Illustration Roles - BAIL104

As a class we brainstormed all of the different illustrative roles and professions that we could think of:

Authorial, technical illustration, fine art, editorial, comics, greeting cards/giftware, drawing (rotoscoping), graphic novels, web design, product design, fashion, concept art (games, film, storyboarding...), medical, advertising (posters), reportage (court illustrations), printmaking, pattern making, food, architecture, tattoos, teaching, design, children's picture books, typography, book illustrations, zines, maps, character design, animation (background, characters...), set design, writing...

Some more that I have since thought of: textiles, cartography (cartouche), biological illustration, botanical illustration, merchandise (for music etc), cover illustration (books, magazines, vinyls, albums), vignettes, paper art (stencils, paper cuts), infographic, collage.

And all of the above can be done whether you are a freelance or an in house illustrator. 

Experience Reflection - Repeat Pattern - BAIS300

What was the experience/workshop/session?
Our workshop was focused around learning how to create your own repeat pattern using Photoshop. This involved creating both a simple and complex pattern, which we would then impose onto different products to see how the designs could be applied to different products.

I created the individual images for my pattern using watercolour, which I then scanned in and edited. I then resized and arranged them following the instructions, in order to create my repeat patterns.

How do you feel about the process?
The process involves careful thought and planning, which I really enjoyed. The logic involved is essential to creating a functioning and successful pattern, which was satisfying when you got to see the final result applied to different products and items. Overall I think that the process enabled you to think differently about your work, as you had to be mindful of different criteria which wouldn't be necessary in other processes, e.g thinking about the organisation of colours and how the shapes interlink together to form a repeat block.

How will you apply this in the future?
Repeat patterns really allow you to create a huge range of items, like stationary, books and wrapping paper, but the process could also be used in other designs, e.g in a scene you might need a pattern for some curtains or wallpaper in a children's book.

The process and technique is very versatile, and so can be used and adapted to help me in all sorts of ways in the future.

What would you like to build on?
I would like to practice making my patterns more successful in a way so you can't see the repeat so obviously. Very often in pattern designs you can see the repeat square, and I think that it distracts the attention away from viewing the design as a whole. This is something I wish to avoid and take note of in the future.

How could you relate to Gods & Monsters?
As I have mentioned before, you can apply the repeat pattern design to a range of different products, and so the possibilities are endless. I made this pattern based around the monsters habitat: the woods, but I could expand this and relate it more closely to the theme, by using my monster design within the pattern itself - then creating something from the pattern.

My simple repeat pattern

My complex pattern square

My complex repeat pattern

My complex repeat pattern applied to a range of different products

My repeat pattern printed onto fabric

Everyday Spaces - Reading the Quotidian - BCOP100

This lecture highlighted the fact that when we are in any environment, our brains are incapable of taking in all of the information around us. This means that everyday we are missing small details and hidden treasures that make up the world around us - "The world's too full of complicated things for your brain to deal with them consciously" ([1] Wrights and Sights, 2003). Our minds 'gloss over' the mundane and ordinary occurrences, and hone in on the unusual and abnormal.

When going about our daily lives, our routes that we take become automatic and don't require concentration. It is only when we are put into an usual setting that our brains 'switch on' and take in every little detail. Being familiar and comfortable in a setting determines how much information our brains absorb in the moment. So even when you go about your daily life, you can still experience the extraordinary by stopping and forcing yourself to acknowledge these little details.

In response to this I decided to document an environment that I experience every day: the bus. Normally I switch off, plug in my headphones and become oblivious to the events around me. Instead I took the opportunity to absorb and document the setting by recording the overheard conversations during my journey to and from university. Even if I only hear several words of an entire conversation, it acts as a window into their lives. The journey for everyone is a time for people to chat and to make the time go faster, and each conversation can tell me so much about the person's day, personality and relationship with the person that they are talking to. The bus is an everyday space, but it can act as so much more when you force yourself to listen and use your senses.

*click to enlarge*

I decided to further my response and chose to observe the environment of the college library. I carried out a range of quick observational sketches that capture the essence of the space around me. It has since become apparent that even when carrying out a simple task such as observational drawing, you are stopping and forcing yourself to look and take in what's around you. 

[1] Wrights (2008). [online]. Wrights & sites. Available at: http://www.mis-guide.com [Accessed on 21st February 2017]. In-line Citation: (Wrights, 2003)

Illustrator Hierarchy of Needs - BAIL104

Created using ink & inverted writing (done on Photoshop)

My Dream Workspace - BAIL104

*click to enlarge*

Created using pen & ink

My dream workspace would be in South Devon, near to all of my family & friends. I would perhaps also like to have another workspace in a shared space, so that I could socialise & be surrounded by other creative people.

My Workspaces - BAIL104

Workspace 1 - Dining Table
*photo here*
Work completed here: sketchbook work, research, drawings and paintings, uni assignments, experimentation, completing work...
Pros & Cons: Good lighting, loads of space, use of a range of materials, but could be distracted by the TV, and lack of personalised space.
Productive timeframe: I can work in this space for hours, as it is normally where I spend most of my time completing work for module deadlines.
Company? Distractions?: Family environment, could be distracted by TV when trying to write, other than that it's a good environment to work productively in.
Improvements: None that would work in a shared family space.

Workspace 2 - Uni Studio

Work completed here: Workshops, experimentation, lecture write ups, sketches, presentations...
Pros & Cons: Creative environment, help at hand, fun, social, but sometimes there can be a lack of materials, and the room temperature can be temperamental.
Productive timeframe: 2 hours max & then a break for lunch etc
Company? Distractions?: Company of friends, peers and tutors/lecturers. Possible distractions due to the large quantity of people in the room.
Improvements: Personalised space, air conditioning, more materials available.

Workspace 3 - Bus

View from my workspace

Work completed here: Writing, research, evaluations, proposals, lecture summaries, quick observational sketches.
Pros & Cons: Good controlled environment which forces you to work to make use of the spare time, however the bus is really bumpy, meaning that it limits what work you can undertake in the environment.
Productive timeframe: 45 minutes max, but commonly the work that I undertake on the bus normally takes less time to complete, i.e lecture write ups take 15-20 minutes.
Company? Distractions?: Public space, can be noisy.
Improvements: None that could be possible/realistic.

Illustrator Workspaces - BAIL104

Jon Klassen 

In interviews, Klassen has said that his work space is normally very unorganised, as he creates all of these hand drawn/painted textures, which are then scanned in & left lying around.

He has recently just moved into a new studio space:

Holly Exley

Holly has also given a studio & desk tour on her YouTube:

Lizzy Stewart

Stewart has a whole album of photographs of her workspaces over the years which can be found here. Below are some examples: