CHANNEL 4 ANIMATION - CINEMA 4D

Last week's session on the Mac's showed me how to create a very basic animation, this specific one was showing how Channel 4 create their animated 4 for their adverts on TV. Using Cinema 4D, we were showed the production and process of this animation while taking notes, each stage we would then repeat what we were just taught, repeating bit by bit until completion, I think this method is much better than showing the whole production and then being told to redo what was just showed as it would be hard to remember important parts from the beginning. I successfully created this animation and was allowed to add my own twist by choosing a background colour and image to use used within the animation. Once I finished it I suggested if it would be possible to add a camera to follow the movement of the elements when forming the number 4, with my own knowledge I successfully did it without asking for help by my tutor, this gave me a huge confidence booster as I realised I could do more individual stuff on Cinema 4D. I really enjoyed this tutorial/lesson as it helped me with my confidence with the program and it also broadened my horizon with what I can do with Cinema 4D.

VECTOR ILLUSTRATION - PRINTMAKING

While working with 2 projects and moving from them week by week, we had a tutorial last week to diverse away from the projects and learn something new; print making. We were showed examples of work that was created with printmaking and explained the differences with the materials, technique and process. I was very interested with this method and decided to create a design in Illustrator to then have ink transferred onto paper with the design left plain or vice versa. The illustration I created is a character from my favourite game, Destiny. The reason I chose this is because it consists of many lines, angles and the shape would look great as a vector illustration. The process was very simple and straightforward, using a stock image of the character and tracing it on illustrator with a pen tool, adding detail with linework, using both white and black to create highlights and to essentially bring a light source to the image.

DIGITAL SKILLS ACQUISITION - EVALUATION/SWOT

EVALUATION

This module was called Digital Skills Acquisition; which required creating a model sheet for a character that I created, alongside the model sheet I had to create a 3D model of my created character and to successfully rig, animation and create a successful walk cycle.

 To start off, I created a brainstorm for the theme and came to the conclusion of having my character based around the wasteland, after a process of elimination I decided to use my strongest idea to take forward, a character that has went rogue from his previous company of being an assassin, living alone in the wasteland with his companion, a jackal.

 I wanted to expand my style and techniques. The idea was to have the model sheet created in the design of a wanted poster. I started to look into multiple artists’ style, work and the process of how they’re created to help get a sense of how I would create mine. I create each element individually, from developing my character poses from sketches to digital then moving onto different techniques and media to try and experiment with different software and skills. Once I created my character I then started to work on the poses for the jackal companion and create the expression that would be placed onto my model sheet. With the background information and story already complete from when I created my character it was simple to piece together all the individual elements. Once that was complete I moved onto the 3D aspect of the project, with my character poses complete it was much easier to create a 3D model by using the poses as reference. With the help of group activates and tutorials I successfully created a walk cycle and a funny rugged model to be handed in with my 3D character model.

From the start and throughout the project my strengths were always my artwork skills, as well as my digital skills using programmes such as Photoshop and Illustrator. I was very confident with this project even though my knowledge of Cinema 4D was very little, I knew I would need a lot of assistance from my tutors and that was a huge comfort as it helped me to learn more about Cinema 4D quickly. What I would improve on is probably making sure I know how something can be done before making that part of my plan/idea.

I used both InDesign and Microsoft Word to write my annotation for my digital work, I noticed several spelling errors were made when I printed my work out. The reason is that spellcheck is a manual option in InDesign therefore I was unaware of any spelling errors due to not being notified on the screen, luckily I noticed before I printed my work that there were several mistakes and corrected them.

Setting myself targets is a great way to help be prepared and to make sure I don’t encounter the same mistakes, my main target that I’m setting myself is to be more aware of time management and be sure each piece is finished before moving onto something else, overall I enjoyed this project a lot, being good and interesting in animation defiantly helped as well and I am looking forward to the next project which is based on traditional drawing techniques. Overall I am very pleased with my outcome and the work that I have produced in this project, there are a lot of skills and techniques that I have learned throughout and will help me a lot in future projects  that include digital illustrations.

