Selected Work

Selected Work:

1) Viewpoint:

In this exercise, I had made sketches from different viewpoints of something that was "Christmassy", a pile of Christmas toys. I also used my camera to take views from angles I was experimenting with. This was new to me, and I particularly liked the dynamics it created. I have found the process useful, and have used this idea again and again at the experimenting stage and for finalising designs.





                                             


For more about this exercise, here is the link to my blog page:

1http://mpgovernale.blogspot.co.uk/search?updated-min=2011-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&updated-max=2012-01-01T00:00:00-08:00&max-results=21




2) Giving instructions: making a cup of tea

After attempting a very lengthy and not very successful illustration strip, I tried again and stripped down my ideas. I was happy with it and my tutor also, making a comment about how simple and straightforward it was, "drawn with feeling".  I tried to remember that "less is more" can be very useful!
(for more about this exercise, the blog page is the same as above, below 'viewpoint')

3)  Making a mock-up:

For this project, I used an  technique that I had tried once before, and made my image by putting all the elements together with a computer software. This was a huge step for me in my learning, especially as I have not used computer softwares much before. It was technical progress and also psychologically, it gave me a great boost of confidence for not being scared of attempting new things.

My tutor noted that the crude folk art approach was very appropriate to the nature of the story, as well as praising me for the progress I mentioned above.
(sketchbook pictures and notes about this is available towards the bottom of blog page below:
http://mpgovernale.blogspot.co.uk/search?updated-max=2013-02-27T07:02:00-08:00&max-results=21&reverse-paginate=true




4) Identifying tools and materials:

I had first made an illustration about "hamster school" for my daughter's school planner, which reflected the picture of her school. This was made in pencils. I decided to make a new illustration on the same theme, using acrylics and the dry-brush technique taught by Will Terry, the illustrator of "Armadilly Chili". 

My tutor said the characters were well defined, and gave me advice for improving the typography. I thought that it was colorful and in a style that worked better than my last illustration, thanks to the different materials. I am still exploring ways of using acrylics, as I found I like the versatility of
this kind of material. The two versions are on my blog:

http://mpgovernale.blogspot.co.uk/search?updated-max=2013-02-27T07:02:00-08:00&max-results=21&reverse-paginate=true 




4)  A tattoo:

I don't like tattoos, but for the course I made myself do one. I designed an 'ironic mum tattoo', which I enjoyed. In fact I enjoyed it so much that I made an ironic Mother's Day card as well, a pop-up prototype which works. My tutor found that with a "renaissance" in the 1940's style of tattooing, the joke was reinforced by the pearl necklace. And for the card that the mechanics of the fold add another angular dimension to Mum.

5)  Animals from around the world:

With my developing skills with acrylics and "new level of editing and finishing" as my tutor puts it,
I made my favourite work on this course...

I was trying to avoid the typical approach taken by other illustrators, "got away with it successfully" and the focus is on the animals. I selected bright colours that should be attractive to small children.
After seeing a copy, a professtional illustrator I know suggested that I put together a portfolio of animal illustrations to show his agent, as he thinks my slightly naive style may be fashionable.




6)  Character development:


I worked on a character, from a cutting I had found in the national trust magazine. I entitled it "the unlikely gardener" because of what the lady wears. My tutor made a comment "what made her was her expression", and suggested I should see if subtle shifts in expression are important to me in respect of character development.

7)  Packaging:

This is about organic buiscuits packaging for children. The colours are very bright and different for each flavour.

I had researched  packaging I liked first too, and was very happy with the results. Sadly, my printer/scanner had to be used as my computer gave up accepting memory cards. The scanner changed the colours slightly and makes them look mottled and brown. They are painted in gouache on paper, because I have made up my mind by now that I like it that way, rather than using a computer to make the image.  My tutor commented on what he saw and didn't like the fact that the background was not flat and not painterly.  This showed me that perhaps illustrators are now like graphic artists more and more dependent on computers and expected to be able to do things I can't do.




8)  Working for children:

I knew I wanted to make this image, worked out how exactly I wanted it, and made it to the best of my ability. I made lots of sketches and researched on the internet, and in the zoo.

Some of the preparatory Drawings and note:

This is in my 6th A5 Sketchbook, I recently was inspired by the blog of the Illustrator: Kristi Anne Wakelin and started working on a A3 sketchbook, I feel grown up now!

a page from my A3 sketchbook

About this image, I have mixed feelings. It is almost exactly how I had planned it. I was happy with it until my tutor said "Is that Inspector Clouseau in the audience? The portrait is interesting because it's about the nature of storytelling, it's probably for an adult audience but it's a very interesting piece of work."  While I had planned it for small children, choosing a large format, bright colours, lots of things to look at everywhere... and at the same time I put Clouseau there as Disney puts jokes and references in their films for the adults who accompany children. (And also as I am French, it's a joke I can get away with.)  I haven't done the market research to evaluate how successful this image would really be with children and parents. 

9)  Working for children:

I had studied the grammar used in different versions of "The Little Red Riding Hood" at university. It has so much meaning for me, that I decided to make a self-portrait as the little red riding hood and that image would be suitable for using for an illustration for a book for older children/teenagers.

   

My tutor said: "given your little red riding portrait, which was a rich piece of metaphor and personalized mythology, you might want to look at the visual work of British comedian Harry Hill who mythologies TV celebrities in his self-taught paintings." I looked at them, and they are quite mysterious to me! Putting this image here is like a note to myself: yes I have progressed a lot, but I must not forget my audience and how they read an image from their point of view, their experience. After all someone I know looked at this picture and said "I like the fox"!