Background Imagery

I realise that the image needs to stand out from the rest of the page, and initially i had planned on using the background from a previous project which was a water colour wash for a book cover.

I have used it here to show how my images would appear with this wash.

Upon reflection i think that i is a bit too much to coat the whole page in the colour, and so perhaps i could take inspiration from previous students and wash just the base around the image as this seems to be contemporary at the moment, and therefore a greater selling point with my brief in mind.

Chimney Stack

As i have taken the chimney stack further, i have tackled the ways to show the vents in the focal flue. Eventually my outcome is shown below, it's simple and basic, which is what i am after for my design. 

The Wood Burner / Fire Place

Sticking with the idea of using either a wood burner or fireplace i started to draw from reference around the house. I want to use a fire place or a wood burner because it provides perfect imagery for my theme of homely warmth, and it also partners nicely with the chimney stack, as the sofa and coffee table go hand in hand.

Although my initial outcomes of fireplaces proved simple to take further i felt that the burner offered more in terms of a modern home and therefore seemed a more contemporary design to develop. 
My final Burner outcome is at the desired angle that reflects and complements the other pieces of work in the range:

Maria Taylor

http://www.mariataylorillustration.co.uk/

Maria Taylor's work for various greetings cards companies inspires me. It all holds a similar theme and comes across very punctual.

Date: Fri, 7 Dec 2012 16:53:45 +0000

From: njeffries24@yahoo.co.uk

Subject: Transition from student illustrator to practitioner.

To: mariataylorillustration@hotmail.com

Good Afternoon Maria, 

I am a third year student studying Illustration at Plymouth College of Art in the UK and I'm currently looking into researching various jobs that relate to my practice and the artists that influence me or surround the job's I'm interested in.

I am very interested in finding out other artist's career paths and how they got to where they are today, so i was wondering if you'd mind letting me in on how you got to where you are now... whether you had other jobs along side your practice to start with, how you got your work out there in the big wide world and become 'established' in your field, and what events do you find most helpful for networking, if any...

I hope you can help me in my transition from student to practitioner in as many ways possible.

Hope to hear from you,

regards,

Nathan Jeffries.

Hello Nathan,

The transition from student to practitioner was pretty quick. I worked in house for a while and then went freelance....

I went to the Princes Trust and received a grant to buy a computer and software. The Princes Trust also provided great networking events and short courses.

I did have another job for a while (teaching aerobics).

I then taught illustration evening courses and then taught on the illustration degree course part-time.

My personality preferred to work freelance....and perhaps if I get to a stage where I cannot afford to pay bills I would work part-time again.

I would say that as an illustrator starting out you will need to have a part-time job along side freelancing (unless you are a secret millionaire).

It also helps your sanity to see people and network.

The only tip I could give you is " Work like a dog!, don't think about it.....just get on with it!

Hope that helps abit?

Warm Wishes Maria 

Development Of The Sofa

Development of the sofa design goes only as far as trying out various ways of presenting the final design. The actual lines of the sofa have not changed as this is the one that my peers and tutors have said that they like from my initial design idea process when gathering starting images. From this i was then able to grapple my idea and turn it into what it is now.

I have experimented with thick marker pen, and water to accentuate the lines and to see if the outcome is worth continuing further perhaps into the final design.

Armchair Idea Development

Having referred back to topic after feeling like i have strayed a little away from furniture and warmth, i knuckled down to developing the idea of the book resting on the arm of a chair supporting a cup and saucer. From redrawing the angle of the sofa along with how i wanted the book to appear from observational drawings, i realised that i would need to include the whole chair if i were to have it in-keeping with the sofa and blanket design. This led me to notice that i could not include this chair as there was already a form of seating within the ideas range (the sofa and blanket). Therefore i have suggested a coffee/side table or a desk. I may have drifted into the idea of a shelf when focussing on books, but unfortunately this would not work if i wanted to keep the cup and saucer, which i did, and why would someone place a cup on a shelf of books? The shelf idea is out.

I have started to develop coffee tables from observationally drawing various different forms of side tables, coffee tables and desks. The coffee table seemed the most natural to pursue as it would fit in nicely with the sofa and blanket.

