Part 2: Choosing Content
The purpose of this exercise is to explore - and reflect upon - a textual piece, and to go through a process deciding the content to illustrate it.
The main character would be ruthless and determined to succeed in his job role(s). But overall, one would describe him as a 'flawed' character of contradictions. He would be a mix tenderness and sympathy in some situations, but brutal and harsh in others. Overall, he is a man turning to bitterness and anger as he ages; a series of broken relationships and a recent engagement called off at the very last minute. The destruction and uncertainty of war, is not bringing out a better spirit. It is merely increasing a sense of alienation and anger in his life. He is a man increasingly turning to drink (Scotch) to relax and take the edges off his tension.
• What clothes would the character be wearing?
Grey thin suit. Crisp white shirt and dark tie. Black shoes. Also sporting a trimmed beard.
• What furniture is in the main area in which the action takes place?
Two different styles - two different visions of the final outcome:
1. A possible subjective rendering of the scene in watercolour and indian ink
Contrasting with:
2. A possible objective rendering of scene. Note:- In the drawing I was wondering about how to sketch the personality of the main character.
But these sketches confirmed to me that I didn't want to go in either direction, because...........
After a few initial sketches on the iPad, I didn't feel as though I was achieving very much success other than experimenting with mark making, and getting too bogged down with trying out new things/techniques/tools.
To progress, I decided to create a composite image of found images that visually represent the era. I used:
I layered - and blended - these together into a composite image in Photoshop.
I then sketched over my image in a mix of drawn line and colour washes. It felt extraordinarily odd to be drawing digitally. I think it rather freaked me out! In some ways it is the same experience as traditional media. Still making all those decisions on the mark-making, colours and aesthetics; but all in an alien software environment. Also with the drawing surface there is a very slight fraction of a second lag on seeing the mark made, which can be quite disconcerting.
Overall, I found the digital sketching to be rewarding and an interesting experience. I can very much imagine how I could come to use this in future illustrations. I'm glad I experimented because I can immediately see how it has opened up a new vista of creative opportunities for me.
In keeping with my initial brainstorming and choosing the word Austere; I didn't want too much visual 'polish'. I wanted the room to look rather dusty and neglected. I therefore kept true to my initial colour palette and chose washes of concrete grey colour that would give a discoloured look to the walls. The mark-making ragged and loose, in order to achieve a mood which matches the textual piece and the sense of "austere".
It was tricky trying to get a slight shine to the desk, but I achieved a small amount of reflection effect on the desk by dabbing patches of lighter brown colour.
The suit was a source of much experimentation, in the end I decided on fairly flat drab grey (again in keeping with my initial colour palette). I felt it best that the character seemed drab in appearance.
The sketching/mark-making was a fun experience. I found it was very enjoyable tracing over my image underneath. There was a slight guilty feeling, thinking this is "cheating" as drawing. But I had to tell myself off about that:- I know I can draw "properly", so I shouldn't feel guilty for a tracing. But on saying that I was using a lot of creative licence and my drawing experience anyway. I wasn't slavishly bound to the image underneath. It acted as my guide not straightjacket. In the final artwork it looked better leaving the image layer visible (but with the opacity turned down to 25%). I liked the way that you can see things through the window, and also the marks then fade off into a faded image of the chair at the bottom of the drawing.
Overall, a worry I would have for doing any commercial work with this "composite/tracing over" approach is the (Copyright) sourcing of images. I'm loosely using others' images in order to produce something unique. But what is the copyright perspective on that? It is worth me doing some further investigations.
There are some improvements I could make to the image. For example, I think the earpiece of the telephone could be improved. It was rushed and not well drawn. The slats on the window - although meant to be rough - are a little too rough for my liking.
Initial questions:
• If this were to be made into a film what would the main character be like?
The main character would be ruthless and determined to succeed in his job role(s). But overall, one would describe him as a 'flawed' character of contradictions. He would be a mix tenderness and sympathy in some situations, but brutal and harsh in others. Overall, he is a man turning to bitterness and anger as he ages; a series of broken relationships and a recent engagement called off at the very last minute. The destruction and uncertainty of war, is not bringing out a better spirit. It is merely increasing a sense of alienation and anger in his life. He is a man increasingly turning to drink (Scotch) to relax and take the edges off his tension.
• What clothes would the character be wearing?
Grey thin suit. Crisp white shirt and dark tie. Black shoes. Also sporting a trimmed beard.
• What furniture is in the main area in which the action takes place?
The piece mentions a big desk and that the room he is in is spartan. Therefore a wooden desk with drawers, plus a wooden chair are prominent. On the table there a papers and folder spread out. Also a typewriter or phone. There is also a bin by the desk. A long wooden bureau holds paperwork, a desk lamp sits on top of this. I'd imagine the room to be generally rather unkempt and worse-for-wear.
