Responsive: Briefbox - Final Designs

Responsive: Secret 7 - Imagine + At Last - Final Designs

Imagine - John Lennon

Designing a sleeve for this album was definitely the most difficult task so far. I found it so difficult to break out of the cliched idea of peace signs and doves and flowers. At first I had a few concepts that I was unsure about until I made them, and they were harder to convey than I thought. 

(Left) Based on the concept of 'ordinary people', going about their daily lives. I thought it would be quite a powerful and atmospheric image, yet when I tried adding the minor details to the houses, the image looked over complicated and lacking in quality. I really like the use of texture on the roof in the foreground though, which is something I intend to capitalise on.

(Right) This image was based around the  concept of the world having no people, therefore there would be no concept of time/time running out, hence the clock not having any hands. I don't think it's instantly recognisable as a clock which I think is a major design flaw in this experiment.

The concept for my final piece was based on the idea of imagining something, where I tried to convey imaginary things making it look dream like and faded. The composition is quite similar to some of my other sleeves, and I am using a silhouette again, but I think it's once again quite atmospheric. I don't think this piece is that effective though as the negative space and use of cold colours conveys quite a gloomy, sinister atmosphere which, in all fairness could be an interpretation of the track, but wasn't mine. 

At Last 

Again, this track was another one that triggered really vivid imagery in my mind that I just wanted to crack on with making it. When first hearing the song I instantly thought of golden sunlight glistening on water, quite a typical, romantic image but In my head it really fits with the song. My intention was to convey the golden/warmth of the sun on a clear day out at sea. I am really starting to notice that my compositions are often quite minimal, central and symmetrical, reflecting my interest in the work of Wes Anderson perhaps. I tried a few different versions of this image, one of a whale leaping out of the sea; however I found it too difficult to make the sunlight glistening in the water look effective, and decided to use this idea instead. I'm pleased with the execution and use of colour in this image, and think that the sky in the image is the most atmospheric I've ever made. 

Responsive: Secret 7 - The Less I Know The Better & Worry - Final Designs

The Less I know The Better - Tame Impala

My intentions for this cover were to convey atmosphere and energy as felt in the song. The title 'the less I know the better' got me thinking about naivety, innocence and children. I felt like this would be an interesting route to follow, and was a response to the track that wasn't too literal in my opinion. 

In the end my concept was a bit more developed, and was based around the idea of losing your head in love. It was mainly inspired by the bass of the track, which for some reason made me think of someone running/chasing something, which I've tried to convey. I also drew inspiration from Tame Impala's existing covers and music videos, which are usually very colourful and 'trippy'. I experimented with colour schemes and negative space alot, but felt that the use of silhouettes worked the best against the bold and atmospheric background. 

Worry - Jack Garratt

With this design, my intention was to convey the feeling of loneliness that is felt when you are worried. The concept isn't as developed as it perhaps could be, however I am drawing from complete personal experience with the music and that was how I felt. With this design I jumped straight in, as the song is so atmospheric I had such a vivid image in my mind of what I wanted to draw, hence the lack of backup work etc. 

This design was a first for me, in terms of exploring composition and framing, and i took a leap of faith and tired it out. Usually I like to create full bleed images, yet I really wanted to convey a feeling of isolation, which hopefully is emphasised by my choice of positioning. I think this image is really atmospheric, especially with the contrast of the warm orange against the cold blue. I really wanted to create a sense of moonlight shining down on a block of apartments, which I confident is conveyed by the use of angle and shadows. 

Unsure why silhouettes are becoming a recurring aspect in my work? 

Responsive: Secret 7 - Research

Before starting the brief I did some research into successful album covers that have been around for years, some which are iconic in the album cover industry. Other designs, like the Beatles Abbey Road, have become icons of british pop culture, demonstrating how effective an album cover can be. 

I found these covers on Shortlist.com, counting down the most effective album covers of all time. From looking at the top 8 that are shown, there doesn't seem to be any correlation between designs/colour schemes etc, other than the fact they portray an interesting image of the artist/band they are covering. I notice that each one only uses a restricted amount of colour, and if it is full colour they are quite muted. 

