As a conclusion of part four, this assignment is the opportunity to demonstrate the style I’ve developed so far and the use of tools and materials. The assignment’s brief is about designing an illustration for the magazine, based on one of the themes of my choice. The topics to choose from are Lost, Disaster, Discovery, and Guilty Secret. What’s noticeable is that there were three themes with negative meaning and one with positive nature. I felt like I wanted to work with the word ‘discovery’, as I wanted to think of something inspiring and bring out all those positive experiences and emotions associated with this term.
I see great potential for this word, as discovery is about creation, art, design, innovation, construction and inventions, and basically about achievements, as personal and national matters. I started the assignment by highlighting the main points of the brief, also, I made a work plan, that helped me to break the assignment into the major points.
Next step, I created a mind map, based on the chosen word. I intended to provide as many as possible associations, to be able to visualise different objects that could be represented in the still life of the chosen theme.
The mind map helped me gather some ideas and possible directions for the illustration. At this stage, I still was not sure what the final illustration was going to be like, but the process of collecting still life and arranging it into the collage should help me narrow my research. I was thinking of word discovery from an exciting point of view, what possible feelings the individual could have when something surprising or desired has been discovered. For the reference, I collected some collages and images on Pinterest that would make a connection to the word ‘discovery’. My main valuable points that would be associated with this word are history, vintage, finding, travel, voyage, locating, and timeless.
I went around to my mum and stepdad’s house, they are collectors of unique pieces, so I always go there if I want to find some inspiration. My mum is a big antique collector, she loves that feeling of discovering new valuable pieces. My stepdad loves science, as he originally got a degree in biology, his hobby is photography and art, also he has been collecting some obsolete cameras, that represent different decades of documenting memories through the lens. The objects that I was going to use were maps, old books, vintage accessories, antiques, cameras, a magnifier, and dry flowers.
‘To-do’ list for the assignment:
- Photography
- Observation sketches
- Collage of the still life
- Sketch of the collage
- Try different backgrounds
- Thumbnails.
- Sketch with new position of objects
- Colourful design.
Individual objects around
As I walked around photographing all possible original items that I could implement in my collage, I was thinking of the narrative that I could implement within the word ‘discovery’. I believe that knowing the story of the illustration will add a deeper significance to the finished piece. I envisioned a tale of an adventurous soul, someone who loves adventure, travel, and the pursuit of the extraordinary.
This individual would be equipped with an array of tools, possess dreams of visiting different countries and places, and harbour a profound passion for culture and history, which all will be merged into the excitement of finding new
I photographed antique pieces, like vases, cups, candle holders and even pictures of wallpaper, that looked like Chinese ornament, which created one sub-group of objects around. Another group of images were old rustic items, old unique cameras, old world maps and document leather cases. I was going to experiment with compositions, like separating items by their qualities, and mixing them all, that would create an eclectic style. At the same time, I wanted to experiment with layering of the still life, like a top flat view, or arranging objects in a hierarchy, with foregrounds and backgrounds. I wanted to create that feel of a collector, that had his belongings gathered together, ready to discover more or present some pieces that the person values, and some references to travel and adventure. That the concept I wanted to present, now was up to me to create a solid narrative.
Still life
In the following step, I collected various objects and arranged them into flat-lay compositions and still-life displays. Additionally, I experimented with stacking objects on top of each other, resembling a tower block, but later I thought it looked too heavy, so I missed that option. To determine the most effective presentation, I tested different backgrounds, including dark wooden and marble surfaces. The dark background produced heightened contrast, whereas objects on the light marble exuded a softer and more subtle ambience.
Sketches
Following my experiments with compositions, I moved to creating sketches. I made a quick sketch outlining object placement and potential additional attributes to incorporate. I then produced observational sketches of the most successful compositions, capturing them from various perspectives such as the top view, and side view, and depicting objects stacked on one another. I aimed to ensure that the composition was clear and easy to read, I thought that the presence of more than five objects together could result in excessive distractions. My goal was to emphasise the concept of ‘discovery’, highlighting tools that have been integral to literal discoveries throughout the years, such as excavation tools, travel artefacts, magnifying glasses, note-taking materials, and ships with expansive sails, symbolising readiness for new adventures.
I stumbled upon a wooden box designed with an elephant, evoking thoughts of global exploration, particularly during the discovery of countries like India. Additionally, a small figurine resembling a goddess from Greece caught my eye. These symbolic representations resonated with the ancient era when people first began to comprehend the connection of the continents and seas through travel and exploration. These observations provided me with valuable cues for the concept I intended to convey in my forthcoming illustrations.
