Contextual Research

Everyone Else Is Boring from Jordan Galland on Vimeo.

I stumbled across this on one of my quests for contextual research. I really like the playful content, and particularly the collage aesthetic. 

Further Etching Testings

I also really should crack on and do the magical backgrounds test.

tomorrow - dragon frame.

Responsive Board Proposals and Peer Crit

httpshttps://kelvintillinghast.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/untitled.pdf

Here was some quite exciting contextual research I found, this is a previous advertising campaign from interflora. It shows them endorsing a slightly crude sense of humour, so this makes me more confident to go ahead with my concept. They have still kept the apperance of this looking luxe with the high quality of the photos, and the general aesthetic of the graphic design, which is what I aim to do.

Progress Review - Group

I received some helpful feedback that helped to highlight a few things that I had not fully considered, both positives and negatives. Such as that I need to ensure that the flowers are much more central focus of my work. I received some positive feedback about my colour and aesthetic choice though, and how it should suite the branding guidelines, which gives me a little confidence.

Review one:

List strengths and give reasons why you think this is:

1. Plan for Naughty Grandparents is cute and cheeky. On Brand with tone, despite all the constraints.
2. Given this combined with the proposed aesthetic will make a charming contrast, much like when a soft lovely grandma talks about dicks.
3. Colour scheme is fitting to brand, mandatories well considered.

List areas for improvement and give reasons why you think this.

1. Find some famous or talked about adverts in glossy mags, why were they good, did they fit their contexts etc?
2. Need more thumbs, experiment with proposed aesthetics and colour schemes.
3. Maybe make flowers slightly heavier focus? In the foreground perhaps.

List 5 questions that you think need need answering...how will this help?

1. What are the people saying in the advert? Try a few things out?
2. Maybe chisely nib dip pen? Fountain pen?
3. Like daffodils scratchy.
4. What will the characters look like?
5. reflecting audience? Where will they be?

Second review:

List strengths and give reasons why you think this is:

1. Clear idea of style and colour, solid starting point.
2. reference of old campaigns is a nice touch, not only contextual but for tone of voice reference as well, how to maintain their sense of style.
3. Colour is fitting with aesthetic of the brand.

List areas for improvement and give reasons why you think this.

1. Be clear about specific context: Full spread? A4? In the right bottom corner?
2. Clear about contexts gives better interpretation of the idea that you want.

List 5 questions that you think need need answering...how will this help?

1. What exactly is the checklist for? It seems separated from the rest?
2. How will the audience be engaged with the campaign.

Crit - Pre Christmas Moving Images and Printed Pictures Crit.

Some general comments and feedback:

A list of things our group collaboratively decided need to be looked out for and addressed:

PROGRESS REVIEW - Group

Comment on the practical development of work for the moving pictures brief. Is there sufficient evidence of practically investigating selected processes and techniques.

• Clever idea of moving pictures - like the way the ink runs naturally. 
• Maybe make your project proposal more clear.
• Explain the scenes on blog for people who haven't read the book. 
• Think out of your test animation, the one created with a paint brush works a lot better.

Comment on the practical development of work for the printed pictures brief. Is there sufficient evidence of practically investigating selected processes and techniques. 

• Lots of development for printed pictures. 
• Loads of sketchbook testing and trying out a number of processes and creating interesting surface patterns - maybe blog about these. 
• Clearer thumbnails of my final print ideas.
• More contextual research.

Comment on the Clarity with which the development of concepts, ideas and practical solutions has been documented on the studio practice blog.

• Lots of development - but maybe try and make it easier to follow.
• Label both studio brief and module. e.g. OUIL504 Studio Brief Two.

Comment on the extent to which the planning of time and resources has been effectively considered in order to enable the production of the proposed work in the time available. (are the action plans and project management sheets specific with regards to workload, deadlines and timescales?)

• Spent a lot of time developing testing work and technique which is really good! Now need to organise and plan time efficiently and realistically to what you think you can produce for finals.