About The Author: Highlights

About The Author: Summative Evaluation

In this module, I feel I have been really forced out of my comfort zone in order to try different ways of working. I have, mostly, really enjoyed trying out new methods and have been really excited to see the finished products. Throughout the module, I have come to find that timekeeping is an essential skill when juggling various projects, which is something that I will hopefully develop; despite the fact my timekeeping skills have improved drastically since last year. I have got into a routine of making to do lists and using my planner to consider the amount of time I need to complete certain things. I feel that my planning skills have also developed alot throughout the course of this module, for example, booking print slots in advance etc, and I have become alot more organised. Unfortunately, during this module I learnt the hard way about preparing to fail, which really had an effect on my final outcome. Yet I will definitely learn from this experience and hopefully take my planning skills to the next level in future projects. Though I found screen-printing to be really frustrating, and despite my previous feelings towards it, I feel this module has allowed me to gain more experience in print making, which will definitely help me when/if I decide to pursue it again. I have really come to recognise the value of authenticity in my work, which is why I wanted my screen prints to work so much, as opposed to digitally printing them. As an artist who Is quite keen on creating digital artwork, I have been looking for ways to push my work further, and I think screen print would be a really effective way of doing this. I feel slightly guilty for using completely digital media to create my sting, and do not feel as though I have pushed myself completely, yet I am really happy with the final outcome. In relation to printing my book, I'm glad that I challenged myself to making a 12 page, 2 colour publication as It was a completely new experience for me, and I think that I have gained confidence. And once again, despite the problematic events, I felt that through organisation, I was able to digitally print a book that I was quite happy with. 

     The main strengths in my submission I think are present in my animated work. Lately I have been really interested in animation and would really like to address it in future projects. I really enjoyed using after effects and have completely familiarised myself with the software; I feel confident that I could create an animation that is a lot more complex, an amazing skill to have in my opinion. Although I have been criticised for using digital brushes etc, I feel that my skills using digital media(e.g Kyle T Websters custom brushes) have definitely grown stronger, which when developed further by means of screen printing could be something quite effective in my future work. 

     One of the main areas of concern in my submission is my presentation skills, that I feel have been lacking. I do not feel that I have fully submerged myself into making my submission look beautifully presented, in response to sb3. However, I feel that it may be down to the fact that I have only created a small concertina book, which I have presented in the best way possible, that is making my submission look slightly unrefined. Another issue I have had during this module is idea generation. I found it difficult to generate a breadth of ideas based on my author, which to be honest is probably down to lack of research. In some ways I was really happy the amount of research I was able to conduct, yet I feel that because it was all from one source(the world wide web) the information I was reading became very dull very quickly, which I think has had an effect on my final book. 

     Overall I'm relatively happy with the outcomes from this brief, and feel that I have been able to translate my research into an effective visual response. I think that my concepts could use refining slightly, which is once again down to my research and organisation skills. To improve this in future modules, I feel that I need to fully immerse myself in researching, and looking at more specific aspects that would push my development further, to create more refined outcomes. Even though I have recognised this as a weakness, I see it as an opportunity to improve. 

About The Author: Final Critique

Final Presentation

To prepare for my presentation, I created labels for each aspect of my project, grouping everything together in dates and content, using bulldog clips to hold them together. I purchased plastic covering for my final book so that it would be kept unharmed when put in my submission folder. I feel that although it may not look as aesthetically pleasing as i'd hoped, everything is organised and the journey throughout my project is clear.

I was pleased with my feedback and thankful that people had taken the time to comment. Although my peers felt that digital printing was effective, I still regret not being able to screen print the whole book. I'm glad that the colour scheme was seen to be effective aswell, as once again I was unsure. The feedback I received in my elevator pitch presentation was alot more constructive however, and I have been advised on a few things regarding the design of my book;

- Use a different stock as the off white doesn't look as effective as original prints. I felt that the off white colour would create more of an authentic, aged feel to the book and I really liked the texture of the paper. I may look into printing it onto full white paper for the Colours May Vary show though. 

- The typeface used feels too sharp for the light hearted, low fi element of my images. Although I was once again attempting to convey a traditional aged element, I think that a Sans Serif font would make the design of my book alot more appealing to read. 

