Book Covers

This post is a bit late but I wanted to show some of the book covers I looked at while working on my book cover brief. I spent the first part of the brief trying to cram in as much information into the cover as possible to communicate all elements of the book. I think this was a mistake and I didn't like any of the work I produced. I decided to look through some covers that I liked and try to figure out what it was that I liked about them and how they worked as a successful book cover.

I like this cover as it clearly communicates the title of the book with a relatively simple image. The cover does not look cluttered and the simple bold colours mean the characters (especially the ghost) stand out. the colours are used in a wat that allows the illustrator to highlight elements of the image they want to be noticed by the viewer without them seeming unnatural in their surroundings. I like this design but it seems a litle simple and to the point without requiring any kind of thought process from the viewer, although this demonstrates good communication I don't think it engages enough with the audience.

I really like this cover, the concept and composition are very clever and manage to communicate a lot of information while still being an interesting image even without any context. The use of negative space for the title and authors name are well thought and and stop the text having a negative effect on the illustration. I have not read the book but the way the tiger seems to be portrayed as an elemental creatures ties into the title of the book. I like the soft warm colours of the backdrop contrasting with the silhouette of the foreground and think that the use of brown instead of black complements the composition. Black would have been too bold and separate from the background making the image feel disjointed but the dark brown complements it while still performing the purpose of a solid bold silhouette.

This cover is the most subtle of the three but still manages to capture the idea of the book and draw in the viewer. With this design I really like the wrap around illustration coupled with simple bold text that has been sectioned off with block colour and borders. This helped me a lot as i wanted to create a wrap around design but needed to figure out how to maintain the structure of a book cover. This cover displays all the information necessary while maintaining a continuous illustration. 

After researching these covers I decided that subtlety is very important when creating book covers (and many forms of illustration) the difficulty is communicating the information you need to in a way that engages the audience rather than spelling blatantly.

Self Assessment Form For OUIL403 Visual Skills

Jobs

 Over the last few weeks I have been working on designs for a couple of commisions. It has meant I have been really busy but has given me the opportunity to try and implement ideas and techniques I have learnt on the course. Both jobs had their own set of constraints nad very specific briefs.

 The first image is a logo for a record label. The name of the record label is AMP (always making progress). The brief was to incorporate elements of an amp into the design and to create lettering that is both interesting and easy to read. I wanted to use wires as part of the lettering but didn't want to make looping lettering out of wires as this has been done many times before and is not the most legible. I tried to find ways to incorporate some element of an amp but found it difficult as most amps are plain boring black boxes. The only interesting amps are fender style guitar amps but they do not fit the type of music the lable creates. I settled on the idea of using a dial from an old style analog amp but wanted to make the image more interesting. i searched for images that are rougly they same shape that could fit in with the image of the record label. I have worked on commisions before but now i feel i see problem solving and communication as the main hurdels to a succesful illustration.

This image is created as to be a screen printed clothing design for Howard Marks. I had to include a portrait, plane,suitcases, lettering and a representation of the northern lights. I struggled with the severly limited colours given the amount of elements in the design. I looked at screen prints form Jay Ryan to see how he overcomes the hurdels of print limitations. His use of block colour is a great guide on how to only use colour where completely necessary to the piece. I added the water towards the bottom of the design to create a backdrop for the plane and make it jump to the front of the image. 

Pinterest Pictures

Aesthetic

Unfortunately  I don't know the artist that created this work as the picture is taken from a tumblr account that did not reference the artist. I have always been influenced by anime art, I like the bold imagery, exaggerated features and outrageous ideas. I chose an anime piece to demonstrate aesthetic as anime has an immediately recognisable style.

 Content

This is an X-Men family tree by Joe stone. I chose this image to represent content as it contains a lot of information and is designed as an informative representation of the relationship between the popular characters. I draw a lot of comic book art and like the way Joe Stone has used these characters in a new informative way using clean simplified designs.

 Context

This is a beer label produced by Nathan Walker for a collaboration between 2 breweries. I like the way the artist has used the connecting beards to show the collaboration. this illustration shows good visual problem solving and works well withing the context it is delivered.

 Drawing

Unfortunately  I could not find out who the artist is that created these drawings as it was taken from a Facebook page about sketching. This image shows how drawing can be used to practice and improve specific elements of drawing skills.

 Illustration

This illustration is by Joshua Budich and was created for a exhibition celebrating the film Jaws. I really like this illustration, The detail in the shark is amazing and the dimensions really accentuate the size difference between the person and the shark.

 

 Imagemaking

 This image is a woodblock print by Matt Brown, I really like the texture and depth in this image.I think the bold shadows contrasting on the white of the snow work well in this media.

 Purpose

These cards by John Littleboy manage a perfect balance between function and beauty. The cards are each simple illustrations of dogs but still perform perfectly as playing cards.

 Process

This digital artwork is lixiaoyaoII. I love the loose layered colours and transparent layers used to create this amazimgly detailed painting. I am a big fan of Studio Ghibli and I think this is a brilliant interpretation of the world of Spirited Away.

