Assignment 2

References:

Pixabay.com. (2019). Free Image on Pixabay - Pink Roses, Flower, Garden, Pink. [online] Available at: https://pixabay.com/photos/pink-roses-flower-garden-pink-2533389/ [Accessed 23 Aug. 2019].

Pixabay.com. (2019). Free Image on Pixabay - Lamp, Light, Lighting, Light Bulb. [online] Available at: https://pixabay.com/photos/lamp-light-lighting-light-bulb-3489395/ [Accessed 23 Aug. 2019].

Pixabay.com. (2019). Free Image on Pixabay - Telecommunication Tower, Converter. [online] Available at: https://pixabay.com/photos/telecommunication-tower-converter-3064834/ [Accessed 23 Aug. 2019].

Pixabay.com. (2019). Free Image on Pixabay - Watering Can, Sprinkler, Vessel. [online] Available at: https://pixabay.com/photos/watering-can-sprinkler-vessel-397299/ [Accessed 23 Aug. 2019].

Pixabay.com. (2019). Free Image on Pixabay - Crocheting, Yarn, Diy, Knitting. [online] Available at: https://pixabay.com/photos/crocheting-yarn-diy-knitting-1479217/ [Accessed 23 Aug. 2019].

Pixabay.com. (2019). Free Image on Pixabay - Infructescence. [online] Available at: https://pixabay.com/photos/infructescence-175417/ [Accessed 23 Aug. 2019].


Assignment 2:

For this assignment we were to take our pareidolia pictures and turn them into full characters with their own backgrounds using elements from work we had previously done on the course.


I started the process by printing and sticking mine into my sketchbook and thinking about what materials would best suit them to create bodies and features.


Using the free photos cited above I printed them off and cut them all out, adding them to my previous photos and then enhancing them more with a marker pen.

I then took photos of my characters and also made a small view finder and went through my previous sketches to see which ones would work best for my characters as backgrounds. I had a few options for each and chose the ones that looked the best. Photos shown below are of my final chosen views.

Palm sketch through view finder.

Jute string and poster paint marks through view finder

Bamboo sketch through view finder

Green tea mark making through view finder.

Then I imported all the photos into Procreate and began with the actual characters. I erased the background that I didn't want from the original photos, I did the same for each character and then saved them with a transparent background.

Bunny Girl

Elephant Girl

Bulb Boy

Butt Man

After that I took each background one by one and manipulated them using the brightness, colour balance and curves features on Procreate to get the look I wanted. I tried to keep the backgrounds quite simple as I wanted my characters to stand out the most.

Bamboo Background taken from my Henstead Garden Sketch

Palm Sketch from my Henstead Garden sketches with added green hue.

Jute string and black poster paint mark making exercise.

Green tea mark making background.

Lastly I copied the characters with the transparent backgrounds and pasted them into their specific background and added any further details with the black colour studio pen brush.

Bunny Girl in the bamboo

Elephant girl peeking out from the bamboo.

Bulb Boy with graffiti style background.

Butt Man with a green tea background.

For the final step I printed all the characters with their backgrounds and stuck them into my sketchbook.

Reflection:

This whole exercise was a lot of fun and taught me how I can manipulate existing work in order to create something completely new. The mark making exercise didn't really excite me and I just went with it. However, I ended up creating 'Happy Accidents' which turned out to be ideal backgrounds I could use successfully for my characters.
Making the characters was fun and helped me to stretch my creative thinking as to how I could use different objects to use as their features. My favourites are 'Bulb Boy' and 'Butt Man', I think they turned out funny and I really like the backgrounds.


Final Reflections on  Part 2:

I really enjoyed this section of the course because it was so experimental and fun. I was able to take things such as my work with acrylic paint and explore it further by practicing mark making and using new tools to see what else it could do. I wouldn't normally bother with this type of experimenting and this has taught me the value of playing with your tools and techniques in your sketchbook as you never know what exciting things you may discover.

I've also discover I really enjoy sketching with Micron pens outside or out and about. This isn't something I have done before and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. I'd definitely like to continue sketching in this way.

The 1 minute sketches had me laughing out loud as I scrambled to sketch quick enough before the timer went off. I found it a really good exercise and enjoyed it a lot more than I expected. It was quite fun trying to beat the clock and in the end I was quite pleased with my sketches.

Using the theme of the every day I have been trying to sketch whilst out and about and stretching myself to sketch people. This was one of my goals and I still want to work on this, so look forward to doing this more in the next part of the course. I think the semi blind contour drawing technique could help me with this and I look forward to practicing this more.
I've also been getting in the habit of sneaking in time to sketch, realising that actually you can grab a few minutes to sketch anywhere. I quite enjoyed doing this and it's helping me to develop a more regular sketching practice.

Creating the characters out of every day objects was so much fun and really stretched my imagination. It's amazing what can be created when you put your mind to it.

Researching the various artists has been really interesting and I've learnt about artist's who I haven't come across before and enjoyed looking at their work. It certainly gave me an appreciation for artists who use very few lines to create striking and powerful illustrations such as Noma Bar as I found this task very difficult. The work of Sophie Peanut has inspired me to get out and sketch more and add watercolour to give my sketches more depth. I also really enjoyed looking at Lucy Austin's work as I also work in acrylics and she has inspired me to play more with techniques.

The limited line exercise was probably the hardest one for me since I didn't feel at all comfortable attempting it. It felt awkward and silly and my mind couldn't conceive how I could sketch something well with few lines and still look good. To help me feel a bit at ease I went to the local cafe and set up my objects on the table and then used the elements in the cafe to sketch further. The feedback I had from my Husband proved I hadn't done a great job at this exercise and it's an area I need to improve on.

Using unusual tools was another exercise I wasn't really keen on but I was actually pleasantly surprised when my experiments with jute string and black poster paint, came out with an effect I really liked. I'm quite into the graffiti style and so this was right up my street. I'll definitely use this technique again.

I am amazed at quickly I am becoming more comfortable with my sketchbooks and using them much more often. This really excites me as this is fulfilling one of my major goals. I can't wait to see where this goes next.

Finally, I'd happily join a sketchbook circle, I just need to find one. I did ask in the OCA Illustration Facebook group and had mixed responses. A lot of people weren't ready to join one and a couple of people encouraged me to start one. Perhaps I will soon...