Roughs

The Brief

I read the brief for the Stratford Literary Festival book jacket this morning, and really like the theme. However, the deadline date is any time before 2nd March - which only gives me tonight and tomorrow to finish it! I am up for the challenge but I have never done a brief of this kind so quickly before, we shall see if I can get it finished before the competition closes.

New Photoshop brushes

Because of the limitations on time, I decided to also do something I have never tried before and rough straight on to the screen using some of the Kyle T Webster Photoshop brushes I recently bought. I actually really enjoyed the efficiency of doing this, the only problem however was that I didn't have time to try lots of variations of my idea - which I usually enjoy doing in my sketchbook before I start on finalising imagery.

Choosing Scenes

At this stage, I wanted to evenly pick out the six different parts of the book I could potentially illustrate. I know the story quite well so it is just a matter of choosing the aspects I think are the most effective in engaging both adult and younger readers in the aesthetic of the narrative. The ones I am thinking about so far are:

1. 'She could see the tops of the trees above the wall, and when she stood still she saw a bird with a bright red breast sitting on the topmost branch of one of them' - pg 29.

2. 'She found herself in one long gallery whose walls were covered with those portraits' - pg 46.

3. ''This is Miss Mary, Sir', she said' - pg 96.

4. 'Dickon, who was kneeling on the grass working hard' - pg 129.

5. 'Colin was standing upright - upright - as straight as an arrow and looking strangely tall' - pg 183.

6. 'Where you tend to a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow' - pg 230.

Meeting 5

I felt like today was the beginning of us starting to finalise our idea and pinpoint who could do what within the group in regards to final imagery and additional research we need to undertake. We managed to discuss what our campaign will consist of (deliverables) which includes bus shelter posters, leaflets, stickers, GIFs and location based instagram/snapchat filters and how we can ultimately achieve what we are aiming to do with this project.

Repeat Pattern Workshop

Notes

Open Photoshop

File - New - Type in required measurements of the tile (5cm x 5cm)

Cmd - R - Turns the rulers on/off

Click and drag each guideline to the each of the frame:

Check guides are in place by checking the snap option is ticked - View - Snap

Image - Canvas size - Add 200 percent to height and width - More room to work with

View - Lock guides

Open an image with a transparent background - Drag on to frame

Click image - Hold alt and drag - Makes a duplicate of that layer

Arrange a design you are happy with - Within the middle square guidelines

Select the tile

Edit - Define pattern

Edit - Fill - Pattern

Voila!

Change colours

Can change the pattern - Go back to the tile and amend

Overlapping Patterns

New document - click the little circle icon at the bottom of the layers - Pattern

Change the scale of the pattern

Go back to the original tile - Select all layers

Right click - Group all layers - Make a folder for them to go in

Making a pattern which over laps:

Overlap the motif - then select the top section of the overlap

Hold shift - Drag down the to the other side edge

Take in to a new document - Good for wrapping paper

Corners:

Good for creating evenly spaced pattern - Simple

Put the motif in the corner first, then separate each one by holding shift - Dragging to the opposite corner

Repeat until all four corners are filled

Take in to new document - Ta Da!

Study Task 2

I chose Carson Ellis, Owen Davey, Anna Bond, Victoria Semykina and Laura Carlin to look at for this task. Although very different there are aspects within all of their practices that resonate with me and my work. The first thing I noticed was the inclusion of narrative and storytelling which is so apparent within the compositions I looked at, especially in Ellis, Semykina and Carlin's work. There is a tone set by the use of colour scheme and technique used - all of them have a very distinctive aesthetic but they also share similarities in this area. The use of perspective is also something that interests me, it creates depth and intrigue around an image. I like to think about what else could be happening outside the frame, within the little world described on the page. Anna Bond's work is a great example of how illustration can be applied to products and also work within an area of publishing appropriate for both children and adults.

The Book Illustration Competition Awards Night

Last night I went to the Book Illustration Competition Awards ceremony with my sister, it was really nice to finally put faces to the work I have seen in the longlist. I spoke to people who had flown in from different countries and of all ages, it was lovely to see such a diverse group of people with a similar interest all in the same room. I was a bit nervous talking to certain people, such as Sheri Gee who is the Art Director of the Folio Society, but she was actually very nice to talk to, I feel like it gave me a bit of practice in how to present myself to industry professionals. I also had the opportunity to have some interesting conversations with other members of publishing houses and practitioners who just came along to view the exhibition, collecting a few business cards on the way!

