Illustrator + Postcards

WHAT HAVE I DONE TODAY?

Today (and yesterday and the day before) I've been working on Adobe Illustrator to try to create some finalised postcard designs. I've been trying to find ways of making cool texts on Illustrator but time is running out, so I used Font.com to download a load! Success!

Getting there, slowly but surely. Slowly but surely. 

HOW HAVE YOU FOUND IT?

Personally I am pleased with them but tomorrow I will seek feedback from colleagues and a tutor to ensure I am on the right track. I need critical feedback now especially as the deadline is creeping up behind me! 

ONLY TWO DAYS AND NIGHTS LEFT, H0W ARE YOU GOING TO SPEND THEM?

I plan to:

TOMORROW DAYTIME

• buy Red Bull!
• go into college, give the tutors my best pieces of work 
• ask Geoff about printing appointment to print the postcards 

TOMORROW NIGHTIME

• finish all postcards, put in right format, put on layout for printing.
• send Max 4 pictures for Show Reel.

WEDNESDAY

• do my final evaluation (60 mins)
• fill in crit sheet (20 mins)
• revise action plan (20 mins)
• find pitch presentation sheet (hmm...)
• print off blog (10 mins)
• place it all neatly and lovingly into portfolio along with 2 best pieces of work
• RELAX

WHAT HAVE I DONE TODAY?

I have watched a few tutorials on how to create the halftone effect that I want to emulate (inspired by Steven Harrington's screen prints). I've discussed my problems with a classmate, establishing what steps I should take next.


WAS I PRODUCTIVE?

Not as productive as I had hoped. Once I had established that I was going to test both ideas out, I had technical problems. I was successful in learning how to make the halftone effect work on Photoshop after having seen a tutorial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZmONUBhwhA). However when it came to it, the tutorials teaching didn't work out too well so I found my own way of doing it. To add to this, the computer I was working on kept crashing (it just crashed again now!).


WHAT DIRECTION ARE YOU GOING IN?

Well, I'm not entirely certain about the outcome of the colour-related postcard collection. My feeling RIGHT NOW is that it is too weak, and that I'll be disappointed when I tell people at the show what mine is about. I don't know, maybe I'll feel like that with my alternative idea too.

Discussing my problems with Emma

I was having trouble deciding whether to go ahead with the idea that arose in the group discussion the other day, or go ahead with the one I was intending to in the first place.

So I was just discussing it with Emma who was helpful and supportive (always a good thing near the end!)

I came to the decision that I would attempt both quickly and see which I think will be "best".

Time'sa running out!

Panicing a little now!!! Which may be good as I work well and hard under pressure

Sketchbook Pages (not entirely in order!)

Action Plan for the last few days

Bu Wednesday

have idea sorted
have  plan for postcards sorted

By Thursday evening

have them on their way
find out about getting them printed and how to lay it out

By Friday evening

keep producing
show to people, test on people, get feedback, make changes if needed


By Monday

have collection done or almost done (ready for print)

By Tuesday

have evaluation done (500 words)
have bibliography updated


By Wednesday

have books bound

Just A Little More!

WHAT DID I DO TODAY?

I know I said that I would confidently move on to the Finalisation stage, but I want to experiment a litttle more first. I've still got time so I should I guess.

I made samples of:-

• "Swearing"
• "Area Stereotypes"
• "What Is London To You?"
• "Sweat/Rain"
• "Rules, Underground"
• "London Etiquette" - "Sorry!!!" Said he who kicked her. "Sorry!!!" She said back. Typical"
• "I Hate It Here"
• "The Weather Isn't a Reflection of the People"
• "What A Mix"
• "Facebook - 'Like'"

WAS THE EXPERIMENTATION EFFECTIVE?

Yes, like yesterday it was very effective in guiding me visually towards the end goal.
I've found finding what aesthetic style my postcards should have quite a big question mark, so it's helped that I've looked at a lot of other people's work and experimented with my own.

WAS I PRODUCTIVE?

Yes, I didn't go quite as wild as yesterday but I've still worked harder towards finding what the final collection should be.

WHAT CAN I TAKE FROM WHAT I LEARNT?

Some of the ideas sprang from the most unfathomable places  - from being on a train of thought that you can't quite recall. I sprang to the materials to make "The Weather Isn't a Reflection of the People" which is an example of a random idea. The same for "What A Mix" - I have no clue of it's background! What I'm saying in this is that I should act upon the idea as soon as I have it.

Abundance of Postcard Samples

WHAT DID I DO TODAY?

I began my day flicking through Illustratio Play (Victionary) for ideas and then sketching them out.
I also got out maps of different areas in London and asked Grandma what she thought of them and what she thought of London generally.


I looked back on the list of collections of postcards I could possibly make and began to find materials to make them etc.

I made a 'some' samples for collections:-

• "Thank Fuck I Am In London" with images of Japan from today's newspaper.
• The Grass is Greener - with images of more beautiful places than London and also with the keyboard key "Esc" to imply wanting to escape London. 
• "Don't Bother With..." - I began to explore what places on the tube map weren't worth exploring, asking people for feedback on this. I crossed the places worth going off the map, leaving just the ones "not to bother with".
• "Area Stereotypes" - I simply marked on the map the kind of person you'd find, stereotypically, at that station.  I followed this on to a blanked out tube-esque map on which I marked 1) the things I saw in Camden; Clapham Common 2) the multitudal ethnic groups in London 3) Youth Subcultures
• "Fill in the Blanks" - a blank tube map, inviting the viewer to try to name them. Other approaches came from this experiment like it showing that the tube map is so hard for foreigners to understand that it may as well be labelless.
• "Would London Be London If...?" - Posing the question, if its skyline was different, with another country's building - would London still be London? 
• "Amusing Anagrams" - where I experimented with anagrams of tube station names that I had found in The London Collection (Think Publishing). I retouched the Turnpike Lane sign to say "Internal Puke". I also made my own anagram of Tower Hill ("Litl Whore").
• "What Makes You a Londoner?" - Looking at foreigners who wear and support the Arsenal t-shirt. 
• "Londoners Have Bad Teeth" - A picture postcard that shows my dad's (bad) teeth.
• "Tube Go-ers" - Sketches I have done over the past few months of people on the tube. 
• "Mundane London" - Images of a stripped billboard and an graffitied alleyway and a sodden newspaper. 
• "Puzzle Pieces" - The idea of having many postcards that you collect of different areas to make a map. 
• "Weather Affects" - These read 'Weather Was Sublime. Had a Great Time." and "Shitty Weather. Shitty Time"
• "Tea Underground" - Londoners like tea. Londoners travel. So I made the London Underground symbol from a cup, tea bag and water, and a spoon of sugar resting on top.

WAS THE EXPERIMENTATION SUCCESSFUL?

Yes, I really benefited from seeing the range of ideas I had for collections in front of me. I think it will really help me when it comes to asking for feedback and advice on which collection to create as I will have something tangible to show. It helped being at home while doing this as I had ALL of my materials (I collect papers, books, maps, pens, etc) which I had at my fingertips. Glad I didn't go in to the studio as I would have had to lug it all in!


WAS I PRODUCTIVE?

Even I can't believe I did this all in one day! I knuckled down and saw results. I really enjoyed it though, which is definitely why I managed so much.

WHAT CAN I TAKE FROM WHAT I LEARNT?

It definietly pays to visualise your ideas. Trying to produce something you've thought of allows you to realise the problems it could lead to, like low feasibility and low effectiveness.

HAVE I DOCUMENTED MY EXPERIENCE?

Yes I've gone through and labelled each postcard idea and put any ideas that could lead from it and different approaches to it.  All the postcards are tacked into my sketchbook.


IS THERE A DIRECTION MY PROJECT IS TAKING?

By reading what I've done today, there are many tangents it could take.  I've identified that they either show London in a negative or positive way (or both), are education, are humourous or interactive. (These of course cross over in some areas).


AM I ON TRACK?

Yes, I've experimented a lot today by visualising with type, drawing, photo manipulation, collage, image. I now have a range of ideas to work from and wittle down by getting feedback. I can go on to the "Finalisation" stage confident that I have tried and tested many options.

WHAT DID I DO TODAY?

Today I....

carried on looking through the pages of the book 'Postcard' and see what ideas sprang from them and put them into my sketchbook. This is still a very helpful way of working, for me, as I can see where the idea came from next to an illustration of what came from it. I can see the root and the flower. 

I stuck in the NEW version of the tube map I found yesterday. It has a new cover image and less under the heading "check before you travel". 

Eva Rothschild, commissioned artist, said:   

“The spectrum and colours also hold specific meaning of their own, echoing a life belt, for me this reference seemed appropriate because so many of us, including myself, depend on the Tube, its iconic map and London’s huge transport system in order to go about our day-to-day lives”

The little 'daggers' on the map that are pointed out to me  (via  http://diamondgeezer.blogspot.com/2010/04/tube-map-april-2010.html - a website that was given in the "Further Reading" sections of "The London Collection".) actually signify places to "check before you travel". BUT, they triggered memories of news reports of stabbings at tube stations. So I checked out how many of these stations have held stabbings - I could find 5. 


