Project Report

Statement of intent

Rationale

I want to develop my narrative skills and gain a more prominent presence because it will make my practice more professional. This will give me a stronger body of work to put into my portfolio and as a result will prepare me for life post degree.

Themes / Subjects

Narrative, Sequential, Poetry, Children’s Illustration, Editorial, Humour, Responsive

Products / Methods of Distribution

Selling, Social media, Blogging, Books, Prints, Product Range, Zines

Practical Skills / Media / Formats

Photoshop, Book Binding, Badge Making, Stickers, Responsive drawing, Narrative building, Poetry writing, Painting, Selling, Talking to people, Pricing Work.

Brief 2: The island To create an original story and plan it out. Aimed at 7-9 year olds, and deals with the effects of littering on the surrounding nature. 3 double spreads and a cover to final resolution and a full visual plan. Then create presentation boards as though pitching book to a publisher	Deadline	19/05/16
Rationale:I want to create a children’s book because it will teach me to create a complete narrative this will show I can work with a specific audience in mind as a result I have a variety of work in my portfolio.
Brief 3:Illustration friday: Do Illustration Friday’s each week until just before the end of the module then compile them into a zine.	Deadline	19/05/16
Rationale:I want to draw for illustration Friday on a weekly basis because it will keep me drawing regularly this will give me a weekly image to upload to social medias and as a result I will get a more prominent presence online.
Brief 4: Freeman Anthology To illustrate the poems Rebecca Freeman writes for her up and coming poetry anthology. I will design all the illustrations as well as the cover and dictate the visual layout of the book	Deadline	Post deadline
Rationale:I want to work with an author and publisher. I want to get some of my work published and I want to try illustrating other people’s concepts as i work mainly on my own original stories and ideas.
Brief 5: Being Blue To create a 28 page poetry book around the theme of depression and mental health. The book is to be interspersed with informational text sourced from the NHS website and appropriate quotes from celebrities. The aim of the book is to give a sense of community to a diagnosed patient, new or old. The book is to offer empathetic views from an informed standpoint in the form of illustrated poetry.	Deadline	19/05/16
Rationale:I want to fill a hole in the market that i have recognised because it is a subject close to my heart.This will create a well rounded and informed book and as a result I will have a substantial and successful product to put in my portfolio.
Additional Project Proposals Deadline driven To set myself mini briefs with short time scales so that i can explore the effect of time constraints on my work. And so i can see the amount of work possible in short time, this will give me a selection of smaller briefs to include in my portfolio.

Summative Statement

This brief was to write and make a comic that would work as a centre point to my stall. And then to create a product range around it, and present my work on my table at thought bubble in a professional manner. 

The comic was Mermystery and I made badges, stickers and prints to sell along side it. This wasn't a particularly successful project, but as always selling at thought bubble has taught me a lot about what works in my practice, how i should present myself and my work, and how to actively sell to customers. 

Summative Statement

This brief was to create a poetry book about depression that creates a sense of community and deals with mental health in a more personal way rather than dry medical leaflets. The book uses illustrated poems, quotes from celebrities and text, sourced from the NHS website, to represent depression from an informed stand point.

Summative Statement

This brief is an ongoing project working closely with an Author and Publisher (Rebecca and Guy). She is writing a short poetry anthology based around her personal experiences. I am illustrating the poems, the cover, and formatting. As well as working with them, helping them to make visual decisions by turning up to meetings with mock-ups/ printouts. The author early on chose a certain style of character and so that has worked as a running theme throughout the illustrations. I have worked in high detail, heavily line based work to create a synthesis between the illustrations and the poems.

Summative Statement

This brief was a self set challenge under which I could take on multiple 'mini' briefs. I wanted to explore how time limits would affect my work, and just to investigate how much  can do in short amounts of time.
The three sub-briefs were:

1. Off Life: 4 day project
To create a humorous comic. Up to 4 pages A4.

2. Secret 7: 7 day project
To respond to the secret 7 songs and create 7 record covers. To be submitted to secret seven.

3. Paper Model Record Box: 5 day project
To make a mini paper model record box. Illustrate 6 popular songs and create record covers and paper records. To work as a product to be sold on my etsy.

Summative Statement

Illustration Friday release a word each Friday and there is an open call for submissions. This brief was to respond to the words on a weekly basis and post them on my social media to maintain a regular online presence.
A product also spanned from this brief; I picked a selection of the prints that could be linked with a theme and packaged them accordingly.

Summative Statement

This brief began as a response to the Macmillan Prize. The challenge was to illustrate a 32 page book, either original story or a classic fairytale. Due to a change in main brief (from this to poetry) I lost momentum on this project and the Macmillan deadline came and went. But I had created a full story and characters, so I renewed the brief and decided to make presentation boards that would be used to pitch the book to a publishing company. The boards show three double spreads and a cover to final quality, as well as a page by page plan of the book.

