Changes made to large scale image

I decide to change my idea for the final large scale image as I felt it wasn't communicating the right message. The linocut of the mother was the wrong medium to use. It was too bold and harsh, also it was really hard to blend this into the background. This similarly to the print was too bold and needed toning down , it was all too crowded as well and composition wasn't clear. Instead of creating new images, I thought it would make much more sense to just use the images already made in my sketchbook. The ink sketches all work together because they are in the same medium. This also contains that spontaneity and shows through the process that fed into them. They also help to show the subject in a sensitive light. The people, for example, are painted so you cannot see their faces but each still has individuality. They are very figurative and with the absence of faces keeps the individual's identity hidden. It keeps aswell the anthropological and reportage approach. Using small motifs and sections of drawings makes it for me to build a larger image. Also if any new parts need to be added they will be quick to create. The plan is for the image to still be A2 size but still thinking about how to present this. 

Digital Rough of large image and peer reveiw

I decided to speed things up I would rent out a Wacom tablet and this is a tool I have been scared to use but really helped. It made thinking and composting easier and allows me to jot down any quick thoughts. I was struggling to think of how to draw the mother so I decided to lino cut it. This does create a bit of a rift between that and the background colour. Finding a way to blend them together is hard but reshaping the colour should work. By doing this it should also get rid of the boxed-in feel. It is too restrictive, I need to use more space. Not sure about the colours. From the crit, people liked them but I think if they where controlled more then it would look better and it would allow for space. Digitally printing also means that I am able to make these changes easily.
The peer review went well. There is a clear link between research and practical work. Reasurch has been carryout in depth and a large amount of practical work. But things to think about are where would the final work sit? exhibition ?

Summary evaluation of work so far.

The essay is in a good position, it really needs narrowing down as it is 3,000 words over the word count. The reason for this is that I have incorporated the descriptions of the conversations I have had with certain people. Moving these into the appendix would be the best way of reducing the word count but still gives the reader the option to read them as they are still significant to the research. Now the main body of research is complete I need to start tying the practical together. For the practical, I am going to make a large scale image, composed of the stories draw from the workshops and the children aspirations that they drew based on their ambitions. Running alongside this will be serval mini prints composed of separate elements of the image in a simple format. So far I have finished the memory research book and have draw motifs from this and created new ones that I have screen printed on calico, which is a thick canvas fabric. I really like these experiments because the simple ink drawings translate well into print. The fabric also has an off-white and textural finish. I am not sure how to compose the different elements together yet. They could just be single motifs like there are now, or it could be a large scale image involving all the different elements. Another idea is that the single motifs could be used for the smaller prints.  I also need to think about where the final outcomes could sit? are they for exhibition, product, publishing. If I use fabric for the final thing, exhibition and product would be the areas it could work in. And if the image is going to be large scale then using digital print instead of screen printing onto fabric, will save time and it will be finished efficiently and neatly.  Publishing could still be an option. Whether I just produce a series of prints based on the stories/ ideas and compose these into a book. This would give the final outcomes context but wouldn't be challenging my practice and push how illustration can be used to show social issues.

Method rethink

Using ink and collaging/ mixing it with different layers and mono print texutres is a quicker method than Lino cutting everything. It saves a lot of time and replicates the style of Lino well. It also allows me to play around with line work and experiment more. The mono print textures are key to achieving the print aesthetic and they are also very quick to make and one made can be scanned in and cut out.

Joey Yu

 Joey Yu is a recent graduate of Kingston University and is one of Varoom magazines graduates of 2017.  This project surrounds the topic of anti-assimilation. The project investigated the restrictions, hidden culture and identity. The outcomes consisted os a banner and items of clothing. I really like how simple and spontaneous they are. She uses just one colour and simple tools to draw the images. It looks like she has used ink and this has allowed her to incorporate textures and different quality of lines easily into the image. The addition of writing is an interesting idea. It helps explain the images and creates a clear narrative. Incorporating different scales works, it helps the design has depth and larger block shapes allow for breaks between t the more detailed part of the images. Wall hagging is a strong way of displaying work on fabric.  It is hard with base materials such as fabric to display them well but wall hangings allow for the whole design to be seen and it can be adapted to any scale. I need to consider the way she has approached working with fabric and how her designs are not complicated and still communicate a strong message.

Luke Best

Luke Best, like Laura Carlin reduces objects to their simplest form. Textures however are used heavily throughout. For example in both images, the background features such as the hills, textures are used to add tone and depth to the image. Best's work also uses collage as a main tool for composition. I like the contrast of pattern right next to block colour and the experimental side this brings to the images. Again like Carlin's work is nieve in feel but interesting and strong in the message. The smaller details such as the people, boats and trees add charm as well, but also being key additions to communication. Colour is daring. Bright blues alongside pink, greens and oranges. This contributes to the playful aesthetic of the images. Taking on the approach of experimental lead making could be an option to use for my own practical outcomes.

Laura Carlin

Laura Carlin's illustration can be described as naive in there approach but are still sophisticated, detailed and human. It is clear that her work is entirely had made. Ink is a material that Carlin uses a lot in her work. The medium can be made to alter tone and shade easily and quickly but can be used to create textures as seen in the image below in the sea. In Carlin's images, the viewer has an emotional response to her images.  They observe and record, she makes the viewer of the image the observer. The tiny details of features like the windows, cars, people, buildings, they feel fragile and small. It's humble but does have a slightly dark side. Drawing these elements so small and delicately make the image intriguing and this fits really well for where the work sometimes sits in editorial. The images also hold a strong sense of narrative. With one image, composed in a certain way, she has been able to achieve multiple narratives held within one image. Drawing the objects in their simplest form, not over embellishing, allows the key features to be shown clearly but also for simple patterns using the objects. This adds to the quality of the aesthetic.

Roughs for large piece

 I initially has the idea of using the motifs I printed on the calico,  one aim of the final outcomes being based on the aspirations of the participants in the workshop .Sectioning off different parts of the image almost like islands was interesting and with the final thing potentially being printed on fabric, pattern can be incorporated. I also like the contrast between city and rural. This was an ambition of one of the children in the self lead workshop, she wanted to live in a house surrounded by trees and birds. So living where she currently in contrast to where is wants to live. The most influential people I worked with was the family from Somalia. The connection between the mother and her children was very strong and this is a key feature that I want to show. Below roughs of the mother  with children in her arms surrounded but the city and rural is an idea I want to develop further.