I have struggled to get the shape and angle of the table right, i don't want it to look too large compared to the sofa design, but i want it to resemble the same angle from a different point of view so that it isn't exactly the same outcome; the sofa's point of focus is the front right hand side, i therefore would like the table's point of focus to be it's front left hand side.

I have drawn in different books placed in various places depending on the style of coffee table i am experimenting with. I like the idea of having a shelf underneath the table housing a few books, but i am afraid that this may look a bit too busy. On top of the table i will be using the cup and saucer on top of the book placed on the table's surface.

Eventually, having revisited this idea, i have referenced both the original drawing of the book and cup on the arm chair for the viewing angle i desire, and the sofa and blanket design for the size i would like to base the drawing on. My outcome is a four legged table (with no underlying shelf) with it's point of focus the front left corner/leg opposing the sofa so as to not look the same. The book and cup are placed on top. I intend that the book be red as the feature.

Ideas Development

Whilst going through my ideas in the sketch book, i suddenly realised that my drawing ideas seemed to be going off topic a little, and therefore would not get taken on by UK Greetings, who i have to remember will be potentially selling these. I realise that the theme of 'I Wish You Were Here' should remain purely homely and therefore not include a tandem bicycle, record player, or television, as i see these as off track form my desired outcomes.
I am however going to carry forward the chimney stack, the sofa with the blanket, the arm of the chair with the mug and book, and finally the wood burner. This will work nicely as a set of four with the topic. Further more, the imagery on the cards all complement each other. For example, the Burner suits the Chimney Stack, and the Sofa pairs with the Coffee Table. Another nice touch.

Outcomes So Far

From this stage onwards i will be taking forwards the images that i want to and develop them further. I must bear in mind that i have limited myself to four images, however i could always produce 2 series of four; each including one form of chair, electrical device, past-time, and structure... Or extend it to six and complete just one range.

Having drawn various items of furniture from a variety of Habitat magazines and books i have been thinking of tying the cards together with a theme, for example a simple colour featured on one cushion or chimney etc... I have chosen to use a red as an example as this is a warm colour and something bold that will attract attention to the card.

At this stage to take further:

Chimney

Tandem

Cup on book

Arm Chair

Record Player

Sofa

Further Ideas for Imagery

'In Good Shape' Style in Industrial Products'
1900-1960
Stephen Bayley

The idea of a record player/gramophone relating to a favorite piece of music, wishing you were here listening to it with me.

The same applies to the television; i wish you were here watching our favorite TV show.

The tandem just speaks 'Couples'.

Kitty Crowther

Kitty Crowther is a children's book illustrator but she was pointed out to me because of her naive style of image making in her furniture. For example the armchair below; It suits her intended audience and is finished to a strong quality and produced using colouring crayons.

"Kitty Crowther is the master of line but also of atmosphere. She maintains the tradition of the picture book while transforming and renewing it. In her world, the door between imagination and reality is wide open. She addresses the reader gently and personally, but with profound effect. In her deeply felt empathy with people in difficulty, she shows ways in which weakness can be turned into strength. Humanism and sympathy permeate and unify her artistry."  

The citation of the jury

The idea of an escape - Wish You Were Here

Having had the idea of a roof top / roof line and chimneys from the view out of my window:

I wanted to research further into the architecture side to keep it interesting and potentially offer something a little different to my research and perhaps my outcomes. I spoke to my friend (a Post Grad Architecture student) in order to get the ball rolling and he came back telling me to look at Antoni Gaudi and the Secret Skyline of New York City.
I started with Antoni Gaudi and in particular focused on his house 'Casa Batllo' which has the most incredible roof top.

I also found a video of Gaudi's work below:  

Gaudi's work makes a complete difference to the skyline of Barcelona, it offers the idea of an escape through art, a different way of thinking.

Continuing this theme of escape, i have looked at the second item, the secret skyline of New York City. 

