IT IS ALL ABOUT PRODUCTION !

A Brief History of Production

A double-page spread of
Gutenberg's Bible

Production has undergone a monumental transformation and has evolved to bring it a step closer to perfection. Printmaking is a very important means of production as it enables us to freely communicate visually in order to convey a message. That being said, there are various printmaking techniques used such as woodcut printmaking, engraving, etching, mezzotint, monoprint among many others.  

Johannes Gutenberg

 Nevertheless, despite the earliest printed book said to have been the Diamond Sutra (in Asia) in about 400 A.D by means of woodcut printmaking, the first book ever printed in Europe was the Bible in 1455 by Johannes Gutenberg subsequently to his invention of the movable type printing press. The device was contrived in 1440 and works with the application of pressure to an inked surface resting on a print medium (paper, cloth…), transferring the ink as a result. Gutenberg developed apparatus and techniques for molding letters from matrices using an instrument called the hand mould.

Gutenberg's first print-press

To print the Bible, red and black ink were used as part of the rubricating process, with several sheets printed twice. He developed an oil-based ink proving ideal for metal type as opposed to water-based inks used by scribes. The type was a number of unique characters, each with both uppercase and lowercase forms; the printing of the Bible thus required the use of 290 characters.

All in all production was once a very long process, which required a lot of patience and meticulous precision that nowadays appears to be hard to come by.

The Experts    

From the experts listed, the work of Neville Brody caught my attention. Firstly, I completely agree with his point of view on design.

“There is no such thing as bad design – 

                  only inappropriate design”

Design is mostly subjective and cannot appeal to everyone, but that doesn’t make it bad design.

Brody’s work has definitely enabled him to qualify as an expert in the field because he has grasped how to get a message out by grabbing the attention of viewers, thereby intriguing them to look closer by his clever combination of type and image manipulation.

His work shows diversity and more importantly experimentation. It was condemned back at university by his tutors who emphasized more economically safe strategies as opposed to a more free expression through experimentation. He has worked on the artwork in the music industry, magazine cover designs (Time, The Guardian…) and what’s more, he has pushed boundaries, creating new typefaces in order to find new ways of communicating using visual text. Having obtained a Fine Art Foundation and a Printing Degree Brody has broadened his creative mind, which is reflected in his strongly expressive creations.

To put it in a nutshell, it is by the means of experimentation with type as well as image in addition to working for magazine, music records and pushing the limits to create new and original productions that Neville Brody has earned his name to be part of the experts for aspiring artists of the field to be inspired by.

Development of Ideas and Structure in Moving Image.

STORY DEVELOPMENT: THREE ACT STRUCTURE

The three-act structure is present not only in the film industry, but also in stories, theatre, etc. It is the base of the story, dividing a screenplay into a three parts called the Setup, the Confrontation and the Resolution. It is perceived as the storytelling law as it is the most logical approach to writing a story or screenplay.

I will explain the three-act structure by analyzing it within the animated film Megamind, released in 2010.

Part 1: the Setup.

The Setup introduces us to the different characters, their relationship to one another, in their normal setting. Here we have an ongoing rivalry between Good (Metro Man) and Evil (Megamind), with Metro Man continuously defeating Megamind following a repetitive and routine pattern and the television reporter Roxy, constantly kidnapped by Megamind. Roxy despises Megamind and praises Metro Man.

Finally, he defeats Metro Man, and takes over the city. Now purposeless, Megamind decides to create a new hero.

Part 2: the Confrontation.

The Confrontation denotes a disturbance in the stability of the situation.

Megamind develops feelings for Roxy and discovers he doesn’t HAVE to be bad.

Megamind and his right hand man Minion have a falling out because of Megamind’s weakness for Roxy who makes him good instead of evil.

Roxy discovers Megamind’s deception and trickery to seduce her by hiding his identity.

Cal who was chosen to be the Hero turns evil and terrorizes the city.

