Chesterfield Market Day

These photos were taken on market day in Chesterfield, they are taken of things that I found interesting, humorous or had bright colours or strong contrasts. What I enjoyed whilst taking these photos was finding all the strange happenings and weird cultures in such an ordinary occurence. I chose to include some of the blurrier photos because I thought that they helped capture the busy atmosphere of the market.

Photographers of Note: Part 3

Carrie Mae Weems

The message in this photo is clear and bold, it communicates the racist view of beauty. Carrie faces away from the woman in the mirror as she does not want to accept this. She uses aggresive text in conjunction with the image to convey the fury she feels about the treatment of black women. I like the image overall, but I feel as though the photograph could be more powerful, especially when considering the text.

Ansel Adams

The composition in this photo really suits the subject. Its good how it emphasises the wide reach of the branches. What I love most of all in this are the strange twists and turns of the tree which make it look like something from a science fiction story. The use black and white also adds drama to the stunning scene.

William Eggleston

This photo is totally bizarre, I love how random it is and how unthinkable it would be to miss out on taking a picture. I think it also relates to how any ordinary person would react upon seeing a man play a piano in a car park; instantly take a photo. The next thing to notice is the glaring sign; that harsh white light draws your eyes in like a moth to a flame and shines like a spotlight on the piano. The gritty car park gradually becomes the mans own personal stage. Overall I really just enjoy the quirkiness of this photo.

Thorsten Brinkmann Style Photos

The pictures were taken in different lights, I prefer the first one as its much clearer to see.
   After looking at Thorsten Brinkmann's work we decided to create our own set ups. We took various scrap pieces of material and arranged them on each other in manner that resembled clothing and gave the models props.
   I enjoyed setting up ready for the shoot, I liked being able to control how the finished image would look i.e. arranging the materials, pose, choosing props etc. Due to changes in costume the pose and prop had to be changed but I still like the end piece. Feels medieval, a hunched old man on his travels, similar to how Led Zeppelin's album IV looks. I think it is a powerful stance, however, I would've liked to have used a brighter background because it is difficult to see the figure against the black. I would also have to use the original pose and prop as well. I think this is something I would like to try again in the future.

Photographers of Note: Part 2

Julia Margret Cameron

I love the soft sepia tones in this because they give a warm feel to the photograph. Even though I do not know the age of the photo, the sepia tone makes it look nostalgic and adds character to the girls face. She looks like a historic figure from someone's family tree. Altogether the image is charming and dream-like.
Henri Cartier-Bresson

This photo screams 'perfection'; the time spent preparing for exactly the right moment is incredible. It reminds me of a magician's trick, giving the illusion that the man is running on water. The composition is good, the fence separates the top third of the picture and the man is positioned on the right hand third, demonstrating the rule of thirds. There is also a sense of impending misfortune for the man as jumps ship; the viewer can clearly guess what happens next. This makes the photo light hearted and humorous.

Francesca Woodman

I find this image to be very disturbing. The woman's movements show her to be running in terror from a persuer the viewer cannot see. However, she is trapped behind the fireplace and can't escape. Upon closer inspection you can see that the woman is slightly overweight, perhaps instead of running from a physical enemy she is actually trying to escape her insecurities. This is further supported by the way she hides her face from view. The run down building works well with this idea of insecurity and fear. The photo as a whole makes the viewer feel uncomfortable.

Drawing with Light

First group attempt of drawing with light.

Second attempt.



Another group set.



Second attempt.

Sketching another person's figure.

Group sketch.

Another group sketch.

Drawing with light was certainly a fun experience, if a little dificult. Becaue you can't see the image as you're drawing it you have no idea how its going to turn out. The drawings themselves are beautiful I like how you can achieve different colours with diffirently tinted lights, they remind me of neon street signs. I think this technique is too quirky for me to use constantly but could be useful for certain situations.

