Practitioners Essay: Notes

As part of professional practice, we are required to create a 1000 word response to the following question, which is about two of the practitioners that we have seen:
"Compare and contrast the processes and practices of your two chosen practitioners, to what extents are they defined by the external rigours of the market place/industry they operate in? Upon this analysis what lessons could be applied to your own practice?"

The practitioners that I have seen:
a) Gillian Blease
b) Truth
c) Tal Rosner
d) Patrick Thomas
e) Tracy Kendall
f) Otto Dettmer
g) Damian Gascoigne

Out of all of these practitioners, I would like to possibly write about Gillian Blease, Truth or Otto Dettmer. The reasons are that I think the work of Blease and Dettmer is quite similar in appearance but I like the complete difference in work of Truth, and I also found the lecture extremely interesting. I am unsure as to whether I should compare work that is similar or work that is completely different to one another. As I am contemplating a career in graphic design, it might be useful to my own personal project to compare the work of an illustrator and of a graphic designer, as this is the purpose of the professional practice module, therefore I will write my essay about Gillian Blease and Truth.

Teacup Developments

More teacup developments, some incorporating more imagery and some incorporating text. I'm still a bit unsure about what I want my style to look like, but I am sure that when I've found it, I will be able to produce imagery a lot faster.

Colour Schemes

Here are the five 3-colour schemes (though number 2 is slightly different to what I previously decided). I have done this to see which works better in context, before I continue to develop the imagery. I haven't narrowed it down at all, because now it is from 2,3 4 or 5! I think the purple colour in the 2nd image might be too subtle, so now it is out of 3,4 and 5. I am quite surprised by the 4th colour scheme as I didn't think I would like the blue colour, but I actually think I prefer it to the brownish colour. Decision, decisions...I'm thinking number 4 but I'm still unsure.

Teacup Development

Ian has given me some feedback about my teacup: "OK the cup appears not to be very well observed ie. how does it stand up there's no base, also the handle looks wrong, you need to get some reference." I have made some adjustments to the teacup but I do not like the results. The whole point of my design is that it doesn't look real. In all the illustrations you ever see, does every image look like what it is supposed to be? I don't mind the flat base, though I might reduce the size of this so that it looks smaller, but I still do not like the appearance of it. I do not like the handle. Though it may not have looked real, I liked the use of a full circle to show that is the handle. I think it is still clear to see that it is the handle, but I prefer the graphic style. This makes me think: HOW IMPORTANT IS IMAGERY THAT LOOKS LIKE THE REAL THING, EVEN IF YOU CAN STILL TELL WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE?

Possible Colour Schemes

Using the Colour Index, I have chosen 7 colour schemes which I like and feel would fit the theme of my imagery. I had already chosen that I wanted it to contain the colour pink, to represent the vibrancy of the Malaysian culture, yet I also wanted the colours to be simple and muted. I think my favourites from the options above are 1, 3 and 5, which are all extremely alike, but I still have a feeling it will take me forever to decide! At least I've narrowed it down to an extent. I think that I will have to apply each one of these colour palettes to a single image and compare the appearance of each one.

More Camera Ideas

Camera Idea

I came up with the design for this camera very quickly but I think I like that as I have created a simple, graphic image without thinking too much about it. The variation on the hibiscus flower that is coming out of the lens is a decorative element though I think it could represent the photographs coming out of the camera, or the photograph being taken. I do really like the graphic style of the camera though so I will continue to work with this image.

Tree and Arrow Idea

This is an alternative idea to the original palm tree, in that this one has an arrow instead of a leaf. I would like to add the title of the article, "Alternative Route" within the arrow but I think that this would be easier to do by hand and then scan in and develop. I like this image as I think it is able to send a clear message very simply.

Cloud Pattern

This is a simple cloud pattern that I have come up with that I would like to use as a faded layer behind other images. This was inspired by the process of screenprinting though I am not sure that I want to screenprint any of my images.

Experiment 2

This is another experiment but it looks really rough at the minute. I want to show the title of the article within the image, and I think that having a landscape image does work better to be used within the context of a magazine article, but there is just something about this image that I don't really like. I'm going to have to work more on this piece.

Experiment 1

This is a compositional development. The slanted lines are meant to be the sand and the sea and that is meant to be a mountain in the background, in the style of Ryohei Yanagihara. I'm not sure what colour scheme to use and I'm not sure about the A4 style, and how that would fit within the context of a magazine article.

Palm Tree Experiments

Here are my palm tree experiments, which I created to find the best leaves and trunk. It sounds like a simple task but because I wanted a graphic-feel, it's hard to judge what to leave in and what to leave out.

