Leeds College of Art BA (Hons) ILLUSTRATION
Level
06
OUIL603 Extended Practice
Credits
60
STUDIO PRACTICE Thomas O’Connor Statement of Intent Rationale •
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Identify professional competition and live briefs to show that my practice is commercially viable. Advertisements could prove to be a valuable industry for my work. Utilising conceptual skills to solve other rich people’s problems. Combining this with a body of personal performance work, with the aim for it to be exhibited showcasing merchandise such as prints and apparel. Helping me find the right balance between the personal and professional. The underground niche humour is something companies want to tap into. Maintaining humour in self-initiated briefs and feeding my personality back into other areas of work. Humour keeps me sane, insanity isn’t funny. Creating authentic work that’s easily attributed to me. To me, my work can never be purely decorative, it’s needs to make a statement or tell a story - even if the statement or story is stupid. I’m being careful not to pigeon hole myself to a specific spectrum of illustration by creating a versatile process to apply to cross-disciplinary briefs. I left a well-paid job due to its creative restrictions, I’m not prepared to become locked down to being a one-trickpony and aim for my work to be applied across a variety of contexts successfully. However, it is important for me to specialise in process and developing a humourous tone of voice throughout each piece of work in my portfolio. Selecting briefs outcomes involving movement and murals is extending my practice.
Themes •
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Humour, obviously. (It comes in many shapes and sizes and not one glove fits all - I aim to explore this during this module, there may become a certain strand of humour which compliements my way of working?) Witty. (Wherever possible the outcomes will involve maximum wit, more than mere controversy) Engaging. (It needs to connect to the audience) Thought-provoking. (It needs to get audience thinking or laughing, even debating) Concept-driven. (Needs to be reason why I’m doing things) Story-telling (using type, personality and character wherever possible) Playful. (Even the most serious briefs have scope for play and don’t need a rigid formula) Energetic. (Created through a quick drawn aesthetic) Underground DIY approach to image making and movement.
Products / Methods of Distribution • • •
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Advertisements – Where the $$$ is (Clients to distribute my communications appropriately to sell something? Or branding to sell myself) Public Artwork (Including projection mapped lighting and mural based projects) Basic Animation wherever possible could lift flat 2D work and differentiate me. Even if it’s just bringing work I’ve done to life on my website, The best moving image is often simple, although still scope to collaborate more complex motion with an animator. Online portfolio / store - stocking my own personal creative practice prints, art-books and apparel from work produced. Social Media - allowing me to gain interest by setting up accounts or posting updates on self-initiated work where the client stipulates it’s okay. (Including Instagram / Vimeo) Exhibition Prints (High-quality digital Giclee prints Vs. Screen-printed - after liaising with professionals it will be more effective me to outsource the physical screen-printing, artists confirm they very rarely pull the prints themselves - although it’s crucial to understand the process the artwork goes through) Local & National Art Fairs (Stocking my prints, art-books and apparel) Local Independent Businesses (Pitch ideas to local bars/pubs/spaces and retailers such Village & Colours May Vary) Eventually larger retailers (ASOS, Urban Outfitters…etc)
Media / Format •
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Traditionally drawing with brush pen is clearly my forte, capitalise on this and build a practice around it. Define my strengths through battling media and determine what’s best for a particular project, e.g: Finishing linework by bold digital block colours? (May help with time constraints but also providing a quality finish to the resolution and linework) Vs. Generating textures with traditional methods? (test marker pen, watercolour, gouache spray paint, coloured pencil…etc may lead to more personality in the piece) Vs. Digitally tweaked black and white layers to then undergo the screen print process or risographed? Is it important to develop a tone of voice using one of these methods or can the linework and content be the thing that keeps it all together? Format will always be finalised on screen to a professional standard. Ready to be delivered to clients or printed myself (72dpi RGB for digital, 300dpi CMYK for print) Murals will be part of my practice and can be created from finalised on-screen work (through projection or traditional methods - printing on large tracing paper and then using a pouncer and chalk to map what needs to be painted by hand) Anything printed other than digital will be outsourced, I’m a designer, not a master printsman don’t have time to get really good at that. (E.g: Footprinters Leeds can print Risograph - it’s cost effective for professionals to do it and leaves me more time to think and design)
THE BRIEFS
THE BRIEFS Brief 1: Leeds-Bid (Lifting Tower Projection Brief)
Deadline
COMPLETED 25/11/2016
Rationale: • • •
Get me into the swing of things with really quick turn around. Big budget client involved. (Could lead to repeat work on other projects?) Client wants something quite DIY that breaks the norm, suits my unconventional process. Collaborating with a lighting professional, learning new mapping skills.
