Tag: Updates

We need to talk..

Ok, so since the end of Semester one I feel I have been slacking on my blog and not posting as regularly as I had. I believe this is because after the last hand in, I was so stressed that I felt I needed a bit of a break, one that I didn’t necessarily have the time for but kind of took anyway.

In the first couple of weeks I did create two pieces of work, one which was a commission (I believe I mentioned that I would be working on this in a previous blog post, ‘Evolution of the Cat’ click here to read) then the second piece I had worked on was for a ‘draw this in your style’ challenge on Instagram which you can also read about by clicking here. So technically I had been working, but not on the projects that I was supposed to be concentrating on, such as the live briefs and personal projects I had planned, like illustrating The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, focusing on branding (creating a website, portfolio, promo packs, merch and products, etc).brow2

At the start of the year I was also given the chance to have my work in a local exhibition ran by ‘A Canny Collective‘ which I felt was a great opportunity as I gained a lot of experience from both creating illustrations and setting them up for the show, then on the opening night I was working on the shop, so I also gained the experience of selling work in a more personal setting, selling one to one with the buyer as opposed to over a website. If you would like to read more about this exhibition, what I created and how the night went, I have made a blog post about it so again, please click here if you want to know more.

SO, now with the work that I’m actually supposed to be working on. I have currently been creating illustrations for the Wizard of Oz but throughout I have been struggling with the styles and techniques that I’ve wanted to use. I did initially create 5 basic sketches which at the time I did see some flaws, but with the pressure of time, I got lazy and just ignored them and thought I was ready for the next stages and that maybe the flaws would get better once I coloured the pieces and added more textures. After a well-needed discussion with my tutor, he knocked some sense into me and I knew that I had to stop being lazy and make the changes that I was choosing to ignore.

From this discussion, I started taking photos of me and my boyfriend to use as reference for the characters and I started using more images of animals and floral elements where needed. It’s fair to say that my sketchbook became a lot fuller as I was sketching different poses, angles and options for each illustration (I think this will be the first sketchbook in a while that I’m actually proud of, as I more recently I have just been going straight into digital work as opposed to sketching traditionally first). Once I was happy with the sketches, I started to create new layouts for each of the illustrations, keeping in mind my talk with David and how I should think about the narrative of the piece when trying to compose specific characters or elements.

After the thumbnail layouts were down, I started sketching the pieces digitally once again and the reference photos I had taken did come in very handy during this process. I then printed the pieces off, showed them to David, mostly for reassurance before I took them any further, he did make some suggestions, for instance with the Tin Woodsman piece, he suggested that I reframe it so that it would be more of a closeup shot, which I do feel helped convey more action between the characters as the previous layout did seem quite open now looking back, which may have looked more calm than what I was intending.

Once I made the adjustments suggested I went to the light box and started transferring the sketch to paper and once lined I’d add in the textures. For this process I used pencil, I started with a 4H for both the lining and the textures, then when I needed darker areas I used a 5B. After testing multiple pencils in my sketchbook, I mostly liked the H’s as they gave more of the texture I wanted, whereas the B’s were more soft so they gave more of a smooth texture.

After I had completed the traditional part of this project, for now, we shall see if I need to go back and do anything else, I scanned in each illustration, set it within the document size that I wanted and now they are ready to colour.

This is the point I’m currently at, but during the colouring phase, I do want to record the process as I feel it may be satisfying to watch and I do want to start posting speed painting videos online, potentially streaming the process online as well through twitch.

The main elements of my to-do list at this moment in time is to:

  • Complete my Wizard of Oz illustrations
  • Start working on AOI’s Northern Illustration competition (more on that coming soon in a separate blog post)
  • Create an illustration or sequential piece for Cheltenham illustration awards (I will go into more depth and make a blog post about this too)
  • Focus on self-branding, this leads on to the next point which is..
  • Creating a portfolio book. I still have the pages from the one I made last year, so in the new one I will just be adding my more recent work, but I definitely want to change my old cover, hence how this links to the previous point as I need to focus on what my brand is and how best to communicate that through a cover.
  • Creating a website. I hope that I will be able to show my portfolio and have a working shop on the site.
  • Making work for the final show. I don’t necessarily know what I want to create for this yet or if I’m just going to use work from one of my current projects, but once I get a better idea of the space, how/if we’re framing our work, I may have more inspiration as to what I can create.
  • The last on this list is merchandise. For the final show, I did want to make new products that I could potentially sell on the night, whether this is new prints, T-shirt’s, enamel pins, badges etc. The reason this is last however is that I feel it should be my last priority as the work above has more consequences if I don’t manage to complete them.