Photographers of Note: Part 1

William Klein

The pose in this photograph is very powerful, the expression on the boy's face is particularly striking and your eye is immediately drawn in to him. His furious anger also seems to be mixed with a little remorse and is shared by his 'friend' who appears to be persuading him to put the gun down. The gun itself is incredibly blurry and you almost miss it at first as it is so close up. A gun has suddenly been pulled on the viewer, once you see it your senses are on alert, but why has he pulled out a gun? What led to this rapid sequence of events? Why is a kid barely 12 years old about to someone? This photo appears like a scene from a movie and makes you questions about the characters.
Robert Capa

What I love in this photograph is the contrast. On the one hand you have a bullethole ridden wall of a war-torn street and on the other, three children smiling and laughing together. Even though these people have lost everything around them they continue to make their way through life as best they can.

Steven Klein

The colours in this are simply gorgeous, from her  make up and clothes, right through to the colours in the background. Her beauty turns the worthless rags into something precious and desirable. I find the composition interesting, how she rises up from a sea of rags like a princess. The whole photo is like a fantasy made reality, however, there appears to be little beyond that.

Reflecting on Illustration Week

This past week has opened my eyes to the variety within illustration as I have explored beyond the traditional view of an illustrator.
   Illustration is far more prevalent in everyday life than I first thought, with specialisms like editorial, diagrams and commercials. Illustration week has taught me to observe what's around me more closely, but also I thinks important to look at how the illustration I see reflects what its describing.
   From the artists I have seen I feel more encouraged to explore collage as a technique in illustration. Although I prefer to draw what I see, I would would like to try mixing sketches with collage and cut outs. David Hughes' work in particular has inspired this.
   Out of specialisms we have looked at, book cover illustrations are the ones that still appeal to me the most. I think its interesting to see how different illustrators interpret a single story. What they chose to illustrate is personal to them and I think it is the specialism that gives you the most freedom in this line of work.

Article of Choice

http://www.computerarts.co.uk/features/wake-and-smell-roses-even-better-draw-some

The reason I chose to post this article is because I think it highlights the importance of life drawing skills and drawing skills in general for illustrators. I realise that observational drawing skills are key to becoming a successful illustrator but in our age of technology, such physical skills are becoming side-swept. It serves as a reminder that, although CAD can enhance and improve a piece of work, it should never entirely replace basic, quality drawing.

Understanding Illustration

I am exploring the world of illustration, looking at different artists work to understand what it means to be an illustrator.

David Hughes.

A commercial illustration for the New Yorker. I love this example of David Hughes work. The portrait, although appearing simple, is highly detailed using lots of lines to build up the image. It gives the man lots of character to his expression.
   But what I find most interesting is that the illustration is not purely drawing; collage has also been used, including cut outs and an old photograph. It demonstrates the variety available in illustration and also breaks up the look of image nicely.

Darrel Rees.

His illustrations appear to be a combination of print and collage, there are very few hand drawn lines in his finished work. I think that because of this they appear more logical and analytical. There are no rough edges, everything is smooth and precise with no random element making his work seem more like scientific diagrams.
   It is also another example of the variety in illustration.

Liza Corbett

Liza Corbett has a more traditional style of illustration using media such as pencils, inks and watercolour with stunning detail. Her work is very intricate with strange symbolic content. I really like the quirkiness of her illustrations, they transport the viewer to a world beyond. The expressions of her figures are also striking and gives a lot of personality to her characters.

Jonny Hannah

I chose to look at Jonny Hannah because of the extreme amount of typography used. In this case the text has become the illustration rather than just an accompaniment, the myriad of text demonstrates the variety of Shakespeare's work. It is an interesting style that engages the viewer by tempting them to read all the text in the illustration.

Simon Pemberton

Simon Pemberton uses a broad spectrum of media and specialises in recreating textures. As such each piece is unique and very distinct. His style is something that I would not normally implement myself so by looking at his work I can generate different ideas for my own and hopefully experiment with processes I would not have used other wise.

Lucinda Rogers

This is another style that is different to how I would usually approach things. Lucinda Rogers wanted to record buildings or ways of life that changing or disappearing and it reflects in her work. With a combination bold and fine lines, her work looks as if it still 'under construction' and could be changed at any time. Colour is minimal and shows that less can be more.

Edward J Detmold

My personal favourite, having read the Folio Society's Fables of Aesop as a child I adore vivid colours and striking composition. His illustrations are simply beautiful and really brings to life Aesop's characters. Print making was among the techniques he used and it is something that I also wish to explore.