What defines a diagram? It is usually an illustration that depicts the features of an object, a system, or a manufactured or organic process by way of an exposition that goes far from pictorial reality. The visual language contains graphical or symbolic representation, however, contextually it will not work unless the information or message is demonstrated clearly. Usually, diagrams are associated with educational textbooks, such as black-and-white line drawings with simple annotations. Also, a diagrammatic approach can be used for illustrations in many contexts including editorial, publishing and the decorative arts.

There has been a popular misconception that illustrations produced to convey information must be realistic and technical. It was considered dry and artistically sterile, avoiding creativity or innovation. Also, the complete visual language associated with information illustration can be considerably diverse: literal, pictorial representations, simple or complex sequential imagery, and conceptual and diagrammatic solutions. There are many ways to convey information, from black-and-white cartoony lines to creative full-coloured illustrations. It all depends on the audience, the client’s expectations, and the instructions’ purposes.

Books around me

Bellow, I collected some instructions from my books, such as Pictograms, Icons & Signs: A Guide to Information Graphics, by Rayan Abdullah and Roger Hübner, and the book by Laura Carlin A World of Your Own. The first three examples are very informative, and straight to the point, with minimalistic colour choices, and infographics to bring the information directly to the reader. That is useful when the individual doesn’t have much time for analysing the instruction, goes by, or needs to get to the destination or catch the information straight away.

But, at the same time, when artists have freedom, the instruction, or infographic can be brought into the creative way, and the reader will have joy from a closer inspection from analysing it or creating their own experience from the information given. For example, Laura Calin’s book takes the reader on an extraordinary visual journey through her imaginative world. She shows that using the narrative of a day from getting up in the morning to going to bed at night can be illustrated in the wild and witty imagination, creating enjoyment from most everyday objects.

I wanted to try both approaches in my infographics. My chosen subject is ‘Making a cup of tea’. I thought it will be curious to see how different ways of drawing will impact the understanding of infographics, and what emotions they both can bring.

Pinterest mood board

Also, I collected some examples of instructions from the internet, with different subjects and approaches. I can see that the information can be read in a different way, for example, in black-and-white clearer, direct and dry, but colourful creative illustrations have some sort of double meaning, making you think and have your own impression from the information provided. At the same time, some illustrators apply in infographics a humorous and ironic twist, highlighting the peculiarities of modern life.

The advantages of minimalistic, or strict infographics are that they are easier to absorb and bring the meaning straight away, but full-coloured illustrations are more eye-catching and can be developed for different purposes, such as advertising, political campaigns, editorial, or easily demonstrate a care-free attitude. Some examples are below on my Pinterest board.

Making a cup of tea

After collecting some research images I proceeded to the next stage of the exercise — mindmap. I was thinking about what kind of illustration I wanted to come up with. Should it be imaginative, full-coloured and illustrative, or should be purely informative, and thick outline black-and-white or limited coloured? I thought that I should make a start on sketching some possible routes for the infographic, and see where it will lead. I thought I won’t limit myself to a particular style, and it’s always useful to try different approaches in illustration, as experiments bring some new solutions to problem-solving.

Below are some pictures that I and my friend collected around. I think, having that little break with a cup of tea is quite a symbolic ritual for most of us, we do not just have a drink, sometimes we can bring into it some beautiful details, such as decoration, antique tea utensils, presentation and other details. I was aware of the task to follow the guide of being informative, but I thought that some creativity, or intricate details only bring a special touch to the infographic.

I was thinking about what steps I wanted to include in the tea-making process, starting from basic switching on the kettle to boil the water and leading to the enjoy your lovely made cup of tea, that’s why I decided to create a kind of literal approach to the tea-making process. But at the same time, concentrate on experimenting with infographic illustration ideas, colours and patterns of the steps. Will it look like a maze, or should it be easy to follow the arrow guide? Let’s see.

Steps:

1. Boil the water in the kettle. Make sure the water is fresh
2. Bring it to at least 100°C in an electric kettle or stovetop kettle
3. Meanwhile, prepare the teabags and cup, or teapot and tea leaves
4. Pour the water into a cup or teapot
5. Stir
6. Wait for it to brew for 3-5 minutes
7. Remove the tea bag or pour tea into the cup from the teapot
8. Add milk
9. Add sugar
10. Enjoy

Illustrations

In addition to infographics, I made some observation illustrations in my sketchbook. That helped me to understand what shape of teapots and cups I was going to use, should they be all different shapes or forms, unusual looking, or shall they be more classic and simple shapes? I thought if I will specify my unique type of teapot, the final piece will be more unique and effective.

Once I gathered all materials and sketches together, I went to the next stage of incorporating illustrations into the organised process. Here the infographic could be developed through a couple of types, like a strict diagram, or playful illustration, with cartoony-style sketches of kettles, cups, and teapots. For the flowchart, I decided to use the electric kettle, the one I had at home, a transparent glass teapot, that we usually use for our different flavours of teas, as it has an inbuilt sieve inside, and traditional cups, avoiding complicated details or patterns on them. I thought that after step 2 I will need to separate the process into two routes, like for a fast version just a tea bag and a cup, and for a more complicated type, where the teapot and milk jar are involved, but in the end, join both sides in one result — ‘Enjoy’.

I felt like I was on the right path, therefore the next step was to repeat chosen illustrations in better quality images, so I could apply them in an infographic and neater them up for the final artwork. I still left them to look like a sketch, avoiding details, such as shadows or precise shape sketching, I purposefully wanted them to look like cartons, and be more playful for the reader. Using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator software helped me to create that step-by-step structure, and also, I could combine straight arrows and illustrations together in one piece. In my point of view, the direct lines and angles for the arrows looked easier to follow compared to the shaped ones.

Final illustrations

I placed the design into the textured-looking canvas, and it looked much better compared to the flat solid-coloured one. In the right top corner, I created a frame with key details that I was going to include in the infographic, making it look like genuine instruction in tea making. It was a challenge to create that well-balanced instruction straight away, as I didn’t want it to look like a maze, or be confusing for the reader. After a try-and-error approach, I managed to create that sensible order, placing the diagram in the A4 format. I was quite satisfied with the result, it took me a while to get to that point, as here I was joining the illustration and logical path of infographic design, however, I felt that it missing some creative touch, that would finalise the initial idea I was going to achieve. So, I rolled up my sleeves and went to the next stage, of colouring each illustration individually.

That was another time-consuming process on top of the existing work I’ve done, but the result was worth it. Here I changed the background into happy yellow with some grainy texture, and it helped me to bring the whole infographic up front. I followed the same diagram route, but as I added colour to this design, I had to make sure that the infographic is consistent and followed the logical path. For example, the girl holding the same cup design as the rest of the tea set. In addition, I added grainy and dots textures into the elements, such as the grey silver of the kettle and the girl’s hair, also, grainy blue colour for the shirt. From my notes, additional texture works well with illustration and creates that special touch and deepness for colours. Word ‘Enjoy’ I implemented into the girl’s shirt, making it look like a part of the t-shirt design.

Conclusion

I showed my designs to the family, and they said that it looks great, especially the coloured design, as it looked like a proper illustration. From this exercise, I learnt again, that there is always should be a place for experiments, I pushed my boundaries and went into the time-consuming mode of colouring practically every individual illustration, but I was placed that here I could achieve some new skills, that I can keep on developing and implement for future illustrations.

Abstract illustration relies on colour, structure and texture to convey meaning. Abstract illustration may include elements which are recognised as a specific object or person. Still, they are not connected in any way to depict or reveal a particular scene or reality. It can resemble textile design or surface pattern in which symbols and icons are assembled – for instance, some wrapping papers, wallpapers and fabric.

