Draw. Work by hand
From a young age I have been interested in art. Drawing, colouring and taking photographs are some of my earliest memories. I found that I could express myself though my artwork and show emotions, thought colour.
Throughout my education I have perused art subject such as art GCSE and graphics and photography to a-level. In these subjects I had coursework which entailed producing book or work. When getting into a project I found it very helpful and useful to have my sketchbook, to plan my ideas and also to use my books as reference when looking for inspiration and to see what techniques worked and which didn’t.
Drawing and working by hand in an RVJ allows you to visually map out, develop and communicate and express ideas. I find that in the early development stages of a project, it is helpful to work in a blank journal and start to try out different ideas and structure your project.
Drawing in my RVJ will help me in gaining confidence with my skills and developing them. My RVJ will also help me in coming up with and developing ideas and whilst giving inspiration. From my RVJ I want to show and practice my own photographic style. The other key benefit of having an RVJ will in tern help me in the design and production stages and process of my magazine. I will be able to plan out my magazine project, page by page, showing my inspiration, ideas and the places in which I visited to gain content of my magazine.
Thursday
Development of Creative Thoughts and Structure in Illustration and Graphic Art
Overcoming Mindsets
Overcoming mindsets is taking a different approach on something and ‘thinking outside of the box.’
Here is the three-step process to overcoming a mindset:
1) Think about the rules you would like to break and study their characteristics and conventions.
2) Find ways to challenge or change the rules by questioning them (What if ? Why not ?).
3) Be playful and free yourself from conventions and preconceptions. Avoiding assumptions.
Overcoming mindsets is all about freeing yourself from stereotypes. “Impossible is only a matter of opinion”. When we overcome a mindset we are coming out with these next to impossible ideas.
Thinking like this is when we come up with new and unique ideas. These ideas are often the best and most successful. They make the audience go back and have a second look at the piece of work. This is because the human mind has to figure out how the image or idea works.
Managing a Creative Environment
Managing a creative environment is all about how you choose to keep the space, in which you create and work in.
To achieve the best results you need to be in a space that is confortable, whilst also being inspirational to you and your work. Your workspace or creative environment is reflected in the final outcome of your work. An artist’s style of work is often mirrored in their creative environment. For example is there style of work is very clean and bold this if often the same as the creative environment in which they work in. Simultaneously is the studio or creative environment is very messy and chaotic, this to can be reflected in his or her work.
“A stimulating space can allow creative people to interact and broaden their minds.”
I looked at the company ‘innocent’ to see how a creative environment, such as their ‘head office’, can influence their company and the work/products they produce.
Forgetting the stereotypical conventions and preconceptions of an office. The ‘office’, for the ‘innocent’ workers is a completely different environment all together. Bellow, are two photographs or their head office.
They have the conventional, desks and chairs, but that’s about it. Firstly, employees are told to turn up in whatever they feel confortable to work in. Secondly they have created a very informal and casual workspace.
The staff are not confined to working at a desk and can sit on picnique benches or even discuss ideas over a game of table football, which is in the top left hand corner of the office.
By making their workplace very different, and even having Astroturf on the floors, they have broken the conventions and stereotypes of the typical office and have intern created a fun and inspiring Creative Environment in which to work in. This fun, creative new perspective on ‘the office’ is reflected in the company’s smoothies, through taste, colours, packaging, promotion and distribution.
Overcoming mindsets is taking a different approach on something and ‘thinking outside of the box.’
Here is the three-step process to overcoming a mindset:
1) Think about the rules you would like to break and study their characteristics and conventions.
2) Find ways to challenge or change the rules by questioning them (What if ? Why not ?).
3) Be playful and free yourself from conventions and preconceptions. Avoiding assumptions.
Overcoming mindsets is all about freeing yourself from stereotypes. “Impossible is only a matter of opinion”. When we overcome a mindset we are coming out with these next to impossible ideas.
