Colour & Shape Evaluation

This weeks project was all about looking at colour and shape from a selected theme. The theme I chose was people watching as I wanted to challenge myself. I don't think my people drawings are very good, so I chose this theme as a way of pushing myself to improve on this. 

To people watch, I produced a range of drawings. These were from around college, at home and around chesterfield town. Doing this made me draw quickly and made me more aware of time. Quicker drawings enabled me to focus more on what I was looking at so they were a lot looser. I enjoy doing this as it uses up less time and you can still understand what it is I am trying to present. However I think this is something I need to do more of in my A5 sketchbook when drawing at home. 

Below is a range of my drawings taken from my sketchbook:

I enjoyed producing these line drawings in the workshop because it made me focus more on what I was looking at rather than what I was drawing. These aren't perfect but I think they are successful. The composition of the drawings work well and so does the mixture of graphite and orange felt pen. I am happy with these as a double page spread in my main sketchbook. 

These drawings were produced on my lunch break at college. I think these work well as a set however the composition could have been better. Less drawings on one page may have been more successful too. I really liked drawing the type especially in the felt pen as it created a thicker, bolder look. 

As part of the workshop we had to draw the outline of people in college. I don't particularly like these as individual drawings however together I think they look okay. I should have been more selective about colour and probably only used one accent colour rather than two, however as they are only outlines it doesn't look so bad. Outline drawings was something I wanted to progress when developing my drawings as they are simple but effective.

A new type of drawing I was introduced to was scissor drawing. This is something I haven't reat thought about before. I think when done carefully these can look really successful. In this case however it wasn't so great because the colours of paper were too similar. If the printed paper was one complete dark colour I think this would have looked much better and the composition would have looked more effective too.

These drawings were produced in chesterfield town. I enjoyed this task as I have never drawn outside with so many people around me. I felt quite nervous to start with as people may take offence or wonder what I was doing, but I soon got into it. I think the different mediums work well together and I worked very quickl which worked quite well. However to improve these drawings I would be a little bit more careful and focus more on what I was drawing.

I also made colour swatches associated with my drawings which would be developed later on outside of my sketchbook. 

As colour swatches I think these worked well and I enjoyed experimenting with different types of medium. The most successful was paint as colours were able to mix easily. 

After doing all of this it was time to develop my drawings in some way. I decided to do these eight developments in sets of colours and themes.

This set of drawings focused around collage, single lines and outlines. I think as a set these work well and you can tell they have links between them. I would improve them by thinking more about the composition and having more thought planning before producing them.

My second set of images were revolving around the scissor drawing, line drawing and outline drawing. I think the type on these help bring the pieces to life and makes them unique to one another. However the silhouettes and patterned paper create links between them. I also did this as a way of experimenting with photocopying and by pass printing which I enjoyed. 

My final set was focused around my line drawing, but I manipulated this by cutting it out with a scalpel. This created a lovely silhouette effect and the individual strips of hair looked really effective. I used found magazine paper and photocopied this as my background. Manipulating the colours on the photocopier helped them become separate pieces in their own right. I chose to balance the bright yellow with a monotone grey so that it wasn't so bright and I think this was successful. I think these look the most professional and I really like these as a set of image developments. 

Artist influences include Noma Bar for his block colours and shapes, which I thought was interesting. 

I found him influential towards this project for his ability to manipulate people and the way we look at things. He uses simple shapes and forms which create mind blowing things, which inspired me this week. 

Another artist who influenced me is silhouette specialist, Alison Russell. I really like her intricate silhouettes in block colours. I think these look really effective and realistic, so this was something that inspired me to think more about the outline of people rather than all the detail within.

In this image for example, I really like the detail of the hair. I think this really brings the piece to life. This inspired me to develop the hair in my pieces which I produced successfully in one of my sets. 

Overall I think this project went quite well. I managed my time accordingly and got everything completed on time so I wasn't in a rush. I am pleased with the sets of drawings I created and I think as a whole I managed to develop these drawings quite well. If I was to improve this project I would have thought more carefully about the composition of some of these developments, and I would have also done more drawings so that I had more to choose from to develop in the end. However in general I am pleased with what I have achieved from this.

