PPP3: Domino SUBMARINES

This fantastic concertina contains large illustrations and information regarding military submarines.
The imagery has been painted rather traditionally, seemingly from photographic reference. Another interesting feature is the cut-away diagram, showing the endangering that powers the vehicle. The book was a lucky find in an Oxfam shop for 99 pence. Although I do not practice traditional painting abilities, the book is a great example of informative illustration, although perhaps the book would benefit from more diagrams.

PPP3: Progress Tutorial [2] & [3]

I had two tutorials with Patrick and John, on different topics.

After an interesting briefing, I found it was a good time to update my PPP blog, I felt that it was indeed sparse. John and Patrick saw my blog at this stage, and were pleased to see it had been updated for the tutorial. John suggested that I extend how 'personal' the blog is, and add more of my own interests and aims onto the blog.
Patrick had a lot of suggestions including discussions on pricing, and module synthesis. Patrick also talked to me about my over-ambitious big Kahuna brief- that is the huge brief that I would like to engage with in semester two, so far it involves making a diagram-illustraiton based on a public building such as the Leeds College of Art. Patrick suggested other buildings such  as the National Media Museum in Bradford, or the Royal Armouries. I will think further on the subject over the Christmas 'break'. Patrick also suggested that I remove the 'Cosmonaut in the Woods' illustration from my current portfolio range, as it does not reflect my current abilities.

PPP3: Portfolio Shortlist

I have selected ten images representing the variety of aesthetics and contexts I have applied to my work.
The list may need some revilement, as I feel there may be too much variation, which could potentially confuse viewers. Due to the variety of formats, the .pdf seems unusual, I also made a second .pdf that involves heavy handed-cropping.

PPP3: Attempt to Contact George Lucas [1]

During the research for the dissertation I have been unable to find the reasoning behind George Lucas's chose to retain the Star Wars licensing rights. I found a contact email on the Skywalker ranch website and I received the following reply:

'Thank you very much for your email requesting to interview George Lucas. We’re happy to know you admire Mr. Lucas' work, and that you would like to reach out to him for your dissertation. Because Mr. Lucas receives such a large amount of similar requests, we regret we’re not able to accommodate your request, especially in light of his retirement and travel schedule. If you would like to make your request with someone at Lucasfilm, you can try emailing their PR department: publicity@lucasfilm.com. 

If you would like to learn more about George Lucas, we can recommend two books: GEORGE LUCAS, THE CREATIVE IMPULSE by Charles Champlin and THE CINEMA OF GEORGE LUCAS by Marcus Hearn.  You should be able to find them at the library, and they contain a great deal of information about Mr. Lucas and his career. I have also attached a list of other books that may interest you about Mr. Lucas and Star Wars.

Once again, thank you for your email and we wish you the best of luck in your endeavors.

Best,

Kristine

Skywalker Ranch Publicity'


From a PPP perspective, it was certain that I wouldn't be able to immediately ask George Lucas a direct question. Although it is unclear on the copy above, some parts of the message were in different fonts, signifying the message was copy-and-pasted from a prescribed list.
The attached document they sent me included a documentary, which actually answered my question, so I will have to think of something else to ask Lucas.
I was surprised by how useful the answer actually was, which suggests that the ranch indeed recieves a lot of similar questions.

PPP3: Visiting Professional: Good Wives and Warriors

I signed up to the lecture at the last minute, as I eventually found some time for it.
The collective of two illustrators, Becky Bolton and Louise Chappell had experienced some technical difficulties, and were unable to show the slideshow of their more 'embarrassing work, which was somewhat disappointing, as it promised work hitherto unseen by the public.

They described their ascension in the industry as practitioners, which seemed dangerously variable, as they had often agreed to do unpaid work, whilst also accepting large amounts of money for other commercial projects. They mentioned that on of their first agents hadn't secured them work for almost a year, however the benefits of them administrating the financial and legalese was valuable enough.

It was a peculiar story of their careers, as they seemed to focus on the mistakes, which is perhaps something most visitors avoid. This in a way, was far more useful, as it gave the audience an insight into what not to do.

PPP3: Visiting Professional: Victo Ngai

The arrival of Victo Ngai was odd, the murmuring of the tutors and students seemed to veil her in a messiah or celebrity-like quality. I had once seen her work in Illustrators: Unlimited, and remembered the work for it's fantastic clear line.

As a general fan of clear line I did look forward to the talk. The studio had been converted into a make-shift theatre with a couple of large cameras operated by a lone camera man.
The talk consisted of Ngai's experiences with large clients, and how she dealt with demanding briefs, that took a lot of creative control away from her.
A certain fast food chain for example, signified by golden arches described every detail in long prose, and the only input Ngai had was the addition of a little amount of fire being spat out a dragon.
I suppose this might inspire horror in some illustrators, but like Ngia, I don't particularly mind compromising on illustration for clients, as I will always maintain my personal work along side.

I suppose it reflects my own intentions to become part of a larger development team, as I am quite passive and open to instruction.

Ngai also stressed the point that she had never been late to a deadline, which I appreciated as I hold punctuality in high regard.

PPP3: Thought Bubble 2015

This year's Thought Bubble was exhausting.

The first day was the most rewarding in terms of profit, Becky and I both exceeded our overall takings from last year within the one day. I made almost all of my profit from the Serenity prints I had made, which goes someway to evidence the fan-art-centric nature of the event.
To be successful at Thought Bubble one must either be famous, or bank on existing nostalgia; at least that is what I have taken from the last two years.

The table cloth I had sourced was an inch or two shy of the full length of the table, but thankfully the prints and over-all arrangement probably distracted from that fact.

The stand I made was very useful and gave us vertical space as well as horizontal. Because the stand is hollow, it also meant we could hide tools, extra prints and the float behind it, where previously we had simply dumped things in a bag.

On Saturday night our neighbours had a decidedly loud party from 11pm to 7am the following morning, this made the second day of Thought Bubble somewhat taxing on a sleep starved brain.

Another artist asked whether I was licensed to sell Star Wars prints, he was somewhat vexed that many artists had produced unlicensed work, while his own imagery was approved by LucasFilm.

Eventually, when we counted our overall takings, we had both made a good profit, and given out a good quantity of business cards.

We again dressed as Mulder and Sculy, which had a similar effect as last year, drawing in attendees with curiosity. Although I would suggest this is the last time we will dress in such a way, as it is perhaps getting a little stale.

PPP3: Rubber Stamp Logo

I had the notion to make my own rubber stamp that I could apply to the back of my prints. This, I reckoned would make them seem more professional and unified.
The designs I developed were based on my previous logo and the patterns I developed for the playing cards.

Rather than carving out manually, I decided to get the design cut out using the laser cutter. Zatul had an induction relating to her own Thought Bubble products and willingly took my design down to cut.

Unfortunately due to some confused communications the laser cutter only cut an engraving of the lines involved in the design, rather than engraving the entire black sections as it were.

Not to be discouraged I used this as a guide to cut the rest out… manually.

At this point it was already Friday and I had no time to test or execute the stamp using proper ink, as acrylic paint did not work at all.

At least I have now developed a design that will work in future.

PPP3: Travelling Man Exhibition

The event was marked by a gathering of the illustrators involved in the exhibition as well as a few organisers from Thought Bubble. The prints will remain in the shop for a good few months. This will indeed be good exposure, and is an opportunity to make a tidy profit should they sell.

General Progress Surgery [1]

The tutorial was a chance to run my plans past a tutor, to ensure that the quantity of my work was not too little or large a task. Matt suggested that the work seemed like a lot, but was certain I'd be able to pull it off. He was pleased with the progression I had made with my sketchbooks and suggested I continue pushing  for the hand-drawn aesthetic rather than the clinical digital-centric work I had produced a lot during level 5.

PPP3: Chat with Tom Eglington

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I have been working with artist and author Tom Eglington as part of the progression workshop. I took the opportunity to ask him a series of questions via email.

I have  had similar conversations with Tom in person, but I sent the emails in order to secure something for documentation purposes.

What are your opinions in regards to fan art?

