Summative Statement

This module has been a steady learning curve for me, I have had successes along the way and realisations about who I am as an illustrator and how this is going to affect my future practice.

One of my aims for this module was to improve my drawing skills and I think there has been a progression in how I draw. Honestly, I don’t see this as a ‘final’ point for me style-wise as I don’t think my drawings will ever stop evolving. I had conflicting feelings about dividing my practice this year and I am so glad I didn’t because I realise now that having different ways of working shows that I am a versatile illustrator. I feel like I am on my way to mastering a process, combining analogue media and my improved digital skills, that is adaptable to a wide range of commercial briefs. 

Although applying my work to products will inevitably be a part of my future practice, I didn’t want this to be the only thing I do and therefore I chose to respond to briefs in editorial, publishing, packaging and public art. Live briefs and competitions have dominated this module but I have somehow managed to tailor them to what I like to do, working with subject matter like natural forms and food. I don’t feel like I have missed out on having ‘passion projects’ along the way because I have genuinely become passionate about the work I am doing anyway. 

My final major project was my way of capitalising on the strengths I had identified within my work over the course of my degree and channelling this into professional and high quality outcomes that I am proud to show in my portfolio. 

Project Report

Final Resolutions for Studio Briefs

Updated Statement of Intent

End of Module Evaluation

FMP - Final Outcomes and Evaluation

Editorial Outcomes

1 Aromatics

+ Colours effectively show warmth.

+ The layout is structured and simple and there is a contrast created between this and the natural forms of the subject.

- Although the image appears warming, it could have been enhanced by contrasting it with some cooler colours. 

- The illustration doesn’t follow the order of the information. 

2 Smoothie Recipe

+ The layout has moved on from the original. 

+ The colours are refreshing and bright, perfect for the subject. 

- I want to try to use a palette with less colours in total. 

3 Happy Kitchen 

+ The image looks fresh and bright, fitting in with the theme of ‘happy’. 

+ I like the use of unrealistic colours and a more limited colour palette, the individual components feel more cohesive as a set when they share colour. 

+ I like how the layout is based on stripes but the images are the stripes, it keeps the focus where it should be.

- I didn’t include an illustration relevant to each point made in the article. 

4 Make More Of It

+ The colour scheme is bright and positive, it isn’t totally true to the content but close enough for the subject to be clear. 

- Radish and steak layouts are a bit too similar and the colours for these makes this even more obvious. Maybe one should have been a grid of four instead of nine. 

5 Amazing Base

+ Adapted my style well to fit new subject matter, no longer working with natural forms. 

+ Subtle and neutral colour scheme fits theme of article and Scandi style. 

+ The design is adaptable to fit difference spaces and purposes. 

- I’m not sure whether this level of detail would be visible in a printed magazine which isn’t super high quality.

- I don’t like the shine I added to the circles, this should have been done with dots like the rest of the design. It looks to smooth in comparison. 

- Overall I feel this is the least successful outcome so far and its relevance to the theme is questionable too. 

6 Earth Tones

+ Strong colour palette (without using Adobe Kuler).

+ Balanced composition.

- Too much variation in line weight due to re-sizing of my drawings. The differences are really noticeable between the chair and the cup beneath it. 

7 Tiny Houses 

+ The colour scheme was a good choice. I think it could be viewed as a warm or cold image, depending on the outlook of the viewer, which is perfect for the article. 

+ I think there is just the right amount of detail here and it reflects the simplicity of the lifestyle.

- The image could have filled the allocated space a little better, maybe a grid of 4 x 2 would have given better proportions. 

- Some of my lines are quite wonky, I see how this gives the drawing character and makes it feel handmade but my inner perfectionist feels like this could have been done better.  

8 Indoor Gardening

+ I think the colour scheme works really well and would appeal to the younger part of my audience, which is relevant as these are probably the people who don’t have a garden. 

+ The image itself is fresh looking and simple, I think it would catch someone’s attention. 

9 Aromatherapy 

+ I am getting more confident with colour now and I think this is a good example of me choosing the right colours for the purpose of the illustration. 

+ The layout is fresh and clean and the simplicity of it is relevant to the theme of the article. 

+ Similar to the previous article, there is a good contrast between natural form and geometry which relates back to the Scandi infleunce. 

- There is a bit of a gap in the levels of detail, the ylang ylang flower (3rd from right) looks much less detailed than the clary sage (far right).

Product Applications

I wanted to show that the illustrations I created for editorial purposes were transferable to other formats. I think the simplicity of the tea towel designs are ideal for a Scandi inspired kitchen, they are all based on healthy foods and despite the different layouts, they work well as a set. There is much more scope for applications here on other kitchen textiles like oven mitts and aprons, but also hard surfaces like food containers or placemats. 

The patterns were more difficult to get 'right' because having lots of things in a small space does make things feel cluttered and busy which goes against my aims. Working with the grid format in the plants print made this feel more ordered and controlled, and I carried this through to the second example too. The third pattern of the houses is the busiest of them all but I think the structured nature of the imagery itself helps to make this feel a little less crazy. I do prefer this design in the more pared down colour schemes but still decided to include the brighter one as I thought it showed the potential for broader application, like children's bedding/furnishings for example where colours tend to be brighter. 

I mocked up a couple of my designs onto various products around the home and I think they fit in rather well. I tried to get a range including bedding, cushions, tiles/accent wall, prints and towels. Realistically, these designs could form the basis of collections where patterns are applied to homewares, but also spot illustrations from the patterns could be applied too. 

Overall I feel like this project has been a success. I have definitely increased my confidence by producing work that has a place within the real world in a number of formats. I feel proud of the outcomes I have made in response to this brief and I am glad I decided to give myself some freedom with the articles I worked with because I feel like just working on articles related directly to Scandinavia would have produced some very different outcomes. The range I have produced shows the versatility of my drawing style and my ability to take inspiration from lifestyle and design to produce illustrations with a little more depth. I admit that the illustrations I have produced are not groundbreaking, they don't have deep concepts and strong opinions like typical editorial illustrations. I am primarily a drawer and image maker so the approach I took to this brief suited my practice much better than a concept driven approach would have. 

Final Revision of FMP Brief