Assignment 4: Magazine Illustration
Assignment 4: I was very much looking forward to this assignment, after reading up on it I was excited about the creative freedom it would offer me. The assignment wanted to me really show off my developing style and use of tools and materials. That is why I wanted to make sure that I was getting the most out of this assignment, I found it helpful that it gave me these parameters. I wanted to make sure that my work had a lot of experimentation present and that it was clearly thought out and developed.
The topic I picked was 'Discovery' when I initially read the word the first thing that came to my mind was the idea of Self Discovery. I thought that would be a good basis to begin my assignment. I thought it would be a different direction to take the assignment in. It is also something that is relative to me currently, I am wanting to become more mindful and discover more about my self. I often find this helps to calm stress and focus my mind. Because this has such a connection to myself I thought it would help to come up with ideas as I could channel what the word meant to me.
The next thing I did was to research more into elements surrounding meditation specifically. One thing I use to help meditate sometimes is essential oils and calming teas. One of my favourites is Chamomile. I started to draw the Chamomile plant, I did not have access to one to draw from real life but I found images online of the plant itself and saved a lot of reference images. As I was going through ideas little things kept coming to me for example. On this page I wrote, "Steamy, explore that" I often use the sauna in our garden to really calm my stress and to relax, I thought maybe it would be useful to see if I could incorporate that slightly maybe by having a thin layer of steam over my illustration, this could give some very interesting visual effects.
Also on this page, I began to explore some potential thumbnail and composition ideas. They were very rough sketches but I included labels to help me clearly identify the idea better. I experimented with having the flowers growing off the Buddha statue and then refined that idea to have them specifically growing out of the Buddha's head.
I wanted to try and represent the idea of things being clean. One thumbnail in the bottom left explores that, I love the idea of using outlines vs having a fully rendered drawing. I created a juxtaposition by having the outlines next to the rendered drawing, the rendered drawing represents clutter and then the outline is clean and minimal. I further developed that idea as I wanted to have that represent how it affects the brain more. I created a small thumbnail but you can see it below clearer.
For this, I was inspired heavily by the mind logo.
I interpret the sqiggley and messy line as stress and how your mind feels, I relate to this a lot.
Going from that I sketched out an idea where the mind of the Buddha or where the brain should be was all messy and full of stress. I then had an outline around the Buddha represent a clean and tidy environment and life that connected to the inside of the brain to form the Spiral Symbol. The contrast between the clean Spiral symbol and the messy brain shows the effect of calming the stress and how your brain can have some focus instead of the lines going everywhere they form a neat spiral. This spiral is then directly connected to the outline, I want this to reflect how the clean and organised environment and life are directly affecting the brain.
The next thing I did was begin to develop my image, I decided to start on my Ipad using procreate, I have really enjoyed using my Ipad and throughout the other exercises, I feel I have delivered some successful results and I am really happy with my progressing style.
What I did was take my original sketch, photograph it and then load it into Procreate, from there I created an ink layer for the black outline, I experimented with varied thicknesses of lines. I then created a coloured layer, I had three shades of cream, one for the base, one for the shading and then one for highlights. I was experimenting again with charcoal brushes, I love the texture that they add. I then created another layer with some texture on, for this I used a different charcoal brush that was more spread out to create more defined texture. I thought that having different photos of Buddha worked really well, it allowed me to view the texture at different angles and to capture the smaller details. I liked being able to view the Buddha at different angles, this primary research allowed me to see everything and did not limit me to what Google had to offer.
I also experimented with increasing the transparency of the blue texture, this was an attempt to make it more like the original, however, I feel like that was kind of lost within my illustration.
The next thing I did was to begin producing some mockups for my cover, I had completed my illustration however unlike some of my other exercises, (such as the menu card and my visual distortion exercises) I did not want to just have my illustration in the middle of the page, I wanted to experiment with colour and composition.
I used a website called Adobe colour to try and find a colour scheme, I also used a website called the 'meaning of colours' (http://changingminds.org/disciplines/communication/color_effect.htm) to a breakdown which colours to use.
Yellow represents Happiness and then Blue represents Calm. I thought these two colours would work really well together and also provide a deeper meaning into my cover.
I wanted to be very experimental with my cover and produce lots of different little variations so I had an array to choose from. When browsing Adobe colour I found this promo image for Lacoste, it is actually the image that inspired this exact colour scheme. I really like the overlayed block of colour and thought it was super effective. I thought this would add that extra little bit of detail to my cover that would not take away from my piece.
