Week 7 – Production & Outcomes/Influences & Reactions – Medium & Testing

Illustrators utilise both client based, commercially driven projects together with self-initiated and collaborative work, this enables them to use many different mediums to get their work across.

The word “medium” can refer to the medium the illustration is on, for example; paper, canvas, fabric. But in this case it means the way it reaches an illustration reaches its audience e.g. in a newspaper, magazine or on a wall in a museum.

Mike Perry has illustrations crossing many mediums. The illustration below works specifically in a magazine:

The following advertisements for the 2008 Olympics were created in collaboration with Saatchi & Saatchi:

Where as this illustration was designed by Perry alone as a self-initiated piece of illustration:

 

Testing is an area that links in very well with medium. If the medium of an illustrators work is successful in reaching its audience, they can gain feedback for their work.

If the illustrator has a blog they are able to gain feedback through the comments section. A piece of work could then be improved if needed before it is finalised and published. The audience could also provide feedback afterwards, if it was published in the medium of a newspaper or magazine, people could send in their views in an email or a letter. Feedback is important as it allows the illustrator, or any designer, to see if they have been successful in getting their message across. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Images from: http://www.mikeperrystudio.com/

Week 6 – Development of Ideas & Structures – 3 Act Structure & Character Design

It has long been said that, “every story needs a beginning, middle and an end” (Jean-Luc Godard). These three parts could also be described as “establish, crisis and resolve”. (These form the basis of the three act structure theory in story development.)

In other words, the characters in the story will begin in a state of equilibrium, something will happen which disturbs the state of equilibrium and starts a sequence of events. At the end of the story the characters come to rest in a new and different equilibrium. In a three act structured story, we usually follow a protagonist, (main character) the end of the first act occurs when the protagonist makes a commitment which leads to the action in the second and third parts.

The three act structure of Disney’s The Jungle Book (1967):

Act 1 – Mowgli has grown up in the jungles of India with a pack of wolves

The wolves learn that Shere Khan (a man-eating Bengal tiger) has come to the jungle and will hunt down Mowgli

The wolves decide Mowgli should return back to a village with other humans as it would be safer for him

Bagheera (a black panther) agrees to take him to the village

Mowgli meets Baloo (a bear)

Mowgli decides he wants to stay with Baloo and not go back to the village

Act 2 – Mowgli is kidnapped by monkeys

The monkeys take Mowgli to King Louie

Bagheera and Baloo rescue Mowgli

Bagheera convinces Baloo that Mowgli should go back to the village

Baloo tells Mowgli he should return to the village as it’s not safe for him in the jungle

Mowgli runs away

Act 3 – Mowgli comes across a group of vultures

Just as the vultures and Mowgli are becoming friends, Shere Khan appears

The vultures try to hold off Shere Khan

Baloo arrives and also defends Mowgli

Lightning strikes a tree and starts a fire, Mowgli uses the fire to scare off Shere Khan

Bagheera and Baloo take Mowgli back to the village

Character design is also an important part of pre-development.

As the protagonist Mowgli is quite young, he looks like he’s around 10 years old. The long scruffy hair and very little clothing reinforces the idea that he grew up in the jungle. He also has quite long limbs, he is able to walk on all fours and interact with all the animals in the story.

Shere Khan, the villain in this story, looks very sinister in comparison. In the image below, he looks like he has a crooked nose and angry-looking eyes. He doesn’t interact with any of the other characters in a nice way, he is always intimidating them.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Images from:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1099043/Real-life-Mowgli-kept-alive-freezing-streets-wild-cats.html
http://www.arthursclipart.org/justforkids/jungle/page_01.htm
http://boards.ign.com/teh_vestibule/b5296/192975282/p1/

Week 5 – Reflective Visual Journal (RVJ) – Work by hand & Reflection

The term “Reflective Visual Journal” can be broken down in three. As it is a “journal” designers use them over a period of time. “Visual” means the designer is able to put their ideas into a visual form e.g. a sketch or an illustration. And finally it enables the designer to be “reflective”, they are able to look back on the ideas and assess whether they have been successful or need changing.

Working by hand in an RVJ is essential for a designer as it enables them to engage a physical connection between the creative thoughts in their mind, their hands and their eyes. Working by hand mainly involves drawing. Drawing enables a designer to think creatively, put down initial ideas and develop these ideas. Anyone who is looking through the RVJ can see the thought process of the designer and the see the ideas develop over time. The image below shows how working by hand plays a key role in the creative thinking process:

Once the ideas have achieved a visual language through the designer working by hand and utilising creativity, the journey of the ideas are nearly at the end of their journey. The designer can then look back on the ideas and he/she can evaluate, question and edit some of the decisions leading to the final design. Reflection isn’t something that occurs just at the end of the journal, it can take place at any stage of the design process.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Images from the lecture slides)