Essential facts for completing your assignment

This is a practice-as-research theory module. It is not a practical module like the others but one in which you are asked to think about the topic you are studying, conduct your own investigations, and add to the practical exercises by demonstrating that you have done your own research into the methods of the named artists.

Deadline is Monday 12 Dec midnight

Deadline is Monday 12 Dec midnight...not Wednesday as it appears on the timetable apparently, apologies

Methodologies for final topic - Political

Methodologies for the Political Cartoonist: (Pick any 4)

1. Visual metaphor (eg, eating ships instead of sinking them)

2. Pastiche of famous painting or artwork ( Bell's version of Toulouse-Lautrec, Gillray's Three Witches)

3. Anthropomorphism (eg Pit the mushroom, Ed Milipanda)

4 "Angry", expressive dip pen and ink line, splatters, etc, contrasted with regular forms such as concentric circles for eyes (Scarfe, Steadman)

5. Emphasis of facial features (classic caricature) 
See: http://www.tomrichmond.com/2008/02/14/how-to-draw-caricatures-1-the-5-shapes/

6. Parody of plot and characters from  a popular TV show, film or book (EG Star Wars)

7. 3-D caricature such as found in Spitting Image by Fluck and Law
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRF6ml-J6t0

Friday 25 November - Final Topic - Political Cartoons / Satire

James Gillray, "the Plumb-pudding in Danger" hand coloured etching 1790s

This Friday we start the final topic, looking at political satire.
We will analyse the different methods satirical cartoonists and puppeteers have used including
Parody, Allegory, caricature and exaggeration. We will look at the artist Steve Bell in the present day, but also refer to the work of Gerald Scarfe, Ralph Steadman and the historical prints of the late 18th and early 19th century in England.

Friday 18 November - Concept Art Techniques

Techniques from Stephen Cooper's visit last year: : Stephen mentioned some interesting idea generation methods for landscape which were developed by Surrealist Max Ernst & I would like you to try out, see tab above 

Friday 11 November - The Concept Artist

This Friday we will start a new topic which will look at some methodologies used by concept artists.
We will look at Romantic art and Renaissance art and how most concept art relies on a 'naturalistic' or 'realistic' treatment of images. This is because if it is destined to be concepts for live action films, the set or costume designers, or CGI workers will need to know as clearly as possible what it will look like. Some concept art, however, e.g. for animation, such as for the film"The Incredibles", the concept art is required to provide a 'look and feel" for the scenes and characters, and can be more stylised.
http://louromano.blogspot.co.uk/2008/10/more-incredibles.html

Lou Romano, Incredibles concept art

Friday 4 November - Editorial illustration

Tomorrow we will be creating "conceptual" illustrations using "holes in magazines" and some readymade elements. I will draw up a tutorial list for those who need it, there isn't time to offer individual tutorials to everyone so I will be looking to talk to those who haven't sent me a blog link, or who haven't uploaded much yet!

The Editorial Illustrator - What Is Editorial Illustration?

Eric Fraser, Illustration for Radio Times, 1940s

"The essence of editorial Illustration is visual commentary. Its principal function is to be symbiotic with journalism contained within the pages of newspapers and magazines. "

- MALE, A. (2007). Illustration: a theoretical and contextual perspective. Lausanne, AVA Academia.

Qualities and Functions of Editiorial Illustration:

To translate

…the ability to bring the essence of the story, its concept, but also values and intent, all beyond the text, into pictures that the reader can understand.

To reflect

…the ability for the audience to see their values, their codes reflected in the image in their magazine, and at the same the illustration as a reflection of the ideas of the illustrator and publisher.

To materialise

…the ability to use material and style to give meaning and presence, not just within the picture, but by using and exploiting the technologies that are dictated by the carrier, be it newsprint or pixels. 

To engage

Engagement, the ability to grab the audience and deliver something 

thought provoking, whether through a personal socio-politically statement or through formal impact is understood as a core quality of the editorial illustration.

From: Hoogslag, Jeanne, 2015, Thesis, On the Persistence of a Modest Medium The Role of Editorial Illustration in Print and Online Media PhD thesis, Royal College of Art

The Editorial Illustrator - What Is Editorial Illustration?

