Pugs and Mermaids. MICA MFA Illustration Practice An Idea Book by Mai Ly Degnan
1
Special thank you to my family, fellow classmates, second year students, and especially Whitney Sherman and Jaime Zollars, for your patience, kindness, support, and encouragement which has made my first year in Baltimore unforgettable.
2
Contents Introduction Pugs: Fall Semester 2012 Workshops 10 Ideas Image Harvest/Three Workshops Publishing Project Art Market Exhibition Sketchbook Mermaids: Spring Semester 2013 ABC Book Hand Lettering Words on Wheels Patterns Made and Sold Zine Stop Motion Personal Work Summary 3
Introduction During my first year in the MFA Illustration Practice Program, I’ve a done a lot of exploration and reflection. Because of this, my impression of illustration has changed dramatically. This program has opened my eyes into the endless possibilities in which illustration can exist. Through workshops, guest lectures, and challenging assignments, I have been pushed in a direction that is completely outside my comfort zone. This year has taught me to be flexible, open minded, and patient. For this I am thankful.
4
Pugs: Fall 2012
5
Workshops During our first year in Illustration Practice, we were given the opportunity to experiment in a number of different mediums through workshops. These workshops are significant in the way that they act as tools for us to use in the future. Having had ability to experiment with different techniques and new ways of approaching illustration has definitely changed me into a much more open-minded designer. Since experimenting with letterpress printing, learning how to book bind, paper engineering, and sewing, I’ve incorporated some aspects of each into my work over this year. Bellow are photos from workshops during our fall semester.
Letterpress Workshop
6
Book Binding
Paper Engineering
Sewing
7
Moody Matchbox Dolls Moody Matchbox dolls were an idea I had while working on a “tiny art” show. I wanted to make miniature dolls playing off the idea of children playing with fire.
Russian Dolls In painting Russian dolls, I wanted to see my illustrations in a 3-D way. Having to deal with the entire shape of the dolls would be a challenge since I am so used to working two dimensionally.
Potential Russian Doll themes:
Paper doll bookmarks from Letterpress workshop heads.
-
Grumpy Family Mermaid Anatomy John Water’s characters Monster family Addams Family
Ten Ideas The Ten Ideas project was one of the first assignments we had in the semester. This project was an introduction into our Image Harvest assignment. We were assigned to come up with ten potential projects that we would be interested in creating during the semester. Ten Ideas project really helped me think and analyze my own work. Doing this, reoccurring themes that began to surface. 8
Mermaid Pillows
I also wanted to create a series John Waters Matchbox Dolls.
9
Image Harvest and Three Workshop Reaction Piece
For the Image Harvest Project, we were asked to look back at our past work and find reoccurring themes. The idea was to then make something new after harvesting from those themes. I decided to combine my Image Harvest project with my three Reaction Piece Project. A lot of my prior work before starting this program focused one eccentrics and making light of their oddities. I also wanted to focus on telling a story. For this project, I tried to make a booklet about cat hoarder named Clara. Initially it was supposed to be a tunnel book, but instead I decided that I wanted the booklet to be more of a pop up card that would stand on its own. I also wanted it to be looked at from all sides, have a window looking inside, as well as have some dimensionality to it.
Cat Hoarder Sketch
10
To fulfill the three reactions requirement, I pulled from the letterpress workshop by using one of the paper heads I printed. I also used the sewing for the binding for the initial card. Finally, for the pop up parts of the card I pulled from the paper engineering workshop.
11
The practice card was a soft cover booklet with a door and window that opened and closed. I was very happy with the imagery and the size of the piece, However, it was far from perfect.
First Attempt:
Things to work on: From this practice hoarding book, I learned about what worked and what didn’t. The most important change that needed to be made was for the cover to be hard cover instead of a soft cover. Because of the multiple papers pasted together to create a thicker cover with a front and back, it was incredibly difficult for the book to stay open, or stand on its own. The window shade also needed to be redesigned so that it would be easier to open and close. Over winter break, I focused on redesigning a booklet that was a hard cover and could stand on it’s own.
