These are the overall tasks and activities that I will be doing throughout this project. This is a more detailed weekly plan:
To start this project off I made a mind-map of themes that I find important from my own personal interests.
Once I established which themes I liked the most, I looked more in depth with each theme, so I could get a sub-theme that I could focus on throughout this project.
After looking into what theme to chose, what sub-theme to explore and my visual language, I looked into the creative process of my specialist pathway: Animation.
While looking closer into my specialist pathway and the creative process of creating an animation, I decided that instead of creating an animation that I don't have the skill to create or the equipment, I focus on the skill that I am more confident with and enjoy the outcomes of, which is illustration.
As well as the themes that are important to me, I also looked at what specialist pathway I was focusing on this project. I made mind-map templates for: who, what , when where, why and how I am going to explore my chosen specialist pathway and what primary research I was going to use throughout this project.
From these images and other pieces of previous work, I found out what my visual language is. I gathered work from all my projects and laid them out. I only picked my favourites by either how they turned out or from the material, techniques and processes that I used.
At fist it was a mix of four different visual languages: Colour, Form, Shape and Line.
Then I looked closer at what two specific visual language elements my work could be sorted into.
So by the end I decided that my visual language is: Colour and Shape.
After I looked at what theme I could chose for my final major project, I looked at my previous work from the past year and the projects I did at the start of this year to see what materials, techniques and processes I enjoyed creating work with.
I also investigated what my visual language is from looking at previous works.
These are images of my three favourite pieces of work that I have created throughout this course. I chose these three because of many things. I enjoyed the materials, techniques and processes for each of these pieces and I loved the outcome of each piece.
Using my primary research and specialist pathway mind-map templates I created these mind-maps with in depth responses that will inform my work throughout this project.
Using the creative process circle I defined success in each area of the process, so that there is an overview of how I would like each section to be at the end of this project.
Illustration Creative process:
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Step 1: Explore ideas. I typically start by letting my mind wander
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Step 2: Narrow down the concept
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Step 3: Sketch the scene
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Step 4: Choose a colour palette
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Step 5: Block out colour
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Step 6: Create depth
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Step 7: Add light and shadow
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Step 8: Add texture.
After looking at the creative process used in all art forms, I looked closer at the creative process of the specialist pathway that I have chosen to focus on.
Using an illustrators creative process and the main creative process for all art forms, I will use these to create and complete work throughout this project that is to the highest standard it could be.
Idea Factory Planning:
Concept: Utopia -
A utopian typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members - An ideal commonwealth whose inhabitants exists under seemingly perfect conditions.
Utopian examples - The Garden of Eden, Heaven, Shangn-La, Tao Yuanming, Golden age, Religious utopians, Economic utopias, scientific utopias, Technology utopias, The library of Alexandrea.
Material: Water -
Fountains, rivers, sea, lakes, lagoons, Ice sculptures, it fills a space (can become any shape), Rain, waves, calm, tranquility, secluded, dampens sounds, objects travels slower, life, water spirits, danger, siren, sea shantys.
Process: Wrap -
Cover someone, hide, cover something, protection, shelter, wrapping paper - present/gift, cloths wrapping, secrecy - A veil of secrecy maintained about something, encircle something, enclosing.
This is a rough sketch of the idea that I came up with after going through the steps for the Idea Factory:
This is the other Idea Factory piece that I created in a previous project that I based the idea for this project on:
Developed experimental pixel art ideas:
These plans are if I wanted to develop my pixel art pieces.
Developed experimental Paper Doll ideas:
I made two very different plans for creating a developed paper-doll.
The first one is a creature, mostly inspired by the various four legged beasts in myth and legends, that I researched at the start of this project.
It would have six (or 10 - depending if I made the doll double sided with all four of its limbs) points of articulation. The colour palette of this creature would be either earthy browns or earthy greens.
The creature I would want to create is one that has come from the earth or from deep into the woods.
This second doll idea I made is more human like, I took the idea from the sub-theme 'humanoid'.
I planned this humanoid creature to be more horrific compared to the previous one I have planed.
I imagine this creature to be tall (the paper-doll would be 12inches tall) with the colour palette of a mix of whites and reds.
The main idea of this doll is to create a uneasy atmosphere when looking at it. I took inspiration from the creature know as 'Shy guy' (this creature is a tall almost skeletal humanoid, which chases down anyone who views its face).
My creature would have the stature of 'Shy Guy', with a skeletal body, but it would be hunched over with the spine protruding outwards, creating a stretching effect throughout its body. It would have long arms and legs with claw like hands and feet.
The only points of articulation would be elbows, wrists, waist, knees and feet (12 points of articulation).
= points of articulation
Ideas from Museum visits:
From these ideas that I gathered from the Natural History Museum, I plan to gather in depth research on the subject of Extinction, so when I create work based on this subject I know what events or circumstances I could explore in my work.
I plan to research the artists Ellen Jewett (mixes plants and animals together - 3D artist), James Gurney (Illustrator who created a book called Dinotopia - which mixes the present with dinosaurs) and to develop my ideas further I would also like to research the historical illustrator: Beatrix potter.
These are the first drafts of my creative question. I was trying to find the correct wording of my question.
The visits to the different museums, especially the Natural History museum, inspired me to look into the different extinct animals, from the dinosaurs on land to the little creatures in the sea.
It lead me to plan what my creative question would be for this project based off the extinct animal creatures.
