406: Sticker finals

Blue or blonde

My only decision now is to go with the blue sticker or the red/yellow version. What works for the brief? The blue is using two blues that are harmonious but the reds and yellows feel warmer. It's an interesting question of What is a kind colour? I've had a 50/50 response from people so far but my gut instinct says the blue feels more appropriate.

Process

I'm pleased with how my process flowed for the brief. I found my most promising idea through sketching (within the correct frame/restrictions) and developed it with further roughs. I didn't lose focus or become indecisive which is a sign of progression in my process when it comes to closing in on an idea decisively.

What was successful/any mistakes?

She has a warmness to her which is what I wanted and the hand holding her shoulder gesture to comfort herself comes through well. I purposely used soft, curved shapes which really helps to give a sense of comfort. Simple things such as what shapes you use in an image are very important tools in communicating a message or feeling. Rigid angles or squares wouldn't work as well.

Perhaps I could of made an even more simple character that might connect with more people?

How simple can you go before losing the human connection with the audience?

She has simple features but does she resonate with all kinds of people? I hope so, my intention was to for it to connect with everyone but maybe I'm over thinking it.  

New skills

Doing this brief has definitely led to a big boost in my knowledge of how to Illustrator. I've got a good grasp of the basics and feel confident in creating simple vector images. It was good to just play around and figure out the shortcuts and pathway tools - initially it seems rigid but the tracing is easy once you get the hang of it. There were some really frustrating moments but that's all part of the fun. Like with Photoshop I think I'll learn as I go with Illustrator and figure it out for myself and can always ask one of the technicians, who seem to know everything luckily.

What next?

Wacom tablets - I want to use the tablets for tracing free hand with the pen as this might be less time consuming and more natural, with mistakes and all.   

The vectors are perfect for creating logos and simple images but I'm not converted at this point by vectors in comparison with hand drawn/textured illustration. It feels less emotionally powerful but I can see how vectors can be excellent for accurate, polished images.

406: Sticker roughs

Kind to others

I asked friends and family to think of something kind to say to someone, anyone, a neighbour, an alien but the responses were either ridiculous or negative so I thought about how people can neglect themselves and not be kind to themselves which is important as it determines how kind you are to others.  

Be kind to yourself

After deciding on being kind to yourself as the theme, there are lots of subtle acts of being kind to yourself but I wanted to focus on a universally recognisable act of having a moment to yourself to think or hold yourself. Touching yourself (not in that way), a hand on the shoulder is a small but effective symbol of reassuring yourself.

I don't know if it's the colours but this rough works for me. It will work with two colours - I feel the two colours should be similar to help give it harmony and make sure it's not too jarring or contrasting. The act of putting her hand on her shoulder and looking down communicates well that she's thinking, reassuring herself for a moment. My only problem is making sure the fingers are recognisable as fingers and don't blend too much with the background colour.

I'm pleased I've been decisive and quick with my decision making. It's good to go with a good idea and trying to develop it to make it great rather than worrying about having a great image straight away, which never happens without working on it.  

406: Use of shape

Simple shapes - Saul Bass

I've been looking at artists who used simple forms in their art to great effect. Saul Bass' posters use minimal symbols that have maximum effect in communicating an element of a film or an iconic moment. The Magnificent Seven is incredibly simple but the colour red gives it an dangerous edge and the method of using tally marks suggests only one person may survive at the end of a brutal game. So simple yet powerfully symbolic.  

Picasso/Matisse

I want to look at being kind to yourself as an act of kindness and while researching old masters artists, Picasso and Matisse's paintings and drawings are the kind of direction I'm naturally going with my sketches. Their forms could be recreated in Illustrator and using two colours only. They have limbs and faces intertwined which would work well for a circular format.

Universal appeal - simple, recognisable shapes

Harmonious, symmetrical, elegant, rounded?

406: Final gifs

I'm happy with the final gifs. Each gif has a different purpose in telling the characters story. The digital gif below shows the character doing it's day to day job of searching the barren landscape for what ever it is it's searching for. The change of colour was what I saw when I listened to the song. I usually associate colours with music so wanted to get lots of colour in there.

I thought this paper cut out was a development of illustrating the solitary nature of the character. The sense of infinity came to mind as the song is very long and repetitive and puts you in a trance so I thought about how the character may have repetitive habits such as watching the sun rise and sun set to pass the time.

I got an idea of making a puppet but then thought a silhouette might be more sombre and intriguing for the audience. I was surprised at how expressive the black paper could be when used in this way. This gif works really well in giving the character a bit more depth and the little interaction with the bird is enough to tell a bigger story of how the character is perhaps developing increased curiosity of it's surroundings, wanting to make a friend.  

406 - I See Faces - Character

My character's environment

From the early stages of listening to my Brian Eno song I definitely felt themes of tranquil landscapes and lonely, plodding creatures in a deserted environment.

I used the library to look up deserts and mountain ranges around the world but the desert seemed like the most appropriate place as my character could really standout against the bare background and also it creates the sense of the character working alone.

These oil pumps really work in terms of movement and structure for what I had in mind. It's repetitive movement and lonely location is how I imagined my character.

OUIL 406 - Acts of kindness - research

 Pinterest research

Pinterest is brilliant for getting ideas and inspiration for a new project. I searched for scout badges and acts of kindness. The badges below are 'alternative' scout badges which aren't exactly acts of kindness but are useful for thinking about how diverse and imaginative a badge can be.

I can use text so the image doesn't have to be too literal.

These are simple but beautiful badges and could be recreated using vectors in illustrator and communicate a message with minimal shapes and patterns.

Acts of kindness

There's loads of stories and examples of acts of kindness on the internet which does give you a release of endorphins reading about them. Actual acts of kindness are probably the way to go as it's a personal thing that needs first hand experience to get some ideas going for how to visually explore kindness.

Local places? There's lots of charities around Leeds to look at but I also want an appropriate balance with my commitment to the project and any act of kindness. It's important to not just do an act of kindness as a token gesture or to commit to a charity purely for the projects success so maybe a simple, light act of kindness is a good place to start.

An act of kindness could be spontaneous, grand, financial, random, personal.

Is there someone I see often who is kind to others or does a selfless act??

Here's Dan..

Illustrator GIF

T. S Abe

When we looked at gifs it reminded me of this gif by T. S Abe. It's a self portrait and it has dedicated craft, technical skill and captures her attitude. She turns, looks you up and down, leaving you not quite sure what she thinks of you. It's a small exchange that we have every day with strangers but in this drawn form it becomes an infinite interaction, never knowing what she's thinking. The simplicity of the hair really appeals to me and the gradual depth of detail towards the eyes and mouth are things that I am starting to find very effective in my own drawing. Simplicity blended with refined detail. For me, her look is a look of defiance and a show of strength to anyone trying to confront her. 

This image below shows how labour intensive it will have been to create a seemingly smooth gif. She hasn't overcomplicated it but the movement of her eyes forces the audience to ask questions and be intrigued.  

I found more of her gifs - this one is for a mixtape by The Code which is again really beautiful in it's simplicity and use of one colour. It's communicating the effects the music are having on the listener,, the blue spreading into the girl's body and hair.