Suggestions/strengths - Reason/Improvements:

• lots of visual development  - More contextual referencing to inform development of animation.
• Lots of print processes tried - tidy up blogging to make it easier to follow.
• Use of colour and technique works well with concept theme - magical/dark - show a plan of animation 'Planimation'.
• Clever animation ideas - show a plan of your time over christmas and until deadline.

Immediate Action Plan:

• rewrite final proposals
• Blog about interesting surface patterns.
• Explain the scenes and characters that I will be animating.
• Clearer images of my final thumbnails.

Beginning Tests for my Final Etchings

The beginning.

I have now started off my etching towards creating my final set and answer to the brief. Here are some tests, done onto one of the little squares that my Father helped me to make out of an old copper pipe.

I tried a blend of inks on my etching plate and am quite pleased with the results. I think that the burnt umber and the turquoise work quite harmoniously together, and the blue centring around the staff creates a bit of a sense of magic, and power emanating from it - which is exactly the appearance/sense that it gives off in the book. The fourth image is about the only that has this look though, on the others some of them the blue and brown inks have become to blended/mixed together which just gives it an appearance of looking really flat. 

Points to Remember and to Take on board:

• Etchings will print backwards, I must bear this in mind when doing the actual etching drawing onto the plate.
• Some of the textural marks didn't come out very successfully, they were just a bit too faint, so I must make sure that they are engraved enough when I make them, and also that if it helps I give it enough time in the acid bath.
• I didn't soak my paper for long enough. Need to remember this for the future, a way to remind myself is to make sure that I have put it in to soak before I start to ink up my plate.
• It would probably pay off to use even better quality paper, like watercolour paper next time.

Consideration of how my etching can exist as a larger print if I use larger paper to print it onto and 'frame it with'. (It's also really quite hard to align it in the centre when just placing it on top!)

Responsive

Project Proposals and Presentation Boards

• The Ability to Listen.
• The last two days on and before the deadline the website WILL and has crashed. I must plan my time accordingly.
• Following the competition organisers, such as DNAD and YCN on social media sites will keep me up to date, and in particular with any technical difficulties that they are having. 
• Remember that I will inevitably have to discover some sort of creative compromise with my ideas and producing them in time and to the brief.

Most importantly:

1. Think before you do.
2. Plan before you act. (so as not to waste precious time etc)
3. Question everything that we have ever been told, as otherwise if we followed all of the rules to every letter, our designs and entries would all be pretty similar, and that is no way to win a competition.

Dragon Frame Animating

First attempt at dragon frame animating:

• A2 is too big, A3 fits well.
• tracing paper is very obvious over the top unless it covers the whole image, but even then it makes my image look more faded.
• To make my animation move around the page will be harder, so more planning is involved with regards to the inclusion of hand drawn frame by frame animation.
• It will be much more simple to work more to roughly an A4 size, as this way I can then go away and add lots of drawn frame by frame animations to my continuous dragon frame file. 

I shall have to gauge my process for the future on the results of how I can improve this test with after effects. This could help to solve a lot of problems, such as hiding the use of tracing paper by editing the levels etc, and perhaps adding some moving or just general background textures.

there was some nice movement going on with the adding of my gestural brush strokes. (Which guttingly didn't all save!!) But either way it makes me happy with the media choice of ink with brush and nib.

How to save an aftereffects file as a quicktime movie

The Results:

I'm not quite sure how, but the end bit of my dragon frame didn't seem to save, so it hasn't got all the additional length and movement of the robe which I quite liked. 

It's adds quite a lot of effect by working with ink from a pot because you see the change in its colour and its texture as it dries on the page, over all it gives off a sense of more movement to my animation.

After Effects Lessons

Magical Reference and Inspiration

Attempt at some Magical Textures

I had a go at being inventive with media and mark making to try to create some magical textures, but they just don't look that inspiring - will leave these one's to development I think.

Peer Review for Moving Image - Feedback

1 - Decision making on text in animation: Exactly what text is required?

