Illustration With Sam

Today Sam Tate, the Illustration tutor for this course, gave us a talk as an Introduction to Illustration, in order to introduce herself and the 4 key areas of illustration that she will be covering with us throughout this first year of the course. I found the presentation really useful and it gave me loads of ideas. I have always thought that illustration looks really complicated and I guess I've been a bit wary in the past, but it showed me that it doesn't have to be that difficult to make an illustration look good, and it is just a means of expressing your ideas visually. The presentation also told me and made me realise the importance of illustration within my portfolio of work, as often this is the first thing that a future client will look at, and their first impressions will count! This made me realise that I need to practise and get into the habit of being more visually expressive in my work. So for this reason we have been given the task of carrying out an ongoing visual research folder throughout the course, to act as an inspirational tool to use in future projects.

As a starting point, Sam gave us a list of websites that feature archives of various illustrators to begin gathering images that we like, in order to build up our research folders...


http://www.heartagency.com/
http://www.inkhead.co.uk/
http://www.eastwing.co.uk/
http://www.debutart.com/
http://www.centralillustration.com/
http://www.bigactive.com/
http://www.zeeganrush.com/
http://www.stateillustration.co.uk/ (Sam's own website)
http://www.peepshow.co.uk/



Above are a few illustrations which I quite like from a google search 'illustration'. The second image is by Tamara Mamula, a 2nd yr Graphic Design student at the University of Salford. (She has her own website: www.toastyghost.co.uk/tamara)

I began by looking up the artists featured on the heartagency.com. Below are some of the ones that I really liked...

** Jason Ford - very graphical, bold shapes and colours, cartoon style, pop art-esque

** Michael Gilette - real mix of graphical styles, uses bright colour in many pieces, some fashion references

** Josie Jammet - very realistic illustrative style, often uses portaits of public figures

** centralillustration.com -
Sara Hayward
Susan Burghart

** bigactive.com - Good for fashion illustrators :
Kate Gibb - photographical
Jasper Goodall
Klaus Haapeniemi
Filipe Jardim
Kristian Russell

Also from the websites above (but can't remeber which came from where!)
Andy Martin
Jimmy Turrell
Joel Lardner - really love his style!
Shonagh Rae

** zeeganrush.com -

Akari Inoguchi - love her illustration over photographs and colourful prints

Week 5 - 27.10.08

Monday - London Fabric Sourcing

Our trip to London was in order to research particular fabrics by gaining swatches and info on its composition, price, etc, so that we become aware of what is available on the London fabric scene. At first I did think travelling all the way to London simply to gather swatches seemed a little pointless, but admittedly it made me realise that there are so many more luxurious and exciting fabrics in London, incomparable to that found in the fabric shops around Bournemouth - which at that are few and far between! But these gorgeous fabrics do come with a hefty pricetag! (many costing as much as £80/metre!!) My group's task was to research shirting fabrics, which linked conveniently to the current Folk Shirt project, so aswell as gathering typical shirting fabric swatches we were able to think about the kind of fabrics we might like to use for our designs too. I found the assisstants in most of the shops weren't overly friendly during busy periods, but during quieter times some were really happy to help. I did sense from the atmosphere in some of the shops and from the vibe given off by the shop assisstants that there is an underlying sense of snobery towards students and perhaps the younger customer, as at one point I felt we were being spoken down to, which was really patronising. But I guess that is just something you have to brush off your shoulder, as the fashion industry undoubtedly can be quite pretentious at times. But a positive lesson learned from the trip was that I now realise there are some amazing fabrics out there, you just have to be prepared to go that extra mile if it's what you really want.

I took some photos whilsts walking past Harrods of the window displays, which were promoting the new Bond film. There were some gorgeous dresses on show and also some really Christmasy set ups, which I quite liked for possible inspiration on future projects.

Tuesday - Flat drawing/Flats on Illustrator

I quite enjoyed the flat drawing session as I like to work in quite a linear style anyway, so I found the task of drawing garments directly infront of me as flats on paper fairly simple. I also really enjoyed processing these into CAD-produced flat drawings using Illustrator, as I love how it makes the shapes so exact. Although it is taking me some time to get used to the controls on Illustrator, I feel I am able to use this tool independently and incorporate it into my projects, to help me understand the construction of what I am designing. Here are a couple of things that I've created successfully in today's session. I created the jeans by looking at a flat drawing on paper then drawing it out using the tools on Illustrator. The t shirt was a practice run which was demonstrated to us in stages.

Wednesday - IT with Steve

Making brochures using InDesign

Thursday - Pattern cutting: Skirts
Today we made two types of skirt pattern, for an A line skirt and a Circular skirt. The circular skirt is a really easy and simple method, by which you would literally a circular piece of fabric (either a semi-circle for a front or quarter-circle for back) and peice together at the sides. I like this pattern as its so simple yet it hangs really nicely creating a subtle frill to the hem. The A line skirt is slightly more complicated as for this we closed the darts from the original block pattern and extended the flare, which took some time and some working out. I also really like this pattern too as it has a really crisp and linear finish.

Friday - Illustration talk

See next post

IT Shortcuts

Shortcuts for use on Illustrator, Photoshop & InDesign.

Mac: Command (apple key) / PC: Ctrl ...

**  +/- = Zoom in/Zoom out

**  0 = Zoom back into A4 page

**  Space bar = Grab

**  Shift, 4 = Screen grab

**  Alt, click and drag = Copy selected object

**  Alt, shift  = Resize object to scale

**  [ / ] keys = Resize brush tool

**  D = Deselect

Notes from British Style Genius - The Rebel Look

john galliano - cut fabric to produce movement. no vivenne westwood, no john. givenchy, doir. 2008 menswear - multi layered, manga, young indian, jack the ripper,

westwood - original fashion rebel!

anna wintour

haute couture - whats the point? waste of money? waste of time? fashion design about designing for a customer.. who would actually wear it? or buy it?

london rebellious style heritage, street scence, nightlife, music, centre for fashion & style, mix of aspects from different cultures in one place, multi cultural socitey,

rebelliousness, mix it up!!

mcqueen - saville row, contruction, engineering, pattern cutting, '94 st martins - freedom of expression, shape, constructing, drama, shock tactics, 'highland rape' collection - not fashion? peverse violation of women, challenge history, edgey, bumster trousers - lengthen torso, challenge proportion, oppose to usual legthening of legs. '96 head designer givenchy, publicity, new take on house 'handwriting', learnt techniques & processes of couture. left after 4 years, started own label via gucci, contemporary fashion theatre, glass box show challenged ideas beauty, percepetion, realisation of ones self.

Legacy: WEAR WHAT YOU WANT

21.10.08 BBC2

Articles of Interest

I thought it would be a good idea to list some things on here which I come across that I think could be useful to watch/read, eg: fashion related programmes, books and magazine articles. Initially I will post things I intend to read/watch, as I find it useful to note these things down as I come across them, as I tend to forget! If this post works well for me I will over time add to it with more articles and expand on it as I get through them.

Programmes/Broadcasts

** Twiggy's Frock Exchange - Tuesdays, 8pm, BBC2 starting 07.10.08
- Episode 1 (I saw last 10 mins of this one, looked interesting) Showing on BBC iPlayer until 28.10.08
- Episode 2: Showing on BBC iPlayer until 28.10.08

** British Style Genius - Tuesdays, 9pm, BBC2 starting 07.10.08
- Episode 1: A Fashion Democracy: The High Street Look. 07.10.08 (I watched the second half of this, but still want to watch first half.) Showing on BBC iPlayer until 21.10.08
- Episode 2: A Cut Above - The Tailored Look. 14.10.08 Showing on BBC iPlayer until 11.11.08
- Episode 3: Breaking the Rules - Fashion Rebel Look. 21.10.08. WATCHED

** Mary Queen of Shops - Previous series, should be in library catalogue soon.

** The Fashion Show - Thursdays, 7pm, ITV2. (Repeats Sundays 7pm) Also able to catch up online at itv.com. Good for current highstreet trends

** Frock Me - Sunday mornings, Channel 4 (T4: Time varies from 11/12ish each week)
- Episode 1: Jeans. Showing on Channel 4 Watch Online until 05.11.08
- Episode 2: Slogans, Logos and Badges. Showing on Channel 4 Watch until 12.11.08
- Episode 3: Club Chic (watched)

Week 2 - 06.10.08

Monday
Produced moodboards based on chosen theme - Rococco


I wanted to focus on the Marie Antoinette theme as shown in the previous post, but for my moodboard I decided to put a more modern take on the style. My research consisted of lots of floral print similar to that found among interior design styles from that period. I incorporated this through the use of wallpaper cuttings and an acetate photocopy of a section of print that I found. I love photocopying onto acetate as I think it gives a really nice effect in its transparency and simplicity of grayscale colouring. I think it gives a nice contrast to the board, making it really stand out, yet at the same time it blends well as you are still able to see the imagery underneath. Colourwise, I chose to focus on pale pastels and dusky colours, like pearly pinks, slate greys, etc. The soft pinks and lilacs give a feel for the romance of the Rococco movement. I chose to use fashion imagery rather than pictures of authentic costume to give the board a modern and fresh feel. But having seen other students boards, I now understand the reason for doing a moodboard, which is to spark inspiration and ideas of a certain theme. So now I think that using more obvious and traditional images of Rococco styles would perhaps be more useful to me if I were to use this board for those purposes, as it would give me a clearer picture of the theme I wish to depict. Although my board uses influences from the theme, I don't think it screams out Rococco enough to be able to use it as a starting point. But still, I am pleased with what I've produced. I think the imagery and textures work well together along with the colouring, but if I wanted to make the theme of the board more obvious I could perhaps add some wording to hint at the mood I'm trying to create.