Thinking like this is when we come up with new and unique ideas. These ideas are often the best and most successful. They make the audience go back and have a second look at the piece of work. This is because the human mind has to figure out how the image or idea works.
Managing a Creative Environment
Managing a creative environment is all about how you choose to keep the space, in which you create and work in.
To achieve the best results you need to be in a space that is confortable, whilst also being inspirational to you and your work. Your workspace or creative environment is reflected in the final outcome of your work. An artist’s style of work is often mirrored in their creative environment. For example is there style of work is very clean and bold this if often the same as the creative environment in which they work in. Simultaneously is the studio or creative environment is very messy and chaotic, this to can be reflected in his or her work.
“A stimulating space can allow creative people to interact and broaden their minds.”
I looked at the company ‘innocent’ to see how a creative environment, such as their ‘head office’, can influence their company and the work/products they produce.
Forgetting the stereotypical conventions and preconceptions of an office. The ‘office’, for the ‘innocent’ workers is a completely different environment all together. Bellow, are two photographs or their head office.
They have the conventional, desks and chairs, but that’s about it. Firstly, employees are told to turn up in whatever they feel confortable to work in. Secondly they have created a very informal and casual workspace.
The staff are not confined to working at a desk and can sit on picnique benches or even discuss ideas over a game of table football, which is in the top left hand corner of the office.
By making their workplace very different, and even having Astroturf on the floors, they have broken the conventions and stereotypes of the typical office and have intern created a fun and inspiring Creative Environment in which to work in. This fun, creative new perspective on ‘the office’ is reflected in the company’s smoothies, through taste, colours, packaging, promotion and distribution.
Research and inspiration
Visual practice = a greater understanding
Through the ‘visual practice’ of observation, collecting, studying and exploring a subject, topic or theme, this will contribute to a deeper understanding of the subject.
I believe that people practicing visual communication should be constantly looking up other visual communicators. This should be done because we should always be looking at others work, both for inspiration and reference. Old art often influences new forms of visual communication, so we need to look at others works so we can study their characteristics. Simultaneously if we want to come up with new ideas we can look back to see if our idea have ever bee done or attempted in any way or form.
When it come to doing a visual project, such as my magazine, it is important to refer to other work to get ideas. Most importantly, you need to make the piece of media fit in with others of its kind, and look suitable and in place with its competitors and within the products, market place.
I further feel that; observing, collecting, studying and exploring a subject, topic or theme, will contribute to a deeper understanding of the subject. These aspects of research and historical reference, all combine to help you be much more knowledgeable of the subject and its market and audience. This greater understanding of visual practice, allows us to challenge stereotypes, find inspiration and interpret and understand pieces of visual communication.
Understanding an Audience
An understanding and knowledge of ‘an audience’ should enhance and focus the communication.
When creating any piece of media or visual communication, one of the first things you have to think about is your audience. The audience, are the people that are going to see, watch, or read the thing that you have created. You need to have an understanding of audience in order to aim your at, so that you have at target market and audience.
For example, ‘Films’, films are categorized into genres. An audience will pick a genre such as; horror, they will have certain expectations when they see the horror film. When creating something such as a film you need to pick a genre, such as, horror. You then need to play and follow the generic conventions of the genre, so that you film appeals to, and has an audience.
An understanding and knowledge of ‘audience’ enhances you ability to produce something that appeals to a vast amount of people. This means that the piece of work in which you create is a good and successful piece of visual communication, which speaks to people in a way they can understand.
Through the ‘visual practice’ of observation, collecting, studying and exploring a subject, topic or theme, this will contribute to a deeper understanding of the subject.
I believe that people practicing visual communication should be constantly looking up other visual communicators. This should be done because we should always be looking at others work, both for inspiration and reference. Old art often influences new forms of visual communication, so we need to look at others works so we can study their characteristics. Simultaneously if we want to come up with new ideas we can look back to see if our idea have ever bee done or attempted in any way or form.