Ideas generation / ideas sketching:
The exercise asks to take one word to capture the mood I was to convey. I have taken the words straight from the textual piece, "AUSTERE". [In the context of the story and scene] Austere brings to mind other associations that may come into play in my artwork:
Dusty, Dirty, Spartan, Terse, Barren, Still, Calm, Brooding.
I created a colour palette to try and represent the words above. And also to achieve some sort of feel for a washed-out wartime London:
I then started exploring general ideas in my sketchbook:
Two different styles - two different visions of the final outcome:
1. A possible subjective rendering of the scene in watercolour and indian ink
Contrasting with:
2. A possible objective rendering of scene. Note:- In the drawing I was wondering about how to sketch the personality of the main character.
But these sketches confirmed to me that I didn't want to go in either direction, because...........
Producing the artwork:
.... I was increasingly mindful of my feedback from my first assignment, to try out different techniques. The notion of a drawing in digital format came to me for this exercise. I've never used my iPad for drawing before, and I have the Photoshop sketch software, so I thought I would push boundaries for this assignment and try out drawing on digital media.After a few initial sketches on the iPad, I didn't feel as though I was achieving very much success other than experimenting with mark making, and getting too bogged down with trying out new things/techniques/tools.
To progress, I decided to create a composite image of found images that visually represent the era. I used:
- A snapshot of a man at a desk (taken from a 1930s Crime film).
- A cut out of King George V's head (in profile).
- A 1940s telephone.
- An artwork showing a fantasy/Sci-fi robot dentist room.
I then sketched over my image in a mix of drawn line and colour washes. It felt extraordinarily odd to be drawing digitally. I think it rather freaked me out! In some ways it is the same experience as traditional media. Still making all those decisions on the mark-making, colours and aesthetics; but all in an alien software environment. Also with the drawing surface there is a very slight fraction of a second lag on seeing the mark made, which can be quite disconcerting.
Overall, I found the digital sketching to be rewarding and an interesting experience. I can very much imagine how I could come to use this in future illustrations. I'm glad I experimented because I can immediately see how it has opened up a new vista of creative opportunities for me.
Final artwork:
Reflections on the Illustration:
I refer back to the initial textual piece and ask the question, does the final artwork tie up with the text? I'd like to think the answer is - yes. In putting this image together I've tried to capture the uneasy mood of the text, and importantly, that the window is a prominent feature. It was always important to me that the man was sitting or standing at a window for this artwork. (Even though the text implies he is standing)In keeping with my initial brainstorming and choosing the word Austere; I didn't want too much visual 'polish'. I wanted the room to look rather dusty and neglected. I therefore kept true to my initial colour palette and chose washes of concrete grey colour that would give a discoloured look to the walls. The mark-making ragged and loose, in order to achieve a mood which matches the textual piece and the sense of "austere".
It was tricky trying to get a slight shine to the desk, but I achieved a small amount of reflection effect on the desk by dabbing patches of lighter brown colour.
The suit was a source of much experimentation, in the end I decided on fairly flat drab grey (again in keeping with my initial colour palette). I felt it best that the character seemed drab in appearance.
The sketching/mark-making was a fun experience. I found it was very enjoyable tracing over my image underneath. There was a slight guilty feeling, thinking this is "cheating" as drawing. But I had to tell myself off about that:- I know I can draw "properly", so I shouldn't feel guilty for a tracing. But on saying that I was using a lot of creative licence and my drawing experience anyway. I wasn't slavishly bound to the image underneath. It acted as my guide not straightjacket. In the final artwork it looked better leaving the image layer visible (but with the opacity turned down to 25%). I liked the way that you can see things through the window, and also the marks then fade off into a faded image of the chair at the bottom of the drawing.
Overall, a worry I would have for doing any commercial work with this "composite/tracing over" approach is the (Copyright) sourcing of images. I'm loosely using others' images in order to produce something unique. But what is the copyright perspective on that? It is worth me doing some further investigations.
There are some improvements I could make to the image. For example, I think the earpiece of the telephone could be improved. It was rushed and not well drawn. The slats on the window - although meant to be rough - are a little too rough for my liking.
Final thoughts:
This is been a varied, stimulating exercise. I'm glad I tried out a totally different approach in going for digital. I think I need to gain a lot more practice with the sketching software in order to be able to better express myself. I think the one thing that immediately struck me with this Illustration 1 course is how varied and creative, both the process and artworks, can be. I continue to enjoy the liberation of taking ideas crazy ideas and running with them. (Which in this case was picking up the iPad!)
The handbook states that, "Being an illustrator can sometimes feel be a bit like being a movie director. You have to choose the actors, build a set, choose props... You create an atmosphere, and generate a sense of drama." I think this exercise has perfectly exemplified the statement above. In producing this artwork, I've had to do all those things.
The handbook states that, "Being an illustrator can sometimes feel be a bit like being a movie director. You have to choose the actors, build a set, choose props... You create an atmosphere, and generate a sense of drama." I think this exercise has perfectly exemplified the statement above. In producing this artwork, I've had to do all those things.
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