Research | My Site 1

These image are pieces of work that I did in a sketchbook that I made from recycled paper. On each of these pages I did a different activity that is used to problem solve. I did this to prepare myself for the project ahead so I am able to solve different problems I may face with different activities. As I made the sketchbook myself I was able to use different paper which allowed me to experiment with working on different textures. I then approached each page differently, trying a different activity and seeing the outcome. I am not a fan of how this sketchbook came out, looks wise. However, I like how I approached the problems and completed each activity, pushing my limits.

Handmade Sketchbooks

Illustration:

‘In short, illustration is a visualization made by an artist. It is a drawing (or painting, collage, engraving, photo, etc.) that explains something. The illustration doesn't have to be drawn—a photo in an encyclopedia is also an illustration, because it explains what is written. ’ - What is Illustration? (and What are the Different Types of Illustration?) (tutsplus.com)

There are different types of illustration, some of these types are:

•concept art

•editorial illustration

•advertising illustration

•packaging illustration

•fashion illustration

•technical (scientific) illustration

•Infographics

Concept art is used as working material for finding the best image of the atmosphere in movies, games, and other industries. The most important thing about concept art is not to create a perfectly beautiful image, but to choose the image that works the most. The final sketch that went through the art director's criticism is the image that the final product uses . Concept art is usually made for environments, costumes, characters, and items.

An editorial illustration is an illustration created to express an idea from text that is usually used in a book, magazine, newspaper, or web resource. This type of illustration will not be used without the text.

Advertising illustration is an illustration that is used to catch the viewer's attention as its used in marketing. It can be used without any text, but it needs to express a strong idea to make it easy to remember.

Similar to advertising illustration, packaging illustration helps companies to sell their product. It also should be eye-catching to grab the viewer's attention. As well as this, packaging illustration helps to define the brand, adding a personalized touch and custom feel.

Fashion illustration is usually used to visualize a piece of clothing before it’s produced. It is used a lot in the creative process by fashion designers. Before being sewn the garment should be drawn. Also, fashion houses use the work of fashion illustrators to promote their product and to show it in a special style.

The purpose of a technical illustration is to accurately depict an object to simplify its understanding. In technical illustration, the image is not what's important, but the clarity and the absence of confusion.

Infographics are a selection of images and diagrams without a lot of text, this allows you to quickly understand the topic. Infographics are usually related to communication and graphic design but can also be attributed to illustration. Good infographics make it easier to understand information and a large amount of data.

Illustration Specialist Requirements:

Process of Illustration:

Explore ideas
Narrow down the concept
Sketch the scene
Choose a colour palette
Block out the colour
Create depth
Add light and shadow
Add Texture
Refine

Illustration Skills Required:

A natural flair for art and design.
Exceptional drawing skills and the ability to visualise what a client describes.
Creative and imaginative with an eye for colour, balance, and layout.
Able to create a drawing that expresses an idea or concept
Solid on photography skills
Familiar with IT and design software
Good at communicating

The process of Illustration

Research:

Explore ideas
Still life's
Other illustrators
Refer to the brief given
Make mood boards
Research the topic

Ideation:

Planning
Take inspiration
Develop from mood boards
Use previous works to develop ideas

Develop:

Continue with works until considered done
Ensure your work is different
Communicate with your client
Try and ensure your work is different and new

Revise:

Ensure the work has no form of copy right
Ensue the work is well crafted
Develop any areas that may need it

Presentation Techniques:

Illustrators can present their work in a number of ways. Some of these ways include a website, in a sketchbook, in an exhibition or social media. Some illustrators will prefer uploading their work onto a website as it allows them to keep all of their work together in a digital way, as well as making it easy for their audience to access. Other illustrators will prefer to simply present their work in a sketchbook, some illustrators will prefer this method as it can be see as easier and it will present the original pieces of work. As well as this, some illustrators would prefer to display their work in an exhibition, this could be so they can put themselves out in the art world and receive feedback on their work. Finally, social media is a way to go for certain illustrators, social media allows illustrators to upload their work and receive live comments and feedback as well as having the opportunity of gaining a larger audience. Personally, my favourite way to present work is in a sketchbook, this is because I find it to be the least stressful way and it allows me to keep a track of my work.

Three examples of conventions used in illustration are line, shape and texture. These conventions are used by a large majority of illustrators so their work is dynamic and interesting. This project, I have used these conventions myself, mainly focusing on the use of texture.

