EMILY FLANAGAN
PROJECT REPORT
BRIEF 1: ALBUM ARTWORK
ALBUM NO.1 - ROUGHS THIS WAS A ONE HOUR BRIEF AS IT NEEDED TO BE UPLOADED TO SOCIAL MEDIAS ALONG WITH THE SONG RELEASE. CREATING ROUGHS FOR THIS ALBUM COVER WAS ESSENTIAL, AS IT WAS VITAL FOR ME TO BE ABLE TO CREATE JOEL’S VISION. THIS REQUIRED ME TO SEND A LOT OF DIFFERENT IDEAS OVR VERY QUICKLY SO I CAN GET TO MAKING THE FINAL IMAGE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THESE ROUGHS WERE SENT TO JOEL WHO CONFIRMED THE DESIRED IDEA, AND WANTED THE WORK TO APPEAR UNFINISHED, SKETCHY AND WITHOUT ANY COLOUR. SPECIFIC GUIDANCE WAS GIVEN ACCORDINGLY ON WHAT I SHOULD ADD INTO THE IMAGE.
ALBUM NO.1 - FINAL COVER THOUGH I AM PLEASED TO HAVE MET THE DESIRES AND REQUIREMENTS OF MY CLIENT, AND THEIR FEEDBACK WAS VERY POSITIVE, I AM NOT HAPPY WITH THIS IMAGE AS A WHOLE. BECAUSE OF THIS I DID NOT UPLOAD THIS IMAGE TO MY SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS OR WEBSITE. WITH IT BEING A ONE HOUR BRIEF I DON’T FEEL TOO HARD ON MYSELF, BECAUSE IF I AHD MORE TIME AVAILABLE TO ME I WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO EXECUTE THIS IMAGE TO MY OWN STANDARD.
ALBUM NO.2 - ROUGHS THERE WAS A WEEK AVAILABLE TO CREATE THIS COVER, AND THE DIRECTIONS OF WHAT WAS REQUIRED WERE GIVEN SPECIFICALLY. I USED REFERENCE IMAGERY OF HORSES AND DID MULTIPLE ROUGHS OF DIFFERENT POSITIONS. THIS WAS A CHALLENGE FOR ME AS I’VE NEVER REALLY FOCUSED SO MUCH OF REFERENCE IMAGERY AS IT’S OUT OF CHARACTER FOR MY STYLE. AND PRACTISED DIFFERENT METHODS OF DRAWING TWO OF THE MUSICIANS INVOLVED WITH THE SONG IN ORDER TO REALLY GET A GRIPS WITH THEIR FEATURES. THE MUSICIANS REQUESTED THAT I USE SMALLER EARS ON THE CHARACTERS WHICH MADE ME DISAPPOINTED BECAUSE THEY’RE MY SIGNATURE THING.
ALBUM NO.2 - FINAL COVER I HAD A LOT OF FUN WITH THIS COVER AS SOON AS I ACCEPTED IT FOR NOVELTY RATHER THAN AS SERIOUS ARTWORK FOR MY PORTFOLIO. THOUGH I WON’T BE ABLE TO USE THESE IMAGES PROFESSIONALLY I CAN REALLY APPRECIATE THE CLIENT EXPERIENCE IN TERMS OF ITS SIMILARITY TO EDITORIAL
ALBUM NO.3 - ROUGHS THIS BRIEF DEADLINE WAS 2 DAYS AFTER IT WAS SET. SIMILAR TO COVER NUMBER 2, WHILST CREATING THIS PIECE THE MUSICIANS REQUESTED FURTHER CHANGES SUCH AS ADDING THEMSELVES INTO THE WORK AS CHARACTERS RATHER THAN SIMPLY PRESENTING A JUNGLE SCENE. IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, I PREFERRED THE INITIAL VERSION OF THE ARTWORK TO THE FINAL OUTCOME.
ALBUM NO.3 - FINAL COVER AT THIS POINT IN CREATING THE ARTWORKS IT WAS CLEAR THAT I WASN’T MAKING WORK FOR THE BENEFIT OF MYSELF ANYMORE, AS WHAT I BELIEVED TO BE A SUCCESSFUL PIECE DID NOT ALIGN WITH THE CLIENT. AS A RESULT OF THIS I DECIDED TO ONLY TACKLE ONE MORE OF THE ALBUM COVERS IN THIS BRIEF.
