Days 7, 8, 9 & 10

Havent wrote for a while, best do an update!

Have pulled off logos to look into and annotate. Most seem to be uninspiring, and just plan boring. others are just TERRIBLE, clip art and word art! started annotation, just need to finish off that now.

also screenshotted some tv adverts for holiday operators, to see how they pitch themselves in the market. There seems to be some distinct categories – Classy/upmarket, family, personal, and all round. One company, which seems to be the first ever, has even used celebrity endorsement, which to me, brings the tone of everything down, and has an adverse effect. Relying on famous names rather than what the company is actually about just makes it look cheap.

Final Major Project

I will be making my final major project journal on a different blog – please follow it here!

www.robinsfmpjournal.wordpress.com

Im still alive…

…but with precious little time to blog.  all projects are coming to a close, so im frantically catching up on paperwork and fine tuning my final pieces. give it until Half term, and i will make a big post with everything thats gone on (:

-just a quick note, Ive been accepted into the University of Lincoln, my first choice uni, so im mega happy. I just need to finish my course with MMM [Merit, Merit, Merit] grades, and im in. I think i will cry if i dont get that… i would have done anyway, but even more so now!!!

OMG

AHHHHHHH!! :D
slight shock for me when i was doing some research into packaging….

More Painting

if you look at the previous post, i had completed background elements for my Angels and Demons poster. This afternoon, i applied the same technique to an image of Gary Cooper. the problem i had was that the picture was black and white, but i want a colour image… hello artistic license

Movie Poster Continued…

Ok, i need to make a start on making “Angels and Demons” old. i tried a few filters and effects in photoshop, but it just wasnt producing the right outcomes that i wanted. so i decided to actually have a go and drawing them, so instead of looking hand drawn, they actually are!

Drawing isnt one of my strong points, so i was slightly skeptical of the idea. but hey, im desperate, anything is worth a shot!!

so i set myself up a makeshift lightbox…(similar in style as a young Mr Lestaret said he used!)

i simply took a large glass pane, and placed a light between my legs. hey presto, lightbox (:

i began drawing, and shocked myself that it wasnt actually half bad!!

little bit of shading…

i didnt want to paint directly onto my final drawings, so i made a couple of scans. seeing as the watercolour filter seemed to work good on photoshop, i tried using them first.

this, in its own right, looks ok, but it doesnt have the same boldness of colour as the poster, and just isnt right for what i want. after trying to find my gouache, and failing, i resorted to acrylic, watered down, and got out the trusty Ruling Pen

i did cheat slightly with this, as for the very fine lines i used rotring pen, but the rest is paint and ruling pen. i think that this has the same brush stroke and boldness as the Karloff poster, but not the right colours. Im nowhere near good enough at painting to do it by hand, so i will scan these images into photoshop and edit them further in there. I am going to carry out the same process with an image of Katherine Hepburn and Gary Cooper, to use as my Hero and Heroine…. Heres to another sleepless night!!

Movie Poster

OK, just a quick post, not done one for a while.

i have one complete movie poster, just need to work on turning the new film old now…

I have tried to take as many aspects of the modern thriller film as i can [Including trajan type!!]

My main influence was from an “Angels and Demons” poster, because it is that film which i am going to attempt to make old. (:

Im most happy with the type Hierachy. I like how “The Mummy” is the first thing that jumps out, even though the uneven texture makes it slightly duller than the “George Clooney” part.

I will say, im pretty chuffed (:

Winter Olympics

Ok, those of you who know me, know im not a sports person, AT ALL. those of you who dont… now you do ;D

so strangely enough, i have found myself watching the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics these last few days, and have found myself enjoying it. strange…

But of course, being a budding graphic designer, how could i not notice the graphics that have been created.

Ok, these are some pretty cool graphics. Im particularly liking the event logos, how they are images rather than symbols,  breaking the olympic mould. I also like the vector style, making everything clean and tidy. All round, they are visually good to look at. But i am having a few problems with them.

Firstly, the swirls and curlicules the designers have created are, to me, tidal waves. This feeling is further encouraged by the choice of blue. It isnt wintry enough, its too sea-like. Its making me think Hawaii, of surfing. Not of ice, and skiing.

Im also not sure on the green either. It doesnt make me think cold, its spring-like. The spring feel is enhanced by the watery blue.  For me, its the wrong colour pallette.

Of course, these are my own personal observations, as someone who isnt in on the design process of this particular piece. I am sure there is reasoning behind the choice of colours, and the wave-like swirls….

Waiting for the Paint to Dry

Ok, i thought i might as well blog these while im waiting for the paint to dry.

we currently are working on a packaging project, to re-design a drink called Kombucha. Its of chinese origin, and is some kind of non alcoholic healthy tonic nectar thingy. currently, its being sold as a type of wine, coming in bottles of the sorts. Our brief is to re-design it as a modern, “trendy” drink, for smaller bottles to be drank in pubs and clubs.

so, first stop is research.

after looking at the history of the chinese picto and ideograms, and how the style has evolved over the years, i felt that something more was needed other than random schpeel [yes, thats a technical term] from the internet i have found. After looking at images, i saw all that was needed was ink and brush…. so out came my paintbrushes and gouache!

below is the results of about 10-20 mins work

good times.

was rather nice to do something different (:

i will just add, i have no idea on the accuracy of the symbols. I found an image on google, and used that for reference. not exactly factually concrete

City and Colour

City and Colour, Alias Dallas Green, is one of my all-time favourite musicians

I am always telling my friends about him, but have only just realised i have never yet posted about him on here.

It is accoustic guitar, with very relaxing and chill-out melodies.

below is a favourite song of mine, Save Your Scissors

City and Colour always help me chill out after a long stressful day, and help put my mind at ease.

Dallas Green also plays in another band called Alexisonfire, who is drastically different to City and Colour. it was quite a shock to me to learn that its the same vocalist in both bands.