Animation Testing and Problems.

Today I stayed in uni until 7, I worked for 7 hours on my animation and got absolutely nowhere. Im struggling to add colour unfortunately. But tomorrow is a new day and hopefully will be more successful. I really want to get the animation out of the way so that I can focus on my prints. I really want to do lino and screen, so I need quite a bit of time set aside for the print room.

Ive made the art work ready to animate, and I made a very very rough mock just to remind myself how to use after effects, please don't judge this...

Unfortunately I had to change my idea, because I designed an animation that was in portrait format, and then realised it was landscape. It was possible to scale it down, but there was too much empty space, as above. But its all changed now so hopefully tomorrow i'll be able to get a large chunk of it done.

Kate Gibb - Screen printing research

I really love how diverse Kate Gibbs practice is. Here are a selected few of her prints that she did for a french newspaper. It amazes me that most of her practice is screen printed and collaged, and is an inspiration that its possible to continue screen printing after university.

Even though these are screen prints, I feel like the texture makes them look ever so slightly like mono prints. Theres so much you can do with traditional print methods in order to keep it exciting. I definitely want to keep pushing this side of my practice, and I'm excited to get onto printing my finals.

Im considering keeping a border on my prints at the moment, just like here, just without the colour behind it.

Somewhere along the line, whether it be in my finals or in my tests I want to try and produce some textures like this, possibly with mono printing, even though I'm not so good with mono. 

Trial and Error.

Did these ready to work from for my final images. Added extra detail and changed the layouts etc. Really happy with these, think I'm at a point where I can draw the finals for the screen prints. However, I wanted to try a few backgrounds, just incase I found something better than the gestural marks. 

I drew some Mexican patterns to highlight that part of her life and thought id try these. However when iI added them in as a background they really didn't work very well. I think theres just too much going on whereas the gestural marks just highlight the details. 

Tried a new thing on photoshop too, called define pattern which is amazing! Which allowed me to fill the areas I wanted with the pattern, like the one below. I tried it with two shades of red, but it still takes away from the style I want. I think the patterns are far too structured, whereas the marks are much more fluid and haphazard, which is something I'm trying to reflect and relate back to my author. I like that the others were a little crazy, it resembles her much better.

On the whole I'm glad I tried it. When I started I thought it was a great idea and it would look really good, but its good to be wrong in order to reflect and go back to the drawing board. Helps me visualise things and to push ideas forward, and its made me more confident in which direction to take.

What to do next-

- A bunch of gestural marks on a3 paper, enough so that I can choose which one works best with which.

- I have the elements for the finals that I want, so now its just a case of drawing them.

- Get to the print room and go for it!

Screen printing

Had a great time screen printing. Really happy with my outcomes, and I feel pretty ready to do my finals now. I realised when I was printing that i definitely need to allow myself time to make mistakes. Things do go wrong. Quite a few of my prints didn't come out as id intended.

What I want to do now is add a little more detail into the second layer, so the black. I need to consider the background colour, and what stock I'm going to use. At the moment I like the coloured ones or the off white, want to use really good stock for a maximum quality print. I think i'll do loads of variations when I'm in the print room just so that I get the best possible outcome.

Things I've learnt from this session and what I need to do:

- I like having a big border. So my final prints will be a3 in size but on a2 paper. 

- Allow time for mistakes.

-Add a little more detail into the prints. 

-This work is so so different from all of my past work and I love it! Need to stop being afraid of being different and creating work I actually love making. 

Changing ideas and getting ready for screen print.

Had a really good talk about my work with Ben the other day and its completely opened my eyes to a different direction I could take my work.

Since getting an A3 sketchbook I feel my work has progressed loads. Its usually when I'm not thinking too much and using my brush pen that I get the best results. Ben and I discussed the crazy pages I've been doing like the one above, and how they resinate with Carrington more so than the more refined detailed drawings. I want to capture her surrealism and her characters more than anything else, so I prepared the images below ready for screen print. I want it to look a bit crazy and and haphazard in order to capture the side of Carrington that I want. I feel this work reflects her more so than a lot of my other stuff, so I'm pretty happy with this direction at the moment. Will have to see how they turn out. 

