Assignment 2: Illustration 1- Key Steps in Illustration- Tutor Feedback and Reflection
The Brief:
• You have worked through essential points here in order to put together a detailed brief. Evaluating has pushed you to ask further questions, these would be questions that you the illustrator could ask in response to a formal brief given by the art director.
• Perhaps add in some researched examples of briefs in order to compare your own outcome.
I have now added some further examples of briefs and included research of ‘how to brief an illustrator’ here.
Turning words into pictures:
• Aim to include aspects of planning and generating ideas in every project. For example start with a spider diagram in order to help prepare you for a visual response. I enjoy the way in which you are are incorporating objects and more abstract elements such as the fingerprint. As you mention, aim to be much more experimental and free with Mark making and colour. Here this might generate patterns, extravagance, over the top and outlandish aspects as well as the process of making garments which you have illustrated.
• Try to think about materials and the way in which you use them would help illustrate this word, for example paint or inks might help create more vivid colour, also the tools in which you use for example a thick paintbrush can achieve bold bright line and shape.
I will definitely be continuing to use a spider diagram moving forwards with future tasks to help generate ideas and ground my plan. I have added my mind map and further sketches to the exercise.
Mood Board:
• You have used texture and layering very well in this response in addition to graphic shapes of figures of body parts. A mood board can be really useful because it helps I meant an idea that you can move forward with, for example here your fashion collection would be a simple colour scheme, perhaps one with bold black shapes, and a more classic sophisticated feel whilst feeling modern.
• In addition you might add a colour swatch within the mood board which would help you work towards the next idea with a limited colour palette. Aim to incorporate more physicality within the mood board also, here it might be fabrics or specific fabric textures or any dimensional objects which might scan or photograph well.
Reference:
• Take time to slow down and investigate ways of generating ideas, planning and considering composition, intention alongside the aesthetic of the image you are creating. You might utilise tools from previous exercises such as a spider diagrams, a mood board, before planning compositions in pencil.
• You have a very instinctive and personal voice which is emerging through the way you create imagery, there is expression through the way in which you use mark making and texture. There is a lot to enjoy here in relation to how we read and understand imagery, filling in the gaps ourselves. For example the use of disparate echo of marks on the left hand side communicates how society was feeling in this time period after a world war. Though this a direct nod to artists in this era, someone looking at this for the first time who has no idea about the 1950s may not get an overall feel because of the abstraction you have used.
I hadn’t considered that this would not be viewed in the same way by a potential audience. The abstraction was more of a homage to the artists of the era as opposed to representing the 50’s more literally. I should’ve considered the audience further and perhaps included the mark making with some further 50’s related imagery.
Mark making:
• You are being much more playful in terms of application here, in particular the collage and ripped pieces of paper which as you mention add more texture. The use of bleach is exciting and I would encourage you to experiment more using this.
• It's great to see you playing with printmaking methods using descriptive marks. Although you feel a bit discouraged after this exercise, the important thing is that you are trying things out. In order to develop one will often produce many images that one does not like. Evaluate instead what you are encouraged by, is there any one material or technique that you might like to try again?
I have added a more in-detail evaluation as well as my previous discussing potential future techniques to try again here.
Objective Drawing:
• You have a very strong eye for detail which comes across in the way you have applied texture in order to differentiate materials and areas within the shoe. This shows strong ability for form and dimension with use of contrasting light and darks.
• As an illustrator it is imperative to draw from life in order to build up knowledge of objects, people and places which you can then apply to any imaginary drawings. I would encourage you to implement implement more of your drawing skill into your finished outcomes.
I will definitely be exploring the combination of both drawing and imagery throughout further tasks. I find the combination very interesting visually and a fun challenge to create.
Subjective Drawing:
• This shows how you are developing a bit further, the materials communicate in a very specific way and you enhance dimension of form through tonal values.
• This achieves a very descriptive outcome where you capture the distressed and marked material of the hat through collage and mark making.Where you are testing out specific materials, perhaps look into artists who work with these in order to help inform how you experiment.
• Add in more of an evaluation here: what do you think works well, what might you change? Has this way of using collage inspired you to research or investigate any techniques in this area? What appeal to you more, drawing objectively or subjectively and why?
I have looked back at this task and added a more in-depth evaluation answering the above questions here.
Black and White:
• Add in examples of graphic illustrators, take time to discuss the way in which they might use shape or composition alongside tone. Consider and discuss how using black-and-white in this way can help set atmosphere, direct the eye, and draw us to parts of an image in order to help convey narrative.
• Use of shadow here draws us into the entrance stairwell and beyond, I might have tried perhaps the central panel of outside wall in a darker shadow as an experiment or underneath the roof, instead of having all of the front of the house in white.
I have now added some examples of graphic illustrators who work in black and white and some analysis of their work.
Choosing content:
• You are showing much more of how you research, generate and test ideas in this exercise. I can see how you are planning in terms of colour, and texture.
• As an illustrator you wouldn't be able to use existing imagery as part of your own finished piece for a client. Where you are being more experimental with the figure( ripped first thumbnail of a face and the seventh thumbnail where you are drawing around shapes to create a face) : aim to focus more on this avenue of combining drawing and collage. If you want to use photographic imagery then take your own images and collage these instead.
• This composition has a lot of strength, the way in which elements such as the red strip jut across, the figure partially obscured. The threat is exaggerated through use of erratic texture in the top left. The overall feel and atmosphere comes across very strongly, you have great skill here but the main focus should be on generating more of your own imagery.
I will definitely continue to experiment with that method of illustration moving forwards. I will continue to practise the combination of my own drawings with imagery and/or producing my own images.
Visual metaphors:
• What comes across immediately is your ability to use both shape, line and symbol in order to communicate quickly. A structured approach to this brief has generated many ideas some of which you have taken forward into more formal drawings. The bottom left outcome has most visual impact, how might you exaggerate this further through colour?
I have expanded on the design by adding some colours to it and further evaluating here.
