Gertie Harry; Final Alterations & Finished Image

Final Image (Right; How page will appear in zine)

Text & Aesthetic 

When the client got back to me with a chosen spot character I spoke to him about the additional text he wanted to be added to the image. Given that my piece was going to be included in an independently run and produced zine, he wanted the image to feel a little like that too in the attitude of the image. A  mixture somewhere between indie music zines and a high end celebrity front cover. 

With this in mind I wrote out a few article headlines geared towards a primarily female, music industry interested audience. The client also wanted a name for the magazine, and after a process of elimination, decided upon GURLZ. It was important the aesthetic of the magazine matched with the strong female mentality of the Gertie Harry character. Too ooze a degree of sex appeal and edgy-ness; music meets glamour.

Composition & Final touches

Compositionally I looked back at some magazine covers to help with the positioning of text and how it would interact with the image of Gertie. I looked at magazine covers such as Vogue, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, Cosmopolitan ect to see how the text was layered with the image. Given that Gertie was of central focus in this image it made sense for her to sit in the centre of the frame with slight text overlaying her. The addition of a barcode and slight touch ups of the image finished it off; with the image complete I sent it to the client for it to be placed in context of the zine!

Gertie Harry Brief; Colour & Compositions

Development // Client Talk

Once the scamps had been sent off, the client picked out the two he felt worked best and allowed me to go with whichever I felt was stronger to take through into a digital final image. I personally felt as though the second choice (see issuu document above) would work best at an A5 format showcasing both a strong female pose and allowing for a stronger shape // silhouette driven piece (would work better at A5 smaller format rather than something heavily detailed being printed). 

Media // Colour

The client has stated earlier that he thought it would be nice if the image was done digitally rather than analog. He referenced a previous piece of mine he had seen online and suggested a similar technique to be applied for this image. With the media chosen I decided to work with a limited colour palette so the piece wasn't overly busy and the focus would still very much be on Gertie. Choosing a turquoise // blue for her hair, I then picked a complimentary pink for the other spot colour. At this point the client was still unsure about what text was to be included in the final image, so I played around with her name and how that could appear on the cover. Given I was unsure what further text would be added to the piece I mocked up various compositional examples to send over. The text was to be hand rendered so I tried to keep to a bold sans serif that would stand out amongst the image without overshadowing it. 

After Effects Examples

Success from Hannah Jacobs on Vimeo.

When looking for examples of After Effects animations that I liked, I found that simplicity was often the key. A lot of the animations looked a little thrown together, and the ones that seemed most professional and engaging usually didn't over complicate the animation, composition and colour palette.

'Success' by Hannah Jacobs, really utilized sound in relationship with the moving images in a way that felt very, well, successful! The movement and transitions from one image to another was complimented well and made for a stronger piece of work when paired with sound. To watch the animation with no sound, a lot of the transitions and movements from one frame to another seem rather simple. However I am aware that the smooth flow of these images does seem to use frame by frame animation, something our brief does not permit.

The limited palette also shows what can be accomplished within animation using only a few colours! Something that will be helpful in my work later on!


EMARSYS MOTION STORY from Giant Propeller on Vimeo.


Whereas the previous animation was very narrative driven with voice over and sound effects really bringing it to life, this piece I found based around DNA branding is quite different. What struck me most about this piece of work was how well the music fit with the movements of the abstract shapes on screen.

The use of negative space also accompanied the whole atmostphere very well I feel, and again limited palette makes this piece of work feel less clumsy and thrown together and more considered and clean cut.

It has also opened me up to the idea that my sting doesn't have to narrative driven and could be more abstract, perhaps using motifs from Murakami's work? It it something to consider as I go further into this project.

Tutorial Feedback and Thoughts

The tutorial today helped inspire some new ideas! It was suggested that I look over past work such as the first page I did in response to Murakami during summer, and my woman with trees (see images below) and consider how they are reminiscent of the 60s era (Beatles front cover//60s fashion) this perspective (time era) helped get some fresh ideas going!

Relevance; given Norwegian Wood is set in the late 60s and Murakami's work is very rebellious (disregarded traditional Japanese literature // values) the 60s era seems to encompass a lot of what influenced his work // is apparent throughout his books

Media; the response to my dip pen cat has also been very well received (both in crits and online), so it was suggested I work further with that media; the expressive line weight not only made the image aesthetically pleasing, but also links in quite well with oriental line work, suitable given Murakami’s Japanese ethnicity.  

Gertie Harry Brief; Initial Sketches

Brief

Who: Alan Snapper

What: A5 digital JPEG full colour CMYK

When: 1//12//15

Context: Magazine cover style illustration to be placed on a single page spread of independently produced zine that acts as a 'tour booklet' for the Gertie Harry character

Media: Digital (photoshop) No computer rendered text

Intention // Mood

Before starting this brief it was important to me that I understood exactly what kind of character Gertie Harry was and how Alan wanted her to be presented. I was provided with a character reference sheet for visual aesthetics but how the character Gertie was to be read would highly influence how I went about illustrating her.