When it come to doing a visual project, such as my magazine, it is important to refer to other work to get ideas. Most importantly, you need to make the piece of media fit in with others of its kind, and look suitable and in place with its competitors and within the products, market place.
I further feel that; observing, collecting, studying and exploring a subject, topic or theme, will contribute to a deeper understanding of the subject. These aspects of research and historical reference, all combine to help you be much more knowledgeable of the subject and its market and audience. This greater understanding of visual practice, allows us to challenge stereotypes, find inspiration and interpret and understand pieces of visual communication.
Understanding an Audience
An understanding and knowledge of ‘an audience’ should enhance and focus the communication.
When creating any piece of media or visual communication, one of the first things you have to think about is your audience. The audience, are the people that are going to see, watch, or read the thing that you have created. You need to have an understanding of audience in order to aim your at, so that you have at target market and audience.
For example, ‘Films’, films are categorized into genres. An audience will pick a genre such as; horror, they will have certain expectations when they see the horror film. When creating something such as a film you need to pick a genre, such as, horror. You then need to play and follow the generic conventions of the genre, so that you film appeals to, and has an audience.
An understanding and knowledge of ‘audience’ enhances you ability to produce something that appeals to a vast amount of people. This means that the piece of work in which you create is a good and successful piece of visual communication, which speaks to people in a way they can understand.
Legibility
Legibility
In any current media platform, the form of visual communication must be legible. One example, are newspapers. This Daily Mail newspaper is a good example of legibility. The Daily Mail title at the top of the page is easily recognized as a logo and is familiar to its audience. All of the font in this newspaper is bold an clear, it stands out from the page, making it very legible for the reader.
In the middle of the page they have yellow font against a dark blue background. This is legible because dark and light colours work well together, however if you use yellow text on white background, this is very hard to see. Making it illegible.
Whether it is newspapers or websites etc. we have to ask ourselves, is it easy to find the information you are looking for. When creating a piece of media, such as my magazine, you have to think about many aspects. These aspects include having clear typeface, well aligned text, whilst also thinking about font, layout, size and colour, as to how this affects how legible the piece of media is.
Tone of Voice
Words and images both have tones of voice. The tone of voice helps to make the link from the piece of media to its target audience.
For example I have found two advertisements: the first one is a poster for “Daisy Marc Jacobs perfume”.
The perfume and the advert are being aimed at female market. The tone of voice of the poster is very calm and relaxing, this being shown through the bright photograph of a girl in a daisy field. The font and text is also very subtle and inkeeping with the tone of the advert.
In contrast I found a billboard in Old Street London, which was advertising for Lynx deodorant. This product is aimed at male audience. It is very striking and eye-catching as it is in 3D and uses a live model (Lauren Budd). This along with the bold white writing next to it, on a black background to make it stand out and not distract attention from the model. The tone of voice for this advert is very different. It is loud and bold and through a sexual nature attracts male audience. This is the product target audience and leads the consumer to believe that if they purchase the product, you could have women in your pocket.
In any current media platform, the form of visual communication must be legible. One example, are newspapers. This Daily Mail newspaper is a good example of legibility. The Daily Mail title at the top of the page is easily recognized as a logo and is familiar to its audience. All of the font in this newspaper is bold an clear, it stands out from the page, making it very legible for the reader.
Whether it is newspapers or websites etc. we have to ask ourselves, is it easy to find the information you are looking for. When creating a piece of media, such as my magazine, you have to think about many aspects. These aspects include having clear typeface, well aligned text, whilst also thinking about font, layout, size and colour, as to how this affects how legible the piece of media is.
Tone of Voice
Words and images both have tones of voice. The tone of voice helps to make the link from the piece of media to its target audience.
For example I have found two advertisements: the first one is a poster for “Daisy Marc Jacobs perfume”.
The perfume and the advert are being aimed at female market. The tone of voice of the poster is very calm and relaxing, this being shown through the bright photograph of a girl in a daisy field. The font and text is also very subtle and inkeeping with the tone of the advert.
