Postcards idea 1

Figure 1

I was thinking of creating my postcards like like a puzzle, when I place all the 4 postcards together it will create Brunel's portrait. At first, figure one is for stamps, but after I had a long though, I decided to do this idea for postcards. Stamps would be too complicated for this design.

Figure 2 and figure 3

At first I was thinking of making my postcards portrait (figure 2), but it does not suit with his inventions as most of his inventions long and landscape so I decided to do my postcards landscape (figure 3).

I am still unsure what medias,techniques and processes. However, figure 3 is a roughly sketch of my postcards idea. 

To improve this idea, instead of illustrating the full images of his inventions, I could illustrate some part of his inventions. Perhaps, some key parts of his illustrations that I though are recognisable and well known.

Further research :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Works_of_Isambard_Kingdom_Brunel

I am stuck with idea. I found it hard to illustrate his inventions as his inventions have lots of detail and on a big scales. I found that there are some £2 coin of Brunel. The designer only put Brunel's face and some part of his inventions on the background- not the full image of the bridge or ship.

Further research.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel artwork and stamps.

• I looked at how figures have been used in stamps. Figures - like a passport photographs. From head to chest. - Not many full figure in stamps
• Figures- more details than the object however some stamps opposite (objects are more detail than figures)
• I could put Brunel's photo on the top right on a circle.
• Used a limited colour scheme as I think it might look nice > Simplificty. But I don't know if it suitable for Brunel's style as he was an Engineer so I imagine his style of drawing was quite intricate.
• Map+ his inventions>>  so people will know the location of his inventions 
• I still don't know how to make my A1 poster, stamps and postcards work as a set.

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I want Brunel to know that he is an amazing, a genius man and I am very proud of him (even though it is impossible as he's dead). I want him to feel proud of what he did and changed the UK interim of technology and people are still using his inventions. I want the world know that he was such an amazing engineer that came from Britain.

Stamps research

I am thinking of producing British stamp as Brunel was a British Engineer.

These are typical British stamps

• 1st, 1st Large, 2nd, 2nd Large, 12p and 14p.
• 'Large' stamps' size are bigger than the normal stamp's size
• Colour : gold, blue and pink.
• Each stamp have one colour - figure's colours made out of the same tone stamp's colour - monotone?

I also looked at special events stamp. I looked at Christmas stamps, Olympic stamps etc.

Figure 1 and figure 2

Figure 3 and figure 4

I also looked at stamps for collections on Royal Mail website (click here) and these are some stamps that I found interesting.

Figure 5 and figure 6

Figure 7 and figure 8

• The stamp does have to be perfect rectangle or square.
• Figure 5 - the name of the train at the bottom right hand corner. 
• Each stamps have a silhouette of the queen either in gold or white or grey colour.
• The '1st' or '2nd' and the queen's silhouette either at the top right or left hand corner.
• Figure 1 - the illustration does not have to be full on the actual stamp.

Peer review

Research - Isambard Kingdom Brunel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isambard_Kingdom_Brunel
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maidenhead_Railway_Bridge
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Albert_Bridge
http://www.ikbrunel.org.uk/box-tunnel
http://www.ikbrunel.org.uk/ss-great-eastern


Documentary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K00xt_cxbI

Engineering/ mechanical drawing > technical, straight lines and very accurate style of drawing. (something like these)

Follow Zatul Fakharuldn's board OUIL406 - Brief 3 on Pinterest.

•  Graph paper to draw my illustrations ?
• Grey colour paper for the background
• Line drawing using a fine-liner - the same thickness of lines
• The drawing - Monochrome, accurate and exhausted drawing of an object
• Tiny thumbnail around the drawing.

http://www.ikbrunel.org.uk/index.php?id=1

Isambard Kingdom Brunel , Saltash bridge

 

The SS Great Eastern , Thames tunnel (The first under a river tunnel)

Clifton Suspension bridge, SS Great Western

 

3 persons

Transport

I kept changing my ideas from Avatar the Last Airbender, to flying transport, to cars, to trains, and lastly to escalators. I found it difficult to illustrate stuff from different angles and depths. I don't know if this counts as cheating but I found a photograph which I had taken in London a few years ago and traced it. I changed the figures and the layout slightly.

^This is the photo (Y)

Sketch 1 and sketch 2

By using a light box, I traced the photograph (Y) and created sketch 1. There are a few errors such as 

• the cat's hand looks weird
• the cat's clothes look wrong
• the light bulbs do not look the same - some of them are sharper than the others.
• the panel's angle at the back looks wrong
• the people behind the goat look wrong - the angle

Because there were  too many errors, I decided to redraw by using tracing paper (sketch 2). Then I scanned>digital painted in Photoshop. I forgot to add the wood texture for sketch 2 so I had to manipulate wood pattern on sketch 1 into sketch 2 in Photoshop.