1. As far as fan art is concerned, I guess it depends on the artist and the context. I think the attitude has changed over time as fan art has become more sophisticated. There are some very good artists being creative with it, and the whole thing has moved on from simple copies of popular characters. As a general rule I do always like to see original ideas and artwork, but realistically people are more inclined to buy work that involves the imagery and iconography of pop culture so a lot of artists use this as a way to get their work noticed. It does attract a bigger audience, particularly online, and that can then introduce people to other aspects of that artists output that is more personal and original. There are also some great, inventive approaches to stuff. A recent trend to create prints of re-imagined film posters has produced some fantastic work, and although it wouldn't be the first thing I would classify as fan art, it really is, just dressed up in different clothes. 

Do you use business cards or some other form of promotional ephemera as well as your online presence?

2. I occasionally use business cards but my self promotion is my weakest skill. To be honest, as far as work is concerned, I find networking hugely important, as well as targeting particular people/businesses for work. Knowing what an organisation is looking for is very important. Although I have handed out business cards, I never seemed to have gotten much work out of this, but it is a useful way to share contact details with strangers.

Would you suggest that you have an advantage as an artist and a writer, as opposed to specialising in one particular discipline?

3. I guess being a writer and artist has it's advantages. If one thing goes wrong with one discipline, I can switch to the other! The worry is that it is also dividing my energies, especially when I have lots of work on at once. However, I have found that it helps to have income from different areas so that if one line of work dries up, you can still pay your bills. I would say that is useful advice if you're either an artist or writer. You have to be spinning plates if you want to survive. 

Tom is a pretty charismatic chap, it's easy to see why he might find it easier to network in person or directly through social media applications like Twitter, as opposed to handing out business cards. Fan art is a bit of a heated topic, so I like to take the opportunity to ask practitioners about the subject, Tom mentioned that fan art acts as a lure for viewers, although is generally not considered as valuable as an original idea. This is something that I have come to appreciate, that creating fan art appeals to the id of the creator and viewer. It is a quick reference to a recognisable design or concept and appeals to nostalgia and fanatical emotions. 

PPP3: Creative Strategy Presentation [Encore]

Although I have not formally presented the .pdf, the imagery describes my current intentions in the PPP module during this year.

Firstly, the presentation covers the finalised business card and promotional packs that I produced during level 5, and the intention to produce more refined versions.
The presentation also explains my current collaborations with artists, and my ongoing engagement with conventions and fairs. There is some mention of the artists I intend to contact throughout the year, or vaguely emulate in terms of career path.
I have also considered the potential to take my teaching forward somewhat, which would involve an MA, or perhaps pursuing my interests in working as part of a studio or development team.

PPP3: Museum Commission

Some time ago the senior designer of Redman Design contacted me having seen my illustration Facebook page, as they were interested in the potential for future commissions.
Redman Design specialise in producing large-scale informative pieces for museums, which is certainly something I am interested in.

More recently they got back to me, with a specific brief in mind.
They have asked me to produce two pieces of large scale art work (measuring several metres in diametre) based on the World Wars. I have replied showing me enthusiasm for the project, and sent examples of work that matched the aesthetic they desire.

I am very pleased to be involved in such a project, as I generally enjoy producing work with a technical and informative tone.

PPP3: Student Ambassador: Thought Bubble

Similarly to last year, the progression team is collaborating with Thought Bubble to produce artworks for the festival. The artist and author Tom Eglington has been commissioned to produce eight large photo-opportunity booths based on comics.

We took two of the booths to the Trinity shopping centre, and I helped maintain it for about five hours.

The eight booths will eventually appear at the Thought Bubble in November

A few weeks before the beginning of term I helped him paint one of the booth designs, as well as assisting with a project to produce booth props with the Extended Diploma students.

In the progression after school club, we are also producing props for members of the public, and I thought it would be fun to make some of my own.

I will cut the designs out during the session next week.

PPP2: Presentation

PPP2: Creative Presence - Final Promotional Pack & Contents

I am quite pleased with how the pack has resolved.  With exception of the stickers, the products have been printed using the studio laser printer. Although it is often associated with being a poor quality device, I find that is simply temperamental and can produce good quality imagery when the conditions are right.

I printed the imagery on off white antique paper as planned, which certainly feels better than generic printer paper.

