Monday 15 April 2013

FIELD TRIP!!!


 
 
On Friday i went to the wonderful field trip forum set up for creative people in all the different areas of design. they had a great selection of speakers who had specific skill sets and processes which the ranged quite far.

 The first speaker was the very talented Eamon Donnelly who’s love for milk bars was very clear in his style. He had a combination hand drawn and digital in his technique which started with a sketch and then developed into digital filling and perfecting.

He was an obvious aussie fella who loved his heritage and told us of touching childhood stories.
Here is a link to his website: http://eamondonnelly.com/

http://www.lostateminor.com/2013/01/30/eye-popping-caricatures-by-australian-artist-eamon-donnelly/



The second speaker was the very funny Ben Sanders who’s relaxed attitude towards his beloved industry is inspiring. His work was clearly the complete opposite to Donnelly’s stylistically and in both their chosen processes which showed a great juxtaposition to individual talent and voice. He actually had apposing advice to Donnelly also which I think helped the forum speak to a wider audience.

Here is a link to his website:  http://www.bensanders.com.au/
 
The third speaker was the lovely Madeleine Stamer who I have loved personally for quite some time now. She was a thrill to listen to mostly because of how much you she loved her job and the passion she puts into every job she receives. She did a completely practical work process example which gave you such insight to how she develops all her charming designs.
It was quite adorable because at the beginning of her talk, the mike was sitting over her heart and was picking up the fast passed beats which was being produced by it. You could fully appreciate the level of her nerves which made me love her that little bit more.
Here is a link to her website: http://www.littlecircusdesign.com/
 
 
The fourth speaker was the very talented font designer Luke Lucas who always amazes me with his ability in digital design and knowledge of form.
Though not the best at captivating an audience, he made it up by wowing us with his abilities. He produced a design for the forum from the very beginning which was wonderful to watch and  helped us get closer to understanding his detailed techniques.
Here is a link to his website: http://www.lukelucas.com/
http://www.lukelucas.com/#Field-Trip (image he produced for us)
 
The second last speaker to enlighten us was Mimi Leung who spoke the most to me personally. Her work and style links to mine the most out of the speakers with its use of bright colours and cartoonish fictional figures. She helped me get back to a place where I had not been for a while which is a place of creative necessity. She reminded me that I had to do this to be happy for she also needed to produce to be fulfilled. A wonderful artist and designer who I will support all the way.
Her is a link to her website: http://www.mimileung.co.uk/
http://www.mimileung.co.uk/ (image she produced for us)
 
The final speaker was the quirky Oslo Davis who had the sense of humour of everyone’s dads. I enjoyed his talk the least because it did not connect with me. His technique didn’t really impress me and his direction was very different to mine. The rest of the audience seemed to love him though with laughing frequently being heard around the hall. It didn’t really have anything to do with Oslo personally, it was just that his style didn’t resinate with me personally. A nice character though.
Here is a link to his website: http://www.oslodavis.com/

 
 
http://danrule.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/oslos-angst/

Tuesday 2 April 2013

Further development for small concept

 
I have decided to approach the Okami yokai character vastly different to how it is traditionally known.  The wolf will not have a realistic figure but more of an abstract block shape to form the body. The features of the face shall not resemble what is traditionally seen as a wolfs face. I want to keep only a few small attributes which could be recognised as wolf like. These features will be its tale, the shape of its eyes and the fur on its back. (most probably)
 
I found myself watching an episode of hoarders on television on the weekend in a zombie like state. My brain was switched off and I was just staring at the screen without thought. The screen eventually presented footage of a baby kitten which had fallen behind a desk in this rubbish filled house so that the owner could not reach the newly born sweetheart. As they picked up the huddled corps of the kitten, I saw that the umbilical cord was still attached and it had flattened and dried almost like a paper mache sculpture. The position which the kitten took resinated with me as did the flatness which the side took which was leaning against the floor.

I envisage the structure of the image to somewhat resemble this with a stiffness and awkwardness of the body of the wolf. Since this type of wolf has completely died out and what is left is the memory of it’s existence as a yokai character, the reference of this poor little kitten in its posture for me, go hand in hand and is a prefect representation of a spiritual entity.
I will present it as if it is leaping through the air, mid pounce onto its victim. Though I want the image to be flat so you could also perceive it to be dead, lying on the ground like the kitten.
Here are some more ref images which i have been looking at for inspiration:

 
 
 
 
 
Age of Omuktlans by Curiot 


                                     A Dog’s Treasure by John Ryrie
 
 
                                           Girl with a Kitten by Lucian Freud
 
 

                               Black Cat Leaping by David Hockney    
 

 
White Byrd by Rona Green
 

                                                   (not sure of title) Adolf Wolfli