Tag: Planning

Just a little update..

I currently have only 5 weeks left of the first semester, before I have to hand in all of my projects for the development module. So, as I have been updating my blog, but not so much in terms of my progression, I thought I’d briefly talk about the work I’ve done so far, what I still need to do, and discuss the goals that I want to achieve, which will be more long-term based.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

  • Research is complete – both directly from the book and my artist research.
  • I have created a mind map and chose the imagery I’d like to create.
  • Drawn up on of the quotes, the Wardrobe.
  • Experimented with digital techniques.
  • Experimented with different printing methods – screen printing, and adding foils, etching, Linocut, laser cut plate.
  • I’ve chosen that I want to create the rest of my illustrations with the laser cut plate technique as I feel I had gotten the cleanest results.

Still to do:

  • Create the other illustration with the printing method.
  • Possibly edit the outcomes digitally.
  • Mount them.
  • Evaluate the final products and project as a whole.

 

Inktober

  • I have completed the challenge, creating 31 illustrated characters for each day of October.
  • I have fixed or edited the designs digitally. Compiling them all into a zine format.
  • I’ve experimented with different forms of printing – through the colleges normal printer, reprographics and creating some on the zine.
  • With the finished products, I have begun to sell them online.

Still to do:

  • Write up some of the days – I have written them up on this blog, however, I feel I need to write them more formally and with much more information, for my actual project.
  • Write up the experimentation with printing methods. Opinions of the different outcomes of the zines.
  • Evaluate the final products and project as a whole.

 

House of Illustration – Howls Moving Castle

  • Read the book, highlighting areas and quotes that I could possibly illustrate.
  • Created sketches from the quotes.
  • Narrowed down my selection and had drawn thumbnails.
  • Narrowed down my selection yet again, so that I was left with 3 potential illustrations and 1 potential cover.
  • Started sketching the thumbnails digitally.

Still to do:

  • Write up artist research.
  • Refine the digital sketches with traditional line work.
  • Scan in the line work.
  • Colour digitally and potentially add a textured overlay.
  • Write up all of the progression, thoughts and opinions throughout.
  • Mount/submit the final designs.
  • Evaluate the final product and the project as a whole.

 

Penguin Illustration Awards

  • Read the children’s book – Wonder by R.J.Paolo
  • Read the adults fiction book – Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami.
  • Have thought about the imagery I could potentially illustrate for both of the books.
  • Have thought about the styles I could potentially use.

Still to do:

  • Actually start the project, not next week but the one after.
  • Write up research – from the books and potential artists/styles I will be using.
  • Form a mind map/mood board of potential imagery I could create.
  • Create 3 thumbnail sketches for each book.
  • Refine my choices and refine the designs digitally.
  • Choose which concept I think is best, possibly refine it more if needed.
  • Write up progression, thoughts and opinions throughout the project.
  • Mount and submit the final design.
  • Evaluate the final product and the project as a whole.

 

Long-Term Targets

  • Get better at time management. Thinking more practically, how long will it take me to work on a project, then follow my timetables as efficiently as I can.
  • Draw more full-length bodies. Over the year I feel I have gotten better at drawing faces, however, I do still struggle with the anatomy of the body, so I do wish to practise more in the future.
  • Boosting effort levels, getting rid of that ‘it’ll do’ attitude. I believe this can be done by just taking a break from my work then going back to it again with a fresh mindset, ready to make further improvements, as opposed to just being sick of the piece and wanting to just get it out of the way. I don’t think this can be done overnight, hence why it is in my long-term goals, as I feel in a way I will have to train my mind to do this more often, especially during future projects, in college and out.

The Timeplan

9 weeks into the first semester and I’m already not following the timetable I had originally planned within my proposal for the year.

 

original
Original Timetable (Before I had switched the Wizard of Oz project with the L.W.W project in Semester 2)

I believe this is due to multiple confusing factors from the beginning till now, one of them being that I have chosen to read all of the books. After finishing The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, and realising how long it had taken, (which wasn’t exactly long, but longer than I had initially expected) I decided to start reading ‘Howls Moving Castle’ for the House of Illustration competition, then after I finished that, I started and am currently reading Norwegian Wood, but I still have to read Wonder, both books being apart of the Penguin competition.

Another factor to my confusion is that my tutor has been wanting specific things done by a certain point, such as a statement of intents or the research for the projects, so instead of working at my own pace, following my set timetable, I have been trying to complete them all at once which has not done me very well.

So, with these factors, I feel I have just gotten confused in which project I should be working on, so probably have not done as much as I could have if I were specifically concentrating on one.

SO, with 9 weeks left, (8 now that I am posting this) I am going to replan my timetable so that I can properly concentrate on one project at a time.

newtime
New and Improved Timetable, Starting 12/11/18

Inktober – I have spent wayyyy too long on this project, so this week (and possibly a bit of next) I am going to try round off this project, getting the zines printed, making sure that everything is fully annotated, making an evaluation, and just getting this project out of the way so that I can concentrate on the others properly.

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe – I know I need time to work within the college, using the facilities available, so I believe I am going to work on this project next week, then break off for a month or so to do the competitions, then during the last 2 weeks before deadline, I will print my final designs and round off the project

House of Illustration – 3 (now 2) weeks from now, I plan to focus on my House of Illustration project, creating a book cover and set of illustrations for the book ‘Howls Moving Castle, over a 3-week time period. This time will be spent on researching, sketching, experimenting, then producing the final designs.

Penguin Student Design Awards – 6 (now 5) weeks from now, I will start working on yet another competition, which again I plan to do within a 3-week timeframe. Again, I will be working in a similar routine/method to the previous project, researching, sketching, experimenting, then producing the final designs, however, this time I will be doing this process with two books, one being Wonder by R. J. Palacio, and Norweigan Wood by Haruki Murakami.

I hope that with this new timetable, that there will be less confusion, I will be able to focus on one project at a time, and inevitably, I will be able to get more work done.