The range seems uniform, and I would suggest that I can continue to use the pack in distant future, by simply reshuffling the contents with updated examples of work.

PPP2: Creative Presence - I am Sitting

During the beginning of the last two years I have added cut-outs of a sitting Keanu Reeves to the studio. As an additional product, I decided to build upon this concept and replace Keanu with my image.

I am no accustomed to drawing myself in this manner, thus the nose is humongous. With more time I might have developed the study some more, but with other pressing matters the product will suffice to communicate the concept.

PPP2: Creative Presence - Stickers

Using examples of recently completed work I produced several sticker designs. I have ensured that my stickers are rectangular in shape, to make the cutting process easier. The last batch I created for Thoughtbubble have weathered terribly as they were printed on transparent adhesive, on this occasion I will print on the opaque variety.

PPP2: Creative Presence - Creative CV

I have created the CV by appropriating recent designs from other projects. While obviously a time-saving tactic, it also gives to work a more uniform aesthetic.

PPP2: A Reply from Matthew Griffin

Hello there,

I have found that many practitioners with a strong online presence don’t seem to use business cards or physical ephemera to promote themselves. I was wondering if you indeed use physical promotional material, or if you find that purely online promotion is sufficient?

Thanks,

Adam

Hi Adam

I have business cards but I never use them.. And I have done postcard mailouts before but they cost money. Social media is free, and gets out to a lot more people. The only difference is, it’s not targeted.. So when you find a small list of potential clients you really want to work for, a nicely put together physical package is the thing to do.. 

As for business cards, I don’t think they’re altogether necessary anymore, but better to have a couple handy than not

hope that helps (it doesn’t really!)

Matt

Applied Illustration: Project Report

PPP2: Creative Presence: Final Pack Design

After much deliberation I have arrived at a design that I am happy with.

 The outside of the pack contains information only on the flap, while the interior is detailed with a repeating pattern.
I will test the design on off-white stocks, but I will likely go with Antique off-white paper, as it has a decent weight and colouration.

I realised that the pack is simply a vessel, the primary information will be contained within.

PPP2: Creative Presence - Social Media

Facebook Account

Somewhat successful, viewer base is mostly friends as expected, although I have noticed spikes of followers after events such as Thoughtbubble, proof that business cards work.

Instagram

Instagram seems to gather more interest from international peers due to the hashtag system.

Tumblr

I don't particularly understand how to use tumblr effectively. On an alternate profile I would get +1000 notes on some fan-service post about video games and that interest would never spill into other content. Tumblr is seemingly more saturated and difficult to get noticed on... at least for my reserved tone of posting. The site seems to cater more for users who post frequently and involve themselves with other users constantly. I would suggest that I am the one at fault, and in future I should make a greater effort to promote the tumblr on my other presences.

Rebecca Mock Illustrated Cinemagraphs

Rebecca Mock

I have briefly touched upon cinemagraphs in previous posts. In short they, are subtle seamless animations, often in .gif format. Animated features are used to give the illustrations a sense of time, they appear to be live feeds from some illustrated universe.

Rebecca has applied this practice to digital editorial publications. I could be suggested however, that an animated image is enough to distract from the text, in a similar fashion that animated web banners are designed to distract from the intended viewing content.

Context of Practice: Module Evaluation

The evaluation may be found here.

PPP2: Creative Presence - Developments

Using the astronaut profile imagery in the previous pack design, I developed a icon using my own face. I am currently conflicted in regards to the textual information present on the front, as I prefer imagery to do the majority of the communication.

While the clean-digital aesthetic has merits, I would prefer not to suggest to recipients of the pack that I am limited to using digital media, thus I would like to involve some additional looser lines in the design.

PPP2: A Reply from Ian McQue

I have desired to reach out to various illustrators and ask them about their practice, my initial issue was that I didn't particularly know what to ask them.

However, my work during this module has made me curious how certain practitioners promote themselves.

I sent the follow message to IanM cQue, and got a response from Tracy, who apparently handles the emails.

Hello,

I was wondering whether you used anything physical to promote yourself, such as a promotional pack or business card? If it's possible could I see them?

Thanks.