PRESENTATION BOARDS

Full Book

Final Brief

Brief Title Being Blue

Brief 
To create a 28 page poetry book around the theme of depression and mental health. The book is to be interspersed with informational text sourced from the NHS website and appropriate quotes from celebrities. The aim of the book is to give a sense of community to a diagnosed patient, new or old. The book is to offer empathetic views from an informed stand point in the form of illustrated poetry.

ProductA 28 page bookAppropriate promotional material

Tone of voice
Laid back, Relatable, Accessible, Empathetic

Audience
Mature Audience 
(can't exclude anyone because mental health can effect anyone, but subject matter calls for a level of maturity.)

Context
A pamphlet for mental health
A source of communityPromoting mental health awarenessTo be submitted to publishers

To be sold in a book shop and pharmacies  

Additional info/considerations
Make presentation boards as though pitching to a publisher
Book is on square format that will fit on A3 sheet with bleed to be printed
Medium weight stock matt
Keep brand consistency across project

Mandatory Requirements
Blog
Promotional material
28 page book
Professional mock ups 

Deliverables
Promotional material
Packaged 16-32 page book
Presentation boards

Cover

These are my test for the cover. I was struggling with making the colours work because i wanted to use the same colours as inside the book so it works as a set. Also so i could do sets of prints and this would still work as a cover print for them. Like my illustration friday pack. except instead of a sleeve just having a full sized print that works as a cover.

I realised too late though that i was meant to make the background not blue. Firstly because i want it to stand out in the show and I'm having it displayed on a blue background. Secondly because i felt it would make more sense if the person is blue, because it is called being blue. But i went ahead and ended up with a blue back ground anyway. So i did to it what i did to my postcard: i put a small border around it made of squares and lines. That made it a bit clearer but in white the lines were too vibrant and contrasting but in blue they faded into the blue background, and it defeated the point of making a border. Then the darkest blue just looked too overcrowded as there was just blue and no white representing some space and breathing room.  So i took the colour away from the outer rim of the border and made it dark blue so it frames it and theres a border of white which will act as a big outline when sat on the blue in the show. I think it will really make it stand out.

Final image for cover:

Cover Plans

My ideas:
1. Being blue just written really big so it fills the whole page, thinking background blue and writing in white.
2. The brain i use for the promo ripping apart head with being blue written on it (one word in each half)
3. Being blue written in what looks like paint, then a paint bucket and brush on the floor. drips around and stuff.
4. A head done simply in colour no outline, popping open with the words inside
5. Head popping apart sideways with goo stretching between the two halves; being blue to be drawn with holes in the goop.

I like the head popping apart one the most. I like the idea of it being really simple. It might hurt to work without line though. But i'll probably end up adding some line as texture on it to suffice my need for line. I think it would  sit well within the square. The persons face will be blue: because they are being blue.

Just the cover to GO!

I have put the book together as it is at this point. Now i just have to do the cover, which should be fine because i'm going for a really simple design. Then its boards and i'm good to go!

Intro

I put in my introductory poem. But i also included a little written intro that makes sense of the book. I wanted to express the point of it creating a sense of community. And i wanted to stress how it is made from an informed stand point.
I also stated that there is already a lot of literature about depression but it tends to be dry and medical. I put this because this was a big reason for me to make the book. I wanted there to be something more personal and less feeling like a test subject under the microscope.

Back page

I added a small blurb to the back of the book so that it gives an idea of what is inside the book, also it looks more professional and proper.
I put on a bar code that i made up just because then it looks shop ready.
I added a price on the back of £10 (i think thats acceptable for all the work i did), Then i put in my site, Facebook, instagram and email so that it works as promotional for my practice too.

Pattern inlay

 These are the motifs i used to make up my pattern. I included some wiggles so that all the promotion is tied in. I also put in a prescription and some tissues, which aren't elements from the poems, because they seemed to tie in with the theme.

This is the pattern all together. I think it could be too small. But at the same time i like how crowded and crazy it looks. It is hectic and chaotic which seems to be a recurrent thing in my work.

NHS Pages

 This is the logo i came up with for the NHS says pages. I wanted it to be a doctor because it links with the NHS and gives a sense of trustworthiness. I made it ridiculously wide eyed and smiling so that it was unobtrusive and cute.

This is the one for at the beginning. I put 'When to see the doctor' at the start because i feel like it is the important NHS stuff to start with. Also this is on the front page of their clinical depression section. I then added the numbers because they are always put into the back but i think it belongs next to the when to call the doctor section. Because if the doctors are closed or (most likely) your appointment isn't for weeks, there are still numbers for you to call and people to talk to on a more immediate basis.