12
Clara the Compulsive Cat Collector
13
14
Finished Image Harvest Project
15
Publishing Workshop: Idiot’s Books
Learning how to book bind with Idiots Books.
16
Publishing Pitch A Pug’s Life is a book I am writing and illustrating for pug lovers. This story is inspired by my own experience with my late dog, Ly Ly. The story will be a celebration of the relationship between an owner her dog and their routine throughout their day. The narration of the story will be similar to that of a children’s book and throughout the story, there will be hints of similarities between the owner and the pug. The story will be told from the dog’s perspective and will focus on the pet’s own physical insecurities, which he realizes are irrelevant because his owner shares them too, and loves him no matter what. The targeted audience will most likely be for pet owners and pug lovers, as well as children. This book connects with our theme of Lost and Found, because it deals with my own personal memories of have a pet, while at the same time finding happiness in the appreciation for an old companion.
The publishing pitch was incredibly helpful when thinking about my audience and who my book would appeal to. Doing this really helped me get ready for art market as well.
17
18
19
20
21
Art Market
Creative Brief: Mai Ly’s Matchbox Dolls Company Statement: Growing up, I’ve always collected strange knickknacks and figurines. My dresser and mantel at home would be full of these small mismatched treasures. This obsession with miniatures is the inspiration for my Matchbox Dolls. Matchbox Dolls are pocket-sized keepsakes that are the perfect gift for decorating a desk or bookshelf. They are a perfect stocking stuffer, ornament, or even wedding cake topper. These dolls are handmade, using found objects and collage. Each doll is painted, collaged, and assembled together all on a single matchbox. These delicate art objects are aimed at early teens to adults who enjoy miniatures and collectables. Each doll will measure to be about two inches long when closed, and about 3.5 inches long when open. The outside of the matchbox is the body, and inside of the box will have two burnt matchsticks to represent the legs of the dolls. The actual materials being used are a play on the idea of “children playing with fire.” The burnt matches also add to the dolls’ creepy cute aesthetic. I will be making nine different dolls, four girls and 5 boys. Each doll will have its own name and a little backstory on his or her packaging. These dolls will be sold for 25 dollars each. Along with the Matchbox Dolls, I am also planning to sell my “Pugs Life” book, made during our publication workshop as well as Pug Graph paper note books. All products are unified by their similarly stylized characters, patterning, and line work. They also share the same moody, creepy-cute aesthetic. Mission Statement: As a creative maker, I’ve always had a love for the kitschy and the strange. Self-deprecation is definitely my favorite kind of humor. When illustrating, many of my characters are awkward and eccentric. I enjoy juxtaposing serious subject matter with playful children’s-book-like illustrations. This pairing of opposites often comes across as strange and offbeat, which is exactly my aesthetic. The goal of Moody Matchbox dolls is to make people smile using this same kind of selfdeprecating humor. Matchbook dolls are a play on the idea of “children that play with fire,” using adorable grumpy children on matchboxes. Ownership: Sole proprietor Unit Cost: Each Moody Matchbox Doll will cost 25 dollars each. In all, I will be creating 9 different characters, with 8 multiples of each character, equally 72 matchbox dolls in all.
22
Start-Up Summary:
Points of Difference:
The only materials needed for Moody Matchbox Dolls are matchboxes, paint, paper, markers, and super glue.
What separates my Moody Matchbox Dolls from its competition is that they will be hand assembled, making them each one of a kind. No two dolls will be the same and the fact that each doll is made from an old matchbox also helps it stand apart from other miniature toys.
Means of distribution: Products will be sold at Art Market as well as through an online Etsy shop. Sourcing: I will be hand collaging/assembling all Moody Matchbox Dolls. Promotion:
Perceptions: Currently my product is perceived well. Many strangers have already approached me to make custom Matchbox Dolls of their family and friends through my website. Essence:
Products will be promoted through my own personal website, Tumblr, Instagram, and Facebook page and will be sold at MICA’s art market, as well as an online Etsy shop.
The essence of my product is to bring a smile, and brighten up a desk. The goal for each matchbox is to be enjoyed by all who appreciate tiny and clever art.