This creates a turn of events, as Megamind is now in the position of the Hero as opposed to the start of the film, where he was in fact the villain of the story. He must stop Cal and save the city.

Part 3: The Resolution.

The Resolution is as the name suggests, the resolution of the story and the overcoming of all the obstacles from the second part. The third part leaves the protagonist and the other characters with a different and improved perception of who they really are.

Megamind stops the villain, Roxy sees the good in him and they are united, and he becomes a symbol of Good.

FUTURE FILM: DIGITAL STORYTELLING

For a TV series, a game or a film to be successful, word of mouth will just not do the trick. These days, the point is basically to plaster the series, film or game everywhere on order to “seduce” as many as possible. That is the spark, and then it spreads like wildfire. The series True Blood is the perfect example. It is a series involving many mythical creatures, but it is not appealing solely to fantasy freaks. Many elements have been incorporated in order to touch a vast audience. There’s violence, blood, romance, comedy, sex.

 It is not just for women, not just for men, but for both. The advertizing and the use of different platforms allow this large diverse public to discover the series; evidently, different websites devoted to it were put in place. However, documentaries were produced, appealing posters. A comic book was also created later based on the series, thus attracting perhaps comic readers who wouldn’t have known about it otherwise. Now, the series is an immense success, and word of mouth becomes obsolete.

The Internet, magazines, comic books, and television; their combination touches all kinds of audiences, guaranteeing an engaged audience.  

            

PRODUCTION & OUTCOMES - influences & reactions

Interpretation


Where does inspiration come from? To be inspired, creative’s do all sorts of things, reading books, taking a stroll in the park, among other things. They can be inspired by things they’ve seen, heard, touched, tasted or even smelled, just about anything. They take in whatever is happening around them, in a specific time and place that are surely revealed in their work, though not always in the most obvious way.
Works of literature are entertaining and interesting, but one look into the background of the author as well as his time will teach you a great deal more and consequently make much more sense.
I’ve decided to use the illustrations of Robin Hood as an example, as it is a classic and there have been many interesting interpretations throughout time. 

The first, dating back to 1845, is by Daniel Maclise. Despite Robin Hood being an English folktale from medieval times, we find ourselves in a time when industrialisation was at the heart of either the improvement or severe depression of living standards, as well as the bad treatment of the poor. This, you can see, can easily relate to the historical context of Robin Hood, who ‘steals from the rich to give to the poor’ in a difficult economic situation. The illustration is a rather realistic depiction of Robin and his merry men, with looks of hopelessness and despair on the faces of the poor. There is a young man at Robin’s feet, clutching his stomach from hunger. 1845 also marks the time of the Irish potato famine. A coincidence perhaps? Or inspiration to discreetly protest with an obvious reference?

1973. Disney brings to life Robin Hood using anthropomorphism. Incidentally, it is the time of the 73-74 stock market crash. Sure enough, Disney remarked that it was to ‘get out of their financial woe’, this using vivid colours, as well as their signature anthropomorphic characters.

We can see that Maclise’s work aims to make a bold statement in regard to the dire situation as opposed to Disney, who worked toward recognizing the situation, all the while uplifting morale by presenting a positive outcome in the end. 

Testing your work

It is hard to find success as an artist, a visual communicator, because there is so much competition. There are plenty who may have superb work, but without showcasing it, there is no way success will come and find them. 

Italian artist Blu, rose to fame as an artist by displaying his work in the open, starting with illicit graffiti painted in the historical centre in Bologna. He developed his own style  and began recording and displaying his work online, where art galleries noticed Blu’s artistic value and invited him to take part to one-man or collective shows. Expanding into the moving image network with his crossover to stop-motion animation as well as setting up a website has made him widely known and popular as an artist.

It is important to use all platforms available to showcase one’s work in order to appeal to all kinds of people with different styles. It builds up confidence, with positive as well as negative feedback motivating and influencing the work, making one worthy of success in the art world. You never know who is watching!

