Aleatory starter project- 20th - 24th March

For this week project, I have been required to produce a piece of finished artwork based on the theme, ‘aleatory’, which is to be displayed within The Island gallery. Due to the quantity of students taking part in this exhibition, I have been given the limitation of working within the dimensions of 1 foot by 1 foot.  This has provided me with the opportunity to enrich my C.V as well as being able to expose my work to the public. The main aim was for this project to link in with my final major project proposal, which involves rebranding and promoting Weston- Super- Mare. I linked this ‘aleatory’ theme to my project by exploring the process of mark making, which allowed me to focus on capturing a new perspective and composition on Weston- Super- Mare. Even though I was not required to include this in my sketchbook, I thought it would benefit me because it acts as a good starting point in my project and it will allow me to justify why I have taken specific steps and it illustrates how my ideas have adapted throughout the project. I am hoping to use this starter project and develop it because it has allowed me to find what composition I am trying to depict, which will make the process of rebranding easier and more straight forward rather than having difficulty with moving out of the research stage.

I have starter off this project by creating a mind map and exploring different interpretations of the word ‘aleatory’ in order to get an idea on how I could link it with my final major project.  One definition that caught my eye must was, ‘an uncontrolled element in the details of life or the creation of art’ because it links with mark making due to the randomness in movement and the expression being captured within the drawing. With this idea, I started exploring different pieces of work that explored mark making and produced a mood board for inspiration. My mood board also looked at composition of cities, which gave me an idea on how to present Weston. Additionally, I also looked at 20^th century posters in the hope that my work would transform into a piece of visual communication, however, due to the amount of time I had, I was unable to do any further research on the layout or the history of these posters; however, I did manage to gain a general idea on how Weston was promoted in the 20^th century, which I might consider looking further into because it will be interesting to compare the attitudes towards Weston.

Then I researched Weston Super Mare and its competitor’s attractions and characteristics in order to separate the town’s uniqueness, which enabled me to have a clearer idea on what composition I wanted to depict and it made me more confident with how I was going to approach this week project as well as the final major project as a well. Then I collected different compositions of the town trough photography, which was mainly orientated to high altitude locations in order to illustrate the three settings of the town within one single image, which wasn’t too difficult as I was very familiar with Weston and was aware of the scenic viewpoints within Weston. After choosing my favoured photo, I researched an artist called Steven Jones in order to speed up the experimentation process and to gain an idea on what materials and techniques I could see within my work. I liked the warmth presented within his work that was created through rich oil pigments and dynamic movement. I have used acrylic paint because using oil paint would be too time consuming; acrylic dries quicker and is easier to manipulate. I have also made use of his colour by presenting a mixture of delicate and contrasting colours in order to create a dynamic atmosphere, which brings the town to life and brings a new perspective on Weston as a whole. Weston is often represented as a quiet traditional seaside town, however, I have captured a composition that depicts Weston for its urban settings and gives the town a dynamic feeling that will become attractive to young consumers; the town is of a university status, therefore, reaching out towards students. Whether it is tourism or locals, the town needs to become attractive to the young without compromising the town’s unique qualities.

I have produced this piece by printing out the photo on A4 paper and using the lightbox to draw the outlines of the image because I wanted to make my work accurate in proportion and it is less time consuming than having to correct any imperfections in your drawing. After achieving this, I photocopied my original drawing and enlarged it to an A3 piece of paper so it would be give me more space for my mark making. I only had enough time to paint one piece, which ended up as my final piece because I was too precious with my work and wanted it to be accurate and familiar to consumers. As I was progressing through my work, I started getting impatient because there was so much s=detail to be covered in my work and my work wasn’t appearing professional (it looked close to a child’s painting); however, I considered using a fine liner to go over the outlines in order to recover the details in the buildings and to give the image a cleaner appearance, which proved to be very effective. I am pleased with my work because I found a way to improve my work and work my way through problems while on a deadline. I am also pleased that I was able to use mixed media because each medium has a different effect on the image in depth and texture, and using the same medium in a single piece makes the image feel less dynamic and too consistent; there isn’t much excitement I the variety of texture.