I put this page in at the back because it feels like, after discussing whether you have depression and then indulging in all the emotions and quotes, it seems right to have some information on what might happen if you do go to the doctors. I wanted to put therapy on the left but the title didn't fit in. I wanted this because therapy is the NHS's first method of treatment and Anti-depressants are more for moderate to severe depression. Although sometimes a combination is used.

Final inspirational

I made this image really simple and made all the line work either see through or white. I wanted there to be a large sense of space. So that this is the relaxing end to all the problems. I also wanted to offer up something positive as most of the book is neither positive nor negative and more just discussing what happens. So i thought it would be good to end on something decidedly positive.

The sun gets a white line rather than no line because the text isn't over it and also so it stands out because thats what i want to leave in peoples mind. Like yeah depression sucks and heres all the worries and emotions and then to make up for that…here's a sunshine.

There is no title to this poem because i felt it was self explanatory. Also i want it to be different and separate from the other poems.

All the Poems

These are the final poems. I'm really glad i picked a simple colour pallet because it really links them together and makes them work as a body of work rather than a collection of images. I still have the last motivational poem to do but that is on a very simple image and won't take me too long. So i should have an issue of the full book very soon.

Care

At first i chose to have this kitchen scene because i had the vase of drooping flowers. But i decided i didn't have to be so literal. And i think the kitchen is representative because it is dishevelled and unkempt and someone struggling with care would most likely not clean at the point of struggle. Also it kind of fits the empty of motivation feel. I realise there was also a cupboard open in the last one o be the mother hub bards cupboard, but again i think that was too literal. And made people think i meant i had no food in my cupboards.
I gave this one an underlined title too so that now there is a mix of title formats but there are multiple of each so it shows it is a decision and i like how each poem has a different feel. The colour keeps them linked rather than layout/format.

Bed

I changed the face to a more dead looking one because i spent ages trying to make a face that looks right and works. I never do normal faces so i don't know why i chose now to start. It works a lot better with this face, the vacant eyes fit better with the concept as well.
I put wiggles around it instead of my originally intended branches because since doing the postcard, which now works as promotional, I've got really into doing wiggles everywhere.
Also i think this will help link the postcard work to the project itself so that there is synthesis between the book and the promotional material.
I had to do a fade of white behind the text because it didn't seem to fit in anywhere. I realise last time i made it part of the image as the words were in the dripping neck. But i got rid of the neck so its more circular. The fade is there because it was difficult to read the words on top of all the line work.
I would have liked to wrap the text around the circle but i'm not sure how to do that and now is not the time to be learning new skills.

Blue

I coloured in 'Blue'. I made the walrus smaller and cuter because it was a n awkward shape to fit into a square. I felt like squashing it out of shape meant that i had to do the face more stylised because it has taken a further step away from reality.
At first i was trying to use all the same font size because all the other poems use size 14. But then i realised that my other boxed poem 'tablets' is made with slightly different sizes because i rasterised the type and adjusted it to fit in the speech bubbles.
I like the effect of the mixed text sizes, it makes the whole thing look more chaotic.

Also there is the headless character because i want him to be in a couple. As he is going to be one of my little cardboard cut outs stood around my book encouraging touching.
This is the only poem that has an underlined title but i think this works because the other box poem has a drawn title. These poems are just shown as more chaotic. I think it is because the writing itself is more of a stream of consciousness than structured verses.

PRESENTATION BOARDS

Plan Cleaned Up

I cleaned up my plan of the story because it will go on the presentation boards i am making. The boards will outline my proposal for a children's book to be shown to a publisher.
The boards will show: The problem: littering, the concept and character, Story Line, Aesthetic and the proposed promotional material.

My Cleaned up plan:

Finalised pages

 This is the cover i decided on. I finally named the book swell. It took me a while because i was trying to use their names in it but there are 4 different names and it was just getting too complicated. So instead I  have centred it around the thing they build; the island. I just had soil and the sprouts on the front because they have the most loving and cute relationship within the book so i think they represent the nature of the book best.

This is the second page spread, after introducing the scenery on the first page this page introduces the characters and shows them immediately in peril as their home is once more destroyed by careless campers. I just used simple spot colour because in a chat with Ben ages ago that was one of his suggestions. He thought that my work had a lot of line work and detail and that too much colour could take away from that. I chose a yellow for the characters because it represents sunshine/life and the side of nature. Then i chose a green/blue tone because it contrasts the yellow well and can simply represent the water and plant life that is running throughout the story.

This is the climactic moment when one of the sprouts is stolen by a Magpie. I think the facial expression on the sprout went really well, it is expressive and to an extreme. I did a big sweeping speech bubble because i felt it better represented the high tension moment.