Option B - 3-6 10 second stings: Author name, title of text/s, other relevant information: eg publisher.

• More research
• Make a plan
• Bullet point information
• Quotations, identify these if I want to include them when describing my characters in my stings.
• Story board at least roughly my proposals.

2. Typeface of Handwriting? 

If typeface, which one, why chosen? Why is it the most effective choice? If handwriting, why chosen/how will you produce it? If you use handwritten type, it must be clear, high resolution and work with the aesthetic of the image.

Handwritten - play with fine line/inks see which results work best.

3. How will you layout text and consider design? (refer to: use of layout rulers/fades/scale/placement/colour decisions and duration)

• Combine with my drawings
• Black + White.

4. Identify 2 research sources of effective use of type with moving image, which will inform the use of type for your animation: Discuss why these are effective and how you have been informed by them. Write this as a clear, concise blog post with a link or a still frame.

Above is Mr Bingo's animation 'Show Dogs' for a programme about Cruft's. It's not quite the aesthetic I would be going for, this is much to neat and loopy handwriting, it doesn't speak of witches and magic and strangeness. It's a good example of successful handwritten type as a part of animation.

Here is another approach to text in animation which I like, It's too handicraft to suit what I am trying to achieve with my Discworld promotional animations.

 

I would keep my own hand drawn type quite pictorial, perhaps even including little drawings within it, more image as type or type as image.

Reflections

With regards to inclusion of text:

• To unite my stings and keep them in accordance with the brief at the end of my animations I shall have the same item of text appearing which says something to the effect of 'Come and meet these characters in Terry Pratchett's Discworld Series'. This is my way of promoting the series.

Typeface or Handwriting?

• I'm useless at typeface, and having used some of my own handwriting in works before, I think I could make this work best.
• However the nature of my animation is quite scribbly and spontaneous, so perhaps the use of typeface could be a necessary break of clarity at the end?
• Either way I need much more research into, I shall have to get on and experiment.

Lay out of text?

• If I opt for using my own handwritten type then I will edit it in photoshop and include it in my animations in aftereffects, so therefor I shall have quite a lot of digital control/editing options.

Responsive Feedback and initial ideas individual practice.

Peer feed back and Initial ideas and considerations:

Project Proposals - Moving Pictures Final

My tutorial, and general progression with my work has suggested that my previous intended proposals for studio brief two, Moving Pictures, are just to complicated and frankly a bit mad. So what I am going to do is go for a much more simple and hopefully effective approach.

I am changing my idea quite thoroughly for this. Simplifying it right down so that it is achievable and manageable.

OUIL504 Illustration 1: Process & Production

STUDIO BRIEF 2 PROJECT PROPOSAL: Moving Pictures

I intend to produce ……

4 animated stings, advertising Terry Pratchett's Discworld Series.

The content will focus on (identify 3 specific themes, texts or concepts)

1. The characters from the Discworld. I will base one sting on four quite iconic characters from this series. 2. The humour's nature of these characters, and thus the series in general. 3. The magical, creative, and strange nature to it. 4. Celebrating the wonderfulness of the characters and the series.

I will be aiming to communicate (identify 3 specific messages, ideas, moods etc.)

1. The humour of this series. 2. The inventiveness of these characters, and thus a reflection of the Discworld. 3. The strange, magical and quite different tone of it.

To an audience of ….. (name 3 characteristics)

1. Younger people, perhaps even children - This might spark their interest. 2. Fan's and lovers of the Discworld and it's many iconic characters. 3. People who do not know about Terry Pratchett or the Discworld.

Individual Practice

The Problems I aim to Solve are:

• Raising awareness for Grandparents day.
• Encouraging people/families to invest in a quality (not cheap) flower delivery service.

In order to solve these problems I will:

• Create a campaign that raises the profile of grandparents day and the idea of spending more time with and on your grandparents.