                      Gestural marks for background.       Second layer, probably going to be black.

Colour testing on photoshop.

Getting some inspiration

Been getting back into using pinterest. Its been great to visualise the things id like and to think collectively about how to bring the elements I like into my prints. Looking a lot at certain mark making and gestural marks for background inspiration for my screen prints. Also been looking at lino reductions in order to see how effective they are and how to go about the technique myself. 

I now need to make some gestural marks or patterns as a background and see what they would look like underneath my top images ready for screen.

https://www.pinterest.com/tb255910/about-the-author/

Lino and Mono workshops

I love being in the print room. So these workshops were really enjoyable for me. Mono print is a nice quick way to make a lot of work, however I didn't feel I was any good at it at all! I'd like to have another go at it though, see if I can produce anything better than in this session. The mono prints above were the only ones I was happy with that day, so would like to scan them in and photoshop them a little.
Lino is completely new to me this year but I love it! I want to take these back and do lino reductions on them, I've cut out the reduction already i just need to go and print them.

Im really happy with the ones in the darker colours, I think that was a lot neater than the other one but  will see which works best when another colour is added. Ive already started working on some more lino mockups.

Printmaking is definitely something I want to push forward in my practice, and I can see myself taking this route in the future. So I need to make full use of the facilities available to me while Im in college.

Poster for Peace

The brief-
In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the first UN General Assemblyresolution, which established the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons and all weapons of mass destruction, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs is pleased to sponsor the UN Poster for Peace Contest.

The contest aims to raise awareness of the need for nuclear disarmament and to inspire citizens across the globe to add their voices, and use their artistic talents, to promote a world free of nuclear weapons.

Submitted posters must be original and in the 60 by 90 centimetres (2 feet x 3 feet) format. Also, posters must be created using traditional methods (pens, pencils, crayons, charcoal, oil paint, acrylic paint, watercolour, etc.) or modern digital illustration process.

Maximum file size: 10 MB. File type: JPEG, PNG or PDF. All entries will be judged using the same criteria: creativity, composition, theme and technique.

I really like the sound of this brief, as its something I can put my own voice and beliefs into. I like to create work that could help change and shape the future. Therefore I will give this a go.

The Christmas Card

After having a quick go at this brief previously, I knew I wasn't satisfied with what I had done. I discussed various ideas with a friend, and we thought it would be better to have a card that resinated Leeds, that showed where it was coming from. 

Thats how I got here, Leeds civic hall covered in snow. In all honesty I was really proud of this piece, mainly because I used a wacom to colour it all in, which is something very new for me. 

Yes it took me a while to do, and i could have come up with a much simpler idea that was just as effective, but I felt like I pushed myself on this one and for a change was happy with the results. 

The good:

-  Quite pleased with the line work (no ruler used) 

- Considering I'm new to the wacom, I was pleased with the results

- Personally quite happy with the concept, much better than my last one, so glad I did it again.

To be improved:

- Im not completely happy with the type, I tried writing it myself so many times, and I'm just not sure it really fits. Sometimes I wish I was a graphic designer and an illustrator!

- I think the overall feel is a bit too cold. I know its snowing but I wanted the inside to look a lot warmer than it does. So darker yellow next time to show the glowing inside!

I did not win the competition, but I got this lovely email to say thanks so thats pretty cool.

After Effects workshop 4

Everything you want to animate on After effects must be on separate layers in photoshop before moving them over.

When importing, need to click composition-retain layer size if you want a panning background and the layers to remain separated. 

Always check the duration of composition in composition settings too.

