iTAP 08/11/10

Production and Outcomes

Artwork is often a product of its time. The process, medium, and social commentary is a reflection of an era, as creatives, it is essential to tap into the spirit of the time and draw upon what's current and relevant. Hence it is only natural for this to become apparent in our work.

To demonstrate this, I've chosen to use George A Romero's hit zombie movie Dawn of the Dead. 

Produced in 1978, Dawn of the Dead bears many of the hallmarks of the 1980's movie scene. Over the top gore, biker gangs, action and the style in which it was shot. Dawn of the Dead thrust the zombie scene into the mainstream, and became an iconic film reflecting its time.

Fast forward to 2004, Zack Snyder remakes Dawn of the Dead.

Gone are the slow moving Zombies, instead, they are replaced with faster, much more deadly counterparts. The characters are changed to more accurately represent a cross section of society that the audience can relate to. The environment stays the same, only the mall is updated to the modern day. The whole pace of the film is much faster - a representation of our short attention span, 'now now now' generation. I'm sure looking back on this film in 10-20 years time will invoke the same feelings of datedness when one examines the original Dawn of the Dead now.

Delivery


There are more platforms for people to share there work now days than ever before. The digital age now allows anyone to share their work with the world for free. Using the internet as a proving ground for artwork is now common place. Websites like Deviant Art provide a thriving community in which to share your work, (that is, amidst all the animé fan art.

Web comics, blogs, forums. The digital realm is rich in opportunity for an aspiring creative.

iTAP 23/11/10

Overcoming Mindsets


Let's face it, we all get stuck in rut with our work at some point. We lose inspiration, lose momentum, lose sight of our goal and become overwhelmed. The irony for me in this situation, is that I'm most commonly stuck in a rut when writing these iTAP entries. So how can I overcome this? My habitual process for writing these entries is usually pretty formal, and constrained -  a habit from essay writing in Secondary School. So in order to break this, I should focus on being more relaxed and informal

This is something that I can (obviously) relate to my own work. I should always restate the problem set before me, not always follow my first plan of action (my habitual thinking) and go a more unconventional route, which will often leads to a more interesting and creative result than otherwise.


Managing a Creative Environment


Having a positive working environment has a large impact on the work one produces. Thus it is essential to be comfortable in your surroundings and help streamline your work.

My humble abode:

I try to keep organised even when working, as I find I can't work in clutter. All the essentials are here, a sketchbook, drawing materials, laptop, scanner - oh, and most importantly, coffee. The lamp and window allow me plenty of light, which is essential for an artist (although in my case daylight isn't really essential as I do most of my work at night).

I don't have a lot of space around me, so my main source of inspiration is the internet and my collection of graphic novels and drawing books. Not exactly the biggest collection in the world, in fact, it's pretty modest compared to a lot of Illustration enthusiasts. The joys of having a lack of money and being incredibly selective.



Just as important is my 'mental' space - if that's the right word for it. Having a relaxed atmosphere is essential for me to be productive.

This past year I've fallen in love with the web page Rainy Mood , which is simply a 30 minute loop of rainfall, which I play softly in the background whilst listening to music. If I'm not in the mood for music I feed my mind with TED talks or artist interviews on Chiu Stream. It feels as if I'm killing two birds with one stone, by immersing myself visually in my work, and learning through audio. I also have a tendency to become to wrapped up in my work, stressing about deadlines and whether or not the work is coming out the way I want it to - learning about important 3rd world projects, technology and stories of perseverance helps my situation in perspective and not worry so much.

What I would give to have this studio...

For one, it's incredibly spacious (a far cry from my cramped student room) - with multiple workstations for each different process (e.g. graphics tablet and computer area for digital work, drawing board with a good source of light for traditional drawing). This goes a long way to reducing the amount of clutter that is bound to accumulate in a less organised space.