The term ‘abstract has become synonymous with a number of 20th-century art movements: abstract expressionism, cubism, constructivism, and neoplasticism to name but a few. In order of need to counteract the sabotaging artistic or pictorial imagery, painters practised figurative imagery in photography. Artists basically worked with the colours and shapes of their own inventions. The language of the artist’s visualisation could be described as abstract, also, stylistically abstruse and non-pictorial, free from specific meaning.

‘Abstract: stylistically abstruse and unpictorial, free from representation’

Illustration. The Nature of Imagery

Modern-day commercial artists have been using abstract imagery since the beginning of full-colour printing. At the same time, promotional materials such as posters, point-of-sale displays, packaging and book covers were subjects of an expressive, decorative approach, accompanied by titles and titling as a part of the imagery. Those designs were often produced by way of a collaged technique, including flat colours, that could be tender or loud, and different shapes and textures, like geometrical, or flee-floating.

Artist to choose

Between the choice of instrumental music, I picked the composition by George Gershwin ― Rhapsody in Blue. Rhapsody in Blue is a 1924 musical composition written by George Gershwin for solo piano and jazz band, which combines elements of classical music with jazz-influenced effects. I listened to the whole track from the beginning to the end and purely enjoyed it. It was the masterpiece that brought Gershwin fame. It entered the golden fund of musical classics and jazz, and, in various interpretations, is performed by musicians of various styles of music.

A rhapsody incorporates improvisations and irregular formats, which highlights the emotional contrast and exuberance of the tones. The greatest talent of the artist was the demonstration of ease at which melodies seemed to flow, but at the same time with added emotional impact. Also, the incorporation of jazz elements successfully transitioned artists into the classical setting.

The keywords that I highlighted during the listening of this rhapsody were:

• experimental;
• tranquil;
• elegant;
• emotional;
• spirited;
• enjoyable;
• dynamic.

Colours that come into association with this composition are:

• Azure;
• Arctic;
• Blue;
• Admiral;
• Turquoise;
• Pink;
• Rose;
• Flamingo

Also, as a part visual research process, I looked for some cover samples that have been designed for George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, the type of graphic design and colours associated with this artwork. Mainly, my research demonstrates the combination of the artist’s portrait on a blue background with some contrast colours for highlighting typography, like bright yellow, or orange. Dominant colours are shades of blue, from pale to navy blue, also, artworks include illustrations, photography and some abstract solutions for the compositions. I collected them all in my Pinterest mood board, where I could go back and refer to them later.

Inspiration

For these designs, I felt like I need to choose the leading artist for inspiration. As I’ve been recommended by my tutor to look at the artworks of Georgia O’Keeffe, it suggested to me that I can do some research on her works, and learn what skill I can contribute from her for my music illustrations. Georgia O’Keeffe is one of the most significant artists of the 20^th century, renowned for her contribution to modern art. She was recognised as one of America’s most important and successful artists, known for her paintings of New York skyscrapers. But most often, she painted landscapes and botanical studies. The artist depicts close-up images of flowers, and their details, like petals, emphasised their shapes and lines and made them appear abstract. That was the way to establish O’Keeffe as an innovative modernist artist. I collected her works as inspiration for music art, as her works are filled with tender movements, elegant, and flexible, also, they have passion and intricate details.

In addition, I collected some typography art and abstract ideas. I could use it as a direction for placing musical notes. Also, I found some abstract photography from the magazine that my family subscribed to, they always have fresh ideas of abstract art in photography, those images were similar in style and shapes to Georgia O’Keeffe’s, and also they had similar palettes I was planning use for my works. As we are speaking of abstract art, I wanted it to be floating, gentle, multiple layers artwork, with some objects being in the foreground and background also.

Illustrations

After researching a subject I proceeded to the creating a mood board in my learning log, documenting some sketches whilst listening to the piece of music. I enjoyed that composition so much, that I didn’t mind going back to it again and again, by adding some extra sketches. I tried to go with the flow and be switched into the music, I thought it will help me to find an original and creative solution, just trust my natural instinct and follow the path of the mood changing in music. It’s quite fascinating to create art, whilst you are listening to a particular composition. I definitely got inspired by it. I felt lots of happiness and a thoughtful mood in that music, so I thought would be great to merge those spirits, I wanted to reflect those elegant, classic and tranquil notes in the beautiful and abstract art that would have a close association with a composition. For the media, I used pencils, a black pen and watercolour. I planned to collect those artworks together, and later edit them in Adobe Photoshop, by adding additional filters, colours, and textures. The selection of words that were summarised by me for this particular piece of music was: rhythm, rhapsody, complexity, texture, emotion, repetition, spirited, ascending, diverse and dynamic.

Below are presented some of my watercolour experiments. They are flexible, floating and light watercoloured shapes, with a smooth transition from blue shades to turquoise, pink and clear white. In these works, I wanted to support the idea of music as a model for expressing nonverbal emotional states and sensations. It’s quite fascinating that a piece of abstract art similar to music could convey powerful emotions independently of the subject matter. In those watercoloured, the swelling, undulating forms imply a connection between the visual and the aural, while also suggesting the rhythms and harmonies in nature. In some watercolours I added black pencil sketches, to highlight the rhythm and energy of the music, I wanted to show the path of going to higher notes and reaching the crescendo.

Gallery

Designs

After physical experiments, I proceeded to the software designs, that were conveyed in collage style. Those are my takes on connecting different media such as pencil, watercolour and pen in a singular piece of art. From the brief, I was aware of one of the precautions not to overcomplicate the image, as excessive layering and experiments with tones can look messy and lose perfection. My challenge was to create abstract art that would catch an eye, would make the eye of the reader focus for further exploration, but, at the same time, have a simple, clear collage and pleasant fresh colours. My first outcomes definitely were not good to go, I was worried that I could potentially trap myself in the wrong direction, so the solution was to remember the rule of clear, readable images. Overall, I felt that clear transparent watercoloured illustrations worked better, giving the feel of the elegant notes in music.

For the final pieces of Rhapsody in Blue I chose two illustrations. The first one with an eye in the middle and another one – with musical notes twisted around the centre. Girl with an eye and typographical art written in concrete poetry had a focus and helped to evaluate the artwork in order to create multiple layers for the cover, making the design more eye-catching and mysterious. At the same time, the design with musical notes swirling around the centre had another effect that made the reader follow the image from the outside into the deepness, which is a similar effect to the golden ratio. Also, I was planning to implement text into my design, like the name of the composition and author, to make it look like ready to be printed CD-disc. For the design with notes I chose the serif font Fiona Pro Regular placed at the top of the composition, which would match the typography from the 1920s, and combined it with the calligraphic font Braisetto. I think, that the typography combination with the artwork made the cover look classical, but at the same time a bit old-fashioned. That wasn’t what I was going to achieve, so I tried another take and used a more modern font for the girl with an eye. I used a calligraphic Stylish Classy Font in bright magenta colour, to create a contrast to the blue background. I thought the concrete typography texture, tender background and blue and modern calligraphic font brought the desired result for the final cover.

Final pieces

Conclusion

In conclusion, I would like to say that I found this exercise to be quite challenging, as I aimed to create a design that was both clear and creative. While I was ultimately pleased with the final result, it took me some time to discover the perfect solution that effectively combined the abstract illustration with the essence of music composition.

Following my usual process of sketching, creating mind maps, and conducting research on the subject proved to be beneficial in guiding me toward the right direction. However, I also realised that I could not simplify or restrict the design development process, as these elements are crucial in the creation of the illustration.

Nonetheless, I am confident that all the effort invested in this exercise will contribute to expanding my knowledge and discovering new approaches to creative illustration.

In addition to the hierarchy in composition, learning to create a focus is a vital skill for an illustrator, also commonly known as a ‘space within an image.’