As an extension of this project, we were given an extra day to develop our image making. I didn't like one of my pieces so I decided to create a new one from one of my drawings. I liked this because I was able to make changes to a piece which I liked and could think of another way to introduce colour and shape. 

1,2,3 and Collect & Create

My first set brief in Visual Communication was set to help develop my observational drawings skills. I was quite happy about this as I feel that this is an area which I need to improve in. 

Below are some examples of drawings done in my sketchbook: 

I have always struggled drawing figures so I made a point of practicing them. 

However I felt much more comfortable drawing type with different types of medium such as felt pen, fineliner, graphite and pencil. I also enjoyed using ink wash. I enjoyed drawing objects associated with numbers too. 

We didn't have a specific final outcome for this project, only to have created six developments of our drawings. I chose to photocopy, by pass print and work into drawings or draw more drawings from my previous ones. These are my six pieces from my sketchbook: 

I used selective colour during these creations so that hey didn't look too busy and my drawings could be focused on. I really enjoyed using fineliner and ink wash as they created really fine outlines. Graphite enabled me to work more softly and imprecisely as such, but each medium worked well to create different effects.  

 An artist who inspired me for this project was Olivier Kugler. He captured my attention how he doesn't always completely colour his images. Using selected colour can emphasise what is going on in the image. 

Collect & Create 

This week we were also set a one day project to enable us to work quickly so that we arranged our time appropriately. This task was about creating three developments of images which could represent different areas around college. The areas I looked at were the Costa cafe, the refectory and the library. Below is an example of a double page spread of drawings taken from my sketchbook.

I found it was quite hard to do quick drawings with fineliner and I could draw more loosely with pencil or graphite. However, fineliner looked really effective when taken care with. For each area of the college I used a selected colour which was apparent in the surroundings. I tried to use as much media as possible for my image developments as drawing mediums and also backgrounds. 

This image was creating using photocopies and by pass printing of previous work. I also used abstract line drawing to symbolise a chair in the background which was also a way of creating negative space on the image. I added an illustrated piece in the corner to show that I was tying all different skills together. I felt hat his was quite an effective piece and works well with the theme of sitting in the Costa cafe in college. 

I also enjoyed creating my second image. I liked creating a framed effect using electrical tape which closes the image in and draws emphasis to the negative space. I think the by pass printing also looks effective and the repetition of the figure works well. If I was to improve this I would have been more careful when drawing the type as this doesn't look as effective as it could do. 

I wasn't as impressed with my final image as I don't think my drawings were up to scam ranch. This may have been because it was Friday afternoon and I think more time and care would have helped. I think the colours work well however and the illustration adds character to the image. As this was a single day task I thought I worked quite well and I was happy that I managed to keep track of time and complete everything that needed to be done. 

An artist who influenced me during this project was David Fullerton. I liked how he uses collage for backgrounds for his images and then works on top of these with implements such as fineliner and felt pen to create more imagery as well as hand rendered type. 

Artist Research - Kate Moross

Kate Moross is a graphic designer, illustrator and art director based in London. Her work really appeals to me as it is so imaginative and quite crazy looking. I love how she isn't afraid to make a bold impression and her vibrant choice of colours really catch your eye. I think her work is fun, free and very unique. Morross has a diverse range of skills and can produce work to an exceptional standard. I think that she is really unique and she isn't afraid to express herself. 

Moross inspires me as she shows she isn't afraid of standing out. Her work expresses so much colour that individual pieces look like an explosion of paint pots. This makes her work carry a really energetic and positive vibe to imply that as a designer you should never hold back and you should push your work. 

Something I really like about Kate Moross is her beautifully crafted hand rendered type. A lot of her work exploits this and looks remarkable in all circumstances. I love the creativeness and the selected use of colour. All of these work really well together to create a warm, inviting piece of artwork. This really inspires me to create my own rendered type and see where I could go with it. I also really like the tiny illustrations added onto pieces of type and around it to give those final cutting edge details. This piece was actually used commercially as a background for music artists to have a photoshoot with. 

Even her more graphics focused designs are lovely. I love the intricate detailing on the 'Isometric Island' which makes it look so friendly and cute. The sharp edges are almost invisible as they are blocked out with such light pastel colours. I find it really fascinating how she has managed to make it look so delicate yet it is made up completely of isometric shapes. 

