being content with being on his own was particularly important as I've always felt, unlike for instance Kafka, Murkami approaches the subject of alienation/isolation in a way that seems quite contented and like something he's at ease with rather than something overly sullen and cathartic.
Although I think it was the right decision to include the quotes and that, conceptually the idea of splitting one of them over two pages to communicate the idea of things getting lost in translation between two people worked well, something that was mentioned in the group crit, I think I should have considered choice of type more. One of the main criticisms of my work during the megacrit which I'd entirely agree was that I hand drawn type would have visually been more complementary with the looseness of my work and conceptually would have better suited the ephemeral nature of the themes at hand.
Finally although, the ambiguous/mysterious nature of my images was at times praised during the crit and, for those who were familiar with Murikami's work, was said to reflect the themes and philosophies central to his work and life well others argued that the zine felt too vague. This is something I am really going to have to consider when tackling with such intangible and abstract themes as I definitely feel there is a risk of my work becoming too visceral and ambiguous to the point where it fails to effectively communicate a message and instead becomes a series of seemingly pictures lacking any conceptual basis.
Zine: Initial direction
I wanted the over atmosphere of my zine to reflect the observations I had made in regards to the problems with the tone and voice of my previous work for this project. Mainly that it needed to be more ambiguous with a focus on trying to create a visceral emotive response in the viewer.
One way I thought of doing this was to use various media, such as ink, charcoal and pastel which has a rougher more expressive and human quality to it. I felt this would help better reflect the feelings and perceptions of the individual characters that lay at the centre of Murakami's work.
Furthermore I experimented with doing extreme close ups of the figures I was drawing. This was both an aesthetic and conceptual decision. Visually I felt it created more dynamic and tense compositions as well as communicating the idea of trying to get to know and understand someone but without being able to, quite literally see the bigger picture that recurs throughout Murakami's fiction as well as crops up through out various interviews I have read with him.
I wanted the over atmosphere of my zine to reflect the observations I had made in regards to the problems with the tone and voice of my previous work for this project. Mainly that it needed to be more ambiguous with a focus on trying to create a visceral emotive response in the viewer.
One way I thought of doing this was to use various media, such as ink, charcoal and pastel which has a rougher more expressive and human quality to it. I felt this would help better reflect the feelings and perceptions of the individual characters that lay at the centre of Murakami's work.
Furthermore I experimented with doing extreme close ups of the figures I was drawing. This was both an aesthetic and conceptual decision. Visually I felt it created more dynamic and tense compositions as well as communicating the idea of trying to get to know and understand someone but without being able to, quite literally see the bigger picture that recurs throughout Murakami's fiction as well as crops up through out various interviews I have read with him.
Chosen Author: Haruki Murakami
Having read many books by Murakami I think it is the tone and mood that he creates through his narratives and the subjects and themes he chooses to explore rather than specific aspects of his life that most interest me. At the heart of this is the recurring themes of alienation, loneliness, fatalism and social guilt that a touched upon in my previous post.
In particularly I find his idea relating to the difficulty people have in really truly understanding one another due to the fact that memory, time and personal experience warps your own perception and view of the world into something individual and almost alien to that of another person.
Initial Visual Explorations
Therefore to start of my visual journal I decided to produce a series of ink drawings depicting portraits and streets scenes in a finish which I hope gives them a moody and slightly warped feeling.
Some images were also based off of my own interpretations of Murakaimi's characters such as Ushikawa from Wind Up Bird/1Q84, May Kasahara from Wind Up Bird.
Although I think this was alright just to get started producing images in response to my author I felt that the tone of voice was wrong, for example the Ushikawa drawings felt too messy and disturbing rather than unsettling and the Mai felt to sterile and life less.
Therefore I think I need to focus on trying to create more visceral images with a slightly ambiguous/mysterious feel to them so as to better reflect the more intangible themes I am trying to communicate.
Having read many books by Murakami I think it is the tone and mood that he creates through his narratives and the subjects and themes he chooses to explore rather than specific aspects of his life that most interest me. At the heart of this is the recurring themes of alienation, loneliness, fatalism and social guilt that a touched upon in my previous post.
In particularly I find his idea relating to the difficulty people have in really truly understanding one another due to the fact that memory, time and personal experience warps your own perception and view of the world into something individual and almost alien to that of another person.
Initial Visual Explorations
Therefore to start of my visual journal I decided to produce a series of ink drawings depicting portraits and streets scenes in a finish which I hope gives them a moody and slightly warped feeling.
Some images were also based off of my own interpretations of Murakaimi's characters such as Ushikawa from Wind Up Bird/1Q84, May Kasahara from Wind Up Bird.
Although I think this was alright just to get started producing images in response to my author I felt that the tone of voice was wrong, for example the Ushikawa drawings felt too messy and disturbing rather than unsettling and the Mai felt to sterile and life less.
Therefore I think I need to focus on trying to create more visceral images with a slightly ambiguous/mysterious feel to them so as to better reflect the more intangible themes I am trying to communicate.
Tuesday 4 October 2016
About the Author: Haruki Murikami
5 Facts
-Born 1949, Kyoto, Japan
-Heavily Influenced by Western Culture.
-Highly criticised by Japan's literary establishment.
-Very reclusive, gives few interviews and upon gaining mainstream fame within Japan after the release of Norwegian Wood, decided to emigrate.
-Keen runner and swimmer having completed marathons and triathlons.
5 Motifs
-Wells
-Music; particularly Jazz and Classical.
-Trains
-Parallel worlds
-The Moon/The Night Sky
5 Characters
-Creta Kano
-Ushikawa
-Tengo Kwana
-May Kashara
-Noboru Wataya
5 Themes
-Alienation
-Fatalism
-Collective guilt and trauma
-Memory
-Time
5 Works
-After Dark
-1q84
-The Wind Up Bird Chronicles
-Norwegian Wood
-Going Underground
Immediately I am much more drawn to Murikami than my other two others. I am very interested in working with the recurring themes of alienation and fatalism within an often surreal setting and find Murikami's approach to this much more engaging than Kafka's. This is due to how it feels less inward looking given the fact that Kafka's work was driven by his own self doubt,guilt and general neurosis where as Murikami seems more influenced by a personal contentedness in solitude.
I think visually his combination of the overly mundane with flares, sometimes subtle sometimes very full on, of the surreal could result in a very varied and deep body of practical work. Furthermore I think that the ambiguous nature nature of much of his work is something I could tap in to visually, carrying on from my explorations with ambiguous imagery last year.
Quotes:
5 Facts
-Born 1949, Kyoto, Japan
-Heavily Influenced by Western Culture.
-Highly criticised by Japan's literary establishment.
-Very reclusive, gives few interviews and upon gaining mainstream fame within Japan after the release of Norwegian Wood, decided to emigrate.
-Keen runner and swimmer having completed marathons and triathlons.
5 Motifs
-Wells
-Music; particularly Jazz and Classical.
-Trains
-Parallel worlds
-The Moon/The Night Sky
5 Characters
-Creta Kano
-Ushikawa
-Tengo Kwana
-May Kashara
-Noboru Wataya
5 Themes
-Alienation
-Fatalism
-Collective guilt and trauma
-Memory
-Time
5 Works
-After Dark
-1q84
-The Wind Up Bird Chronicles
-Norwegian Wood
-Going Underground
Immediately I am much more drawn to Murikami than my other two others. I am very interested in working with the recurring themes of alienation and fatalism within an often surreal setting and find Murikami's approach to this much more engaging than Kafka's. This is due to how it feels less inward looking given the fact that Kafka's work was driven by his own self doubt,guilt and general neurosis where as Murikami seems more influenced by a personal contentedness in solitude.
