Initial Ideas
spinning top, children playing, spinning around, dancing, spin class, spin a web, concussion, being drunk, washing machine, coin spinning, plate spinning, pizza dough, hamster wheel, windmill, fairground rides, spin the bottle, hula hooping, planets.
Roughs
My initial roughs were based around a few different ideas. I looked at the game of spin the bottle and what this would look like from above, using visual elements to suggest a teenage house party kind of atmosphere. Another rough was a based around a wind farm but this felt very generic and uninteresting. My favourites so far are the roughs based around a coin spinning. I have tried to show this from above as if on a pub table with drinks and people's belongings around it. I particularly like my other idea laid out more like a step by step diagram showing the stages of spinning a coin. This is the one I want to take forward.
My initial roughs were based around a few different ideas. I looked at the game of spin the bottle and what this would look like from above, using visual elements to suggest a teenage house party kind of atmosphere. Another rough was a based around a wind farm but this felt very generic and uninteresting. My favourites so far are the roughs based around a coin spinning. I have tried to show this from above as if on a pub table with drinks and people's belongings around it. I particularly like my other idea laid out more like a step by step diagram showing the stages of spinning a coin. This is the one I want to take forward.
Inspiration and Reference
I looked at some images of spinning coins but a lot of them just seemed like a blur which was going to be difficult for me to achieve with the media I want to use. I am trying to get used to my new brush pen so I have set myself the challenge of using this for my submission this week. After initially looking at reference imagery, I decided not to stick to it too closely because the image would end up looking like one big smudge. I took idea from it and thought the best way to show the movement was to use lines following the curvature of the coin.
I looked at some images of spinning coins but a lot of them just seemed like a blur which was going to be difficult for me to achieve with the media I want to use. I am trying to get used to my new brush pen so I have set myself the challenge of using this for my submission this week. After initially looking at reference imagery, I decided not to stick to it too closely because the image would end up looking like one big smudge. I took idea from it and thought the best way to show the movement was to use lines following the curvature of the coin.
Drawing and Paper-cutting
After a few rough sketches with the brush pen I felt comfortable enough to try and draw out some images that I could then scan in to photoshop. I initially thought that the key to this was being really loose with my strokes, but after experimenting with this, these drawings looked messy and the lines didn't stay close to the circular form. I took a more controlled approach to the more refined drawings. The nature of the brush pen brings out a sense of speed and movement anyway which works well.
After a few rough sketches with the brush pen I felt comfortable enough to try and draw out some images that I could then scan in to photoshop. I initially thought that the key to this was being really loose with my strokes, but after experimenting with this, these drawings looked messy and the lines didn't stay close to the circular form. I took a more controlled approach to the more refined drawings. The nature of the brush pen brings out a sense of speed and movement anyway which works well.
Photoshop
I used some images of pound coins to select colours from to use in my drawings. I added a screen layer to change the colour of my black drawing and used other layers with blocks of different colours and opacities to try and create a result I was happy with. I was trying to make the actual coin look solid while the rest of the shape looked like a blur, without actually blurring the line work.
I used some images of pound coins to select colours from to use in my drawings. I added a screen layer to change the colour of my black drawing and used other layers with blocks of different colours and opacities to try and create a result I was happy with. I was trying to make the actual coin look solid while the rest of the shape looked like a blur, without actually blurring the line work.
Colour and Cropping
I played around with colour a lot, continuously selecting different colours from the coin images and seeing whether they worked better. I finally arrived with the colours I was happy with, they didn't contrast too much but still showed enough distinction to make the coin noticeable within the movement strokes. Finally, I went in closer to the image and erased some lines to create lighter lines as well as dark ones to make more of a range of tones, this was an attempt to add more movement to the image and make it look more three dimensional. I also added a subtle shadow on the flat coin so it didn't look like it was floating.
I played around with colour a lot, continuously selecting different colours from the coin images and seeing whether they worked better. I finally arrived with the colours I was happy with, they didn't contrast too much but still showed enough distinction to make the coin noticeable within the movement strokes. Finally, I went in closer to the image and erased some lines to create lighter lines as well as dark ones to make more of a range of tones, this was an attempt to add more movement to the image and make it look more three dimensional. I also added a subtle shadow on the flat coin so it didn't look like it was floating.
Evaluation
In comparison to last week's submission for Illustration Friday, this one is so much better. It's clear that I have thought about the subject matter and planned this out rather than just 'seeing what happens'. I am really pleased with my outcome for this week, I feel it has good concept, simple yet effective composition and appropriate use of media to convey movement. I think the brush pen works really well because the curves and quality of the lines help to enhance the roundness of the shape created by the blur. One thing I would improve about this image is the drawing of the middle coin so the crossing ovals merged more into one shape.
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