illustration friday - duet

Improvements.
- better colour scheme
- make the lips look more lifelike
-could have been traditional
- does fit brief

FORBIDDEN PLANET EU HOMEPAGE REDESIGN

Illustration Friday - CULTIVATE !

 Image 1 - Line-less background

 

Image 2 - Lined Background

here are the images i created on the theme of CULTIVATE. i sketched the basic shapes using graphite and then scanned and traced this using adobe Illustrator. i then coloured the image using airbrushing techniques in Photoshop.

Comments

Try using stencils,
Links to subject more clearly

ILLUSTRATION FRIDAY - STIR

this weeks illustaration friday topic is STIR.

i took this and utilised the seperate letters of stir and came up with the small , tactile inspection robot that would be used for vehicle and ship repairs in the military.

Illustration Friday - WARNING !

For this illustration i thought of the warnings on cigarette packets and how depressing they can be to some viewers , i decided to do create a cigarette packet character based on Marlboro, cigarettes and put a warning id like to find on his centre. This was drawn in my sketch book then traced using adobe illustrator and then coloured using Adobe Photoshop. 

Illustration Friday - SWARM

illustartion friday based on the concept of swarm theory. this describes how non interlectual beings, such as ants can create a structure that interlinks the whole collonies actions creating a  self sufficient  work force.

comments i recieved form a group crit are;
possibly add a background for the image.
apply faded effect to the right side of the image.

AN ANALYTICAL REVIEW OF THE WORK OF LUCIAN FREUD

Lucian Freud is a German born, British artist who is widely recognised for his works on the human form. He produced rugged, true to life imagery that portrays the human figure in a naked display of flesh and figure that captures the models deepest features and feelings.

The models that are portrayed in Freud’s works are usually acquaintances or of the artist. This allows Freud to capture the character of the specific individual and produce an image that truly replicates their feelings and thoughts through the expressions of the face and figure. This is the source of the emotive power of Freud’s work. Although quite contrary Freud also pushes himself to negate any feelings and emotional connection to the subject and focuses on the flows and folds of flesh, these two factors combine to produce powerful imagery of the human form that are well textured and detailed anatomically but also have a sense of emotion, feeling and flow.

Freud proclaims he is a biologist and his deep knowledge of the human form is prominent in his work. It is as if Freud dissects the form of the individual he is capturing and emphasises their most prominent features, whether it be imperfections in the skin, extruding features, deep wrinkles or obscure body forms.

Freud utilises a small variety of media in his work, using pencil and oil painting as the main tools of his craft. Freud’s pencil work displays the harsh folds and wrinkles in the flesh with great depth, using strong, bold lines and tone to define these features. Freud’s oil work replicates this same effect using muted colours, tone and shape that blend the character with its surroundings. This produces raw imagery that focuses on the flaws in flesh and emboldens them to be the focal point of the imagery.        

Freud is a developing artist that has adapted and evolved his work throughout his career, producing captivating and powerful imagery on the human form.

AN ANALYTICAL REVIEW OF THE WORK OF FRANCIS BACON

Francis Bacon is an Irish born, British artist who is renowned for his works on the human form and the portrayal of emotion and feeling through his abstract imagery.

 These images typically revolved around heads or figures in peculiar forms, against non-descript, bland backdrops. This emphasises the forms of the figures Bacon portrays and focuses the viewer on the emotive the character portrays. The themes in Bacon’s earlier work revolved around the idea of crucifixion and religious concepts. It was during this stage that Bacon produced his first major pieces names ‘three studies for figures at the base of a crucifixion’.

In these images bacon utilises oil and pastel to create abstract figures that represent forms and figure. He blends the tone on his figures using smooth strokes and bland colours against the vibrant background to enhance the focus on the figures and to create a sense of flow in the form.

The characters depicted in these images are not of a human form but incorporate aspects of them throughout. In the right image there are features of the human facial and torso form incorporated into an unusual isometric figure. The screaming mouth resembles a figure nail at the end of the protruding shape and at the base a rib cage. Bacon utilises these aspects of human figure and changes the placement or setting of the features to create strange and sometimes disturbing imagery.

The left image resembles a human torso and head draped in a cloth or robe, this figure guides the viewer to the central image through the direction of the perspective and the gaze of the figure. This is a common occurrence in Bacons imagery as the perspective lines and geometrical shapes placed in the background are utilised to guide the viewer around the image. This can also be seen in Bacon’s ‘Study after Velazquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X’.

 Bacon’s later works go on to focus on his social circle, later becoming almost obsessed with the concept of death and personal demons after the death of his partner George Dyer.

Comments

Comments I received for my illustration Friday were, do of freehand , possibly use letter blocks, good concept

Illustration Friday - REVERSE !

Here is the image i have created on the subject of REVERSE. it depicts words that are the same backwards as they are forwards, these are known as Palindromes. i created this image using adobe photoshop and used a simplistic colour scheme that was mirrored from the center of the image , i did the same with the text and mirrored it along this line. this produced a contrasting image that i believe exhibits the term reverse well.

COMPLETE AN ANALYTICLE REVIEW OF THE WORK OF JENNY SAVILLE

Jenny Saville is a modern contemporary artist that focuses her work on human form, especially of large individuals. Jenny was born in 1970 in Cambridge UK. She studied at the Slade School of art in London. After graduating from SSoA jenny’s entire senior show at the Cooling Gallery in London was purchased by Charles Saatchi (advertising agency co-founder and well known collector of art) who also commissioned her for 2 years to continue with her work. Jenny now works as a tutor of figure painting at the SSoA.

Jenny’s work burst into the public eye after the controversial ‘sensation’ exhibition at the Royal Academy of Art. Jenny’s work is especially explicit in the detail it showcases of the subject matter she has explored. She produces detailed imagery of obesity, violence and gender through a single portrait or scene. The way she does this is by highlighting the deformities or unusual aspects of her models with high contrasts and deep use of dark skin tones, also through the use of reds to focus the viewer attention away from the blander skin tones.  

Another technique implemented in Savilles work is the use of etching in the paint to reveal messages in her work. This can be seen in her painting ‘propped’ which depicts herself perched on a stool clutching her exaggerated knees. The text is a quote from the feminist writer Luce Irigary which reads “if we continue to speak in this sameness, speak as men have spoken for centuries, we will fail each other again.”

Yet another technique implemented by jenny is the use of glass in her photography to capture the human form. She places her subjects on a clear pane of glass and photographs them from underneath. This captures aspects of the body in greater detail such as the folds and curvatures of the body’s profile. This can be seen in the photographic image, ‘closed contact’.

The main material used by jenny to produce her work is oil paint on canvas.  For a modern artist this can be seen as unusual as oil is seen to be a very traditional medium to use. She uses bold yet intricate brush strokes to bring flow into her imagery and really brings their individual features to light. This is then contrasted against a less focused and minimalistic backdrop to keep the viewers attention on the character and not its surroundings.

In conclusion Jenny Saville is a modern painter that works in a traditional style to produce graphic and provocative images that reflect the distressing and obscure issues of the modern world, particularly relating to feminism.

bibliography

http://metroartwork.com/popup_all-artists_info.php?manufacturers_id=174

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2005/oct/22/art.friezeartfair2005

Jenny Saville, 2005, Rizzoli international publications inc. USA New York

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Saatchi

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/slade/index.php

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/royal-academys-sensation-proves-to-be-a-shockingly-good-crowd-puller-1291068.html

http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/jenny_saville.htm

http://cujah.com/publications/volume-vi/jenny-saville-body-recovered/

Illustration Friday - SURRENDER!

This is an image i sketched after watching the film 300. It comes from the part where it shows Leonidas training as a spartan child. this linked with surrender because of the line used in the film ;
" Trained never to retreat, never surrender. Taught that death on the battlefield in service to Sparta was the greatest glory he could achieve in his life".

Illustration Friday - DUSTY !

A dusty dream

here is the image i have created for this weeks topic on www.illustrationfriday.com which is DUSTY.
this image is a photograph of my old guitar that i haven't played for a good 2-3 years now, it reminded how determined i used to be to excel in my musical skills and how much i wanted to be in a band and live life on the road.
i have not edited this image at all from how it was taken and i have applied no filters, i simply added a statement to the image to enforce the meaning and changed some of the perspectives of this text to fit around the dials and switches on the guitar.

Group Crit comments :

• look at placement of type and consider a different approach with the type.
• make text easier to read

Illustration Friday - Chicken !

image producted from the topic of chicken on illustration friday.

i was looking at illusions at the time.

I am going to develop this image throught the use of stencils to give cleaner proportions and crisper fill colours as i can still see the brush strokes, this will also enlarge the scale of the image as this was produced in my A4 sketchbook and it will need to be enlarged to anywhere above A2 in order to produce the imagery to a good standard with a stencil. 

Have I been Greenwashed ?!?!?

Greenwashing is the invalid use of green credentials to market products.

http://blogfishx.blogspot.com

greenwashing has taken over our TV screens more and more over the past few years as eco products have become popular with the consumer market. many big companies have over exagerated, or even lied to thier customers about their green motives in order to get their hands on the so called "Green pound". this is then having a knock-on-effect to the coustomers as their trust in the companies and products is being deminished and this then sunders the real eco products from the gratification they deserve.

here is a simple guide on how to avoid the greenwashing scams ;

but dont forget that not all these products and companies are lying to you , some of them genuinly try to aid in the salvation of the planet.

The Zepplin

Whilst snooping through phlegms blog i came across this photo of a graffiti piece that phlegm has done as part of his time lapse video ( a sped up video of him doing the graffiti).
This image caught my attention because of the angles used in the photography of this make the image look like it is on a flat canvas when it is done on a 3D wall environment. This interested me as phlegm obviousily started this image with this in mind and he has done a good job of achieving this effect especialy between the right and center walls.
Also the detail that phlegm introduces into his graffiti work is astounding and realy pulls you into the imagry to look for what symbols and textures he has created, this is unusualy with free hand graffiti art as most graffiti will have large areas of block colour and may include some shading and 3 dimensional effects but not normaly a vast amout of detail.  

UCAS Uni Choises

University of Derby
Course Title - Computer games modelling and animation
Course Level - BA Honours
Entry Requirements - 240 UCAS points

Description

It's a degree concentrating mainly on the production of art related assets for computer games. You will learn traditional core skills alongside industry standard practice in modelling, texturing and animation.  This will be encouraged on by using real time engines to demonstrate your work within a gaming context. As in industry, you'll use your skills collaboratively. You'll create game content in teams as well as getting the opportunity to work with programmers from the Computer games programming course

You will get the opportunity to develop your understanding of games as a visual medium, technical theory of game art production, and the relationship between art and gameplay mechanics

Type of Work

Stage 1

·         2D digital techniques

·         Computer games modelling

·         Game design for artists

·         Intro to 3d modelling

·         Intro to animation for games artists

·         Professional studies

·         Visual studies 1 + 2

Stage 2

·         Applied drawing and visualisation

·         Character development and animation

·         Computer games studies

·         Professional studies through game art development

·         Real time rendering

Stage 3

·         Advanced lighting and rendering techniques

·         Independent studies for game artists

·         Issues in games

·         Professional practice for games artists

Why I would like this course

Animation that focuses on the main industry I wish to pursue a career in , and offers indepth 3d experimentation , application and knowledge

UCAS Uni Choices

De Montford University
Course Title - Games art design
Course Level - BA Honours
Entry Requirements - 240 UCAS points

Description

• Critical Games Studies is the analytical study of computer games, focusing on significant and influential games, and relating computer games to other media and culture
• Game Production is the practical exploration of content creation, including character, environment and vehicle modelling, and using game engines for level creation
• Visual Design develops essential game art skills, such as life drawing, sculpting, painting, idea generation and visualisation.

Type of work

The games design curriculum focuses on content creation with three distinct themes:

•Game Production covers the practical exploration of content creation, including 3D modelling, character design, environment design and working in collaborative teams to produce complete, playable game projects

•Visual Design develops fundamental art skills, such as life drawing and digital painting. Artwork is developed using a range of traditional and digital tools and techniques

•Critical Game Studies uses a combination of online Web 2.0 and real-life guest lectures and seminars to help you develop an understanding of the significance of game culture, art, technology and business/industry.

Why i would like this course
Focuses on the main industry in which I would like to have a career and on a more traditional art basis rather than completely computerised rendering it focuses more on the concept art and character art as appose to the rendering and movement of those objects/ characters

UCAS Uni Choises

Sheffield Hallam
Course Title - Animation
Course Level - BA Honours
Entry Requirements - 240 UCAS points

Description

Animation plays an important role in a range of media including film, television, entertainment software and the internet.