I think visually his combination of the overly mundane with flares, sometimes subtle sometimes very full on, of the surreal could result in a very varied and deep body of practical work. Furthermore I think that the ambiguous nature nature of much of his work is something I could tap in to visually, carrying on from my explorations with ambiguous imagery last year.
Quotes:
About the Author: George Orwell
5 Facts
-Born Eric Arthur Blair (George Orwell was a pen name), 1903, Motihari, India
-Worked as a police officer in the Indian Imperial Police in Burma
-Lived periodically in both London and Paris.
-Between 1932 and 1934 worked in various different schools as a teacher but left in 1934 with no desire or plans to ever resume the role.
-In 1941 worked for the BBC creating broadcasts with the intent of countering Nazi propaganda in India which had been conducted with the intention of undermining imperial links.
5 Motifs
-Big Brother
-Double Think
-Urban Decay
-State Rituals
-Telescreens
5 Characters
-Winston Smith
-Julia
-Mr Charington
-Old Major
-Napoleon
5 Themes
-Totalitarianism
-Corruption
-Social Injustice
-Poverty
-Class Divisions
5 Works
-Road to Wigan Pier
-Animal Farm
-1984
-Down and Out in Paris and London
-Homage to Catalonia
Much like Kafka, much of Orwell's work is highly influenced by his own experiences although this is shown in a drastically different manner. Where as Kafka's work is very surreal and often inward looking, Orwell's focuses much more on the world around him taken often (in some cases quite literally) a journalistic view point. although his fictional works contain a lot of strong visual imagery and motifs I find his non fiction much more compelling and a more interesting potential start point for creating practical work. Part of this is due to the fact that I feel, novels such as 1984 and Animal Farm, have already had so much work produced for them and become such a huge part of the collective conscious that I feel it'd be hard to create a truly personal response to them.
5 Facts
-Born Eric Arthur Blair (George Orwell was a pen name), 1903, Motihari, India
-Worked as a police officer in the Indian Imperial Police in Burma
-Lived periodically in both London and Paris.
-Between 1932 and 1934 worked in various different schools as a teacher but left in 1934 with no desire or plans to ever resume the role.
-In 1941 worked for the BBC creating broadcasts with the intent of countering Nazi propaganda in India which had been conducted with the intention of undermining imperial links.
5 Motifs
-Big Brother
-Double Think
-Urban Decay
-State Rituals
-Telescreens
5 Characters
-Winston Smith
-Julia
-Mr Charington
-Old Major
-Napoleon
5 Themes
-Totalitarianism
-Corruption
-Social Injustice
-Poverty
-Class Divisions
5 Works
-Road to Wigan Pier
-Animal Farm
-1984
-Down and Out in Paris and London
-Homage to Catalonia
Much like Kafka, much of Orwell's work is highly influenced by his own experiences although this is shown in a drastically different manner. Where as Kafka's work is very surreal and often inward looking, Orwell's focuses much more on the world around him taken often (in some cases quite literally) a journalistic view point. although his fictional works contain a lot of strong visual imagery and motifs I find his non fiction much more compelling and a more interesting potential start point for creating practical work. Part of this is due to the fact that I feel, novels such as 1984 and Animal Farm, have already had so much work produced for them and become such a huge part of the collective conscious that I feel it'd be hard to create a truly personal response to them.
About the Author: Franz Kafka
5 facts
-Born 3 July, 1883, Prague (Capital of what was then Bohemia)
-Trained as a lawyer and worked in an insurance company specialising in workers' injury claims.
-Strained relations with both his father and mother, the former over bearing and authoritarian, the latter shy and emotionally distant.
-Was haunted by the personal view that people would find him both mentally and physically repulsive, something which people noted as being the opposite.
-Died 1924, age 40, of tuberculosis.