 

Bibliography

A Canny Collective. (2019) [Online] Available from: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt19GO7lEG5/ [Accessed on 03 April. 2019]

All other work is my own unless stated otherwise.

IT’S CRUNCH TIME!

It’s now a week before the deadline and guess who still has a lot of work to do? ME! But is that a surprise? PROBABLY NOT!

(Giphy, 2015)

As it has been the holidays, I felt myself falling into the trap of procrastination, using the excuse of “it’s Christmas!” or “it’s New Years!” far too much. Although I did need this break for my sanity, I did feel the guilt when I would just be sitting around not doing work, when I knew full well that I could.

I had started my break for the holidays on the 22nd of December, after completing illustrations and a cover design for the House of Illustration competition and creating potential covers for the Penguin Student Awards Competition. So, getting back into the swing of things earlier this week, on January the 2nd, I realised that I had and still have a lot of writing up to do.

Today, I have only just finished writing up all of the days for Inktober. Although I have made blog posts about each of the days, I felt for academic purposes, I would have to write them up more formally and in more detail for hand-in.  So with this project, all I have left to do is to write up the process of making the zines, how I formatted the pages for printing, the different printing methods which I tried, what went well, what had not, which I had decided to use for final products etc. I then need to evaluate the final product and project as a whole, then that should be one project out of the way.

I’m going to be honest now, the rest of the projects aren’t as close to being completed as I would have hoped, and I do have a lot of writing up to do in the upcoming week.

House of Illustration project, I still need to:

  • Ask my peers for their opinions, if there are any changes I should make.
  • Potentially make the changes they suggest.
  • Get the illustration and cover ready for submission in the format the competition wants.
  • Print and mount the final design for hand-in.
  • Write up artist/influences
  • Write up creation process (I did take screenshots throughout, so this should make it easier to recall the steps I took and choices I made)
  • Evaluate the final design and the project as a whole.

 

Penguin Student Design project, I still need to:

  • Ask my peers for their opinions, if there are any changes I should make.
  • Potentially make the changes they suggest.
  • Get the Cover/s ready for submission in the format the guidelines of the competition state.
  • Print and mount the final design for hand-in.
  • Write up artist/influences
  • Write up creation process (I did take screenshots throughout, so this should make it easier to recall the steps I took and choices I made)
  • Evaluate the final design and the project as a whole.

 

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe project, I still need to:

  • Write up my experiences with the different printing methods, how they work, what I enjoyed, what I did not etc.
  • Compare the printing methods.
  • Make new designs with the best printing method (if I have the time to do so).
  • Evaluate the final products and the project as a whole.

 

So from this to do list, my plan for the week is to write up my projects whilst I’m at home, then whilst I am at college I will focus on practical work. The reason I don’t want to write up my work at college is because I feel I am easily distracted, zoning in and out of work a lot, often losing my place or sentence etc, but when I’m at home, it is quieter and although there is a potential threat of tv, during deadline week this is not an issue, as stress me is on the ball! Or at least tries to be!

So whilst I am at college, I think I will try to get the final illustrations for the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe project, as the facilities I need are within the college, so I feel it will be the best use for my time.

Final Notes

I probably will get all of my work complete in time, but the more that I think I won’t, the more stress I will put on myself, meaning more pressure, meaning more focus on the work, meaning ALL WORK COMPLETED ON TIME. Let’s hope!

I am always surprised at how much work I get done the day before a deadline as the pressure pushes me through, and I always end up handing in on time. Myself and stress just work together well, it’s probably not the healthiest of relationships, but if it works it works! If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! But ideally, I’m gonna try better to not leave all of my work till the last minute in the next semester/deadline, 2019 should be the stress-free year!.. Starting January 15th!

Bibliography

Giphy. (2015). Awkward Michael Scott Gif [online] Available at: https://giphy.com/gifs/jOpLbiGmHR9S0 [Accessed 06 Jan. 2018].

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.