Naomi's Illustration Adventure

Making a Moodboard.  I have chosen the word 'fashion' for this exercise, something new... My spider diagram was really interesting and I wanted to cover as much as this visually as I could... I love how this has turned out, I've enjoyed including significant words too. A tabloid feel.  The colour is vibrant.  "Are we witnessing the start of the honest body movement?"...Fashion is a positive and negative influence on our society. Really interesting thought process.  After looking at it for few days, I updated my board with textile swatches... It 's vibrant, it's colour, it's fashion!  REFLECTION: This method definitely helped open my mind, to be expressive. A great starting point for an idea.  Great fun. 

Turning Words into Pictures... I chose WILD as my word. I started by brainstorming the word, which naturally led to me sketching around the word... Wild weather, thunder clouds, rain and lightning, wild poppies, seeds, a blue bottle fly, a wasp, a weed, thorns, grass, wild as an emotion on the far right. I used pencil and black pen.  I was sat in my garden whilst doing this exercise so I feel that naturally led to nature based drawings which seemed to flow quiet easily.  I repeated this exercise using colour in addition to my ink pen. Watercolour, and a felt tip pen.  WILD, free flowing. A tree, to represent a wild wood. The wasp has a sting in its tail, the blue bottle is lawless, big and annoying. The thorns are sharp. The poppies grow wherever they please, a wild flower. The weed is the ultimate wild plant, found anywhere and everywhere...as grass, will grow regardless without the need of any care. Wild weather, stormy, grey, wet and full of mood,...

Spider Diagrams... Note, I asked two people in addition to my own thoughts, marked in red and green. SEASIDE:  CHILDHOOD: ANGRY: FESTIVAL: The easiest word for me to expand on was CHILDHOOD , lots of words came to mind. I guess it is a subject I am very familiar, both in my own memories and being a parent now.  ANGRY was the most challenging, however I didn't force it, I just sat and allowed my brain to naturally navigate its way through the word.  I didn't apply any tactics as such, I was intrigued to know what my mind would conjure up when allowed the time to do so. Interestingly, when I put to friends on the spot, it's amazing how quickly your thought process can halt, brainstorming with a pen, paper and a little time is like a key opening a box of ideas! REFLECTION: This was a brilliant exercise, I really enjoyed the natural process my brain followed in finding words. One word branched out into another, very effective and a tool I will...

PART TWO IDEAS:  Writing a Brief... Identify a piece of work you have some connection with... This was easy. As a mother of two small children, I have spent the last 9 years reading my way through children's books, admiring and talking my way through the pages and illustrations, feeding my two little minds. I decided to ask my children which book, which illustration or "picture" to them, they would like us to discuss.  The answer, Matilda... Illustrated by Quentin Blake.  Knowing the story, very well indeed, from my own childhood and now reliving this wonderful tale as a parent, I brainstorm for 2 minutes. What does the name MATILDA mean in my mind... THE BRIEF: To design a book cover, to be published in high volume, worldwide, on large hardback (6"x 8") and smaller paperback (5"x 8"). This book is expected to be a no1 best seller globally. Target audience: Children 5-15 years of varying reading and academi...

The History of Illustration... John Minton is my chosen illustrator. I am drawn to his style of drawing, an ink artist and intrigued by his varying techniques. I hope to broaden my methods through this course, this study will help me. 1917-1957. English painter, illustrator of books, stage designer and teacher.  So I start by looking with this self portrait. Dull muted colours, with a pool of sadness in his eyes. As someone who struggled with his mental health throughout his life, I can see that he has reflected this deep rooted sadness in this painting. Method: Oil on canvas.  I love this simple illustration taken from 'Time and Away, A Notebook in Corsica' by Alan Ross and John Minton 1947. A book designed to bring the Mediterranean to post war Britain, a rediscovery.... “It was rugged travel; the hotels where we stayed were basic and often dirty. We lived on bread, cheese, figs, pastis and wine. The bus journeys were slow and suffocating, with lo...