I went on to research via the net and came across Joana Neimer, an illustrator whose work includes... "Shoreditch Twats"..... "Brixton" ...... and "London Weather".

 

WAS I PRODUCTIVE?

Yes, more ideas were born of research. I can go on to experiment with producing them firther on in the project. 

WHAT DID I LEARN?

WHAT CAN I TAKE FROM WHAT I LEARNT?

I can take away the visualisation of the Underground as a "life belt". I can go on to alter the tube maps "daggers" to just be next to the stations that people have been stabbed at. I can take from Niemeyer's quirly way of displaying London - the way she illustrates and chooses what to illustrate: I can play with stereotypes in areas like she has in map form or representative forms. I can play with the idea of weather affecting the experience of London.

HAVE I DOCUMENTED MY EXPERIENCE?

Yes, I've included sketches of the research from "PostCard" and my ideas that go with them. I have documented the tube map, the artists quote and the link; the daggers on the map and the research into stabbings; J Niemeyer's illustrations.

IS THERE A DIRECTION MY PROJECT IS TAKING?

I am still going in the direction of using postcards as a vehicule for representing London. Howver, I am straying away from representing the different areas of London. I am heading towards a wider view - taking in all aspects (from stereotypes, thoughts about the transport experience, how to repel people from london, the multiculturalism, the affect the weather has on the experience of London, the speech used in different classes of Londoner, questioning what it is to be a Londoner, etc).

I have strayed from my original idea that I would head out to explore parts of London that I have never been to before. This proved an expensive, time consuming route to take.

AM I ON TRACK? 

I have gone into the 'experimentation' period of my action plan. I am not too worried as I am very keen on having a lot of research, and therefore plentiful ideas to play with later on. I am quite good at producing things quickly once I have a list to work from as well.

Time for some group feedback!

I recorded the conversation I had earlier with the group. 








 [INSERT VIDEO HERE]








DID YOU PREPARE QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE THE SESSION?


A few but some were answered without me asking them and others weren't asked or answered. 


DID YOU MAKE NOTES DURING?


Yes


WAS THE SESSION HELPFUL? IN WHAT WAY?


Yes, people offered ideas of what direction to go in and references to look in to. 
Ideas often bounce around in the session's environment which is good. 
People were impressed with the amount of research I had done. 




DID YOU PICK UP ADVICE FROM OTHERS' FEEDBACK TIME?


Yes, I wrote down quotes:-
Do little experiments
It's a balancing act, it's a little dance. 
The action plan can make you feel straight-jacketed.
You just need to be doing. 
Don't think of the end product - aim to know what idea you want to convey, then the THING will come out of the THINKING. 
Make it a wordless explanation.


DO YOU HAVE A BETTER IDEA OF WHERE TO HEAD NOW?


Not really, I was just given more ideas to consider when making my postcard. 

Summary of the FMP so far

Contextual Research

I began by asking people to mark on the tube map where they think is an interesting place to visit.

Visited the London Transport Museum where I found out about older forms of transport in London and how they followed up to today’s tubes and buses. I also documented posters that promote different stops on the underground; Metro-Land posters that promote country walks via tube and marketed houses in the areas. I went on to find postcards with pictures of the tube and railway stations. I went to the resources area to try to find posters and postcards promoting specific stations; I found a lot of posters promoting stations for specific events such as ‘Wimbledon Tennis – Southfields St. thence special bus to grounds’.  

I looked through 2009 prospectuses for universities for inspirational imagery.  I spoke to strangers like the grass-layer and the man on the tube who gave me ideas of exhibitions to visit.

I went to the Museum of London. On the way I documented a couple’s conversation. At the museum I visited an exhibition showing artifacts and ancient animal bones found in the Thames Valley (e.g. A canine tooth of a hippo found in Peckham (130,000BC – 110,000BC). I went on to a ‘Street Photography’ exhibition and then to one called ‘London Futures’. This was particularly interesting as the show was described as ‘Postcards from the Future’ – postcards are something I am heading towards making. I also saw one called ‘Changing London’ that delved into race relations in the 1960s as well as changing fashions.