Teacup Ideas

I have finally discovered that when you create an image in Illustrator, for it to actually show up on Blogger, you have to export it to a PNG file... finally! Anywho, here are some teacup developments that I've been working on, which I actually like. In fact, I think I love the last one and don't even care if anyone hates it! The style is a lot more graphic as opposed to my previous illustration style, but this is where I want to be heading. The circle which is the teacup handle was originally meant to be cut so that you only see the part sticking out but I liked that the circular shapes made it more graphic and 2D and a bit more surreal. The only problem I have now is the colour scheme, which I always have trouble with. I want a limited colour palette of up to 3 colours, but I would like them bold, yet subdued, to fit in with the 50's illustration theme which is my main source of inspiration.

The Birds

I found this poster on the Inspiration Resource blog. I don't know who did it, but I think that it's really cool and simple.

Aesthetic Apparatus

Images from Aesthetic Apparatus, who I found on the Grain Edit website. Some cool, screenprinted images.

Grain Edit

"Grain edit is focused on classic design work from the 1950s-1970s and contemporary designers that draw inspiration from that time period."

Grain Edit is a website that I am slowly become obsessed with, as it has some great images that otherwise I would never see. It's fantastic, you should visit it! ---> GRAIN EDIT

Aesthetic Apparatus

I've just come across Aesthetic Apparatus, a team of two designers. This video is showing the process of screenprinting which is quite cool, except they scream all the way through it which can be annoying! I'm going to be looking more into their work as what I have seen so far is really good.

Visit the website: AESTHETIC APPARATUS

Hammerpress

I am hoping to send an email to Hammerpress, a company who create unique stationary and designs. I have send a handwritten letter to them previously and they did not reply so I am not too hopeful for a response, but I'm still going to try. I am not sure whether asking questions in this email or asking them if it would be okay to send another email with some questions. I am not sure which they would rather respond to. Here is a draft of the email I would like to send:

Hi!

My name is Leanne and I am about to finish my degree in Illustration at Stockport College in Manchester, England.

I am a huge admirer of your work and I was hoping that, as part of my research, you could provide me with more information about your company, such as your influences and the techniques involved in the creative process.

I understand that you are very busy but any information that you can provide me with would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much for your time,
Leanne.

Jessica Hische

I am hoping to send Jessica Hische an email about her and her work. This is a draft of the email I would like to send:

Hi Jessica,

My name is Leanne and I am about to finish my Illustration degree at Stockport College in Manchester, England.

I'd like to say that I am a huge admirer of your work, particularly your typography work, as I am also interested in creating type. I have attached a typeface that I created recently based on the circus and I would love to know what you think of it.

To help my research, I was hoping that I could send you some questions about you and your work? I realise that you are very busy so I will understand if you won't have the time to do this.

I hope to hear from you soon,
Leanne

Jessica Hische

Click on the image above to see it bigger. This is from the recent edition of Print magazine, about design's rising stars. This article is about Jessica Hische, an illustrator/graphic designer/typographer from Brooklyn, NY. I am hoping to write an email or letter to send to her, hopefully good enough that she will reply!

Visit her website: JESSICA HISCHE

Damian Gascoigne: 13.03.2009

Damian Gascoigne is an animation director and also lectures at Kingston University on the animation course.

RESEARCH
Damian was born in Bradford but moved to Watford when he was very young. He likes to create work without working: snooping around, doodling, snapping, collecting, doodling on the phone - "The habit of creating." He loves looking at hair and posture, due to his interest in moving image. In 2008, He went to Lisbon with his Kingston students and was able to draw again, with inks, brushes and pens, which he really enjoyed. Jonathan Harris is an ex-Kingston student who Damian is now working with, in order to create his first short film created with the use of a computer. He loves looking at things around him and takes pictures all the time of people he knows and people he doesn't! A story or character can form from what you see. It can inform your work with a feeling or a mood.

PERSONAL WORK
"The Love Books" was a giant polystyrene book that had an animation projected on to it. For four years, Damian kept a picture diary, which consisted of 27 books and about 5000 images. These images were about things happening in his life and it was these images that were animated and projected onto the giant book. Another image projected onto a wall was of a woman rising from a table.

PITCH REQUIEM
Last year, Damian spent three months creating pitches, or seven commercials, that never came about. You are not paid for pitches, you are only paid if you are commissioned. He has been working for 25 years and though it is a competitive business, he loves working. He couldn't have a boss and be told what to do. He currently works at Picasso Pictures.