My creative question revolves around the idea of 'What if extinct animals evolved with nature to survive'.
I wanted to link nature into the question as it is interesting how different animals and plants in the modern world evolve to their new climate or changes to survive in their habitats.
Because I liked the idea of extinct animals having to merge with nature to survive my creative question will be: 'What if extinct animals merged with nature to survive?'
Design Museum
I gathered photos from the Design Museum of the different illustrations made from printing onto paper or fabric, which made me think ideas of what kind of illustration I want to create and what style I could.
James Gurney developed idea:
Beatrix Potter developed idea:
After researching extinction and creating work from artists that revolve around this idea and the ideas I created from going to the museums, I started to think about the animals that can't die.
I plan to develop this project further by looking into the animals that can't die under any circumstances. Because I want to develop my project into looking at the animals which can't die, I wanted to change my creative question to: 'What animals can't die under any circumstances?' as the previous one was related to my work on extinction.
As I collected the research based on 'Immortal animals' I found a microscopic animal called 'Tardigrades', also known as 'water-bears' or 'moss piglets'. These microscopic animals are known to have been around since prehistoric times, even preceding the dinosaurs by 400 million years. When I looked at the images of 'Tardigrades' it reminded me of the blob creatures that I created at the start of this project.
I plan to develop these blob creatures further with different materials techniques and processes and using the research I gathered about 'Tardigrades'.
I created a mind-map with ideas for what I could create with the blob creatures.
I plan to enlarge my small blob creatures that I created at the start of the project using the photocopier.
I plan to create some work with these enlarged images based off the mind-map I created.
While researching the 'Tardigrades' and creating work from my blob creatures, I looked to see if there is any artists that create creatures or characters with the same organic shapes I do or an illustrator that creates work based on scientific specimens as Tardigrades would appeal to a scientific audience.
While researching this I found the artists Ernst Haeckel, Alice Irwin and Sunniva Krogseth.
The works that I plan to make with each of these artist are:
Ernst Haeckel:
- I plan to create A3 pieces of work based two things: 1- Create work with the same level of detail Haeckel creates using the materials: watercolours and coloured pencils, as well as the original technique I've been using with watercolour and a dark fine liner. And 2 - Take two specific groups of animals (Sea and Land animals) and create blob creatures based off these groups of animals.
Sunniva Krogseth:
- I plan to collage blob creatures with a restricted colour palette. I will use paper in organic shapes as a base for my creature and then using the opposite colour of the paper that I chose to put the details on to create the creature.
- Possibly make these into a ZINE or just an A3 piece of paper.
Alice Irwin:
- I plan to create multiple screen prints to explore the material, technique and process using cut outs of organic shapes similar to my blob creatures but some random ones as well.
- I also plan to create a small sculpture based off the small sculptures that Irwin developed from the shapes she used in her screen prints.
Ernst Haeckel developed idea:
Sunniva Krogseth developed idea:
Alice Irwin sketch ideas and developed ideas:
After the pieces I made for Alice Irwin I decided to create my final piece ideas based off these responses.
Final Piece Ideas:
I chose the second idea to make into my final pieces, because I enjoyed the process of creating the experimental piece that lead me to create this idea and I loved the outcome of the experimental piece as well.
Planning presentation for Exhibition:
For my final exhibition I have to plan how I want to present my final pieces. I want to present them in a way that shows off each piece and does the amount of effort that I put into them justice.
I looked at three different examples of how artists, 2D and 3D, present their work and looked at how galleries presented their work as well.
I have used these examples to give me a range of different ideas to present my pieces.
Example 1- presented in a straight line.
Most illustrations in exhibitions are presented in a straight line, horizontally or vertically. I chose to present this idea as horizontal because there isn't enough room on the walls to present them as vertically, but also I want my work to be or close to the middle of the wall as possible, so it is eye-level. This way it will catch the audiences eye.
The artist example that I used for the first two orders was Ellen Jewett. The way she presents her work is ordered, and spread about. I made the two orders, from smallest to largest and random, based off the exhibitions I research to gather ideas for my presentation.
The order for this idea is smallest to largest:
This idea's order is random:
I ordered this idea as favourite to least favourite:
This final order idea is a gradient (from green to pink):
Example 2 - presenting my work as a grid.
Based off the artist that I studied, Alice Irwin, and how she presented her screen prints as a grid I thought I would use it as an idea for my presentation.
This grid is from smallest, at the top, to largest, at the bottom:
This grid is the opposite, largest at the top and smallest at the bottom:
This final grid idea is my favourite to least favourite:
Example 3 - Random and spread about
For these final presentation ideas I took the final example that I research, the Victorian Art gallery in Bath. This gallery presents its work overall as pieces fitting into gaps wherever there is space on the wall. So for this idea I placed all my pieces in a circle revolving around one of my creatures.
I chose to present these ideas in a circle using this technique, because the animals that these creatures are based on, 'Tardigrades', are small microscopic animals that can only be seen through a microscope, so the circle shape in this idea is to mimic the view you see through the cylindrical microscope, and the random grouping also helps this idea.
Out of all these ideas my favourite presentation example idea was the third layout example,random and spread about, because I liked my idea behind the layout and the composition of my pieces.
The presentation idea that I am going to use for my exhibition:
I chose this design from the many ideas I created because, I thought the composition of where each piece was placed made it cohesive and let each creature flow into the next, but they still work well as separate pieces.
I am happy with the composition of the final presentation idea that I chose.