Traditionally, warmer colours require stronger focus, meanwhile colder tones get less visual interest. Attention can be also achieved by details and contrast in tone, shape or texture. Whilst creating the illustration, the designer should always reserve a space for the most important aspects of the artwork. In this exercise, I’m going to explore different formats, the sense of composition, and understanding the purpose of the focus on a particular object.

Mind Map

I started this exercise with a quick analysis of the brief, and the possible images I could use for illustration. As here I had the freedom to choose the artwork, I felt a bit lost between the possible variety I could work with. Originally, I looked predominantly at the artist’s work, such as Impressionist paintings, Renaissance, Japanese art, or fashion photoshoots.

My choice was quite broad, and I thought that would be best to go from the practical way here. I was looking to explore the artwork by Pierre-August Renoir, The Umbrellas. Still, later I had concerns about the composition I chose, as it lacked the foreground, mainly the accent on people and their emotions. To be fair, all images I added to my list had great potential for developing ideas, but at the last moment, I changed my mind and chose retro photography from the postwar advertising of the VW Beetle.

Images to choose

Collection of images I was considering to work for developing the idea of space, formats and focus.

Chosen Image

I’ve chosen this image of the couple in the countryside, that enjoys their time together. The image has a good spirit of freedom and positivity. The main action is happening in the middle plan, as in the foreground located a peaceful image of the water, for the background chosen rich colours of the green forest, and the couple and the car are in the middle. Basic engineering and mass production meant that the Beetle was one of the first affordable cars of the 1950s, and it immediately became associated with a free quality of life. Its popularity quickly spread from Germany to the rest of Europe and the USA, and today it vies with the Toyota Corolla for the title of the world’s best-ever selling car.

I printed an A4 Format colourful image and cut two ‘L’ shaped cards from hard watercoloured paper, that to create ten different format images, such as portrait, landscape, or square. That technique of working physically allowed me quickly adjust the frame for the image and helped me to determine the focus on images I wouldn’t normally think to work with. I quickly found seven different focusing objects to explore, I was missing three more for the full set, added them later for the full set.

I think the reason why I have chosen this image was the feeling of space around us, the natural environment, attention to the details in people’s emotions, and nostalgia of simple times when our family trips to the countryside closer to the natural sources of energy were happening regularly. Also, the image has a delightful combination of tones, natural and neutral background in green and blue, but the car and the tent give away their vibrant and funky pinky shades. The image is filled with details for the observational drawings, I just needed to go through it and find the preferable one.

Observational drawings of this nature can be less formal regarding visual language, particularly when compared to the detailed scrutiny of subject matter required of pure academic objective drawing. A looser and more economic approach to mark-making will enable the associative and atmospheric nature of what one is visually recording to be a priority. Creative and ambient approaches can be developed. This way of working can often record the ‘soul’ and influence of a subject or location and goes beyond documenting surface features. It also goes beyond the ‘cold’ visual representation of people and there can start to be a capturing of human emotion, mood, character and personality.

Merging (Union)

Merging water from the plastic packaging with a natural source of water. I think the author of this advert wanted to show the joy of unity with the natural source, bringing the vibe of action and flow in every movement of people around.

Lifestyle (Getting there)

The beetle is the centre of attention, the car is like smiling to us, as it brought people to an enjoyable destination, and having pleasure in being rounded with nature. I think there is a meaning of being these people outside, to show that this type of transport can help your family to unite, also, pale pink colour ideally contrasting with green surroundings.

Tranquillity

An image of peace and tranquillity, a cold shade of water that shimmers from the sun and shows the cleanest bottom of the river, as a sign of honesty and sincerity, perhaps as a sign of brand loyalty to its customers.

Essence

The first landscape format in the ‘L’ brackets, is the image of fresh morning wood, with juicy greeny colours, to symbolise the beauty of nature, and the great advantages of having a Beetle automobile. It will take you to the special sceneries to enjoy the peace and quiet.

Jazzy

Dynamic picture of the girl in action, I think the reason for that position is to show the rhythm and positive vibes that the environment should suggest as well. Overall, the photograph I’ve chosen is filled with happy details, like bringing the fairytale into regular or ordinary life. Same here, enjoyment in every little process, fast and energetic image.

Distraction

Here is the young guy distracted from his reading and moving his head towards someone who grabbed his attention. He has a casual, relaxed pose, and the way he sat shows the informality of the environment. Most likely, another point to show the advantage of owning an affordable car. Also, I’ve noticed the connection between colours, the girl’s shorts, the backpack, and the guy’s jumper sort of match colours, the part of the colour composition of the photograph.

Solidity

A stone, a piece of rock located in the centre of the water, can also symbolise the reliability and strength of the brand, perhaps not without reason near the girl is not just an open source of water, but there is a strong and reliable object that you can rely or lean on.

Pointy

This part of the image a framed in the long portrait format, to focus attention on the direction of the tent triangle. A feather at the top of the tent is also possible as the business’s determination always look up, move up, and have higher aspirations.

In a row

The kitchen dishes caught my attention because of the location in a perfect line. I framed those objects in the long landscape format. Inside the composition itself, dishes are located strictly in the centre, perhaps there is also a golden ratio here, all objects are subject to a certain order, and serve as a kind of accuracy and order in business. Yes, even the dishes should be lined up in a strict line, in order to avoid carelessness or untidiness in the composition.

Packed

The last object I chose for the frame is a brown leather backpack, made of durable and reliable material. Also, the colour of the backpack is identical to the guy’s jumper, and the girl’s shorts, as I understand it, to maintain colour harmony. The backpack was placed on a chair, instead of just lying on the floor, I think this was done in order to keep the composition, the brown jumper a little lower, then the backpack slightly higher, and then the girl’s shorts.

I have to admit that was quite a useful part of the research and analysing process. It was good to see the meaning of each object within the composition, create the logic of individual objects, and as a part of the overall impression.

For the further development of design and illustration ideas, I have chosen the image of the car. The first word that came into my mind with this image of the VW Beetle was Lifestyle, but here I wanted to create the dynamic of the illustration, instead of just parked vehicle in the countryside, I’ve chosen the slogan ‘Getting there, that mainly was used for the railway companies, cruise liners, or air companies, to show the movement and convenience of owning your own transport. Also, I could design an object in action, with added energy and driving spirit in it.

Sketches

Here I’ve collected examples of posters with the ‘Getting there’ slogan. The first poster is based on typography, with a static font on the top of the plane, and a small dynamic object below. This is perhaps the only poster that is more static compared to the rest, which shows the direction of movement and dynamics to support the idea of the slogan.

Bellow are presented my original thinking and conceptualisation to show search and change regarding ideas, composition and content for the poster with automobile attached to the slogan ‘Getting there’. I mixed the photographic research of British landscapes and initial sketching processing within the sketchbook. Also, I used different angles of the car to compare what would work best for the chosen poster. I think, the idea of the faced to the reader car on the foreground with mountains and road on the background ticks all points. A wavy road behind the car can speak up to the potential customer, as this is the vehicle for a long-distance journey through beautiful surroundings. The completed image manifests the convenience and adventures approach to using the car for travel purposes.

For the slogan, I used handmade font, combined with handwritten and italic typography. My view is that hand-painted typography draws even more attention to the poster, and creates a pleasant balance between the illustration of the car and the top part of the composition which is quite spacious.

Colourwise I decided to follow the rule that was briefly explained at the beginning of the exercise. As a generalisation hot colours demand visual focus, so the colour of the car was chosen warm orange, with a mustardy tint. At the same time, a predominantly cooler colour palette for the background, like cool green mountains and blue sky will demand the greatest visual attention, as generally, the receding visual elements are bluer and cooler.