HI Adam. We don't use anything physical at all for promotional purposes - it pretty much all comes via Twitter and Facebook. We have a small card that we pop in with book orders but it's just our twitter handle, email address and the bigcartel website where we sell the books and prints.

So, sorry - got nothing we can show you physically I'm afraid. Thanks for your interest though.

Tracy McQue 

p.p Ian McQue

I would suggest that the large online social following is give the brand of 'Ian McQue' enough momentum to operative without the need of physical promotion, the products alone are enough.

PPP2: Creative Presence - Developments

I have made a second attempt at designing the promotional pack.

I am still unsatisfied with the design, I am finding it particularly difficult to arrange minimal details around a blank white space. 

I would like to involve a much greater amount of detail, and perhaps even refrain to a single colour palette.

Responsive: Module Evaluation

The Responsive module evaluation may be found in this post.

Responsive: Project Report

Johnny Hardstaff

I was first made aware of Johnny's work during the advertising campaign for Prometheus. Johnny was the RSA director for the viral films that were used to promote the film. I found that these campaigns were more thematically unnerving than much of the film itself.

It was more recently that I referred to his drawings which are used to pitch ideas. This is obviously highly relevant to my current work in regards to modules that concern with project boards.

The work has a consistent science fiction theme running through it, which is grounded by the technical drawing aesthetic. Each line is drawn cleanly, there is no feathering or messy shading involved. The clear line allows for the designs to be intricate, without being cluttered.

PPP2: Creative Presence - Developments

I spent a small creating a small logo design based on the process I have been using to make playing cards. I am conflicted about whether I should use an off-white material such as yellow or blue like the real folders. Using a coloured stock will limit the colours I can apply, which is why I would like to prepare the imagery in black and one other colour, which may be changed depending on the stock.

PPP2: Creative Presense - Promotional Pack Net

I frequently make use of Eastlight document folders to store prints, as they protect them from bending and damage more so than a lone plastic wallet. 

Using the folders as a guide I have devised a simple net for the pack design.

Obviously, the pack will be smaller than the genuine article, large enough to fit post cards at most.
The scaling of the design is relatively easy as the back piece is the same as the over-all dimensions.

I will print on a lighter card stock, thus giving basic protection to any contained designs, in addition by printing on both sides I have the opportunity to use the pack as the creative CV itself.

PPP2: Creative Presence - Initial Pack Designs

My initial idea was based around the format of a playing card or ticket. I would like the aesthetic of the pack to be informed by formal documents, using logos, minimal copy and imagery to deliver information simply.

Unusual shapes would require hand trimming or laser cutting, the latter would potentially singe the edges of any work produced, and may prove detrimental to the professional appearance of the work.

My current 505 project is based around the production of playing cards, this visual influence has leaked into my work for the pack.

PPP2: Old vs New Business Cards

The older design was created in a rushed frenzy before last years' Thoughtbubble convention. I now realise the colours conflict terribly.

My current design uses a similar motif - that of a space suited skeleton. The addition of a a blue boarder made the cards easier to cut to a uniformity. I am however, unsatisfied with the design. I feel as though the white space deducts from the composition.

My current concept involves the creation of a set of playing cards, sticking to recognisable face cards. This would involve a patterned side, and an illustrated side. I fathom that a range of cards will improve their collect ability.

HR-FM

HR-FM produces highly detailed vector-based artworks that deal with themes of juxtaposition. The vector format means that the artwork can be reproduced at any size, indeed the artist often collaborates with companies to make products such as clothing and promotional material. What I find fascinating is how the imagery remains clear despite the dense pattern and colouration. On close inspection the artwork is composed of many seemingly uncoordinated shapes and colour, however they work harmoniously when viewed as part of the greater image.

PPP2: Creative Presence - A Whole New Tumblr

http://aaabillustration.tumblr.com/

My older tumblr, was somewhat more concerned with sharing .gifs I had created from clips on youtube. The most popular post involved an audio edit I had made, having collected the laughter of a fictional video game character. Obviously this is not my area of professional practice, thus I decided to create a new blog, with a greater focus on my illustration work. That is not to say I will stop making audio edits or amusing .gifs.

I have initially uploaded relevant work from the last year or so, and will endeavour to share work on a more regular basis.