After a few messages with Alan it was clear Gertie was to embody the strong sexy female power figure similar to that of Nicki Minaj or Beyonce. The client wanted a bigger bodied female that appeared sexy without being sexualised and vapid; glamorous but edgy. 

References and considerations while drawing

As I began drawing I looked at references such as Minaj, Amber Rose and Beyonce. For extra help in drawing women that were curvier and bigger bodied, who still oozed sexy body language, I looked at some glamour model shoots, trying to find the balance between the power of their sexuality with the confidence and integrity of female celebrities. 

Given the two week time scale of this brief I tried to keep my scamps quick and bold. My main concern at this point was to get down body language and attitude to ensure it would fit with what the client wanted; knowing these were just sketches allowed me to not worry about being too precious with lifework and getting too caught up in the details, thinking slightly about composition as I went along.

Gertie Harry Scamps

Made You Look

What I Liked

I enjoyed the duality explored in this film with regards to the digital VS analog approaches to both making and distributing work. I think the internet now does play as bot ha positive and negative in many illustrators work, and while there is a need, and gain, to be drawn from having an online presence and knowledge, I enjoyed the refreshing notion that going outside to the real world is also still very much an experience to relish in with it's own experiences and positives to be gained. The idea of networking and talking to other creatives will be something I'l experience later in the collaborative side of this 503 module; it'll be interesting to see how this works in practice!

What I Didn't Like

Overall I really enjoyed the film and felt inspired and hopeful at the end! I do find it a little sad how much some artists rely on the internet nowadays for things such as reference imagery and research rather than going out to experience things and conduct their own research. In the ever expanding world of the web I feel like sometimes trying to get your work noticed is a little like shouting into a void, and while the internet is very much a necessity in our field , I do feel there is still a place for making real world connections. It would be a shame if this aspect of our profession was lost.

What I Will Take Away

Keep in mind internet presence // how you present yourself as both an individual and a brand

Go outside and feel something! 

Study Task 1 - Brief Selection - What is the Problem?

BRIEF SELECTION

PT1

Penguin Random House UK Design Awards 2016; Adult Non-Fiction Cover Award

When looking at the suggested briefs for this module, this was the first brief that appealed to me. Personally I've come across Caitlin Moran's work before, her strong opinions and down to Earth nature are something I've been very fond of in her writing; the way she is able to portray and tackle women's issues with authentic tone of voice and slight attitude is something I'd love to be able to do within my own work. I've not tackled book cover work before so it would be interesting to see my work in a new format, as far as potential struggles would go I think the worry would be to do something stereotypical or just illustrate her book, I'd have to push through this, however I feel after tackling our current OUIL504 Author brief I could do this with more confidence than previously.

Secret-7

This is a competition brief that I came across at the end of last year. Music, specifically album covers and vinyl sleeves, are something I've recently become very interested in; music has always been a huge influence on my practice and outside life too. The open nature of the brief also allows for artistic interpretation which would be fun to play with. I'm unsure of how many entries you can submit for the brief, if multiple submissions are allowed creating a few album covers could help in building up a body of work for this module. Album artwork is something I am interested in pursuing within my practice and this would provide a small stepping stone into that world. The exhibition at Somerset House also looks to hose a range of styles as well as possible networking opportunities were my work successful.

D&AD New Blood Awards 2016; The D&AD Brief 

D&AD briefs are often a lot bigger and commercial in my eyes which can make them seem a little intimidating. After looking through a few of the briefs (only briefly however as it seems you need to make an account to see the full brief) I did come across D&AD's own brief based around the theme of 'bravery'. The subject matter for this brief is what attracted me; it felt more authentic and morally conscious whilst relating to the design industry. I have a lot of passion for bravery within the design industry which I think I could pull on for this project, however the vagueness and size of the brief is still a little daunting.

PT2

Penguin Random House UK Design Awards

(I think the brief I would most like to do would be the Secret-7, however given that it's not currently live I've decided to unpick my second choice to perhaps undertake until the Secret-7 brief goes live?)

What problem(s) are identified by the brief?

Competing against other books covers of a similar nature

Be able to work both traditionally (book format) and digitally (ebooks//apps ect)

Be striking and eye catching

What is the brief asking you to do about it/them?

Be imaginitive

Create something that is timeless and classic

Easily 'pick-up-able' 

Striking

Good communication of what the book stands for (classic but also entertaining and sunny)

What is the brief trying to achieve?

Create a new book cover for Caitlin Moran that stands out against other book covers of a similar nature

Most likely appeal to women?

Who will benefit?

The Penguin Publishing Company

Caitlin Moran

Women who are persuaded to buy the book?

What is the message?