Another piece which I really like is this alphabet of video games. I like how each letter is unique and has its own character relating to the different games. The black background also works really well to bring out the colours used for the letters. This makes them stand out more and become much more appealing to the eye. 

This rainbow New York piece also caught my eye. I love the bright, flamboyant colours which really draw in your attention. The digital type also works really well and she uses the entire space to maximise the effect. 

I think that Kate Moross is a perfect example of how a visual communicator can interlink within different specialisms. When looking at her work it seems to carry an illustrative, typography style, however her ability to put all of these aspects together show she is a versatile designer, as well as doing animation too. I really like this about a designer as it shows you aren't restricted within your area and you can practically design anything you want and take it to many different levels. This is what excites me as a designer as the possibilities are endless. 

London 10th November

We went on a trip to London as a way of concluding the Exploratory Stage. I found this quite an adventure having to explore London by ourselves, keeping a close eye on the time to ensure we could fill our day visiting places. I travelled around London with three of my friends, Luke, Olivia and Danielle. 

Although our main reason for visiting London was to look at art galleries, we made it priority to go and see the remembrance poppies at the Tower of London. This was a beautiful and I feel very fortunate to have been able to see it in real life. The amount of poppies was rather overwhelming and I felt very proud that the person who made them is from Derby, my local area. The time and effort that must have gone into the design and production of these was incredible.

 Next was Tate Modern. Below are a range of pieces which appealed to me.

Picasso's work was a piece which stood out to me straight away and I could recognise. I love the randomness of the shapes and lines which all congregate to form a portraiture piece. The bright colour draws in your attention and looks really effective. 

This Hip Hip Hoorah piece by Karel Appel also struck my attention. I really like the child-like/animal features of all the creatures that have been painted onto this piece. I think they all have quirky connotations which gives the whole piece a fun character. 

These Russian Revolutionary posters are another part of the gallery which really appealed to me. I love the archaic style to them and the old fashioned sense as I automatically compared these to posters we see in every day life. I thought the colours were really interesting as they were quite neutral with a bulk of red or black. They all stuck to the same sort of theme with their house styles and in some cases their design. 

Louise Bourgeious is another artist who I was attracted to at Tate Modern. This is because I really like her simple, illustrative style of black line and limited colour. This work shows that less is more in some cases. Her drawings are very intricate and precise and I really like how they work together as set pieces too. It shows her style is consistent. This is an artist I would like to look into further. 

After doing this we took a walk through central London to see the London eye, Big Ben, Itv studios and more. Something that caught my eye walking down this promenade was the skate park which had been manipulated with graffiti. I think this looked awesome. 

In Leicester Square we had something to eat and it took us by surprise that the world premier for The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1 was in preperation for that night! We managed to see the set for the red carpet being displayed and crowds were gathering ready for later on. It was really good to be able to see this as it is one of my favourite series of films. 

After this we decided to take a look at Oxford street. After having the stress of losing each other in the underground and reuniting again, it was quite relaxing to walk down a high street with busy shoppers!

As we made our way back to the train station to return home, we noticed there were Beano comics exhibiting in St Pancras train station. This was really good to look at, especially comparing the designs from the 50's up until now. 

Me and Liv also got a bit over excited...

I found this trip really beneficial as it challenged us to organise ourselves for an entire day, ensuring we didn't have too much or too little to do. Although we only went to see one art gallery I still feel this day was successful as our main ambition was to see the remembrance poppies and we made sure we did that. The additional Beano exhibition in the train station was a bonus too! 

We also managed to take a selfie in an exhibiting mirror piece in Tate Modern.

This was a really good day!

Us and Them

This week long project was all about understanding portraits and what can be classed as one. For this we had to create an appendage which can describe another persons personality, so in order to understand it more clearly we had to produce a range of portraits in different formats. These included photographs, collage, photo montage, line drawing, wire drawing, painting and sculpture. The person I was focusing this project around was Leanne Haywood. To start the project off we had to interview each other to find out about our different interests and aspects of our personalities. 

Our first set task was to take photographs of each other to portray a likeness. These are examples taken from my sketchbook. Here I was portraying Leanne as being quiet and shy. The lighting was bright and really helped to bring out her features. 