In contrast I found a billboard in Old Street London, which was advertising for Lynx deodorant. This product is aimed at male audience. It is very striking and eye-catching as it is in 3D and uses a live model (Lauren Budd). This along with the bold white writing next to it, on a black background to make it stand out and not distract attention from the model. The tone of voice for this advert is very different. It is loud and bold and through a sexual nature attracts male audience. This is the product target audience and leads the consumer to believe that if they purchase the product, you could have women in your pocket.
Development of Ideas and Structure in Moving Image.
Character Design
Select a character from a TV or film and produce an illustrated guide, including three key areas.
When creating a character there are four key aspects or areas to think about. Firstly you have the protagonist of the film or TV Series. One aspect of character design, is the main characters personality, whether are going to be good or bad, nice or horrible?
Secondly, you have the Antagonist, these two characters usually use binary opposites and the antagonist is the cause of conflict. For example: an obstacle which creates disturbance in the peace to make an interesting story line, if nothing goes wrong or changes, then the story would not be interesting, and wouldn’t be a story at all.
Thirdly, the dialogue on the character, this is how the character is presented to the audience. The characters accent and mannerisms and speech, portray how the audience views the character.
Lastly, stereotype, when creating any character you need to free your self from conventions and stereotypes. If you don’t do this you will end up with a character that is oversimplified and lacks in originality and individuality. You want your character to stand out, be interesting and unique to engage an audience.
For example, Homer Simpson, an animated character from, well-known TV series, The Simpsons. His character is a middle-aged husband and farther of three. The family and show is situated in the small town of Springfield, America. All these animated characters are bright yellow, with black outline and they all have basic block colours, making up their clothes and accessories.
I have chosen to talk about and discuss Homer Simpson, as he is no exception to this. He is in bright blue trousers and a casual white shirt. I feel that although his design is fairly simple, he is remembered not only remembered for the way in which he looks but is also remembered for his personality. Unlike most fathers, Homer is lazy, stupid and an alcoholic, yet he is a very likeable and comic character. As Homer is animated the audience find all of his mannerism’s funny, such as strangling and abusing his eight-year-old son, or when he shouts excessively or even badly hurts and injures himself. All of these aspect and use or originality, make Homer Simpson a very likeable character. Homers audience does not forget him, which is proof that these four key aspects, work.
Future Film: Digital Storytelling
Show how a chosen TV series, game or film uses multiple platforms or extended form to engage audience.
I have chosen to discuss the British television soap opera, ‘Eastenders.’ Eastenders first appeared on the BBC One on the 19th February, 1985. Back then the only way to watch the show was on television at the time in which The BBC chose to broadcast it. Now the soap has a vast amount of followers, this audience has recently grown. Not only watch can you the TV series on television but it now can be viewed on other multi media platforms, such as: BBC iPlayer(an online anytime service) and YouTube. This means you can catch up on any episode at a time convenient for you. This multiplatform release of the TV series reaches and engages a larger and wider audience. Due to the shows popularity Eastenders has created a spinoff series entitled ‘Eastenders E20’. There are also advertisements for Eastenders in magazines, on the radio and on television. The multi platform extension to the series gives the show a bigger audience and can engage them on many media platforms. In turn this multi platform extension allows viewers to watch Eastenders as and when it is convenient the individual person, without restrictions and being confided to real time broadcasts.
Select a character from a TV or film and produce an illustrated guide, including three key areas.
When creating a character there are four key aspects or areas to think about. Firstly you have the protagonist of the film or TV Series. One aspect of character design, is the main characters personality, whether are going to be good or bad, nice or horrible?
Secondly, you have the Antagonist, these two characters usually use binary opposites and the antagonist is the cause of conflict. For example: an obstacle which creates disturbance in the peace to make an interesting story line, if nothing goes wrong or changes, then the story would not be interesting, and wouldn’t be a story at all.