There are constant sources of inspiration through out the room, helping motivate and stimulating creative thought.

iTAP 30/11/2010

Influence of Text

Text can change the outcome of an image, creating an entirely different meaning than if the image was on it's own. Jim Golderg's Rich and Poor series is a good example of this. He took pictures of subjects and then allowed them to write their own commentary.

I can't help but laugh at this; the wife in this elderly couple writes out a detailed and heartfelt dialogue about her husband, talking about his 'strength of character' and how they are 'totally devoted to each other'. And the husband's contribution is: 'My wife is acceptabe. Our relationship is satisfactory'. It's clear the different viewpoint's these two have, and their characteristics are also reflected in their handwriting. The wife's, an eloquent and neat style, and the husbands, a wobbly scrawl.

'What I really want is a real home with nice furniture, also a van to drive. I would also like to give my son what I didn't get in life. Which includes love.'

This photo and the accompanying text touches on family values and future aspirations. There is a definite human element added through the handwritten text - which would not be there otherwise.

iTAP 02/11/10

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

Three Act Structure

In modern cinema, the Three Act Structure has become a staple formula of storytelling, creating a framework that allows for appropriate pacing by creating a definite beginning, middle and end (often a 30:60:30 minute split). This can also be referred to as Establish:Crisis:Resolve. 


In order to show this Three Act Structure, I have decided to explore David Fincher's Fight Club and highlight the key plot components.


*Spoilers Alert*


Act 1: 

• We are introduced to the unnamed protagonist (and narrator), a travelling business man suffering from insomnia.
• On one of his many flights, he meets Tyler Durden, a soap salesmen and is given a business card.
• Upon complaining to his doctor about his insomnia, he is told to visit a support group in order to witness real suffering.
• Attends a support group for testicular cancer - ends up crying which inadvertently cures his insomnia.
• Becomes addicted to support groups.
• Support groups invaded by another 'faker'; Marla Singer. The Presence of Marla relapses the protagonist's insomnia. So he negotiates to split the support groups up so that they don't see eachother.

Act 2: 

• Protagonist's apartment is destroyed.
• Calls Tyler to ask for a place to stay. They end a night of drinking by fighting in a parking lot for fun.
• Protagonist moves in with Tyler.
• 'Fight Club' started.
• Marla calls and threatens suicide. Tyler ends up sleeping with her.
• Fight club grows.
• 'Project Mayhem' started.

Act 3: 

• Tyler dissapears. Protagonist tries to shut down Project Mayhem after a member is killed.
• Whilst searching for Tyler, the protagonist is greeted as 'Tyler Durden' by a member of Project Mayhem in another city. Marla also confirms that his name is Tyler Durden via a phone call.
• Tyler appears in the Hotel room and is revealed to be the split personality of the Protagonist who takes over when he goes to sleep. 
• Discovers Tyler's plans to destroy the buildings of major credit card companies.
• Attempts to foil the plan, but is stopped by Tyler.
• Tyler holds him at gun-point, but the protagonist, remembering that Tyler is his own split personality realises that the gun is actually in his hand and shoots himself.
• Tyler is 'killed'. The protagonist survives.

Monomyth - The Hero's Journey

The term Monomyth - also known as The Hero's Journey states that many stories share a similar structure, and often have re-occurring elements and themes. This is a trait which can often found in fairy-tales and fantasy stories, and is almost typical of epic fantasy genres. 


To highlight this I will be examining Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, and identifying the stages of Monomyth present.

1. The Mundane World: Ofelia is a young girl, living in post-Cival War spain.
2. Call to Adventure: Following a fairy into the Labyrinth and meeting the Faun.
3. Crossing the Threshold: Entering the Labyrinth
4. The Prophecy: Ofelia is the reincarnation of the Princess of the Underworld
5. The Road of Trials: The Faun sets three tasks that must be completed before the full moon.
6. Supernatural Aid: The Fairies.
7. Belly of the Whale: The Child Eater's lair.
8. Master of Two Worlds: Sacrificing herself in the real world, and in turn, becoming a Princess in the Underworld.

iTAP 26/10/10

'I begin with an idea and then it becomes something else' - Picasso


What is the purpose of an RVJ?


