Naomi's Illustration Adventure

A tattoo A history... In 1991 'Otzi the Iceman'  5,300 year old male corpse (The Bronze age) who was found on the mountain border between Austria and Italy. Otzi had over 50 markings across his body, from head to foot. On closer inspection, these markings were not from ink but from what is believed to be charcoal, perhaps where a cut or wound to the skin had occurred, either deliberately or accidentally at first and charcoal then rubbed into the skin, leaving a permanent mark to the skin.  Also in 1948 Russian archaeologist Sergei Rudenko excavated a number of tombs on the border of Russia and China, here he discovered mummies around 2,400 years old (The Iron age). These mummies from the Siberian  Pazyryk tribe  displayed animal tattoos on their skin. These markings are thought to have been made with fine needles, a deliberate decoration of the skin. The images found are thought to be two deer, a mountain goat, beasts, fish a monsters with many of these ...

A Menu card The Brief:  "For this exercise you are asked to provide an illustration for the use on the menu of a sophisticated, quality fish restaurant - one in a chain sited in major European cities. The menu uses fresh ingredients and the ambiance of the restaurant is modern, bright and contemporary in design. Any food depicted needs to be visually appetising .  Although the image will be used at a small size on the actual menu, if it is successful the restaurant would be interested in also using the image as a logo on their stationery and vans. As such the image needs to be reasonably simple and clear.  You will probably want to work on the artwork at a large scale but you need to provide an example reduced to 40mm x 40mm as it will be initially used".  I have highlighted the key words of this brief to steer me in the correct direction.  Brainstorm:  I took my favourite words from this, fresh, sea, ocean, blue, turquoise, fishing ...

A children's book cover  For this exercise I am 'Children's Picturebooks - The art of visual storytelling ' as reference and guidance. "In most contexts, illustration provides a visual accompaniment to words, a prompt or aid tho the imagination that aims to augment  the overall experience of the book. "The most satisfying picture books create a dynamic relationship between words and pictures".  I start by taking a look at nature based children's book covers for inspiration.  A also read an article in the Guardian that gave me thought "Small children  mall children are astoundingly flexible visual readers – they can take in packed scenes just as easily as bold, simple images; they can follow adventures in silhouettes against bright backgrounds and turn without a flicker to the comic-like abstractions of Mr Men. This openness is on a par with their acceptance of magical transformations, upside-down houses and flying through space,...

Museum posters For this exercise I am using the permanent exhibition 'The Play's the Thing'. An exhibition situated in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, exploring all of the elements it takes to bring Shakespeare to the stage.  I start by taking some time in the exhibit, photographing the pieces and grouping them into the age groups.  Child (5-9) My focus here were the playful elements of theatre - swords and shields, musical instruments and props. Always a big hit with small children and wooden swords to play fight.  Teenager (13-16) My focus here were the more grizzly elements of theatre. The human skull, famously used in Hamlet. An axe for executions, and a portrait of a troubled Lady Macbeth, haunted by murder. The darker elements that would capture the imagination.  General adult audience  Always an attraction is the expanse of costumes within a stage show, the colours of the costume and the skill and workmansh...