Tuesday 29 September 2009

Polish Posters

Lucienne Day





Lucienne Day was married to Robin Day and together they helped to transform British design after the second World War, though they used different techniques. Lucienne designed patterns for textiles for things like furnishings, ceramics and interior design while her husband focused on designing modern furniture.

Lucienne Day was a very versatile and influential designer, she was brought up to appreciate the beauty of interior design and she also had a love for plants and nature, something which is clearly visible in her work. She has explored with a range of different working methods and materials such as collage, mono-printing and ceramics.

I researched Lucienne for my summer project and I'm also looking at her for a exercise we have in critical studies. I really like the textures and scribbly patterns that Lucienne creates in her pieces, I shall have to look at her work for references for the Mulberry brief, where we have to design a pattern for a carpet and wall tiles.

Harry Rogers 1970's for Qantas

The Vicar of Dibley - Geraldine and Darcey Bussell Preform ''The Mirror''



This was a reference me and Katy were going to use for our animation, we created two ballerina figures, one quite clumsy and big and the other graceful and thin. We were going to synchronize them so they mirrored each other like in the clip from the Vicar Of Dibley and add that same sense of humor to the animation (with the clumsy figure not being the best at dancing).

However we ended up not committing ourselves to this idea because we were not sure how to achieve this in the time that we had. Although there was one solution which meant we had to involve ourselves in the video but neither me nor Katy wanted to where ballet dresses or dance so we ruled that out!

Final Animation- Without Sound



This is the 30 second animation me and Katy created. We really enjoyed using the Stop Motion program, as the element of chance was exciting and we were pleasantly surprised by the outcome. We had never produced an animation before and we had no idea what the final clip would look like, so as we learned the process of stop motion we also had the exciting opportunity to watch it all come together.

The objects we used such as the flowers and the ballet shoes work so well , in my opinion at least) as they seem to have a personality. An example of this would be when the shoes kick the the pin cushion, it makes the shoes seem mischievous and cheeky. We were able to give the flowers have that cute quality just by the way we had them move, in particular the way they sort of scuttle away like little children.

Monday 28 September 2009

DRENCH Spring Water Advert 2008 (Brains Thunderbirds)

Becks - Only Ever Four Steps



I really like the puppet-like animations combined with the human man dancing in this advert. I thought that the dancing animation fitted the song really well and it just seems to gel together perfectly. I thought it was clever that one figure starts off the dancing and the rest gradually join in through the course of the advert.

Eleanor Stewart

Eleanor Stewart's blog

For our recent animation project I worked with Katy Jones and we looked at Eleanor Stewart for some inspiration. Her ideas just blew us away, the style and technique she used to create her animation were brilliant! I just love the way she has animated her characters to literally pop out of the book and then just fold back into it. The style she has used to create her characters is really interesting because she has used paper cut outs that are supposed to be from the pages in the book and it makes them come alive and look a lot more 3D, I think it's a really clever and unique way of producing an animation.

Lord of the Rings (Part 4)



Personally I think the black riders in this animated version are really terrifying, I'm not sure whether it's the music, the sounds that they make or the way the figures have been drawn and made to move in an odd way. In my opinion the black riders in this cartoon are a lot more traumatising than the ones in Peter Jackson's Lord Of The Rings. Even though I did still enjoy the newer versions of the films! I think this animated version does a very good job of portraying the darkness of Tolkien's novels.

Wednesday 23 September 2009

Ice Age 3 - Scrat Meets Girl

Little Big Planet - Sackboy Video- John Bergerman



I really like the way these characters have been illustrated and animated for a PS3 game, I think they have a lot of humour and there's something quite playful and fun about them. By looking at them they seem to have been made from real materials like a 'woolly cardigan' and then maybe scanned into the computer.

They have a lot of character even though their quite a simple design. There's something really cute about them, maybe it's to do with the way they're animated for example the way they move, the noises they make and the mannerisms that the have etc.

Casino Royale Opening (Best Audio)



I think this sequence is amazing! I belive it's really effective and portrays the theme of James Bond really well. In my opinion it's a very complex idea (but this might be to do with me not being technically very good with computers) especially with all the moving patterns in the background (the clubs, spades and hearts) that represented the 'casino' theme in the film.

I really like the slow motion effect that you get when watching it, you still get the idea that this film has a lot of action and it shows that you don't have to make the animations really fast and complicated to get that effect.

I like the idea that when Bond shoots something, it shatters into hearts (still on the theme of playing cards) which might represent the splattering blood and shattered bodies (a nice way of portraying the violence in this film).

I also noticed that whoever made this animation used real materials such as playing cards and then scanned them into the computer. There's a moment in this animation where it actually looks as though a playing card is being shot at, I thought that the use of these 'real' materials made it seem a lot more 3D and realistic.

Tuesday 22 September 2009

Josephine Wall- Fantasy Fine artist















Josephine Wall's Gallery

Josephine's imagination is truly amazing, I think she is so talented in the way she paints and in the sense that she can paint something this realistic and yet it be a fantasy from her own mind. It's crazy but awesome!

Rachel Goodyear




















I first heard of this illustrator during my first year whilst on a group visit to the Corner house Gallery in Manchester. I think her images are very intriguing, I really like the way she has used a very blank canvas and has just left her very small scaled drawings stripped bare as though they are frozen in time or caught in the act. I really like the way she plays on the balance of power. The fact that her drawings are at such a small scale, means that as a viewer you are drawn in and then shocked by what you see, as they revealed subtle malevolent undertones.

Rachel Goodyear's website

What's This????



I'd to love to get into Tim Burton's mind! I think he is a fantastic director, producer, writer and artist.

