Character Development for Posters

Penguin Practice

For the post natal depression poster I think I will use my characters based on penguins. 

I was struggling to get the perspectives quite right on my initial ink drawings, so I decided to do a few pencil sketches to get my eye in. I think it helped a bit as, the ink drawing that I did to follow that was much more proportionately feasible. 

I had some fun tidying them up on photoshop and playing about with the effect and feel different colours give them. I would say though that cleaning them up this digitally takes quite a lot of the sensitivity out of the drawings, so I should aim to try and keep they're papery authentic feel for next time.

Progress Tutorial 30th April

Some of the key points to take from my tutorial:

My plan of creation for 505 = 

• Produce a series of 6 posters, using animal characters that cover mental illnesses more broadly, and would be designed to go in quite general places, such as around universities, or medical clinics.
• Produce a booklet which focus's in more specifically on depression, choose a specific audience (students). The objective of the booklet is to help those suffering recognise the condition within themselves, and to provide some advice, tips and general words of encouragement. 
• I should also mock up a web page, one with these campaign type illustrations as a part of a pre existing mental health charity's web page.
• The second web page should be a mock up of my own website, one that brand me as an illustrator that produces these types of medicinal/guide/mindfulness type illustrations. 

Other general pointers:

• My work is quite small, so I should consider how it will work on a page when I blow it us to say A2 poster scale. (have a practice at scanning in my writing and images at a really high resolution.)
• Interactive Flyers: I should/will further extend the depression information booklet to a range of different context's also, such as flyers. I also like the idea of creating something interactive, like including my designs on a paper aeroplane net, that the receivers could fold up and fly around. Or perhaps an origami person, or a fortune teller that could answer questions about the illness. My tutor suggested that these lightened the idea and help to remove the stigma attached to 'mental illnesses'.
• I should speak to Anne Trusson, from our student support department. She may have a copy of text that I could use for my book, which then I could illustrate around. (Otherwise just stick to using what I have already gathered from the NHS.) But also to show her my work as she herself does a lot of work on mindfulness, and getting people to reduce the stress impact on their lives. She might even be interested in potentially using some of the work that I am producing. 
• i should aim to really nail the crafting of my images, because the rest will all fall into place more easily once I am happy with my images.
• Use colour as an emotional and visual device.

Responsive End of Module Self Evaluation

This has been a module that I have definitely struggled with. I have found it difficult as creating finished work and final pieces is the thing that I find the hardest, and that has essentially been the focus of this module, taking on lots of briefs and turning them round in a much shorter space of time, and displaying them in a professional manner and envisioning them in context. All has been rather a test on my still developing yearling-like photoshop skills. However I have really enjoyed some of the variety of briefs that I have taken on.

I enjoyed particularly the reportage brief, it was different to the others in the sense that is was allowing me to simply nurture and build on a body of drawings, and this body just evolves to become my final work. This to me is much easier than trying to straight away produce a resolved finished piece, and it I think it suits my creative and more inventive way of working, I love to experiment. If I had pushed further perhaps some really interesting results.

This has been one of my first proper experiences of working in collaboration with another like minded practitioner in the subject of design, I found Jake to be a good partner, his graphic design skills balanced well my drawing and image making mindset. We set ourselves quite a challenge by taking on an animation brief, as both of us had only the most minimal experience in animating. We managed to accomplish our brief relatively successfully, with our final outcome receiving positive feedback. I have always felt my work would benefit from collaborating with a graphic designer, as I am good at being an experimental image maker, but not at framing or layout (lets not even mention typography). I have found it therefore to be a positive and informative experience working so closely with someone studying in these fields specifically, its opened my mind and eyes to their ways of working, so that I hope in the future I can at least consider these things that bit more, and improve as I go along with them. The partnership did get difficult towards the end, I felt like I could have really done with support with finishing the animation off, as I am not a confident animator and another person available to discuss and validate decisions can make things go a lot more quickly, (as I also find this a good way to improve my skills on the software.) but my partner on a few occasions didn't want to get out of bed.