SWOT ANALYSIS

S - Strengths; throughout this project my strengths would be the digital illustrations and sketches when creating my character. Using multiple programs as well as traditional illustration and methods, as well as adapting to new art styles.

W - Weaknesses; more towards the end of the project my weakness would be the 3D part of the project, at the time my knowledge of Cinema 4D was very minimum and I struggled on quite a few occasions when creating my 3D model of my character.

O - Opportunities; From this project and the skills that I have learned during it, I believe that my Cinema 4D  knowledge has increased and has allowed me to create multiple objects/ projects in 3D in my own time outside of college.

T - Threats; During this projects there was';t many threats that I faced but the ones I did I managed to resolve them quickly with the help of my tutors, my main threat was getting worried and stuck within Cinema 4D but with the problem solving it improved and strengthened my idea as well as my confidence using this software. 

TWICE WEEKLY REFLECTIONS - 25/4/16

AIR MAX PROJECT

So far with myAir Max project I have made some significant progress since the last update on my current projects/work. The latest achievements that I have made is starting my 3D model using Cinema 4D, within this project I have taken my idea and developed it thoroughly by experimenting with layout and composition to try and get the best look for my design, as well as trying to use as much 3D space as possible, creating depth and looking into the camera angles to create a less plain and flat image. At this current stage I am experimenting with textures and creating camp's to apply to my typeface and elements that surround the text, using Photoshop to create these textures.

DERWENT DRAWING PROJECT

Lately I haven't spent much time with this project, I have been more interested with the Air Max 3D design therefore for the past week I have achieved very little progress, but what I have completed since my last update is looking at artist research and using their skills, techniques, themes and styles to help influence my ideas and hopefully improve certain elements. I am yet to start my final piece but will very soon, mainly because I was still developing my idea and refining but I am confident enough to start it.

This is the progress I have made since the last update/reflection and I challenge myself to make twice as much progress for the next reflection next week and hopefully I will have much more work to show and evaluate. 

WBL WEEK 1 - NO BROW

NO BROW

Throughout all of my previous projects, NoBrow has always been an example to use to help with your idea or mentioned for techniques and reference. So using 3 examples of their work to try and improve certain aspects of my idea for my final illustration would help greatly. The first example of a No Brow artist is McBess; I have been referred to his work and seen so many examples over the duration of many projects, the example of McBess' work that I will analyse and deconstruct is this piece that is titled 'Gustave Dore - Final Cream' the reason for choosing this illustration was because of the sheer amount of detail that is shown throughout the entire page, each individual element within the design has a purpose and reason for being there, also adding more depth, story and meaning to the design.

 The style of McBess' work is absolutely tremendous! Yet at the same time very unusual and peculiar. His abstract characters are mainly what he is notorious for, especially the faces of the characters, long hollow eyes and covered in tattoo's and facial hair. Within each illustration the characters seems to have a  story of their own, using the elements around, the expressions and dynamic poses to explain it. The monochromatic style is used in all of his work, multiple tones of grey and black as well as using cross hatching, dotwork and linework to create depth, shading and highlights. The majority of his artwork will involve the same theme, naked women, beards and alcohol!

The second artist that works alongside or is apart of NoBrow is Ben Newman, I have researched this artist on multiple occasions, each time looking at his work and techniques from alternative angles/perspectives. The example of work created by Ben Newman that I will annotate and analyse is an illustration called 'Monster Squad' which was an illustration that was first used in NoBrow Issue 5 and then released as a wrapping paper designs available from NoBrow.

The reason I chose Ben Newman is because of how much his artwork and how he approaches his designs inspire me. The composition and layout of this illustration is much different to the previous illustration created by McBess, because it is a surface pattern made up of multiple faces of different characters that are repeated. The layout is using a grid to organise the individual elements; 5 columns by 4 rows allows each image to have a reasonable amount of space between, making each design not too big or small, allowing all the detail to remain visible. The techniques and production of Ben Newman's work interests me; I would say this illustration was created digitally using geometric and simple shapes to create each character.