I really like all Burton's work such as 'Batman begins', 'Sweeney Todd' and especially Nightmare Before Christmas, the contrast/clash between the idea of Christmas and then the creepy skeleton characters and scary creatures is just bizarre but I think it works really well. I enjoy the Gothic style/element he has added to his characters, I think this idea has a unique quality and i think he does this with anything he creates, he has his own original style which everyone recognizes instantly .

The Dark Crystal (1982) Movie Trailer



This is the weirdest film I think I have ever seen, it's utterly terrifying! Directed by Jim Henson and Frank Oz and the main concept artist being Brian Froud (who i have a book on and he has created his own fantasy world full of different creatures, it's utterly fascinating!)
I will upload some of Brian Froud 's work later on.

The Labyrinth- M.C. Escher







































Within you- M.C Escher's stairs

A great fantasy film with David Bowie! Very weird but strangely artistic, It has lots of optical illusions in the film, one of them is M.C Eshers work ' Ascending and Descending'

M.C Escher is a true genius, His work is very accurate and he is an illusionist. He explores metamorphism and has created a lot of tessellations ( patterns that interlock). He is a very clever man and a lot of his work is based in mathematics and accurate in terms of geometry.

M.S.Corley - I found him Jo! He's Brilliant!




































































































































M.S Corley- A link to his blog and blogs he is interested in.

M.S.Corley has redesigned some of the most famous novels and made them very simplistic and original instead of the hollywoodised and glamorous versions. (excuse my syntax) including novels such as ' The Chronicles of Narnia', ' Harry Potter', 'A Series of Unfortunate Events', 'The Spiderwick Chronicles' and 'His Dark Materials' etc. I'm so jealous because these would have been my dream projects!

Harry Potter 2


These remind me of the book covers that you did at the start of the first year, when I gave you the elements to work with. It shows a much more simplified use of elements than the original covers that we are all familiar with. They are much more edited and give snapshots rather than the Hollywood versions. I can't remember where I found them though. Sorry!

Wow thanks jo! These are really interesting, I really like the simplicity of these book covers and they do remind me of some of my work from first year especially the sillouettes/ blackened out shapes. Although I think maybe they lack some of the magical atmosphere however they have a real authenticity about them with the toned down colours ( black and white/cream with one bright colour).

Monday 21 September 2009

Aubrey Beardsley



Aubrey Beardsley's work fascinates me, I really like the way he only uses black and white in most (if not all) of his work. I like the Art Nouveau patterns which also tie in with Aya Kato's style as she also has Art Nouveau influences in her work. Aubrey's work is quite dark and his figures are portrayed in a weird, ugly but elegant way.

Harry Potter



I added these because they are one of my favourite series of books, I started reading them when I was 9 years old and it has only been a couple of years since the 7th (last) book came out. I have never changed my opinion about them, they're absolutely amazing! I love the plot and the well thought out characters. J.k Rowling has an amazing imagination and I only hope that I can be that creative with my illustrations.

Suddenly (It Happens to You)



I have included this as one of my favourite childhood films. It was a film that was originally made in honor of the Queen in 1976. I love musicals and I also take a great interest into fairytales. I love the Renaissance setting for the film, i think it tells the true tale of Cinderella.

I have a clip from the film which is one that i favor, i think it's a very crucial point to film (when Cinderella is getting ready for the ball) I think it's great that they turn a mop into her wig/hair and the dancing mice that turn into horses! Its great!

I Love a Bit of Meatloaf!


I'll do anything for love

This links in with my interest for fairy tales and this music video and song remind me of the tale of Beauty and the Beast and The Phantom of the Opera. I think the video is very Gothic and dark, I like the use of light and shadows throughout the video not to mention the objects smashing in slow motion.

This cover for the song 'bat out of hell' is really cool, I like the way it looks like a comic and I think the image really conveys that it's illustrating a song- the image looks loud!

Sunday 20 September 2009

Sarah Perkins- Illustrator





SAA Illustration hub

Sarah Perkins has been illustrating for 2o years and her work mainly focuses on architecture, different cultures, environments as well as nature and landscapes. She has a very dreamy style to her work which draws me in, her work is very relaxing to look at. I love her colour palettes.

Phantom of the Opera

Masquerade



Phantom of the opera- nightwish
Phantom of the opera masquerade

I love this film! I have added two clips from the film which have stuck with me since the first time i watched it. I love the atmosphere and the style of the costumes! There's a lot of tension and the use of masks is very effective, in my opinion, not only does it work well with the story but it also comes across as visually exciting!

I added the 'masquerade' clip because I really enjoy the business of it and the way it has been choreographed with the masks and fans to create patterns.

The 'nightwish' clip, has a lot of tension/atmosphere with the candles and mist, it looks like a dream!

I really like the theatre and the atmosphere that is created through an effective set, in my work I enjoy creating scenes or work that has a sense of magic or a certain mood to it.

Katsushika Hokusia


One of Aya Kato's influences. A lot of his work has been created by Japanese woodblocks. He is the master of Ukiyo-e. His work is based on landscapes and traditional Japanese life.
It looks as though Aya Kato has taken ideas from Hokusai's story telling through picture making. Plus a lot of Aya Kato's work is based on Japanese culture and she includes a lot of Japanese motifs in her work and this is similar to Hokusai's work. I also think she is influenced by his working method as she also uses printing to create her images.

Egon Shiele






I never found a reference for Egon Shiele being one of Aya Kato's influences but I think it's obvious from the way her figures have been drawn. They look very similar especially the proportion and scale in which the body has been created. I like the technique that Aya Kato and Egon Shiele have used to create the distorted and odd look.