This is the final page where all the troubles are over for the creatures and they have befriended the Magpie. They will no longer suffer because of littering and pollution on the land.
But off to the right there is sewage being pumped into the water, raising the question, of how long till they are unsafe in the water too. This is just the final part stressing th recycling and green aspect of this story.

Finally something finalised

I started to colour and finalise the poems so that this project can be resolved professionally by the deadline.


This is the leaflet one, it is my main double spread in the book, because i felt like there should be at least one double spread that is bold and striking.  This is the poem i did about health leaflets that tackle depression. It stands out against them because the leaflets are full of cliche and seem insulting. Especially with the known used motif for mental health which is a person with their head in their hands…like it is literally broken. Just unbelievably tactless by the health profession.  Thats kind of why i drew everything in jars, because rather than talking to us on a level as individuals. It seems more like an experiment, there's not that much known and understood about mental health still and it just feels more like being watched under a microscope rather than helped by an equal. Which is one of the main reasons for this book, the lack of communication about depression in health literature.

I finished sleep. I think this one went well because i was considering the colours as i was drawing it. I knew I wanted to show the light coming out and have a big contrast between the light and dark areas. I think considering the colours in the designing stage really helps make a final balanced layout. Adding the writing was quite tricky though because i drew it as a whole scene and didn't really think about where the writing would go. I ended up having to erase overlapping parts of lines from  the text to make it legible. I think when i'm drawing the remaining poems i need to think about the writing so that it doesn't bugger up all my plans when it comes to putting it all together digitally.

In and out, i most definitely did not consider my text in this one, leaving barely any room for it at all. But this was a concept i had come up with on a different format and i had already struggled to fit the four stages of the characters journey on.
I added the sun beams into the water because that whole bottom area was intensely blue and it was unbalancing the whole image.
I've been putting the text in, in the colours of the pallet so there is no black anywhere, just the really dark blue/green for that.

I'm pretty sure i posted this finalised before but i like how when they are all sat together you can see them working as a set. I think it was a strong decision to have such a reduced colour pallet because it really visually links the whole book together.

THE BIG PLAN

At my tutorial concerning end of year show Fred was asking me specifics about my book and i realised i don't even know how long it is. Like i know all the elements that go into the book but i hadn't sat down and done a definitive plan.

Contents of the book are:
7 poem pages (one double spread)
8 quote pages
2 pages for front and back
4 for inlay pattern
1 for contact numbers (suicide hotline etc)
3 NHS sourced pages

this is 26 pages which is not fitting with the rule of four. So i added a double spread at the back for my final inspirational poem. I think it is a good way to end the book , because then it ends on a high note. Even though it deals with a sad and depressing topic, it creates a sense of community where the bottom line is: 'its not the end of the world'

Also i came up with my promotional line! it came out of doing my postcard for the show which inspired my whole show design on how to present my book in the most interesting and true to my practice way.

The postcard is a ripped part face because i was told to try and make a design that is 'bold' so i just went all out. But it then inspired me to have a vertical version with a head ripped into separate parts and then the bottom face spewing  blue out onto a table where the book will sit.

So my line for the promotion is:

Get out of your head,
Get into a book.
I think this is appropriate because one of the reasons for the book is to put to rest all the fears of people with depression. The fears of being alone, different, feeling broken. This book is blowing away the taboo by sharing all the fears and feelings. As the introductory poem says: 'it just nice to know that someone out there shares your suffering'.

So I'm having the introductory poem on the first set of pattern inlay. It will be accompanied by a short piece of text explaining the book,; what and why?
Then the 'nhs says' page. This one is just the section of the nhs' depression page that discusses when to go see the doctor. Then the overleaf page is the emergency contact numbers. I felt this should go at the front because this book isn't just for people diagnosed with depression. It is for everyone and to break apart taboo. Show it as a normal thing. People may read it, thinking that they may have depression or being unsure. It just seems the best way to start the book.
Most of the poems are in the front part of the book here, i think for the show i am going to make a couple additional poems and have less quotes possibly? unless i make 4 so pagination works. But i'd just like for the show for there to be a better ratio between wordy pages and drawing pages.

I have put the second 'nhs says' page two spreads before the end because this one is sourced from the treatment section of the page. it discusses the two main options; anti depressants and therapy. Then following this i put two last quotes because these two were particularly uplifting quotes that sound like they come from a post treatment perspective. This is then followed by the final inspirational poem. So the whole end part of the book works on bringing the mood back up. It works like a bell curve of emotion.

Spelling mistakes

I've retyped up the quotes because (and it was probably obvious) there were loads of spelling mistakes. I have to stop typing directly into photoshop because there is no spell check and i know my spelling is atrocious.
So i've retyped them up on word to make sure they are all correct and i have cut Jim Carrey's because I miscalculated how many pages there would be because i forgot that the leaflet poem is two pages not one. But i've fully planned my book now and it is 28 pages including front and back.

