Thoughts on Storyboarding

At the start of this brief I was very reluctant and indecisive when using storyboards as I wasn't sure how to best communicate pace and movement through drawing in each frame as a given amount of time very well. After the storyboard session with Fred I started to think about individual movements rather than the entire sting as a whole, this was a lot less daunting for me and helped me put a plan of action together when it came to working in After Effects.

Roughing Scene 2

Scene 2

I had a general idea of what I wanted this image to look like, as its based around a ball room scene I wanted Mr Crawford and Fanny to be the focus of the image in the composition, with other figures in the background. The thing that took up most of my time was working out how I would best described this idea I had within the measurements of the frame.

Including a chandelier is essential, this way I can incorporate stitching to keep consistency with Scene 1.

Scene 1 - Test Photography

To practice how I could lay out the elements in the image I took a photo on my phone and set the size to the measurements required in the brief. I am pretty happy with the composition, I still want to finish off the layers on the dress but other than that I think the first image is done! When I get back to Uni my aim is take photographs/scan of all three final images in the photography studio with the correct lighting, I want to include some shadow between each layer. I also want to play around with the colours over all of the images, I may be able to find some more interesting combinations on Photoshop.

Storyboards

Problem

At first I found story boarding quite difficult. I am not used to thinking in a way where I have to plot things alongside a certain time frame or keep in mind the pace of a movement across the whole thing.

Solution

Making a little spider diagram really helped me to section off different elements and think about how they can link to one another in an animation. As I enjoy the process of roughing, I realise I can tackle storyboards for a sting in a very similar way - just making sure I take into account the speed and timing of an action.

Experimenting with After Effects

Going solo

I have been having a quick play around on after effects just to see if I can remember how everything works without having Mike telling me what to do! So far it's going well and I think I can generally remember how the layers etc. work. I might actually change my original plan of doing three stings and just concentrate on one 30 second one instead. Due to the extended length of time I want to play around with manipulating the imagery I already have and focus on how I can link one element to another within the frame. Here we go!

Illustration Friday - Rock

Word of the week - Rock

16th December 2016

With all the work I have to do at the moment I wasn't sure whether I would do the Illustration Friday this week, but when I saw that the word was 'Rock' I really wanted to take a break from the studio briefs and have a go at tackling it.

Process

There were a few ideas I could go with when looking at the word 'Rock'. At first I thought of an actual rock, then seaside rock and then rock music. Rock music is the theme I thought would be most interesting for me to explore, especially as the words for the previous weeks have been a bit mundane. Thinking around the topic, I remembered my dad showing me the jacket he used to wear when he was younger (biker jacket with rock band patches) and wanted to do something with that. I really enjoyed the process of placing the imagery within the frame and choosing colours.

Cover Design

Front & Back

Keeping the front and back covers simple was important in order to keep the book from being too busy. If too much detail was included on the front as well as inside that could be too over whelming for a viewer to look at. Also I have really liked using textures recently so wanted to incorporate this into the book.

Spine

I am still not sure on whether to use a plain colour or have some kind of pattern on the edges of the book slip. I will try out a few variations and then decide after.

Stitching

I decided to include stitching as strings for the harp, using fine paper just wouldn't have the same effect and is very fiddly. I think I will try and include one object that requires stitching in all three images so they are coherent with each other and still work well as a set. I am happy with the way the image is progressing so far.

Colours & Composition

Starting to finalise the layout of my book

Me & Lino are on a break!

As much as I have enjoyed learning how to use lino as a method of print that seems to work have worked well within my practice, I will be happy to see the back of it for a bit. Aside from having a couple of accidents and my hand permanently aching, I look forward to trying new ways of working using the skills I have learned through printmaking, eg. Digital.

Colours

I have settled on using purpley blues and pinks. I think this reflects the themes of mystery and magic which Shakespeare's plays I have focused on during this term. I want to use darker blues towards the end of the book to reflect a darker atmosphere.

Composition/Digital Skills

Using motifs throughout the concertina has been very helpful in working out the placement of where I want to put things within the frame. I have probably learned the most about digital media during this module which has fed in to the rest of my work for other projects.

More Ideas...

Colour

Because the inside of the book is mostly dark lino prints with a light background, I wanted to use a colour for the majority of the design of the cover including the textures that are present throughout as a bit of a contrast.

Starting to finalise ideas

When playing around with ideas for the cover of my concertina book I realised I want to have a fairly simple composition, as the inside is very detailed. I will continue to experiment keeping this in mind, I feel like I am getting there!

Cover Slip Ideas

Fonts

Originally I did print some type in lino, however I decided I didn't really like it very much so I tried out a few other type faces. I want to try and find a fairly simple one that doesn't distract from the actual design.