BRAND INFORMATION
Reasons to Believe:
Objectives: The goals of Mai Ly’s Matchbox Dolls are to be both decorative and entertaining. Their purpose is to be appreciated as collectable keepsakes, given as gifts, and used as decoration.
Since these Matchbox Dolls are limited edition, this product functions as a collectable. I will be selling multiples of 9 different variations of dolls, 4 girls and 5 boys. If these dolls do not sell well at art market, I have a following online that has already been contacting me to sell.
Markets:
Key Messages:
Matchbox Dolls are intended for early teens to adults.
I want these products to promote the idea that art can be made out of anything. I want it to inspire people to play around with other ways of creating art that is not just for paper.
Target Market: These dolls are for people who love appreciate art and who love collecting tiny knickknacks and keepsakes. They are the perfect stocking stuffer, wedding cake topper, or Christmas ornament. Brand Challenges:
Theme and Image Criteria: Each Matchbox Doll will share a consistent style, line work, character design, patterned clothing, and moody creepy-cute aesthetic.
Since Moody Matchbox Dolls are so small they are also incredibly delicate. I want to make sure that my matchboxes are durable and packaged well. I want to either find a box with a clear cover so that they are still visible within their packaging.
23
Production
I created the matchbox doll bodies on the computer so that I could easily create multiples. After they were printed, I collaged the dolls onto their matchboxes. Because the dolls are so small and fragile, it was incredibly important for me to find small clear boxes so that you could see the doll while at the same time protecting them. I enjoyed the art market experience because it taught me how to package and sell my products as well as price and produce multiples.
24
Pug Graph Paper Notebooks
Art Market 25
Sketchbook Project
The Sketchbook Project was my favorite project in the fall. I liked that it was a weekly assignment and the only thing you were restricted to was the theme of the sketchbook. I definitely liked the work I produced during this project the most. The most important thing I took away from the sketchbook project was my love for drawing on a theme. This assignment has led me to be more diligent with my sketchbook, as well as creating assignments and themes to follow in my own work.
26
Travelogue
27
Diagram
28
Mystery
Documentation
29
Opposites Attract
30
Atlas
31
Creatures
32
Fall semester was incredibly challenging and at the same time incredibly eye opening. It made me think about my work in ways that I never had before. I’ve realized my strengths and weaknesses. I’ve also realized that I would like to continue working the way I did in the sketchbook project. For the spring semester, my goals are to focus on a theme, and create a body of work that is consistent and cohesive while at the same time being open to trying new things.
33
34
Mermaids: Spring 2013
35
ABC Book: Letter M
The letter “M� is for Mischievous Mermaids. The illustration on the right was for a class ABC book that we made for Jaime as a baby shower gift. The above image is from a sketch that I made while brainstorming.
36
37
38
Hand Lettering The “Magnetic Poetry� Hand Lettering assignment was our first assignment after winter break. I will admit that it was a real challenge for me. I’ve never really liked my own handwriting so illustrating a typeface has always difficult. Either way, I found this to be a really helpful exercise because it forced me to think about illustrating words in terms of mood and meaning, which is something that I had never tried before. I definitely plan on practicing more hand lettering in the future in hopes that one day I will finally be comfortable with it.
39
Words on Wheels Words on Wheels was an exercise where we had to interpret a child’s poem. These illustrations were then jurried and the ones chosen were displayed in buses around Baltimore. What made this project so special was that we actually got to meet the children who wrote the poems. The images on the left are the sketches, and the images on the right are the final illustrations.
Yet to Come A diversity of things Hold me back But when they are weak I decide to attack. Everyday Iʼm closer To my goal And when I get there My greatest plan will unfold. So throw any obstacle You want at me, But Iʼll dodge it because I will be what I want to be.
by Joshua Veale Grade 6 School: KIPP: Ujima Village Academy Teacher: Jason Farber
40
ILLUSTRATION & DESIGN: MAI LY DEGNAN / MICA MFA IN ILLUSTRATION PRACTICE ‘14
by Eryn Grier Grade 8 School: Midtown Academy Teacher: Whitney Ward
Love Love is a father reading to his 3-month-old daughter. Love is a parent giving a kiss to their child when they come home from school. Love is a star that one must follow. Love is solid as a rock. Love is inside everyone’s heart, even though SometimesWe don’t show it.