Overall, this has been a great experience and given me more confidence when thinking about exposing my work and being in a professional environment.

Travel Maps - Research

Whilst thinking about geographical locations in relation to the Royal Opera House, tackling accessibility as a main issue, I started looking on my Pinterest account for some inspiration of how we could lay things out in the context of this idea. I found some really nice examples of maps, most of the ones I liked contained motifs which highlight the different elements. Taking this further, I think that continuing to look at motifs/buildings is the best way to highlight things we want to draw attention to in particular.

The Guardian & Nottingham Post

Theresa mentioned that the list of finalists for the competition was in The Guardian, which I had no idea about! Because of this I was able to see who the student entries were, as there are only five of us, I took note of which designs were made by students as I want to say hi and network a bit with these people when I go to London. I am actually really excited but also nervous for the awards night, just because most of the people there are going to be established practitioners and publishers and I may feel a little out of my depth. However, it is a great opportunity and good practice in how to present myself to industry professionals.

The Nottingham Post also got in contact as they wanted to interview me about my entry, and I got my buddy Shelly to take a photograph for them. I was a bit worried about answering so many questions but they were all mostly about my upbringing in Nottingham and what inspires me - which I enjoyed talking about. This is the first time I have ever been in the paper or had any kind of media attention for my illustration work so it's all very strange but very exciting!

Initial Roughs

Following the ideas we developed as a group during the last meeting, I started looking at the layouts of possible map designs and potential motifs we could use for each city. Sketching out the general shapes of main buildings on our list and then condensing down imagery to more shape based, minimal illustrations was the easiest way for me to make them more appealing and eye catching to the audience (20-30 year olds).

Meeting 4

During our meeting today I think we all felt a bit more motivated and excited about where we can take this project, every time we meet up it feels like it is gaining momentum. Now we have a basis for the idea we want to focus on - (geographic locations) and a visual cue I feel much more confident about continuing to rough ideas as we have something to aim towards. So far, our project is going to plan and we have a range of research to refer back to - good times!

Software for Packaging Workshop

Notes
Nets can be found on-line as vector/pdf downloads.
You can laser cut nets.

Making a jack-in-the-box net
Open Adobe Illustrator.
A3 Document.
Draw a box across the whole page - object - path - split into grid.
Call this layer Guides.
Type in the amount of columns and rows you need - 2 and 2.
Can add guides - extra length off the end of the guidelines.
Double click thumbnail - click template - this locks the layer.

New layer - call this Net.

Square - hold alt - click the centre - 70 x 70 mm.

 

Hold alt key to move and duplicate the square - hold shift to keep in the centre.

Do the same either way - makes a cross in the middle of the page.

To make the tabs

Rectangle tool - 70 (same as square height) x 15 mm - makes a square tab.

Select two end anchor point - select top right - hold shift - select bottom right.

Top bar - curve the corners to 15mm.

Select the two tabs - select one - hold shift and select the other.

Click rotate tool - the left toolbar - hold and choose the reflect tool.

Hold alt and click on the middle line to create a pivot - choose vertical option and copy.

Could also put flaps on the sides to help the box stay shut.

Need to create an outline to the whole shape - can be used on a laser cutter.

Select - All.

Edit - Copy.

Create new layer - fold guides 1.

Edit - Paste in place.

Lock and hide this layer - go back to net layer.

Window - Path finder - Select - All.

Unite button in the path finder.

Lock net layer.

Go back to the Fold guides 1 - Unlock and reveal layer.

Select - All.

Opacity - reduce opacity to around 10% - creates fold lines.

Select - All.

Stroke Panel - click - dashed line.

Little circle next to the layer - selects the layer.

Click the square with the red line through it on the left (colours) to make layers transparent - get rid of white shape.

Select the fold guides 1 layer - object - group.

Unlock all layers - inc. guides.

Select the artboard tool on the left toolbar.