- The textures of the screenprint work really well and it's good that I have been able to make physical prints before digitally printing. Creates authenticity. 

Luckily I only printed one copy to submit, and so have an opportunity to change the design of my book according to my feedback before it is on sale at the Colours May Vary show. 

About The Author: Final Outcomes + Evaluation

Final Outcome: Printed Pictures

This is my final outcome for the printed aspect of my submission. Firstly, my initial ambitions for the book were that it would be completely screen printed so that it would have significant authentic value, and would have a much nicer physical texture. However, as I have stated previously, this project has allowed to have the worst printing experience I've ever had, even after 2 attempts. Unfortunately, most of the images on the back side of the book, pages 6-12, are mostly terribly printed, purely because they were the best I could get my images to be. On the pages where printing has actually worked, I am happy with the image quality and compositions etc, and think that they really reflect the techniques of the inspiring artists. In terms of colour, I am not completely happy with the images, and feel that my images could be even more atmospheric with darker colours. Alot of people have commented on my black and white screenprint positives(thinking they are my images) and saying they are very striking, which is perhaps something to think about when preparing for the Colours May Vary show. Overall I am adamant that my book needs more work before it is an effective piece of print, despite it having small elements that I really like. I am really glad that I decided to challenge myself to make a book, because although not successful(in my opinion), the process has taught me so much about time management, and preparing for failure. 

Final Outcome: Moving Pictures 

About The Author: Final Sting from Daniel Gilmartin on Vimeo.

Here is my final outcome for the moving pictures aspect of my submission, which I am so happy with. I have never used after effects before, and for a first attempt I am amazed that I have been able to achieve what I initially wanted to. I feel that I have learnt so much from the storyboarding workshops etc, and that it shows in this animation. I really like my dynamic use of angles and shadows, and I think that the colours used are so atmospheric, almost as though I've created a small world inside my sting. One of the only things that bothers me about my sting, is the image quality in some places which is pixelated, which I think could've been handled more professionally. Another regret is that my sting doesn't really link with my printed work in terms of concept, but I think that the use of texture and colour scheme allows it to be viewed as a collection. 

About The Author: Elevator Pitch

My elevator pitch will go something like this:

 My author is Italo Calvino, who was raised in Italy by his parents who were Botanists. It has been said that his upbringing around flowers and plants, generated a natural curiosity in him which is shown in his writing. I have created a 2 colour concertina book based on the concept that from birth, Italo Calvino slowly grew and eventually bloomed(like a flower), displayed almost through a timeline of the events in his life. 

The idea of an elevator pitch is something I found to be really useful in terms of being concise and demonstrating that I really understand why I have done something. I think that mine could perhaps be condensed a bit more, yet if I said it quickly it'd be fine :)

About The Author: Front Cover

The front cover for my book was something I struggled with quite a bit, as I didn't really have a clear idea of the feel I was going for. Was it going to be illustrated? Just text? Any particular motifs to include? 

Here are some mockups I created based around concepts from my book. As my book is going to be called 'The Seed', I experimented with the motif, making it interact with text, and inside silhouettes etc. I then created this design in photoshop (below), which I felt gave my book quite a classic look. I had to manipulate type quite alot to make it look the way I wanted, but I feel it is a successful design for my sleeve. From researching into existing products and books, I found the idea of paper cutting to make the sleeve alot more decorative and interactive with the design of the book. 

My final sleeve that was presented was alot more simple than I'd hoped, as I intended to use text on my cover, which would have ideally been screen printed on. However, after my recent struggles with print, I felt that it would cost alot of time, and so I used this simple, and quite mysterious design which frankly illustrates the title 'the seed'. I really like the ambiguity of the sleeve and feel that it would make my audience interested to open it. I think that it gives the book a really delicate feel which I enjoy also. 

For the Colours May Vary show, I would ideally like to combine the idea of paper cutting with printed text to really give my book a more professional finish. 

About The Author: Digital Printing + Assembling the Book

Here I made a photoshop file which I was able to print, and make into a concertina book:

Because of my unfortunate experience in the print room, I was forced to print digitally which I was really disappointed about. Although my images weren't going to be as authentic and original, I had alot more time to consider the stock, and found an off white textured paper that was perfect for what I wanted to create. It wasn't too rigid either which helped when folding. 