The original sketch with pencil is quite faded, so I went to spruce it up in Photoshop, there are some great filters to elevate the colours of illustrations, or even textures. The viewer’s eye will focus more closely on areas where there are areas of tonal contrast – difference in lights and darks, or the contrast in texture.

From the first illustration some saturation adjustments can be seen, the increased contrast helped me to bring the car even closer to the foreground, it does stand out and have some playful details in it. I thought would be useful to experiment with Neural Filters in Photoshop, so I created three more different images with the artist’s style filters. I thought that the last experiment looks the way I wanted this image to be finished. As the background doesn’t look as obvious mountains, it brought some creativity into the illustration and pleasant texture.

Final image mockup

The hierarchy of images is one of the vital parts of graphic design and illustrations. It’s always useful to consider the most important aspect of the subject and identify the key component and the meaning it brings to communication. It’s important for illustrators to analyse the composition by using a ‘pecking order’ established for each element in illustration, and only after the colour usage and its context. All of that helps to control the image and keep its function of transferring the main idea of the illustration.

In this exercise, I need to analyse the illustration above and its hierarchy within the image and identify the most important elements in terms of bringing the message and the way it has been processed.

What the image is about. What is it saying?

The action takes place in the dragon’s cave. In the centre of attention was a sleeping dragon, with a green chair that was placed around the dragon’s body. The dragon is guiding a pile of golden coins and other treasures. Two small characters, a boy and a girl came into the room with a torch flame. Looks like the girl wants to push forward, meanwhile the boy is pointing to the exit. In the foreground also located swords and armouries.

Work out the narrative and identify the story.

The visual of the illustration and the way it has been painted suggest to me that it could be taken from a quest game, computer game, or adventure book. Also, the bright colour scheme and cartoon character can identify that the narrative has been made for kids.

Looks like those two characters have been looking for the treasures, they came into the cave well-prepared with a touch, so I would assume it was not an accident that they stumbled into the dragon. As two little characters stood near the entry of the dragon’s cave, I would suggest that kids just entered the premises, and discuss with each other what their next step is. The font character suggesting to move forward, and points at the dragon, whereas the smaller character points at the exit and looks scared to move forward, and hides behind the girl’s back.

In the foreground are located armours, that potentially have been left by the previous investigators. I would assume that they failed the battle with the dragon, or escaped the place with fear, as the way they left their weapons. The size of the armoury is much bigger than the kids, I would assume the weapons belonged to someone related to the army, like a soldier.

Colourwise I can see the connection between the clothes of the kids, the swamp shades, the juicy green and blue shades of the armoury, and the green chair, which can identify that kids are warriors, and the throne, or armchair could be their part of victory too, particularly the girl, she seemed to be the brave one in this illustration. The dragon is red, the same colour as the flame in children’s hands, and the top part of the rock in red and yellow shades carries danger. The dragon’s tip tale with the shape of the arrow pointing to the armchair suggests the direction of movement.

Describe the palette and tonal range which has been used. Note if the colours are hot or cold, whether the elements are detailed or textural, and where these approaches are used.

In that image were used two contrasting shades, warm and cold. Hot colours, such as red, yellow, and orange, bring objects to the vocal, dominant point in the foreground. Cold colours, such as blue, and purple areas sit further in the hierarchy and visually move objects in the background.

The vocal, dominant point in this image is on the sleeping dragon, pictured in bright red colour, and a flame that rises above the dragon at the top of the rock and does the wrapping around the top of the children in an arc shape, thereby drawing attention to them. The flame of the torch in the girl’s hands is also red-orange, but less noticeable, as it merges with the red background of the bigger flame. There is a triangle of bright green colours connection, which is partly placed on the armoury, the girl’s outfit, and the armchair, which suggests to me, that girl is a leader or warrior who came for victory. The coins are golden, and yellow in colour with some red parts implemented into them, which could symbolise the danger around the treasures, as they are similar colour to the flame on the top, in addition to the dragon covering them up, wich made them more difficult to achieve. The background shades were chosen pale blue, navy blue and purple colours, which create a strong contrast with the warm palette, and suggest the effect of a cold environment, the rock could be made from ice or pictured in the winter season.

The is also a noticeable texture on the blue and red colours on the top of the rock. On the blue, and purple colours, those leaks look like an ice lollipop, but the red colour of the flame reminds me of melted lava. The grainy texture on the ground where the kids stood attracted the attention of the kids as well.

Is there any connection between hot colour and the importance of the element in telling the story?

I would assume that there is a connection between the hot red colour and the massive red giant dragon. They are dominant parts of the story, not only sizewise but also about the brightest colour of the shades pallet, which is red. The rest colours in that imagery, such as green for the chair, children’s outfit and armoury create a contrast to the dragon. If green objects were painted in a similar to dragon warm colours, they would become invisible, and wouldn’t create a contrast to the vocal point. The fact for painting kids’ outfits used more natural colours, like a brown outfit for the boy, makes them look more natural and closer to the familiar colour palette we get used to seeing in nature.

Reference

The Clockwork Dragon by Jonathan Emmett (2015)
https://jonathanemmett.com/books/picture-books/the-clockwork-dragon

This project involves creating an illusion of visual space of images. Depending on the scale and positioning of figures on the sheet, we are also establishing relationships between each component. The best way of doing it is to reduce the content into its simplest shapes and colours. It’s also helpful for an illustrator to examine the success of a composition to clarify the hierarchy, knowing what are the most dominant elements to communicate the idea of the visual.

This exercise requires illustrating the visual space out of each of these images:

A tree A child running or walking A building

The task is to create a selection of collages, that are visually interesting, experimental, and dynamic, and communicate the idea. My chosen images are my photograph of the Sheffield apartment block, a picture of the tree from Vogue magazine, and a photo of the child from the vintage poster Protect the Child!, 1953.

Collages

I printed different scale images of the boy, tree and building, so I could play around with sizes whilst experimenting with the location of images on the collage. My only worry was, that the building I have chosen is too tall and narrow, whilst the tree is low and wide, I saw the challenge that on the square shape space those images can create some void spaces. But I was hoping that I can create something catchy even with the different shapes of images. It’s useful to challenge ourselves and produce creative solutions.

When I started, I realised that the challenge of this exercise was not so much in the locating of images in different corners, or matching the proportions of figures between each other, here could be numerous variations of objects placement. But first of all to see the sense and logic of doing the specific collage variation, and knowing the reason why the particular collage brings success into the composition. Let’s start, my experiments are below.

The tree is big and dominant in this composition, it’s covering the space on the top, and creates a shelter over the smaller objects below (allegory to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon). At the same time, the boy is floating towards the protection under the tree, but the building is collapsing and falling down to the right corner.

The boy is pushing away from the side of the building, and the dynamic is going from the left to the right side corner, like in a diagonal. Also, the boy is practically a giant in this composition, as he takes almost half of the space, and the bush looks like being held in his hand, as he took it away with him. I can see more balance in that collage, as the images have taken the right proportion.

Here is an experiment with multiple-size boys, like going in the dance from the bottom right corner to the left top corner. I wanted to create the illusion of something disappearing on the top, almost going into the sky. The building is smaller and not significant in this composition, but the nature and broad foliage dominate from above. Diagonal composition, the illusion of direction from the right bottom corner to the left top corner.

Here is another play on the giant person, like the Gulliver in the Land of the Lilliputians story. The boy is so huge and dominant, he can walk on the walls of the multistorey building, climb to the top and look over the bush to find out what is there, behind the tree? But the building itself is quite heavy and takes a good proportion of the collage as well. The composition is busy in the bottom half, but from the top is quite empty, only the boy’s head is sticking out and creating the vision of curiosity.