ALBUM NO.4 - FINAL COVER THIS FINAL COVER IS EASILY WHERE I FOUND MY FEET. I DIDN’T CREATE ROUGHS FOR THIS IMAGE BECAUSE THE CONCEPT THAT WAS PROPOSED WAS SO CLEAR IN MY MIND - I DECIDED TO JUST APPROACH THIS COMPLETELY DIGITALLY BECAUSE THIS FINAL COVER WAS THE ONE WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TO LOOK THE LEAST SCRAPPY. THE ONLY FEEDBACK GIVEN WAS THAT JOEL WANTED A BLANKET IN THE BASKET. I AM THE MOST HAPPY WITH THIS IMAGE OUT OF THE SET OF 4.
FINAL IMAGES MOCKED UP THOUGH THE IMAGES THEMSELVES MAY NOT NECESSARILY BENEFIT ME AS AN ILLUSTRATOR, THE EXPERIENCE OF WORKING ON A CLIENT BASIS CERTAINLY WILL IN TERMS OF EDITORIAL ILLUSTRATION. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT I MADE MY CLIENT HAPPY.
EDITORIAL NO.1: CONCEPTS AND ROUGHS FOR THIS ARTICLE, I WANTED TO EXPERIMENT WITH USING ABSTRACT COMPOSITION IN MY WORK. I LOOKED AT PICASO FOR INSPIRATION AND PLAYED WITH THE IDEAS OF EXPERIMENTAL GEOMETRY IN ATTEMPT TO EXPLORE THE POTENTIAL OF MY EDITORIAL PRACTISE. I CREATED THIS IMAGE DURING COP, SO MY ABILTY TO DRAW FELT EXTREMELY TIRED. I SPENT A LONG TIME BATTLING WITH DRAWING THROUGHOUT MY SKETCHBOOK AND CREATED A FINAL RESOLUTION WHICH I FELT UNDERWHELMED WITH.
EDITORIAL NO.1 - FINAL RESOLUTION BECAUSE I DISLIKED THIS FINAL OUTCOME SO MUCH, IN DECIDED TO BREAK THE IMAGES UP INTO SMALLER SECTIONS TO MAKE A TILED IMAGE. THIS HAS IMPACTED MY WORK MASSIVELY, BECAUSE FOR MY WORK ON CROWDS IMAGES, I THINK IT’S VERY BENEFICIAL TO ZOOM IN ONTO THE PEOPLES FACES IN ORDER TO PAY CLOSER ATTENTION TO THE HUMAN ISSUES I AM DISCUSSING. THIS WAS THE FIRST EVER ALL DIGITAL IMAGE I HAVE EVER WORKED ON, SO I HAVE FORGIVEN MYSELF FOR THE POOR QUALITY OF THE IMAGE. THIS ENCOURAGED ME TO PURCHASED KYLE’S ULTIMATE MEGABUCK BRUSHES FOR PHOTOSHOP, AS I FELT THE IMPORTANCE OF MASTERING PHOTOSHOP WERE GROWING ON ME AS AN EDITORIAL ARTIST.
EDITORIAL NO.2 I WANTED TO REALLY FOCUS ON THE IDEA OF A QUICK TURNAROUND FOR THIS IMAGE BY ATTEMPTING TO COMPLETE THE WORK IN UNDER AN HOUR. I WANTED TO TAKE WHAT I’D LEARNT FROM THE FIRST IMAGE I COMPLETED FOR THIS BRIEF AND USE A MONO COLOUR PALETTE. STICKING WITH THE THEME OF PLAYING AROUND WITH IDEAS OF ABSTRACT, I LOOKED AT HOW I COULD MAKE A SIMPLE IMAGE MORE INTERESTING BY INVERTING DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF IT.
THIS IMAGE WILL NOT FEATURE IN MY PORTFOLIO, AS I DON’T BELIEVE IT HAS MUCH VALUE. IT HAS CONTRIBUTED TO MY PRACTISE IN THE SENSE THAT IT WAS EXPERIENCE FOR EDITORIAL WORKS.