Spelling bee champ '16

PRESENTATION BOARDS

PRESENTATION BOARDS

Coming to an end

So i am 'finishing' this project ready for the submission. The project itself is ongoing and won't be completed by the deadline. I just have to illustrate the new poem for her and redo the cover and then its just some format fiddling and i'm done. But this is not a brief that has priority right now. The author and publisher are happy for this project to resolve post deadline, therefore i need to prioritise and put the rest of my time into my main project instead.

I think i have learned almost everything i am going to learn from this project. It has been interesting working with a client. I've found that it takes a lot of time to work with clients as there is a lot of back and forth. Also they don't know about what makes good illustration. Like when i was going through the second run of poems with her and having her do some on hand concept making. I thought it would make it easier as she is there telling me the parts of the poem she feels are most important and explaining any concepts she had in mind already. But authors want to illustrate practically every line of their work. As an illustrator i know that won't work. I don't think i did amazingly at standing my ground as the visual director. I need to be more to the point, i still ended up reducing the concepts myself but I think i could have explained why it didn't work, since i am in the point of know.

Talking with the publisher seemed to go swimmingly because i kept doing his jobs before he did. Although i don't think i was fully comfortable talking to him. It was quite scary, this is just proof that i need to build up my business confidence.

Over all i think this brief has gone quite well, i am happy with the finished illustrations and i like how having an author took pressure off the content and just left me to my devices. I think at meetings i came prepared  with lots of stuff but i could do with having a folder and a notepad that has lines so that when i make my notes it looks professional.

PRESENTATION BOARDS

Finished Product

This is the front of it. I put the Soar with the bag in the wind at the front because i think it's colours most compliment the sleeve colour. The final sleeve is just folded over and not stuck down because i feel like messy glue massively devalues my work. Whereas this way it just kind of balances in it's little slot. It seems like it is meant to be that way. And since i will be putting them in a cellophane seal bag, it doesn't matter that the card doesn't secure them together strongly because the bag does that job.

The four images are connected by the theme of smoke and clouds. I printed them on a thick card stock because since they are small and there are only four prints, i want them to feel sturdy. I think it shows a level of professionality when the postcard is made of a thick, trustworthy stock. It also extends its shelf life, if that's the right term, like it will be longer till it wears and it is less easy to damage than thinner stock.

I put the wood texture on the back to keep them uniform and representative of my practice. On the back of the sleeve I put my face, my email, and social media/site. I did this so that my product advertises my whole practice and it is brand consistent.

The official plan

This has been sitting in my drawer a while, I took some time earlier in the year to plan out the Macmillan story. It still doesn't have a title but I'll work on that, because I think it will be important when it comes to making the presentation boards. A project needs a name, especially if it is a children's book.

This is a very rough plan but the basic bones are as follows:
1. Opens on the scene, valley in back ground, litter in foreground.
2. A person dropping cigarette ash on on a tiny house - magnified on the other half showing sprig and co
3. Sprig looks through his binoculars and spies a bird sitting  on a floating bottle
4. Soil collects bottles, the sprouts play. They try and fail to stay afloat on one bottle each.
5. Soil puts a board on top so it's flat on top. Proceeds to fall off in comical see saw fashion. A mouse is laughing.
6. The mouse shows it to work like a table; needing a bottle on each side for stability. On the right the family all stand, pleased with themselves, on the raft. They now need to make it more homely
7. Root has a help wanted sign and animals come to help. The bees drill holes in plastic, The spiders threads silk through the holes to sew the sides together, snail glue is cement in the walls, Birds bring seeds and the worms prepare the compost
8. Bird puts a marble in the top of roof to create light using sunlight through the glass.
9. They wave goodbye as they float out. One of the sprouts is on th roof, holding onto the marble for stability. A magpi comes and grabs the sprout.
10. The sprout cries as it is carried away by the bird. The rest of the family try to console the other sprouts and tuck them into bed.
11. The next day sprig is out on the deck with sprouts. Bird swoops down, sprig jups to protect sprout but the sprout is unharmed. He looks up to see the magpi pecking at the marble in the roof and realises the magpi's mistake.
12. At the top a memory of seeing soil accidently steal the marble from a nest. Underneath and over the page Sprig climbs up to the roof and holds out the marble for the magpi, the magpi returns the sprout.
13. They are happy. They have escaped the littering and made friends, they sail off into the sunset. (Far right shows a sewage pipe pumping rubbish into the water. ) But for how long?


At this point i think the pages that would be best to draw out would be:

The cover - Because that will work well for making mock ups on the presentation boards.

The person dropping cigarette ash on their home - Also because it is their  introduction page (well visual introduction)

The animals helping - Because it will give a good breadth of character work in one page.
Or the animals waving goodbye because it has the same character work but also the right side of page has the sprout being stolen and i think it is important to show this plot point.