RESEARCH : TONE OF VOICE : LEGIBILITY : VISUAL HIERARCHY.

Legibility


In visual communication, there are certain elements that are key to success. There are many things to bear in mind when creating a piece of work, such as the target audience, the message you want to convey but more importantly, how you want to convey it. There is no use in writing the most interestingly informative piece of writing if no one is going to read it. The trick is to draw attention to it, that’s where legibility comes in. Large letters, bright colours, different fonts…these are some of many tools a visual communicator utilizes in order to effectively relate his or her message.  

The image on the left for instance, is an issue of The New York Times from 1908. We can see seven columns with single spaced, small type text. Granted, the article headings are bigger than the articles themselves but all in all it is a compilation of words, which doesn’t seem like the kind of thing you want to be squinting to read first thing in the morning.


This more recent issue of The New York Times however (on the right), gives clues as to what you’re about to read, using images as well as different font sizes, clear article separations, using italics to stress something in particular.

Nevertheless, we must make a distinction between Legibility and Readability. There are some mistakes to be found where it is impossible to read something or it is downright annoying. It is obvious though when it is done on purpose; many typefaces aim to create a typographic statement, or to blend with the spirit of the piece.

In short, type must be legible to make it readable, but making type more legible doesn’t necessarily increase readability.

Researching the Practice

There’s no way to enter the world of visual communication (or any other for that matter) clueless and start working at random. There must have been something, someone that inspired us to embark in such or such field. It is that spark which ignites our curiosity and our thirst for knowledge expands. We start by liking the idea of an artist, the style…then we wonder how they did it, and we start scouring for answers via the internet, books, everything. It’s because we want to be like them, or at least a unique version of them. This then becomes part of our working routine – to research. 

It is vital to know a lot about our field as well as about particular projects. It enables us to be as creative and original as we can be, and opens our minds to all kinds of possibilities! Instead of just one solution to a problem, why not dozens? Why not more even? Only by searching and finding and trying all sorts of things can you have a real choice.

By doing a lot of research, whether new techniques, new ideas or new sources of inspiration, you define yourself as an artist; finding what you like and what you don’t, you create your own style.

David Carson made a name for himself by manipulating type and photography, twisting them together in order to confuse the message, but in reality drawing attention deeper within the composition.

RESEARCH AND INSPIRATION.

By understanding the various ‘practices & processes’ of illustrators, designers, photographers one is able to progress and advance one’s own practice.

Art is born from pretty much everything. Most of the time, artists are inspired by the simplest of things, and manage to create something extraordinary from them.

Our zest to practice art usually kindles from our love of another’s work. To admire an artist is to admire all of their work, which has defined the style that has made us want to “walk in their shoes”. Of course we want to imitate that style in order to create our own. After all, our tastes and experiences define who we are, both as people as well as artists and therefore the ones we admire are a part of who we are, which reflects in our personal work.

Natchez, Mississippi - 1947
Henri-Cartier Bresson

However, what was it about the art of those we appreciate that urged us forward? Curiosity. How did they create something so simple yet so brilliant? Curiosity is crossing the line between spectator and artist. If inspired by a photojournalist’s work such as Henri Cartier-Bresson for example, you’d want to know what camera he used, what he got his inspiration from and how he executed his ideas. It gives new insight to ways of working that you couldn’t have thought about otherwise. 

 "For me the camera is a sketch book, an instrument of intuition and spontaneity, the master of the instant which, in visual terms, questions and decides simultaneously. It is by economy of means that one arrives at simplicity of expression." 

This quote teaches us that to create something doesn’t have to be a meticulous calculation, that sometimes we have to stop thinking about what we want to do, just do it, and you might be pleasantly surprised by what you find! Therefore it is worth looking at how different artists think and work because it inspires us to push our own boundaries and personally thrive.

The application and evaluation of drawing and media experimentation    is key to the development of a ‘personal’  Visual Vocabulary.