ILLUSTRATION & DESIGN: MAI LY DEGNAN / MICA MFA IN ILLUSTRATION PRACTICE ‘14
What is Love?
A Joint Project of: A Joint Project of: Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School KIPP: Uiima Village Academy KIPP: Uiima VillageCollege Academy Maryland Institute of Art Maryland Institute College of Art Midtown Academy Midtown Academy The Mount Washington School The Mount Washington School
A Joint Project of: A Joint Project of: Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School Baltimore Montessori Public Charter School KIPP: Uiima Village Academy KIPP: Uiima Village Academy Maryland Institute College of Art Maryland Institute College of Art Midtown Academy Midtown Academy The Mount Washington School The Mount Washington School
41
42
Patterns
Mermaids and their men. The idea for this pattern was mermaids drowning men. This idea decided the theme for the rest of my patterns. I enjoyed making this one especially because I liked playing with the varying sizes of clown fish and patterns on the boys’ shorts.
43
Mermaids and Sand castles The idea behind this pattern was mermaids playing with sand castles. I enjoy the color choice in this pattern the most probably because it is different from the others. The fish varying in size and filling in the background also make it a successful pattern because they created a kind of depth.
44
45
Mermaids sunbathing. My initial idea for this pattern was to have mermaids relaxing on rocks protruding out of the of water. I had a number of reasons why I didn’t like these patterns, one of which was the size variations. I had wanted some mermaids to look closer than others, which was fine in the single tile form, but once I patterned the image, it seemed overwhelming. Instead, I decided to stick with mermaids sitting on rocks. Because of the problems I was having above, I decided to keep all of my figures of the same size, but to play with the variation of the colored towels and sizes of the coral instead. Over all this was my favorite pattern, mostly because color is usually a challenge for me, and I really fell in love with this odd combination.
46
47
48
Mermaids and Balloons This pattern was probably the most challenging for me. The purple pattern at the top right is what I started off with. My idea was to draw mermaids in a carnival kind of setting. I wanted to depict them holding balloons and to do this, I used very stylized Jellyfish. Though they don’t look exactly like a typical jellyfish, I like they way they are stylized and that they of imitate parasols. The most difficult part for me while making this pattern was deciding on colors. In the end I chose to go with the pink and sea green color. I chose for the Jellyfish to be light pink to match the pink of the mermaid’s cheeks. I chose a darker pink for the octopus to give a little variations.
49
Mermaids walking their fish. The idea for this pattern was mermaids walking their pet fish. Instead of a leash, the fish have hooks in their mouths. I enjoyed playing with the colors but in the end had to change and revise the pattern. What wasn’t working was how linear the pattern was. The light orange background also made it difficult for the fishing line to be seen. In order resolve this I chose a blue background, and added more patches of sea weed in order to break such a linear pattern.
50
51
Pattern Applications
Bathroom When designing my patterns I was thinking mainly about creating them for bathrooms. I think they work really well as shower curtains and wall paper. However since the work shop I thought a lot more about other kinds of applications.
52
53
Pattern Applications Since the workshop, I ordered three of my favorite patterns from Spoonflower. Not only was it incredibly gratifying to see my prints on actual fabric, but it was also helpful when thinking about other applications and surfaces the patterns could possibly appear on. I never really thought my patterns would work on apparel, but now I’ve been thinking more and more about how nice they could look as swimsuits.
Head Scarfs
Sunglasses Case
54
Swimsuits
Bedding
55
Made and Sold Workshop The Made and Sold workshop was one of my favorites. Tomi Volluscheck, author of Made and Sold and owner of Stereohype, was an incredibly kind and enthusiastic guest who really pushed us to think outside of our comfort zone. During the workshop we were given a three part assignment, one at a time. We had to first come up with a colored illustration. We had no knowledge of what we were creating the image for until the second day of the workshop, where we discovered that we had to design four black and white buttons using only imagery from the previous illustration. Then finally we were supposed to propose an idea for a product using imagery from that same illustration. I liked this workshop because it was refreshing not knowing the end result.