I have met the brief because I have carefully linked my work to the final project as well as sticking to the given dimensions. I like my work because it has a strong contrast in colours, which enriches the pigments and places emphasis on the town’s vibrancy and gives the town a dynamic atmosphere. This draws the consumer’s attention because the composition of the town feels desirable; the town emits dynamic energy, which conveys the town as fun and atmospheric. There is also a sense of direction within this composition because the viewer’s eye is drawn towards the tallest building (cathedral) and then they direct their attention upwards due to the negative space adding a sense of relief from all the chaos at the bottom. The viewer is left moving their attention in different directions because there is so much going on t=in the image, making the town appear busy and exciting, which juxtaposes the current concept of Weston being a quiet seaside town. This image also has a sense of rhythm because the use of medium has been used throughout and the contracting pigments have been spread out in order to create balance as well as unity. It is important to consider the principles of design because otherwise it becomes noticeable to the viewer; they feel uncomfortable looking at the layout and the composition of the piece, which limits the amount of time they look at it as well as reducing the likeness that your piece will be memorable. A good design is subtle. The viewer doesn’t notice the significance of the layout, however, the design is known for being pleasing to the eye and visually stimulating.

The area that I was most successful with was the research because it gave me a clearer image of what I was doing, and it added context to my work. However, I think I need to improve the development of my ideas because I didn’t have enough time to experiment and I was mostly concentrating on collecting primary and secondary research. In order to improve, I would balance my work a bit more by focussing less on the context and experiment on different concepts. I will consider this as I go through my final major project because experimentation allows me to learn from my mistakes and explore what works and what doesn’t; it helps me develop my work further and enables me to be more reflective in my work. I think balancing out this project would have made this project less contextual and broader in my ideas, which would have allowed me to do more experimentation. I think my weakness for this week project was that I don’t like going through a project ‘blindfolded’; I want to know exactly what I am doing before I start experimenting, which limits my range of ideas and it shows that I am being too sae with this project at the moment.

In conclusion, this week project has acted as my first step towards my final major project and has given me an insight on how I want to present Weston- Super- Mare. This project has allowed me to capture different elements within one image, which adds context to my work and shows that my compositions and my visual communication with the consumer has improved. My strongest point is my research, which allowed me to strengthen my work contextually, however, I didn’t explore the mark making/ experimentation process as much as I would have liked to, which constrained the development process as well as the broadness of my ideas. In my final major project, I will make sure to be less precious with my work and touch every surface by balancing experimentation with research.

Next, I will attend the Bristol gallery called, The Island, and take a photo of my piece in order to act as evidence that my work has been displayed. Afterwards, I will go through my sketchbook in order to backtrack what I have been investigating and resume my final major project.

14th- 17th March

Testing digital drawing with a tablet.

This week, I have been writing my proposal for my final major project. Unfortunately, this week was only used to write the proposal so the week has been very slow. However, I have managed to get a head start on my research for the final major project and have decided that I am going to rebrand Weston- Super-Mare by modernising the town's image. I have done some research on Los Vegas as a case study and found out why a city needs its image to be promoted and how comer trends can change the characteristics of a city. I am going to create a logo to represent the town that is going to have a balance between the traditional values as well as suiting today's consumer trends.  I have found that donkey rides are becoming less attractive to consumers, which is one of the features that the town is famous for. In order to attract consumers, I need to put more research into the town's history and present and decide how I could transform the town's image.

This week, I have also finished my last Life Drawing session, which was the best life drawing I have experienced in this course. This life drawing took place in the mac room, and we were taught how to draw with a graphics tablet. I found this difficult at first, however, after practising this technique I found that using a graphics tablet is less restricting than a mouse, and you get use to the idea of not looking at the pen; you get into a rhythm and you pay more attention to the computer screen. However, one restriction I find with this technique is that you are unable to measure the model at a distance and move back away from your work, which makes it harder to get the proportions accurate. On the other hand, it is somewhat easier than drawing physically because you are not afraid of making mistakes because you know you can use the easer and no marks with show. 