It is difficult as artists to have a distinct and unique style as we set off in the world of art, and most of the time, we don’t have one from the very beginning. It all starts when we learn how to draw, the basics. We are introduced to different materials and techniques that enable us to tell apart what do and don’t like; perhaps we trust the pencil and prefer creating black and white images, or maybe we would rather freely use plenty of colour using watercolours.

"I couldn't draw very well, so I had to stick stuff down." - Lizzie Finn

However, we may not be strong drawers altogether, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have what it takes to be an artist. If anything, art is about communicating visually, no matter how.

Ken Carbone’s sketchbooks consist mostly of collage and his manipulation of existing images. By collecting words, paper, and his own experiences, he has created a name for himself without needing to create a painstakingly detailed drawing. 

All in all, there is no way to develop our own style unless we’ve tried it all and decided on what we like and what will make our name as artists. It becomes our identity and the way we communicate with the world, our own visual vocabulary.

CONNECTIVITY

Cultural Context within your chosen medium.

Art is the most personal practice there is. Whether you look at music, paintings, or photographs, the artist always reveals a part of himself in his or her work.

The main source of inspiration of artists is, first and foremost, themselves. The final work can either be a reflection of their opinion towards something, their protest, their feelings or any number of things; that said it is always a reflection of one particular moment in time, event or circumstance.

There is never a random piece of art; at least not one that is worthy of the name. It may seldom be obvious to those who see the work, but there is still a story behind it and it is the context in which the piece was created that brings a whole new perspective to it.

The cultural context is crucial in both understanding a work of art, but also in the making of it; talent is one thing to possess…what matters more though, is the emotion that went into the work, and why.  By understanding the cultural context he’s in, the artist creates a connection with the audience that is powerful and goes beyond simple aesthetic appreciation.

Helen Wilson, standing by one of many paintings depicting
the aftermath of the Rwanda Genocide of 1994. Having met
survivors and visited the genocide sites, she revealed
through a series of paintings both the beauty of Rwanda
and "the resilience of its people in the face of a massive
human tragedy"

For example, if artists don’t know in depth the cultural background of what they’re depicting and get facts wrong in their final piece, it ultimately reflects poorly on them as creators and perhaps even nullifies their work. 

Pastiche, Synchronicity or Conceptual Appropriation

There are so many amazing works of art: photographs, paintings, illustrations, sculptures, and even films. When an artist pastiches another artist’s work, there could be several reasons for doing so:  he or she wants to make meaning by merging motifs or techniques borrowed from other sources, pay tribute to the original creator, or perhaps merely for satirical intent. They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery...

David Tribe's adaptation of Paul
Cezanne's "The Card Players",
transformed into a cartoon
by the addition of the speech
bubble. 

Sometimes, it is obvious an artist has based his work on a particular creation of another. Other times, the work is inspired by the original artist’s style, which is defined as Conceptual Appropriation. The question is: where do you draw the line between inspiration and theft?

When a piece of work is actually duplicated, instead of noticeably followed the distinct style, then it is thought of as theft whereas when only certain shapes or techniques are borrowed in order to create a new and original piece of work falls into the category of imitation.

Be that as it may, there may be extreme situations where the similarity between two productions is purely coincidental. When you think about it there are scores of artists around the world whose minds always wander in thought of new and unique ideas but coming up with a completely unrepeatable one is near impossible. 

All in all, though it may be difficult to tell the difference between original, pastiches, conceptually appropriated or synchronized oeuvres, the artists always leave us clues, whether it is the date of creation or a simple brushstroke for us to find.

Van Gogh's Sunflowers.

Homage to Van Gogh: Sunflowers, by Jane
Elizabeth Perkins 

DEVELOPMENT OF CREATIVE THOUGHT AND STRUCTURE IN ILLUSTRATION AND GRAPHIC ART

Developing Ideational Fluency

Artists are defined as those skilled enough to create what is considered a work of art. Art in turn can be a great many things, from a photograph to a sculpture and beyond. However, originality is what tells artists apart from simply talented drawers or amateur photographers for instance.