Some positives from this module are that my drawing has developed if nothing else, and my ability with technology has definitely improved (tragically as surprising as that seem to one looking at my design boards particularly.) I also had never done such an lengthy and in depth brief analysis before, now after having done that I feel like I can capitalise on this a little more in future briefs, so long as I take the time to apply these skills. It also has been slightly rewarding seeing all of my final work together in my project report, despite not being overly please with many of the outcomes themselves.

On the whole I am very disappointed with how I have performed in this module, I kept disorganised for too long and have really let myself down for it. This was an opportunity to really push and better myself, and perhaps gain a bit more confidence by submitting and putting out work that I feel proud to have my name attached to. So for the future I will aim to do somethings differently. Firstly to be more committed to the briefs I am taking on, and ensure that I give them the time that they deserve, so I need to make sure that very early on I arrange at least a few concentrated sessions on it that will allow me to progress my ideas. Another thing to improve is that I need to blog much more as I go, this will help me to get the most out of the analytical nature of it, and have the time to improve on things when I reflect on them too, it is no longer acceptable or good enough to be stating all of the things that I think are bad and ought to change at the end of a module like I have done a bit here. I need to really start pushing myself more and demanding the best, I think I have proved to myself that I have more than enough potential to be able to excel at these briefs, but potential isn't good enough anymore. I need to get more confident about creating finalised work for other people, once I start really pushing myself I know that I could achieve good things.

Project Report

Final Design Boards and animation for Collaborative Practice

Design Boards for Individual Practice - Interflora

Other Individual Responses

Final Book Template

Black still doesn't feel like the right colour, but white was too pale against the background, I should have further developed other colours further in hindsight. The watercolour successfully encompasses the whole book. It was a fun challenge to create artwork to fit around such a specific template, and is nice to see my designs sitting in context. The orange drawing on the front needs developing though, and it is basically just floating in the middle, I should have tried to test out some improved compositions, but I neglected to do that in the time constraints that I left myself to complete it before the deadline closed.

Wedding Invitations

Brief is to design and paint a watercolour wedding invitation, with a floral pattern around the edge.

The wedding will be set in a rustic barn, so not so much roses and more wild flower vibes.

Flowers to include:

-White cream nudes

- Mustard yellow lilies

- Bay leafs

- Wild flowers

These are my more resolved idea. 

I think the flowers are certainly in keeping with what was specified, they have a rustic and more wild flower feel. It is a shame however that they cannot look more vibrant. 

Contextual Research - Cancer Advert

I saw this advert and thought it was quite striking, and very interesting to find a way to try and communicate the emotional and mental struggles for suffers. It feels more rare for an television advert to communicate and campaign about a major illness in a conceptual way such as this.

I like the way that is very effectively communicates how individuals can feel hopelessly and vastly alone in their struggles, and how they can be going though all this in any situation, such as even the pub with friends. it also so shows how other individuals can help in just a little and achievable way that might makes all the difference.

Moleskin Reportage and Documentary Drawing Award 2015

REPORTAGE AND DOCUMENTARY DRAWING AWARD 2015

Entry form: refer to guidelines and terms and conditions

Send with your entry by wetransfer to gary.embury@uwe.ac.uk

You will receive a confirmation email. If not email the above.

Name:  Jessie Mary Broad

Age:  19

Date of Birth:  31.05.1995

Country of Residence: United Kingdom

Nationality:  British

Category entered: Student

If student category, name and course you attend or attended if within one year:

BA (hons) Illustration, Leeds College of Art.

Email: jb251318@students.leeds-art.ac.uk

Name of Project: The real life of Horse Competitions

Description of project: This collection of sketches describe something of the behind the scenes nature of horse competitions, and aim to show it with less of the stigma that surrounds it. The viewpoints are quite unique to an individual; these competitions are places where, one can notice many little moments that perhaps no one else will see. To keep up with the fluid nature of drawing on location, my medium is of brush pen and biro, with watercolour washes, they can record quickly and expressively.