 

Product

This digital work by Tim Layzell brilliantly depicts monement while crisply displaying the company logo and product. I think this work is a great balance between product placement and beautiful artwork.

Lists

After creating out list of reasons for studying illustration at LCAD we were put into our blog groups and asked to create a list of reasons that we all agreed on. In total we created 3 list, one of reasons we chose this particular course, one of our fears/doubts and one with the things we hope to achieve.

  

The first list is the list of reasons we chose to study illustration at LCAD.

The second is a list of our fears. 

The third is a list of our hopes.

 

*I only relised after looking back at this post that I have uploaded the fears list twice and i can't find any pictures of the the reasons I chose this course. I will make another list of the reasons I chose the course and add them in here.

What do I want to know? Why am I going to do?

Identify 10 questions that you want to find the answers to as part of your degree.

1-What does it mean to be a professional illustrator?

2-How can I make my illustrations more professional?

3-What media and processes best suite my 'style' of illustration?

4-What improvements do I need to make to my practice?

5-How can I improve my communication skills?

6-What types of job opportunity's are there in the industry?

7-Who am I and what am I trying to say?

8-What other creative practices can I combine my work with?

9-What platforms are there to advertise my work?

10-What can i learn from my peers?

For each question explain what you expect or want to learn by finding the answers to the questions

1- To learn how to conduct myself in a professional manor in terms of client communication, contractual issues, professional practice and time management.

2- How i can best tailor my work to meet the needs of the widest range of clients and platforms possible.

3- Learn to use a wide range of media and become competent with appropriate digital programmes.

4-Learn what my weak points are and take measures to improve them through practice.

5- I hope to improve my confidence and learn how to conduct myself in a professional manner.

6- learn what options there are throughout the industry and improve my knowledge of the industry overall.

7-Learn to understand myself better and be able to show my personality and messages through my work.

8-Learn how i can collaborate in with other disciplines to produce work in a variety of media and formats.

9-To discover the best platforms and networks to showcase my work to the right audience.

10- To learn a wide range of styles, skills and media from a varied group of skilled  individuals.

What will YOU do in order to find the answers to each question

1-Research professional illustrators and professional practice and attend big heads interviews.

2-Work towards set briefs, improve skills through a variety of media and research professional illustrators work.

3- Experiment with a wide range of media and processes, research how these processes are used in the industry.

4- Identify my weaknesses and force myself to work in ways that I'm not comfortable with.

5- Attend crits and presentations as well as taking part in discussions with my peers and networks of illustrators.

6- Thoroughly research the industry to see which areas best suite my work and what i should do to make my work best suite them.

7-practice my style of illustration and explore my ideas in great detail to learn how best to communicate them.

8-Speak to and work with practitioners from other courses and other disciplines out side the college. Research all possible applications of illustration.

9- Speak to tutors, illustrators and peers. Visit galleries and other events. Set up events.

10-Speak to my peers on a daily basis and encourage them to give honest critical feedback about my work, study their work and their methods.

Who am I? Why am I here?

Identify 5 reasons why you chose to study Illustration.

• I love drawing.
• I like to tell stories through the images I create.
• I have been working by myself for years outside of education and feel that more outside influence would be beneficial to my work.
• I want to explore all techniques and media involved in illustration.
• I feel that even at 31 I have a lot to learn.

Identify 5 reasons why you chose this programme.

• I had just finished the access to HE course at LCAD so knew how good the staff and facilities are.
• The course has good links within the industry.
• The course is geared towards professional practice.
• The facilities are a step above all but one of the other courses I visited.
• I think it is important to be taught by professionals in the field you want to be in.

 Identify 5 skills that you think are your strengths.

   

• Digital illustration. 
•  Comic/graphic novel illustration.
•  Imagination.
• Fine liner drawing.
• Clothing Design.

Identify 5 things that you want to improve.

• Digital design skills.
• Research.
• Planning.
• Industry understanding.
• Observational drawing.

identify 5 images that demonstrate your interest in illustration.

Joe Madureira

Brett Parson

 Jared Muralt

Tracy Tubera

  Makoto Shinkai

Orientation Week Task

Context

This work by Jared Muralt was created for a company called Mondo that makes and sells limited edition screen printed posters of classic  and contemporary films, television shows and comics. To meet with this company's needs the image needs to meet key criteria so that the subject of the piece is easily recognisable.

For the brief to be met Jared Muralt needed to include key elements from the film i.e Godzilla himself, the film title, helicopters and a city in ruins.

Image

When Jared Muralt came up with the composition of this piece he chose to show Godzilla clearly which is a rare sight in the film itself. In doing so he gives his image a strong immediate impact on the viewer and makes use of iconic imagery. The simple use of colour in this image helps to highlight the key elements while his complex pen drawing maintains a perspective and detail.

The elevated viewing angle of the composition highlights the scale of Godzilla in comparison to the city and more importantly to the tiny helicopter in the centre of the picture. Something that is an enthaling element of the film.

Process

As the image was screen printed Jared Muralt had limited colours to work with. I think he made this work to his advantage by using the limited pallet he had to good effect.