NEW TERRITORY
He is currently is the middle of creating his first computer-based animation with one of his ex-students, Jonathan, who has taught him how to create 3D imagery, which is new to him as he is from a drawn-animation background. "Animating in 3D is like driving a Porsche in a chip shop" - fancy technology but what can you do with it? He loves working in a team and with people, such as animators and model makers, who are better than him. He doesn't really like what comes out of a computer in it's processed form. His 3D work is going to be based on a 2D aesthetic, which is bringing his work into a new realm. The animation is called "Muso Soup" and it is about 2 intellectuals who have a battle between music interests and a battle of minds. He originally worked as an illustrator for five years but wanted to experiment with sound and movement. "I'm in love with working with sound". He is influenced by Seoul, Korea and Asia. He also loves the work of Ryohei Mahagiarha.

I thought Damian was a really nice and funny man though I was a bit confused by his animations. The reason for this is that they contained so many different styles, to the extent that you can't even tell that all the animations were created by the same person. I wonder if this is because within animation, you are sometimes hired to create something that has already been designed, and you are not involved fully in the creative process, but I do not know much about the animation business. He, at one point, showed us an illustration that he had created to inform his 3D characters, but in all honesty, I much preferred the style of the illustration to that within the animation and I would have liked to have seen more of his illustration work. I liked the way that he takes pictures wherever he goes as a source of inspiration and to see the world around him, it is something that I would like to start doing. I also loved the work of one of his influences: Ryohei Mahagiarha, who is also an influence to Adrian Johnson. I will be looking at this work, along with the book "cartoon modern", a book about animation from the 1950's, which Damian recommended.

See more of his work at his Picasso Pictures profile site: DAMIAN GASCOIGNE

Otto Dettmer: 09.03.2009

Otto Dettmer started out in 1991. He left a graphic design course in Bristol and began screenprinting in 1995, during his time completing an MA at Kingston University. He thinks that screenprinting is much more effective than work created digitally. He is a strong believer in self-promotion and recently sent out a green and black mailer in the form of a poster that is folded into individual images. "It's all about being able to get work in the first place." He thinks the best form of self-promotion is actually doing work. In the beginning he made the mistake of creating too much self-promotion and spent too much time thinking about the next job when he should have been thinking about the actual work he was creating. He currently lives in London.

He enjoys working with shapes and postitive and negative space. He liked the way magazines used to look as they used to have a lot of white space but now they try to completely fill a space. He feels that in France, clients tend to be friendlier and more personal, they want to get to know you and that could get you a job whereas in England, it is much more business-like and there is more chance of getting a job through your portfolio instead of your personality. He feels that the Telegraph is good for illustrations. He thinks that some art directors often go for the safest option so that the editor doesn't disapprove,

Influences: El Lisittzky, Russian Constructivism, Rodchenko, Majakovski, Broigul, Klucis...

He often shows his work at book fairs, but they can be very expensive for a small amount of space. He likes to combine photography with flat shapes. He also finds playing with text in unusual ways fun. His work is influenced by consumerism and consumption but also draws parallels with religion, with things such as temptation and greed.

When creating work, Dettmer spends about 2 hours creating a rough and 1 to 2 hours developing it into a piece of work. He sources material from old black and white films, such as those of Alfred Hitchcock , Fritz Lang and more theatrical and over the top films. He likes the use of straight lines in figures. He likes creating work for books as he feels that he can go crazy in what he is making.

I didn't think I was going to like the work of Otto Dettmer at first, and some of it was not to my taste, but I like the more simpler images, such as the ones above. I like this as they are bold and have a clear message. The problem I have with my own work is to overfill a space and I think that I could learn something from Otto's simplicity within his work. He was also a very nice man and it is nice to see someone enjoying success when they are also nice people. Another aspect of his work which I would like to apply to my own work is his use of colour. Though it appears he is confident with colour, he often uses only several colours due to the screenprinting technique to his work. Some of his pieces reminded me of the work of Saul Bass.

Visit his website: OTTO DETTMER

Dwell: Bach to Basics

BACH TO BASICS

Click on the link above to access a recent article from American magazine, Dwell. The article is about a small shack-like building, called a bach, that has been built in New Zealand and it totally self-reliant. I am interested in energy-saving techniques, particularly those applied to architecture so I think this will be interesting to illustrate. The articles that I have been choosing recently to illustrate have leant more towards architecture and interiors, but this does not bother me as I like seeing how a project can progress organically.

Visit the website: DWELL