Thumbnails
Following this, I began creating various thumbnail compositions from photographs. I opted for the familiar A4 portrait format, as it is the most versatile for magazine layouts. My plan was to position the illustration on the right side of the spread, with dummy text for the article on the left. It became evident that certain compositions were overly busy and lacked focal points. I realised that the solution lay in simplifying the elements, paring them down to five and creating a dynamic placement for visual impact.
In addition, I decided to explore conceptual visions rather than creating observational sketches based on the gathered objects. My aim was to construct an imaginative world centred around the concept of ‘discovery’, inspiring creativity and fantasy among the audience. I envisioned discovery as a dreamlike landscape, where a boat floats behind an airplane window or a plane traverses a cloudy teacup. The core of my idea involved blending still-life elements with this imaginative world to evoke a sense of discovery and the idea of transcendence across boundaries.
Illustration
Moving towards the complete version of the illustration I proceeded to the next stage, of colouring sketches and creating some collages for the final piece. My aim was to create two independent artworks, that later join them together. I started with the objects arranged in the flat lay. I adjusted the position slightly, creating that round composition, coming from the bottom of the page to the top in a sort of wave. The heavy camera I placed in the bottom, and the smaller one went on the top, they looked more dynamic in this way and created some kind of moving feel. Underneath I placed the newspaper with the ship in it, as a reminder of the adventure theme for the illustration. For the media I chose watercolour, using natural colours, like wood for the background, and light transparent colours for the airy objects, like the sea.
On a separate sheet, I painted a cup with clouds in the sky and an ocean with clouds at the top. The visual was intended to depict the view from above, where the clouds create a 3D effect as they fade into the depths. With this illustration, I aimed to convey a narrative of imagination and the power of dreaming while engaging in everyday activities. I used contrasting colours to differentiate the dark navy clouds and sky at the top from the bright blue and turquoise colours of the ocean and clouds inside the cup.
Later, I combined these two visuals of the flat lay and cup using Photoshop. I experimented with various versions, attempting to seamlessly fit the images inside the cup. However, I found that this approach did not fully capture the effect of having nice blue water inside the cup. To address this, I tried different techniques where the water in the cup could serve as the background, but the objects would extend beyond the cup’s borders. I aimed to emphasise the translucent nature of the cup, so I isolated the objects from their original backgrounds and arranged them in a ‘C’ shape along with the floating boat. I believe that this adjustment would help draw attention to the vocal points and create a more meaningful composition.
I was quite satisfied with the illustration that resulted from my experiments. I felt that it successfully conveyed the essential points, had a clear narrative, and could evoke an association with the word ‘discovery’. I considered a few adjustments from an illustration techniques point of view, and then it would be ready to include in the article.
As one of the brief requirements was to experiment with the media, I moved to the next part, a pencil and outline sketch for the watercoloured version of my Dreamy Cup illustration. I printed this design on an A4 sheet of paper and did some pencil strokes, which helped me to create some texture on the image. I didn’t want the illustration to be just watercoloured, I aimed to see the signature style in that illustration. Also, on the new sheet I traced the cup, with just a black outline, to emphasise geometric lines on the cup and camera. Later I merged both images in Adobe Photoshop and made some colour correction, highlighting major points, such as dark sky and camera, and light cup and clouds.
Final Design
The final design turned out quite well. I was happy with the result of this assignment, as it had artistry and met the brief. It was the first time when I experimented with the printed version of illustrations and additional layers such as pencils and black pen on the top of printed version. I was pleased, that I didn’t stop just on the flat lay design, but pushed it further, and created a narrative with the cup, clouds and water, that could help me to design an imaginative world of discoveries. I could merge all ideas into one, and it turned out quite well. The design has earthy dark colours of the cameras, and a light airy feel from the clouds, sky and ocean. I wanted emphases on the inspiring part of the world discovery, that it is all about being adventurous, looking for new places and being brave to find something new, as it all could be a part of self-discovery.
Article Design
To draw the line for this assignment, I created the article, with lorem ipsum text, but the name of the article is like a statement: ‘Discovery. My purpose of life’. I created white borders around the image, which added additional space to the image. I liked how it looked at the magazine layout, it was dominating in the article but was quite gentle and subtle. The choice of colours, contrast, and shading could also play a role in conveying mood or emotion within the illustration. I believe that upon viewing this image, the reader should associate it with the theme of exploration or discovery, as cameras are commonly linked to capturing moments and experiences. Including the cameras inside the cup could be symbolic, conveying the idea of exploring new perspectives or capturing unseen or unexpected moments. Overall, the drawing could be seen as a depiction of curiosity and the potential for new experiences.
That was another assignment that helped me to push the idea further more, don’t stop on the result and pursue some more research, even when the design looks complete. That assignment was my own discovery, the discovery of new ways, styles and design methods, quite symbolic and meaningful for this stage of the coursework.
Magazine Article Mockup
Eleonora's Art Blog 