Once the book had been printed, I found it quite difficult assembling the actual book, which took alot longer than I thought. Thankfully I printed out registration marks and guides on where to fold to ensure a neater fold. Unfortunately, I decided to fold it at first without using a bone folder, which I later acquired, but feel as though my book would've looked alot neater if I had used one initially. Really good piece of equipment though, and I now have one for future paper folding tasks!

About The Author: Screenprinting Final Outcomes (What went Wrong)

Nothing has ever made me feel more stressed out than screen printing this book, and I have found out that I am in fact terrible at it.

I have come to learn that when screen printing, there are a number of things that can go wrong and ruin your prints, which include; too much ink, too little ink, ink drying on your screen, not lining the images up properly, and the screen not being secure on the frame (even though I couldn't tighten it any more!!!!!^YU&%YTE). The list is probably endless. This is the worst experience I've had with it, and honestly it's scared me away from ever doing it again, and also alot of my clothes are covered in yellow paint. I feel that because my screen was quite large (about A1 size), I had to use a large squeegee, which made it very difficult to apply the right amount of pressure in order to achieve an effective print, which i'm hoping is the reason most of my prints were so terrible. 

I feel so disapointed with my prints as It feels as though the whole module has been leading up to this and it's not how I want it to be. I realise now how difficult it is to screenprint a 2 colour, double sided concertina book, and the amount of consideration and planning I put into it was not enough. 

Fortunately, I managed to achieve some okayish prints that pretty much achieved the look I wanted, although I wasn't 100% happy with them. So the next step will be to scan them in and attempt to manipulate them digitally to achieve decent images. 

My failed prints

About The Author: Getting Organised

A small example of to do lists I've had to make in order to organise myself throughout this module. 

During this module I've found myself becoming alot more organised, in order to keep on track with a number of different modules. I feel that making to do lists daily/weekly have been really helpful and I have surprised myself with how much I've got done because of them. Will definitely continue to use them throughout the course.

About The Author: Finalised Mockups + Creating Positives for Print

Final Designs for Book

Final designs for all 12 pages of my concertina

These are the final designs for my screen prints, and hopefully the same colour (fingers crossed I can mix well). I'm really happy with the way they have turned out, however I am hoping that the screen print process will give them a bit more authenticity, texture etc, as at this stage the images do look quite clinical. I did create the images using a wacom tablet so they should have a slight hand drawn feel to them and hopefully not too vector like. I'm happy that I managed to find a way to introduce half tones using texture brushes, as opposed to bitmapping, as I feel that it doesn't look too computerized and gives my images a bit more of a natural feel. I think that like in my sting, I have managed to convey atmosphere effectively using compositions, some more dynamic than others. 

 Examples of layer separation and creating positives

These are the positives for the first side of my book. i'm glad that the texture has been maintained and should very easily be picked up on the screen. I'm really looking forward to seeing the final thing.

About The Author: Mockups based on Research

Mockups for Final Book images from Visual Journal

I actually quite enjoyed working within the square frames and feel that it forced me to think of diverse ways to tell the story, focusing on composition. 

About The Author: Preparation for Outcome (Writing the story)

Highlighting key events from research

attempting to write a story

After deciding to create a concertina book, I was inspired by a Responsive lecture on narrative, and how narrative is used in advertising - which got me thinking about the idea of using it my final outcome. Although I did not have enough time to completely fabricate an original narrative, I returned to my research to read about Calvino's life and upbringing. I found that his life has been very well documented, with various events that have shaped the man he was. I also decided to put a small original spin on it, and created the concept of a seed that grows throughout Italo's life, symbolising his passions and ambitions, and his growth into a world famous writer. 

I struggled quite alot with the narrative because I wasn't sure what tone of voice I wanted to create, which would then effect how the imagery would be interpreted. Although I was very determined to write an entertaining story, I prioritized image making over the actual words, and so isn't the best thing i've ever written. If I were ever to embark on a project like this again, I would perhaps think about collaborating with a writer, as opposed to doing it myself. 