It is a widely used advertising tool, and the media industry is always looking for new content to capture the imagination of viewers.

You develop your skills in;

 • concept art • designing • modelling • texturing • rigging • animating • post-production.

We have a strong history of media production, ranging from fine art and graphic design to film making and interactive media. Our state-of-the-art workshops have specialist equipment, including the latest industry software and hardware, film production equipment and modelling facilities.

You gain experience in animation techniques, which includes;

• traditional methods such as stop frame animation – used in films such as Wallace and Gromit

• Flash animation – used on the web and in interactive gaming

• 3D computer animation – used by companies such as Dreamworks and Pixar, and games software companies such as Codemasters and Sony

You learn to use digital animation software packages such as;

• 3D Studio Max • Maya • Zbrush • Houdini • MotionBuilder and digital compositing. Our editing software includes • After-effects • Shake • FinalCut Pro • AVID • Pro Tools.

We also have a facility for standard and super 16mm origination on film. You play an important role in producing at least three short animations.

Type of work

Year one modules

• introduction to technologies and equipment • animation techniques • development and delivery of digital content • cultural and ethical impact of digital technologies • contemporary animation and media practice • animation and moving image • specialism

Year two modules

• theories of creative practice • new media • film/video theory • critical methods • drawing, rendering and creative realisation

Year three modules

• creative practice • dissertation • professional placement (subject to availability) • animation/film making workshops • collaborative projects

Why i would like this course
Animation is one of the key areas I have been thinking of a career in and this course offers and all round animation experience not just focusing on game s but the other industries as well such as TV, film and web.

UCAS Uni Courses

Sheffield Hallam
Course Title - Games Design
Course Level - BA(Honours)
Entry Requirements - 240 UCAS points

Description

As a games designer you combine the traditional arts of graphic design, character animation and story development with fields such as 3D modelling, simulation and interactivity.

Games design is about combining and using these creative practices to produce exciting products that are fun to play. It involves thinking of game ideas, and creating prototypes and game elements that will feature in the finished product.

This course is for people with artistic talents wanting to enter the games, graphics or multimedia industries. You can become involved in these creative areas and develop your knowledge of the industry.

• develop key skills such as visual communication, problem solving and career management

• learn to use the latest software including 3D modelling packages, game engines and graphics tools

• gain experience of developing game prototypes and graphics and animation sequences for industry standard platforms

Games companies help deliver special sessions that focus on the latest developments in games design. They also give you insights into the games industry and career advice that only practising professionals can offer.

We make sure you are employable after you graduate. As well as gaining the skills and knowledge needed for a career in the games industry, you build a portfolio of work, which will be important to prove your talents to potential employers.

Type of work

Year one modules

• principles and practices of game design • design processes • digital animation • developing prototypes • project work

Year two modules

• game design and development • advanced graphics and animation • multimedia and digital video for DVDs • project work • option module

Year three modules

• show-reels and prototypes • advanced animation and special effects • project management • understanding the game development industry • project work • option module

Why i would enjoy this course
This is an all rounder course that covers more than just 1 section of games and art which would give me a broader scope of knowledge and skills.

UCAS Uni Choices

Sheffield Hallam
Course Title  - Film and Visual Effects
Course Level - BA(Honours)
Entry Requirements - 240 UCAS points


Description

Advances in technology have made special effects, such as computer-generated imagery, more readily available across moving image disciplines, including film, video and computer software.

This course builds on your artistic ability and gives you the core skills to use emerging and future technologies. These technologies are essential in producing successful visual effects in film and associated industries.

You develop the technical skills to use the most up-to-date camera techniques. You also learn to use industry standard animation and digital compositing software such as Autodesk Maya and Adobe After Effects to produce original and professional standard work.

One of the key elements of the course is that you are closely linked and interact with students from other courses including games design, animation and digital media production. This gives you excellent opportunities to showcase your skills and talent in fun and challenging ways.

We support this practical experience with contextual studies. This gives you the knowledge and ability to become critically responsive, allowing you to evaluate and ultimately improve the quality of your own productions.

You play an important role in producing at least three short films. This enables you to build your show reel as a filmmaker. You gain key skills in areas such as visualisation and developing projects through collaboration.

