Unfortunately during this brief I fell ill which was a shame because I think this project would have helped develop my style of work. I felt that this project really suited to my way of working because in previous briefs I had already used photography in my work. I had previously looked at Container Plus's work and they use a lot of photography in their work and considering that my work is heavily influenced by them I thought I would do something similar in this sense. The idea that I had for this project was to create a theater set with ballet dancers and then to actually photograph them in the studio using lighting to create the stage atmosphere and the feel that is an actual stage with ballerina's. It would have been nice to have played with the idea of movement in them as well.
I think these models are fantastic, I don't think his style is necessarily like mine in the drawing sense but I like the way he makes models out of paper and then photographs them which is similar to what I do. The characters that he creates are really fun and playful, they have a humorous quality to them.
Polly Becker reminds me of the dadaists such as Hannah Hoch, her work is really interesting and unique. I really like the way she constructs her characters out of a combination of materials including photographs. I think its really clever how she has stitched some of her characters together, they almost look like weird quirky puppets....
Chrissie Macdonald creates 3d set designs. She takes a photo of people and then mounts them onto something that makes them stand up, so they all look 3d. I really like how realistic and 3 dimensional her designs are. They have atmosphere and a great sense of atmosphere. . .
I looked at Sara Fanelli for the photographic project. I thought the way she uses collage with photographs work really well. I really liked the fact that she can make the photo's blend in with the collage and they look as though they belong there.
Just recently come across these images by Brian Dettmer, I think there really unsual and i'd really like to find out how he has create these very complictaed sculptures. . .
The story 'When a Door Opens' seems to be based around the relationship between the two main characters and this image from 'Corpse Bride' by Tim Burton was our inspiration for how they might look. This is exactly how me and Katy pictured them. Which is another reason why we made the set black and white and wanted to go with the Gothic theme.
These photographs of the woman collapsed were an idea for the second smaller illustration. We have experimented with different light, back drop material, colour and different elements such as the 'magic lantern', charm bracelet and candles etc. We wanted to see what looked the best and what elements worked the best when combined.
The top two images were inspired by Container Plus's image of the live model lying down. I really like the element of the charm bracelet as the idea was to make it look as though the charm bracelet was protecting the woman.
Because the story has a lot of religious undertones and the main place in the story is the church, me and Katy wanted to produce a stain glass window effect. The story seems to cover a lot of imagery about light, so I cut out some sharp edged shapes out of card and placed this in front of the projector light. Which is why you can see the sharp, shattered looking window effect projected onto our models.
One of my favorite photographs was the ones where we have created 'God'. The images with the beam of light that seems to draw your eye down to the 'magic lantern' I thought this worked really nicely, as the lantern stands for hope. It looks as though 'God' is looking over her.
These are examples of mine and Katy's set designs for the first illustration for the 7x7 book. Here we have created the models out of paper and used real objects such as the pint glass and the religious ornament. I was really pleased with the way everything looked when we got into the studio and finally constructed the whole thing. I think we were both pleasantly surprised, especially when we took some photographs while playing with different lighting effects. I think that's the way me and Katy work best with an element of surprise and not knowing fully what our final images will look like.
The idea was to build the village that is described in the story. So we wanted the church to be the main focus ( that's why we placed it on a higher level) and then we created all the little characters. We put the main character in a pint glass because in the story it mentions him going off to the pub instead of chosing to accompany his pregnant girlfriend to the church, which is where we've placed her placed her.
Katy also drew the family that the main character surveys when he is sat outside the pub. He is supposed to be watching the family with a kind of dread as he is seeing that as a vision for his future. Also the Punch and Judy element is present in our set, as it was in the story with Punch being hit over the head with a baby by Judy.
We also liked the idea of making the village quite Gothic, mainly because of the religious theme and the idea of Gothic churches.
Again we experimented with the lighting and we were trying to project a stain glass window effect over the entire black and white set. I think this created a brilliant sense of mystery and atmosphere to the images, some of which we've succeeded in making look slightly creepy. We also had the advantage of creating these amazing shadows, we were especially happy with the shadows from the trees as they are so clear and sharp.
The only downside to these images is the detail of the drawn characters is lost in the pictures, which is a shame, so I think the next step would be how to move it on further. . . perhaps working with them in photoshop or illustrator. . .
