Reflective 2

Went to the 9 ladies stone circle for the winter solstice. I got up there around sunrise and stayed in Birchover all day until sunset. In the morning there was quite dense fog - that made it pretty spooky. After about a month focusing on cop this was just to get me thinking about 603 again. Again, I wasn't really sure what I was looking for when I went up there. When I got there at about 8.30am, there was about 5 people in the stone circle, I got talking to them and stood with them as they conducted a ritual. They'd come from Nottingham for the Solstice that morning and went home after the ritual. They gave me a cheese and onion roll that was nice of them. There were a few other people that had been camping out over night milling around. I sat at the 9 ladies for a while but wasn't really feeling drawing, although I did take a few photos. I walked into Birchover and to Rowtor rocks, but again wasn't feeling drawing very much - I think I need a different approach for on location drawing. I generally wondered around the village and Stanton Moor and meandered my way back to the stone circle, where I sat and did a bit of drawing for a few hours. There was a steady stream of people, some looked like they were there for the solstice and some just looked like walkers. As it got dark there were 2 people playing flute in one corner and a man who had been camping- with his dog walked around the stones. In a similar way to in the morning there was quite an atmosphere- on top of a moor listening to flute. - quite quiet - almost like the atmosphere in a Cathedral. 2 women with about 5 yappy dogs walked into the stone circle and started taking selfies. I took lots of photos and did some drawing. I'm don't really feel like doing anything with it yet - I need a few days break after handing in cop - but I'm thinking of doing a zine-y thing when I get back in Jan - with some photos and some practical work. I think I have plenty of material - I just need to work out exactly what the project is about.

https://soundcloud.com/o_wingard/sets/flute/s-5a3dD

Update Update

On the 22nd I went to one of the pubs in Birchover with some friends and saw the Winster Guisers. They basically tour the pubs and village halls of the small villages around christmas time getting free beer by performing. I saw them when I was very young - but had forgotten. My mum reminded me - and luckily it was their last night of the year - and they were in Birchover. Was basically the same as this performance. All very strange. Again, its not immediately setting me off but I'm going to let it stew for a bit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgKEOBp3qL4&fbclid=IwAR1D37O8LSSxuqwnvhoixK9IYpikKgbGMZ9ZPfD2fPVG7fUrkdPl
nY085PU

Apart from the Birchover stuff (which I'm allowing to move at its own pace) I'm filling the gaps with the Penguin Brief, the poster international political poster competition and assorted editorials.

Reflective 1

For 603 so far I have made a start on my project based around Rowtor Rocks in Derbyshire. It is a rock formation that has been heavily carved (apparently by an eccentric local man). Its near where I live, so I have visited several times, but I went during summer and I felt like there was the basis of a project there. I visited a few weeks ago to draw on location, take photos and generally get a sense for the place to work from. While I was there I saw some other things in the local area (carving of jesus in a hermits cave across the valley from rowtor rocks). There are three stone circles in the immediate area (about 1 mile radius) and the pub behind rowtor rocks is called the Druids inn and is meant to be a place druids gathered in the 1700s. All these pagan, druid-y sites in this small, unassuming Derbyshire villages made me think the project could go in a way of investigating ritual in these little village (some ritual remains today, people gather at stone circles at the summer solstice, well dressings are big in the area). There is also stories I have heard from these villages that I can see working as some kind of a driving force. I envision the project as having a long duration and being an excuse to make work (bits of research being a vehicle image making). The other part of my 603 that I have stared is the occasional editorials (see last post) and competition briefs (will spend a few days on the Penguin brief soon).

Editorial - trying to finalise as quickly as possible. Started work on it around 4pm today, finished by 8.30 (4.30 turn around). Responding to an Article from the Economist (Chinese tech companies get into farming).

Well Dressings

Industry research

I was thinking of covers and I thought I'd have a look at some of my favourites/inspirations. They might not all be clear-cut illustration but all of them sound like what they look like (which is what the best album covers do). I think most of them rely on layout as much as concepts or imagery to make them work. 

The xx - I see you- The album is called I see you and its reflective. I think concepts like this are very good (a bit like the best of Factory records covers)

Beach Boys - This is a back cover - but the monochrome as well as the slightly kitsch look (with the type and the flower) is good.

Betjeman's Banana Blush- gradients, colour palette, photos and layout are all good. Looks like it could have been designed now. I think the way it relates to the music is how unusual it all seems (the elements almost don't quite all fit together.)