I will be aiming to communicate (identify 3 specific messages, ideas, moods etc)



To an audience of...(name 3 characteristics)

Contextual Reference for Responsive Interflora

I have been studying flowers painted and created by Sarah Maycock, for my individual practice brief Interfora. Her inky and free brushstrokes have wonderful sense of expression, yet the media and inclusion of some careful intricate detail gives them a delicate and refined sense. I want to have a go at painting flowers in this way, as I believe this could speak very well to the guideline of Interflora, that they specified in their brief and tone of voice information packs.

Responsive - Refined brief

Refined Brief

peer feed back and intitial ideas and considerations

Post Progress Surgery

Animation

• Hand drawn approach, and going for an expressive drawing under camera, with a mix of drawn animation, could be successful and potentially my animation might not be a struggle after all - I should much sooner rather than later.
• One big 60 second animation is a lot of work, and if I run out of time its could go 'horribly wrong'.
• My alternative to this was to create a series of stings that advertise different books from the Discworld, but my concern is that this is a lot of extra research and work, and I have spent so much time now focusing on the one book Equal Rites.
• So instead an answer is to produce a series of stings on key characters from the Discworld!
• Producing a series of stings means that if I am struggling with it and or running out of time, then I will still have 'done enough to pass and answer the brief'. I wan't to make this clear that this is not what I am about, and do not plan or intend to have to treat this brief this way, but this was a very valid point mentioned by my tutor and I suppose the path to hell is paved with good intentions - lol that's too dramatic.
• Using the stings of the characters is an approach that I think will allow me some more spontaneity and freedom which I think will benefit my approach to making and drawing them!
• So I need to go and get under camera and base the projects future and direction the results of this. 

Printed Pictures

• My work and plans for this seem okay so long as I keep pressing on and sticking to my personal deadlines.
• If I am using colour then I need to illustrate for the colour.
• My print doesn't necessarily have to be the size of my plate, it is the size of the paper that I print it on. 
• I should also bear in mind where I might leave space for type for my images being proposed for a special edition book of the story.

Overall:

• My timescales are good. If I stick to them then really I could be okay and on track - but that's only if I stick to them. 
• I wasn't sure about the sketchbook situation with regards to the three separate briefs and wether or not I had to separate them into new sketchbooks for marking. It suits me quite a lot to have all my drawing and research in the one book - so long as I clearly separate out and document this on my blog then it's okay fir me to work in this way!

Project Proposals for Moving Image

BA (Hons) Illustration - Level 05

OUIL504 Illustration 1: Process & Production

STUDIO BRIEF 2 PROJECT PROPOSAL: Moving Images

I intend to produce ...... A sixty second animation covering the plot summery for Equal rites.  Or if this is not allowed (as in what context/for what purpose would this exist realistically?)

The content will focus on (identify 3 specific themes, texts or concepts)

1.  Fantasy 2. Humour 3. magic

I will be aiming to communicate (identify 3 specific messages, ideas, moods etc.)

1. 2. 3.

To an audience of ..... (name 3 characteristics)

1. 2. 3.

Animation Tone of voice and Imagery

I started some free and playful drawings of key scenes and moments in Equal Rites. I was actually surprised and pleased with these results and how descriptive they were turning out. This carefree approach does give the characters some more expression. I will go and have a play at doing some drawing in dragon frame and simply documenting it as I go and see what results this will lead to.

My Rough Plan for Printed Pictures

I plan to create eight etchings, 100 x 100 mm. Here is my initial plan, by Monday I need and plan to have solid proposals and compositions to take forward to beginning the print process.

Christmas Card Design

Now I'm definitely on an Illustration course there is absolutely no escaping creating my Mothers Christmas card design.

