How do Illustrators amplify the ‘meaning’ within a

message?

The way an illustrator interprets a subject into their work depends on the period they live in, the current affairs around them. This can also be called their zeitgeist, which refers to the spirit and time their within. The zeitgeist refers to the philosophical and religious views as the time as well as the current art and literature being produced.

An illustrator can reinterpret the same subject but due to personal points of view and time the two outcomes are likely to be very different.

Also there is an effect on the actual content and production of the work. As technology begins to change and grow artists change the medium that they use, depending on what is available to them.

Mickey Mouse is a character we are all familiar with. The character appeared in Steamboat Willie in 1928, it was the third Mickey Mouse short but the first to find a successful distributor. It is simply drawn using the technology available at the time. It is in black and white, but used sound in a comedic way which was exciting at the time. 

Now Mickey Mouse has been brought to life in 3 dimensional animations. He is designed in full vivid colour, and appears in video games and on toy shelves across the world.

What forms do illustrators use to represent themselves?

Illustrators need to make themselves known in a highly competitive environment. It is important that illustrators can be versatile working with one of clients, commercial projects or collaborations with other artists.

If an illustrator does not allow themselves to do this then it will make it much harder for them to become known. Magazines such as Varoom give illustrators publicity and access to a wider audience. Illustrators should utilise all the platforms that they can so that they constantly evolve with the industry, take for example the video below, using YouTube to showcase their work. The combination of illustrations, music and a video diary of the creation makes a stunning visual and represents the illustrators, CIA well.

Rob Ryan works predominantly in the area of paper cuts and screen prints. However his work transfers well to other mediums and as a result he has also worked on a number of collaborations. Examples of this include Paul Smith, an English Fashion designer and Tatty Devine a well known jewellery brand based in East London. Both of these areas have allowed him to transfer his work to a greater niche area and show his talents.

Original Paper cuts and screen prints

Collaboration with Paul Smith

Tatty Devine Jewellery

http://cruststation.wordpress.com/category/illustration/page/9/

http://www.ameliasmagazine.com/fashion/tatty-devine-and-rob-ryan-collaborate-again/2010/03/29/

The Three Act Structure

 Three Act Structure within a recent film

‘Every movie needs to have a beginning, middle, and an end but not necessarily in that order, ‘said Jean Luc Godard. 

As viewers of films we are used to this familiar structure, in which a main character follows us throughout and goes through some sort of crisis which we eventually see to be solved. The protagonist is what the whole film is structured around, their life, the problems they face and how they emerge on the other side. Often we see the story begin in a state of equilibrium, in which the characters are seen in an environment is normal to them. Something disturbs this and then by the end the characters are returned to a new equilibrium in which something has changed.

Fantastic Mr Fox is a film adapted from a classic Roald Dahl story book, which has recently been released. It follows the three act structure perfectly.

The story begins by setting the scene, introducing us to the characters and Mr Foxes plan to steal from the farmers.

The crisis is when the farmers are aware that the fox is stealing from them and hunt the animals, trapping them underground without food. The resolution is when they find the supermarket and no longer have to worry about food and the characters are closer to one another after working together.

 

Visual Information graphics

Visual thinking – turning information into design

 Data often looks like a jumble of numbers which cannot be easily interpreted. There are a great number of charts in existence that are supposed to make things easier, but often the facts are disguised by these charts and can be misleading. Ugly plain charts are not interesting to look at, but at the same time an overly ‘pretty’ chart is not helpful either. A sprinkling of colour here and there needs to be done only if it is to create meaning not just to beautify it.

Charts are however an important way of presenting all sorts of data. Correlations between things such as, height and age can be shown on a chart, journeys, for example time and speed and tally’s of numbers of people in a category can all be shown in a clearer way on an effective chart.

Some visual communicators have made it their mission to develop new creative ways of showing data. The image below has been taken from the New York Times and shows how President Obama has divided the 2011 budget. Using a clear chart reader’s can easily see the proportions of each sector and look at exactly where the budget will be going. Colour use has been done to improve the charts clarity, showing the percent change from the 2010 budget. 

However it is important that although there is an element of visual stimulation the chart is legible.

Jer Thorp uses software to create visual information graphics. It is showing the most important news topics in 2008. This as a piece of art is stunning and exciting to look at, but as a personal opinion I find it hard to understand exactly what it is about and the sheer amount of illegible information along those tiny lines makes it difficult to dissect to anything useful, other than a pretty image.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/02/01/us/budget.html
 

First group illustration project

Nosferatu,a 1920's German expressionist film, was the first Dracula story. For the first project we were asked to condense it into two minutes of animation or live action. This is what we came up with ...

Developing a visual language and Drawing for ideas

Visual Language

By developing a visual language, people can convey more complex ideas clearly.  By putting ideas on paper we can display strong visual links. Many people use this method but there is a way to make this method of thinking visual and exciting to look at. Below is an example of a mind map focused on the idea of dairy farming. Although this map shows thoughts and ideas surrounding this issue, it can only go to a certain depth without any visual connections or emphasis on particular words. It is all in black on white paper, which means that there is not anything that instantly  takes the eye. There is s sence that we are not seeing the full story behind this mind map as there are no minor details and only a small amount of subcategories to be seen. This may have been effective for the person that created it but would not be effective as a piece of visual communication, as there is little to be taken from it as an outside reader.

 Tony Buzan’s mind map, shown below, is something that can be looked at and interpreted very easily compared to this. It is brightly coloured and visually exciting. The images are what someone might call ‘doodles’ rough sketches that make the whole mind map more interesting as well as this they relate to the text. Use of colour is an effective way of categorising the information. Each core branch of the mind map is a different colour allowing a way to quickly distinguish between them, instead of someone just seeing a mess of black wavy lines which can get easily confused with one another.

 For an annotated version of this image follow the link below,

http://www.scribd.com/doc/42623909?secret_password=zuqpbtbqqjygwptt0uy

By creating full and detailed mind maps it is possible to create something that could be potetially bring and dull to a inspiring piece of visual communication. The specific use of colours and drawings allows not only the reader to understand more but the creator to develop their personal visual language.

Drawing for ideas

Visual thinking is different from just drawing a picture that is aesthetically pleasing. Visual thinking is about creating and bringing together new ideas and making sense of them on the page. Drawing and visual thinking should be the same thing. By drawing we unravel the visual problems we create in our heads. For this reason, when somebody allows themselves to do this type of thinking the pictures they produce do not always make sense to somebody else. What is produced is a clearer mind and further inspiration rather than a finished product, although this work may lead to this eventually. To do this an artist needs to let go of any self consciousness which prevents the brain from exploring all of the possibilities. This means that they are more likely to experiment using new materials and techniques, which ultimately could provide a better outcome. Visual thinking or thinking out loud can lead to a greater level of understanding and a much more sophisticated level of thinking.

Leonardo Da Vinci was incredible at this type of thinking and as a result he was years ahead of his generation. As the image below shows, he speculated machinery that was sophisticated and advanced. His sketches show a great deal of concentration, when he produced these he was immersed in creativity, allowing him to create these ideas. Annotations allow these ideas to become clearer after the initial drawings were put onto paper.

Working this way is best done by hand. There is something special about drawing straight from ideas onto a simple piece of paper. Ideas can be put down quickly and in their original state.