Creating the mind map of all my potential covers was a great exercise for me, I sat down in front of it and analysed what I liked about each one and the pros and cons, I also got the help of my girlfriend and her mum on what they thought. Within my sketchbook, I broke down that research and made notes. I also made notes on the actual Buddha image as I wasn't quite happy with it.
Overall I thought that having the Square block of colour was too broad in this specific situation. I thought because I had a specific area to draw attention too (his mind) that it was doing the opposite, the focus area was now the left side of his body. I also thought that setting it to Exclusion which created the purple and orange section was effective and added some major visual interest, it lost the blue which was a colour I wanted to add to the image on purpose.
I developed on that idea to create an oval-shaped section of colour, I used the same blue and the same colour profiles, I think overall this adds focus to the main element of the illustration. I don't know if this is just me but I also think that because it is such a small point my eyes are instantly attracted and it is the total opposite of having a giant point of focus. I also think the best colour profile for the image is Hard Light, this really enhances the blue and creates a stronger contrast.
Overall I am very happy with my experimentation here, however, what this has taught me is there are still small things I am not happy with my illustration, I feel like the whilst the small blue oval draws attention to the mind it is too small and I feel like I could do more to address that. In my sketchbook, I made the following notes.
"Swirl is too small"
"Message is lost"
"Make Bigger"
These are just ideas and who knows what I'm going to think of when I actually make these changes, but it is worth experimenting.
The next thing I did was experiment with a larger swirl in the mind. I feel like this was a more successful approach, I think it allows the swirl to shine more and stand out. I was happy to go on further with this design.
I also visited this website for a bit of extra research, I was looking at my illustration and I did not quite know if it worked as a full-page, I feel like I could make it more cohesive and use the space better.
https://www.stackmagazines.com/illustration/12-independent-magazines-with-clever-imaginative-illustration/
This website has loads of examples of independent magazines with clever illustrations and cool covers and was very inspiring. There wasn't anything specific on this website that gave me inspiration but what I found out from research is how much better and cohesive the covers looked when they incorporated all the space.
I went back into my sketchbook to find some ideas, I found the study of Chamomile flowers and thought it would work really well. I created a digital sketch of the Chamomile flower on my Ipad. As I was drawing it I thought it would work great as a background element with the Buddha inside, I also jotted down that the yellow inside the flower could be the yellow background. Now this was just a rough sketch I did on my break at work I would later complete a stronger more refined illustration.
These were two mockups I created using my Chamomile illustration. I did not like them, there was something not quite right, I felt like having something transparent felt too digital, I didn't think this would translate well to print media and then I thought the other mockup was just too small and went against what I was trying to achieve.
I have become quite intrigued with colour profiles within Photoshop and I experimented with them here. I felt like Colour Dodge worked so well and I loved the effect. I feel like the outlines of my flower were what was making it stand out more than I wanted a background element to, getting rid of them solved that problem.
Overall I think this has been my most successful Assignment too date, not just in illustration 1 but Graphic Design 1 as well. I feel the biggest thing I have allowed myself to do is experiment, and not have everything be perfect the first time. This has been heavily down to the amount of work beforehand I completed. I created mindmaps and took photos, I also tried out different routes and was honest with myself when something was not right. I also stopped myself just sitting in front of my computer until something worked, I took a step back and did some more sketching at each stage, this was really beneficial. I feel my action plan has worked so well and has helped me no ends. I have kept referring back to my action plan throughout not just my actual exercise but throughout my write up.
What did I learn?
The biggest thing I took away from this assignment was the importance of prepping and research, I felt this gave me such a strong foundation and really helped to cement my message within my illustration. It also helped to keep me focussed, once I have prepared I can allow my mind to focus on specific tasks.
What could I have done better?
I feel that after this assignment was over I wasn't completely satisfied with my work, don't get me wrong I loved it and I am really happy with it but I don't think my illustration is enough to carry a whole magazine cover and after some research, I knew I needed more.
