Barbican Art Gallery & White Cross Street market

Today I visited the Barbican Art Gallery to see the pop art exhibition being shown there. It was a great opportunity to explore some of the works of pop artists which could influence my work in branding. The exhibition was very interesting and I produced a lot of notes as well as drawings however I was not allowed to take photographs which was a shame as I would have liked to reference some of the works by image. However overall it was a great experience and many names such as Richard Hamilton and Rosenquist who I have only seen in images, evoked reactions of pure inspiration. It was very interesting and gave a real insight into the idea of how the artists used a bold colour scheme to make something so little, exciting.

After this for lunch we visited the White Cross Street market where it was great to see what was going in the the avctual world rather than from imagination. I loved to the idea of seeing people on their own selling food cooked right in from of you and gave me many ideas I could take back into the studio with me. I could now put in the emotions of being on a busy street with markets competing on both sides and how my business would have to stand out against these to make its profits. I took this on and started to really feel like my project could potentially become something good.

Graphics Project 10 - Branding (Week 1)

I decided to choose the Branding two week project because I felt this was something that I would enjoy as well as the fact I have previously worked for a client which wanted this sort of work done and I felt I could improve my skills in the industry subject.

During the first week of the project I was aware that I had to do a lot more research in order to try and create a well branded street food business. I started of by working out what food my business would sell, I wanted it to be spanish but with a twist and therefore came up with the idea of a spanish roast dinner. (Roast dinner served as a paella.) I brainstormed potential ideas and things that popped into my head as I was writing and drawing. This lead me to look at potential names; I decided to use the spanish word for unusual which was Insolito. I felt it was short and could be a good name for my business. I looked colours as well as this the flags of both Spain and the UK. I tried many different colour combinations and explored different ways to present the text to represent the theme.

I then took this idea further and decided to look into how I could actually create a roast dinner paella so sketched out a few ideas for the dish.  As well churros were something I wanted to sell to help convey the spanish theme and drinks were also something I could end up branding too.

I knew that to brand a business you would need a logo to start the process and therefore went into computer software looking at different fonts and colours of each. This really sparked off some ideas of where I could go with the design of the logo and explored into visual ideas of the countries and iconic images which could also be added to show off the theme. Although these ideas were only first drafts I was not happy with them and therefore decided to leave this idea for the day and come back to it later.

Graphics Project 9 - Study Zone Workshop

I was not very enthusiastic with the project because I did not know which part of graphics I wanted to choose to explore into to create a book cover. I chose advertising because I wanted to increase my knowledge in this subject. I decided to use the available resources in the study zone and looked at both the covers and inside of advertisement books. This gave me an insight into what my design could include or look like. I then started to draw out some ideas which I realised where very colourful and used a lot of shapes rather than illustrative drawings.

I did not do much work during the workshop but I went home and tried to create a book cover with the strengths I knew I had which were using computer software. I took my ideas into Photoshop and decided to play about with what I had until I found something that worked. I really wanted to have a complete drawing prior to photoshop use however I did not know what else to do to spark my ideas off. This workshop was not one of my strongest ideas however I am pleased with the outcome of the design because it links both the back and front of the book as well as the spine.

overall, book covers are something I would love to continue to do however I would need to explore further into ideas with a longer project rather than a day workshop.

Graphics Project 8 - InDesign & Photoshop workshop

Prior to this workshop I was very excited by what I could and would produce therefore this was one of my favourite workshops so far. I was very keen to know what I would be doing so then I could get on with the task rather than learn because computer skills is something that I am strong in. This lead me to not listen as much as I would have liked to now because I have learnt some useful tips in developing my work further.