This is quite an interesting experiment with buildings going in a circular arc shape, and a tree sticking out at the top symbolising the dominance of the man’s made constructions in the city. I thought that could be a representation of the urbanistic environment, that buildings and constructions dominate the cities, and there is a lack of nature around it. The boy looks like he is playing some sort of game like running, touch and run or playing football, surrounded by stone jungles around him. Buildings are taking first place in the hierarchy here, the boy has his comfortable space in the bottom, corner, but he is less visible.

This collage is similar to the one I designed with the boy in a diagonal that pushes away from the building, but because the proportion of the boy is smaller compared to the previous one, and his location in the centre makes him look like he is flying away from the building, that is moving towards him, like a heavy train or locomotive. In this proportion, the boy was made to look like he is almost escaping the danger.

It’s like changing slides in a camera that goes from left to right, which is shown by a spotlight on the wall, at the moment the focus is on the building, but the boy is coming next. Objects are located in the centre and go in a line from left to right. This is lined-up composition and looks static to me, even though it’s not tied to the ground.

This one looks like a boy is an Olympic champion and jumping over the abstraction, which is the tree and little building in the corner. The boy is floating over the object below, he is dominant in the composition, and looks like he is reaching victory.

Here I wanted to create circular compositions with some parts sticking out from different sides, more similar to the juxtaposition collage. The image altogether looks chaotic and makes you question what’s happening here, it could be happening in another reality, where we don’t have the usual 3-d dimensional world, where rules are different, no certain horizon to rely on, and no identification where is the bottom or the top. Everything was disordered but forces you to follow.

The boy looks down like did I forget something there? He is going to the top, to reach his target, which is the tree, but he keeps on looking backwards. The composition goes to the top, like pointing an arrow from the ground to the sky, with the main things happening closer to the top.

The boy is like a giant in this picture, he walks over the top of the buildings, like from the film Godzilla, he is scary and so huge, that his head can’t be seen, it’s above the vision. Looks like he came to destroy the surroundings and the city. The boy makes a step like a giant leap from the tree to the top of the building to go somewhere higher. Even though the boy has only his legs sticking out, the hierarchy on him, as he that is something extraordinary and out of place, despite the fact that the tree and building are quite big and heavy below, they are located on the ground, and look steady, compared to the “walking legs”.

In this diagonal boy composition, the boy is again at the centre of attention. Looks like he is crossing the sheet and objects below and at the bottom clearing a space for him. My doubts about it, as in terms of space organising it doesn’t look complete, like it’s missing the vocal point, even with the accents on size, like the big image of the boy, and small floating building on the top.

The boy is a superhero here. He is so strong, that he could take the tree and the house to lift them from the bottom and take them straight into the air. One of the not many collages, where the boy is smaller than the tree and the building is attached to the ground. I think these proportions and angles create a visually pleasing composition, with the right balance between images. The boy is in the foreground and the building and the tree are slightly at a distance. I think this is the right dynamic between objects, the angle of the running boy, and the angle for the figures such as the tree and building are working well together.

Another example of chaotic composition is when the tree is disproportionally huge, taking half of the spread, the building is too small and tilled on the wrong side, and the boy is located at the edge, facing outside of the space. I’m not sure whether this composition can bring much sense, as it’s hard to see the concept or balance in it.

Questions to answer:

How does your sense of the image and its meaning change when the figure is smaller than the other elements?

Smaller objects create the feel of less importance in the composition, as naturally we are connected to the bigger objects, as they attract more attention. In comparison, when the object is too small, but surrounded by bulky, and heavy objects, that’s the time you can get attracted to the small object, as it stands out compared to others.

If the elements are at differing angles to each other and at an angle to the frame, what dynamic is suggested?

That creates an extra dynamic to the page and also can bring slight chaos to the composition. I think if the composition has its path, even different angles images can create a balanced image, but the messy placement of the objects without the consideration of the composition can create the opposite of the dynamic effect.

If all the elements are entirely horizontal and vertical in relation to the frame what dynamic is suggested? What is your opinion about this image and in what sense does it communicate?

I think it suggests that the aim of the composition was to bring balance and stability, over the dynamic or creativity. Those types of compositions are static, and also could be straightforward, and useful when the artist wants to bring a sense of realism.

Which is your favourite composition? Explain why you feel it is the most successful.

For my favourite image, I hesitated between two collages, where the boy is surrounded by stone jungles and the one where I visualised him as a superhero. The story of the stone jungle boy, where nature is disappearing, the only one tree, and the small, less visible boy in the corner is more realistic and reminds me of the world where people live in big cities and megapolises. Meanwhile, the image of the boy, which is a superhero, lifting a house and massive tree above him, brings an allegory or more fantasy meaning into it. I went with a fiction story collage. I think the proportions of the building, the way it tilted and the wide crown of a tree in the background, create a visually pleasing composition. The boy is in the foreground and the building and the tree are slightly at a distance. I think this is the right dynamic between objects, the angle of the running boy, the angle for the figures such as the tree and building working well together, and the balance between busy areas and void spaces.

The brief

To create images which will be used within a campaign for a supermarket, to package and promote a range of seasonal foods. The supermarket is respected for the quality of food they supply. They want to promote this notion of quality in their design and packaging. The finished images will be a ‘point of sale’ display sited in a store near to the fruit and vegetables. The final reproduction size will be 12 x12 inches. Your artwork can be same size or in scale.

OCA Illustration

This assignment serves as a culmination of the skills and knowledge I’ve acquired from various projects and exercises in the second part of the Key Steps in the Illustration unit. Food illustration is one of the most vibrant, exciting, and natural forms of object drawing an illustrator can explore. Nature offers a rich array of colour variations in fruits, berries, vegetables, and all types of plants, ranging from the primary greens present in new growth to the myriad shades of purple, red, and pink. I believe this assignment will provide ample inspiration and be a true source of enjoyment.

To begin, I needed to analyse the brief, identifying key concepts within the exercise.

Artists

The next stage involved researching other food stylists and illustrators. I noticed that artists in the food illustration generally fall into two categories: those who use watercolours and pencils, and those who prefer drawing software on their iPads. This is something I always wondered about, but as I have never tried it or tested it before, I thought it would be a challenge for me to use new tools, and due to the lack of time I decided to stick to my usual techniques in pencils and watercolours usage and then finalising my artwork in Adobe software.

Miho Matsuno

Miho Matsuno is a Japanese artist known for her beautiful watercolour techniques in food illustrations. Her paintings are vibrant, airy, and inspiring. I admire her naturalistic approach; each object is rendered with precision and tenderness, showcasing a stunning interplay of light and shadow that highlights the most intricate details. Miho’s art is versatile, making it suitable for both modern advertising and classic storytelling literature.

Daniel Tingcungco

Daniel Tingcungco is an illustrator from Vietnam. I stumbled on his works whilst I was browsing for food illustrators on Behance, and I couldn’t go by. These are tasty, appetising and realistic paintings made on iPad, but also those works still have a feel of crayon usage.

Laura Balcerek

Graphic designer and illustrator Laura Balcerek is based in Glasgow. If I had to choose one word to describe Laura’s work, it would easily be “whimsical.” Whilst she is not so much a food illustrator, each of her works comes filled with playful characteristics, bright colours, and cheeky details. Her illustrations look as though she dreamed them up with crayons and pencils on paper, but often they’re created digitally, which I find charming.

Spider diagram

This assignment requires me to demonstrate quality and create an appealing point-of-sale display. The supermarket caters to a specific audience and aims to maintain its high standards. To begin, I decided to use a spider diagram to consolidate all my ideas into one cohesive concept, allowing me to identify the main theme for the future design.

I divided my brainstorming into two sections: summer and autumn designs. This approach enables me to focus more effectively on each season’s unique characteristics.