How to create a loop on after effects (repetition) 

Copy and paste the key frames is an option, but theres still in-between key frames which means it will go back and forth rather than start from the same point as the first. So to make a smooth loop, you need to right click on the second key frame and then select toggle hold keyframe as shown above. The key frame will change shape and it means that it will be fixed to that point until the next key frame. So copy and paste those key frames to keep a rhythmic movement that starts and ends in the same place throughout.

The closer the key frame is to the toggled one the faster it will be. 

Cmd + d = duplicate

This duplicates a whole layer but in the exact same place. So press 'U' and it shows all keyframes in a layer. Click the word 'position', make the time bar go to any of the key frames and then you can move the whole lot as one, this way you can stagger the movement of each layer. 

If you want to change the speed at the end, select all, press alt and drag key frames.

AUDIO

Well considered audio is necessary. 

Must find royalty free audio. 

In after effects must use either mp3, aiff or wav files.

Trim the audio if needed when in after effects, not before.

Audio is imported the exact same way as other files.

Double click it so that it opens in separate tab.

Take the bar back to the start and then just drag from the end down to 15 secs or however you want it.

Audio levels make it louder, quieter etc

Wave form= visual representation of sound

Can put key frames in the audio to fade the song in and out as shown below.

To make it fade out like this you have to make 2 key frames then drag the blue numbers either up or down depending what you want it to do. -48 is silence.

To make the cloud the parent layer, which means the layers will move as a group with the cloud you just have to click cloud on every rain layer in the parent bar. 

Once changed to parent mode, it changed all of the layers as a group, so if you changed position they would all change etc all except opacity.

Here's what I made today! Think I feel ready to make my own now, best do it soon before I forget everything! 

Boomerang designs

So my Dad is hosting the European Boomerang Championships next year (yes its a real thing) and he asked if I wouldn't mind working on an idea for the t-shirts. Its quite a large event believe it or not, with many people attending to take part in the event. So I was quite happy to work on some ideas for him. It was only to get some initial ideas down, but I thought this might count for something towards my small individual briefs.

This is my favourite idea, with the Welsh flag (where it will be held) and the European flag merging. 

I showed this to my Dad and he wanted me to change it a little so that both of the flags were on clear display.

So this was the final outcome for the initial design. It was good to do something like this at the beginning of the module, got the ball rolling a bit. Although it was just for my Dad, and just some initial visual ideas, I still had to communicate with him on a professional level, and take on board what he wanted and apply it to the style I had chosen to work in.

I will hopefully go on to finish this during the summer, and then next year it will be printed onto hundreds of t-shirts. 

Research into animation

After watching Made you look the other day, I went and researched Moross studios. And found this little gem that they made, which is definitely a moving image, so i can relate it to what were doing at the moment.

Nothing massive changes the whole way through, just the colours and various facial expressions and the occasional shapes flying around. Its simple, yet so effective, especially because the timing with the beat is completely perfect. 

Again looking at shape, really want to incorporate shape into my animation somehow.

Christmas card brief

 Thought id have a quick go at the christmas card brief today. Just a practice run. These are by no means finals, and I'm not completely happy with any of them. 

Things to consider and keep in mind-

-audience

-tone of voice

- who I'm making it for (college)

Things I don't like-

- The angle of the polar bears head.

-Black outlines

-The type, would rather hand write it.

Things to consider-

-The card is coming from Leeds, so should perhaps have something that represents Leeds in it.

-I like the mouse, would like to work it into the next design.

- Roughs work in my favour, I should do some next time.

Responsive 5/11/15 and Made You Look

I think this session really opened my eyes to how much work I need to do for responsive, and that i best get a move on. I was (and still slightly am) confused about what a counts as a big brief. I thought that creating a book cover for one of the penguin books would constitute for a big brief, but it does not. If I was to do two or three penguin book covers, that would be a big one.
Best get a move on!