I was to create a film poster which would be for the new film "The 33" which is about the 33 chilean miners who got trapped underground for over two months. I would have liked a different title or not even a specific film however I worked with what I had to do. At first I lacked in ideas and even decided to take a drawing into photoshop before I even knew what it was going to be. I did this because I was stuck with an idea and felt that the process of creating an image may spark some thoughts on what I could do. I tried to create the countries outline into a mine with the colours of oranges to show the heat but felt this idea was not going anywhere and did not show any of my computer skills. I took back to the drawing board and decided to not over complicate the design. I came up with words that could describe the experience, them being, Trapped, alone, hot, crowded. I took the word trapped and came up with the idea of it being a maze to get out so explored how I could portray this in a poster. Black and white seemed to be the best fit for the coal and dirt so I made a Tetris like maze out of rectangles. I wanted to include the text within the maze and so I took the chance to make a T out of the blocks however if I was to improve this I would make the T look better because it doesn't quote look part of the rest of the text.

I was then told by Sophia that my design was too flat and needed a sense of texture so I put a layer of coal on top and then turned down the opacity. Although this looked ok I still prefer the design being black and white. I then took the image into InDesign and added text which made it appear to be a film poster. I really enjoyed today because it allowed me to show off my computer skills as well as learning new ones to help me in my future designs.

Graphics project 7 - Calligraphy workshop

Today was a calligraphy workshop, something that I have not previously done with a paintbrush however I have used a pen. I did not know what to expect and therefore did not know if this was a strength or weakness of mine. I started of my getting used to the motion of the brush and tried out a simple alphabet following a sheet that was given out. I started to enjoy how fluid the motion of writing could be so decided to explore further into writing a phrase with this new style of writing.

I really enjoyed the calligraphy and really wanted to challenge myself so I took to the internet and found a more complex form of calligraphy to follow. This was something that I found to love therefore I have a lot of pages of experiments that both include letter formation as well as different phrases. However, I have learnt that too much ink can make the paper too wet and too little can effect the flow of your letter formations which was hard to get right at first but with practice was fine to comply with.

After the workshop, I took my new skill home and decided to write Red, White and Rose in the more complex calligraphy and then took this into photoshop after planning out. I wanted to create wine bottle labels and tried to include the colours you would think of for each wine. I am quite pleased with the outcomes I have created and made also decided to print out the labels for actual use. I really liked this workshop and have also gained a new skill which is something I have always wanted to be abled to do.

Graphics project 6 - Type layout workshop

During todays workshop I was confused on what I had to do until I read a book of examples (watching words move) which then quickly boost my enthusiasm for the day. I love making things have meanings and by creating a typeface which had a sense of dynamics and movement gave me a lot of enjoyment. I started of by creating a range of examples exploring adjectives in ways that people may not expect them to look like. I really enjoyed spending time on this so therefore I added some colour to enhance the meanings and imagery. My favourite had to be the word tasteless although, heavy really stands out against the white background.

After completing a wide range of examples I was to create a CD cover. I wanted to use my own name however it is not an adjective so I used the literal sense of what it was in another spelling, a robin. I arranged the letters of Robyn into the shape of a robin which was hard at first but I found ways around initial O as the stomach. I also added in the Henry on the branch to give it some context as well as writing my name repeatedly in the background. I really loved this piece so I decided to add colour and then take it into Photoshop where I was able to put it into a CD case and increase the depth of colour. I really like what I have created therefore there would not be an adjustments made however I could use the text in the robin in white rather than black and colour the bird its natural colours rather than white.

Graphics Project 5 - Colour workshop

During this workshop I explored the different colours within the colour wheel as well as mixing colours to create different shades. I started by creating a colour wheel which shows how the primary colours are mixed together to create the secondary colours. I am very confident with the colour wheel as it is something I had learnt at a young age. We then went on to creating the Burnt Siennas (red and green), Ochres (yellow and purple), as well as the Umbers (blue and orange). We started with the two colours one being a primary colour and the other being a secondary, you then mix together them little by little increasing the amount of the secondary colour each time giving you a range of browns.

After completing the range of colours we produced a square for each group (Burnt Siennas, Ochres and Umbers) using only the colours within that sector whilst exploring into artists such as Matisse, Rothko and Kandinsky. I felt that I lacked interest in this workshop because I have such knowledge already that it was pointless and boring to redo again. I finished the workshop prior to others as I wanted to get it done and over.

