Identity meeting weds

Went in to the university again today use the space of the studio, and other resources and continue brainstorming and sketching.
Katie Allen, having found out that i was working on the show identity, gave me a helpful list of suggestions - Camberwell's show identity ('S.O.S') a specific Penguin book cover design by David Pearson, and a great blog walled www.woodtyper.com

Group publication

I was able to go though my group publication pieces with Jonny, where he selected out form my huge set of 4x6 prints of the photos that i shot the previous week - the final selections are above

instead of doing a grid on one page, we agreed that mine would be a long, landscape digital print that would fold out in the order of Ford,Kurosawa,Leone,Spielberg - approximate chronological order and spearetign the two western directors.

Identity meeting tues

Met with Peter and Jonny up in the office, and we went over the basic information that would need to be included, some possible directions - such as using/photographic my hot metal type, and decided on a show theme (the title and theme was originally open to the students to decide, but as nothing satisfying came out of it, they chose the earlier idea of ¡VIVA! Illustration).

Jonny showed me photographs of his show at the Coningsby Gallery (which is the venue of our London show) - and made note of the window space and the vinyl sticker that he design for the identity for his show last year (see photos above)

the studios were open as well and began going though notes and beginning sketches for potential ideas for the project.

Identity meeting

While waiting for the bus yesterday afternoon after have been approached for the identity project, the large banners above the entrance of the library and Southampton City Art gallery, blowing in the wind caught my attention (see photos) - this jibes nicely with the work i had been doing for my self-promotional postcards (nwsprint letters of a clothes line)and is one strong potential direction that the identity could go in.
mainly today i had a meeting with Derek Rodgers in JM032 to go over exactly what would be involved while doing the identity, we spoke about potential ideas, but mainly established that an important part of it would be to distinguish with previous years imagery - particulary hand drawn type and primary colours of last year.

This was the last day of the semester, Easter covers the next 3 weeks, with much of the university (and all the teaching) shut down, but we arrange to meet next tuesday when staff will be around (Peter, Jonny) to go over things in more detail.

WIP Meeting

Work in progress meeting with Ceri.
After Peter Lloyd approached me and asked whether i would like to do the our degree show identity for this year - he stated that this would be included and marked as part of my FMP. , If i wasn't interest i would have said no straight away, but i am interested - particularly because it allows an outlet for my typographical interest and skills.

Penguin Design Award Ctd

Continuing the Penguin Design Award brief, and using the rubber stamp of the Penguin logo that i got made at Bladerubber, i photographed a set of skin impressions to match the typography that i had done previously. I used exactly the same process of impressing, lighting and shooting with a 60mm macro lens as previous, but this time i was mindful of trying to include more of my arm, giving more of a recognizable human element. I'm very happy wit the images and although i intend to crop in and simply use the trademark by itself, the whole has made a strong image in itself.

Group publication Ctd - night

One final set, this time at night, i used a builder's halogen floodlight to set a lighting mood for some of the letter set ups with interesting results.

Group publication Ctd - Leone

I chose to do a grid with four directors text-as-image pieces, the third and fourth directors i chose are Sergio Leone and John Ford
Sergio Leone typography was achieved in two ways one by using a acetate with black text, and the other a white sheet of a4 with the letters cut out - and allowing them to cast a shadow in the sun (directing referencing the title sequences to A Few Dollars More and The Good The Bad and The Ugly).
For the John Ford images were, again reusing a technique form the self promotional project,I photographed hot metal letters in various situations, the strongest being the one sandwiched in the stones - irs not only a visual difference from the other but is also evocative of the landscape that were such prominent features of his films.

Group publication Ctd

A second shoot of the Kuroswawa letters, this time in uncut grass with traditional looking wood strip fencing - hopefully connotating the edo period settings of his films.
Again a strong(er) set for this, that i'm fairly happy with.

Group publication Ctd

A second set Steven Spielberg, taking cues from the title sequence for Catch Me If You Can (2002) - i'm not happy with this set, it doesn't evoke Spielberg's work (an alternate would be to intergate his motif of a starry sky)
and another more praticle problem i have with group is that it is repeating the papercut letter process that i have been using with diminishing returns.

Group publication

After abandoning a simple black/white artwork for screen printing, i chose to return to a photographic approach. The brief is entitled '!Viva! Here are a few of my favourite things' and asks to illustrate a favourite thing of yours, initially i chose 'cinema' but now it has developed into selecting favourite directors that i enjoy. My first one is Akira Kurosawa, i cut his name out of paper and placed them in tree foliage to be photographed, hoping to evoke the Japanese forests and groves he frequently shot in. In a nice bit of serendipity, as i started to shoot it began to pour with rain, just like his trademakr use of weather.

Chris Sharrock

Christopher Sharrock freelance Illustrator, left-handed Caricaturist, Script writer, agent, and (colourblind) educator lectured today in the final of our guest lecture series for 2010.
Fascinating and entertaining talk on the lifestlyle of an Illustrator in the UK, networking, research, persistance, serendipity, connectivity, a sense of history, how to present yourself, and how to enjoy yourself in the profession.
Particularly compelling was a section on defining your own likes. When asked most people respond with drugs, sex, music, fashion - but these are 'cultural likes', not waht you like - and the way to find what i like is to draw. Is to analyse and respond to as much of the world around me.