After gathering some ideas together, I thought that I should concentrate on the local product qualities, celebrating the richness and opulence of the natural harvest from local fields, groceries or farmers before it gets into the supermarket, and after to the customer’s hands. My idea was to celebrate the efforts of the communities, when everyone comes together in order to provide high-quality food standards, with such qualities, as fresh, natural, juicy, appealing and healthy. I wanted to demonstrate characteristics of food and vegetables through bright and appealing colours, that would motivate buyers to make their purchase.

In terms of composition, I was thinking of creating a mixture of food and vegetables for each display, also avoiding the exotic type of products, that are not grown locally, for example, such as pineapples, coconuts, etc, but demonstrate fruits and vegetables such as apples, pears, beetroot, cabbage. In each design, I wanted to create the main point, like a queen or king of vegetable objects, which would stand out in composition with the colour and size, and some complimentary groceries around it.

Seasonal farm photography collection

To make my designs unique and exclusive I needed a collection of personalised photographs. I thought would be useful to go through the photographs of groceries I have on my phone, as I tend to photograph some eye-catching food displays, that I go by during the season in the central parts of different cities, markets or farmer’s shops. Also, I have a good friend Sarah, who is an amazing baker, and a regular visitor to the local farms and seasonal festivals. She kindly donated photographs of a variety of different vegetables I could use for my sketches. Those photographs are juicy, bright, full of happiness and healthy eating, I call them natural vitamins. I divided those photos into two groups, for summer and autumn sections, so I could see which vegetables I would use in my compositions for each display, and see colour patterns for both seasons.

Summer

Autumn

Those collections show that summer fruits and vegetables display mainly dominating bright and fresh colours, such as bright green, red, yellow, and pink. Regarding the selection of vegetables, for summer display could be used such products as red, yellow or green peppers, spring onions, tomatoes, watermelons or melons, peaches or grapes, all those sweet and appealing fruits. At the same time, autumnal vegetables display dominating darker colour palettes, such as orange, brown, purple, mustard and darker green. I wanted to play on those contrasting colours, evolving seasonal fruits and vegetables around them.

Still life

As this assignment has fallen during the autumn season and Halloween celebration time, I had some variety of autumnal veggies in my cupboard, some of them for midweek cooking, such as pumpkins, onions, cabbage, beetroot, potatoes and garlic. So I used this opportunity to create a still-life composition, to visualise the colour combinations, and object arrangements for the autumnal display.

Rough Sketches

I think I was on something, so I needed quickly to write it all down. These are my 5-minute sketches of ideas I had in my head.

Composition Sketches

This collective gathering of information navigated me to the idea of creating a food display in a basket, with slogans similar to Kindly gathered for you, Seasonal fruits and vegetables with love, Fresh summer vegetables and fruits, and Autumn harvest. As I mentioned earlier, I intended to generate a visual of the natural origin of local products, their high quality, and good taste. I was thinking of showing fresh air in the background of the food, sunny weather for the summer display, or showing them being outdoors like the farmers demonstrating their products. Another idea was to choose the key object and place it in the foreground creating an appealing food display.

Illustrations Autumn

After, I proceeded to the sketches. I thought that would be useful to highlight sketches with some colours, so progressing with illustrations creates the feel of the colour too. Later, I was going to choose the composition that would stand out among others and duplicate that illustration in watercolour. For my sketches, I used watercoloured pencils, and I was surprised at how good they were on those sketches. Something that was meant to be just a sketch, turned out to be a creative solution for the display. I thought, what if I use just watercoloured pencils sketch for the point of sale display, but amend it in Adobe Photoshop for some brightness and contrast?

Illustrations Summer

A similar principle for the food display in summer composition. I had a dominating central object and some smaller fruits and vegetables around. The one illustration with beef tomato looked quite appealing, as it was different, and had a valuable object in the foreground to catch an eye-sight. I needed to think about what two main compositions to choose for the sale displays, as I was planning to make summer and autumn visuals to be complimentary and work as a team together. Also, I liked the idea of bringing some backgrounds in my visuals, making those fruits and vegetables outdoors, like at the South food market.

Designs

I thought, that if I used those watercoloured pencils in dry, they just simply look like crayons, which reminded me of John Minton’s works. I liked this artist’s designs for his abstract trend and bold opaque colours for illustrations. Each image is filled with pen sketching and creates a mood of being drawn in a rush. That was something I wanted to learn and borrow for my techniques, and I thought that was the time when I could apply this approach.

Summer Point of Sale Display

What I did next, I moved all my sketches into Adobe Photoshop, and by working with brightness and contrast, I made illustrations bolder. To bring more colours to designs I used a paintbrush tool with transparency, focusing on the colour palette of each object. I gave the colour to each object intuitively, playing with darker and lighter spots, and I also kept the white colour of the paper in some places to give the illustration a slight negligence, and quick pencil movements.

I liked both designs, but I struggled to decide which one would be my final image. I thought creating an autumnal display would help me identify the matching elements and ultimately choose the best pairing.

Autumn Point of Sale Display

Here I had a bit of a challenge, as the autumn display was looking too dark, and because of so many small objects around pumpkins, little veggies looked like black outlined circles, where the exact food was difficult to identify. Therefore, I was recommended to make the background lighter, and also, instead of vegetables in the basket use an illustration that was lying on the surface of the table.

This is my second attempt at creating the autumnal display, and I must say, it looks much better this time. What’s more, I added a strikingly striped roof to the arrangement, which not only finalised the composition but also made everything look more organised and appealing.

Final pieces together

I shared these four pieces with my friends and family, and while everyone thought they looked great, I struggled to decide which two to pair together. For instance, I considered that the watermelon in the “Fresh Summer” basket might work well with the “Happy Harvest” design featuring the striped roof on a grey background, as they hold a bit of contrast. However, the autumnal design in the basket appeared more cohesive, especially with the dark signage accompanying each piece. Similarly, the beef tomato design shares a closer similarity with the top design under the striped roof due to the consistent font usage, yet the “Happy Harvest” design inside the basket offers a more contrasting option.

One challenge I faced was using fewer bright colours in the autumnal display. I attempted to incorporate duller or darker shades, such as a less vibrant orange for the pumpkin and an ochre hue for the onion, but they appeared too bland compared to the summer display—likely due to the cartoonish style of my illustrations. So, I opted to keep both displays bright and cheerful, using a grey background to introduce a sense of calmness to the autumnal display.

These were among the first full-colour illustrations that I painted physically and then integrated into the digital design. I love challenges that lead to unexpected results. Initially, I planned to use watercolour painting with pen strokes but ended up using watercolour pencils, giving a crayon-like effect. I feel like I’m gradually learning new illustration techniques and uncovering a new path in graphic design. I eagerly anticipate my future achievements.

Reflection

My tutor’s feedback was quite positive. She appreciated how my initial experiments with watercolour. She also mentioned a sense of warmth and homeliness in the piece with a roof on top, capturing the essence of the market and showcasing a diverse range of food.

My tutor recommended bringing the fonts together for a more cohesive supermarket sign project and suggested implementing a point-of-sale display in a supermarket setting to enhance the work’s evaluation.

In this exercise, I was asked to choose one from the phrases below and create a drawn visual list of objects and subjects which could be used to symbolise them.

Reaching retirement; Dreams of romance; Broken relationship

Censorship of the press; High achievement; Economic catastrophe

The main point of the exercise is to extent of visual shorthand. Here materials can be used in such editorial contexts as newspapers, and articles in magazines. In addition, I can make a spider diagram around the phrase to generate other words.