The last page - shows that i want my message to be quite clear. But there is a fun story in between and that is what the boards will show.

I think since i am just making this proposed I will redraw the roughs; still quick and simple but this time i will edit it in photoshop and put it in boxes to make it uniform. Simple black line drawing, no texture. And then sentences underneath explaining what is going to be happening (like above).

Prepping for print

I'm setting up the file so this is all ready to be printed. Two of the final images are at home so I can't add them in yet but i will find them and add them. I've arranged it so that they all fit on one A3 sheet which makes it financially viable for me to print them. I'm was going to make a cloud texture to put on the back so that each side of the page is printed on and looks visually considered. But now i'm thinking i could reuse the wood texture from the LP record brief. Because the wood textures is one of my favourites to draw and although it isn't smoke or clouds i think that it is representative of my practice and therefore will make a fitting back to my designs.

Sleeve

I have put my contact details on and my logo so that it clearly represents my practice. I hand drew the title because I liked how the wobbly writing gives it a sense of naivety. Which i think will work well with the scale as it is A6. I think this will overall look cute and small. Their just like a nice set of prints of my practice.

Smoke And Clouds

So I have chosen these four to be my prints. Their link is smoke and clouds because they are all things showing the sky, and clouds etc. I thought it was a nice name to work with them and it lends itself nicely to simple motifs for when it comes to packaging. At the moment for packaging i am thinking that they will be printed at A6 and put in a cellophane sealing bag with a card sleeve around them displaying the set title and illustrator name.

PRESENTATION BOARDS: DEADLINE DRIVEN

The record box Final

Finally got round to photographing the finished product.
There are clear weaknesses in this product, number one being the stock i used being too flimsy for a box. I should have budgeted to use a thick gloss paper. This is the first one of theses projects where the deadline was not enough time for me to complete. Although I think that is just down to the printing issues, if i had preplanned and budgeted i could have printed onto the gloss right away. So the biggest flaw in this was not planning ahead and estimating what it would cost to make. I think this was a valuable lesson that with a product one of the most important elements is the final production, the stock it uses etc. I also didn't have enough time to do my packaging which again is a key element of a product. This brief showed me that products are something i need to do more work in and i need to push things to a finalised stage where they wouldn't be embarrassing to sell in a shop.

Post meeting

Ok so i've just got back. it was not a meal…that was a miscommunication from Becky, but i'm glad because I don't think i could have been business for the whole meal. I kind of stop his thunder becausee he was going to talk about the pagination, the layout and the font, and i beat him to it. But i think that just shows i am a very efficient illustrator to work with. The book is going to be printed in colour and they have chosen the two tone highlight colour option, i may have pushed this, but i honestly think it works the best. He also wants to have a set of the prints to sell separately, so i think i am going to get four to six of them looking more wow on a page on their own.
On the layout all that was said is that hue would like there to be a moving flow, so he doesn't want words and poem on every page the same. He would like a mix of work on one page writing on other and then writing on illustration on others. Just so it breaks it up and its not all the same and stagnant.

Becky chose the bookman font as her favourite rather than the rockwell, but i feel this was a decision that was more important for her intentions rather than mine. It still has a bit of a type writer feel and it works with my images so i am happy.

For font placement were going to have them centred because the ones that will be on a page alone will need to be centred to balance the page. And i want a sense of uni9form across them so they will all follow suite.

There is one new poem called Carte Blanche that i will have to do. This is a last minute addition but this poem helped her to name the whole book so it has to be included. The title is now 'Instability and War Wounds'.
For the cover the publisher is really keen on the 'adventure' illustration friday i did and keeps referring back to it, but i won't allow it to be the cover because it is for children's illustration and i don't agree with repurposing my work. But he explained the things he liked about it so that i have something to work on. He liked the idea of the  levels, with the underground and everything, also the little animal nests because they seem to represent home and family. Also he liked the sense of adventure and that it was a journey, which is a high running theme in the book, as it is a journey through her understanding of her own being.

So things to do to resolve this brief:

Make the new cover
Illustrate last poem
Colour all in blue two tone
Replay with the order and spacing
Make boards

Meeting Prep

Ok so i am meeting the publisher and Author at Bar One Leeds where we are going to be going through the formats and gives me a chance to ask some questions and for them to see the visual progress. I have prepared all the images next to their poems and put them into a book format because i think this will make it seem more real to them and gives an idea of the scale i've been working to. Since i have no information on format i have been working to A5 because that is a regular book size and i think its a scale that leaves room for movement either way a bit depending on the actual book format. I am also going to find out if our budget covers colour printing or whether this is a black and white publication.

This sheet shows the different options that  i am giving them on colour. It shows one full colour piece but i will be advising against that because i think the more reserved and subtle one compliment her work higher. My favourite is the colour line and the two tone highlight, both use minimal colour and is just used to highlight a part of the image.

I also gave some small options on font. Now i am not a typographer but i feel as a visual person i still have more idea than the author. Although the publisher may have this side covered, but i am prepared if not. I only put four options; Bookman, Helvetica, Times new roman and Rockwell. I think Rockwell suites her work the best. It has the air of a more classic font, clearly adapted form type writers font.  I know the author personally and know that she draws a lot of inspiration from classic films and music. I feel the Rockwell makes you think of norman rockwell and therefore i assume this font is kind of representative of his kind of work, thinking about the American dream. This is a concept and a time period the author has great interest in and that is why i think this font will hold the most appeal for her.
I also gave an option of having the text centred or lined up with the page edge. I don't think this is a large decision, i believe the lined up to the page looks neater but i think this is a decision on her part as it may affect the way the words are read.

For the book mockup i am taking i have just put the images on the pages and in grey line so that the words stand out in front of them. I also made some pattern inlay pages using elements from the illustrations i have one. I did this because i think the pattern inlay creates a sense of charm and it seems professional and fully visually considered. I also made a mock up about he author page but i think i will explain to her that i think this would be a good area to explain why she wrote the poems what they are about/ what they mean to her. Just generally introduce the work. I also mocked up the back page quite roughly as i am not entirely sure what is required to be on the back when it is produced by an independent publisher. This is something we will discuss.
Also the publisher is buying us dinner and drinks while we discuss; i pre looked up the menu so i know what i am ordering and i can look smooth and professional the whole time.

Once this meeting has happened and i know all the details i need, i can resolve this project pretty quickly. I am feeling confident. And since i'm steering them towards the less coloured pieces, i a=may even have time to do fully finished colour images.

Freeman plans and progress

I had a meeting with Becky the author and she gave me the final poems she has completed. Over drinks and churros we went through each one and i showed her the concepts i had come up with and we worked each one, with hear inputting things that she felt were most important to represent. I liked doing the concepts with her there because it was quicker and to the point with the more complicated poems because she could tell me the elements that mattered and explain what she was trying to convey in some. The only issue was that she is not a designer and that meant that a lot of her idea and suggestions were a bit insane. She wanted so many different elements in some images, she got carried away with trying to represent every line in the poem. So i've had to take a stand as the visual production manager (self given title) and say that she has to be limited to elements per illustration because otherwise it becomes too complicated and the meaning is lost in the image. I think she needs more confidence in her  poetry and to understand that the poems do a l to of the speaking themselves. The illustrations are there to enhance the words not repeat them.

I now hav ethe concepts for every poem and have started doing the final illustrations. My next step is to go back to the older poems she gave me and make the illustrations finalised by arranging them on a page with the poem. Also i will make a couple different examples/variations involving colour v boac and white and some layout variations that i can bring to the meeting with the publisher on tuesday and get them to amok some solid decisions about the final look of the book.

Things i need to ask and get answers to:

1. what format is the book? A format or square? other?
2. Colour or black and white?
3. if black and white will the cover be colour?
4. Have they decided on a title yet?
5. Discuss cover concepts
6. Pattern inlay pages?
7. What font do they want to use?
8. will the text be in the same place on each page or do they prefer it to work around the image?
9. Author image? would they like an illustration or are they using a photo?
10. What order are the poems going in?

Knowing me Knowing you

I'm thinking for the pages with the quotes i am going to have like simple motifs on the pages that represent the person whose quote it is. Like for will wheaton i might have the little star trek symbol because it's a recognisable thing that links to him, for his time being Wesley on star trek.

I think these are the final quotes i will be including, i got a variety of different ones and made sure that each quote was coming from someone who had suffered from depression or are bipolar. So that the quote is coming from an informed point of view because that was part of my brief. I feel like the leaflets  you get given; one o the reasons they don't work well, is because they don't come from an informed point of view. Well they are informed medically, but i'm looking for more personal experience informed points of view. I also like how it is showing it to be more acceptable and normal to suffer from a mental illness. One in four people suffer from mental illness and yet we still talk about it like some abstract subject. It doesn't make it approachable. I want to show it in normal terms, being frank about the fears and emotions involved.

Down with books

So i had a tutorial with Fred and we discussed that making this into a book for the deadline isn't really realistic. It takes up too much time and it doesn't really add anything because i can say pits meant to be a book and people know what that is, they don't need to see it. I'm still going to make the book and bind it for the final show but that can be done once deadline stress is over.
I'll be making presentation boards instead, because i had to make them anyway so now i can just invest more time in it. I could possibly make a cheaper mock up print out just so that there is an object to hold and look at, but it isn't necessary  for the deadline.