Container plus is a collaborative group based in London, currently three people working together. Their work is a combination of illustration, photography, set design and animation. They have produced work for an outstanding number of clients including The Baftas, Gallo Wine, Topshop, London Design Festival etc. They have also experimented with their own personal projects for fun, which is admirable and it proves that they are really passionate about producing work. It shows that they are willing and eager to push their ideas further and develop more skills. This really shows in their work, as a variety of skills are required to produce their breathtaking pieces. That seems to also be an advantage about working collaborately because you can not only learn off each other and exchange ideas which helps developing your individual learning but you can also allocate the skills that you can’t do or don’t have any patience for to someone else who might be much better at that particular skill. Also another vital point was if you decided to collaborate with people, it’s best to keep it to a minority and people who you can rely on, the more people you add to your group, the more people you have to please.
Luise from container plus came to give us a talk on how they as a group, work so well together. She gave us an insight as to how collaborating with other people works and what compromises and sacrifices you had to make if you were thinking of going down that path. She mentioned that to be able to work together you have to be a good listener and sometimes you have to go along with someone else’s ideas rather then enforce your ideas on other people, even if you do think your idea is much better, if the majority of the group decide on a different concept, you have to just go with it and make the most of it! There is no room for ‘big egos’. She also discussed about dividing money on jobs and added ‘sort out money issues before it becomes an issue’. She made the valid point that you all have to have the same level of commitment as each other in order for you to have a healthy working relationship and environment. You have to also keep your working relationships separate from your personal life, for example Luise doesn’t see Nicola or Patricia outside the working environment because they feel they need that break from each other.
Container plus specializes in creating playful, atmospheric fantasy worlds. They create 2d and 3d designs. I think the combination of the two is what excites me most about their work and they seem to create these worlds with such enthusiasm and inventiveness. Their influences seem to base around Art Nouveau and Aubrey Beardsley but Luise commented on how having long conversations and reading magazines from Art Monthly to Heat which also have an effect on their work. She also discussed how they are quite loose with the way they work, they like making a big mess and then at the end of the project; they then tidy their work up with Photoshop.
The work that I liked the most was the fairytale set for advertising shoes. I love the way they have combined the real objects in this case the shoes but then they have created a set of paper characters and environments. I think the style in which it has been produced is very unique and convincing. In a lot of my influences or subjects that I’m drawn to tends to be the theme of fairy tales. I’m also interested in using photography in my work and I just adore the way they have taken the opportunity to use lighting to create the mood and atmosphere in these pictures, this is something I like to experiment within my work. The lighting gives the fairytale a very dark and sinister feel to them for example, in the ‘little red riding hood’ image. I really like how the woods look really threatening and ominous. The scale of the elements in the set seem to be very small especially the little characters, they come across as very delicate which could help contribute to the vulnerability that you feel towards the them. The fact that they have been created in 3d makes them so much more realistic and alive.
Another piece of their work that I find really inspiring is the London Design Festival work, I think because it’s a sculpture which is situated outside where lot of the public can see it. I’m also inspired by the concept behind the artwork. The idea of the seven deadly sins pouring out of the teacup and the notion of Pandora’s box being opened. I really like the black and white colour scheme to this piece of work; the traditional drawings on the teacup stand out and the viewers are able to focus on the detail. I really like the way they have used the different levels to emphasize the effect of all the contents pouring out of the teacup. I think the overall composition is very clever and exciting to look at.
Another piece of work I really like is the evil twins projects as they seem so playful and different, perhaps that’s because they use a live model in their work and I really like the way they have experimented with different environments and materials. I think the illustrations combined with the photography are really effective.
From listening to Luise’s advice on collaborating with other people, I was quite excited by the prospect of working with someone in the future as I’m scared of becoming someone who is isolated and who’s ideas have dried up. I think it was nice to be proven that it is possible for illustrators to work together even though there are challenges that you have to face.
Through making all my silhouettes this year, I was reminded of my 'sinbad' bird that I created as a photogram. It was my favourite produced piece from first year! I think it was so successful because of the quality of the materials that I used such as peacock feathers, a jeweled brooch and wire with diamonds on the end (feet). I think even though this image is just a silhouette I think it has an elegant sense and personality about it.
These remind me of Emma Cassi's work and look just as beautiful! I love the colours in these photographs. They look like they have come straight from a fairy tale, I like the mystery of them, it reminds me of a princesses' palace. I love the way the flowers look as though they are blossoming through the wall, it gives the illusion of it not being a room or building but a magical forest instead.
These Cinderella illustrations were apparently produced alongside the Walt Disney Cinderella film. I think the difference is really interesting and I think I prefer these, as the Cinderella in these illustrations looks really cute but she doesn't seem as life like as the Walt Disney one. I really like the old fashioned style of them and I think the colours used give them that authenticity.
