OUIL503 Responsive: Summative Evaluation

I chose my responsive briefs for a mixture of reasons. Some because I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone and try to push the concept behind the illustrations further; others were because they were exactly the type of brief I would love to get.

I combined analogue and digital throughout these briefs and I can definitely see how this is effecting my practice as I tend to use the hand drawn and painted beginning stages to get a feel for the atmosphere of the piece. This beginning part is when I can explore with brush strokes, mark making and the direction and movement of line, as well as colour and different textures of media. Then I can also use this time to draw in my details as I have much more control over the pen/pencil than on the computer. However I can use Photoshop then too clear up any unnecessary marks, adjust levels and colour, and ensure the image is the correct format and size to be used for its purpose. I think this module help me to focus on getting a professional aesthetic on my pieces.

I think this module has definitely helped me to visualise myself in a professional environment and the possibilities of illustration combining with all kinds of industry and brands. One of my favourite projects to work on was for TAG zine, in which I was lucky enough to be quite involved in. This was great as it was a collaboration of quite a range of creatives for the zine and it was really nice to be able to see my work in a real-world context.

I think my most challenging project was the Scavi & Ray brief but only because I think we found it really hard to organise a work load where we were both creating the same work. It was surprisingly hard to let go of the artwork and allow each other to adapt it; we needed to learn to be less precious with our work in order to allow for each other to put their mark on the piece.  

If I could go back to any project to work on now it would be my Save the Children brief. I would love to bring the illustration to life by turning it into a GIF or short animation that could potentially go onto online or TV advertising. I think this would have been a really good experience as I have previously animated on a previous module so I would have some basic knowledge and I would love to play around with the characters more.

Overall I really loved working on this module because of the freedom and choice of brief. I also liked the different time restraints and deadlines as it meant you could spread one over a time and do the next in a day. This was really good practice for real work deadlines. It helped me to see myself in a professional environment and I think it was good to have experience working with brands and following their brand guidelines and identity. 

Project Evaluations:

Save the Children:
I selected this brief because I really wanted to push myself out of working so much from reference and I thought a children’s book illustration brief would be really good for this. I wanted to use this opportunity to try to create sentimental value and a lot of emotion in my work as well as creating it for a cause very close to my heart. As a book-lover and babysitter myself, I can definitely see the benefit of children reading at least a small amount every day. I produced a poster design for the campaign with key information and an illustration to draw viewers in and get them interested in the poster. It is mainly directed to dads so I aimed to focus on a light, relaxed and fun atmosphere in the piece- not to intimidate or ‘tell off’ dads who don’t read to their children but to encourage them of the benefits. Successes in this piece are the general atmosphere; I think I managed to create a piece that had the elements stated above. I think my sketchbook was really useful in being able to practice drawing different varieties of families reading to each other. I liked the slightly scribbly way of drawing as this led me to be more expressive and imaginative with the characters as I did not have to stick to any references. One weakness for me is the choice of media in this piece. I don’t think I experimented enough with media for this way of working. If I had spent longer editing it by adding texture and correcting line quality in Photoshop then this piece could definitely be improved. Also if I had unlimited time I would have loved to create a short animation or GIF that could have bought the drawn characters alive. Format and layout is something I struggle with in my work and I think I tried hard to create an effective poster but I think in future I would ask a graphic designers view on layout and do more research into poster designs as it could definitely be more attention seeking. What I have learnt from working on this brief is the importance of exploring quick sketches in your sketch book and how fun this type of working can be and can result in a much more personal and expressive piece of work. It also was really good to work professionally using the regulations, incorporating the logo and specific information etc. This has impacted on my practice as a whole as it has reminded me of the importance of working from your imagination and playing in your initial sketches. It also has reminded me to keep an emotion or feeling throughout the work to help to convey the message the brief has set. I also think this brief helped me to see the possibilities of illustration and the different contexts it can exist within. 

GAP Brief:

I selected this brief because I wanted to have a go at working within the fashion industry and pushing myself to create work with quite a demanding task- attracting the attention of students during fresher's to enter a shop they’d associate with their parents. I produced a set of illustrations, using analogue and digital, aimed at students to enter GAP stores. I used the slogan ‘bridge the GAP’ as my work revolved around the excitement and magic of relationships and friendships. I thought this was a good theme as during fresher’s students are focused on creating new friendships and meeting new people in general. Successes: I think the final outcomes visually look quite cool through the use of watercolour and Photoshop. I really like how it looks slightly luminous as if it could be created using lights. Weaknesses: I don’t think this focuses on the clothes enough. I was looking at selling the characters; the lifestyle. But considering this is about the simplicity of the clothes, I think I have over complicated the illustrations and if I were to do it again I would create much simpler clean cut work to totally embrace the brand identity. What I have learnt from working on this brief is that it is crucial to constantly go back to the brief and the brand so that the final outcome reflects the brands values and identity. I also learnt a few different techniques using Photoshop as I had quite a lot of issues throughout creating the work. How this has impacted on my practice as a whole this has reminded me of the importance of not just thinking about the audience, but about the company/person demanding the work. Also this really helped me to visualise how illustration can work on a larger scale, in this case a shop window, and how this impacts the work you create. 