Figure 1

 I digitally painted my drawing in Photoshop by using the pen tool. I decided to use pastel colours as I think they are attractive and I did use pastel colour pallet in OUIL406 and it was success.

Figure 2 and 3

I had a problem with mixing two colours into one. At first I used the brush tool and it came out with figure two but then I realised I could use the gradient tool (G) and this worked (figure 3). I still needed to use the lasso tool around the area so the gradient effect would not affect the rest of the drawing.

Figure 4 and figure 5

I am really bad at adding shade. Actually this is my first artwork where I played with shade. My inspiration was Kate Hindly and I looked at how she added shade to her work so I tried to do the same. 

Figure 4 - I tried to add some blush but it looked wrong especially with the characters' expression looking pretty serious

• Near the arms
• Shadow - darker tone of colour - grey ?
• Decided where the light is so all the shadows will be in the same direction 

I got a grey colour and just added some shade at the edges and shadowed part of the body and it did not turn as well as I expected. I think I needed to use a darker tone colour rather than grey colour (for shading)

Figure  6

I picked a darker tone of colour to add a shadow effect to my artwork and it worked. I needed to make sure all the shadows were on the same layer just in case I needed to change anything.

Figure 6 

This is how it looked and I am pleased with it. I think I am starting to like digital painting now. I thought applying shadow into your work would be hard but I was wrong. It took me less than five minutes. So hopefully, starting from now, I will put shadows within my work rather than leave it as flat illustration style.

I think my final artwork looks slightly different - I think this is due to the effect of tracing paper. 

Evaluation OUIL406 Brief 2

 4A7   Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between visual language, visual communication and problem solving in the development of appropriate solutions to defined problems. (Knowledge & Understanding - Research and Critical Awareness)

• I have produced 4 postcards that represent well known cities which are Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Dubai and New Delhi. At the beginning of the brief, I decided to pick two cities that I know  well  and two countries that I hardly know and have never been to - so I can gain some knowledge.
• I did a lot of research for each area. I did a mind map for each country and got some in-depth understanding and information from my research. 
• I expanded my research from looking only at sightseeing to include transport, culture, celebrations, well known figures, currency, symbolics, native animals, etc as I thought these would be interesting to illustrate and challenging to find out about.

 4B6 Demonstrate a critical awareness of individual intentions in the production and contextualisation of work related to appropriate creative practices in illustration. (Cognitive Skills - Problem Analysis, Problem Solving)

• I had quite a few problems while I was making my postcards. The first problem that I had was that although I know how to use Illustrator and feel confident with it but I did not want to repeat the same style and technique that I have been using for past years on Illustrator. My final postcards are still flat (without tone as usual) but I learnt a technique called 'live trace'. I used this technique to create some patterns from images.
• I also had a problem with my South Korean postcard where my peer group could not recognise that it is represent South Korea. So I had had to go back to do further primary and secondary research and it worked.

 4C8 Identify, evaluate and select appropriate practical and conceptual approaches to the development of visual solutions to set problems. (Practical Skills - Technical Competence and Practical Development)

• I did illustrate a lot of random images that related to each city but for my final postcards, I decided to put the 'key' objects e.g. some well known buildings, transport, sport etc. 
• I didn't do many sketches for each area for this brief except ideas development in general. this is because my I traced images from Illustrator (working with photographs instead of from sketches)

 4C9 Demonstrate the ability to incorporate visual skills and sensitivity to appropriate media in the development of a body of individually identified responses to set briefs. (Practical Skills - Visual Quality and Conceptual Development)

• My illustrations are simplified but legible - Good
• For the first time I decided to apply pastel colour  within my work. 
• I also had to make sure that I used the same tone of colour for each postcard. e.g. the same green colour for any postcards that have green colour. - to make them work as a set. 

 4D6 Effectively manage time and resources in order to document, present and evaluate a self-determined body of work in response to set briefs. (Key Transferable Skills - Organisation, Communication and Evaluation )

• I don't think I have managed my time effectively as there are so many other modules that need to be done and I was panicking as well. I think this is because I didn't do any 'to do list' until the final week of OUIL406 brief 2. 
• I kept asking different people to guess my postcard cities and most of them got them right; so I imagine my postcards are successful.
• I was pleased with my postcards until we had a crit where we had to stick our postcards on the wall. It made me realise that my postcards are so simple compared to my friends'. I think this is because I did graphic design for two years and have been taught to keep everything simple and neat. However, if I had more time I might further develop my final postcards just for fun as I made all my illustrations on Illustrator and they are vector so I can scale them up or down freely.

Final crits feedback

My last minutes weekly to do list.

Final Postcards

 

Dubai, UAE

New Delhi, India

Seoul, Korea

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia