If at first you don't succeed ... Try, Try, Try Again ...

I am using this blog as my sketchpad. Which is kind of different for me as normally I begin producing most of my work from drawings. I am perhaps a little too old school for my own good. I do feel that over the three years my ability has improved working within Adobe software, though I do still pretty much hand draw most of my ideas first.

As a result this will probably mean that I will post a lot more. I apologise if there is anything that you don't feel is relevant. I am merely doing what I would do if I was working in a sketchpad.... (though perhaps not including what i am listening to as i do it)...

These are some drawings I worked on last night. I was attempting trying to reproduce some styles from tattoo books, while searching for business card font inspiration.

It has been a while since I have drawn, so I was doing them for practice and my own benefit really.

I drew the first one in pencil. Traced it a few times and then eventually re-drew it in black pen..

It's not perfect, though I'm quite pleased with this first attempt.

Pencil:



1st Trace: (pen on tracing paper)

Cleaned up in Photoshop:

Colour Added: (just messing to see what it was like)



2nd Trace: (black pen on tracing paper)



Cleaned up in Photoshop:


Black Pen: (complete with annoying hand smudge)


Some different ideas:

Black Pen:



Black Pen:



Very quick colour edit: (not the colours i would use)

Business Card Idea 1

Ok, so this really is just an extension of my last post. I went back and revised the design of my face collage in Illustrator and developed it a little further.

I really just had a bit more time to do some work, as a result I made up a little back of a business card with the image on. If I were to use a design like this, my initial thinking is that I would have the image on one side and the details on the other .... So I guess the image below would be the "back".




Business Card:


I may even add my name to this back design also? Once I have explored text/font styles further. It's hard to see with the white background, but the composition of the image, is designed so that it covers about 2/3rds of the space of the card dimensions (8.5 x 5.5cm).

As I said previously, I probably will not use this idea as a final business card. It was a work that I started while trying to achieve a style for a video production. I do quite like it as a concept though.

Rotoscope

This is actually an idea that we are thinking of using in our group Video Production module, but it gave me the opportunity to test out a few ideas in Illustrator.

I think potentially there is some creative ideas for a business card there also - though maybe not entirely practical. Possibly the black pen or collage face at the bottom... Though it needs way more work ... I have only been working on these today....

Already for the collage one I would re-do it by tracing my face first to get more detailed definition in the face.

(I wanted to put these on for Jack and Hong to see also).

My Jay-Z Tribute

Black and White

photo, crossword, newspaper, dice, mime, prison, zebra, stripes, scrabble, grainy, jay-z, the beatles, checkers, chess, penguin, tuxedo, licorice, skunk, yin yang, football, bar code, skull and crossbones, pirate flag, piano, cow, clockwork orange


The Black and White concept is a more simple straight forward solution. It may be a little too safe. Though just about anything could be done with black and white and it has a crisp, clean feel and if done well could look quite stylish.

I worry about a lack of total colour, but I assume the work would provide that compliment.

My initial thinking behind this idea was in relation to what Mariana said about thinking of a way to direct people ... An idea I had was to put a massive design of a crossword on the floor of the space, somehow utilizing the words within to provide direction to different sections of the exhibit? In terms of style of work?

Also in terms of any kind of 'dress' ... black and white is a pretty straight forward solution.

Again, it was just an idea I wanted to put down on paper. I will attempt to draw some pictures as a complimentary visual when I have a little more time.


This is a very rough sketch of what I had in my head for the crossword idea: (from above)

The 80's

rubix cube, sweets, big cell phones, technology, bad technology, space invaders, pacman, video games, atari, music, hip-hop, breakdancing, cocaine, PC, first mac, big, chunky, colourful, plastic, sixteen candles, speak and spell, michael jackson, bad haircuts, graffitti, pogo balls, cabbage patch kids, star wars toys, cassette tapes, neon, disco, footloose, drugs, the goonies, electro, only fools and horses

This is what I would consider a simpler and easily achievable idea. Taking elements of eighties culture and using them as props within our workspace to create a minimalistic yet effectively themed space.

To make items like rubix cube, using stencils to make space invaders or pacman imagery. I felt it could create a platform, for a fun, quirky yet creatively designed space. a strong use of colour, materials, music and fabric from the era. The 80's is a vast period of varying styles with a wide platform to ultilise. The above brainstorming is simply what my memory serves up as fondness. There is a melting pot of 80's to dip into.

Traditional Sweets and Toys could be used and the eighties was essentially the birth of mainstream computer technology with the introduction of the PC and the birth of video game development (areas of interest throughout all our pathway's.)

Mexico

sugar skulls, cavaleras, mexican wrestler mask, lucha libre, tequila, tattoos, dr. lakra, skulls, day of the dead, sombreros, pinata, bandito, chilango, aztec, bright, vivid, poncho, music, colour, texture, beer, catrinas, santa muerte, chipotle, corona, burrito, cactus, frida kahlo


This was another idea considered through initial brainstorming. On reflection it would be fun but possibly not quite right for the style of theme we are looking for? In relation to the work that is likely to be displayed.

My thinking behind this was that it would be an idea in tribute to Mariana for her help and appreciate her culture through our eyes.

And initially my thinking was that it would tie in with the date of the exhibition week - as the Cinco de Mayo (5th of may) (a celebration of mexican-american culture) is the day after the exhibition ends.

(Though I do appreciate it is a more Americanized celebration than traditional Mexican)

But, Hey .... It was just an idea ..

My apologies if any of my brainstorming is stereotypical it is not intended to be so, it is merely a collection of fast thoughts that I like about Mexico