The RVJ (Reflective Visual Journey) is important in an artist's practice as it allows freedom to explore thought processes and ideas by 'thinking on the page'. Rather being clearly defined as a 'sketchbook', the RVJ is a safe place where ideas (not art) are generated and explored, in order to visually represent one's thought process. 


Many creatives, including myself, have a lot of negative associations with their own work, which often hinders this process of visual experimentation. The aim of the RVJ is crush this negative thought process of being overly self critical, and let the artist explore freely - where the process is more important than the final outcome. 

Left Brain, Right Brain


This ties down to the Left Brain, Right Brain theory. The Analytical left brain can often hinder the creative process of the Right Brain by asking questions and criticising work that's not ready to be criticised  There's a time for analysis and refinement, but not during visual experimentation. The right brain should be left to 'play', free from the constant nagging of the left brain. 

iTAP 15/10/10

Tone of Voice

Do words and images have a tone of voice? Take the example below;

Which of these is more effective? It's an obvious example, but the bottom version is far more appropriate to convey the idea of a whisper, due to the smaller type face and subtler colour. The top example would be more fitting with the word 'shout' due to the bold, red typeface which, on it's own, visually shouts at us before we even read the text. 

Failing to understand how to use tone of voice can confuse your audience. This must be taken into account in my own work. What do I want the viewer to focus on first? Is the colour scheme, size and layout appropriate in achieving the effect I want?

Visual Hierachy

Visual Hierachy is the order in which visual information is identified. Take the below for example;

Where is the visual hierachy here? In this case, there is none. Everything is aimed to stand out, using block colours and bold type faces - but instead of being visually drawn to anything the customer is simply overwhelmed and bombarded with products all shouting for attention.

Magazines require effective visual heirachy in order to sell.

In this example, the first thing that catches our eye is the artwork in the centre of the page. This in an obvious draw to Fantasy art enthusiasts, where, amongst a shelf of other publications - the one with a piece of art will draw the most attention from artistically minded people. 


The bold typeface of the magazine title is the next thing to draw our attention, simply by having the largest font. This is also the first thing repeat buyers will look when finding the magazine on the shelf, and thus makes sense to draw attention to it.


'FANTASTIC ART' is a tag line that piques our attention, placing it below the illustration in the centre and boldening the type.

iTAP 05/10/10

“Inspiration exists, but it has to find us working.” - Picasso

Inspiration

Where does one find Inspiration? 

The answer: Everywhere

In order to be an effective Illustrator, or a creative in any field - one must draw inspiration from everything. Constantly inquiring, photographing, collaging, and sketching the world around us. When stuck in a rut it is often a good idea to take your eyes of the page and look around.

The above example is of my own work. I gain inspiration through scribbling down pages of notes upon notes, fleshing out my ideas and giving me a place to quickly jot down ideas and sketches as the thoughts come to me.

Ben Templesmith, an australian comic book Illustrator, gives his take on what inspires him:

'Like many artists I am frequently “borrowing” ideas and inspiration from other artists.  Depending on how my creativity is flowing – I may just see a flash of something and be inspired for weeks – or I can spend hours digging through and researching everything that I can get my hands on hoping that it will spawn ideas for me.  When time is against me, I usually prefer the first option – but I often end up with the second option.'


Researching other artists work is another way to get inspiration, and also gives you an idea of what's already out there in the market.
There are no limits to where inspiration can come from, and only depends on the artist's themselves.


Practices of Illustration


Practice is often achieved in the form of sketchbooks, observing and sketching - partly for inspiration (as demonstrated above) but as a way to hone one's craft. 

In this example, the Illustrator Guy Davis has sketched out his ideas for his part in Mike Mignolas B.P.R.D.


Annotations and notes are used to flesh out ideas