Ambition/Franco- These are both reduced down to the basics of the name of the artist, the name of the album and a photo of the artist. They work because they are simple.

Linton Kwesi Johnson/Robert Wyatt- The music is quite different, but they both dry point looking illustration on the front. Both are very political records and the images on the front are also political. They work because they have good illustrations. The Robert Wyatt does the visual equivalent of the kind of play on words he does (but also with the politics), the LKJ one shows the violence, race issues and talking about police that runs throughout the album.

The two designers the are my favourites are Lemi Gharikwo (Fela Kuti album covers) and Peter Saville (Factory records) are not included here I don't any one example stands out to me from them - its more their approach.

Studio Brief 2: Individual Practice

For Studio Brief 2 I decided to do 'Secret 7' Live brief and create work based around that, using the brief as a starting point. As you could submit as many as you wanted I aimed to do 2 versions of 3 of the covers. I ended up doing about 2 for 4 of the covers, however I still don't think that was a big enough aim it didn't feel like a challenge to complete them all. I hoped that the covers themselves would be a starting point for more work (prints, moving image). Although I did a bit of moving image I don't think this happened us much as I would have liked and I think this is probably my biggest regret of the year.

My proposal didn't set out strict enough guidelines and I didn't stick to them as I should have done. I didn't have any big, challenging ideas for a project so it was almost like settling for Secret 7. As time went on I felt that the brief didn't really challenge me and that meant I found it hard to get motivated.

Most of the outcomes seemed to come together so quickly in the spur of the moment, which is probably why I feel like I should have made more. Between these flashes it felt very hard, I was thinking, doing and nothing worked. I usually think I work quickly but I'm beginning to wonder if its just it takes a long time to build up an idea I'm happy with and then the visuals almost force themselves out quickly. Trying harder and really pushing idea building is probably important in getting through periods with no motivation; but also getting burnt out is easy. Hopefully all this means I've learnt when to ask for help and asking for help rather than settling for being lost.

The brief felt like a bit of a step back compared to other work I've done this year. It is a bit of a mixed bag; because although I'm fairly happy with what I have done, I know it could have been more, with more applications.

I think the most successful was the 'I'm not down' fists outcome. This was an idea that I had and couldn't get it to work. Felt like I really pushed it and developed it to a stage where I was happy with it. The 'Lover, You Should of Come Over' cinema collage came together quickly but I think it looked like a real outcome, not just a loose idea. The classic fore-ground, mid-ground, background collage is used a lot but I think this one worked quite well. The 'Damaged' cover came together almost spontaneously. Went from idea to finished in about 40 mins. Made a collage, photocopied it, cut it up then photocopied in a single colour. I was quite happy with it. Following on from the long build up, I was listening to the song quite regularly for probably a few days before the collage came out. 'Lover, you should of come over' 2 I bought two postcards and liked how they worked next to each other (again, quick) and I thought they worked with the song. For 'Castles Made of Sand' I had the idea for the castle, developed it, liked the image but I'm not sure I fully developed it as far as I could have. Finally, the 'I'm not down' tower blocks came from an idea of putting the punk aesthetic of The Clash with building work/architecture I thought of when I listened to the song. I think its fairly successful, but I felt a bit weird about it as it was collaged entirely digitally.

Didn't work with hand processes as much, I moved toward putting things together on screen. Think this meant sketchbook work went out the window a bit. I think sketch booking is important for developing concepts even just through play. It was almost as if my sketch booking and actually making became two separate things.

Studio Brief 1

The two briefs I chose were the Hookworms brief and the Stephen Hawking penguin brief. I worked fairly quickly on these briefs.

For Hookworms, I mostly used found images and photocopying, which meant I ended up with quite a lot of outcomes and quite a lot of variations. I think most of the posters lacked communication and mostly were just a found image. Of the outcomes, I think one or two worked well. I think I concentrated more on making sure the type worked with the images, mostly using handmade type (which I did to go with the D.I.Y sort of feel.

Initially I started making a hand-made bubble type which was warped. This type, warped in different ways was used on lots of the posters; as the sketchbook page it was on had the other information on I added in a photo (from a Russian academic book) and I thought it weirdly worked compositionally. Some of the other posters use a photo from an old book of the lake district; which is warped by playing around with photocopies in different ways. At times Hookworms felt like I was making things in a formulaic way (get an image, lay text around it.)

