Further ideas

I like the idea of morphing the famous 'blue eye' into a spaceship somehow, capturing all the black bodies. This whole concept is extremely provocative but I wanted to show the black people's urge to feel accepted and 'normal'. But it also shows aspects of being captured for slavery - this idea was mixing both aspects of 'The bluest eye' and the slave trade.

I wanted to really simplify the black figure down to convey that message of not feeling human and not being treated as humans.

Initial designing

I wanted to look back over some of my original sketches for my editorial work to give me some further inspiration.

One of Morrison's quotes which really stuck in my head was 'Trespassers among the human race' (when she was talking about how black people felt in the time.)

I liked the idea of a busy crowd of people walking in one direction to represent the 'human race' and then a few small black 'figures' walking in the opposite direction to emphasise the separation and isolation.

The contrast in the tall and small figures works so well as it really captures that idea of power and segregation.

The repetition of figures emphasises the busy composition and adds well to the intimidation the black figures are experiencing.

The black figures aren't the cleanest and sharpest pieces of work to represent that idea of feeling incomplete and not included.

Group Crit

Main feedback points:

Don't be afraid to be more provocative with your designs.

Continue printing and experiment with some more designs.

Try some mono prints with your stencils to add some texture.

The simplicity works so well with such a complex concept.

Printed Pictures Proposal

I intend to produce:

5 striking prints focusing on simple imagery.

The content will focus on:

The social and cultural background of not only Toni Morrison, but the books she has written. I want to find out the deeper meaning of the books and the messages conveyed - the relevance they both have on today's society.

I will be aiming to communicate:

Levels of power, sense of segregation, blue eyes contrasted with the black. I want the bits of blue to really stand out. Quite shocking imagery but I also want this to be presented in quite a subtle way - allowing people to really analyse the image and question bits.

To an audience of:

I want my work to appeal to the younger generation to make them slightly more aware of the context - I do feel however because of the context, it would appeal to more to the older generation as they would be able to understand it more, and of course if the imagery is quite striking and provocative it would appeal to someone with a thicker skin perhaps.

Study task 1 - Who am I? Why am I here?

I have learnt that I am more of an analogue illustrator than a digital one. I have learnt that it is perfectly fine to make bad drawings - this has allowed me to have more confidence in my work.

I want to know more about selling my work and setting up my own website. I want to become a pro at screen printing. Digital art is something I've never really experimented with so it would be nice to know more about it.

My strengths are mono printing and generally mixing medias to create interesting outcomes. I tend to really think outside the box with my concepts and not be so literal.

I need to be more reflective with my blogging and do it more regularly. I tend to sketch out a few ideas and stick to one which I feel is best - i need to produce more initial sketching.

Noma Bar is one of my favourite illustrators. Rick Berkelman and Shepard Fairey - I'm really drawn to colour and simple shapes.

I need to look at more resources that demonstrate my area of interest within the creative industries - Other than Instagram etc.

Noma Bar





 Mono printing





Screen printing

Digital art

Study Task 3 - Print process illustrators

Rick Berkelman (Hedof)

Uses screen printing. Scans everyday objects like bread, water etc. Also does some street art. Works in his studio for commercial art. Exhibiting his work made him famous on an international level.

Shepard Fairey 

Screen printing and hand-made stencils. He does a lot of street art. Limited colour palette (red black and gold) Makes a few 4 layered stencils.

Iain McIntosh

Uses both traditional and digital techniques. Creates logos and line illustrations. Wood and Lino. Doesn't just stick to one type of illustration but likes to create numerous different type of illustrations (editorial, book jacket designs)

Reflective Report - Editorial illustrations

Thoughts?

The cut out designs work really well as compositions - the simple designs create more of an abstract complexity when you look closely at what is being portrayed. I think negative space is something I want to really use to my advantage in my editorials, as this is a tool which could really work with my concept. I need to start thinking about format and how my designs will fit into each of the dimensions. Do I want to start adding texture? Perhaps introduce a different colour?

Texture?

Adding some texture to my designs gave them a whole new dimension. It emphasised the struggle for power with the black texture juxtaposed by the pure solid white (representing the more polished and 'desired' aesthetic). It adds real sense of depth and I think the scratchy technique works so well with my concept. 

Texture doubts?

I think because the black has become more textural, it has lost that sense of opaqueness and therefore the contrast between the white and black is less striking. The pure black and pure white combination emphasised the intense, dramatic atmosphere which was being portrayed. The white doesn't stand out as much which is something I wanted to really portray. 

Solutions?

After scanning my textural cut out experiments into Photoshop, it became evident that the print out versions were not as effective as I hoped. I felt like the image was lost amongst all the texture in the background and the simplicity (which I initially wanted to focus on) wasn't clear anymore and the overall composition depicted more of a complex structure.

I decided to go back to my original idea of pure black and white with the edges shaped and perfected.

Final Images

I completely stand by my decision to not add any texture. I think my images are extremely striking, dark and intense which is what I really wanted to convey and feel like it reflects Toni Morrison's writing very well. My motif for these illustrations is the eye. The subtle use of blue which pops out works really effectively and makes people question what is going on. The simple images and my bold use of negative space add real intrigue and you can clearly tell there is a deeper meaning. I wanted to emphasise the bold contrast between black and white and show a sense of power, something I wasn't able to achieve using texture.

improvements? 

Perhaps I could of experimented with using different colours other than black and white. I know that my concept is all about the difference between black and white and how she 'longed to have blue eyes' but I could have taken it to a whole new dimension and played around with colours - what colours represent lower class and higher class? In my group crit someone said that she didn't really understand what was happening in my third image - 'what is it looking at'? Maybe I could've made it more clear somehow.

Thumbnail sketching

I focussed on creating really quick sketches based on both books I have been reading. After having a group crit, the main feedback I got was to focus more on the portrait designs as they seem to be most striking with the black and white design kind of morphing two faces together. The clear direction i got was to keep it simple and not be afraid of emphasising the very minimal composition.

What will I do next?

I will start by playing around with the idea of connecting two faces together, nicely blended and morphed into one design. I could perhaps start playing around with cut out paper, my main focus being on simplification. 

Study Task 2: Editorial illustrators

John Holcroft

Holcroft is inspired by 1950s screen print posters and uses this style to create retro style illustrations. His metaphorical illustrations depict what is going wrong with the world today. He focuses on concepts like society's dependence on technology, devaluation of workforce,obesity and politics. 

Ben Wiseman

Bright, witty informative contemporary illustrations. Current affairs. He uses digital software to create his illustrations. I really like his simple take on very complex and large scale concepts. A lot of his illustrations depict technology and I think that this is a running theme. 

Study Task 1 - About the Author zine

I wanted to combine imagery from both books I have been studying - 'Beloved' and 'The bluest eye'.

Both books convey a real sense of disturbance and dark, sinister auras. I wanted to predominantly focus on high contrast black and white images to create an atmosphere.

Reflection

What went well?  I stuck to a strong and clear style which created a cohesive structure - each page looks as though they are meant to be together. The limited colour palette added to this successful effect. I think I have used a strong sense of symbolism throughout leaving people to feel intrigued by what is behind all the imagery and wanting to find out more. 

What I could of done better? Perhaps i could have used more daring materials other than ink. If I had more time in perfecting the book I would definitely have used more paint and maybe adopted more of a scratchy technique to emphasise the trauma and pain and the deeper meaning behind the books.

Crit feedback - majority of people loved my use of strong images and symbols to represent my author. They also like the dramatic uses of black and white and thought it worked well alongside the simple shapes. They also mentioned I should use different media.