My final artist that has collaborated with NoBrow is Brecht Vandenbroucke, a Belgian cartoonist and illustrator that produces vast and complex paintings detailing everything from the apocalypse to the mundanities of everyday life. The reason I chose this artist was because his style adn artwork intrigued me, having already recognised his work from researching White Cube in previous projects. The work he produces has such a wide range or themes, concepts and styles; using political matters as a base and them abstract illustrations/paintings to make you think WTF?! This diversity i what inspires me the most, being able to suddenly change style and mindset when creating a piece of artwork is definitely something I would like to learn. 

This would be my favourite painting that Brecht Vandenbroucke created, mainly because of the theme/story behind it as well as the quality of the painting and how well done it has been made. This cartoon art style involving a very deep, adult humor concept is definitely a favourite of mine, I'm beginning to recognise more artists who have a very similar mindset when creating cartoons. The process is defiantly acrylic paint which I prefer as if it was made digitally, having the painting still feel raw and experimental just adds a bit more thought and time in it, comparing to a clean digital painting with no mistakes.

Overall I am glad with the 3 artists that have collaborated with NoBrow and I tried to choose 3 very different artists with uniques styles; I enjoyed learning and analysing their methods and how they produce their artwork. 

GRAFFITI SUPPLIES - BOMBING SCIENCE

BOMBING SCIENCE ORDER

Yesterday I received a package that I had purchased from www.bombingscience.com. The order contained multiple markers that I will review individually. Starting with the ones that attracted my attention first is the 'Molotow Chalk Pump Marker' this consists of a 15mm chiselled tip and comes in a variety of bright colours, I chose both neon green and orange, I chose both to see the comparison between the two, comparing the colours how well they work with each other despite being the same brand and model of markers.

Starting off with the aesthetics and how to use; the pen looks great! It's very obvious to tell what colour you have selected/bought and it distinctly shows the size of the tip. I also has straight forward instructions of how to use; by priming and pumping the pen first, also indicates how much it should be filled and shows exactly how much paint (well actually it is 'water-based chalk ink' but for now we will just say paint) is left in the pen. As far as performance goes, this has to be by far my favourite paint marker I have purchased; the sheer size allows to cover large areas with minimum effort. The strokes are smooth and don't drip after applied to any surface, whether it's paper, canvas, metal, glass, wood or a chalk board. This pen applies a fair layer of 'paint' that can be removed easily from smooth and non-absorbent surfaces. From my experiments with the marker I only had to use one stroke to cover an area due to how highly opaque the marker is.

https://shop.bombingscience.com/molotow-chalk-marker.html

Another marker that I purchased from Bombing Science was another Molotow, but from another series. There wasn't anything special about this compared to the chalk like ink that could be removed easily, this marker was a high quality permanent paint marker with a 15mm chiselled tip. Along with this series there are multiple markers that are in a variety of sizes; from the 127HS which has a 2mm tip, to a 4 or 8mm marker. 

This specific 420PP is chrome gold, the reason I chose this colour is because I have used a ton of Molotow markers but never a metallic or chrome colour and so far it is great, the flow of the paint and the opacity is different compared to the normal or neon colours but the one fault in the paint would be it is thinner and showing more marks from the chiselled tip and the direction of the stroke, this is only a minor example but doesn't change my overall judgement of these markers and to conclude that Molotow create some excellent products, all of which has their own unique adaptation that helps to sell that specific series.

https://shop.bombingscience.com/molotow-420pp-mini-paint-marker.html

Apart from a selection of Molotow products, I purchased a On The Run 'Calligraffiti' paint marker, again, quite similar to the previous products but this has a 200mm chiselled tip, this pump action marker has a flow control valve and uses alcohol based paint so make sure the area is well ventilate when using this marker. This specific marker is the .060 model, different to the other models such as the .084 and the .070. Along with my purchases I got a FREE Markal B Paintstik Marker, I found this very unusual because of how its made but I am having a lot of fun with this, the Markel B has the durability of paint and the convenience of a crayon, meaning each stroke creates an outer skin to protect it from drying out, with it being free I think this is an excellent product.

https://shop.bombingscience.com/otr-060-calligraffiti-paint-marker.html

https://shop.bombingscience.com/free-graffiti-supplies

All these products that I have reviewed are avalieble at www.bombingscience.com along with a ton of awesome stuff; from markers, stickers, spray paint to clothing! This site has it all, not to mention their great postage/shipping. As I live in the UK I did expect to wait a while for my parcel to be delivered but I was surprised when I came home and it was delivered within the space of a week! To keep their audience interested in their products they have constant updates, sales and newsletters to showcase their latest stock along with free items you can select when ordering from the website including stickers, books, caps and markers just like my 'Markal B Paintstik'.

