Part four focused on developing your own style and producing work that directly responds to a brief.  Overall, my response has been very good, showing further development, particularly resolving a stronger creative methodology.  My tutor’s feedback is in BLACK, and my response to the feedback is in BLUE.  

1.  Assignment four – Magazine Illustration

You chose a really interesting idea for illustration “lost” using an iconic symbol of a throughway consumer society that is fast instant and portable.  Thumbnail sketch 8 shows very well proportioned layout as in hierarchy between levels of text and text to image.

The composition works well in terms of fore, middle and background.  The base of the cup centrally positioned in the foreground leads the eye up through and diagonally across the text to the top right corner; the curve under “happier” behind the cup forms the middle-ground; the tree and sun in the background take the eye nicely out of the frame.  How accurate do you think the following digital iterations retain the strength of thumbnail 8?

I agree that this composition works well but might have lost its strength once I have done the digital iteration and added grey tones, blobs of shades on the cup’s lid, and other lines.  Keeping the tonal value of thumbnail 8 would create that path for the eye to follow. The grey background halts the eye and leaves it hanging in the centre.

Could you have therefore first scanned your thumbnail and traced the composition?  You could then use the trace to move/adjust /frame the position of each element as part of the development process.  What is working well is your exploration of colour. 

Yes, this is a great way to explore colour.  Trace to move/adjust/frame the position of each element is a great idea to include as part of the development process!

Moving into the linocut version, the illustration takes on a very different visual aesthetic.

This is very true, and I will keep this in mind in the future.

Generally there are many elements within all your prep illustrations that work well.  In the final illustration how do the mix of styles add to the overall visual communication of your narrative?  Be careful not to always include every single idea, keep it simple, look back to your moodboard as a guide.

I can see that now.  This is very good advice, and I will remember it in the future.

2. Feedback based on Learning Outcomes

• Develop methods to creatively respond to briefs as an illustrator

There are some really good moments shown in ‘a children’s book cover’ in particular the initial exploration of lettering, the colours and textures work well in figure 3, maybe over-refined in Photoshop.

The thumbnail sketches are great showing covers full of activity with strong composition, in particular the third black and white sketch and colour version bottom row.

Thank you for pointing this out.  It gives me a better idea of what works well.

Your creative methodology is more resolved for ‘a menu card’ whereby the spider-diagram brainstorm has clearly helped your visual research to be very specific.  The styles of illustration in examples shown work well as a logo design, complimenting the typography, for both a small and large reproduction.  Again, very good creative methodology for ‘character design’.  All I can say is I’d love to meet your mum!

I am so happy to have a mum like that. This made me smile!

• Demonstrate your use of visual research to explore and generate ideas

Research resources to inform understanding of ‘museum posters’ is very good, in particular that the three need to visually relate so audience recognise them as a family for one museum; this you have successfully achieved in your designs.  What else did this research tell you, in particular hierarchy of information and layout?  Using your thumbnail sketches did you explore grid structures to help organise hierarchy of information?  Did you consider an off-centre layout of the rule of thirds?  What museum posters did you analyse?  

I agree with this. 

Research has clearly informed your idea generation for the “tattoo”.  Your chosen content, line work and colour infill sits well within that particular style of tattoo art. 

• Use a range of drawing, mark-making and image-making skills to develop your illustration practice.

Through ‘identifying tools and materials’ research you focus on digital illustration.  Your rendition in the style of Brian Cairn has clearly introduced you to a broader range of techniques.  Will this become part of your everyday practice?

I will have to explore this style more to make it my own.

Exploring different styles of illustration for ‘visual distortion is a great way to explore ideas without necessarily knowing the outcome, therefore allowing the unexpected to be revealed, for example collage work.  You have developed some interesting approaches without too much concern for finalising illustrations; working visuals that could to be refined later, in particular the Art Nouveau poodle.

I would most definitely like to finalise these illustrations for a project in the future.

• Demonstrating a critical and contextual understanding of illustration and reflect on your own learning.

How did the analysis of Caine’s work inform your awareness one composition in order to revise the poster again?

I need to study “How Posters Work” to learn about getting the composition right for posters.  

3. Action points based on Learning Outcomes

• Develop methods to creatively respond to briefs as an illustrator.

Agree with your reflection, try not to lose confidence in your early ideas exploration by over simplifying composition to a “soft” centre layout.  Next time, try working directly from thumbnail, scan and blow-up to size, draw grid structure, then refine digitally.  Again import illustration and had draw text to InDesign.

I absolutely agree with this.

• Demonstrate your use of visual research to explore and generate ideas

Next time use research examples to inform your ideas exploration for ‘museum posters’, then compare and contrast your work with them.  Consider the visual dynamic, try off-centre.  Consider what text should be on the posters for example, location and opening times. 

This is good advice, thank you.

Compare and contrast your ‘a menu card’ design with research examples; do you feel your type and image is well balanced?  

I thought the type and image were well balanced, but I need to do more research on composition and layouts.

Could you have explored different ways to illustrate text on your “tattoo” design for example, key line with infill as a variation of research example four top row?  All the other examples are very generic, therefore an opportunity for you to do something different, especially as you like working with visual type.

Yes, I agree.  

• Use a range of drawing, mark-making and image-making skills to develop your illustration practice.

Following ‘identifying tools and materials’ digital exploration of various techniques, how might this fit in with your own creative process?  For example, will you generate and explore ideas using traditional tools and materials and develop final illustrations using digital?  Its good practice to generate illustrations in Photoshop for ‘museum posters’, but import to InDesign when designing the posters.

I haven’t worked with InDesign before and will learn to work the program to use in the future.  In ‘children’s book cover’, I generated and explored ideas for lettering using traditional tools and materials and developed the final lettering digitally.  I was happy with the result but agree that it might be over-refined in Photoshop.  If I can find a way not to over-refine, this is a lovely idea to follow through with illustrations. 

Could some marks be removed “a menu car” to avoid ink flooding between the claws?

It did not bother me when I reviewed the illustration, and I thought it brought a nice variation of tonal contrast, but now that you mentioned it, I think it will be better to do away with the outline of the claws and let the blue background give shape to the claws. 

• Demonstrate a critical and contextual understanding of illustration and reflect on your own learning.

It will be interesting for you to use your character design in context to a sequential narrative in form of zine/comic strip, therefore developing your illustration toward editorial/publishing?

I would love to explore this!

Overall, I am delighted with my feedback and value my tutors’ tips and suggestions for me to go forward and develop my own style.  I am looking forward to Part 5 to implement what I have learned so far.