This trip didn't make notice anything more about the vintage vs charity shop conflict, but I did collect and see a lot of interesting prints and designs that I can work from, varying in shape and colour.
After having my group feedback session, I realised that I need to add more context to my pattern designs instead of just having a pretty picture, something in the image that shows the conflict between the two types of shops.
> So with this in mind I then experimented more with pattern design on photoshop <
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| Swirls and circle money design |
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| Repeat circle money design |
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| Paisley & Circle money design |
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| 'Hipster Heaven' and leaves design |
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| Circle Pattern - money themed - showing how the difference in cost is very apparent |
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| Paisley money design |
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| 'Hipster Heaven' leaves design |
I created these patterns on photoshop, using drawing and my own patterns and textures that I have previously made/found. Surprisingly I enjoyed doing this, even though I have never really used photoshop so wasn't quite sure what I was doing. But found that you can learn the basics very quickly so wasn't much of a problem in the end. Although, photoshop has so many tools that sometimes it makes you take twice as long to create an image than it would by hand as there's so much choice on offer. So I found that quite hard to make decisions quickly.
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| feedback sheet |
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| feedback sheet 2 |
STOP
Problem analysis Problem solving
I need to stop and actually think about my work
WHAT IS IT LACKING?
>Needs more CONTEXT
Stop doing pretty pictures - not communicating
SO maybe..
>use found objects in charity shops - theme? KAREN MABON
>Typology? - horrible ties, grandma prints, creepy ornaments
CRITICAL INCIDENT
I always see the same objects in charity shops that are just so pointless and never actually think about it very much.. but maybe I should
I think a typology of common things to find in a charity shop would be a far better idea than just making patterns, as it's something that people can actually relate to which is a pathway for the book to become quite funny.
>objects forming together to create a pattern? (drawing the object then photoshopping)
WHAT ARE THE COMMON POINTLESS THINGS?
>animal ornaments
>glasses - usually as a set
>cds from washed out popstars
>weird patterned ties
>hideous floor length skirts
>plain pastel pink or blue wool blend knits
>kitten heels
>half missing jigsaws
>broken kids toys
>Barry Manilow records
>belts
>casettes
>sad bears
>fake flowers
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| pencil and pen |
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| pencil and watercolour |
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| watercolour and pen |
Experiment with drawing these objects using different materials - what ones would work best as a series in a book? use something new? what would be quick?
After using pen, pencil and watercolour in different styles, I decided that watercolour works best as it is very quick and easy as well as producing either bright bold or washed out colour.
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| objects forming pattern |
STYLE OF THE BOOK?
concertina? with each page having a different object
>would it be too busy?
>it would create an interesting composition - lots to look at
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| FEEDBACK |
After having the feedback I decided that maybe doing the patterns would be too busy and that I should just keep it simple - maybe just one object per page?
OR MAYBE alternate busy and non busy pages?
I also need to try and make it funny which I think is quite a challenge, it needs to be effortless NO FORCED LAUGHTER. But I think by using the technique of 'it's funny because it's true' then hopefully it should be quite successful.
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| watercolour and pen |
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| felt tip pen |
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| watercolour |
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| copic markers |
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| photoshop casette texture collage |
STOP
problem solving problem analysis
Stop and think
Having patterns will be too busy
R E T H I N K
Just individual objects with a short caption underneath?
> TEXTURE COLLAGE STYLE - I tried this style after doing it for the first time in visual language and as I quite enjoyed it, thought I should give it another go. I think from my media experiments this one was the most successful, as the textures give more of a feel to the image as if you could actually touch the page. It also means that I can still use watercolour, pen and pencil - so many materials!
RE WRITE LIST
>Creepy china ornaments
>Sherry glasses
>Washed out popstar cds
>Barry Manilow vinyls
>Kitten heels
>Half missing jigsaws
>Exlovers mixtapes
>Sad bears
>Plastic styling heads covered in makeup
>Hideous ties
>Miscellaneous belts
SO MAYBE.. just sadle stitch - the book doesn't need to be concertina - extra effort for no extra value to the book - would work just as well in a sadle stitch.
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| story board and layout ideas |
PAGES TEXTURES AND OUTLINES OF THE SUBJECTS
>watercolour, pen and colouring pencils
Putting these elements together on photoshop by selecting areas using the paste special tool
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| Barry Manilow vinyls |
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| depressed bear |
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| miscellaneous belts |
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| ex lovers mixtapes |
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| creepy china ornament |
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| fugly ties |
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| lonely sherry glass |
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| missing jigsaw pieces |
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| defaced plastic heads |
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| washed out pastels |
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| kitten heels |
Although when I was making my pages I was quite doubtful about the style that I chose, because I usually focus more on the craft of my work and this is more of a simple shape driven composition instead of intricate design that makes the viewer intrigued about how the image was made. But as I carried on with my pages I think this kind of style works quite well for my book, as the illustrations didn't need to be complicated or too detailed to communicate my typology. I'm also glad that I tried something new and learned how to use photoshop, which means that I could use it in later modules.
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| Title ideas for book and pages |
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| Front page |
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| Used the InDesign workshop to layout my book |
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| book binding |
I chose a simple stitch (5 holes) for my book, as I didn't think that I needed to do anything complicated as it isn't the main focus of the book. I also chose red to match with the front cover of the book.
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Finished product |
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| Final feedback sheet |
THOUGHTS?
Overall, I am quite happy with the outcome of my book. It's hard trying to visualise what the book is actually going to look like when you're making the pages and I thought that it wouldn't look very professional in terms of craft because of the media that i chose. But once I actually saw what it looked like when it was finally made, I do think that it works well aesthetically.
I'm also glad that the funny aspect worked, as my feedback shows - "funny cos its true" was exactly the point that I wanted to communicate, so I am very excited to see that it actually worked.
But the thing that I am pleased with the most is that I have put context into my work, as I struggle with this aspect a lot, being very craft driven. By trying something new and not just doing something because I think it looks nice, I have created something that people can understand and have more of an emotional response to.
If I had to make this book again I would make more pages, as I just stuck to the minimum of 12 and annoyed at myself for not pushing myself further to create more. This has taught me that I should never just go for the minimum requirements and always try to aim higher.
I also need to refine my photoshop skills, as it is quite evident in some of the images that I am a newbie when it comes to photoshop. But this is something that I will learn over time and hopefully will greatly improve on.
I think that I was a lot more organised on this project, keeping in control of my time, chipping away at my work instead of leaving it and last minute panicking. It made me realise how important time management actually is, how much it effects the outcome of your work. Also how important jotting down each thought is, as the smallest idea can completely transform an idea. But the most important thing I learnt about organising myself is that you must always STOP AND THINK about what you're doing, as it's so easy to get trapped into an idea. I will definitely take this with me in my next modules.
EVALUATION
Self Evaluation - VISUAL NARRATIVES OUIL405
1. Which practical skills and methodologies have you developed within this module and how effectively do you think you are employing them within your own practice?
A methodology which was totally new to me was InDesign, I found it surprisingly simple to use. This was reassuring, as the thought of making a book was initially quite daunting - would it look professional enough? But I liked how everything was nicely presented and shows how just anyone can use it. I hope that I can use this later on in future projects.
Another was Photoshop, something that I have used before but not exhaustively. But I thought I should try a new method, even though I don’t think my final work displayed epic photoshop skills, I am glad I tried it out and would still like to explore this method in later practice.
2. Which approaches to research have you found most valuable during this module. How have you interrogated your research to identify appropriate ideas?
What I found to be the most valuable in terms of research is to record everything, even if at the time it seems pointless. The smallest of ideas can grow and create amazing outcomes. This is evident as my final book idea was based on mundane charity shop objects, something that you see a lot but would never think much of. It’s important to look and pick apart even the smallest of subjects.
3. What strengths can you identify within your submission and how have you capitalised on these?
My biggest strength during this module was my media experimentation, trying out materials that I never usually use to try something new and explore my skills. I capitalised on these by producing as much as I could, creating lots of drawings and then examining the most successful. It also means that I can go into these materials more in my later modules, by finding new strengths in materials I didn’t know I had.
4. What areas for further development can you identify within your submission and how will you address these in the future?
My photoshop skills need further development, as some of my images could of been a bit more refined to look more professionally made. This area however is something that can only be improved with lots of practice, which I am planning on doing in the future because I did enjoy working digitally and trying something new. I also think that I needed to put more effort into the book itself, by doing more pages or trying to create a concertina book. In the future I need to aim higher than just doing the required amount.
5. How effectively are you making decisions about the development of your work?
What informs these decisions? What problems have you identified and how have you solved them?
The most important thing I found about decision making is stopping and having an in-depth thought about where your work is going and is it hitting all the right criteria - reflection is key. This made me realised what problems I had with my work (not having enough context) and addressing this. Asking others for their opinion is also important, as it is easy to get so self involved in a project without actually realising the flaws within it.
6. How effectively have you managed this project and organised yourself during this module?
I think that my time management was under control in this module. This is because I never felt behind or that I had to cram all of my work in in long nights, as I spaced it all out evenly over the time period, chipping away at it. I hope to carry this on in the future.
However, I don’t feel like I have pushed myself to the extent that I know I can. If I could do this project again I would have produced more pages and maybe experiment more with book types and sizes.
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