Some of the Other reportage Sketchbook work:

 Final Five Images That I submitted:

The work that I produced for this really doesn't do myself any credit. There are some nice gestural drawings, that are relatively descriptive but overall they are not bound together by a clear or interesting enough concept. I was looking at reporting the behind the scenes side of horse competitions, but I do not have anything consistent enough/generally enough drawings for my body of work to be very impressive or impressionable. The only tiny little positive is that I did have fun drawing on location.

Christmas Card Design number 2

After having created a Christmas Card for my family, I got one family friend who had received it approach me and request that I design them one too!

They used to have two lovely turkeys, and so they want a card based around them.

Here is some of the work that I have for it so far:

Here is a more developed turkey image. It's not vibrant or colourful enough for a festive Christmas card. It needs more character and charm about it.

So far this turkey card isn't proving very successful, but I suppose Turkeys tend to die around christmas anyway. 

Little Responsive Brief

A fellow member of East Lothian P.C. had a very nasty fall and broke her leg and hip in several places! So the District Commissioner asked me to make her a get well soon card for everyone to sign:

I know that this isn't really Responsive Module worthy stuff, but it has all the essence of a little commission, and it was time not spent on more valuable coursework!!! 

I know that the production of it and the images are a bit rubbish, but it served a purpose in a sense that the people that signed it liked it, and then in turn it was a lovely and well appreciated gesture to the poor girl.

Creating of Final Vice Animation

Here is the initial animation:

Pros:

• Music is fun and appealing to the audience, gives the characters the humours edge we were after.
• The text looks good, the decision to use a serif font to keep in with the traditional British image that Rule Britannia mildly dips into seems successful.
• Colours are good, a contemporary twist on iconic red, white and blue.
• Received positive feedback about 

Cons:

• A lot of white space.
• Characters not of a very good drawing quality.
• Timings are all a little off with the music, its not quite matched or flowing and cuts out too soon.
• Feedback made it quite clear that the characters at the end were just too fast to be seen.

I tidied up the animation so that the music fit better with the moving images, the characters still need to be resolved at the end though.

I had a go at including some colour into the animation, but then I accidentally just made a really bad Jack Wills advert: 

(The vertical moving pink and blue stripes are far too Jack Wills looking for this to be a remotely credible Vice animation, lol.) 

Here is the final Vice! 

The colour addition is totally awful it really ought to be moving, but towards the end of the project I just ran out of time and was no longer quite getting support on the decision making of the aesthetics of the animation imagery. My aftereffects animating skills only stretch so far before my confidence and patience runs out.

Penguin Random House Adult Fiction Design Award

Oranges Aren't the only Fruit

The Brief

Jeanette Winterson’s writing is vivid, experimental and imaginative and your cover design should reflect this.

It should appeal to a contemporary, enquiring and literary readership.

This book has been chosen because there are many themes and layers within. Try and reflect this in your design.

Your cover design needs to include all the cover copy as supplied and be designed to the specified design template (B format, 198mm high x 129mm wide, spine 14.5mm wide).

What the judges are looking for:

We are looking for a striking cover design that is well executed, has an imaginative concept and clearly places the book for its market. While all elements of the jacket need to work together as a cohesive whole, remember that the front cover must be effective on its own and be eye-catching within a crowded bookshop setting. It also needs to be able to work on screen for digital retailers such as Amazon.

Here is some of my development for this brief, since I was trying to turn it around fairly quickly I didn't spend a long time articulating out very clear or legible development plans to other people, but here are a few of the ideas I sketched out:

Here is some contextual research into Penguin book covers that I find interesting and appealing on pintrest:

Follow Jessie's board Penguin Book Covers on Pinterest.

21st April - Peer Review/Tutorial for 505

Pros

• My drawings have developed a lot since the start of this year.
• sensitive aesthetic
• some successful narrative going on. 
• keeping going with animals as they are a good way to characterise mental health as they are less intimidating. This feedback also supports one of my original rationals for using animals, animals do not have any stigmas attached to them in the form of gender or race differences.

Helpful Pointers

• Be audience specific
• Write yourself a specific brief, e.g. an aspect of mental health that affects a certain demographic.
• Push narrative
• push drawings, use frame and composition to communicate, i.e distance and the characters facing away from each other to communicate the isolating nature of post natal depression.

At the moment my work for this is quite all over the place, but in the crit it was suggested that I can go down two slightly different ways of resolving my work. So I am going to aim to produce a series of posters using the animals to communicate the conditions. I.e. a range of posters about the different types of depression, that will contain a few facts and places where people can go for help. 

My second strand that I would like to go down is to take one condition, and find a very specific audience and look at exploring this in a little leaflet type book that aims to enlighten and to help those that might be suffering.

Final Design for Interflora Creation

Here is a little extract from my sketchbook of some early ideas and thumbs. My concept is to convey this idea that grandparents can and do have some intriguing and perhaps even very mildly scandalous or shocking stories to tell. The problem with this is finding the perfect way to a) achieve this in a still image, and b) ensure that the humour is not too crude, and the whole illustration is kept classy and still is appropriate and appeals to all.

Development of the image: 

The background was sitting uncomfortably, so I tried experimenting with ink washes and textural scans in photoshop to see if I could get the image to come together a bit more. The purple doesn't really work, it isn't enough of a contrast from the characters, so they just sort of fuzzily blend in. The idea of using a purple ink wash was that purple is often a colour associated with luxury and quality, perhaps due to it's somewhat occasional regal connotations. (So that it can be all the more in keeping with Interflora's careful mage and strict tone of voice guidelines) it hasn't really worked in this instance, the colour isn't quit rich enough (as for the image to legible the opacity has to be turned down. I tired to avoid this washing out effect, but not to much avail sadly.)

The brushstroke behind the text at the top is to try and give it that expressive and luxe aesthetic that I have been trying to achieve all along with this project. It's certainly not perfect. 

I tired it on this cream colour and texture, and the contrast is much better. Cream is another colour than is often has connotations of being more luxe.

My Final Image:

I am totally disappointed with my final design for this brief, I think that the colours are really bad, a bit frumpy and naff. The characters aren't drawn very well, they need a lot more practice and refinement, however the problem with my characters is that they are very imperfections but somewhat expressive. So the harder that I try to draw and improve them, more the dead and bad that they get.

I am slightly pleased with the flowers and how they turned out, but even they are not half as impactful and inky and delicate  as I would like them to be, here they look rather computerised and flat, and they should probably be even more centre focus!

Here is the proof that is all submitted though, as awful as it is, it is still managed to make it out there to be seen by others. I feel like a failed parent right now.

Oranges are not the only fruit

Here is some of my development for this brief, since I was trying to turn it around fairly quickly I didn't spend a long time articulating out very clear or legible development plans to other people, but here are a few of the ideas I sketched out.

It took quite a lot of shuffling and then reshuffling to get the layout feeling semi decent, below are the variations that I went through. I played the break-glass for emergency card, and used Helvetic as a font, this was mostly down to its very universal and contemporary but still a classic nature. I tried to keep to not having more than three variations of the type on the one page, although I'm not sure how successfully I have achieved this. I mean it definitely doesn't look awful, but its not something I feel comfortable describing as remotely 'good'. I'm a little out of my depth, but it is very satisfying applying my work to a template such as this!

Self-esteem Booklet

I converted some illustrations from my sketchbook into a little booklet of information, like a step by step guide.

I had a lot of fun making these little drawing, and they turned out more successful than I might have anticipated.

The quality of these drawings isn't very good, but like the characters of Quentin Blake, (who for the record, I have never tried to consciously be like, but am always delighted to be associated with), they are not perfectious, but rather very descriptive and communicative of expression, feelinf and movement. So I suppose it's okay if my little drawings aren't the best that I think they could be.

That said they wouldn't hurt from being a bit neater/clearer.

The John King Young Artist Award

For another individual responsive brief to take on I have decided to enter the John King Young Artist Award, which is run by The Pony Club in association with the Society of Equestrian Artists. The Brief is quite loose.

Here is my refined self set brief:

BA (Hons) Illustration - Level 05

OUIL503 Responsive - Studio Brief 1

BRIEF TITLE

The John King Young Artist Award

Brief

To paint your favourite Pony Club Memory.

One entry is allowed per person.

Entrants must be a current Member of a Pony Club Branch or Centre in the United Kingdom.

The drawing or painting should have a title suggested by this year's theme of "Friendship". It should be a personal memory or idea, and if needed, references should be taken from your own or your family's collection of photos, and not from a magazine or published professional material (i.e. when the copyright for the image belongs to someone else.) The judges will be looking for a well thought out, well painted or drawn picture that successfully conveys the idea being pictured. They will be looking for originality, a flair for colour or drawing, and good use of materials.

The subject of the work must be equestrian-related.

The piece must be entirely the artist's own work.

By entering the competition, entrants give their express permission to allow their work to be used for publicity if required.

There are three separate age categories: 11 years and Under, 12-16 Years, and 17 Years and Over.

Deadline for entries is Monday 1st June 2015.

Product

Painting or artwork that communicates a very personal example of 'friendship' from memories within the pony club. I will produce mine to no larger than an A3 format. 

Tone of Voice

I want to evoke a sensitivity through use of water-colour and water based paints.

Expressive, delicate, refined moments of detail.

Friendly, amiable, warm. 

Audience

Members of the Society of Equestrian Artists.

Pony club members (ages up to 25)

Parents of members.

Volunteers that help to run the club,

and other such stake holders in the organisation, i.e. sponsors, trainers, judges.

Context

For an annual competition, which the top 15 entries will be displayed at pony club national championships, Cheshire, for the whole of the UK.

Additional information/Considerations:

This artwork is proceed for the Pony Club, and if your work is selected they hold the right to use it as a part of their promotional material. This suggests that an images that is quite friendly and a positive advert of this organisation will be more successful.If artwork is selected then I will be required to provide a frame for it myself, so it is advisable to keep it in more commercial formats.

Mandatory Requirements:

Entrants must be a member of The Pony Club.

Works can be no larger than A2.

For submission the image must be no more than 3mb.

Images and references must be your own, so that no copyright is infringed.

Deliverables:

A singular painting, or piece of artwork based on the theme of friendship within pony club memories.A jpeg/photograph of this artwork no larger than 3mb for the online submission. 

I asked my tutor and peer group at the end of a review for another module if they could critique this image for me. Here are some of the helpful points and pointers that they gave me:

• The blue = less warm, and although you can see that the blue paint stroke is perhaps emotionally connecting them.
• Perhaps instead use a bit of an unexpected colour wash when painting the actual figures, i.e. something warm that compositionally links them quite subtly, but securely.
• Perhaps include the human figures other arm to further intertwine the pair.
• The human face is undefined, improve detail of the face and the hand to bring the piece together more. 
• Try t make it as expressive as possible. 

I was unsure about how best to compose this image, wether I should crop the unfinished edges of the characters out, but feed back said that they liked the unfinished edges and that in this instance it added to the over all feeling of the piece and its aesthetic.

Other ideas for creating an image which communicates friendship would be to illustrate the pair doing everyday tasks together like homework. 

Here is my developed final Image:

Cons:

• Girls face is still quite clumsy and unclear
• perhaps lost some of its wonderful original expressiveness.
• Totally lacks frame or composition. (gopping.)
• Not enough 'happy' expression shown in the horse's eye.

Pros:

• Morse colour and warmth.
• Image has a slightly more together and finished look.
• Contrast of negative space and the pair makes brushstrokes and image stand out much more, uniting the two figures with the like colours, and giving off a sense of them being secluded in their own little space where the only focus is their bond. (I didn't articulate that very well.)
• Unfinished brushstrokes adds to the sense of the two only being apparent of each other and not noticing reality around them.
• Hand is much clearer.

Project Proposal

Project Rationale:

What are you proposing to do?

Either a little book of