5 motifs
-Clerks/secretaries/businessmen
-Physically repulsive features/characteristics
-Over bearing and repressive authority figures (ie bosses, parents etc.)
-Cramped apartments
-
5 Characters
-Gregor Samsa
-Grete Samsa
-'The Mother'
-'The Father'
-'The Office Manager'
5 Themes
-Isolation/Alienation
-Loneliness
-Self-doubt
-Fatalism
-Existentialism
5 Works
-The Metamorphosis
-Meditations
-The Trial
-In the Penal Colony
-The Judgement
Kafka's work is a strange mix of highly realistic and mundane descriptive passages coupled with absurdist situations and observations. Much of his work seems highly cathartic and, although surreal and absurd in places, seems to borrow elements of his own life. This is evidenced by the use of motifs and characters that are taken directly from his own life and experiences and the fact that most of his work centres on themes of self doubt, alienation and loneliness, which he struggled with personally through out his life.
His work instantly provokes a vivid emotional response something which I feel could be effectively transferred into visual work. I really like the ambiguous nature of much of his work, such as omitting a conclusive description of the bug or 'vermin' in The Metamorphosis, which would allow for an overly personal response to his work as well as potentially creating work that, much like his work, would be ambiguous in places and allow for a variety of different interpretations.
5 facts
-Born 3 July, 1883, Prague (Capital of what was then Bohemia)
-Trained as a lawyer and worked in an insurance company specialising in workers' injury claims.
-Strained relations with both his father and mother, the former over bearing and authoritarian, the latter shy and emotionally distant.
-Was haunted by the personal view that people would find him both mentally and physically repulsive, something which people noted as being the opposite.
-Died 1924, age 40, of tuberculosis.
5 motifs
-Clerks/secretaries/businessmen
-Physically repulsive features/characteristics
-Over bearing and repressive authority figures (ie bosses, parents etc.)
-Cramped apartments
-
5 Characters
-Gregor Samsa
-Grete Samsa
-'The Mother'
-'The Father'
-'The Office Manager'
5 Themes
-Isolation/Alienation
-Loneliness
-Self-doubt
-Fatalism
-Existentialism
5 Works
-The Metamorphosis
-Meditations
-The Trial
-In the Penal Colony
-The Judgement
Kafka's work is a strange mix of highly realistic and mundane descriptive passages coupled with absurdist situations and observations. Much of his work seems highly cathartic and, although surreal and absurd in places, seems to borrow elements of his own life. This is evidenced by the use of motifs and characters that are taken directly from his own life and experiences and the fact that most of his work centres on themes of self doubt, alienation and loneliness, which he struggled with personally through out his life.
His work instantly provokes a vivid emotional response something which I feel could be effectively transferred into visual work. I really like the ambiguous nature of much of his work, such as omitting a conclusive description of the bug or 'vermin' in The Metamorphosis, which would allow for an overly personal response to his work as well as potentially creating work that, much like his work, would be ambiguous in places and allow for a variety of different interpretations.
Thursday 21 April 2016
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Leeds College of Art
BA (Hons) ILLUSTRATION
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Level
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04
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OUIL406 Visual Communication
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Credits
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20
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End of Module Self Evaluation
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NAME
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Christopher
Cooper
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1. What have you learn about visual
communication during this module and how effectively do you think you have
applied these ideas?
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The main point learnt about
visual communication is that content is without doubt the most important
aspect of successfully communicating ideas. By this I mean that, despite
everyone being given the same briefs, it was all about researching and generating
our own content which in turn could then be boiled down into a few key ideas
and concepts which we would be attempting to convey through our work. This
has highlighted to me that the process of both visual communication and well
as the creative practice in general is something that should be individually
driven to reflect your own desired intent.
In terms of actually communicating
content the main point I repeatedly found myself coming back to, particularly
when things weren't working, was that less is usually more when trying to
convey meaning. Essentially if you can effectively reduce your images down to
only the essential information that they need to say, the result will usually
be something much more effective and concise it its deliverance of a message
as well as giving it a much more memorable and dynamic aesthetic.