I visited Clapham Common, drew people’s fashions and documented the town and my reactions to it. There, I also sought postcards of the area but no luck. Afterwards I went to past Battersea, through Chelsea Embankment and to Victoria Library. Here I found books: ‘Mayfair’, ‘The London Collection’ and ‘Platform for Art on the Underground’. I was advised to visit Westminster Library and Archives, where I found ‘Moving Millions – A Pictorial History of London Transport’, ‘London, A century in the City’. Both libraries also lead me to further reading like ‘The Complete Postcard Art of Gilbert and George’.

I visited Camden Lock, documenting the place and people. I did some secret filming in Cyberdog, a shop in The Stables that epitomises Camden. I finally went to East Finchley to ‘Black Gull Books’ where I bought 3 postcards – 2 of old Finchley and 1 of new Camden.

Experimentation and Development

I have not yet entered the experimentation stage but have recorded all ideas sprung from the research as I went along.  I have drawn and photographed as I went along so I could start with these.

Now what?

I should have started the experimentation stage on the 3rd, however this did not happen due to delays (portfolio building and reviews). I will stick to my action plan but will have to work hard consistently to finish. I find myself focusing on postcards to represent the areas I visit. I will need to do more research as I go along.

Post Card

THE COVER.... THE CONTENT. 

I knew I'd need this book at some point. I bought it a few months ago. Now I'm heading towards making postcards, it's perfect inspiration. As you can see below, I've been sketching out the images I like and written the ideas they've sparked, along with their references. 

WHAT IDEAS HAS THIS BOOK SPARKED?

Amongst others:-

*which typeface would represent the area of London?
*could i make a map of London in segments which you have to collect from each area (segmented on postcards)?
*could i use peoples' snapshots?
*could i do surreal collages like Nazario Graziano?
*could I look into how weather affects the experience of a place, and give the consumer the option of choosing a postcard reflecting that? (ie. WEATHER WAS SHIT. SO IT WAS SHIT. ..... WEATHER WAS SUBLIME - HAD A GOOD TIME.)
*could I show mundane areas of supposedly nice places?
*could I show London's multiculturalism through typography?
*could I show the type of person you'd find on the train there?

WAS THIS AN EFFECTIVE EXERCISE?

Yes, the book was packed full of imagery that sparked many ideas linking to my project.

Camden Lock

WELL.

Today I visited Camden Market (called The Stables) and Camden Lock.

It was packed. The market was full of either really crappy stuff or cool but overpriced vintage bits and bobs.

I haven't got my camera with me to upload my findings.  I took pictures of the freaky people and also took a secret video in Cyberdog where the people dress like this:-

This is Cyberdog:-

Windsor

There was a lot of memorabilia of Kate and Will's wedding. Including postcards! 

Clapham Common, Victoria Library and Westminster Archives

WHAT DID I DO TODAY?

I chose a tube station to visit from the marked tube maps I collected the other day.
This was Clapham Common, where my Grandma used to live. I sat in the station and sketched the people around me and what they were wearing. After that I noted down my first impression of the people and place. I then walked around the area, still sketching and noting as I went. I popped into a few shops and was keeping an eye of for postcards of the area but no luck - just cards. I drew a really cool shop and got told off by the owner!!!!! How ridiculous - I won't go into the details.

Once I felt I'd seen enough of Clapham Common, I got the 137 past Battersea Power Station - I got off at Chelsea Bridge and sketched my observations of the area and the Lister Hospital.

I then got the bus 44 to Victoria Station. We passed a library on the way so got off and found it. There, I looked at books like 'Mayfair', 'The London Collection', and 'Platform for Art on the Underground'.

The receptionist recommended I visit The Westminster Library and Archives. So I did. There, I researched into postcards of London and also the London Underground.

WAS I PRODUCTIVE?

Incredibly! : ) 

WHAT DID I LEARN?

I learnt that like most places in London there's a mix of people - but, my preconception of Clapham Common that it was going to be run-down was contradicted. People were stylish, wore suits, dressed well (one lady had a fur hat!) and at the other end of the spectrum there were casual dressers with old trainers and fake burberry.

The charity shops in Clapham had expensive brands of shoes in and designer jackets. The top shelves were adorned with Chanel, Harrods, etc shopping bags. There were 2 really stylish shops and 3 shops were winners of some kind of award.

In the Victoria Library I learnt of opinions of places in London, amusing anagrams of tube station names, trivia and noted down other people's work that inspired me. For instance, see (below) Richard Wentworth's 'IF LONDON LOOKED IN THE MIRROR' (2006).  Wentworth's proposal aims to ensure that London's inhabitants become thoroughly familiarised with previously unknown places.