What i took away from todays session
I need to work on the problem of the brief.
I must consider core values, what the company values etc
Branding is about humanising relationships. Need to be able to connect with a brand.
Must always have in mind the message i want to present.
Consider everything! Emotions, mood, audience, values, themes etc
The more we do now, the less we'll have to do later.

I need a plan of action. I have a few thoughts in mind of certain briefs I'd like to take on. But I need to narrow these down and really think about which ones would be most suited to me and the way I work.
Current thoughts

• Poster for peace is a definite. Ive always said I want to make a difference with my illustration, and I think this is perfect for that reason. It relates to my values and what I believe.
• Penguin children's book cover 'Emil and the detectives' - never tried to illustrate anything for children before, and lately I feel my style might be heading that way, so would be good to see if I can create anything successful.
• The LCA christmas card brief. The deadline is next Friday, and I think it would be a good quick one to get me into the swing of things. (plus £30 to spend in the shop would be awesome)

I really need to think about a large brief to take on now. 

Made you look

I went to watch this film at hyde park picture house when it travelled to Leeds. Its pretty heart warming in a way, that theres a whole film about illustrators and graphic designers in todays creative industry.

What I liked about it-
I like seeing how professionals work in the industry. I love listening to what they have to say, and seeing all of the eclectic ways in which they work.
What I didn't like about it-
This might just be me but as far as documentaries go, I didn't feel it really had a point? It was all about creatives in the digital age, but I felt like it stayed on the fence about digital vs traditional the whole way through. Could be argued that this is a good thing though, in that I may not have agreed at all if it was all for digital and vice versa. I don't know.
What I'll take away from it-
Firstly, I learnt about a lot of illustrators and creatives that I didn't know about before, and that I really liked. It also opened my eyes to various possibilities in the field. I keep thinking Im going to be an illustrator and that will be the only thing I can do, but theres so so much more! Like Moross studios for example. Im really starting to like the idea of a collective of creatives that work together when I graduate.  Kate Moross is such an inspiration to me after watching this. Yeah, I guess what i mainly take away from this film is inspiration.

Stuck.

After last weeks crit I feel like I'm at a bit of a dead end with 'About the Author'. Im loosing site of what I'm doing, and where I want my work to go. Every time I think I'm getting somewhere, I seem to trip and find myself where I started. I don't think my ideas are being pushed forward enough, and I don't feel like my finals are in sight at all.

Things I need to do in order to help myself-

- Write a list of everything I want in my final images.
- Get an a3 sketchbook.
- Draw these things over and over until I have the style and composition I want
- Think about whether lino or screen print will work best for these ideas.
- Make a mock animation just to see if i can do it and then to see it the aesthetic suits the print ideas
- Stop worrying so much.

Study task 1- brief selection-what is the problem?

The Brief

Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kästner

‘After him! After him!’

Emil is excited to be going on a train all by himself, with money for his grandmother safely tucked into his pocket. But a strange man wearing a bowler hat is acting mysteriously, and soon Emil starts to feel sleepy…

The next thing he knows the man – and the money – have gone! Emil is determined to get it back and teams up with a gang of young detectives in a hair-raising chase across the city to catch the thief.

When published, Emil and the Detectives was one of the very first child detective stories, and original in that it was set in a contemporary Berlin rather than in a fantasy world. Full of unforgettable characters, it has delighted children for over eighty years.

The Brief 

Students are invited to design a whole new cover look for Emil and the Detectives to bring this classic to a new generation of readers. The design should ensure that this original and heart-warming story remains a must-read for every child.

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 width 12.5mm), incorporating the A PUFFIN BOOK branding.

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. The cover should encourage children to pick the book up and buy it for themselves and should also engage adults to want to buy it for them.

While all elements of the cover (front, back and spine) need to work together as a cohesive whole, remember that the front cover has to be able to work on its own, and to be eye-catching within a crowded bookshop setting as well as on screen at a reduced size for digital retailers.