WBL TASK 1 - WRAP MAGAZINE

WRAP MAGAZINE

The first example that I found on Wrap Magazines instagram is a design created by Chris Silas Neal, I found it very hard finding 3 examples that I could analysis, compare and use as inspiration to my own work as the majority of designs were digitally created or incorporated digital elements. After a quick browse through a variety of their work I know this style and production methods for these designs are not what I am looking for. But by deconstructing them

The style of this design is unusual, a basic painting without any linework, minimal detail and bold colours, this reminds me of pop art and a very cartoon theme. But compared to my final illustration and the requirements of the brief, this design doesn't match any of them therefore this specific design won't inspire or help me with the use of style or technique. I am also not sure whether if this piece of artwork was for commercial work or personal and that is because I can't make out a meaning or story behind this design.

The second example of artwork that I found on Wrap Magazines instagram is this contemporary piece of art created by Cynthia Kittler. Again, picking these example that I could analysis and deconstruct and also help to inspire my work was very difficult, after looking at the majority of the work created for this magazine; I don't really like or find interesting which is hard to try relate it to my own work.

The reason I chose this piece is because I was interested in the process, it looks like the linework was drawn traditionally by hand and than scanned into a program such as Photoshop where the colour was added. I use this process often but as this project requires me to only use pencils I don't find this image or anything that has involved digital elements helpful.

The final example of artwork that was chosen fro Wrap Magazines instagram is this illustration that was created specifically for a children's book, created by Marc Martin. I like this design a lot more than the previous two or any others that are posted on the instagram, mainly because each element within this illustration was created individually and painted traditionally, once each design was finished they were arranged and organised together digitally. Also with this being part of a page in a book, there is a story behind each image as it is telling a story, this makes it much more reachable to an audience as they could understand and relate to a story compared to a contemporary piece that was made for fun. Also each image will have a very specific age group or audience depending on what book itself so I would like my illustration to also have a meaning within the visuals and have it be allocated towards a certain audience.

WBL TASK 1 - BIG ACTIVE

BIG ACTIVE

The first example is an illustration created by Katie Scott and is advertising Nike footwear and their Air Max 95 series. The reason I chose this illustration was for multiple reasons, all of which involve the concept of the idea, the techniques, different types of rendering and the media. All these individual elements have/will be used throughout both development and my final illustration. The concept of this design is clearly based on anatomy and the human body. Using different textures and parts of both the exterior and interior of a body to represent elements within the footwear.

This illustration uses a different texture and rendering for each part of the trainer, from using dotwork, shading, crosshatching to linework. This design seems to be drawn and coloured traditionally and because of the amount of detail within the textures I'm finding it hard to tell whether its coloured pencil or paint. Either way it still consists of elements that I would like to add to my design and develop them thoroughly. There is a lot of layers within the linework, the texture and the colours, showing multiple tones the overlap or blend together help create highlights and shadows which dramatically increases the 3D feel/look of the illustration.

The second example of artwork from Big Active is a commercial illustration created by Kam Tang and is very different to the first illustration, I wanted to chose designs that consist of different styles and techniques. This one has no colour but with the use of just linework, the artist has created tone and depth within this illustration. I would like to use this technique within my linework when adding detail to elements such as the wolf's fur and adding texture to the skull; I think this approach would benefit my illustration greatly.

I think this illustration was created digitally, mainly because of how smooth and perfect the linework is, using software like Illustrator then this is easily achievable. Unfortunately I can only use pencils in this project just the techniques and how the lines are showed to create depth will help tremendously when adding extra detail within certain elements. Looking at the composition and layout of the design, all the elements look randomly placed but I would think that the artist developed the position of these individual design multiple times to make sure they don't clash, blend in together and that they work together smoothly. There is defiantly layered designs within this piece, placing parts in the fore, mid and background add to that extra level of depth. I am struggling with using composition in my final illustration because of it consisting of one image that is placed in the centre of the page, hopefully the research in artists an their work could help he think of a way to develop my idea.