"Just a few stories above the non-stop hubbub of city life exists an incredible oasis of lush gardens, restaurants, swimming pools and even tennis courts. Thanks to Mayor Bloomberg’s eco-friendly ‘roofscaping’ initiatives, the tops of dozens of buildings have been transformed into amazing outdoor living spaces and models for green-city living." 

http://www.younilife.com/content/99/new-york-secret-rooftop-world-ny-skyline-like-you-have-never-seen-it-before/

Again, this offers the idea of exclusion and a longing to get away from day to day life styles. I Wish You Were Here fits perfectly as a theme in my opinion.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2139899/New-Yorks-secret-skyline-Amazing-aerial-shots-rare-glimpse-hidden-rooftop-world.html

Books

I think that it is important for me to peruse collections of other productions in this field of work, and where better to start than the library. Here are my results:

Promo-Art: Innovation in Invitations, Greetings, and Business Cards

 By Charlotte Rivers

• Cal*LINE - Classic American Letter Press Greetings Cards

http://www.littleoranges.com/products.php?type=letterpress&category=2

These are by far my favorite and most inspirational finds from my research so far. Such simplicity and yet so much character.

• Camron PR Christmas Card

http://studiobaer.com/design/

Detail within simplicity here with this bird and elaborate text. Something to take forward in my own work perhaps.

1000 Greetings  Creative Correspondance designed for all occassions. Peter King & Company. Rockport Publishers, Inc. 2004.

• KBDA Jamie Diersing

The card range above is a simple lino print, something that i could pursue perhaps with basic block colours that complement eachother.

• Firebelly Design Mikel Rosenthal

I have chosen to include this card because of the complementary colours and the border that reflects throughout that card folds. I am also drawn to the front text layout within it's triangle like casing.

• Dairy

I have included this because of it's novelty use and it's theme of 'I Wanna Take Your Breath Away' to show that there are themes like mine out there.

• Michael Osborne Design Paul Kagiwada Michelle Regen Bogen

The simplicity of design within a range of cards is shown here, something that i would like to stick close to.

• Fiddlesticks Press Lynne Amft

Again, another simple design on a range of cards.

Initial Idea Research - Current Greetings Cards

Based on the idea of 'I Wish You Were Here' greetings cards, i have googled 'i wish you were here' to see if anything like it has been done before. I had 3 main results:

• http://www.greetingcarduniverse.com/miss-you-cards/wish-you-were-here

Greetings Card Universe, above, hasn't really excited me with their designs, the only one that relates moderately is the latter example above of the lady sat with tea in a strange art Nouveau style. The rest were simply photographs or basic cartoon concepts, nothing appealing or contemporary.

• http://www.zazzle.co.uk/wish+you+were+here+cards

These again don't stand out from the crowd, although i have found 2 interesting homely cards that do relate to my theme but focus it to a Christmas audience, the first is a basic vintage style print of a family centered around the house at Christmas time http://www.zazzle.co.uk/vintage_countryside_greetings_card-137183546205397443. The Second is titled Christmas around the fireplace with the inside greeting saying 'I sure wish you were here' as it is simply a photograph of an elaborate, grand fireplace   http://www.zazzle.co.uk/christmas_by_the_fireplace_card-137654555135095198.

• http://www.bettyblanche.com/shop/pd/wish-you-were-here-caravan-postcard

Now, the only website here to strike me with exciting designs is this one, Betty Blanche. Whereas the other websites featured very basic cards in terms of art; either reflected through use of photography or cartoon. Betty Blanche uses a block print system onto quality brown card, and although this is a postcard, it still works and appears contemporary and interesting to look at. 

Further research continues below:

• http://www.pinkfloydstore.co.uk/acatalog/Wish_You_Were_Here_Greetings_Card.html

I thought that i would include this last example just so that i am aware of the relating title connotations that link it with Pink Floyd.

Here is the chorus from the song that i may draw upon in development:

How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl,
Year after year,
Running over the same old ground.
And how we found
The same old fears.
Wish you were here.

On the theme of furniture, here are some examples of current greetings cards:

I really like the basic imagery used here with the chair above and the rocking chair below, something i'd like to draw upon perhaps in keeping my idea simple .

These pieces above and below are a bit too fine art esque, and something that i cannot practice within my time frame unfortunately.

Inspiring as the card below is, it is a very dramatic photo... Not what i'm looking for.

A range of  furniture related greetings cards, all paintings or prints which makes a nice change from the theme of current 'I wish you were here' ranges.

The latter one above is being marketed as a retirement card. 

http://fineartamerica.com/art/all/retire/greeting+cards