As i was getting deeper into the practical, I started to get used to the thickness of my digital brush and changed it to a size 7 in order to create delicate outlines. During my fourth drawing, I was taught how to add tone and colour to my drawing by adding another layer to the drawing and changing the opacity and hardness of the brush (decreasing both of them), and once you are finished with the tones, you merge the image into one layer and change the brush to the 'colour' mode. Once this is achieved, you are able to choose the colours using the colour palette, allowing you to add colour to the shadings; you are unable to add colour to the white areas. I was unable to add any colour to my fourth drawing because I was trying to master my shading in my drawing and time was running out, however, I was more comfortable with my final drawing and was able to add colour towards the end. I think my final drawing is some of my best work and would be pleased to place this into my portfolio; I have been adding personality to the model and made sure that the face was completed in order to make the model feel less like an object, and gain a connection with the audience. I must say that the model did look very uncomfortable, which is why her eyes are closed in the drawing; however, I think capturing this is effective because it brings personality to the drawing.

Photoshop was used along with the graphics tablet because it is efficient editing software that allows me to create as many layers as possible and gives me the opportunity to manipulate my drawings if I need to. One example of this is changing the opacity of my shading because my brush marks were too dark, so i needed to make the shadings more discreet and delicate.

I might consider using this technique again in my final major project, perhaps when I am collecting primary resources from the town; it is as effective as drawing and doesn't involve preparation and you don't have to get your hands dirty; however, I would suggest thing a photo of weston first and then sketching it digitally because Weston is mostly known for its bad weather and I don't want to get my laptop or the college's graphic tablet wet or damaged. I could also do some physical sketch work in my own time in order to demonstrate a set of different skills.

For this final major project, I intend to touch every surface and see how far i can go with this project; I would like finish this course with more than a pass and strengthen my portfolio.

20 minute drawing on Photoshop

I was sure that the starter's project was supposed to be this week, which i was really looking forward to, however, i this it will start next week along with the fine major project. During this week, i have also found that it is easier to research my work while listening to classical music because it is calming and gives me the motivation I need to continue with my work; I have been able to continue with my work without even noticing the time, so i will continue with this method. According to Belle Beth Cooper's article, 'the surprising science behind what music does to our brains', moderate noise levels increase abstract processing and can improve visual attention.

Next, I will start putting research into weston's history and present, and discover what the current attitudes towards weston, which will give me an insight on how i can challenge these attitudes through rebranding.

Monday 13th March: The Cube Microplex

For this project, I was required to design a poster for an event taking place at the Cube Microplex in April. This was a live brief, so the client will choose a few posters from this course and stick them around Bristol.  I had decided to choose the film event called, ‘1984’ because I felt a stronger connection with the film because it is emotional and I like the concept of society not progressing over time; it shows how the author feels about the second world war, and I admire how he has used history telling skills to illustrate a possible future that may occur unless changes were to be made.

After collecting primary research from the Cube Microplex, I concluded that my client had a retro style to it that was welcoming with a warm atmosphere, so I put research into artist that had a similar style. Sheppard Fairey is an American graphic designer that I had already used in my Graphic Design taster project called, ‘Just my type’; I thought his work was appropriate to use and I wanted to look further into his use of colour and how he communicates context through his work. I made use of his limited colour palette in order to create strong contrasts within the poster, which will make the pigments feel more vibrant next to the darker colours. I also decided to make use of his block colours in order to make the poster feel retro and it will interpret my client’s character.

After watching and listening to the original version of 1984, I made some notes on different aspects that stand out in order to reflect on what the film is about and to gain some visual ideas from my notes, which was a very effective method to use because I managed to gain many ideas for my poster in very short time, and it enabled me to become enticed into this project.

Additionally, I also started playing and manipulating my photographs on Photoshop in order to show the consumer different aspects of the cinema in a fun and expressive way; by showing the consumer different parts of the cinema, they feel more familiarised with the client, and it increases the connection and interaction between my client and the consumer.

