London Graduate Show Logo Idea

Sketchbook planning

During a branding meeting for the London Graduate Show, High Noon, it was decided that a theme of time should be used as a motif for the event. It was set out that each of us should go off and design logos to be reconsidered the next day as a possible final logo. Considering the amount of craft based illustrators in my class, I thought it would be a nice touch to play upon that theme, making a layered wrist watch. Of course, I also needed to represent those practitioners that worked with digital platforms and moving image. I had the idea to have the paper cut as a base and animate the counting down of time to the Final Show. The animation would be made into a GIF and could be on social media platforms such as the website, twitter and facebook. I chose a digital watch as it would make the counting down action much simpler to execute in the animation production of the GIF. 

The  # What's the Time Idea was to create a recognisable tag that we could link to the show and the logo to network our campaign. This would be especially effective on social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr.

As I shot the animation at home, i did not have access to a good light source and I think this definitely shows. The quality of the photos has had immediate effect on the overall look of the animation. Also there is a little bit of movement from the object that was unwanted. Not perhaps my best attempt at animating. What I have learnt from this making exercise is my ability to consider and execute ideas with a target audience in mind. Excluding the quality of the finished product, I think the idea generation and research was a success.

Character papercut developments

Over the past couple of days I have started making people separately from the backgrounds. This was the initial intent to make it easier to drop characters into different scenes to create a range of compositions. I think this will work with images of my grandparents as their journey is the main component of the project, on the other hand characters such as friends they met along the way and people in the background should be kept to the one image. This allows the audience to easily recognise my grandparents. Therefore, I have thought about giving my Grandparents signature colours, my grandmother- red and grandfather blue. However, this is not yet definite I need to test whether this works when they are placed up against different backgrounds.

As seen in the previous post, I started to experiment with layering with papercuts, using foam stickers to raise each layer more effectively than if just stuck together with glue. Even though I found that the hand drawn pattern wasn't effective in the first attempt, I have continued to experiment with different hand drawn mark making on the paper cuts. This is mainly to tie the figures into the backgrounds that will include much more mark making and expressive line work. In terms of layers, I have chosen only a few elements to emphasise. I think, in this case, the figures are much more effective.

The first image is of my grandmother, worked on from the below photograph taken by my grandfather. I have combined detailed ink work with the flat colour paper cuts. I think it works on the legs as the ink work highlights the contours of the leg, however I think the face looks a little flat as there is not implication of the three dimensions. Perhaps it would be an idea to paper cut facial features and paint onto them? I'd definitely like to create some more background imagery to place this paper cut onto as i don't believe the plain background does the paper cut any justice....

Working on a new Trinidadian scene....

After trying to create imagery from photographs of the ship which were fairly monotonous and lacking in chaos and colour, I wanted to work with a busy scene to experiment with my layer technique, especially to consider perspective. I have started by making paper cuts of the figures in the foreground. From the image, I have picked out blue, red, orange and yellow as the colours I will work in, to be in keeping with my other imagery with limited colour palettes.

As you can see below I have chosen to hand draw the pinstripes onto the dress. I think it has worked particularly well considering and carry some of the aesthetic of my ink drawing style without being too overwhelming. I have also chosen to not add detail to the face with ink, only including an earring for suggestion on an ear. I think this is much bolder and true to the idea of the images suggesting memories rather than a realistic documentation. 

These two characters are currently in progress. However I wanted to show how my technique has been applied to other figures. I have also experimented with using origami paper on the lady's dress. I like the variation of texture, however i think next time I will stick it onto thicker paper first as it looks a little amatuer and scrappy.

Developing paper cut techniques....and crit feedback.

After my trip to London, I was determined to get on with making imagery again and started working on characters separately. Inspired by the textiles exhibition, i was keen not to keep the clothing garments devoid of any pattern as I had done previously in other images. I tried to copy the pattern on my grandmother's dress as seen in the photograph, however i am not convinced it has worked as well as I originally thought. I have identified, this is most probably because I could not clearly see the textiles from the photograph. Looking back its quite ignorant of me to attempt to copy the photograph completely as its not so much about the clothes she was wearing in this image but her as a person. Also I don't think the pattern fits in well with my approach to colour in other images. In my crit, It was suggested that I incorporate origami paper into my collages so that i don't have to paint my designs. This is a valid point that I will probably try, however i am concerned that the papers may not fit into the era of my project.

The technique I have used on this particular paper cut, worked with a variation of layers, i.e. I was re-constructing the dress. Being the first of this method, I think the overall aesthetic isn't that pleasing and I perhaps need to consider form much more before making, perhaps sketching out what i' will cut out first as a sort of plan rather than my 'think and do at the same time' approach. I do think the paper cut techniques need some more sophistication to show development from my last project.

In my crit, the issue about the backgrounds came up again. It was suggested to keep on drawing as my project is far ahead in my thinking and my practical work hasn't quite caught up in quantity. So its time to put my head down and make, make, make!

More Artist Research: Photographer William Eggleston

I came across William Eggleston whilst at the tate on sunday. Out of the research i've collected and the artists I have looked at, Eggleston has by far had the biggest impact. The vividness of his photography and composition is hauntingly beautiful. it has similar qualities to the documentative feel of my grandfather's photography, except with a more of a fine art approach. I may go as far as saying its perhaps more illustrative of the time. For me, each of his images tells its own story. This is a quality i crave for my own image making.

Research Trip to London 22nd Feb

The Fashion and Textile Museum- Artist Textiles Picasso to Warhol

I found this exhibition particularly helpful for the wide range of patterns and textiles from the 1950s era both in America and Britain. Each of the textiles had been designed by artists instead of designers, this made them much more individual and less generic for that time. 

 Interestingly, in 1950s New York it was fashionable for illustrations to be seen on textiles. Work by Illustrators such as Saul Steinberg and John Rambola were popular at the time. The 'arab market' dress on display at the museum sparked possible development ideas for garments for my own characters, wrapping imagery of objects or landscapes from my grandfather's photography into the costumes I make for them. 

 John Rambola

(Copies of John Rambola's work from my sketchbook)

Andy Warhol

Pablo Picasso

 Eduardo Paolozzi 1953

Jon Catleugh 1953

Louis Le Brocquy 1954

Pablo Picasso

Saul Steinberg

The V&A

The collections available this weekend weren't as useful as I had previously hoped, however I did take some photographs of the permanent collection of 1950s dresses that show a small range of different styles that were popular in women's fashion at the time.

The Tate Modern

Richard Hamilton Exhibition

Even though his work covers a lot of popular culture over a period thirty years, it was great to view the work of such an integral artist to the 1950s art movements. His focus on perspective in image making to challenge the audience's way of looking is really interesting.  Even though he works a lot with photographic collage, there are elements of his placement of people and objects in his compositions that inspire my own practice. Its quite suggestive of that time but does not give too much away. I was also drawn to his application of relief in his paintings, exaggerating elements of the image for points of interest, and his installation work which combined visual communication with audience interaction.

Current Visual Merchandising in London

To feed my own understanding of current trends in advertising and visual presentation techniques, i decided to observe different shop window fronts in Oxford Circus that challenge the traditional expectations of a shop window. I discovered to find many examples of illustrative and artistic contributions to current high street shops. Here a few of my favourites...

Urban Outfitters, Oxford Street

 Selfridges & Co, Oxford Street- A few of the sequence of windows all to do with the imagination!

I particularly like the last two images as there is a definite theatricality to the set designs of these windows, the essence of movement around the objects suggest human presence without any sign of mannequins or cut outs.

 Pull & Bear, Oxford Street: I thought this worked particularly well with the variety of angles with the bikes which distorts the view point for the passer-by. Its also a clever set up as the clothes on display are all grey, therefore the pastel palette exaggerates the clothing.

Liberty of London, Regent Street

There was a variety of different window displays at Liberty's. In my opinion I don't think as a series they worked as well as Selfridges. Even though, each window was designed by different practitioners there a distinct consistency throughout. Liberty of London included many well designed displays but its lack of consistency made it look higgledy- piggledy in comparison.