We Are Boutique Mural

Initial Ideas
The brief was very specific about what they wanted so I felt quite restricted with what I could do with this. I started my roughs drawing things related to wood ('The Fell' and 'The Old Saw Mill') but I knew the concept needed to go beyond this for it to be different to every other submission. I thought about making it more abstract and shape based but still use the tree rings to keep this connection. 

Line Testing
I used ink for this because I thought the line quality will be easily recreated with paint. The brief asks for a 'sketchy' outline which, to me, suggests dry media. I tried to keep my linework organic and imperfect to try and convey this through wet media. I liked the textured lines created by dry brushing but thought this might not be so easy to create in real life. 

Developed Idea
After reading through the We Are Boutique website I gained a better understanding about what they did as a company. There was a strong focus on thinking, strategies and creativity so I wanted to use shape to show how things can be re-formed and presented in a new way. I chopped up a circle to make different shapes and arranged them on a grid to form the composition I would use. 

Process
I drew each component in ink, including a background which was based on the same principle of wood grain. I scanned these into Photoshop, arranged them how I wanted them and inverted the image so the line work was white, as required by the brief. I made the background grey instead of black to show a more accurate representation of what the wall would look like. 

Corrections
My first attempt at this was not as good as I would have liked. As circled in the presentation, some of the shape outlines merged with the background lines which made the design look clumsy and the shapes were not easily definable. I made some changes by shifting these pieces and I now think it looks much more considered and clear. 

Strengths 

• I liked doing something a little more abstract than how I usually work. The restrictions of the brief made me think differently about the outcome. 
• I feel like I have learnt from my experience painting the Virgin Media communication box not to propose something really complicated if you might have to paint it for real in person. I kept this design simple so that I am confident that if I do need to paint it, I can match the proposal. 

Weaknesses

• I don't think my design quite meets the 'sketchy' requirement of the brief.
• I think the lines in the image look a bit blurry when you stare at them for too long as they are so close together. I hope the people judging it can see that on a much bigger scale the effect would not be the same.