self promo, Costa 26/2/2010

Continuing the self-promotional project, and noting to play with legibility - i attempted to create the 'Jon Clark Design' motif by using foodstuffs - the first of which by rendering letters on top of cappuccino froth.
I used brass stencils and powdered chocolate at Costa in West Quay southampton (knowing a barista who works there) and photographing it as the powder as it slowly soaked in on the surface. Although creating interesting texture and colour, the readability was poor and ends up looking ill-considered, however this will be process that i intend to take a second pass at.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34215687@N04/sets/72157623592372438/detail/?page=2

Deirdre McDermott LT1

Deirdre McDermott is the Picture Book Publisher at Walker Books, she lectured on her work and how she commisions, creates, art directs illustrated childrens for publication and then gave tutorials in the afternoon. Particularly interested in my book jackets from the previous project, she spoke to me about refining the design - particulaly all the neccessary back copy - working in inDesign, using text-as-texture.
She also noted to continue to work in the same photographic style, and that creating impressions of wood and metal type was unique and should be progressed.

WIP Meeting

WIP Meeting

Resulting images and prep work for the self promotional project were shown in the Thus work-in-progress meeting.

Notes:
- Continue reworking the 'Jon Clark Design' motif, but push the legibility using differant materials.
- Either refine or customise badges depending on who the Self-promo pieces are sent to.
- Finish postcards by designing amnd mounting back.



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Self promotional work Ctd line

Typeface used is TradeGothic LT CondEighteen, set in Bold - printed at 600pt so 2-3 letters could fit onto a a4 sheet. The a4 sheet was then placed on top of folded over newsprint, when the letters were cut out by hand using a scalpel the process allowed for multiple copies of each letter (which as it turned out was needed) with the minimum of labour.

The newsprint letters where the taken out to the washing line, due to weather (blowing wind, light showers, overcast), the letters would not hold in the correct position so they had to be sellotaped to the line, and the pegs used to weight the paper into the right shape.

The set up was then photographed using Canon EF 50mm 1.8 prime lens, EF-S 60mm macro and EF 75-300mm telephoto lenses - all using large apetures to enhance the bokeh over a period of an hour in the morning as the weather changed. Mainly shot in black and white, i also photographed though Hoya 25A red filters and a Cokin SFX infrared filter to alter and dramatise the contrast between the white letters, green foliage, and blue sky.

Full set is availble to view here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34215687@N04/sets/72157623592022912/

Self promotional work Ctd tues

Scrapping modling materials, i photographed a construct of 14pt and 10pt Gill Sans metal type.
shot using a Canon ef-s 60mm macro lens, holding the type in my hand created a dramatic contrasting between the human element of the flesh/skin with the mechanical nature of the type.

Full set viewable here
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4064/4424749862_05c7b35575.jpg

Self promotional work Ctd monday

Additional attempts at repeating the 'Jon Clark Design' motif, although this set is very unsuccessful. Using a variety of media - scale model gravel, ball bearings and icing, the results lacked the impact of the sand.

Self promotional work Ctd

As a side item to go with the postcards i attempted to make a series of 3-dimensional badges. I used several materials - polymorph plastic, clear resin, and oven bake Glow in the Dark clay and again using my sets of printers' wood type and metal type, i impressed/ molded the material around the letters.
Potentially a pin could be attached to the back of the items, then the badges mounted on card with some sort of point-of-sale design.

Self promotional work

My self promotional/identity project will consist of a series of text-as-image postcards, repeating 'Jon Clark Design' or 'jonclarkdesign.com'

Using 5/8" Gill Sans letterpress type, I impressed the letters into a shoebox lid filled with slightly damp sand (standard childrens' play sand)- lit the sand with desktop studio lights and photographed the set up to maximise the textural quality.
During the process, under the lights, the sand began to dry out and cracks began to emerge, adding another element of interest.

Similarly i tried the set up using larger 3 & 5/16" slim poster type although was not as successful.

steven heller on jonny hannah

Steven Heller discussing typography and Jonny Hannah's work as well as others in a lecture from the Philoctetes Centre
Full video available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUiw4IaH3GY

salvatore rubbino lectured

Salvatore gave a lecture on his work, previewed his new children's book, and showed his self printed books 'invisible people' and 'midsummer nights dream' but concentrated on his recent publication 'A Walk in New York'

- drawing is done over time rather than the moment of photography
- when researching you should mine a subject for the details and for the subtleties

- While working on the rough of A Walk in NY, struggled to understand why it was was not yet a childrens book
- importance of having a character, as a chracter in a childrens book gives you the experience, in the same way a character in a film does

- Pierre Bonnard who uses the edges of the image in such interesting ways

Drawing Is Thinking

A meditation by Milton Glaser:

MILTON GLASER DRAWS & LECTURES from C. Coy on Vimeo.

'Personal bibliography'

Paul Rand spoke of the concept of having a 'personal bibliography' - ie the books that one would cite, recommend, return to, and are affected by - bibliography as biography, this would be an effective way of creating an second draft of my personal statement.



"If i used to admire somebody, I would write the guy and ask him to give me some advice. I would always ask "What kind of books do you read?" I always did it when i was a kid." - Paul Rand

The Seven Year Itch

Stefan Sagmeister on the power of time off (the first half of the video is better than the second half):



(Hat tip: Sully)

'Personal bibliography'

Paul Rand spoke of the concept of having a 'personal bibliography' - ie the books that one would cite, recommend, return to, and are affected by - bibliography as biography, this would be an effective way of creating an second draft of my personal statement.



"If i used to admire somebody, I would write the guy and ask him to give me some advice. I would always ask "What kind of books do you read?" I always did it when i was a kid." - Paul Rand

Paul Blow lecture

Editorial illustrator Paul Blow, who works on a regular column for the Independant Magazine visited and lectured, he began the lecture by listing what he believes are the three key elements that need to be balanced , demonstrating the process by cascade juggling at the front of the lecture theatre

1) aesthetic - how the image looks, design, color, techniques

2) idea - process just as important as aesthetic

3) brief - the part that is outside of the control of the illustrator

He went on to detail his process and break down of his day, after the point of commision. Notable part; their are two schools of responding to a brief- one, analyze brief in the first two paragraphs, or read the whole thing, and research the whole thing to produce a piece. He favours the former.
He also spoke of fees, agents, pricing and copyright but continually returned to and re-emphasized the balance between idea and craft.


http://www.paulblow.com/