The topic I picked was 'Discovery' when I initially read the word the first thing that came to my mind was the idea of Self Discovery. I thought that would be a good basis to begin my assignment. I thought it would be a different direction to take the assignment in. It is also something that is relative to me currently, I am wanting to become more mindful and discover more about my self. I often find this helps to calm stress and focus my mind. Because this has such a connection to myself I thought it would help to come up with ideas as I could channel what the word meant to me.
 |
| Self Discovery Mind Map |
This was the first thing on my list, I wanted to learn from my previous exercises and have a good deal of research under my belt before starting work on my final piece. I chose to start with a mind map. Self Discovery was the centre. This really got me thinking about the word and also different interpretations of it.
From that mind map, I broke it down into a few keywords.
- Meditation
- Clear goals and a clear mind
- Zen
For me a large part of self-discovery is clearing your mind, this is just my interpretation of it, right now I feel like this is the most important thing for me. I often struggle with stress and things snowball in my mind and affect my work output and day to day life. I find that a clear life leads to a clear mind. For me that is a literal term, I love having a clean room and having things organised.
The next part of the Assignment was to gather objects as the illustration for the magazine is to be a Still Life. After brainstorming I started browsing the web for imagery that centred around Self Discovery and meditation. One of the key aspects was Buddha and Buddhism. In my garden we have a Buddha statue, I thought this would be a great start to do a study and take some photos.
I went outside to photograph the Buddha statue, I tried to focus on taking numerous pictures from plenty of angles, I wanted to achieve an image that was from the front so I could produce a clear objective drawing and then multiple others to experiment with angles to further convey the essence of the word. For example, I photographed a top-down perspective of Buddha this brought his head into the focus because self-discovery is all about unlocking the mind. I also know that there are two different Buddha statues through my research, the one in front of me is called Hotei the laughing Buddha. He is called Buddha because within Buddhism the word Buddha is often given to someone who has found enlightenment through practice, this is a happy coincidence as my magazine is all about that exact thing.
When I originally took the photos I took one from down below looking up at Hotei. After consideration this angle looks too menacing, I originally wanted it to be a symbol of power but he now looks like a Disney villain.
I then took those photos and created the mind map you saw above, using that mind maps I started experimented in my sketchbook, I drew the Buddha in all different angles and tried to really capture his expression, as you can see from my inked drawings I prefer the top right-hand corner illustration, I feel he looks happier than (2) and more smiley. I then went on to drawing a full body version of that Buddha with the new head in the bottom, I was much happier with this and glad I kept experimenting.
As you can see as well through my research I discovered the Spiral Symbol, this is the oldest known symbol to be used in spiritual practises. It represents the winding journey we must take if we are to truly know ourselves.
 |
| Chamomile plant |
Also on this page, I began to explore some potential thumbnail and composition ideas. They were very rough sketches but I included labels to help me clearly identify the idea better. I experimented with having the flowers growing off the Buddha statue and then refined that idea to have them specifically growing out of the Buddha's head.
I wanted to try and represent the idea of things being clean. One thumbnail in the bottom left explores that, I love the idea of using outlines vs having a fully rendered drawing. I created a juxtaposition by having the outlines next to the rendered drawing, the rendered drawing represents clutter and then the outline is clean and minimal. I further developed that idea as I wanted to have that represent how it affects the brain more. I created a small thumbnail but you can see it below clearer.
For this, I was inspired heavily by the mind logo.
 |
| Mind Logo |
I interpret the sqiggley and messy line as stress and how your mind feels, I relate to this a lot.
The next thing I did was begin to develop my image, I decided to start on my Ipad using procreate, I have really enjoyed using my Ipad and throughout the other exercises, I feel I have delivered some successful results and I am really happy with my progressing style.
 |
| First Ipad Painting |
The next step after finishing the illustration of Buddha himself was to add the extra details that complete the illustration.
I also experimented with increasing the transparency of the blue texture, this was an attempt to make it more like the original, however, I feel like that was kind of lost within my illustration.
The next thing I did was to begin producing some mockups for my cover, I had completed my illustration however unlike some of my other exercises, (such as the menu card and my visual distortion exercises) I did not want to just have my illustration in the middle of the page, I wanted to experiment with colour and composition.
I used a website called Adobe colour to try and find a colour scheme, I also used a website called the 'meaning of colours' (http://changingminds.org/disciplines/communication/color_effect.htm) to a breakdown which colours to use.