The winning design will need to: have an imaginative concept and original interpretation of the brief

• be competently executed with strong use of typography
• appeal to the broadest possible audience for the book
• show a good understanding of the marketplace
• have a point of difference from the many other book covers it is competing against
• be able to sit on the shelves of a supermarket or ebook store as easily as it sits on those of more traditional bookshops 

Copyright must be cleared for all images used in your cover design.

What are the problems identified by the brief?

To make a book cover that is appealing to children. To be able to create a book cover that stands out among the thousands of other competitors. Must work on screen as well as in stores, so needs to look eye catching when viewed as just a small thumbnail. A book that not only communicates to children but also to the parents of the children. 

What is the brief asking you to do about these problems?

To be imaginative. Create imagery that is friendly, eye catching, and that makes people want to pick it up. I think I would have to draw through these problems, perhaps take a trip to the library and have a look at other children's books and see what's popular today. Research, and roughs will definitely help.

What is the brief trying to achieve?

A new innovative book cover for a well known children's book.

Who will benefit?

The children who read the book and enjoy the illustrations, the parents of said children. Penguin, and also the designer, to win such a big competition like this.

What is the message?

A light hearted child friendly illustration about a detective. (Haven't read the book yet so will elaborate when I have)

Who is the audience?

Children, parents, adults. As wide a range of an audience as possible, as this proves the success of the book cover.

How will the message be delivered?

Fun, upbeat illustrations, good use of typography that is easy for children to read. Carefully considered colour palette (remembering to consider thumbnail images)

Can you for see any problems responding to the brief?

Competing against a huge range of incredibly talented people. Typography, as its not something I am good at at all. Creating an illustration that inspires children to read and the parents to want them to have the book. Such a wide audience could be tricky.



Other briefs I'm really interested in...

Secret 7

We take 7 tracks from 7 of the best-known musicians around and press each one 100 times to 7” vinyl. We then invite creatives from around the world to interpret the tracks in their own style for every 7”. 700 sleeves are exhibited and then sold for £50 apiece. You don't know who created the sleeve, or even which song it's for, until you have parted with your cash - the secret lies within.

When this one is live, I really want to give it a go. I know a few of the third years did this one last year and it really excited me. Should be a cool one to work on.

Poster for Peace

In commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the first UN General Assembly resolution, which established the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons and all weapons of mass destruction, the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs is pleased to sponsor the UN Poster for Peace Contest.

The contest aims to raise awareness of the need for nuclear disarmament and to inspire citizens across the globe to add their voices, and use their artistic talents, to promote a world free of nuclear weapons.

Submitted posters must be original and in the 60 by 90 centimetres (2 feet x 3 feet) format. Also, posters must be created using traditional methods (pens, pencils, crayons, charcoal, oil paint, acrylic paint, watercolour, etc.) or modern digital illustration process.

Maximum file size: 10 MB. File type: JPEG, PNG or PDF. All entries will be judged using the same criteria: creativity, composition, theme and technique.
There is no entry fee.

Eligibility

Open to anyone of any age in all countries, though parents' permission is needed for participants younger than 13.

Prize

Three winning designs will be selected and awarded with 3,000, 2,000 and 1,000 USD respectively.
Winners will be announced on 5 March 2016.

Lino printing

Went to the print room on Friday to try printing the two lino's I had been working on. I've never done lino before so wanted to give it a go, see if I enjoyed it or not.

Got taught a few little things while I was there, such as how much ink to use and how to apply it etc. The ink needs to sound like sizzling bacon when you use your roller on it. To get an even amount of ink, you have to just roll once, then get more ink on the roller and roll the next section and so on. 

I really enjoy the whole process of lino, from tart to finish. At this point in time I'm seriously considering lino for my finals, I just need to consider time limit, and think about the other options first. We have workshops this week so shall have a good think about this after them.

• Need to work on precision of line, however I do like that its not perfect. I think thats what I love about this process.
• Need to work on getting finer details, perhaps need a smaller tool for this.
• Generally just need to practice some more.