Here's the development of my final image:

I went through quite a lot of tests and different drawings before I even got to this stage, it can be hard to decide what to do when you have such an open brief. I redrew and re-rendered the moose several times, I think that the final one is one of the better ones, and I'm pleased that for once I pushed myself to do this. My 'client' wasn't fond of my repetitive tree background, so I changed it in the end. Those designs weren't the nest for a number of reasons, they didn't quite work. The Moose was just sort of floating and the text didn't really stand out clearly enough in the red. I'm not overly fond of the background colour choice, but this could come down more to personal preference, the colour does work quite successfully with the card, although weather it speaks of Christmas is very debatable. I actually am quite please with the way the type, or image as type worked out. It reflects and adds to the general tone of voice of the card and its imagery, and probably looks a bit more professional (weirdly) than whatever font either me or my mother would have chosen - font is definitely something I have almost no experience with at all.

The Final Design

We generally corresponded over email, as I was putting the design together in photoshop I would take a screenshot of potential final artworks, or just the general development of the image, and then I would base my decisions on what changes I would make next from the feedback I received. Generally they were little requests or changes they would like made, I found this a relatively fast and easy way to work with a client, however it did take quite a long tome towards the end when it came to what format they wanted it sent in and file sizes. Production wise this project is very easy for me as she already has a company that she will use to print my artwork onto cards. This is probably the more practical and economic way, definitely with regards to my time, as she needs in excess of 100 cards, and this also gives my work such a professional finish which is exciting.

I also developed on the repetitive tree pattern on request for 'gift tags'. 

I tidied up the tree's and experimented with some textural backgrounds.

Coming back to this now after Christmas, it was nice to see my card in so many relatives and family friends homes, but I would say that it's certainly a design that does look better on screen. Perhaps in the future I will find a way to make them more impactfully textural. 

Printed Pictures Project Proposal [Three]

BA (Hons) Illustration - Level 05

OUIL504 Illustration 1: Process & Production

STUDIO BRIEF 3 PROJECT PROPOSAL: Printed Pictures

Brief A series of simple yet (hopefully) beautiful etchings, based on Terry Pratchett's Discworld novel, Equal Rites. They will be small, about 100mm x 100mm. Eight, although as etching is a time consuming process, it could only be six.  They will be off interesting and important key imagery, motifs and symbols. These could be displayed in a special edition book, and are to celebrate Pratchett's book.

Background/Considerations (Tone of voice/mood, audience/context, Form/Format. Colour/media etc.)

Detailed, interesting, refined. Must convey sense of strange, and sense of humour and fantasy. In sepia coloured ink for the etching, then selected areas can be hand rendered with watercolour. It is aimed at Terry Pratchett lovers, but also with the hope of enticing new audiences, perhaps through a love of print.

Deliverables

A series of 8 100mm x 100mm etchings, that contain imagery that have the scope to be displayed in a special edition book.

Interim Deadlines

Have my final imagery ready for Monday 1st of December. Have undergone some tests and know my background imagery/compositions by Friday the 5th of December. All Printing to be completed a week before the final deadline.

Sound Study Task

http://oliverjeffersworld.com/spaceman/

Here (above) is a link to a page which uses animation and simple sounds. These sounds help to enhance and accent the animation. With regards to this one it helps to communicate what is going on, the noise is a literal one - i.e. a monster roaring. There are several things going on at once on this page, so the specific sound alerts you to the main area of action/focus. 

Above is another piece of animation, that uses sound in a way that really accents and enhances the experience of viewing it.

My Own Moving Images

I'm not quite sure how to go about adding sounds to my own animations, so I had a brief disscussion with my tutor which was helpful.

I do want to further the magical theme and atmosphere of my moving pictures, so I will go and have an explore and see if I can find some sounds or potentially even music which further this. Here are some starting ideas:

• Use my phone and go out and record some sounds. 
• Be experimental.
• Little musical instruments?
• Wind up?

How to Add sound to My after effects files:

As an MP3 or Wav, put file in the folder with all of your footage.

drag down and position it where you want to, and you can fade in and out.