The last example that I chose from Big Active's website is a great illustration that is created by David Foldvari, this is another piece of commercial work just like the previous two illustrations, this means that there was a purpose, brief and theme for this design. Just like my design I want my theme or story to be shown visually within the illustration. I chose this piece of artwork because I was interested in the style of this, the production adn how it was made.

I love this style, consisting of a monochromatic style throughout but involving a slight tone of colour in the sketchbooks to make them stand out from the rest of the illustration. The style of the individual elements itself reminds me of the cel shading style, mainly because of the black outline that surrounds each element.

I think that each design was drawn traditionally with ink and then placed together digitally and arranged on the page until the artist was happy with the composition and layout of the design. Unlike my design, this illustration consists of multiple elements that make up one big complete design that consist of a story, whereas my design is one large illustration. I may alter the design slightly therefore  i can add small elements to my design just like this one. The background is quite dark and blurred compared to the sharp thick black outlines that contrast to both the background adn the white filling of the smaller illustrations within the design.

WBL TASK 1 - PICTURES ON WALLS

PICTURES ON WALLS

This website, Pictures On Walls, is associated with a wide variety of artists, illustrators and companies., all that involve contemporary street artists. The three examples of work that I have chosen to annotate and analysis would be three completely different pieces of work from individual artists.

The first example is called Black Panther and consists of a design that has been screen printed onto a canvas. The image itself is a portrait of a man wearing a bandana with a panther's mouth. Personally I think the resemblance between the design and the title is very obvious as it has a very strong meaning or some sort of story to elaborate both the panther and the black gentleman. I'm not sure of the purpose of this design or if it encompasses a narrative, but I am ensuring that my illustration consists of a concept/story for people to relate with.

I love the style! Stencil art can consist of a very simple painting or a complex design consisting of multiple layers, with this illustration it only uses three colours, black, red and blue. I think the detail is great, with limited amount of colours the artist still captured the important detail such as the creases in the clothes and the light reflection. There's not much composition or layout with this design, as it is one element placed centered on a page. Just like my design, it consists of one element that will be placed in the centre of the page so there isn't much room for experimenting with the rule of thirds, fibonacci or the composition in general.

The second example that I chose from Pictures On Walls is an illustration created by 'Roll And Tumble' and is called 'You Are Here'. This design is quite simple to explain but I'd imagine each person would react differently with this design, with the theme being very bold and easily recognisable then each person would think/act differently. I'm not sure on this style, the design does not consist of any linework, it is all colour which contrast against each other. As much as I like this design I'm struggling to analysis the style and why it has been applied.

This was created using letterpress and lino cut, I'm not aware how this process is created or made but researching this illustration could help my knowledge or multiple medias and how they are applied, used and how effective they are compared to other medias. From this I will broaden my horizon on different medias that I could use in further projects. I would say that this was created with individual elements layout on top of each other, starting with the background then moving towards the midground and foreground, with each layer consisting of colours more bold than the colour behind, making the image stand out and look visually stimulating.

The last piece of artwork from Pictures On Walls is actually a handmade sculpture created by Bill Barminski, and the reason I chose this as my third example is that is is completely different to the other two examples. I didn't want to analysis similar designs with similar methods, each have individual style, technique and production that is acquired to complete and make these pieces of artwork individual and original. By using this mindset I would like to try ad incorporate as many styles, techniques and medias with my final illustration, without going over the top, all within the requirements of the brief/

The example I chose is a life sized spray can sculpture that are crafted from cardboard and a glue gun, decorated with stickers, labels and a plastic widget so they rattle when shaken. Obviously I can't replicate any features or elements from this to my illustration as the brief limits me to only using pencils but seeing how multiple ways to create art can change the perspective on the design, for example; this design has a much more physical approach being a sculpture compared to a visually stimulating illustration.

I really like design and essentially the house style of this artist, producing a wide range of spray can sculptures this artist has earned reputation and has allowed his work to be recognisable, this is something I aim for in my project work and well as my personal work.