EDITORIAL NO.3 - THE NEW STATESMAN THIS BRIEF WAS DESIGNED TO PRESENT TO GERRY BRAKUS OF THE NEW STATESMAN. THIS BRIEF WAS A MASSIVE DEAL FOR ME AS THIS IS THE CONTEXT IN WHICH MY WORK WILL IDEALLY BE IN THE FUTURE. I DECIDED TO TAKE A MORE GRAPHIC APPROACH TO THIS BRIEF AS A WAY OF ATTEMPTING TO MAKE MY WORK STAND OUT FROM THE OTHERS. I AM NOT ENTIRELY HAPPY WITH THE OUTCOME, BUT THE RESULTS OF HOW GERRY REACTED ARE ENOUGH FOR ME TO CONCLUDE THAT THIS HAS BEEN A SUCCESSFUL BRIEF. THE ROUGHING STAGE FOR THIS BRIEF WASN’T MASSIVE AS I ONLY GAVE MYSELF ONE NIGHT TO COMPLETE IT, AND I WAS FAIRLY CONFIDENT IN WHAT I WANTED THE FINAL OUTCOME TO LOOK LIKE
EDITORIAL NO.4 - THE GUARDIAN THE MOTIVE OF THIS EDITORIAL ILLUSTRATION WAS TO SEND ACROSS TO THE WRITER OF THE ARTICLE ‘HOW ENVIRONMENTAL CASES ARE INCREASINGLY BEING FOUGHT AND WON IN COURT’ - TESSA KAHN. I HAVE ADMIRED HER WRITINGS IN THE GUARDIAN FOR SOME TIME AND THOUGHT IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO MAKE HER ONE OF MY CONTACTS BY ILLUSTRATING HER MOST RECENT ARTICLE. I THINK THIS IS WHERE I BECAME QUITE COMFORTABLE WITH THE EXECUTION OF EDITORIAL ILLUSTRATION, I WAS VERY HAPPY WITH THE RESULT, AND FELT THAT A SPOT ILLUSTRATION WOULD BE GOOD PRACTISE AND VERY RELEVANT FOR THE GUARDIAN.
EDITORIAL NO.5 - NEW STATESMAN NO.2 AS A WAY OF KEEPING GERRY BRAKUS INTERESTED IN ME, I DECIDED TO DO AN EDITORIAL OF A NEW STATESMAN ARTICLE ABOUT THE REFUGE CRISIS IN SYRIA, AS THAT IS WHAT MY CURRENT FMP IS FOCUSING ON. THIS BRIEF WAS SUPPOSED TO ONLY TAKE ONE DAY BUT ENDED UP TAKING OVER A WEEK, AS I WAS VERY THOROUGH IN MAKING SURE EVERYTHING ABOUT IT WAS PERFECT. I WANTED TO IMPRESS GERRY WITH THE WORK, AND HER RESPONSE WAS INCREDIBLE- SHE MENTIONED HOW SHE WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO WORKING WITH ME AND THOUGHT MY TAKE ON THE ARTICLE WAS FRESH.
BRIEF SUMMARY AS A WHOLE THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN EXTREMELY VALUABLE IN TERMS OF NETWORKING EXPERIENCE AND PORTFOLIO BUILDING. I HAVE GAINED THE EXPERIENCE OF WORKING TO ARTICLES AND THEN PHYSICALLY DISCUSSING MY WORK WITH THE WRITERS AND ARTICLES OF THE MAGAZINES/NEWSPAPERS THAT THE IMAGES WOULD EXIST WITHIN. THIS EXPERIENCE WITH DISCUSSING WORK WITH THE RELEVANT CONTEXTUAL PROFESSIONALS, WILL HOPEFULLY GIVE ME AN ENTRANCE INTO WORKING WITH THESE PEOPLE IN THE FUTURE. I WILL CONTINUE TO USE THIS METHOD OF CREATING AND SENDING WORK TO ART DIRECTORS AND WRITERS AFTER GRADUATING AS A WAY OF ELBOWING MY WAY INTO THE INDUSTRY.
