Development Of Imagery Part 3 - Old Postcards

Because the theme i have chosen to pursue is 'I Wish You Were Here' i have taken the time to find some very old postcards that featured old fashion handwriting, amongst the whole aesthetic mix of nostalgia. It seems that the vintage item, whether it be clothing, books or novelty goods, seem to be the 'in' thing at the moment and would therefore better my card range by rooting it as contemporary.
Here are my finds:

I find that the top half of this card is far more expressive that the writing itself; It's so dark and intense, especially with the red stamp.  

This was bought purely for the writing alone. In fact, this is the best outcome i could have hoped for on the rear of an old postcard; the writing is old fashioned; it's not conventionally set out on the space given; and it's all written in French so no one can get too distracted with what it says.

My aim for these cards are simply that the opacity is dropped on them as i did in the experiment before in the post titled 'Background Development' so that they are still visible, but not dominating, and that they serve either a backdrop or a fill... Most likely a backdrop.

This works well and is pleasing to the eye because of the symmetry of the stamp box and the address guide lines. I also quite like how the central parting runs up through the sofa; its like i have just printed my design onto an old postcard - exactly.

As nice as the dark intensity was when the opacity was original at 100%, it's lost its appeal now and although still effective, it just doesn't work for me here i don't think. I also do not like that the dominating word that you are immediately drawn too is 'LEICESTER'. This may be a problem when i come to add my text at about that height over the top.

I really enjoy how this piece sits as an image, but it seems very swamped by old fashioned french handwriting. However, the positioning of the postcard i think is spot on using the magpie in the stamp box as a guide and a novelty piece. I may use this on one of the inside pages, it doesn't seem effective on the front page, it's too dominating.

I have decided to show the background used with a different image. However the background again comes across as too busy. I like the infiltration of the red stamp, but again the text of 'LEICESTER' showing and this time 'REMEMBER'. This doesn't work for me.

Background Develpoment

Moving forwards and looking back at my reflection focused on the development of the background;

"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." - Imagery background

I am planning to pursue a simple, yet effective water colour swell at the bottom of my image for it to stand on and stand out from the blank white page, adding depth and interest into my work. Here are my initial outcomes:

 

 

This is the first of two similar yet different swirls i plan on voting for. I have kept this colour style as it is warm and reflecting of previous projects which i think is important for portfolio outcomes. 

This is the 2nd swirl outcome:

 Although this one appears to have more texture and is clearly darker, i don't think that it suits on the grounds of it being too bold in colour and therefore colder.

So, in conclusion on the background front, i plan to continue the use of the first water colour swell for now unless anything more exciting comes along.

On a miscellaneous note, i have experimented by putting the first water colour swell through the Live Trace function in Adobe Illustrator. It has given a very strange, yet interesting effect ... Following this i have added an old blank postcard in the back ground with the opacity way down at 25%:

This is the original postcard used in this experiment.

Using the 159 x 159 as the template, you can see my experimental outcome. Unfortunately both time the tediousness of this avenue at this stage would not allow me to pursue this. However i will bare in mind this process and outcome.

Red Ties

As i have mentioned earlier, i was looking for something that ties all of my imagery together within this set of four cards. Initially i thought about a bold red as that shows warmth. I mentioned this in an earlier post:

"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."  - Outcomes So Far

Here are my outcomes from this little venture shown with what is currently draft imagery on a draft background:

 So you get the idea of tying my images together with a theme. I do however think that this idea is a little too bold perhaps for now. I need to experiment with other forms of media and background work (which can equally be the tie that binds).

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.