Revised Statement Of Intent

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 work, with the aim for it to be exhibited showcasing prints, books 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-initated 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 work can never be purely decorative, it’s needs to make a statement or tell a story - even if the 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 onetrick-pony and want my work to be applied across a variety of contexts. However it is important for me to specialise in regards to a humourous tone of voice throughout each piece of work.

Themes • • •

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Humour, obviously. (It comes in many shapes and sizes and not one glove fits all - I Selecting briefs outcomes involving projection and murals is extending my practice. 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 wit) Engaging. (It needs to connect to audience) Thought-provoking. (It needs to get audience thinking, maybe 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.

Products / Methods of Distribution • • •

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Advertisements (Clients to distribute my communications appropriately to sell something - through billboards, digital banners etc) Public Artwork (Including projection mapped lighting and mural “graffiti” 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 (Implementing this on Book and CD Cover briefs could set me apart) 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 - namely my self-initiated project ‘Caution: Grime Scene’) 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.

Exhibition Prints (High-quality digital Giclee prints Vs. Screen-printed - it will be more effective me to outsource the physical screen-printing after liaising with professionals they very rarely pull the prints themselves although it’s crucial to understand the process the artwork goes through) National Art Fairs (Stocking my prints, art-books and apparel) Local Independent Businesses (Pitch ideas to Village & Colours May Vary) Larger Retailers (ASOS, Urban Outfitters…etc)

Media / Format •

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Traditionally drawing with brush pen is clearly my forte, captalise on this and build a practice around it. Define my strengths through battling media and determine what’s best for a particular project: Finishing linework by bold digital block colours?

Vs. Generating textures with traditional methods? (test marker pen, watercolour, gouache spray paint, coloured pencil…etc) Vs. Digitally tweaked black and white layers to undergo the screen print process.

Is it important to develop a tone of voice using one of these methods or can the linework 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 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)

Brief 1: Leeds-Bid (Lifting Tower Projection Brief)

Deadline

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

Deadline

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

30/10/2016

Rationale: tb • Free reigns, not tied down to a theme concept or someone elses idea.

• £5000 1st prize. (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 (repeat work?)

Brief 4: Adrian Mole Penguin Design Award (Book Cover)

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 5: 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.

Brief 6: Caution: Grime Scene (Self-Initiated Art Book)

Deadline

19/05/2017

Rationale: • Create personal work to be exhibited that will keep the soul as a practitioner alive.

• Body of work championing Grime music & humour, displaying my personality / brand.

• Type of work will feed back into work produced for clients with the megabucks.

• Why rely on me solely selling my own product when clients have bulging pockets ready for my services.

EXTENDED PRACTICE ACTION PLAN (Basic module plan - I’ve created a complex plan including timing and COP, PPP & events) What do you need to do?

Brief Deadline 22/10/2016 Draw and compose 170 sent and sourced people related to LCA to celebrate 170. Curate the best and place proposed outcomes onto 2 17:00PM submission boards.

24/10/2016

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Submit 5.6m x 1.5m mural design for LCA 170years with intention of how I’ll replicate it, already purchased tools to create and enlisted help for 06/11/2016 if selected. Agreed drafted plan to be finalised are okay.

24/10/2016

2

Inpendent le Submit 370mm x 271mm 300dpi CMYK Double-page spread for Independent Leeds magazine with concept of the creative city utilising drawings done for the mural.

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26/10/2016 Begin brainstorming initial ideas for Adrian Mole. Have some loose concepts to build upon. Keep it broad to avoid clichés, can be narrowed 21:00PM down at a later date.

27/10/2016

6

Visit ‘An Eye on Grime’ private view exhibition in Leeds documenting grime. Attend to focus on networking and establishing new contacts within the industry. Finding who can stock or promote my work?

29/10/2016

3

Ideas and theme generated for ASOS Blank Canvas Tote Bag. Submit ASOS Blank Canvas Tote Bag design 200mm x 200m 200dpi (queried and definitely needs to be 200dpi and not the normal 300dpi standard) Attend Wiley & Big Narstie live event at Leeds University. Promote my book idea, see if people involved with the genre would be interested in a book and/or other merch. Gathering first-hand reference to spend the next day in the sketchbook collating vibes on how the product will feel.

Elaborate on more advanced Adrian Mole book cover concepts from initial sketchbook designs. Establish what materials will be used to make the design.

29/10/2016

Conjure up some ideas D&AD Adobe brief in a sketchbook. Establish whether the initial ideas are worth pursing or focus on another D&AD brief of interest before it’s too late (Monotype, etc)

10/11/2016

Submit redefined lifting tower brief lighting ideas to Leeds-Bid (collab with animator if too complex?) Making character less menacing by adding a bobble hat / cowboy hat / something more comical. Constantly liasing with client and professional lighting mapper.

Work with compiled reference on subject matter of grime. Pioneers of the genre with their wittiest lyrics? Begin producing a finalised image every Saturday day - until exhausted the concept, then curate.

11/11/2016

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12:00PM

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19:30PM

17:00PM

23:00PM 08/11/2016 17:00PM

21:00PM

17:00PM 12/11/2016 21:00PM

31/ 12 /2016 Finalise Adrian Mole book cover design 300dpi Max 5MB .PDF with template, 5mm bleed and crop marks provided. (Colour managed to ISO Coated 39 or ISO Uncoated 29) to free up time to complete other briefs 17:00PM with March deadlines.