BRIED NO.3 (ABANDONED) D&AD THOUGH THIS BRIEF THEORETICALLY SHOULD COMFORTABLY FIT WITHIN MY REALMS OF SOCIO POLITICAL ILLUSTRATION, I FELT VERY LITTLE COMMITMENT AND DESIRE TO UNDERTAKE THIS BRIEF EVEN THOUGH IT WAS A MATTER THAT I CARE DEEPLY ABOUT AS AN ANIMAL ACTIVIST. THE WORK I WAS MAKING AND ROUGHING FELT CLICHE AND UNINSPIRED, RESULTING IN ME FEELING LIKE WHAT I WAS CREATING WAS HOLLOW AND THEREFOREWOULD BE FALSE AND IMMORAL FOR ME TO COMPLETE. THOUGH THESE ARE ISSUES WHICH I FEEL PASSIONATE ABOUT DISCUSSING, I DON’T THINK DOING IT FOR D&AD IS THE WAY FORWARD. THIS IS SOMETHING I WILL HOPEFULLY REVISIT IN THE FUTURE.
I THINK IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR ME TO GO THROUGH THIS DECISION AS A PRACTITIONER, AS I KNOW WHAT IS RIGHT FOR ME TO FOLLOW THROUGH.
BRIEF NO.4 - ‘THE FELL’ SAW MILL MURAL BRIEF FOR THIS BRIEF I WANTED TO GET BACK IN TOUCH WITH MY DRAWING SKILLS. I HAD BEEN SO DISTANT FROM ANALOGUE WORK SINCE EXPLORING THE REALMS OF DIGITAL MEDIAS. I DECIDED TO BUY A CONCERTINA SKETCHBOOK AND FREEHAND DRAW A VERY LONG CONTINUOUS IMAGE TO MEET THE SPECIFICATIONS THE SAW MILL BRIEF.
BRIEF NO.4 - FINAL OUTCOME I THINK IT WAS VERY VALUABLE TO ALLOW MYSELF TO PLAY WITH DRAWING AND MEDIA AGAINTHE RESULTS FOR THIS WERE INCREDIBLE. THOUGH THIS DOESN’T NECESSARILY MEET THE THEMES I WOUD OFTEN WORK WITH, I THINK IT WAS A NICE BREAK TO RECONNECT WITH NATURE AGAIN AND SPEND TIME WITH INK PENS AND A SKETCHBOOK POST DISSERTATION.
BRIEF NO.5 - ‘ROCK DE SHED’ I WAS CONTACTED BY STUDENTS AT LEEDS COLLEGE OF MUSIC TO CREATE A COVER PHOTO FOR AN OUTDOOR FESTIVAL AND CURATE THE CREATIVE INTERIORS AND POP UP EXHIBITION FOR THE EVENT. THEY WANTED A VERY BRIGHT AND COLOURFUL COVER PHOTO IN ORDER TO REPRESENT LATE SUMMER NIGHT VIBES WITH HINTS OF PSYCHEDELIA. I BOUGHT A NEW HALFTONE BRUSH PACK FOR PHOTOSHOP IN ORDER TO GIVE MY WORK A NEW EDGE- I AM VERY FOND OF THE OUTCOME OF THIS BEFORE COLOUR WAS APPLIED.
BRIEF NO.5 -FINAL OUTCOMES. I INITIALLY CREATED THIS WITH A FAIRLY PLAIN COLOUR PALETTE. THIS OUTCOME FELT FAR TOO BORING FOR THE REQUIREMENTS THAT THE CLIENT ASKED FOR. I PLAYED AROUND WITH THE SATURATION AND HUE ON PHOTOSHOP IN ORDER TO CREATE A MORE PSYCHEDELIC VIBE WHICH IS APPROPRIATE FOR THE THEMES AND ATMOSPHERE THAT WE WISH FOR THE EVENT TO HAVE.
BRIEF NO.6 - FINAL MAJOR PROJECT BRIEF: TO CREATE A SERIES OF DETAILED AND WELL WORKED PRINTS IN ORDER TO NARRATE THE EXPERIENCES OF THE REFUGEES WHOM ARE BEING FORCED TO FLEE THEIR HOMES IN DESPERATE SEARCH OF SAFETY FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES. I PROPOSED TO PRODUCE A MUCH LARGER BODY OF WORK FOR MY FINAL MAJOR PROJECT THAN I WAS ABLE TO PRODUCE. I DID NOT ANTICIPATE THE SHEER LEGNTH OF TIME IT WOULD TAKE FOR ME TO RESEARCH AND EXECUTE EACH INDIVIDUAL PRINT IN ORDER TO ACCURATELY REPRESENT THE MAJOR STEPS OF THE TREACHEROUS JOURNEY THE REFUGEES HAVE TO UNDERTAKE.