56
Fish bowl Mermaid Sketches
Fishbowl Mermaid
57
Sterohype Button Designs
58
59
Collaborative Zine: Opposites attract
This semester I was apart of the zine team. In preparation for MOCCA, our class decided to do a collaborative zine. Everyone voted and we all decided on the theme of opposites attract. Everyone chipped in to help assemble and screen print the booklets.
Below are a few sketchbook pages brainstorming the idea.
60
61
Stop Motion Workshop We were incredibly fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Melinda Beck during our stop motion workshop this semester. This was the workshop I was most looking forward to since winter break. I’ve always wanted to learn how to animate, and I was so surprised that we all were able to actually accomplish an animation in four days.
Storyboards In getting ready for Melinda, we had to prepare three storyboards to pitch our animation idea. I knew that I wanted to do something with mermaids and unrequited love. The opposites attract illustration definitely inspired the imagery for my stop motion. I thought it would make for a humorous animation if the mermaids actually took the fisherman under. It was interesting to think in terms of the before and after. When planning it was important to be thoughtful about how something will move. I definitely had to edit my original plans when I thought more about how I wanted things to be animated.
Thinking about sound Prior to this workshop I had also had a specific singer in mind. This also helped in deciding the mood of the animation as well as pacing.
62
Storyline In this animation, I wanted to focus on the fisherman’s emotions of surprise, happiness and fear. In my storyboards, the scene begins with a fisherman at night. Gradually, mermaids surround and sneak up on the lonely fisherman. At first he is surprised, but then pleased when he realizes that the mermaids are flirting with him. However, in a matter of seconds he realizes that he is being attacked, and a crowd of mermaids take him under.
Making Puppets Having already drawn the illustration prior to this workshop definitely helped with the character design and making of the puppets. I used a light table to trace movable body parts separate from their bodies. Because I wanted to focus on emotions, I needed to have three separate heads for the fisherman. He needed to be sad, happy, and scared. As for the mermaids, because they were the ones that would be doing all the movement, I needed to have multiple puppets with moveable arms. I wanted to use white thread to sew my joints so that they would be less noticeable during the animation.
63
Sewing Mermaid joints.
64
Creating an environment.
Having the cut out pieces, background, and multiple puppets made shooting the animation surprisingly smooth. It took about four hours to take all the photos. I edited the animation in Premier, which was also a new experience for me.
65
Screen Printing and Personal Work Since our letterpress workshop in the fall, I had been incredibly interested in learning other ways of printing. Because of this I decided to take a screen printing class this semester so that I could focus on personal work, and creating art in a completely different way that I’m used to. Though, for me it was a bit frustrating, it was so incredibly satisfying to actually print my own work from start to finish, with out using a computer.
Personal Project I created a larger than screen print from an practice pattern illustration made during Julia Rothman’s Patterning workshop. The most gratifying thing about screen printing this image, for me, was seeing my work at a large scale. Seeing something large, had opened my eyes into trying to work at a larger scale more often. Though this was definitely the most frustrating print I pulled all semester, due to a number of registration issues, it is still my favorite.
66
Experimenting with CMYK Printing I created a small, postcard sized CMYK print of one of my Matchbox Dolls. I wanted to see how a photographic image of a three dimensional object would look screen printed.
Sunglasses at Night For one of our assignments, we had to create at least a 5 layer print with accurate registration. I decided that I wanted to see how one of my digital illustrations would look like screen printed. I chose to use imagery from some of my past patterns, and arranged them into a scene playing off the song “Sunglasses at Night.� I also experimented with different colored papers.
67
Sketchbook
Killer Mermaid. 68
69
Sunglasses at Night.
70
Sweet Sixteen
71
Tooth Fairy.
72
Octogirl and her catfish.
73
Unconditional Love
74
In summary, I feel incredibly grateful for being apart of this program and for the skills I’ve learned over the past year. I’ve discovered what works for me as well as what doesn’t. I feel prepared in entering my thesis year, and focusing on my strengths and overcoming my weaknesses.
www.mailyillusration.com
75
76