Something 'timeless' but also entertaining

Grounded in reality and 'down to Earth-ness' but also funny

Relatable 

Who is the audience?

Primarily women

'Contemporary readership'

How will the message be delivered?

Through 'imaginative concept and original interpretation of the brief executed with strong use of typography'

Can you foresee any problems in responding to the brief?

Avoiding stereotypes or making a book cover that's very similar to other books in the same subject area

Making sure the 'message' and 'attitude' of Moran's book is well communicated

They could be looking for a more photography based answer to this brief, though that could prove to work in my favour as something illustrated may feel 'fresh' and 'more striking'

Brief Analysis

Top 3 briefs I'm interested in

Secret-7

Though this brief isn't currently live it's definitely one that interests me a lot. The idea of being able to combine my love of music and illustration is something that draws me to this brief, and the notion of being able to start exploring album artwork as a venue for illustration is something I'd like to look at. The brief also allows for a range of approaches and after looking through past winners I also feel there isn't a strong predetermined tone of voice I would have to incorporate into my own work. As multiple submissions are allowed I could submit a piece for each track; creating a set of seven album covers in total for a substantial brief. 

Penguin Books Awards

After looking through the list of books in the Penguin Awards I feel as though the Caitlin Moran and Clockwork orange books would be most suited to my way of working. I've currently not got an interest in my work being geared towards a children's book audience as I'm enjoying working with more adult//mature themes. I'm familiar with the work of Caitlin Moran and enjoy the tongue in cheek tone of voice she uses to tackle often sensitive subject matters. It would be challenging to see if I could echo that within my own work. 

D&AD New Blood; Fortune Favours the Brave

Definitely the most open of my three chosen briefs, Fortune Favours the Brave appeals to me on a moral level rather than a visual one. With cuts to the arts in education each year I think the importance of inspiring young people to stand up and be brave in a create environment is very important. The scale of this project is a little daunting given that I haven't tackled a 'campaign' project of such a scale before, especially with such an open audience // distribution method(s). Perhaps this brief would be better suited towards collaborative OUIL503 instead?

Brief Analysis; Secret 7 (Substantial Brief)

Given that the tracks for this years Secret 7 have not yet been released I can't focus on specific problems at this point, however the brief itself is the same every year so this can be tackled.

What problem(s) are identified by the brief?

The open nature of this brief works as both a positive and negative. Whilst it allows me to push my work in ways that I want to push it, it also allows for a miscommunication of ideas or concepts from initial sketches to developed outcomes. The work has to connect on some level of the collective conscious of both illustrator (myself) and audience while still being individual and not obvious.

What is the brief asking you to do about it/them?

Respond to chosen tracks in a specific format (size requirements) for a chance to be shown in an exhibition raising money for a chosen charity (this year Amnesty International UK). The work can be an format and after looking at past contributors it's clear that there isn't a specific house style that the judges are looking for; allowing for me to pursue a tone of voice I feel fits with each track without worrying about it appealing to a niche form of illustration.

What is the brief trying to achieve?

To showcase an exhibition broadcasting a wide range of illustration, graphic design, graphic art ect that in turn will be sold to raise money for Amnesty International UK. 

Who will benefit?

Obviously the main benefactor of this brief will be the charity, as the proceeds of the sold art sleeves will be going to them. As well as this the Artists//Musicians chosen will probably benefit from the exposure of their tracks and being linked with something morally admirable. From the illustrators perspective (myself) being added to a list of contributors that has boasted names such as Charlotte Mei, Yoko Ono ect would be beneficial in terms of exposure. The chance to actually go down to the opening night of the exhibition would also provide a great opportunity for networking as well as having another exhibition to add onto a creative CV.

What is the message?

Using art to help people! The fusion of art through records sleeves and music to help raise money for a good cause each year is a lovely beacon of what creatives can do to make an impact on the world we live in and do some good!

Who is the audience?

Appart from musicians and artists alike, the exhibition will be open at Somerset house for a couple of weeks for the general public. This allows for a wider audience to be exposed to illustration and makes it feel very assessable. Given the good cause of the exhibition I think it would draw in a range of folk in terms of gender, class, age, sexuality ect. I don't think any of these things are specific for this brief; it feels as though it is something everyone can enjoy which is refreshing.

How will the message be delivered?

The chosen artwork will be printed onto 7" EP vinyl sleeves and exhibited at Somerset House. After that a backlog of all the chosen work is uploaded online for people to view throughout the year. Folk can buy the album covers for £50 which is given to charity. A small statement (140 characters) is all that the artist is given to describe their work // intentions so the image is key!

Can you foresee any problems in responding to the brief?

As stated previously, finding something that people feel they can understand//relate to but isn't obvious or stereotypical will be my hardest problem to overcome in this brief I feel. The freedom could also cause problems in choosing appropriate media // making the pieces work as a set. It's also hard to know what the judges are looking for given the broad range of previously submitted work.