Peer Feedback on Printed Project Proposals - 21st November

(TYPE THIS UP)

PEER FEEDBACK:

My Newly revised, edited and Proposed Brief:

Feedback on this, and Questions raised on it:

Magic

Some textures based on the collected sea life imagery that I think has the potential to look aesthetically along the lines of magic. Some interesting textures, blends and colours at any rate. I put them through photoshop to bring out the best of their colours. 

Here are some textures I have created from looking at some sea life reference, I think that they can make good imagery for magic.

The copper plates I have created from stretched out bits of copper pipe have a unique and pleasant look about them, these textures could be really interesting too. Especially the ones that I cut open myself, I wasn't very neat at it, so those plates had lots of extra scratches and marks on them

Exploring copper plate textures.

Aesthetics of animation

I think that I will go for quite a rough/sketchy hand drawn approach, as this way of drawing for me I often find it much easier to give my characters some quite interesting expression and movement. 

I hate to try and compare myself to the masters, but I think I will look at the techniques of Quentin Blake, as his iconic tone of voice very much creates simplistically charming characters that seem to have so much expression and movement in so few lines.

Test Animations

For my final animation I wonder if I would like to go for quite a hand drawn approach. Here I am roughly testing out producing a bit of animation where I simply add more to a drawing:

I just created with the stop motion app, so it's not well presented and set up, neither is it very good quality, but it does give an overall feel.

• The quality of line suits the slightly jerky aesthetics of approach to animation.
• To create my whole animation in dragon frame like this will take a lot of time, but for some aspects it does speed up the animation process dramatically.
• It is a bit too static, I need to incorporate this with more hand drawn frame by frame so that her body and etc can all move around and be a bit more interesting and movement-wise be more accurate.

Josh Kirby

 Some writing from Josh Kirby's website. Its why I like fantasy over science fiction too - I'm just not as talented enough at drawing to be able to achieve drawing and visually communicating it in the immense way that he can.

I have been quite inspired by Kirby's imagery and character design for the story of 'Equal Rites'. 

Drawn Frame by Frame Animation Study Task

I had some troubles getting these into a video sequence, as the frames kept appearing in the wrong order.

Reference Imagery

One of my etchings I think I would like to base around the librarian of the story, who happens to be an orangutan. 

Etchings - Contextual Refrence

http://uk.pinterest.com/jb25131825/etchingprintmaking/

Here is a link to a pintrest board, with lots of etchings that I find quite beautiful or inspiring in some way or another.

Contextual Refrence

Helen Clark

Helen Clarke is a fine art printmaker. 
These image and the quotations are sourced from her website, Woody Pear. (http://www.woodypear.com/etchimages1.html)

"Red Chair
The Australian Kestrels live in our patch, using the surrounding paddocks to search for their food. I began considering how the loss of habitat
might affect this clever bird. Already they live around the buildings, using any facility they need including the dog's water bowl. Perhaps they would find a novel solution to the problem of a place for their nest!

50 x 35cm, etching with hand colour, edition 40"

Hand Coloured Etching. 

Rendering my etchings by hand is something that I would be interested in attempting, it has really successful and striking results with this red chair one here. 

Eucalyptus preissiana - a study

A straggly mallee with lemon coloured flowers from the southwest coastal area of WA.
30 x 10cm, hand coloured etching, edition 40. 

The detail in these fonts is very beautiful, and I would like to be able to show off some detail such as this with my own prints, however I think that the colours and even the very observational quality of line in these images does make them slightly less impactful and exciting as I would want to aim for in order to justify Terry Pratchett's works nature. 

Dryland Mallee

Story Boarding Difficutlies

After This Peer Review I was left feeling a bit helpless. I know I need to go and plan out and do lots of storyboarding to get my ideas down, but every single time I attempt this I draw lots of blanks and can't produce anything. So after speaking to my tutor about this and the way that my project is developing

I think that I will now make a series of 10 seconds of stings that advertise some of Terry Pratchett's stories. as before I was looking at creating the single sixty second one, but my tutor pointed out to be that this would make it more about my chosen author, and wouldn't really make sense just being based on this one book, I need to remember what I am making it for/have a clear idea. So I now aim to make some teaser stings advertising some of his stories, and these can perhaps be aimed at anyone who has never considered Terry Pratchett's stories before, and can hopefully be seen as a celebration of them to those of whom have. Once again I had forgotten to keep the brief in mind.