When looking at certain famous works of art, such as Picasso’s line art, it is easy to say: “Anyone could have drawn that camel with just one stroke of the pencil”. However, the artist is the one who thinks, but also does. He or she finds inspiration in the unlikeliest of places, and manages to make of it something extraordinary.    

This however is merely the result of Ideational Fluency. Art can be described as a language that, like any other, has to be learnt in order to be understood. Ideational fluency is the path to success in art; one allows ideas to be unleashed and allow all kinds of possibilities to surface instead of discarding options just because they may seem too basic or perhaps even idiotic.

Making lists is the simplest, most common way to create a train of thought, or train of ideas. As one makes a list, images and ideas come to mind that we hadn’t contemplated before. Nevertheless, being able to translate them into images and immediately generating visual ideas is what ideational fluency is all about. 

Jill Calder, an illustrator since 1993, always carries a sketchbook to record her thoughts whenever, wherever. She combines words and images to formulate her thoughts, which in the long run, may or may not be part of a final piece of work. 

Anything and everything should be recorded, however exceptional or banal they may be. In the end, ideas pop into our heads all the time, but we usually don’t take the time to put them on paper…for all we know, those ideas could have been the source of something amazing.

Managing a Creative Environment

Any type of work is always paired with a particular environment or surrounding. At his desk, the accountant always keeps his calculator and equipment close, the plumber carries his tools in a box, and artists surround themselves with just about everything. If anything can be a source of inspiration for an artist, then anything can be used to bring that idea to life, to attribute image to thought.

My own personal workspace during a project...
Tidying up is always useless in the end!

An artist’s environment is a reflection of that person: who they are, what they like, collect, hoard over time. It enables him or her to work without having to interrupt their creative flow because of a lack of materials for instance.

Generally, it is hard to find an artist whose working environment is perfectly neat and tidy. Most tend to find clarity and order in what usually appears to be a complete and utter chaos of a studio. Nevertheless, the clutter is filled with things that define us, they are there because we want them to be. At some point, that clutter will be a part of the touch that makes the work our own unique creation.

This photo is of Irish-born British figurative painter Francis Bacon's studio, filled with over 7,500 items. He said: "It's much easier for me to paint in a place like this which is a mess" 

The Reflective Visual Journal (RVJ)

Principle 1: Draw. Work by hand.

“Drawing is thinking”…

We are all artists, without exception; at least, we are in the beginning. Picasso once said: 

"All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up". 

Art is a language that all can interpret; it needs no translation to be seen or to be heard. Artists have the power to make communication limitless by using their hands in order to speak. There are no boundaries; drawing fills the gaps in our minds, which cannot be filled simply with words and pictures.

This is perfectly illustrated through the work of Spanish artist and graphic designer Pep Carrió who in 2007, challenged himself to create a new image everyday.

 “A sketchbook is like a kind of portable laboratory … a memory warehouse.” 

Pep Carrió

This page of his visual diary is a testament of putting thought on paper merely by drawing with no words whatsoever. His unique sketches enables one to imagine his thoughts and emotions. 

This particular image shows branch-like lines separating the figure from the rest of the world, a silhouette faced towards an impenetrable obstacle. This may represent a rather obscure time (or day) in Carrió's life which he chose to share in the form of a simple, yet complex sketch.

Principle 3: Develop Visual Language.

The purpose of this type of work "is to help my
quickly fading memory" Sean Adams

This principle is about thinking directly with images, put down on paper exactly what we are thinking with whatever there is at one's disposal instead of writing everything down and then spending precious time beating around the bush trying to find a good enough way to illustrate it. 

Graphic designer Sean Adams takes advantage of colours and images, but his work remains plain and simple. He uses of the mind-mapping technique in order to better organize his thoughts in his work towards a final product. It is direct, effective, and one could say he ‘speaks’ clearly in his reflection.