Graphics project 4 - 3D laser cutter workshop

Today I took part in the 3D laser cutting workshop; this was were someone took us as a group around the prototyping room exploring each machine and how it worked. This was also a chance to explore the safety side of the room something many of us did not know how to use the machines prior to the workshop. I was quite equipped with the knowledge because of my school before Ravensbourne did have some of the equipment. I was really interested in the 3D printer as it was something I had only just heard of and was interested in using one day.

After the safety talk was over we were given a chance to create a design in Adobe illustrator which could potentially be cut out on the laser cutter. I decided to use my name and initially wanted to carve this into a pencil however realised this would be tricky in the time and materials available today. I therefore took this idea and drew the pencil with my name on the inside of it rather than using a pencil itself. I was taught about what colour lines would do what within the machine so therefore this made it hard to work with the software. 

Unfortunately, I was not able to get my object laser cut as we ran out of time. However, I would love to go back and try to create my initial design of engraving into a pencil in the future weeks.

Graphics project 3

My first initial thoughts of this project were very enthusiastic. I knew exactly what I wanted to achieve and how I was going to do it. I started off by writing my manifesto. This was something that meant a lot to me and therefore I felt that this was the starting point for the initial idea. I wanted to say something about me and my passion for art as a subject that many people I have come across take for granted by the people who do not posses the skills.

My manifesto said "PEOPLE ALWAYS SAY ART IS THE EASY WAY OUT; I DARE YOU TO LIVE A DAY IN MY LIFE. DO NOT LET PEOPLE TELL YOU YOU’RE NOT SMART, CREATIVITY IS JUST INTELLIGENCE HAVING FUN. ART IS A WAY TO BE DIFFERENT, STAY UP LATE. CRAZY IDEAS CAN POP INTO YOUR HEAD WHEN YOU’RE HALF SAIN. ASK STUPID QUESTIONS? HOW WILL YOU EVER LEARN IF YOU DON’T? MAKE THINGS POSSIBLE MAKE IT HAPPEN NOW, YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO DO ANYTHING, IF YOU WANT IT ENOUGH. TAKE RISKS. BE DIFFERENT. OBSESS OVER EVERYTHING, ASSESS THE WORLD AND TAKE A CHANCE."

After completing this I decided that to make this really personal to me I would have to write the manifesto on myself rather than someone else. In order to do this I would have to write backwards in a mirror and then flip the image in Adobe Photoshop. I wrote my manifesto over my body in black pen and tried to vary the font of handwriting. This gave the text a sense of meaning rather than just writing for the sake of it. If I was to recreate this again I would have to try and make the pen look better. I then took photos of myself in different poses to try and show the text off as well as convey meaning and themes. I took the images into the photoshop and played about with manipulating the different images.

My final piece is the following:

Graphics pathway project 2

This project was a collaboration project, in which me and a group of other students took part in creating a short film based on a word. Our group's word was poetry; at first this word was one that we thought would weaken our chances of creating something good however this quickly changed as we discussed the meanings within it. Once thinking about what comes to mind with the word poetry we found that rap music is quite similar in style. We decided to take this into consideration and developed this idea, thinking about how we could portray this within the film.

We finalised the idea of making a film which portrayed the way people determine the difference between Rap music and Poetry. We discovered that there was a fine line between the two and this sparked the initial thought of asking others if they thought a passage of text was a rap or piece of poetry. The text given was an extract from one of Eminem's well known rap songs however none of the people reading the rap realised this but rather thought it was a poem. Once the rap has been stripped of its catchy beats, is it a rap or purely just a poem disguised?

We also wanted to make sure that we caught the attention of our audience and therefore decided that kinetic typography would be good to show the lyrics/ words of the rap in time with the music in the background. Although many of our group did not know how to do this, one of them did and therefore he was appointed to edit the video.

I really enjoyed this task as it allowed us to take on roles as a team and build on our skills throughout the week. I think that it really increased team building and broke the ice which meant we got to know each other more.

As well as this, we were to individually create a poster. I decided that I wanted to create a poster which represented the film but also took on a broader range. I then went onto playing about with new ideas on photoshop. I decided to create a few examples from the drawings I had previously done in order to see which could be the best potential idea.

My final design was created by using one of my experiments and amending to make better.