Research

To start with, I wanted to do some research what is the general meaning of the visual metaphor. A visual metaphor is the representation of a person, place, thing, or idea using a visual image that suggests a particular association or point of similarity. Visual metaphors can be seen in abundance in cartoons, comic strips, magazines, newspapers, paintings and advertisements. A familiar example is a technique of juxtaposing. For instance, a picture of a sports car is juxtaposed with the image of a panther, suggesting that the product has comparable qualities of speed, power, and endurance.

Visual metaphors in advertising

Metaphors are very common in advertisements. They are created in order to be used as tools for conveying the message better and probably in a more powerful, attractive and different manner. The form that is used as a metaphor conveys something about the product or service. For instance, the presence of a beautiful woman or a handsome man in a perfume advertisement is conscious and is intended to generate the quality of the smell of the perfume by using something other than the smell, a photograph. It tries to substitute the unprintable experience of the product with an image.

Visual metaphors in magazines and newspapers

Newspapers and political magazines are the most crowded mediums of information communication. Mainly artists use their tools to ridicule political movements, and national situations and also create connections to history. I think, cartoons in newspapers help to ease the tension in society, and help to look at the current flows with humour and criticism.

Visual metaphors in art

Banksy is the pseudonym of a British graffiti artist, political activist and painter, whose identity is unconfirmed. His satirical street art combines dark humour with graffiti done in a distinctive stencilling technique. His works of political and social commentary have been featured on streets, walls, and bridges of cities throughout the world. Banksy’s work was born out of the Bristol underground scene which involved collaborations between artists and musicians. Banksy, I personally feel uses visual metaphors in his own unique style to communicate his thoughts and ideas. And he does so brilliantly.

Dreams of romance

The traditional model of building relationships between individuals has taken a new form and is now being replaced by unrealistic expectations, ostentations in social media, or self-serving connections. Of course, this does not always happen, but this concept reflects the sad truth of modern life. Misleading dreams, inflated expectations, pretentious romance, and their mismatch with reality are suitable for visual metaphors. The relationship between two people is the phenomenon that I wanted to bring to attention. People began to forget about privacy, and the complexity of relationships, and in pursuit of gold-digging, sometimes couples forget about simple values ​​in which comfort and enjoyment can be found. We are dreaming of romance and special moments, but what always should be our minds – true value is being sincere and honest with ourselves. Below are some catchy illustrations I found on Pinterest.

Mind map

Sketches

Below are some of my sketches for the dreams of love metaphor. As I mentioned before, I took the direction of modern-day society, where people want to meet true love, and romance, but in real life face the challenges, such as lack of time, addiction to social media opinion, or relying too much on cliche standards. I showed those sketches to my husband, who is my main critique, he is all against the presence of social media in people’s relations, and all that has been shown through social media is considered just as a catchy picture. I think of this influence I converted the positive metaphor “dream of romance” into a different meaning, like the imagination of romance, fantasy, which is opposite to reality. He liked the idea, that I went to a different route, I hope that those visuals are clear enough.

Read the following extract and then answer the questions:

• If this were to be made into a film what would the main character be like?

How do I envision the main character for the film? He appears tired and thoughtful after a long day. His mind is teeming with thoughts and sharp analysis, reflecting the weight of his responsible job as an investigator. The stress of wartime is evident on his serious face, with the first signs of ageing beginning to show, even though he is just over 40. He has dark hair, mingled with strands of grey, and expressive brown eyes.

• What clothes would the character be wearing?

I see a man, wearing a grey or brown suit, a spring coat, with a hat on, he is wearing a cotton shirt, in natural colours, like cream or light grey, and a brown shades tie.

• What furniture is in the main area where the action takes place?

The investigator is situated in a grey room, featuring a large, bulky wooden table and a dark brown wooden chair. Leaks mar the walls, likely due to dampness and a lack of heating. The table is positioned in the corner, adjacent to a window that reveals the devastated landscape of London outside.

Collect visual references for the items on your list

I felt quite enthusiastic about this exercise, as I enjoy tasks focused on character development and visualising key moments in a story. During my school days, literature lessons often involved portraying a narrative or illustrating the protagonist. My main approach was to identify the most significant moment in the book and explore how it personally affected me.

In this instance, I revisited that familiar path of gathering visuals that represent the era, drawing inspiration from the character’s personality, job, and environment. Below, I have collected images from World War II, featuring traditional men’s clothing from the 1940s and office arrangements of the time. Many of these images evoke a gloomy atmosphere, reflecting the devastation of that period. I drew this mood from the book, which helped me determine the direction of my illustration.

In addition, I collected some illustrations by the war artist Edward Bawden. I was truly captivated by the powerful paintings he created during the war, his diverse collection of portraits from his global travels, and the evocative mood present in his distinctive works. Bawden had an incredible ability to depict both the physical and psychological essence of subjects. Additionally, I am in awe of the vibrant colour palette he employed in his works, which encompassed sepia tones, rich browns, deep blues, and subtle greys, punctuated by pops of bright colours like yellow and red.

Chose a word, which you feel captures the mood you would like to convey

I carefully read the extract a few times, which helped me identify the main keywords from the story. This allowed me to visualise the potential illustrations I could create. Additionally, I created a mind map based on the highlighted words from the extract to guide my creative process. The words “void” and “bleak” stood out to me, and I envisioned that the wartime setting would have been a particularly gloomy period, especially for individuals in challenging professions such as the police department. I planned to incorporate these keywords into character descriptions, the office setting, the surroundings, and the overall atmosphere of the city.

In addition, I created a mood board of materials I was going to work around, such as colours associated with keywords, the feel of the illustrations, the atmosphere and the surroundings.

Create a simple portrait (figure, or head and shoulders) of the character, using the reference you have gathered.

I began to envision scenes that would unfold around that extract. As part of the exercise, I collected sketches representing the film set, imagining they could resemble frames from a comic book. I considered different positions for the detective in the room, where he might sit or stand, his facial expressions, the interplay of spring light casting shadows, and the arrangement of furniture.

The main points I aimed to cover in my illustrations were:

• the dark and void atmosphere in the office;
• the thoughtful personality of the police worker;
• his clothes that would represent the wartime era;
• focus on the character’s facial expression;
• empty large window;
• visual of the destroyed part of London behind the window.

Illustrations

As mentioned earlier, my inspiration for this illustration was wartime artist Edward Bawden. I designed a perspective that provides a straight view into the room, with symmetrical walls and windows positioned at the centre. The main character is placed in the foreground, allowing the furniture and other details of the room to recede into the background. I wanted to emphasise the protagonist while also capturing the moody atmosphere of the space.

I created a sketch for my illustration and later infused it with a watercolour palette. I selected colours from my mood board, incorporating plum, brown, sepia, and dull shades of blue and pink to convey depth. The room’s walls reflect a sense of dampness, and the protagonist sports an unshaven beard that adds to the weariness in his eyes. Behind him is a large empty window, intended to be filled with imagery of wartime London.

Bellow, I experimented with some techniques for the illustration, such as penstocks, transparent images of London on the walls, and a zoomed-in portrait of the protagonist. It was hard for me to decide what could be the final picture for the book, I think, I would go with the busy image with London on the walls and a full view of the room. It shows every point I wanted to cover in my brief, the only disadvantage, the main character slightly disappeared.

On the other hand, despite all that hard work, I invested in the drawing of the room and furniture – the zoomed-in portrait has valuable points. When the full room can be seen with the big picture of London, the composition becomes too busy and overloaded with details. But when the leading point is the facial impression of the character it creates better focus on the character. The protagonist is the central point in that cut, and the main character has a stronger presence in that close-up composition.

Looks like I was left with two versions at the end of this exercise, which is quite unusual for me. Even though that exercise was still an enjoyable process, I was quite pleased with the results I achieved in it.