Thirdly, the dialogue on the character, this is how the character is presented to the audience. The characters accent and mannerisms and speech, portray how the audience views the character.
Lastly, stereotype, when creating any character you need to free your self from conventions and stereotypes. If you don’t do this you will end up with a character that is oversimplified and lacks in originality and individuality. You want your character to stand out, be interesting and unique to engage an audience.
For example, Homer Simpson, an animated character from, well-known TV series, The Simpsons. His character is a middle-aged husband and farther of three. The family and show is situated in the small town of Springfield, America. All these animated characters are bright yellow, with black outline and they all have basic block colours, making up their clothes and accessories.
Future Film: Digital Storytelling
Show how a chosen TV series, game or film uses multiple platforms or extended form to engage audience.
I have chosen to discuss the British television soap opera, ‘Eastenders.’ Eastenders first appeared on the BBC One on the 19th February, 1985. Back then the only way to watch the show was on television at the time in which The BBC chose to broadcast it. Now the soap has a vast amount of followers, this audience has recently grown. Not only watch can you the TV series on television but it now can be viewed on other multi media platforms, such as: BBC iPlayer(an online anytime service) and YouTube. This means you can catch up on any episode at a time convenient for you. This multiplatform release of the TV series reaches and engages a larger and wider audience. Due to the shows popularity Eastenders has created a spinoff series entitled ‘Eastenders E20’. There are also advertisements for Eastenders in magazines, on the radio and on television. The multi platform extension to the series gives the show a bigger audience and can engage them on many media platforms. In turn this multi platform extension allows viewers to watch Eastenders as and when it is convenient the individual person, without restrictions and being confided to real time broadcasts.
It’s All About Production!
The first ever book to be produced in Europe by Johannes Gutenberg. Gutenberg was born around 1398 and died on 3rf February, 1468. He was a German blacksmith, goldsmith, printer and publisher. Gutenberg created the art of modern book printing. He started the Printing Revolution and this is regarded as the most important event of the modern period, a chance to communicate. The methods used for the printing and binding of books continued fundamentally unchanged from the 15th century into the early years of the 20th century. While there was more mechanization, Gutenberg would have had no difficulty in understanding the new and improved printers of the 1900's.
Gutenberg's invention was the use of movable metal types, assembled into words, lines, and pages and then printed by letterpress. In letterpress printing ink is spread onto the tops of raised metal type, and is transferred onto a peice of paper. This piece of paper was then pressed against the type. Between 1450 and 1455, Gutenberg printed several texts, the earliest form of a published book in Europe.
Gutenberg's invention was the use of movable metal types, assembled into words, lines, and pages and then printed by letterpress. In letterpress printing ink is spread onto the tops of raised metal type, and is transferred onto a peice of paper. This piece of paper was then pressed against the type. Between 1450 and 1455, Gutenberg printed several texts, the earliest form of a published book in Europe.
Image and Text
The context and meaning of an image can change dramatically with the use of text or typography. This can make an image easier to interpret in the way the artist or photographer intended.
Furthermore the text can not only be used to help or aid the viewer to understand the subject, but can also be used to tell the audience the name or names of the subjects or objects within the image.
One word in an image can change the whole meaning of it.
Rene Magritte, Belgian surrealist artist, used text in the image above “This is not an apple”. This makes the viewer go back and question the image. The five French words above the apple completely change the meaning of the image.
Barbara Kruger was an American graphic artist. She worked with black and white photographs. Kruger overlaid captions over her work. This was in white text with bright red backdrops. This makes text stand out and feel as if it is jumping off the image. Barbara Kruger produced work that was not just aesthetically pleasing and there to be admired, but it is actually sending out a message using image and text to bring the world’s problems and issues into Kruger’s art.
“I am an artist who works with pictures and words. Sometimes that stuff ends up in different kinds of sites and contexts which determine what it means and it looks like.”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)