With regards to my difficulties in story boarding, my solution can be to work backwards, and show my story boarding development after I have created some imagery and animation. 

Creating my Animations:

Partly due to the nature of how I work, and also what I am trying to create, it may be able to work experimentally and let my work develop through experiment and simply making and creating. A good place to start can be to work from my sea life imagery which I am using as a bit of a reference to create magic imagery.

• Of course, I need to have a clear plan of roughly what my story but most importantly my message and concept is.
• And I will have to try a practice one of these very early on to see if this will work for me and lead to successful places, so that if it does just lead to chaos, irrelevance and nobody knowing whats going on or what I am trying to make it about I can go back to square one and get myself a clearer plan.

Moving Pictures Peer Review Crit:

Moving Pictures Concept Review

My Typed up Peer Feed back:

Comment on the selection of themes, content, concepts, or messages (are they specific enough and are they appropriate to the selected author, texts or research)

• Terry Pratchett Equal Rites
• Explore/celebrating - need more focus.
• capture humour
• Interesting idea for and animation book concept
• Existing proposal should be expanded upon after this crit.

Comment on the Visual concept of the proposal (are the decisions about aesthetics, media, colour, appropriate to the intended tone of voice, mood and or/concept)

• Beginning to think about possible aesthetics hand drawn and cut out materials
• Misogyny in heavily placed theme - try to keep this as an undercurrent theme
• Evidence of Visual development on blog (needs more further developed work however too)

Comment on the clarity with which the audience or context has informed decisions relating to format, duration, media, and content.

• Fans of Terry Pratchets work
• Blog shows evidence of critical analysis of contextual references. Excellent.
• Critical analysis of artists/work.
• Good stuff!

Comment on the Extent to which the planning of time and resources has been effectively considered in order to enable the production of the proposed work in the time available. (Are the action plans and project management sheets specific with regards to workloads, deadlines and timescales)

• Need to start story-boarding work to make more sense of the final piece
• This has not been documented on my blog

Suggested action plan:

Actions/Reason:

• Look towards other more specific animators work, to help me gain some more useful clarity.
• Story boarding/to make clear my proposal and content, to others and myself.

Here is my own Action plan that I took along to the crit:

• Find some more truly inspirational (including still illustration) to help me discover my desired aesthetics. (Look in books and on specialist websites)
• Draw out practices for what I want to precisely illustrate/communicate.
• Re-read the book, identify out my moments and then illustrate them - or explore in my visual journal.
• Ask and find out about how to produce this style of book animation format.
• Complete all outstanding blog work and update.

Progress Tutorial

Tutors Comment:

Define specific deliverables as discussed. Simply your ideas for etchings and decide on scale and format. You need to inform your decisions with contextual references.

Student Response/Self-evaluation:

I have forgotten to keep the brief in directly in mind - I need to go away and take on board this advice and write up a very clear and specific plan for the future, this will help me to see where I want to go and what I need to do.

• I need to go and tidy up my blogs, use issue, type up responsive and other such written feedback things, as this is always time well spent reflecting, rereading and reconsidering.
• Catalogue (and do) much much more animation/moving image work and development.
• There are some nice qualities of lines - so I should remember not to get too complicated, be simplicity and create beautiful lines.
• I need to re read the brief.

It could be good if I set myself up and planned, then expanded in the right direction. 

I must be carful of lapsing into this 'Jessie world' of mad tangents, far fetched connections and strange ideas, or else no one will have any idea what is going on, especially when this is crossed over with 'Terry Pratchett World'. 'Jessie world' and 'Terry Pratchett World' can come across more naturally in my animation. 