During this project I really enjoyed creating a wire drawing. I have used wire before in sculptural terms, but have never considered it as a drawing method. I thought this looked really effective and layering the wire up created a really illustrative effect. My wire drawing seems to have its own character which I really like. 

I didn't particularly enjoy creating a cardboard mask, as we weren't given much time or materials so I had to think very quickly. I created this mask to present Leanne's eyes and glasses, as I believe this is a strong feature of hers. To improve I would plan before going straight into it so I thought more about what I was making. 

I also enjoyed painting with white emulsion and black ink on brown paper. These types of media really stood out on the brown paper. I also really liked how the two mediums worked together to create different colours in certain areas. I felt my half of the sheet worked really effectively and stood out, however when the ink ran it ruined it which is disappointing. 

Our final outcome was to create an appendage which could be applied to the body. In my case I made a medal/name tag to describe Leanne's personality. I used Paisley patterned paper as a way of showing her favourite pattern, black lace type material as a way of showing her favourite colour, music sheets to show her passion for music, a metal skull decoration to represent a symbol of a band she likes, red tartan to symbolise her hair colour and gothic hand drawn type to show her personality. I think this worked really well and all the materials worked well together. It was a good project to get to know someone better. I know of Leanne from my previous college but this task enabled me to understand her personality more which was interesting. To improve this piece I would have tried to create materials myself such as designing the Paisley pattern. 

What is a portrait?

A portrait is an interpretation of another person. This could be in the form of a photograph, painting, pencil drawing, sculpture, collage, etc. The purpose of a portrait is to reflect upon the likeness, personality and type of character of the selected person. An effective portrait doesn't want to be portraying just what the person looks like, it wants to be able to capture the mood of that person and to be able to say something about their personality. 

Isidro Ferrer

I have chosen to look at Isidro Ferrer's work for inspiration for my Us and Them piece. When looking at his work I find it interesting how he uses random objects to create life like pieces. For example the umbrella handle, lightbulb and hat work well to produce a smart, business looking figure of a man. This shows he has thought outside of the box and is using selected materials to create a certain type of portrait. 

Another piece I like is this mouse mask of his. I find the edit of the photograph quite eery and old fashioned which may suggest this was done to make the piece seem antique. The wrecked looking materials also add to this. It carries the theme of old age and wear. Maybe this is to do with a mouse being insignificant and unnoticed? 

Although Ferrer's portraits are sculptural, I really like the concepts behind them. I think his work carries a random edge and a technique which I haven't really taken notice of before. His unique style and way of work really interests me and will encourage me to be more open minded when making my appendage of Leanne's personality. 

Fashion and Textiles Taster

For the first session in the fashion and textiles taster week, we were given small samples of colour to then replicate on blank pieces of paper using paints and inks. This was so that we could use these colour samples when making our 2D fashion garments. 

We also had to make samples using paper and other materials such as masking tape, electrical tape, wool etc, to form patterns using lines and shapes. As well as this, for private study I had to develop these by adding different types of straps so that it could be applied to the body. Below are the samples I created. 

After doing this I found that the straps that were stronger and would work better were those made from electrical tape, as when folded it was quite smooth so it wouldn't be uncomfortable when fitted around the body. 

As I was ill for the last two days of this taster, I had to make my garment from home with limited materials. I managed to purchase two different types of paper bag. One white with handles and two that were green paper bags that were brown inside. I managed to mix colours using watercolour paints that were similar to those on my colour sample, but these weren't as effective and as similar to those I created with inks and acrylic paint in college. Other materials included masking tape, electrical tape and pritt stick. 

This is my 2D piece once applied to the body. I created a loop fastener with electrical tape to tie it around the back but unfortunately I created the strips too short so cello tape was needed! (I should have measured this before). 

Although I worked from home for this I think it worked quite well and I was relatively pleased at how it all came together as a garment in the end. The handles worked really well as straps and the accent colours looked attractive as decoration on the front. However this would have all looked much better if this was done properly in college and I was able to take professional looking photographs there too. 

I enjoyed this taster as it is something I am not used to and would never choose to do personally. It gave me a good insight into fashion and textiles and taught me that it isn't all about what something looks like, it's the design, the thought process and the planning behind it which is much more important. Without these skills there would be no successful outcome. 

