Using black and White...

Chosen word SEA:

When I think of the sea, I think of an ocean full of life so I wanted to select something that represented where my brain was when I thought to of this word. I settled on 'Jellyfish'. I took a look at some wildlife photography for inspiration, and took the lines and position of this Jellyfish as my guide: 





My line drawing: The brief asks that the image 'into' A3. Due to needing to print, scan and copy my image through my printer, this drawing is in A4, which fits within the A3 boundary. 

My drawing using the invert function: 

My collage: I did this over 2 days, ensuring there was time for me to step back and keep looking at the image. I presented it in a mirror and studied the scanned image. I decided to stop here as the brief explained that there should be legibility, and I feared if I continued the drawing would appear over complicated. 

REFLECTION: 

I enjoyed exploring the lines of a Jellyfish, it was fascinating to take a closer look. 

I was impressed with how the invert function transformed my simple drawing into a striking piece, I much prefer the drawing presented in this way. 

The collage proved tricky, due to the intricacy of a Jellyfish, however I felt committed to this idea and and I enjoyed the journey this drawing took me on. 

I refined my image on day 2 by adding the white border pattern around the top of the Jellyfish, this helped to express the circular shape which I feel had been lost in the black. As the sea is a dark place to be and as a Jellyfish naturally illuminates, I'm pleased with this image. It presents itself like a print. 

With the original drawing, attention is drawn to the head and centre tails of the Jellyfish, that is where the darker sketch tones are. However, with this collage, that has been lost and I am drawn to the darkness of the sea and the overall shape of this creature. 

Other illustrators: 

I have taken an interest in artist and illustrator Charlie Mackesy and have selected these drawings which I interpret as graphic. 

I am factually unsure as to what medium he has used to create these drawings, my guess would be chalk and charcoal. They are stunning images. So simple in their tone, yet so effective. 

I can see how he has used the white chalk to depict light, gentle touches on the wings of the horse and snow in the air, the white of the long grass. . In the portrait, the use of white draws my eye into the teacup, the centre of the page.