Illustrators use both vertical formats and horizontal formats. The format used is down to personal choice, as well as how the artist wants the work to be displayed. I tend to work in both formats, selecting which one I feel will fit my idea better.

Photoshop

These mages show Photoshop creations that I made. To make these I scanned in my hand made sketchbook pages then altered them using Photoshop. I changed the colours, contrast brightness, shapes and opacity of my drawings to create something new. Each one of these creations are unique, despite using the same few images. I enjoyed creating these pieces as I was able to work in a way that I had only touched on before. Furthermore, creating these images has allowed me to grow confidence in working with Photoshop which opens it up for me to use again later in the project.

To further my ideas using these images I have selected one of these designs and created 30 ideas that will be made into a lino print.

This image shows one of my lino pieces that I developed from my photoshop collages. I developed this lino from the collage on the bottom left of the 4 images above. To come up with this idea, I drew 30 ideas in 30 minutes. Each of these designs were done with a black felt tip pen so I could focus on the lines and the shapes within the designs rather than what colours to use.

Childhood:

Definition: ‘the state or period of being a child.’

Synonyms: youth · early years · early days · early life · infancy · babyhood · boyhood· girlhood · pre-teens · preadolescence · prepubescence · adolescence · teens· teenage years · young adulthood · immaturity · the springtime of life · one's salad days · minority · nonage · juvenility · juniority · juvenescence

Etymology: From Middle English childhode, childhod, from Old English ċildhād (“ childhood ”), equivalent to child +‎ -hood. Compare dialectal Dutch kindheid (“ childishness ”), German Low German Kinnerheid (“ childhood ”), and German Kindheit (“ childhood ”). Pronunciation . IPA : /ˈtʃaɪldhʊd/

Antonyms: adulthood · old age

Toys

‘Toys, playthings, and games survive from the most remote past and from a great variety of cultures. The ball, kite, and yo-yo are assumed to be the oldest objects specifically designed as toys. Toys vary from the simplest to the most complex things, from the stick selected by a child and imagined to be a hobbyhorse to sophisticated and complex mechanical devices.’

‘Objects with human and animal forms that may have been toys have been found in deposits from ancient Sumer dating to 2600 BCE. The earliest-known written historical mention of a toy comes from about 500 BCE in a Greek reference to yo-yos made from wood, metal, or painted terra-cotta. It is believed, however, that the yo-yo originated in China at a much earlier date. In addition, the kite, still a popular plaything in China, existed as a toy there at least as early as 1000 BCE. In India, clay animal-figures on wheels and other animal toys date to about 2500 BCE. Later, brass and bronze horses and elephants were common playthings among Indian children from wealthy families.’ - toy | Definition, History, & Facts | Britannica

Toy Technology: In the nineteenth century there were only four technological innovations that affected toy manufacture. These things were high-speed colour lithography and injectable plastics, television, and the microchip in the twentieth century. Colourful games, brightly illustrated books, and decaled toys were enabled by colour lithography. after World War II, the advent of plastics created the model-building sector within the toy industry and allowed the major toy manufacturers to market their products with plastic dice, counters, and three-dimensional playing boards. Some companies, such as Fisher Price, changed the basic material for their preschool toys from wood to plastic, and doll makers had a new material for sculpting doll bodies and creating realistic hair.

Toys can be important to children of religious groups. For example, some churchs offer a selection of toys for children to play with that connect to the bible somehow. For example there are toys that are based off of the nativity, Noah's ark, and Jerusalem.

‘We believe that when we are running Christian pre-school groups or organising worship for under 5s, it is important that the toys and materials reflect this.

There are many toys that fit with Bible stories and themes or are symbols of Christianity.’ – Spiritual Child Network

Nostalgia:

The definition of Nostalgia: a wistful or excessively sentimental yearning for return to or of some past period or irrecoverable condition.

Nostalgia can be triggered by a number of things, some of these things include: listening to old music, visiting a familiar place, lookng at old pictures, playing old games, and watching old movies or shows.

Many people will share feelings of nostalgia if it is triggered by something they have all experienced.