An extract from my book:
"As a tradition, whenever a Calvino was born, a flora seed would be planted in their name as a gesture of goof luck and well being. If you were to hold the seed, you would be confused as to how something so tiny and insignificant could grow to be so beautiful and full of life, a quality to plants that Mario found to be inspiring"

*cringe* although I feel that the emotional/heart warming aspect will work well with my images.

About The Author: Talk With Ben, Artist Inspiration

After looking at my sketchbook and listening to my ambitions for my concertina book, Ben advised me to look at an artist who uses the same interesting compositional elements that can be seen in mine. The idea of making a narrative through still images was something that I was exploring anyway, yet he was able to give me a few references, including Adrezj Khiroski and Jon Mcnaught. Each artist uses compositional elements and clear visual language to create their narratives, which appear in sequential comic book style layouts. 

Adrezj Khiroski - The Secret

Jon Mcnaught - Nobrow

I particularly admire Jon Mcnaught's work, and the way he uses colour to create atmosphere. Also I love the textures that are created from his method of printing, which is something I'm aiming to include in mine. The idea of creating images in a box is really interesting to me, because although it forces me to consider composition, I think it has a certain aesthetic appeal giving my book and images an effective yet unique look. 

Responding to reference

Really enjoying this way of composing images, and think that the framing almost acts as a little window into my image. 

About The Author: Artist Inspiration for Prints + Existing Products

2 really interesting artists that use limited colour palettes in their prints:

 

Eliza Southwood

I admire the composition of the image, and her really nice colour palette. Also the way she has used clouds in the background to help create a skyline is really effective, and a technique I may have to use in my final 2 colour prints.

Tom Clohosy Cole

I love the subtle use of texture and the black and white against the orange. 

Concertina Research

Upon deciding to create a Concertina book for my final outcome, I had a look at some existing ones that have been illustrated. I really wanted to gain a sense of what a concertina could be and how I would be able to push the boundaries of my book to make an interesting and fresh product. 

'Up My Street' by Louise Lockhart 

- A really distinctive product, using the shape of the book to actually help tell the story.  I think the colours are really nice and the textures created by what appears to be screen print add a real sense of authenticity. The product has also been presented using a belly band to hold it together, which I think makes the product look that little bit more finished and professional. 

Natalya Balnova

- An example of how two colour screen print has been used in the context of a concertina book. I think that the colours used look really striking, and the varying ratio of black to blue on each page keeps the book new and exciting to look at. This example is also effective for showing various ways colours can be introduced into the imagery, for example, through using half tones etc. 

 

'Space Race' by Tom Clohosy Cole

- A stunning piece of illustration by one of my favourite artists. The full bleed compositions really seem to immerse you in the story, and I think that the colours are so effective. Throughout the book, each image is interlinked which tells the story in a more unique yet submersing way, almost forcing the viewer to look at every aspect of each image to make sense of the story. 

About The Author: Visual Journal (Print)

Previous to making the decision to create a concertina book, I explored a few concepts for some prints which included elements of pattern and texture. I feel I should include my thought process as these ideas in particular may influence my book images. 

About The Author: Generating Artwork for The Sting

I started creating artwork for my sting digitally because I had an idea of the aesthetic I wanted to create, that would've been way too difficult to create by hand. I used a range of custom brushes to try and find a balance between analogue and digital media which is a quality I like to create in my work. 

For each still I have created, I have created GIFs to show each layer created in photoshop, in order to animate them in After Effects. I drew each element out on paper before starting to create them digitally, just so I could get my head around how it was initially going to work. 

GIF Scene 1

GIF Scene 2

GIF Scene 3

GIF Scene 4

Overall I was really pleased with my original stills and think that by themselves they look like really atmospheric pieces of illustration. I was glad that I was able to include a paint like, expressive element into them with the use of texture, which I think gives them a warmth and depth. I think that the dynamic view points look really effective aswell, and also create alot of depth. I feel however that each image is a slightly different colour, despite my attempts to batch edit them. I don't think that the colour change is that drastic to be noticeable in my animation though. I just hope that I am able to animate them effectively using After effects. 

Feedback on Stills for my sting

I was really pleased with the feedback I received and feel that my peers recognised the compositional consideration for each image. I'm glad that an atmosphere throughout my images was also picked up on.