Yellow represents Happiness and then Blue represents Calm. I thought these two colours would work really well together and also provide a deeper meaning into my cover.
 |
| Cover Concepts |
Creating the mind map of all my potential covers was a great exercise for me, I sat down in front of it and analysed what I liked about each one and the pros and cons, I also got the help of my girlfriend and her mum on what they thought. Within my sketchbook, I broke down that research and made notes. I also made notes on the actual Buddha image as I wasn't quite happy with it.
Overall I thought that having the Square block of colour was too broad in this specific situation. I thought because I had a specific area to draw attention too (his mind) that it was doing the opposite, the focus area was now the left side of his body. I also thought that setting it to Exclusion which created the purple and orange section was effective and added some major visual interest, it lost the blue which was a colour I wanted to add to the image on purpose.
I developed on that idea to create an oval-shaped section of colour, I used the same blue and the same colour profiles, I think overall this adds focus to the main element of the illustration. I don't know if this is just me but I also think that because it is such a small point my eyes are instantly attracted and it is the total opposite of having a giant point of focus. I also think the best colour profile for the image is Hard Light, this really enhances the blue and creates a stronger contrast.
Overall I am very happy with my experimentation here, however, what this has taught me is there are still small things I am not happy with my illustration, I feel like the whilst the small blue oval draws attention to the mind it is too small and I feel like I could do more to address that. In my sketchbook, I made the following notes.
"Swirl is too small"
"Message is lost"
"Make Bigger"
These are just ideas and who knows what I'm going to think of when I actually make these changes, but it is worth experimenting.
The next thing I did was experiment with a larger swirl in the mind. I feel like this was a more successful approach, I think it allows the swirl to shine more and stand out. I was happy to go on further with this design.
 |
| Bigger Swirl |
I also visited this website for a bit of extra research, I was looking at my illustration and I did not quite know if it worked as a full-page, I feel like I could make it more cohesive and use the space better.
https://www.stackmagazines.com/illustration/12-independent-magazines-with-clever-imaginative-illustration/
This website has loads of examples of independent magazines with clever illustrations and cool covers and was very inspiring. There wasn't anything specific on this website that gave me inspiration but what I found out from research is how much better and cohesive the covers looked when they incorporated all the space.
I went back into my sketchbook to find some ideas, I found the study of Chamomile flowers and thought it would work really well. I created a digital sketch of the Chamomile flower on my Ipad. As I was drawing it I thought it would work great as a background element with the Buddha inside, I also jotted down that the yellow inside the flower could be the yellow background. Now this was just a rough sketch I did on my break at work I would later complete a stronger more refined illustration.
These were two mockups I created using my Chamomile illustration. I did not like them, there was something not quite right, I felt like having something transparent felt too digital, I didn't think this would translate well to print media and then I thought the other mockup was just too small and went against what I was trying to achieve.
I have become quite intrigued with colour profiles within Photoshop and I experimented with them here. I felt like Colour Dodge worked so well and I loved the effect. I feel like the outlines of my flower were what was making it stand out more than I wanted a background element to, getting rid of them solved that problem.
This was my final cover, I wanted to make this as 'proper' as possible. I created a grid within photoshop to make sure all my typography was laid symmetrically. I also found a website that listed some effective type pairings.
https://www.creativebloq.com/typography/20-perfect-type-pairings-3132120
I went with 'Super Grotesk and Minion Pro'.
 |
| Final Cover Mockup |
What went well?
Overall I think this has been my most successful Assignment too date, not just in illustration 1 but Graphic Design 1 as well. I feel the biggest thing I have allowed myself to do is experiment, and not have everything be perfect the first time. This has been heavily down to the amount of work beforehand I completed. I created mindmaps and took photos, I also tried out different routes and was honest with myself when something was not right. I also stopped myself just sitting in front of my computer until something worked, I took a step back and did some more sketching at each stage, this was really beneficial. I feel my action plan has worked so well and has helped me no ends. I have kept referring back to my action plan throughout not just my actual exercise but throughout my write up.
What did I learn?
The biggest thing I took away from this assignment was the importance of prepping and research, I felt this gave me such a strong foundation and really helped to cement my message within my illustration. It also helped to keep me focussed, once I have prepared I can allow my mind to focus on specific tasks.
What could I have done better?
I feel that after this assignment was over I wasn't completely satisfied with my work, don't get me wrong I loved it and I am really happy with it but I don't think my illustration is enough to carry a whole magazine cover and after some research, I knew I needed more.
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