After selecting several of my favourite concepts, I started researching layouts and found a graphic designer called Neville Brody, who is another artist that I have previously used for another project, ‘pen to paper’. I liked his work because of the way he uses his typography in order to create a dynamic layout, and I wanted to explore his use of geometric typography; the typography he uses is harsh and relates to the way ‘1984 ‘ discourages any interaction or emotion. I looked further into the history of typography in order to gain a further understanding of how they have changed and decide whether I would want my typography to be within the 20^th century in order to emphasis the character of the film and make the consumer feel as if they have transported in time. However, after much research, I have found that typography has been borrowed and reintroduced several times throughout the years, so it is difficult to decide which typography would have been appropriate for my poster. I looked at the Grunge typography, which is the most recent typeface, however, I was intrigued by it because it has a wide range of styles that have all been produced in the act of rebellion (dada movement), which is the same style that Brody uses. I decide to use the ‘Masterplan’ typeface because I liked the battered appearance, bringing out the context of war and rebellion. The typeface also no serif, making the text even in thickness and clearer for the viewer to read. Using my selected ideas, I used Photoshop to explore different layouts of the text and added my client’s logo in order to gain a better impression of what the poster was going to look like and decide whether the space was used efficiently with more than one object. This also helped me decide which ideas I should consider because I found that adding text to the imagery allows you to perceive whether the ideas are practical to use. I chose to layer my title vertically on the left side in order to make my poster more dynamic and to balance the text on the right side. Once I limited my ideas to four designs, I was able to focus on what typeface I would use to inform the viewer when the event would be taking place. Bank Gothic typography was used because of its geometric shape and lack of serif, which suits the masterplan typeface I had used for the title and it makes the text feel impersonal and cold. 
After much consideration, I decided to choose the poster with the monitor for a background because I felt a stronger connection with it because I spent more time trying to get the text to feel balanced and lend into the image in order to create a sense of unity. And I feel that this poster captured the character of my client more than the other designs because it is retro and unique. I did tweak this design a bit because I felt the the printed version of this poster was too pixelated, so after discussing this problem with my tutor, i went back to Photoshop and went over the masterplan typeface with a paintbrush, increasing the contrast and making the poster as a whole feel cleaner and bolder. 
I like this design because the poster has a sense of unity due to how the text blends into the image. The use of block colours adds contrast, making the poster bold and clean. The limited colour palette adds vibrance to the '1984' title, which places emphasis to the right side and informs the viewer what the poster is about. The viewers eyes are then directed in a continuous circular movement because the  logo and the text have been careful aligned with the title, balancing out the weight caused by the left side. The proportions in the poster are appropriate because the bank gothic typeface has a large enough scale for the consumer to read the poster, however, it doesn't take up too much space or draw much attention away from the title; the text is subtle, but it has enough contrast and presence to turn the viewer's attention towards that direction. I also like this piece because of the mood it creates; the neutral clouds in the background doesn't make the viewer feel any particular emotion, which reflects how the context of the film and the lack of human emotion or interaction it contains. However, the vibrancy of the red text becomes a shock to the consumer, emphasising the danger that is about to occur and makes the consumer feel alert and uneasy. the use of red symbolises love, danger and blood, conveying the tragedy within the film. The surroundings illustrate that love doesn't fit in with this world and it is hard to hide it from others. 
I am pleased with my poster because I was able to lock closer into the history of typography and I have learnt what characteristic makes each typeface an individual such as the design movements that they have originated from or the composition of the serifs and horizontals. I have learnt that each typeface has been inspired by old typefaces and the development of each typeface has changed the way we have communicated with our audience and conveyed what we are trying to indicate to them visually. I have responded to this project efficiently by collecting primary research through my visit to The Cube Microplex as well as collecting notes on the film I am designing the poster for. I was also to put research into poster layout and colour, however, I think I could have done a some research on another artist since I was not required to create annotate my sketchbook for this project; adding another artist for this project would have increased inspiration for my ideas and would have given me more ideas on layout and possibly would have encouraged me to work with medium other than photography and Photoshop software. 
I think the most successful areas of my work was generating my ideas because I found it so easy since I had so many notes to work with, which is a technique I interned to carry on to my final major project. Generating my ideas was also easier because I felt less restricted on the quantity of work i was able to produce because i knew that i didn't need to annotate it afterwards; however, the law of annotation has limited the reflection of my work, stopping me from identifying closing what concepts of my work are successful and what I need to do in each deign to improve it. 
In conclusion, my understanding of typography has improved, which I will take onto the next project, however, I would like to learn more as it has become an interest to me, and I am sure that there are some areas I haven't touched up on. I am happy with the way I have responded to my work, however, I think I could have explored more with different mediums and do some more research in order to gain inspiration on what mediums are appropriate to use in a poster.
Next, I am going to write my proposal for my final major project and discuss it with my tutor.