At the Westminster Archives I mainly learnt of other books to look for in Chelsea's own library. 

WHAT CAN I TAKE FROM WHAT I LEARNT?

I can pick up on type of area Clapham Common was and now compare it to other places I have and will visit.
I could use the quotes of opinions about London that I found in the books.
I could play with the anagrams and typography.
I could play with reflections of tube signs in puddles like Rut Blee Luxemburg.
I could make an oyster card wallet like Simon and Tim Bloor.
I could test Londoner's knowledge of the tube map like Richard Wentworth

(and similar to JOANA NIEMEYER's project: My World. She sent postcards to various people around the world and were returned with the recipient's individual hand-drawn rendition of the world map. Below is Sagmeister's one!)

I love this idea!!! I could give people blank tube maps and see how many of the stations they remember!!!! AWESOME. :) 

HAVE I DOCUMENTED MY EXPERIENCE?

Yup, I've got sketches and notes along with book references and quotes.  

IS THERE A DIRECTION MY PROJECT IS TAKING?

Yes, I'm now heading towards making postcards. I'm just exploring what I want my postcard design/collection to be about.

AM I ON TRACK?

Well, yes and no. According to my action plan I should have started experimenting now. But I have experimented with several ideas already in my head. I just have to get it down on paper. I haven't done the amount of research I would like to yet so I will continue to research and start experimenting on paper/photoshop soon.

WHAT DID I DO TODAY?

I started my day by flicking through old university prospectuses hidden under my bed. I ripped imagery out that inspired an idea for my project to develop from, or simply just related. I wittled them down to just 5 images and stuck them in my book. 

I printed out bus route maps to prepare for the coming travels. 

I then headed to The Museum of London in Barbican, which took 2 hours to get to! (I got the train in the wrong direction and ended up in Hertford North!!!) On the train there I noted down sentences from a couple's conversation as I was inspired by an image from a prospectus to look into language used in different areas. I couldn't go and explore Hertford North because it isn't classed as being in London :(. 

WAS I PRODUCTIVE?

I was, but it took me a while to get to 'being productive' - delays such as getting the wrong train and leaving the house late disrupted my flow. However I tried to make the most of my travels (noting down the conversation). I perked up once I got to the museum. It was so interesting - a great building and so many varying exhibitions to see. Free too!!

WHAT DID I LEARN?

*Where the Museum of London was! I thought it was at Bank Station!  It's actually at Barbican.

*That elephants, moneys, hippos and lions lived in the Thames Valley in the Ice Age! 

*I found a skull of an aurochs' skull from Ilford!

 A flint from Edmonton in Enfield. 

A reindeer's antler from Twinkenham sewage works.

 A canine tooth of a hippo from Peckham! 

An elephant's back foot from Aveley, Essex!

*I learnt about how street photographers work and saw the range of photography from the 1800s to the present. I saw the change in London through the ages. 

*I learnt of Robert Graves and Didier Madoc-Jones' 'Postcards from the future' . These images were predictions of the London's future and included titles such as 'KEW NUCLEAR POWER STATION'.... 'BUCKINGHAM PALACE SHANTY TOWN'. 

*I learnt about the City of London and also saw the Lord Mayor's show-carriage.

*I learnt of the 'Race Relations' issues in the 1960s and 1970s and the laws that were passed to prevent racism. 

*I saw the transition of fashion through the decades

Also, when I got home to Southgate Station (where I live) I found a plaque which told me about the architect and how it is listed as a building of National Significance! : ) 

WHAT CAN I TAKE FROM WHAT I LEARNT?

A lot of things really. I could find a way of incorporating the now foreign animals into London scenes like this image (left) that I found on Getty Images. 

I could try creating my own 'London Futures' postcards.

I could make a badge for myself to show I am English, as I don't look it (apparently I look Scandinavian. This leads me to thinking of the phrase 'I am English' in different languages to show that many immigrants now consider themselves English. The badge would be ironic - say, their home flag and on top the phrase 'I am English'. 

I could also create a guide of 'what to wear to fit in in the area' of london. 

HAVE I DOCUMENTED MY EXPERIENCE?

Yes, while at the museum I sketched and noted down useful facts. I stuck pictures I'd taken in my sketchbook afterwards. I also found a newspaper article on the Street Photography exhibition which I've kept in my sketch book. 

IS THERE A DIRECTION MY PROJECT IS TAKING?

No, not yet really. I'm just trying to gather a range of information to keep my options open.

AM I ON TRACK? 

Yes, I'm making up for having started a week late and have filled a sketchbook in 2 days!