FMP - CONTEXTUAL RESEARCH IT WAS VITAL FOR ME TO THOROUGHLY RESEARCH INTO THE LIVES OF INDIVIDUAL, REAL PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES OF HAVING TO SEEK ASYLUM DUE TO AN UNJUSTIFIED WAR. FOLLOWING THE STORIES AND INCLUDING THESE INDIVIDUALS WITHIN MY WORK AND PRINTS WILL GIVE MY WORK AN ESSENCE OR REALITY AND HUMANITY WHICH AN AUDIENCE SHOULD HOPEFULLY BE ABLE TO TAP INTO. IF EACH INDIVIDUAL I DRAW HAS A NAME AND STORY, THE WORK WILL BE REAL AND NOT A SHELL PRETENDING TO UNDERSTAND THE STORIES AND STRUGGLES OF NAMELESS FACES.
FMP - PRINT NO.1 ‘ESCAPE’ I STUCK TO A VERY LIMITED COLOUR PALETTE FOR THIS SERIES OF PRINTS. THIS WAS SO I COULD TIE MY PRINTS TOGETHER AND USE A SPOT COLOUR TO HIGHLIGHT AREAS OF DAMAGE THROUGHOUT MY WORK. I FELT USING MONOCHROMATIC COLOURS WAS APPROPRIATE FOR TROUBLING SUBJECTS AS THE TOPICS ARE DARK THEMSELVES. THIS IS MY SINGLE FAVOURITE IMAGE THAT I HAVE CREATED SINCE STARTING THIS DEGREE. I BELIEVE THE COMPOSITIONAL SKILLS (A SUBJECT I HAVE ALWAYS STRUGGLED WITH) HAVE EXCELLED BEYIND MY EXPECTATION. I AM VERY PROUD OF THIS IMAGE.
FMP - PRINT NO.2 ‘THE JOURNEY’ I INTENDED FOR THIS IMAGE TO APPEAR AS DYNAMIC AND SCARY. I USED REFERENCE IMAGERY FOR THIS IMAGE AS THERE WAS NO VIDEO DOCUMENTATION OF THE JOURNEY ON THE BOATS BECAUSE OF THIS I HAD TO LOOK AT VARIOUS IMAGES OF REFUGEES ON BOATS AND DINGYS AND CREATE A SCENE FROM THE RESEARCH I HAD DONE. I FEATURED THE SAME PEOPLE WHO I HAVE RESEARCHED AND HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THE JOURNEY OF THROUGH DOCUMENTARIES AND INTERVIEWS.
PRINT NO.3 - ‘THE ARRIVAL’ I INTENDED FOR THIS IMAGE TO REPRESENT THAT EVEN THOUGH THEIR JOURNEY TO PEACEFUL LANDS HAS SUCCEEDED, PEACE WILL NOT BE WHAT THEY ARE GREETED WITH - WHEN RESEARCHING THE CRISIS I FOUND THAT THE REFUGEES ARE MET WITH HATRED AND VIOLENCE. THEIR JOURNEY IS FAR FROM OVER THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE FEATURED IN THE BOTTOM SECTION OF THESE PRINTS IS GRADUALLY REDUCED THROUGHOUT THE THREE PRINTS IN ORDER TO SUGGEST THE LOSS OF LIFE ALONG THE WAY.
FMP - PROJECT SUMMARY THOUGH I DIDN’T COMPLETE THE DESIRED/PROPOSED AMOUNT OF WORK, I’M GLAD THAT I FOCUSED ON THE VISUAL AND CONTEXTUAL QUALITY OF THE WORK COMPLETED AS THE RESULT I BELIEVE I HAVE ACHIEVED FROM DEDICATING TIME TO PERFECT THE IMAGES AND THOROUGHLY RESEARCH INDIVIDUAL STORIES. IF I HAD CONCENTRATED ON QUANTITY RATHER THAN QUALITY, THE WORK I PRODUCED WOULD HAVE BEEN EMPTY AND LACKING IN VALUABLE EMOTION.