Eric Fraser, Illustration for Radio Times, 1940s

"The essence of editorial Illustration is visual commentary. Its principal function is to be symbiotic with journalism contained within the pages of newspapers and magazines. "

- MALE, A. (2007). Illustration: a theoretical and contextual perspective. Lausanne, AVA Academia.

Qualities and Functions of Editiorial Illustration:

To translate

…the ability to bring the essence of the story, its concept, but also values and intent, all beyond the text, into pictures that the reader can understand.

To reflect

…the ability for the audience to see their values, their codes reflected in the image in their magazine, and at the same the illustration as a reflection of the ideas of the illustrator and publisher.

To materialise

…the ability to use material and style to give meaning and presence, not just within the picture, but by using and exploiting the technologies that are dictated by the carrier, be it newsprint or pixels. 

To engage

Engagement, the ability to grab the audience and deliver something 

thought provoking, whether through a personal socio-politically statement or through formal impact is understood as a core quality of the editorial illustration.

From: Hoogslag, Jeanne, 2015, Thesis, On the Persistence of a Modest Medium The Role of Editorial Illustration in Print and Online Media PhD thesis, Royal College of Art

Friday 21 Oct - Sara Fanelli methodologies

For tomorrow's tutorial and practice-as-research, please bring in some collage materials
(old paper, tickets, envelopes, photographs, newspapers, magazines, comics)

https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/max-ernst-levade-the-fugitive
(Exquisite Corpse)

Oct 21 - Sara Fanelli methodologies

Using Absurdity, collage and textural interest

1) Using Fanelli’s technique of photographed and photocopied eyes on colour backgrounds, create a simple collaged image of a strange person or creature, designed to appeal to children.

- You can add simple brush drawing in gouache or ink, add quotations, notes or words, or punctuation marks.

2) Nonsense drawing generator

Photocopy some drawings from your sketchbooks. Fold the photocopies so that only part of the drawing is visible. Lay one drawing over another to create a surreal combination and either trace or photocopy the result.

Create an absurd drawing by using the surrealist game “Exquisite Corpse”.

Fold a piece of paper horizontally: one fold for each person playing the game.

Draw a design in the top section and just over the edge of the next fold.

Fold your drawing under so it is hidden, pass the paper to the next person, and ask them to repeat this step.

When a round of drawings has been completed, open the paper to reveal the composite drawing and display it.

Fanelli methodologies:

Photocollage using eyes: This references avant-garde art, and also adds a recognizable human element that acts as an “anchor” to what might be too cold and abstract a composition – Remember the “adding an eye to a blob” trick

Textural interest: By using found materials that have their own semiotic messages, Fanelli adds narrative depth and also makes the image more interesting

Scribbles and notation : Using apparent changes of mind, thoughts, notes and scribbles, Fanelli references many contemporary artists. Such artists and illustrators include Sigmar Polke, David Shrigley, Paul Davis, Donna Muir and Su Huntley, Ivan Chermayeff, Sue Coe and Oliver Jeffers.) By doing this Fanelli makes her work both more accessible to children, (who appreciate mistakes and imperfection and can relate to these aspects in their artwork, schoolwork and rough books) and adults who find the imperfections and avant-garde feel give the work an air of postmodern sophistication.

Absurd anthropomorphism - like Edward Lear

By anthropomorphising unexpected things like chairs and cutlery at a sophisticated level - (of detail and behaviour, not just making them talk)

Fanelli delights children by surprising them and being absurdly (unconventionally) funny.

Philosophical, artistic and literary quotes:
Fanelli has used innovative typography that has been very influential and widely copied. She has often used quotation (eg: "Life is a horzontal fall") that gives her work an intellectual air.

Referencing 20th century art: Fanelli has used identifiable elements from the work of Paul Klee, Marc Chagall, Max Ernst, Joan Miro, Hannah Hoch and many other artists from the various movements of the 2oth century.

Friday Oct 14 - Children's Book Illustrator

Sara Fanelli, cover for Pinocchio Dutch edition

We will be looking at the methodologies of Sara Fanelli.
These will include:
Collage, especially the use of "found" eyes, textures and old documents
Absurdity such as is found in the work of Edward Lear
Textual quotes, from philosophers and artists

Fanelli: “Everything is fed by personal research both in materials and ideas. The ideas most of the time come from marrying events and emotions in my life with texts I come across in my reading. This is the core of all the work and it feeds the general illustration commissions as well as the books….Almost all of the images are inspired by a text. They are visual interpretations of the ideas contained in the text I chose. But I have complete freedom in the way I want to express those ideas and in the degree of obscurity of the narrative”Interview with Stephen Heller, Varoom journal no.3:
http://www.hellerbooks.com/pdfs/varoom_03.pdf

Friday 7 Oct - Chris Ware's methodologies

10 am Friday - Chris Ware 2

We will discuss more aspects of CW's work and look in more depth at the kinds of methods he uses.

1) slow time: The depiction of time is often discussed in CW's work and has been widely discussed.
EG in BALL, D. M., & KUHLMAN, M. B. (2010). The Comics of Chris Ware: Drawing Is a Way of Thinking. Jackson, University Press of Mississippi. http://site.ebrary.com/id/10396000., Chapter 13, Chris Ware and the Pursuit of Slowness by Georgiana Banita
2) Clear line: This style of comics was developed by Herge in his Tintin books, and is discussed here:
http://www.pbs.org/pov/tintinandi/interview-on-cartooning/7/

"Incidentally, I stole this idea of using very carefully composed naturalistic color under a platonic black line more or less directly from Hergé, as there’s a certain lushness and jewel-like quality to his pages that also seems to hint at the way we gift-wrap our experiences as memories."

3) Use of type: CW has said " I try to use the rules of typography to govern the way that I “draw,” which keeps me at a sensible distance from the story as well as being a visual analog to the way we remember and conceptualize the world" (from PBS interview above)
4) Memory: CW comments A LOT about memory, especially here
http://www.theparisreview.org/interviews/6329/the-art-of-comics-no-2-chris-ware

"Beyond that, by modulating repeated bits of color and by playing warm and cool moments and objects against each other, I try to link various parts of a story together, sort of like the way our memories rewrite our experiences to suit the person we’d like to imagine we are, cleaning things up to suit our tastes.."

"The simple act of remembering means creating an edited, “colored” memory of something that was initially probably flabbergasting, messy, and confusing."

Welcome New Second Year!

Chris Ware, The Acme Novelty Library 11, 1998

Hi all, welcome to "The Illustrator" practice-as-research theory blog.
Have a look at the various tabs above and you will get some idea of the kind of topics/artists that we will be covering.
The format is bi-weekly, which means that we will look at each topic over a two week period,
starting with " the sequential illustrator". This will focus on the comics artist Chris Ware.
The artists featured on the other tabs will possibly be subject to change, more details will be in the new Module Guide (available soon!)

Monday 30 Nov - Steve Bell's methodologies

See the tab above for an update on SB's methods ! Recap on next week's assignment submission, and tutorials available between 2 and 3pm.

Monday 23 Nov - The Political Cartoonist

This Monday we will be looking at the history of the satirical print, the political cartoonist and focusing on the work of Guardian cartoonist Steve Bell.

Concept art topic

Following the visit by Stephen Cooper,  see the Concept tab for updates on this fortnights topics.
We will be looking at Surrealist methods which Stephen uses, and also styles of art such as 'biomechamical' as epitomised by H R Giger:

"Alien" concept art by Giger 1979

Editorial Illustration - Monday 26 October

What is Editorial illustration?

See the Editorial tab for a breakdown of this fortnight's task!

Eric Fraser, illustration for Lilliput magazine, 1930s

"The essence of editorial Illustration is visual commentary. Its principal function is to be symbiotic with journalism contained within the pages of newspapers and magazines. "

- MALE, A. (2007). Illustration: a theoretical and contextual perspective. Lausanne, AVA Academia.

Qualities and Functions of Editiorial Illustration:

To translate

…the ability to bring the essence of the story, its concept, but also values and intent, all beyond the text, into pictures that the reader can understand.