I've now picked the quotes i am going to use within the book but i haven't yet sourced the nhs words. But thats something i can do over this weekend.

Heres a little example of how a spread will look when the book is made. The cover is obviously very rough and probably not even the final title. I think that is something i need to do some playing with to find the best solution.

Record timing

So i did this project tuesday to friday last week. Only just got around to blogging it. The project wasn't a full success as the final box was made out of a paper that was too thin. I wanted to use the thick gloss but budget constraints meant i could only use my own paper so therefore the final product is more like a mock up of the real product. This made me realise that before starting a project i should try and work out whether i can afford to produce the object. I need to plan the materials i think i will use so that i at least have an idea of what kind of budget i'm looking at.

 I drew out the packaging, i used a simple box net and made the fastening just a slot where a part of the lid can go in to fasten the lid. I made the box look like an old record player because i felt it is the most relevant box it could have and it adds to the 'cute' aesthetic, i'm basically making a miniature illustrated model.

I did lots of texture across the box so that it still represented my practice and the work within. I stuck to the same primary colour scheme so that it worked as a set.
I also did a big block of wood texture so that i can use it to line the inside of the box, because i think it would lessen in quality if the inside was not illustrated to match the outside.

 I drew the wheels separate and put them on in photoshop. I did the same with the holes in the speakers on the side of the record box. I did this so that they would be even and symmetrical which fits more with the box as it would be a manufactured product.

 I went back in and redesigned some of the LP records that i wasn't happy with last time i did them. I redid the star man one because i felt like the character could be bigger and less child like/ bobble head than before. Also i did the colour in a more detailed tangible way, ceasing a distinct underside to give it more depth. I also utilised some texture on the moon in the background because i felt like there wasn't enough detail on the image itself, because it is small scale and too much would over crown it. But i think there is a certain degree of detail that needs to happen for it to fit into my practice.

I redid go your own way here. I want exactly sure on how to do it though so i was just made elements of it, i have the character which has become a bit of a linking theme across the covers and then i made a light up arrow sign although at this point i wasn't sure on how they were going to fit together. I also redid who wants to live forever, Hollie figured out why the last one looked so weird; i had the three of them with their arms out as though they were reaching out to each other but instead it came across as three nazi salutes. So i

 definitely had to redo it.
Here is the third attempt because the second didn't really consider the square format, this one uses much more of the area and i think that makes it better.

I have coloured in the packaging here and put it all together. I made the inner wood side just a big rectangle because this way i didn't have to worry about it lining up properly because that side just engulfs the whole page. I made the inner match the colour scheme, at first i tried the red to match the outside of the box but that made it all entirely too much red and the red started to seem quite garish even though its a relatively desaturated red. So i popped for the blue as i felt it offered a good balance to the red so that the colours were bringing out the best in each other and there wasn't too much of either one.

I made the records from the first drawing i did, which i know is something i said i would stop doing. But its a pretty simple design and i used a compass to make sure it was circular and there wasn't really a lot else i could do with it. When i printed them i added a bleed around each record that was about 2-3cm so that there would be a bit of leeway on the lining up of the two images. I used the circle cutter so that it would be cut cleanly.

 This is the smells like teen spirit one which is easily my favourite cover so far. I was having a bit of trouble with balancing the colours because if there is too much red and blue it ends up looking full and gaudy.

 I added more yellow here to brighten up the image as a who;e but then the face faded into the back so i added a blue shadow and then put bits of yellow across the creases because i think this made more sense with the direction of the light.

 I tried a blue background using the highlights of yellow again but i didn't like it as much and i just don't think it worked wight he image as well as the yellow. The yellow made it seem more dire and alarming.

 This is my star man piece which ended up quite red heavy but i like the little lines i did in the other colours to try and break up the red. I used little yellow highlights like in the teen spirit cover because i liked the texture they added.

This one is my least favourite and i wasn't entirely sure about it , but it fits with the set and time constraints meant there wasnt time for a fourth redesign.

I put the covers on simple coloured cases so that they would fold around the record. There is a tab so it can be glued down and keep shape permanently. I also put my logo on the back of each one. I see the updated branding logo from my creative cv as it has a layer where the colour can be changed so that it matches whatever back ground it is on. I think this links them as a set professionally and makes them look like a branded product.





Overall this project went well. The design of the box was functional and the only downfall was a few rushed designs and the paper quality of the box. But i think what i can take form this is the raw digital files and the concept of the record box. This is something i can revamp at any point making more covers to be included. I can have it at a point where there is a large selection of possible covers and the customer may pick a certain set or order a lucky dip and get a sup rose. I think this adds an element of personalisation to the product, which will help it sell in the illustrative market.

I will photograph the box and put it up on here later in the week as it is at home. To resolve this project now all i need is to create the presentation boards for the Deadline driven brief and complete the project report page.