21/06/2013

ILLUSTRATION: A closer look...

University can be really full-on, especially if you have a course which requires its marking from 100% coursework rather than exams...for those of you lucky enough not to have experienced this, just imagine having the exam stress throughout the whole year. And now that I do have time to pretty much do whatever I want, I remembered how therapeutic it was to just paint, or draw or even practise hand embroidery - So pretty much what I have been doing for the whole year, minus the time limit, the guidelines and the dos and don'ts, and turns out it's surprisingly different!

If you've been through my blog before, or had a look at my older posts, this might look familiar to you. And it should be because it is an enlarged painting of a series of illustrations I had done earlier this year as part of my coursework... The image can be found here (entitled FAD COMPETITION). 

The image below (top left - green background) is the original painting and has been done on a canvas.
Size: A2 approx
Media: pen, pencil, fineliner, marker, acrylic paint, spray paint, nail varnish, watercolour
Time taken: 6 hours approx


Although I actually really like the painting I produced, after the last post (ILLUSTRATION: Changing it up) I couldn't help but render these...I have to say the filters on Microsoft Powerpoint is just growing on me! It amazes me how much the effects manage to change the image, and using only the click of a button!

1) (Top left image) I love the painting; I think it's glamorous and vibrant and young. In hindsight, I would've probably chosen a different, darker, richer colour for the background rather than the pastel green. I had a feeling, at the time that it wouldn't be the best colour to have settled for...and I have to emphasise that I did settle for the green as my colours of spray paints are very limited... If I could I would change the soft, matte green for a glossy finish of a rich ruby or deep emerald or a luxuriously warm saffron colour - anything jewel-toned really.

2) (Top right image) It surprises me how much the feel of the painting changes. Perhaps it's the lack of lack of colours and tones, but to me, it feels quite strange. I can't decide whether it has an ancient, faded look of washed out pen lines or whether the colours - particularly the blurred blueish-grey give it a futuristic feel...


3) (Top left image) I absolutely adore this rendered image. Unlike the previous image (2) this one can be described as a futuristically ancient feel. As though centuries from now, art lovers and illustrators will look at this as old  - It will be the new old, and yet it can be a classic. For those of you whom I may have lost due to the sheer stupidity of my words - I apologise. Also note, I am aware that I am being slightly overconfident. Anyway, I just feel as though, similar to the lace on her face, the painting looks almost timeless.

4) (Top right image) I can't fully remember but I have a feeling that I may have used more than one effect on this image - and I'm not entirely sure which. However, I quite like the effect of the blurry/smudged lines - to me, it resembles the strokes that can be created using a thin paintbrush. I like this because it looks slightly messier and slightly de-constructed which I usually prefer in art as well as illustrations. Although I'm not too sure whether I prefer the look of the finer details in this painting or the messy look - usually this is a no-brainer, but as this is my painting and I'm subjective, I think the image looses too much detail, especially in the lace.


20/06/2013

ILLUSTRATION: Changing it up...

As the academic year comes to a close and I'm having time to just do nothing, I have been stumbling upon bits in my room, I didn't even realise I had - mainly work/drawings I forgot I had done... Looking through all of them, I started feeling slightly frustrated as they all looked quite different. One of the main things I like looking at in people's work are the details (or sometimes lack of) that create that distinct look and style. I have always felt that is important because as artists or designers or 'creators' we don't need to be known for our words or what we do in our spare time or what we look like! Often we are recognised by the work we do - whether the recognition is from a classmate, teacher or someone who you've never even met! And that alone is the an achievement on its own - and I'm finding that, for me, I want to come up with a style that's recognisable and truly just mine...

One of the things I struggle with is the fact that my designs are very childish - often resembling cartoon characters. Even with that in mind, I always start off thinking of a darker image, a darker, more Gothic feel that I would want the drawings to have and I think it's always appropriate for Autumn/Winter collections. However, despite that train of thought, I always just lose the feel about 15 minutes in when I realise I've added too much colour, or the eyelashes look too fake to even pass as falsies or just anything that stops me from reaching that goal! So instead of kicking myself up the arse, I'm setting myself a goal to produce as many illustrations as I can (I'm thinking mainly faces) - or as many as it takes for me to produce a piece that I'm happy with.



The first image is the original, produced on a canvas. 
Media used: watercolour only. 
Time taken: 2 hours approx

I tried experimenting by accentuating features I usually don't, using a heavier hand with the brush and sticking to very few colours. I think it looks okay, yet lacks something - something which I'm not sure of... However, the three images below are edited (I use the term edited very loosely as the most basic of all basics have been used to render these...with the help of good old Microsoft Powerpoint!) and I think they all have something that the original doesn't which give it that little something extra...

1:I love the simplicity of the rendered image on the left; the lack of colours give the face a whole different feel. I think that the contrast between light and dark is effective, usually this emphasizes a look; brings it more contrast, often making the image feel darker. However, here I think it creates a feel of innocence. The vast contrast looks as though the image was drawn on using an inky pen on plain, white paper.

2: I absolutely hate how hours upon hours spent on a piece of art doesn't give you what you aimed for, and yet with a simple click of a button, the image is suddenly transformed! Once again, I had the hope for a darker, more Gothic illustration, and somehow managed to add more colour. I do like this edited version though, as it shows me what I aim for and how the same piece that I have done would look like if it had been done differently. 

3: Although this isn't something I would do - one of the main reason being that I wouldn't want to get bollocked by the tutor in front of half my class, I still think it's a cool effect. It might come in handy for a themed collection; something more stylised, or something more exaggerated. 


10/06/2013

QUICK ILLUSTRATIONS: A 99p worth inspiration


Noun
  1. The process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, esp. to do something creative: "flashes of inspiration".
  2. The quality of having been so stimulated, esp. when evident in something: "a moment of inspiration in an otherwise dull display".
(Source: dictionary.com)

Inspiration can be derived from absolutely anything and everything. I personally find that the things I'm most inspired by are the littlest things I wouldn't have originally given a second thought to, so you can imagine my surprise when I found this cheap little thrill in Sports Direct! I do believe the words I uttered to explain this purchase was in aid to compare them to Christmas...

I remember a time when shopping channels became a regular for me - not for the usual reasons but mainly because there was nothing better on Nickelodeon at the time and I had just recently discovered that Art could consist of media other than pencils and paint. One of the items that was always on my wishlist was the Magic Pens! I couldn't decide whether it was the use of the neon-bright colours, the rainbows and butterfly doodles or the actors/salespeople who slept with coat hangers in their mouths...or perhaps it was a mixture of all of them. However, you can imagine my excitement when I finally got my hands on these after almost ten years and with a price tag of £0.99, I just could not resist!



Anyway, after having a quick scribble with the pens, I wanted to see if I could create anything. Although it didn't take me long to get bored of them as the nibs were very thick, the colours were limited and the quality; lacking... 

Despite all of this, I didn't want to give up on the pens just yet, especially after having such high expectations of them. So my hand continued its lazy doodling and I realised that I had been creating patches of patterns; the simplest of lines and waves, an arrangement of squares and triangles and circles and dots and suddenly I didn't seem to want to stop! I wanted to make more, I wanted to create different patterns, use different colours, use more, use less, I just wanted to create more!

To me, they started to resemble the Aztec prints have been popping up in the fashion trends lately...So I couldn't wait to use the drawings as prints and apply them to some fashion illustration.


It was only a matter of time and a few scribbles before I finally got these. I can't decide whether I think I needed to spend more time on these or roughen them up slightly to get a more distinct look, however, considering the time taken to draw these up, i don't think I could have done much more to them.