To reflect

…the ability for the audience to see their values, their codes reflected in the image in their magazine, and at the same the illustration as a reflection of the ideas of the illustrator and publisher.

To materialise

…the ability to use material and style to give meaning and presence, not just within the picture, but by using and exploiting the technologies that are dictated by the carrier, be it newsprint or pixels.

To engage

Engagement, the ability to grab the audience and deliver something

thought provoking, whether through a personal socio-politically statement or through formal impact is understood as a core quality of the editorial illustration.

From: Hoogslag, Jeanne, 2015, Thesis, On the Persistence of a Modest Medium The Role of Editorial Illustration in Print and Online Media PhD thesis, Royal College of Art

So what's the assignment then?

Assignment notes for AD 5508 “The Illustrator”

This assignment will be completed via blog posts, in no less than 5 stages, over the course of the module. Each subject heading discussed in the seminars will focus on the named illustrator or artist studied during the topic lectures and exercises.

You will compose a referenced blog post of words and practice-based visual experiments investigating the practice of at least 5 of the offered topics/artists. Each of the blog posts should be uploaded as soon as possible after they are completed.

For each of the 5 subjects e.g.Chris Ware you will produce:

1.     Chris Ware

FOUR visual experiments/explorations of methodologies

Each with written caption and Harvard reference/s

2.     Sara Fanelli and Oliver Jeffers- Children’s Book Artists

FOUR visual experiments/explorations of methodologies

Each with written caption and Harvard reference/s

3.     Self Published Artist/Editorial Illustrator TBC

FOUR visual experiments/explorations of methodologies

Each with written caption and Harvard reference/s

4.     Concept Artist Stephen Cooper

FOUR visual experiments/explorations of methodologies

Each with written caption and Harvard reference/s

5.     Political Cartoonist Steve Bell / Martin Rowson

FOUR visual experiments/explorations of methodologies

Each with written caption and Harvard reference/s

All work to be uploaded to a blog by 7 Dec with email link sent to both George and Dolores, with backup PDF or Word copy uploaded to Student Records.

Assessment and presentations of your work to be held on the Monday following the deadline.

www.sarafanelli.com

Using Absurdity, collage and textural interest: : Worksheet for Monday 19 Oct

1) Using Fanelli’s technique of photographed and photocopied eyes on colour backgrounds, create a simple collaged image of a strange person or creature, designed to appeal to children.

- You can add simple brush drawing in gouache or ink, add quotations, notes or words, or punctuation marks.

2) Nonsense drawing generator

Photocopy some drawings from your sketchbooks. Fold the photocopies so that only part of the drawing is visible. Lay one drawing over another to create a surreal combination and either trace or photocopy the result.

Create an absurd drawing by using the surrealist game “Exquisite Corpse”.

Fold a piece of paper horizontally: one fold for each person playing the game.

Draw a design in the top section and just over the edge of the next fold.

Fold your drawing under so it is hidden, pass the paper to the next person, and ask them to repeat this step.

When a round of drawings has been completed, open the paper to reveal the composite drawing and display it.

Sara Fanelli methodologies

Photocollage using eyes: This references avant-garde art, and also adds a recognizable human element that acts as an “anchor” to what might be too cold and abstract a composition – Remember the “adding an eye to a blob” trick

Textural interest: By using found materials that have their own semiotic messages, Fanelli adds narrative depth and also makes the image more interesting

Scribbles and notation : Using apparent changes of mind, thoughts, notes and scribbles, Fanelli references many contemporary artists. Such artists and illustrators include Sigmar Polke, David Shrigley, Paul Davis, Donna Muir and Su Huntley, Ivan Chermayeff, Sue Coe and Oliver Jeffers.) By doing this Fanelli makes her work both more accessible to children, (who appreciate mistakes and imperfection and can relate to these aspects in their artwork, schoolwork and rough books) and adults who find the imperfections and avant-garde feel give the work an air of postmodern sophistication.

Absurd anthropomorphism - like Edward Lear

By anthropomorphising unexpected things like chairs and cutlery at a sophisticated level - (of detail and behaviour, not just making them talk)

Fanelli delights children by surprising them and being absurdly (unconventionally) funny.