Lauren Child- Artist Study

'Child is modest about her early talents ("I wasn't the best drawer in the world, hardly child-prodigy standard"). But her father encouraged her interest in art and her mother, meanwhile, made sure there were plenty of books about the house, and inadvertently stoked a fascination with Americana still visible in her artwork today.' - https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/oct/04/lauren-child-clarice-children-books I find this extract about Lauren Child interesting as without the encouragement Child received whilst she was younger, she may have grown out of having art as an interest. Furthermore, Childs mother ensured that there were books available for Lauren, as Lauren is now older these books may evoke feelings of nostalgia.

These images show the front covers of some of Childs books. Her style is very recognisable and will cause feelings of nostalgia in people who have had these books read to them or have read them themselves. In each of these book covers the main characters are present in the foreground whilst the backgrounds are fairly minimalistic or have images relevant to the title. Throughout the covers, Lauren uses bright colours and simple lines and shapes. This is most likely done to appeal to younger audiences and prevent children from become overwhelmed by too many small details. It is clear that Child is very considerate of her target audience whilst illustrating her books, as well as this her designs of the characters are pretty consistent throughout. The characters being consistent will allow younger children to remember them more than they would characters that change constantly, resulting in feelings of nostalgia in the future.

Eric Carle- Artist Study

'The secret of Eric Carle’s books’ appeal lies in his intuitive understanding of and respect for children, who sense in him instinctively someone who shares their most cherished thoughts and emotions.' - Home | Eric Carle (eric-carle.com)

I find this information about Carle interesting as it shows his character. Carle clearly put in a lot of effort into understanding children and developed art in books that would appeal to them and allow them to understand.

These are some of the books that Eric Carle has illustrated. It is very clear that Carle created the images to appeal to children and grasp their attention. In these images (excluding the lion) the background is solid white. This was most likely done to prevent the covers appearing overcrowded and stop children's attention from being drawn away from the main subject. Carle uses different visual language within his work such as lines, shapes and colour. He uses these aspects of visual language to create animals and objects simplistically, rather than in a lot of detail. This shows that Carle really understands how to cater to children and create books that do not contain too much information. I have decided to look at Carle as an artist as I feel his style creates nostalgia for a lot of people, furthermore I feel that his style would translate well as a tattoo.

Toy Story 3- Design Study

'Pixar Animation Studios has always had its eye solidly on the future of moviemaking, using cutting-edge technology and old-fashioned storytelling to propel animation into the 21st century. It rarely has looked backward or indulged in nostalgia about its success. But 1995’s Toy Story, the first completely CG-animated feature-length movie, and the franchise it spawned are so near and dear to the company’s heart that when work began on the estimated $200 million Toy Story 3 in 2006, it was the movie everyone at Pixar wanted to work on, from fresh, young talent to studio veterans including producer Darla K. Anderson.' - https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/making-toy-story-3-69726/

I find this extract about the making of Toy Story 3 interesting as if the movie wasn't as successful as it as it would've most likely been overlooked by the company. Many people enjoyed the Toy Story franchise and have strong feelings of nostalgia when they re-watch it, personally I am included within these people.

These images show some concept art from the production of Toy Story 3 as well as some images from the final film. It is clear from the concept art that a lot of time was spent ensuring that the film had the same feel as the previous two in terms of style and colour schemes. However, due to some areas of the film being quite dark' and 'sinister', the audience of this film was more directed to older viewer's of the previous films. The visual language used throughout the film were colour, line, shape and texture. These aspects were really important in the illustration of the film to maintain the idea of the characters being well-loved children's toys.

Personally, I took an interest in Toy Story 3 for this project as there are scenes where the toys are abandoned, usually because the child they belonged to had grown out of them. I plan to try and figure out why some toys are more attractive to children than others. Some children simply grow out of toys where other children remain attached for a longer period of time, therefore will be exploring colour choice to see if this plays a role in evoking nostalgia and remaining attractive for children.

Primary Research

The 3 images are my still life drawings of a plush frog. The first piece was done in watercolour to see how vibrant I could make the frog. The second piece was done in pen, I used colours that would appeal to children, applying the work of Eric Carle. The third image shows a mx of the previous 2. I used both pen and watercolour, as well as coloured pencils. I drew the frog in 4 slightly different positions to see which angle portrayed the frog the best.

These two drawings are still life drawings of teddy bears. I used pen for these drawings as the colour stays vibrant and is appealing to a younger audience. As well as this, the pens allowed for me to add shadows and highlights without creating too much details. This aspect of the pens was helpful within these pieces as I plan to develop these into 3 print linos.