Tuesday
PPRD1 - Debate brief: 'What is the point of Fashion and who cares anyway?' Look at :

** Ethical trading - organic production, fair trade, media pressure

** Couture - who needs it?

Christian Lacroix Haute Couture SS '08 collection

My role in this debate will be as part of the audience, to listen to each party's arguements and come to an informed decision, yet I too will need to investigate and discuss the subject myself to realise my own thoughts and feelings, which I will consider also when taking into account the points raised among the debate.

Wednesday
Library induction & IT with Steve

Thursday
PCCP - Construction Principles: Seams/Intro to Construction Principles. I already knew how to carry out the seams shown, however I hadn't used chiffon so was useful to try this out. Also became aquainted with industrial machines. Have briefly used industrial machines before so I knew what to expect and was able to carry out the samples with ease and speed. I found a lot of the time I had finished quickly and was waiting to be shown the next demonstration and therefore found the practical quite slow, but this gave me more time to be critical about my samples and do them again if I wasn't entirely happy with them.

Friday
PCCP - Pattern Cutting: Modelling on the Stand.

Week 1 - 29.09.08

Monday
Introduction to mood/theme boards.
Themes choices: Spice, Rococco, Classical, Surreal. I chose Rococco.
Afternoon spent researching in library: library catalogue search 'Rococco', various books on Rococco and Baroque styles, art & architecture, google search images. I then began making notes for ideas and imagery that I could use to put together a moodboard.

Tuesday
AM: Intro to PPRD1
PM: Intro to IT: Weblogs, email, blackboard, eVision, etc

Wednesday - Private study
Continued research of Rococco. Read and article in Vogue about the film 'The Dutchess' starring Keira Knightley. Images used within the article depicted what I know to be the Rococco style, so searched for more imagery from the film.

This then lead my research to the film Marie Antoinnette with Kirsten Dunst. Girls Aloud have also been styled for their music video 'Cant Speak French' in a seductive new take on the Marie Antoinette look.

Thursday
Intro to PCCP
First pattern cutting session, made block pattern for a basic bodice with sleeves. Learnt to use pattern master, understand how to read and interpret block patterns, etc.

Friday - Private study
Organised notes & hand outs from each unit into separate folders. Went to The Range to find habidashery to use for Rococco moodboard.. not a great selection for fashion/textiles, but lots for art/craft.

Induction Week - 22.09.08

The first week of term mainly consisted of induction talks and briefings, which obviously weren't the most interesting part of the week! However, Wednesday and Thursday proved to be more fun with the pro-active orientation quiz based in Bournemouth town centre.

My group and I arranged to meet in town at midday giving us the whole afternoon to explore and answer the questions on the quiz. Among other places, the quiz lead us down to the pier, where I took photographs and bought a postcard for my sketchbook. Once we had completed the quiz we went our separate ways, so I decided to retrace my steps and take some more photos around and about the town.

I was really captured by lots of things in the square. Firstly I noticed the architecture, and the railings of the windows above various shops. They featured some really interesting shapes and patterns among them.









I also liked the shapes found on the ground, particularly of the metal grids at the bottoms of the trees, and the brickwork.















I then noticed the cobbles in the centre which I really liked. The grey and slate blue colours of the stones that together made up the sea-like images I thought really reflected the mood and atmosphere which I felt from that day in town; the weather was really grey and overcast, which created similar colours among the scene down at the pier.

Later that day I collated my thoughts and photographs and began expressing them on paper. (see sketchbook.)

The next day was a fun practical, in which we had to create an outfit in our groups from yesterday, using limited materials, including bubble wrap, plastic bags, ribbons etc...which was interesting! We decided to take inspiration for our outfit from the merri-go-round that we saw at the pier. Therefore we went for a dress with a voluminous skirt with ribbons trailing behind, in a sort of maypole/stick of rock like style! We wanted it to be a bit OTT to express the the feel of the merri-go-round, which often displays bright colours, loud and jolly music, and an overall feeling of fun. We also included some sections of a real stick of rock to use as imitation buttons to add to the design, to give it a playful aspect. The use of a large bow at the front we decided would give the dress again, a larger than life character. Colours we kept bright and playful, and in keeping with the stick of rock theme.