Drawing The Detectives Agatha Christie Book cover design

Agatha Christie - Mrs Mcginty's dead.

Book cover design for The Guardians Drawing the Detectives competition.

FMP

Sound Experiment using guitar amplifier, Chord B. Black ink on paper. Lead up towards my final experiments.

Perspective drawing.

This is from a brief where we focused on 3D, we were tasked to find an area to create a perspective drawing. I began first with looking at one point perspective. I found this spot and wanted to create a line drawing of my view instead of an in depth one, It came out well scaled and shaped, I really enjoyed producing this piece. Size - A2.

Within this perspective piece I used two point perspective to differ from my first piece to show a range of different perspectives. I found this spot which was perfect for two point perspective and I felt that even though I enjoyed the complexity of producing this piece, it didn't turn out as good as the first. You can still see the lines within the piece where I have put my perspective points. Size - A2.

We later created a small sculpture out of just paper, it had to have a function and I created a small holding basket in the shape of a city scape. We had to then include them into a drawing, and as we had looked at perspective to create depth, I thought to put my sculpture into a one point perspective drawing to make it look part of a scenario where it would be in everyday use. Size - A2.

Book Brief

This is from our brief to create an artist book. Our theme was the city we lived in and studying in Leeds, that was where we would base this book on. For purpose of showing each individual page, I have dissected the book into it's individual pages. My book focused on the hidden side of leeds, the darker side. The Illustrations above show two parts of the city. On the tracing paper is the city that people see on the outside, while the old hidden parts are now over shadowed, that is why I set it out like this, (above).

I wanted to include a range of medias and techniques within my work, so when I was told photography could be added I wanted to use a style I enjoyed, pinhole photography. I felt it would capture the light and dark of the cities hidden spots and create a textured photograph rather than just using a digital camera. I enjoy using these processes, which take time, yet produce a really good result.

We had to include a page about the people of the city, yet to keep within the theme of hidden, I wanted to keep the identify of the people hidden. To do this, I photographed big groups of people using a very slow shutter speed to create this blurred motion, which hides these peoples looks completely. It leaves an open mystery about the identity of the people who are in this city all the time.

Relationship Illustration Brief

We were given the brief on relationships and were asked in our development work to created a series of drawings focusing on line and shapes, to build on our skills and to look at a different way of drawing. Above you see I have experimented with line, in a straight overlapping style to create layers and also to form shapes built up of joining up dots with small lines. I also looked at repeating waved lines close together to fill the entire page, I really enjoyed these experimentations and though time consuming, I was really pleased with the outcome. I also worked on cluster points to create small shapes which again I really enjoyed. Size - A5.

After building on our drawing skills we were asked to interpret these styles in the form of collage, using images sourced from magazines. We then applied different patterns and drawings. I kept it to the theme of relationships and connection between people. The first image is of Paul McCartney and John Lennon I wanted to show their similarities and then their differences by using a mixture of drawing techniques we had tried. The other image shows connectivity between people, the complications of space and upset and also the connection between a close couple.

This was a quick drawing exercise we did where we were asked to draw our own hand in a range of positions and also using a range of techniques such as; Continuous line, Wrong hand, Drawing with basic shapes (squares, circles, triangles) and then a mixture of each technique. I really enjoyed this quick fire task and is one I have tried again since to help build my technique. 

Typography - Black and White brief.

This is from a black and white micro brief based around type. We were told to experiment and produce a typeface for a four to six letter word, and show the meaning of the word through the typeface. We researched relevant artists, in my case it was artists who used illustration within their text. I wanted my type to be clear and bold like a splash can be. Size - A2.

Before getting to my final piece for this brief, I experimented a lot, not just with different styles but also with media. This was created using black ink and water, to replicate what a splash looks like. I really enjoy experimenting with things like this and having a freedom to try a range of medias.

Another piece of experimental work and again I have experimented with another media, spray paint. This was before I had chosen the word I finalised on but I did really like this experiment, it took me out of my comfort zone yet I really enjoyed it and it has really helped me learn to experiment in other briefs.

Swiss Brief

This was a Swiss style brief we were given. We were asked to create a movie poster for a modern classic novel, yet in a swiss style. Above is my developed final, I have carefully considered the look of my movie poster especially in the imagery, depicting the main character through simple shapes. The type is Helvetica which is a basic sans-serif typeface that is used heavily within swiss style pieces. The background is all black as it represents the darkness within the book, a sort of confusion that is shown throughout the novel through the main characters tough teen years. Process- Research, drawn experimentation/ digitalised experimentation, finalising, Screen printing onto A3.

I tried out a few different variations once I created the initial design, these are a few start off development pieces that have come from my drawn sketchbook work. I tried out a few different looks while still keeping the parts of the design I liked. I played about with colour and imagery, yet kept the type as it was as I felt it was very strong and had good effect. I really enjoyed experimenting within this brief.

This is more of my experimental work which also started off as drawings and rough sketches within my sketchbook, which I later developed on illustrator into digital designs. I attempted a range of ideas before finalising to get one that I felt was the best and which got the best feedback from peers. I firstly attempted grey as a main colour to show smoke, mainly to show the main characters association with smoking and also the clouded view that the reader has of the story. 

I started off the brief by researching about previous Swiss style artists, I looked at artists such as Emil Ruder who uses shapes to create effect behind his work and leaves type as second best, I also enjoy his use of colour to create a depth within his work. I also looked at Armin Hoffman who is different from Ruder as he focusses alot on type, while also considering shape and colour, but his more famous pieces are all type Swiss posters. All research sourced from various books and the artists own Websites.