Fashion and Textiles Research

Lucy Orta

I have chosen to look into Lucy Orta's work as she caught my eye with her original, conceptual fashion ideas. In particular I like this outfits as they look baggy and hang from the body, which is a similar effect to what I have got to create with my paper garment. What I like about these pieces are the newspaper and text print all over them as I like type and I think these add a dramatic impact. I find the heart print quite odd and off putting, although it makes sense in terms of context.

Another piece which I like is this. I can see how a certain piece of material can be manipulated and then transformed into something which can be attached to the body, working as a garment piece. I find the head piece odd and it isn't something that I like myself, but for the piece as a whole it works and is successful. The colours are very bland and dirty, which may suggest it is intending to look old and shabby. I can see the material has been carefully worked to look like it is made up of different layers too, although it works as one. 

In particular, this yellow dress really appeals to me. It's beauty and elegance really caught my eye. Although this is far extreme in comparison to what I will be making myself, I really like the look of it. The yellow colour really draws in your attention and contrasts massively with the black bold type printed onto it. When actually reading the type, you realise you are being given a contrasting message too. The beauty and the daintiness of the dress contrasts with the ruthless message of the type implying that they wish someone would die. This creates quite a synical impression, which adds to the dramatic impact of this piece as a whole. I really like this as it is wonderful in appearance, but the hidden message makes it feel secretive and horrific at the same time. 

Another piece which shows materials are being used to cover the whole body is here. I quite like the foil/metallic materials used to create an engineered sort of feel towards it. The bright red also contrasts to this and draws your attention to it. I think this is important when looking at colour because things need to work well together as well as being able to catch your eye. 

Rei Kawakubo

I have chosen to look into Rei Kawakubo's work because when looking at it I can see a link between her work and the work I have been set to do in class. This is to do with shape and their forms. For example, this work in particular emphasises the use of shape and what you can do to address it appropriately in context of the garment. Within these pieces you can see clear shapes that have been formed out of the materials to create impact. Shape is going to be a key feature when creating my own piece so I would like to think that it will look as crisp and as sharp like these shapes look like here. I also like how Kawakubo manages to disguise these deliberate shapes and works them into her pieces, by covering them in material to make it look as though this is what the dresses should look like. 

Another piece I have taken a liking to is this, which is from the Comme des Garçons. Similar to the previous set of dresses, this piece also represents a good use of shapes with materials. I think the bold red circle immediately attracts the viewers attention and allows the piece to stand out. The netting used as the main scaffold to the garment works effectively as a subtle way of contrasting with the bright red shape. Equally, the black suit-looking material also works well as it takes away the plainess of the netting. I also like the difference between the materials used as it shows that different things can work well together as one. In addition, the white facial makeup on the model allows the viewer to focus more on the actual garment, rather than looking at who is wearing it. This allows you to appreciate the clothing more and pay close attention to it. 

Basquiat 

Basquiat interests me because of his illustrative, graffiti art. I have chosen to look at his work because it is something I am interested in (Visual Communication). Not only do his illustrations convey several different messages, the use of type and the chaoticness of it also works really well and adds to his messy style of work. 

In particular I like the use of accent colours which bring his work to life. It transforms the image from a neutral point of view to colour which creates a huge dramatic impact. This is something I must consider when creating my piece (colour). 

Issey Miyake 

I have chosen to take a deeper look into Issey Miyake's work as I recognise the name, but only when associating him with aftershaves and perfumes. Because of this, I thought it imperative to look into his clothing and fashion work too. When looking at his work online I instantly became inspired by his wacky styles of clothing which are made up of all sorts of different geometric shapes. Already I can see how paper could be used to make similar effects to these by folding. 

Here I can see there has been a range of shapes that have inspired Miyake's three pieces. The sharp edges create an edgy feel towards them and works really effectively. As well as this, I think the monotone colours work really well in line, shapes and forms to create an abstract look. The pattern itself is really bold and dazzling which draws your attention to it. 

These are another set of designs which would look good when incorporated during the fashion taster session. This is because of the shapes which have been created with the materials to create sharp, crisp edges which could be interpreted well with the paper bags if used correctly. The metallic grey colours also work well as they aren't too striking and in your face, it just shows that the garments themselves don't need to be bright and colourful as they already do themselves justice. These pieces have developed my inspiration and have enabled me to gain some ideas for design using paper bags.