Brief 2: Leeds College of Art 170th Birthday (Mural)
Deadline
COMPLETED 24/10/2016
Rationale: • • •
An opportunity to gather faces to use as reference / good drawing practice. Putting something back into the community, making people smile. Great exposure for the college and me. Spectators beyond my ordinary audience will be able to engage with me.
Brief 3: ASOS Blank Canvas (Tote Bag)
Deadline
COMPLETED 30/10/2016
Rationale: • • • •
Free reigns, not tied down to a theme concept or someone elses idea. £5000 1st prize plus other lower prizes that I don’t have my eyes on winning. Work to be sold on website (gaining an exposure and building a fanbase) Trip to office in London and mentoring on how to make work for ASOS with feedback.
Brief 4: WE ARE BOUTIQUE (Mural)
Deadline
COMPLETED 10/02/2016
Rationale: • • • •
Local company that values a sense of humour. Marketing company, will open up local connections for other like-minded companies. Brief insinuates visual wordplay, which is arguably my forte. Suggested colour palette and format (painted white on dark grey) suits my process.
Brief 5: The New Statesman (Editorial)
Deadline
22/02/2017
Rationale: • • • •
Interesting popular culture topic that plays to my strengths. Professional standard feedback from Gerry Barakus Chance to identify any editorial strengths. Will create portfolio ready work which will be useful when pitching to agencies
Brief 6: ‘OUT OF ORDER’ Colours May Vary (Print)
Deadline
24/02/2017
Rationale: • • • •
Free chance to promote / network and let people know what I’m about. Invite agencies, etc. Leave business card with work for follow ups. Collaborating with the promotion team, will assist me in future solo endeavours. Build rapport with a local stockiest and future space to exhibit? Establish whether digital prints will sell.
Brief 7: Adrian Mole Penguin Design Award (Publishing)
Deadline
09/03/2017
Rationale: • • • •
A good chance to test my versatility, establish I can tailor my humour and work to suit other people’s publications and audience. A very common industry for illustrators “bread-and-butter” work. Good for portfolio. Can lead to a steady job (Initial paid placement and £1000 prize)
Brief 8: MEPC Wellington Place (Large Scale Artwork)
Deadline
20/03/2017
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Chance to follow up with same commissioners of Lifiting Tower Brief (Studio Breif 1) Have some quick fire ideas lined up for it (won’t take the brief too seriously and the humour will offer them an alternative to the other submissions) £1000 prize and exposure with big-wigs that work there and clients that visit. Oppurtunity to realise a simple idea at a large scale (through screen print)
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Brief 9: D&AD Adobe Brief (Posters)
Deadline
22/03/2017
Rationale: • • • • •
Reputable client, mirroring work I’ll need to work after graduation. Allows me to refine my pitches / presentation boards to a professional standard. Chance to get really good at creating content that’s delivered digitally. Last chance to get recognition as an emerging student (NEW BLOOD). Networking opportunities at Awards Events (with my pencil?)
Brief 10: YCN Dave (TV Show)
Deadline
23/03/2017
Rationale: • • • •
Chance to extend traditional illustration in a commercial sense. Breif would be something my personal practice would take on anyway. Oppurtunity to prove there’s value in comedic illustration. Improve script-writing skills and open up other comedy oppurtunities through illustration
FINAL MAJOR PROJECT (FMP) GAG-GIG (Advertisement > Performance > Merchandise) Rationale: • • • •
Extension of Context of Practice theory & research– idea of performing illustration. Work that feeds the soul, to what extent will it define my practice. Test the hypothetical controversial water, will this line of work be detrimental or be more original and lead to a desirable niche? An oeuvre of work I can use to advertise myself and get gigs and in turn sell my ideas through merchandise and DVD’s…etc.