I approached the brief in quite a loose way, just aiming to play around with layout and text and somehow most of the finals didn't feel 'substantial' enough. Which is maybe down to the way I made the posters up as it went along rather than planning and then making them.

 I think in a future brief with limits on submissions this would be different and I would have to decide which my favourite(s) is. 

For Stephen Hawking I didn't do very much development and only really ran with one of the first ideas I had. I think this was ok as I was mostly focusing on the Hookworms brief. Like for Hookworms, I focused on type and layout a fair amount. I used type in an abstract way, using horizontal type vertically for the title.

I was fairly happy with my cover, but I found things like laying out the blurb quite hard, and I think if I'd thought about it and spent longer on it, I could have made it much better (I didn't stress too much about the problems I encountered)

For this studio brief I worked digitally a lot, to the extent of relying on it. I think this was down to the quick briefs and wanting to do them quickly. Digital can be very useful but think its important to keep it as a tool to hold on to the handmade feel of my work. I think for both of these briefs I continued with some of the momentum I had from 503. I felt like I created quite a lot of work in the time.

Goals for 504

I feel like I've got momentum so I'd like to keep that up. Pushing myself as much as possible and keeping up a high work-rate. I'd like to continue on the development from 503.

I've enjoyed working with collage so I'll probably continue that; but I need to carry on finding new ways of doing so it doesn't get stale/boring. It is also important not to discard hand processes like painting and drawing. Continuing to think in terms of drawing and ideas before collage is useful for building concepts.

It would good to go back to a bit more digital work, but it is important not to let it take over (need to maintain hand-made work.)

If I try and take briefs that aren't easy (things I think I can do like prints) and do things outside of my comfort zone like editorials (maybe narrative?) that would be challenging. I thik I work best slightly outside of my comfort zone. Trying to bring in 3D, moving image and photography is always bit of a long-term aim - but maybe now is the time (motion graphics?).

Summative Feedback

Studio Brief 2: Moving Pictures

I had several ideas for ways to make my work move. We were introduced to the animation brief at a time in my project when I was fairly lost so my initial ideas were very different. As my work for the prints developed into the collages it became clear to me that they would lend themselves to a very simple animation. A downside of the simplicity is that I don't feel like I've challenged myself with after effects as much as I could have.

I wanted the sound to relate to the scenes in Orwell’s books at the atmospheres I imagined when reading his books (industrial, war zones, groups of people gathering and talking) . I thought it would be very easy to find a soundtrack I liked but after finding it hard to get exactly what I wanted online I realised it would be easier to make my own. However, I don't think the soundtrack is perfect and it misses lots of things I wanted. I don’t think the animation and the sound mix together as well as they could; when I added the sound to the animation I realised that I should have maybe created the sound before the animation. 

In the end, I made two different stings, one much slower using zooms and moving around the prints and one that is much faster paced that uses flashing images with mostly cuts rather than transitions. The flashing one (which became my final) works much better; especially synchronises with the soundtrack much better.

continuing the fairly abstract approach of the screen prints. I wanted to continue to combine the completely abstract, obscured elements of the prints with the parts relating to the author. However, in the interests of making clear that the sting is about George Orwell and communicating I planned to focus on the more relevant elements of the screen prints (such as the lino parts) in the sting; however, I'm not sure how much this happened, instead it seems that by cropping into areas of the prints it just abstracts them even further and takes it even further away from George Orwell. I found the sting much harder to make than I expected. It felt as if I made a very simple idea very complicated. 

Generally, considering sound more would have been good. That said, I think the soundtrack works with the images and is effective. I focused much more on the prints than the sting, partly as I thought it would be easy to make what I wanted on after effects.

George Orwell Sting from Oliver Wingard on Vimeo.

Studio Brief 2: Printed Pictures

I started 'Printed Pictures' by looking at trade union banners and George Orwell’s non-fiction work. from the start, I wanted to make 5 prints (really with screen prints being likely). I also had a plan that if I had time I would try making a book and banner by printing on fabric.

For much of the project I focused on the trade union banner idea too much and it became too rigid as pat of the project. As time went on, finding a way of making the influence of the trade union banners more implied than obvious became more important. I think with the collages that became the final prints I achieved this. I found the process of making the final prints was really exciting and the fact I enjoyed it so much motivated me, which in turn meant I was in the print room a lot. 

I liked working with lino print; especially loosely, for example only having a loose idea of what you are going to cut before cutting and making it quite simple. I became a big fan of lino cut type during this project because of the scratchy, wonky look of it.