Coco Chanel Brief:

I selected this brief because it was almost ideal for the type of work I enjoy; portraiture and fashion illustration. I also knew quite a lot about Chanel and I had previously watched a film about her which was a really interesting insight into her character and personal life. This is similar to the book I was asked to illustrate, so I thought it would be a good choice for me. I produced a watercolour and then used Photoshop to work into it, creating one final outcome to go on the cover of the book. Success: I really like the final aesthetic of the image, the combination of media and likeness in portrait. I think I have managed to stick to Chanels brand identity by keeping the colour scheme simple and the work neat. I also think I have managed to convey her mysterious and challenging nature. Weakness: I think I definitely could have been more creative and imaginative with this brief; using some more motifs and imagery to convey her personal life or career more. What I have learnt from working on this brief: to push myself further with my concept as I think I could have played on the fact I have knowledge on this subject more. How this has impacted on my practice as a whole: I think mainly by showing me that to make work that I am impressed with I will have to step outside my comfort zone and experiment more with concept and layout. 

Alice in Wonderland:

I selected this brief because I wanted to be really imaginative with my work and try not to use reference to push myself. I produced two illustrations. The first for the cover of the book and chapter one. The second was depicting a scene in chapter two to be included within the book.
Success: I think the combination of watercolour, pen and Photoshop works really well here and all those elements seem to balance well; also depicting the concept of past and present which is relevant to the context around this edition of the book. Problems: I think I still have a lot of improvements to make on layout and composition as I am not sure those elements in these pieces work as effectively as possible; for example I could have created a front cover illustration that combines ‘Alice in Wonderland’ within the actual scene etc. What I have learnt from working on this brief: ensure that my work fulfils the purpose as effectively as possible for example including text of the book name on the front cover. Also I learnt that this way of working without reference can be really useful especially at the early stages of initial sketches. How this has impacted on my practice as a whole: I will definitely try to create work from my imagination rather than relying on reference as much in the initial stages of creating work; this way the concept should reflect the message of the brief a lot more. I also recognised that pattern and mark making really impacts on my work and this is something I want to push to a higher standard in future.

Tag Zine:
I selected this brief because I really wanted to experience working with a fashion student and their way of working and setting up shoots etc. Robyn’s style and eye is really different from mine as she is very simplistic and ordered with a limited colour palette. This was something that really helped me focus my work as I had to create illustrations that would fit within her zine TAG. This helped me to simplify my own work and focus on making more professional clean cut illustrations. I produced two sets of illustrations. The first; a series of illustrations based on a Harvey Nichols photoshoot that Robyn had previously done. The second; a series of illustrations that were created to reflect the working environment and atmosphere on and off set for both the model and stylist; for this I drew on set to capture the behind the scenes images. Success: Seeing my final illustrations in the mock up TAG zine pages is fantastic as I get to see them working in context as part of a larger creative project. I also think I have been successful in reflecting the zine identity and the messages of the shoots and fun professional atmosphere from behind the scenes. Weaknesses: I wasn’t very happy with a lot of my work from the behind the scenes shoot as I don’t think I used the right media for it, I think it would have looked much better with a bolder media such as coloured pencils to reflect that quick and vibrant working atmosphere. What I have learnt from working on this brief: How crucial emailing is in a collaborative project; a lot of decisions and ideas were shared over email with Robyn and I had to ask her a lot of questions about the specifics of her work and zine. I also think if I were to work on this type of project again I would try to get to experience some parts of the process for example a photo-shoot, because this really helped me to grasp the essence of the zine, the models and Robyn’s style of working. How this has impacted on my practice as a whole; it has really inspired me and opened up my eyes to the possibilities of working with different creatives and how illustration can be used in so many different ways to enhance work; for example I can try to expose the different materials and textures through media etc., meaning that the illustration may show more about the clothes than that part of a photograph.

Scavi & Ray: 
I selected this brief because I liked the fashion and girly elements of it. I thought that Abby and I would work really well as a team on this project as our vision for our final outcomes were very similar and we both wanted to focus on portraiture for this project. I produced three final illustrations in the layout of a poster and two banners. Successes: I think Abby and I managed to work well together despite us both being illustrators and interested in participating in similar elements in the project. However this was good as it also meant that I had to do parts of the project that I would never usually do such as using Photoshop to put a piece of work in its vector concept. I also think we reflected the fun and girly vibe of the project really well with our content and colour scheme. Weaknesses: I think it was quite a simple idea which may not look effective enough as a large banner or poster; perhaps a more striking and surprising use of imagery would have worked better. I also realised how hard it is to work alongside another illustrator creating work for the same process because as it is your creative process you want to do it your way; not there’s. What I have learnt from working on this brief; that working on a collaborative project can be really great but also really challenging as it pushes you to create for someone else rather than for your own standards. It also means that you must create the work promised as otherwise the other person will be let down; this was a good way to experience that side of professional work practice. How this has impacted on my practice as a whole; I think this project really opened my eyes to my own way of working and the things that I like in artwork. It also really helped me as I learnt how to put an image in context using Photoshop which is so helpful for my other projects as well. Also it reminded me of the necessity of keeping a record of key words/atmosphere that the client wants.