Negative Space - Reducing down Imagery

The most successful images so far are the ones that have fewer elements within the frame. I have taken little motifs from the actual book design and used different compositions.

Rise & Fall - Micah Lidberg

https://uk.pinterest.com/pin/468726273702840223/

As suggested in my feedback from the mega crit I had a look at Micah Lidberg's concertina book, Rise and Fall. The thing that inspired me most was the simplicity of the cover and the contrast between this and the contents of the book. This is something I would like to achieve in my work at the moment. I think it is a bit harder because we only have two colours to work with, but I am sure I can do it! I am really excited to get to the finishing point now, not too far away I think!

Front Cover - Tests

Things I don't like

I had a quick play around with ideas on Photoshop with what I might want the cover of the book to look like. Once I got the different elements on to the screen I didn't like it at all, it is far too busy and doesn't really match the rest of the book. The idea I had in my head didn't work in reality. I think when revisiting the idea of the cover I want to think more minimally, simple but effective - I think I tried to include too much within these designs.

Developing Scene 1

Figure

Developing my ideas from my roughs, I drew out the potential figure for the harp player. I wanted her to look like she is actually playing the instrument. Also, I wanted to take the fashion of the era into account. Making the figure's dress more detailed (right) was a way of me trying to communicate this. I want to make the harp out of paper, but I need to think of a way to make the strings as that may be too fiddly. 

Decor & Materials

I did a few tests with the materials I am using in my sketchbook. I discovered the power of using tracing paper to enhance shadows and textures so this is something I will include in my illustrations. Hopefully the layering technique will work the way I want it to. I am not too sure on the colours at the moment, but I will continue to use them and maybe edit them digitally at the end to really experiment with colour scheme.

Wallpaper Pattern

Painting the paper and adding my own textures is something I want to include. Here I painted a very subtle wallpaper pattern, with the intention of using this as a background for the window and other elements within the frame.

Roughing Scene 1

Scene 1

Working with imagery that is described so beautifully described, is both a curse and a blessing. In my own mind the scene is so lovely that I want to do it justice when making it into an image. I think the easiest way for me to start the first scene is to just go straight in with cutting up paper and see where it takes me. In a way, this first bit is the most difficult as it determines how I am going to tackle the rest of the brief. I want all three illustrations to sit together nicely as a set.

Scene 1 - Colours and Paper

When deciding on which media I should use for this brief I was quickly excited at the prospect of using cut paper, its a method I really enjoy and as I have been working with print and digital media a lot recently it might make a nice change to work in this way again, hopefully also being able to apply the skills I have learned so far this year. I have decided to use reds, pinks and creams for now however as I am more confident using digital processes I may change the colour scheme on Photoshop at the end.

Christmas Mega Crit

There was such a relaxed atmosphere in the mega crit today, I think everyone is in desperate need of a break! It was nice to be able to look at everyone's work after seeing them slog away in the print room for the past couple of months. The feedback I got was really helpful, people seemed to also really like my screen prints which were just extra prints I made. As my book is on its way to being finished, after Christmas I think I want to do more screen prints of the lino cuts I have - as added extras to go alongside the book.

Contextual reference - Helen Musselwhite

https://uk.pinterest.com/sw255328/paper/

When looking for paper cut inspiration Helen Musselwhite came up a lot. I really like the intricate detail within her work, as well as the scenes she creates. Looking at whole scenes rather than smaller motif images is something I am doing within my work at the moment for the Mansfield Park brief. Using the right amount of shape and texture is something I struggle with, sometimes there is more of one than the other. However, seeing the way Helen Musselwhite manages to do this helps me to figure out how to balance an image.

Choosing 3x Scenes

It took me a while to decide on which scenes to commit to. There are so many parts of the book that I could have chosen from, as Mansfield Park is jam packed full of beautiful imagery when I read it. I made a note of my favourite parts of the book and made sure each scene was more or less distributed evenly throughout, as suggested in the brief.

Scene 1
Volume 1 - Chapter 7
'A young woman, pretty, lively, with a harp as elegant as herself, and both placed near a window, cut down to the ground'

Scene 2
Volume 2 - Chapter 28
'She found herself the next moment conducted by Mr Crawford to the top of the room'

Scene 3
Volume 3 - Chapter 41
'(Fanny) found herself and Susan, walking towards the high street, with Mr Crawford'

Illustration Friday - Soup

Word of the week - Soup

2nd December 2016

Again I thought the word this week was a bit difficult and maybe a bit obvious. I don't like having a topic so specific but I want to challenge myself every week to complete it, whatever the word is. I also didn't want to spend too long on the image to make room for other projects, print etc.

Process

This week, in order to save time, I just went straight in on Photoshop and started playing around with ideas. I have noticed that I am definitely less scared of digital media now which is definitely something I wanted to gain whilst doing these briefs.