I didn’t explore mono print as much as I could have done - I mostly used mono print textures (which I already have a lot of - so didn’t need to do any more printing.) Some techniques such as wiping off areas of ink is something that I would probably use in future.

I rediscovered my love for photocopying and it became an important part of the project mostly for creating imagery - enlarging, copying, inverting etc…

For the final 5 prints I went in with 10 screens planning to work out arrangements and colour combinations on the bed. I ended up getting a bit carried away and made a huge range of different combinations. (again, working very quickly in the print room). Although I found they didn’t alway look as clean as I’d like (probably just as a side effect of working quickly and not being 100% careful with lining up etc. ) the finals did look nicer. I think printmaking is a good technique for me as its limitations offer a way for me to not do too much experimentation (to the stage of ridiculousness). Through working in the print room I did 3 and 4 colour prints as well as the 2 colour prints. I think the 4 colour prints were the most successful and the 2 colour prints look incomplete in comparison now. I really enjoyed this experimental approach to screen printing.

LAUIL503 Study Task 6: Presentation

Loic Movellan - Includes The type of paper - with the size and weight. Points out the edition, signed and numbered. photographed in a frame but no mention of buying with (or without) the frame.

Jeroen Erosie - Includes edition number, size, weight of paper, number of colours as well as explanation of the work and what it was for.

Also specifies shipping and tax information as well as mentioning that the frame is not included

Project Proposal: Moving Pictures

BA (Hons) Illustration - Level 05

LAUIL503 Illustration: Process & Production

STUDIO BRIEF 3 PROJECT PROPOSAL: Production & Presentation of my Moving Pictures

I intend to produce ……

An animated sting based on prints made in response to George Orwell

The content will focus on (identify 3 specific themes, texts or concepts)

1. Non-fiction books of George Orwell - encapsulating his life and work. 2. Living and working conditions miners and other manual labourers, war, unions, poverty, colonialism. 3. The abstract nature of the prints

I will be aiming to communicate (identify 3 specific messages, ideas, moods etc.)

1. positivity 2. unity 3. strength

To an audience of ….. (name 3 characteristics)

1. George Orwell fans 2. Fans of art and design, animation, moving image. 3. people over the age of 20

Study task 4: 3 Animated Stings

Sander Joon

Animated Dreams 15 from Sander Joon on Vimeo.

Bold colour, fairly simple movement. It is quite fast-paced, which goes with the soundtrack.

Jack Sachs

SHHH! - Jack Sachs X Tate Britain from Jack Sachs on Vimeo.

Using 3D animation in a filmed environment is super interesting. The really subtle sound works well.


Lovers for Green Man 2015: Behind you! from Lovers on Vimeo.

This one is incredibly simple - just walking really. but shape and colour make it effective.

Project Proposal: Printed Pictures

BA (Hons) Illustration - Level 05

LAUIL503 Illustration: Process & Production

STUDIO BRIEF 2 PROJECT PROPOSAL: Production & Presentation of my Printed Pictures

I intend to produce ……

5 Prints Based on George Orwell, influenced by trade union banners.

The content will focus on (identify 3 specific themes, texts or concepts)

His journalism (fighting in the Spanish civil war, experiences in the North of England) Road to Wigan Pier, Homage to Catalonia, Down and Out in Paris and London 2. His essays (Politics and funny things he writes about) England your England, Decline of the English Murder 3. His life (I suppose kind of collected in the two points above) A hanging, Shooting an Elephant, Books vs Cigarettes

I will be aiming to communicate (identify 3 specific messages, ideas, moods etc.)

1. Socialsim, unity 2. 3.  Positive/ idealistic mood

To an audience of ….. (name 3 characteristics)

1. Fans of George Orwell 2. Fans of design/ Illustration 3.

Study Task 5: Sound Study

Geoffrey Jones - Shell

Ok, so its not animation or is really that short - but the way the soundtrack (drumming) synchronises with the fast shots changes is so good. The sound emphasises what is going on in the film much, much more than if it had a different soundtrack (becomes more intense).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zWjT59S_wk

Help Scotland's Harvest

Not sure the crackly recording going with the lightly wonky animation (obvious they couldn't really help either at the time). Uplifting song with uplifting animation means it feels idealistic (propaganda?). I think the soundtrack would work on a recently made animation when contrasted with digital techniques. On a side note I love the simple colours and movements of the animation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGU-CusbVb8