Contextual refrences

Requiem for Romance by Johnathan Ng

Requiem for Romance from Jonathan Ng on Vimeo.

I really like the ink backgrounds that move around this animation and the gestural, expressive brush pen aesthetics. they're really impressive effective. They give the whole animation a much stronger and more emotive feel to them, especially with the use of cooler colours. The very evident handcrafted nature of the ink running textures also gives this animation a sort of extra dimensional feel, where you are made to think about the animation being made by some one (that is relevant to the content of the animation|) as opposed to just watching a 2D box on a screen and being caught up in that single reality story.

SB3 Printed Project Proposals

BA (Hons) Illustration - Level 05

OUIL504 Illustration 1: Process & Production

STUDIO BRIEF 3 PROJECT PROPOSAL: Printed Pictures

I intend to produce ……

A series of 6 or possibly eight prints, of very small etchings, possibly in a square format. (would like to produce eight but will see how it goes as it is a lengthy process. They will be of motifs and key imagery which show off the themes and content of Terry Pratchett's novel Equal Rites. Perhaps even as part of a specialist series of illustration for the book, so two could well be the cover and end page and the rest could be found at the start of the chapters. Use magic/sea life imagery to create relevant backgrounds. I would like these etchings to be a beautiful celebration of the book and story.

The content will focus on (identify 3 specific themes, texts or concepts)

1. Iconic/key imagery and motives from equal rites. 2. Magic 3. Humour

I will be aiming to communicate (identify 3 specific messages, ideas, moods etc.)

1. The over sense of Equal rites, the basic (odd and brilliant) characters and motifs. 2. The humorous strange qualities of This book and some of its many striking imagery.  3. The overall undercurrent faint but constant theme of the book of misogyny, and how it can't be justified other than with the argument 'just because!'.

To an audience of ….. (name 3 characteristics)

1. Quite a general audience, it could appeal to quite a few, but most of all it might be of particular interest to any who know the book. 2. Fan's of Terry Pratchett's work. 3. Book and prints lovers.

Contextual Animation References

Some Videos that I have found to be inspiring, and that I am looking at to develop along my ideas and what I think that I could achieve.

Aesthetics:

Pistache by Valérie Pirson:

• Like the tracing paper and backlit/light box set up and look.
• The cut shape jerky, erratic and fun movement of the characters, I find it adds to the delicate aesthetic of this particular piece, which is something that I lean towards creating with my own work.
• The colours and tones blend well and once again compliment the concept and message of this video.
• I like the mix of animation techniques, I find it clever and makes the animation more interesting and beautiful in its way.
• I like the way the it seems to move across a seemingly still image, i.e. when it shows the periodic table. - I think I might be interested in trying to convey some information in this more erratic way too.

Mystery Music - Nicolas Mahler (2009)

I quite like this drawing as you go approach, and the simplistic aesthetic of the line, although the look of the lines themselves is perhaps a bit too clean cut for what I am interested in. Its a fun piece of animation though, it demonstrates of playful a tool it can be.

Nicolas Mahler - MYSTERY MUSIC from Ulrich Troyer on Vimeo.

Birth to Nap, John Lane

Sketchy Draw line aesthetic, I particualry like the sense of movement, and to a clumsily portrayed degree here - charm.

Birth to Nap from John Lane on Vimeo.

Concept:

I would like to try and create an animation that developed and was displayed across a book and its turning pages, so I looked up some examples for reference and to see ways in which it might be effective for my ideas.

Dog from Meghana Bisineer on Vimeo.

Dog (2010) By Meghana Bisineer. 

The aesthetic and specific mood it creates of this isn't what I am quite aiming for, but this idea of having the frame for the animation as this 3D book with the pages turing as the sequence develops is one that I would quite like to achieve. I'm not a fan of the noise to this animation, but I suppose it lends to the dog digging more serious and sad aesthetic.

This is just quite cool but irrelevant really to what I am doing:

le livre qui tourne ses pages tout seul / version 3 from éditions volumiques on Vimeo.