Brief
The exercises that you’ve completed in this part should have helped you identify the forces which shape a commission and the processes to go through to create an illustration ready for print. You should now be ready to work as an illustrator.
This assignment is an opportunity to consolidate the understanding you’ve gained so far, reflect on the work you’ve enjoyed, the successes you’ve had and the areas of illustration you feel most drawn to. It allows you to create certain parts of the brief yourself so that you have the maximum capacity to show off your interests and talents.
As you think about what you’re going to produce, keep on with your ongoing visual research by looking at examples of existing work or contexts. Above all, be open-minded and analytical and try several variations until you arrive at a brief which feels most interesting for you.
The brief
The title is Seven days.
These can be the seven days of the week or random days that tell a story. Your interpretation can be objective or subjective. You can produce seven separate, one large diagrammatic or a continuous strip illustration. You can decide on the media and methods you will use; the context – magazine, newspaper, book, brochure or poster; and the intended audience.
You need to write yourself a brief that is clear and challenging but manageable.
What to do
Be aware of the processes which have so far led to your development in ideas generation, visual research, image construction, understanding contexts and media usage.
Make sure that you are clear what the final size should be, but you can work at any proportional size. Use worksheets and sketchbooks to explore solutions and refer to examples of work which solve similar types of problems. Think back to how you have treated similar briefs.
Keywords:
- The title is Seven days
- Try several variations until you arrive at a brief which feels most interesting for you
- Your interpretation can be objective or subjective
- You can produce seven separate, one large diagrammatic or a continuous strip illustration
- Decide on the media and methods, the context and the intended audience
- Write yourself a brief that is clear and challenging
- Ideas generation, visual research, image construction, understanding contexts and media usage.
- Use worksheets and sketchbooks to explore solutions and refer to examples of work which solve similar types of problems
- You need to submit all your working stages from thumbnails to final artwork
Mind mapping
I made a mind map for all the 7 days subjects that I could think of.
I decided to make a tourist leaflet “South UK in 7 Days”.
Research
Pinterest board – UK tourism
Line visual
Design process
I used watercolour and ink to make my illustrations. I then scanned them and added text also enhanced the colours in Procreate.
As I wanted to make a leaflet, I decided to choose size A5 in Portrait format for my leaflet.
Typeface
Final designs
Mock up
Self – reflection
After brainstorming ideas through mind mapping and gathering inspiration from Pinterest boards, I developed the concept of creating a tourist leaflet focused on exploring southern UK over the course of 7 days. I experimented with various media for the design, which helped achieve a tactile and engaging effect.
I created my illustrations using watercolor and ink, a process I thoroughly enjoyed. Since the artwork has a soft, organic feel from the watercolor, I wanted to complement it with a typeface that had a handwritten, personal touch.
Although I’m satisfied with my designs, I feel they may lack creativity and imagination. I believe this is an area I need to improve on in order to make my illustrations more inspired by imagination rather than just real-life references.
Maryam: OCA Graphic Design 