last minute rush...

this week is gonna be a mad week...

got a few things to sort out:

print my final 7x7 images,
organise, reprint and finish off previous projects,
sort out my presentation for wednesday,
clean up my website portfolio, and finally....

throw some stuff at this blog to show "research" hahaahha

so.. let the throwing begin

After taking the initial plan of silhouetting my design whatever it may be, I started looking at Noma Bar (and this interview with the artist himself). It was a mix of the simplicity of his work combined with the character shown in each piece that first attracted my attention, as he sums up the personality of a well known figure through objects/shapes linked to their life. I thought of trying to do something similar with this project but I was falling into the trap of just copying Barr's work rather than creating something that was my own, or something that was fitting to the story...

As I have mentioned, about a million times, I've also been looking at Abram Games' work... and no, i STILL havent scanned in any pages from this magical book of his I own. However, rather than looking just at the finished product of his posters or possibly using an airbrush, I've been mesmerized by his sketches and thumbnails... seeing how an initial idea has progressed and developed. In the past I have usually drawn out a few thumbnails and then turned straight to the computer, not referring back to the drawings and often feeling as if my sketches are more successful than a finished piece...

through looking at Games, I started to draw out and develop one single idea more... trying to rearrange little bits and reposition things.. but again I found through doing this, I was now getting too caught up in trying to perfect a sketch... but it will always be a sketch and I wasnt actually creating anything for a final piece.

I feel like I'm progressing a little too slowly, I'm stuck in some of my ways and I get caught up in the newest and most exciting process/method ... but it isnt until I finish the project that I realise what I've been doing wrong. I enjoy playing with ideas and designs, testing out new compositions and affects (hence the screentone look to my recent stuff) and this is one of the reasons why I'm really considering working as part of a collective/anonymous artist. I feel like I'm worrying too much about what the artwork is saying about me rather than it fulfilling the brief, yet by "hiding" behind a name which isnt my own (e.g. Pieface, an old nickname) i dont seem to worry about not having one particular style... now i know im worrying too much but I cant help thinking about the future...

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I cant remember exactly how I came across this, but there truly is no more original work anymore... :(

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Also whilst researching bits and bobs for my presentation this wednesday, I've been trying to think of other places I seek out inspiration... and most of the time I end up looking at posters/screenprints... so much so I have widget on my iGoogle page from GigPosters.com that randomly shows a different poster every time its loaded.

The site (and book) contains posters both digitally and traditionally printed from a variety of artists/collectives for a variety of bands/artists. Now I cant seem to put my finger on what it is exactly that I like about these posters... whether its jsut the aesthetics of each or the technique but whatever the reason... i feel immediately inspired and jealous when I see these...

(a selection of my favourites...)

Ended up returning to Modern Dog for a bit of inspiration too... but again, rather than looking at their finished products... I was more inspired by their work environment... I cant remember if its in the Steven Heller interview in their book or not, but I recall how Robynne Raye and Michael Strassburger describe the production of one of their posters... whilst each partner of Modern dog works individually, being in a studio environment leads to giving each other crit on their designs (such as adjusting the composition or moving a specific element) but it still has the original artists "stamp" on it. I'm one of these people who likes to do things themselves - to make sure it is done right - but I love being in the studio at university for the very same reason...

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in terms of what I'm doing now... i figure I'll show what ive finished on, and some of the progression of how i got there...



There are still a few things that I'm not 100% set on (such as the tears on the hand, the ornate backgrounds and the eye being red) but I have a little bit of time to tweak them before they go to print...

its strange thinking of the initial sketches I had when compared to these but also the original mock ups I made of the hand/face design...



I started looking at "real"/photos of hands for reference (hence the mock up above) which progressed onto the silhouetted shape in my final images... but I was originally going to simplfy them in a Noma Barr style using illustrator... but they didnt appeal to me as much as the screentone effect of my mock screen print :)



In order to reach my final images... i played with different elements and tweaked little bits here and there...


I think that about sums everything up that I've missed in the last couple of weeks... unfortunately, I didnt manage to meet up with the writer of the story Im illustrating for (due to volcano flight delays).. however.. its kinda too late now for her to make many decisions.. i can only hope the crit session goes well... if not... i'll cry