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2. What approaches to/ methods of
image making have you developed and how have they informed your concept
development process?
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This module has helped me develop
a wide range of methods of image making through the various format requirements,
ie gifs, vectors and images for print, that varied from brief to brief. Although
I found it incredibly difficult and frustrating I think developing my skills
with vectors was particularly useful given their importance in creating
digital work within a professional design context.
Furthermore the various different
formats have forced me to adapt and later both my image making process and
ideas development to their inherent restrictions so as to create work that is
most appropriate to the given format. As state before this has often lead to
a more reductive work process whereby I have tried to make my work say more
with less.
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3. What strengths can you identify in your work and
how have/will you capitalise on these?
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As with other modules I think my
willingness to experiment, particularly in the first and third brief as
resulted in a very varied and interesting body of work. However unlike in
previous modules I think the main way I was able to capitalise on this
experimentation was through taking a step back and refining my image making
process into something that translated more effectively into a final outcome.
This has been something of an issue both in this module and others, such as
404 and 405, and which I feel in the final brief: Persons of Note, I was able
to effectively resolve.
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4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work
and how will you address these in the future?
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A major issue was the lack of visual consistency in
my first two briefs although it wasn't actually required for the first and I
would argue that exploring different visual aesthetics and images making
processes at the beginning of this module helped me expand my initial skill
set. However with the second brief it was a major pitfall but one that I feel
a addressed in my final brief. This resulted in a set of work that was much
clearer in its conveyed meanings than that of the work produced for Greetings
from.
In general I think my second brief had a lot of
issues, particularly in terms of transferring rougher, hand developmental
work into more refined digital outcomes. More roughing as well as digital
development within Illustrator I feel would solve these issues in the future.
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5. Identify five things that you will do
differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
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Rough more
effectively in all my briefs. This will allow me to transfer developmental
work in to final outcomes more effectively and concisely.
Explore more
types of research, particularly primary. Although I was happy with the level
of research conducted within this module I feel I could have generated more
content and gained a greater in sight by carrying out primary research such
as that which I conducted for Visual Narratives.
Explore
different methods of printing my final out comes. I feel for the last brief
my final out comes would have benefited greatly from being screen printed due
to the subtle textures and inconsistencies the process gives your work.
Be more
ambitious in what I would like to achieve with my final outcomes. This is not
to say that I haven't done so during this module but rather that I feel like
this module has helped me develop and refine a core set of approaches and
techniques to visual communication in terms of image making, idea
development and working within a given
format and that in the future I will be able to independently select and
further push the required formats for a given brief.
Play with
and bend the briefs more towards my own intent as a visual practitioner.
Although I feel like I did this to some extent, much like the above point, I
feel like now that I've established this core skill set and began establish
where I want to be with regards to my own individual creative practice I will
in future be able to better work with briefs to match my own intent which I
think will in turn result it more successful, engaging and original responses
to them.
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6.How would you grade yourself on the following
areas:
(please indicate using an ‘x’)
5= excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average,
1 = poor
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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Attendance
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X
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Punctuality
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X
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Motivation
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X
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Commitment
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X
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Quantity of work produced
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X
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Quality of work produced
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X
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Contribution to the group
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X
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The evaluation of your work is an important part of
the assessment criteria and represents a percentage of the overall grade. It
is essential that you give yourself enough time to complete your written
evaluation fully and with appropriate depth and level of self-reflection. If
you have any questions relating to the self-evaluation process speak to a
member of staff as soon as possible.
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Notes
Final Crit: Decision on Poster Design
The final crit proved highly useful in that it confirmed much of what I already though about my work as well as helped me finalise which poster design I would use.
The main points that were made were:
-The strong visual consistency achieved through a focus on composition and balance coupled with the recurring use of visual motifs conveying science/mathematics/astronomy.