Press and hold alt - drag onto the art board.

Name the second box - Outside box.

New Layer - Fold Guides 2.

Lock all other layers.

Use the pen tool to create guidelines where the dashed lines are.

New Layer - Artwork.

Can change the colour of the layer from yellow - double click the layer.

File - Place - Drag image over the net - embed (top panel).

If you have a net that isn't symmetrical then you have to reflect the shape.

Remember to click use the artboards when saving.

Nature - Taking Photographs

On my way to and from Uni I have been taking a few photos of things that may be of use when I start to think more about the imagery I want to include in my project. I have been trying to find unusual patterns of leaves and branches, I want to go to some gardens too and take photos of shrubbery and flowers just about to bloom, as a main theme within The Secret Garden is growth between the physical plants and also the characters.

Initial Roughs

I jotted down a few very initial ideas I had from the general research I have done around the book so far. Obviously I need to go more into the actual book before I start roughing for the inside illustrations, but as I know the story so well already I wanted to make a start on ideas for the front cover. Also, after my book binding induction I felt inspired to make a properly bound hard back book as my final outcome - I can screen print and use foiling/flocking on the book cloth material which I think I will enjoy a lot as I haven't had much time to screen print much so far this year as I have trying out other print methods.

Considering colour is something I want to start thinking about early on, as it saves me time when it comes to actually making the imagery. At the moment I am visualising earthy colours such as greens, browns and reds.

ROH Guide - Research

The students campaign at the moment doesn't really seem to be saying much, it has more of an exclusive vibe. When first looking at the image promoting student tickets, and the wording 'ROH Students', I thought you had to buy a special membership to be entitled to the cheaper tickets - however, reading further it is evident that joining the student programme is actually completely free, I think that this fact should be more prominent and visible within the imagery for the campaign.

Project Proposal

Primary Source

Whilst Meg was away in London she managed to do some primary source research for us about the Royal Opera House, making some observations and taking photographs whilst she was there.

LCA Website

I checked the Uni website today because I knew that the news of my long listed entry was going to be on there at some point, and here it is! The funny thing is that the story next to mine consists of a project my good friend/flat mate from last year has been working on, it was really nice to see our little achievements being featured next to each other on the site.

Book Cover Research

Part of a special set of 10 hardcover classics, designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith, that innovatively use foil and a special new binding material to create a highly collectible set.

I came across this set whilst browsing in Waterstones and found the patterns and use of foiling really effective. They stood out to me as I was walking around, also they are new covers for the classic stories which is what I want to create during this project. I would like to experiment with foiling on the binding design also.

Meeting 3

This session was the most productive yet! Yay! We have managed to come up with a general idea for our project, which will be based on the things (based on our research/survey) we agree are the most important in influencing an audience of 20-30 year old to attend the ballet - Accessibility, Affordability and how Contemporary it is.

Ticket Prices

As affordability was one of the main concerns from the results of our ballet survey, we wanted to find out how much tickets actually cost to see if we could form some kind of counter argument against this idea. Megan brought a guide from the Royal Opera House back from London with her, in the guide a price list revealed that the cheapest ticket is £3! This surprised me a lot as I had always associated ballet with being very expensive. Although the £3 seats are probably not the best, there are more options for tickets around the £10 mark, as well as a special student price, which give an audience member a decent view.

Book-binding Workshop

Ballet Survey

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Q28RXHC

1. What is your age

15-20

21-25

26-30

30+

2. What is your gender

Female

Male

Other

3. What is your occupation

4. Have you ever been to a ballet

Yes

No

5. If yes, how regularly do you go

Rarely

Occasionally 

Frequently

Very frequently

6. If no, why not

7. What are your perceptions of ballet

Old fashioned

Musically dry

Formal

Not relevant 

Traditional

For girls

For boys

Exciting

Graceful

Modern

Violent

Accessible

Expensive

Versatile

Relevant

Sociable

8. What aspects of ballet interest you the most

Choreography

Narrative

Costumes

Atmosphere

Music

Set design

9. What do you think is the average price of a ballet ticket

10. What social media platforms do you use

Facebook

Instagram

Snapchat

Twitter

Youtube

Pinterest