The course teaches across the genres of fiction, documentary and experimental film. It encourages cross-fertilisation of ideas, innovation and originality. We emphasise production, and focus on independence and creating new kinds of cinema and moving image.

Type of Work

Year one

• introduction to special effects • film making technologies • the film industry and contemporary practice • practical projects • understanding the media industry

Year two

• practical projects • contextual lectures and mentoring • theories of creative practice • critical methods • research and investigative methods

Year three

• planning and organising creative projects • special effects/film making workshops • collaborative work • dissertation

Why i would like this course

Apart from gaming, films are another of a keen interest of mine and I always have to see all new films that have been release. I can be very critical of the experience and visuals these pieces of cinema can deliver and have always wondered how you would create visual effects in live action footage.

Blog Revamped



Old Blog Design

The above image is a screenshot of the original style of my blog. I think that this design was not exactily fitting the purpose and style of the work i am looking into. The template i used applied a semi transparent backdrop behind the posts and gave my blog a blue grey template as default, i edited this to have a different page background (the paint splatter effect) which was visible behind some text outside of the main post and i also chaged the title font and colour to fit this background. After reviewing the style of some of the blogs im am following it lead me to think that some sections of my blog needed adapting to make it more easily legible for the reader and to suit the style of the work i enjoy.
i decided to ;
- change the default theme to a simpler theme, with a plain and darker backdrop (this is to make the posts and images stand out to the eye and to allow me to apply a contrasting colour for the text which will help with legibilty.
- change the colour palet for the theme of my blog. i decided on a dark grey and orange because it gave a modern look for my blog and it fitted nicely with the avatar i had chosen.
- keep the fonts and blog title the same as they were already easy to read and fitting for the style of the blog.

this new theme also applied a outline around all the images i have posted which seperates them from the page even more and fits with the style of the blog nicley.

 

New Blog Design


Here is a picture of the blog after i applied the updates stated above.

a review of blogging

after using this blog as an output for my work, ideas, reviews and notations for the past month i have had some incite into why this is used as a popular medium for designers and creative practitioners.
This medium makes it extremely easy to share your feelings, thoughts, experiences, methods of work, processes of development and final creations of creative work.
The key features i found that make a successful blog are;

- simplistic design - 
using a plain or lightly detailed background image , utilising a contrasting colour for the text to make it easily legible. keeping to the left or center of the screen to keep reading natural and easy for the viewer. don't over fill the page with junk, add-ons, gadgets or advertisements as this can put the reader off looking around the blog and can take the attention away from your posts.


- explain -
explaining what you have done to create your work is majorly  important to the reader as it gives them some incite into how the product was created and how they could replicate the effects you created in your work. 


- size matters - 
keeping the text at a large enough size so that all viewers can read the posts even those that are hard of sight, this is the same with images , don't allow the detail of the work go unnoticed or the purpose of the blog is then nullified.

so overall blogging is a very useful tool to the creative practitioner and allows them to exhibit their work on a global scale from any web enabled device and allows them to give and receive feedback on their own and others creations which could allow them to evolve their work to greater extents.

Festival of Britain

Festival of Britain logo, created by Abram Games

The festival of Britain was created as a celebration of new British design in the 1850's as a source of hope for the people of Britain who had suffered in the war. It consisted of interior design for homes and  new structural design for the revitalization of Britain. Although the festival was heavily based in London, there was a traveling festival that ventured around britain to showcase the designs of the future.
The designs shown in the festival were heavily based on futuristic and scientific themes (linking with the moon landing and the new scientific breakthroughs of the time), with a lot of designs being based on the atom, particles and orbitals.
The festival was a very successful event but everything that was exhibited at the festival was far to expensive for the average home owner, this meant that the festival was more of a preface of the designs that would be available to the future household of Britain rather than a showcase of goods for the people of the time.

Poster by Phlegm

This is a poster created by phlegm for the band LOW as a promotional poster for some gigs they did in the UK between 15th - 23rd of November. I found this image baffling at first as i just thought it was a random creation of phlegm but after reading into the post i noticed the lettering in the middle boxes to be and L an O and a W . The way that phlegm has done the typography is rather unique as he hasn't stuck to one font style for the lettering of the band name , from experience this usually doesn't work out too well but the way that he has incorporated it into this poster has worked well and really make u stop and look into the image.