In this exercise I was asked to produce a line visual around one of these words:

Sea Extraordinary Building Journey

Also, the illustration should be very clear and give a clean edge. Using the invert function on the copier or computer I need to produce an additional copy where the line has been converted to white and the white of the paper has become black.

Keep standing back from the image to assess its readability – I should be aiming for visual legibility and need to avoid creating a disjointed piece. As well as physically standing back, visual distance can be achieved by looking at an image in a mirror, by scanning and looking at it on screen or by printing out a scale different from the original.

Research

From the introduction to this exercise, I’ve learnt that traditionally most illustration was commissioned in black and white due to the limitations of the printing processes. The illustration was ordered predominantly in newspapers and books. Digital technology made colour printing more accessible and possible. Black and white imagery became passé, associated with being old-fashioned and a poor person’s solution to a problem. In recent years, however, there has been a resurgence in the commissioning of black-and-white work, partly due to their uniqueness and hand-rendered imagery.

Understanding and using a black-and-white palette can help to focus on the actual structure and nucleus of a picture. If an image is successful in black and white or a tonal range from black to white, it can be easily translated into colour.

As my original background is in graphic design, I have a good collection of books from the Core Concepts unit. I tackled my Pioneers of Modern Graphic Design book, which has always been useful for general knowledge, as illustration and design were closely connected back day. I found out that art from the end of the XIX century beginning of XX was based on ornamental designs, with contrasting colours, like black and blue, white and black, etc., and the lines were sharp and accurate. An understanding of ornament was considered fundamental to all branches of design and the best way to reform the taste. That was the time of creating the connection between fine art and graphics.

Koloman Moser

After some generic research, I wanted to explore in detail works of Koloman Moser, as his illustrations were based on abstract ornaments, sharp edges and minimalistic colours. Some of his designs look like they were cut and pasted from pieces of paper. That is a good inspiration for my direction.

Koloman Moser was a leading figure in the establishment of the Werkstätte, studying painting and design. Ver Sacrum (Sacred Spring) was the cultural magazine that promoted the Vienna Secession and the applied arts. A finely produced publication illustrated by members of the group, it specialised in poetry and aesthetic philosophy as well as promoting the new aesthetic way of life.

For my mood board, I collected some remarkable works of Koloman Moser and some extra images for the inspiration of line objects. From my research, I noticed that the artist admired woman’s beauty in his works, he developed various line designs around it, filling them with ornamental shapes and lines. That gave me the idea of creating an illustration from the word Extraordinary, embracing feminine beauty.

Some geometrical inspiration ideas from A Visual History of Typefaces and Graphic Styles book.

Mind Map

The next stage was to create a mind map around the word extraordinary. I thought with all my research I found a direction to work, but still needed to collect ideas into some kind of order. From that mind map can be seen that my ideas evolved around such words as woman, blossom, femininity, art deco pattern, and abstract. Also, I was thinking about the illustration of a pregnant woman, life creation, and the Universe. Those words that I highlighted helped me to determine the direction of the visual.

Sketches

Illustration

I tried a few sketches, as my direction of design was to create something unique and extraordinary, I’ve chosen the beautiful curvy shaped woman, inspired by the Art Nouveau masters, which also embraces natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and flowers. I scanned the sketch into the Adobe Illustrator program, and with some Pen and Brush tools created a vector copy of my illustration. It took me a bit of time to repeat all shapes and curves. Also, I filled the whole space with a flowery pattern, so it creates a joined piece altogether. Below can be seen my experimentation with inverted colours, where the line has been converted to white and the white of the paper has become black. The mood of the illustration changes with those manipulations. A woman in black colour and white outline looks like a negative image, where black background and white colours for the pattern and the woman looks more natural.

Mockups

In order to choose the final piece, I wanted to test those illustrations on the vintage paper background, I wanted to bring that retro look to the artwork, which was achieved by using creamy colour, instead of bright white. From the line drawing, I can see that the main focus moved from the woman to the composition as a whole. She is still the centre of attention, but it’s more difficult to see her when there is no confident background on the back. I preferred a black pattern on the background and outlined image of the woman, as at least the composition has a background and foreground.

Chosen design

To start with, I was very nervous for this exercise, as it sounded a little confusing to me, but after reading it a couple of times, and breaking it into the stages, helped me to find right direction. I’m glad with the word I have chosen, and the style I applied in my design. That was very good experience for me, and I think the result worthed the efforts.

For this exercise, I need to take another object to examine it in detail and understand its qualities and purpose with more information. For example, is this object shiny, hard, soft, fluffy, delicious or antique? There is no wrong or right in explaining the chosen object, as it is all subjective, and I can interpret it in my own way.

Then I need to choose one word from the mind map list as the basis of the idea. I can make a mood board and include collages and found materials; cut images from magazines based on their visual properties. This exercise tests creative spirit and is based on the full investigation of the subject. I should be exhaustive. As a result, I need to achieve illustration that communicates and is also filled with colours, textures and materials identified during my exploration.

Research

For this exercise, my chosen object is my mum’s crystal jug for water and drinks, which she uses for special occasions, like family celebrations, or holidays. I loved the combination of silver with the patterns and textured glass. It has a beautiful ornament that, probably, has its roots coming from Eastern culture, and that object symbolises the traditions of British families in the past centuries. The jug is antique, so it’s quite a rare example of table decorations. I set my mind to demonstrating some creative work with it but was worried whether the object I have chosen was too complicated; without ornament shown on the silver and glass parts, the illustration could look flat, so I needed to spend a bit of time for the sketches or tracing the object.

As the chosen object consists of two parts, such as glass and silver, I was thinking about where should I concentrate, as there are two elements. But in the end, my chosen word for this jug was crystal, which is associated with glass, and minerals.

Mood board

I created a mood board of objects around me, from some fashion and design magazines. In addition, I stuck some textures to experiment with my designs, such as foil, wrapping paper and shard pieces of plastic. Foil could replicate the metal nature of the jug from the top, and shards of plastic and pieces of wrapping paper could be associated with the colour and texture of the glass.

After I proceeded with the sketch of the jug, detailing the pattern on the silver part of the design. For the flowery pattern on the glass part, I just drew an outline.

Experiment with textures

Next, I proceeded to the exciting process – the experimental part of the design. The good thing about it, in creation we can’t be wrong or right, the best way to do it, trust your instincts and not be scared of errors. I was curious to see how the paper will look at the jug, and whether the shaped piece of foil can replicate the texture of the silver part of the jug. For example, I found out that the sketch of the detailed texture of the jug can’t go well with the crumpled foil, it looked a bit messy, but the wrapping paper looked good, it reminded me of the texture of the stone or quartz that can be found inside of the rocks. A small note about quartz, it is the second most abundant mineral in Earth’s crust after feldspar. It occurs in nearly all acid-igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. I preferred the pencil drawing for the silver part of the jug, and the paper base. But I still wanted to use all handmade materials, as I thought it will make the illustration more creative.

Speaking of the glass nature of the jug, I thought that would be great to try some more experimental materials, such as ice, natural stone and simple kitchen foul. I went to take some new pictures of the frozen piece of ice, and stone from some of my trips to the Matlock. Also, I wanted to apply the flat foil texture to my painting, as crumpled foil had too many shades and sharpness in it.

I tried different backgrounds for my illustration, and all textures were placed individually. The foil was hard to see, only in close comparison with a flat pencil sketch, I could see a slight difference. Ice, rock and paper wrapping created quite similar textures, with just minor differences in details. I experimented with the colour of the ice, making it red, and the colour of the rock, making it blue, it brought some juiciness and taste into the image.

I thought that the pomegranate colours of the ice create quite prominent contrast, the one I was looking for in my illustration. In addition, I wanted to make the illustration less static, so I made a shadow in angle, I thought it would bring a bit of dynamic and movement to my final design.