-This point I was particularly pleased with given the amount of time time and effort I have put in to achieving tonal and compositional balance as well as, given the pitfalls of last brief, creating a strong visual consistency within my images.
-That this also effectively communicated the intended themes of science/maths.
-Clear sense of loss and destruction communicated through the post cards and poster; seemed to be a running narrative perhaps depicting a life event.
-However although it was a agreed there was quite a serious and sad nature to the images, as expected the tragic aspect of my work wasn't quite as apparent as the more clinical elements relating to her teachings.
-On a more superficial level it was also generally agreed that they had a very professional feel to them that had been achieved through the high level of craft.
-Again I was particularity happy with this point as it feels like something of a break through given that, in the past I have felt my weakest point has been the inability to make the transition from developmental to final work to the level of quality I desired.
-It was also generally agreed that the poster pictured below was the strongest outcome due to its strong minimal composition and sense of balance that give its conveyed meanings a certain level of pertinence and immediacy not present in the other design.
-After a discussion with Jamie on the ethics of using found imagery I decided that I would use this poster as my final submission given that I do still have a sense of authorship over it. This is due to the process of selecting and editing gone in to creating the image coupled with the fact that if using found issues was an issue many collage artists, such as previous big heads artists Kate Gibb, or art movements such as Dada-ism wouldn't exist.
For once I am actually pretty happy with my final set of out come. Aesthetically I think they each stand up on their own as well as working together in a strong, consistent set. Also despite all sharing a similar visual aesthetic I like how each set, the stamps, post cards, and poster displays various different skills such as use of drawn elements, found imagery, collage and vectors.
Finally in terms of developing my own practice, much like the end of Visual Narrative, I think this brief has resulted in something of a break through. This is due to the fact that I have answered the brief to an effective level given that I have created imagery that successfully conveys the intended meaning of my project whilst also creating the the time of imagery that I wanted to make. This is mainly work that is bold, minimal and graphic in its nature.
Digital Development: Post cards and Stamps
The process of creating the digital out come for my posters and stamps was a lot simpler than that of the posters.
I think this is in part due to the fact that there size allowed me to exhaustively rough designs to a more effective and quicker level. Furthermore much of the digital development and experimentation had already been done through the creation of the various different posters I created so that, by the time I got to creating these images my process had been refined and what I wanted to create visually had been better realised.
For example by this point I have a clear idea of how I want to achieve a level of visual consistency through my work. This is mainly through the use of strong, black and white image that put an emphasis on balance (notan) through the careful selection of a few bold, graphic elements. The result hopefully will be a series of stripped back and minimal outcomes have a clear and concise visual aesthetic as well as conveyed meaning.
With this in mind I think my above images clearly fit this aesthetic and work well as part of a series along side the posters I have already made. Further more I think they effectively convey my original intent to have of having the post cards subtly convey a narrative of the destruction of culture and teaching within Alexandria.
I think this is achieve through the simple use of broken/tumbling columns ans statues alongside segmented/fractured mathematical elements which also serve to give an added level of movement and energy to the pieces that further reflects this idea of destruction.
Although I think to some extent they convey a sense of tragedy, especially through the use of the broken statue as well as the cloud like textures create from scanned in brusho drawing, I think that, much like with the posters, it is not quite as overt as the mathematical or destructive elements. This is in part due to the complexity of the actual emotion which in its self is quite hard to convey.
In contrast to this, given that I had highlighted from the start that I want them to be a celebration of her life and teachings, the stamps were much more simple to create in terms of concept than both the posters and post cards.
After roughing various designs to scale I then went about drawing my favourite ones up on illustrator. Much like my previous designs this was mainly an exercise in composition and tonal balance whear by I added block areas of black along side areas of white and mid tones created through line work to effectively break up the compositions giving them an overwhelming sense of harmony. This is particularly true when they are seen viewed as set.
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