Leeds College of Art BA (Hons) ILLUSTRATION
Leve l
OUIL603 Extended Practice
Credit 60 s
06
STUDIO PRACTICE Statement of Intent Name
Tom Roberts
Blog Address
Date
16/10/15
http://t-roberts1316sp.blogspot.co.uk
Rationale There are several key areas in which I want to develop this year - firstly, my character and narrative skills. To do this I will look at briefs/practices that can help me improve my abilities using narrative story telling. I want to create stories that people engage with and connect to. In turn people will recognise my work and tell others leading to a healthy flow of interest in my practice. I want to improve my skills using Adobe software, specifically Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator. Research into future employment suggests that office based companies such as web development groups etc require applicants to have a basic to strong knowledge of these programs. I intend to look for this sort of job to support myself financially whilst I work on my passion projects and such skills will help improve my employability. The urge to experiment and play is something that I continue to want. Over the summer my illustrative work evolved for the better from time spent playing with inks and textures. This sense of play can only improve my work further as I become more experienced doing so. People will see the experimentation in my work and will want to see more of it driving more attention to my practice. I feel that there is always room to improve in a professional capacity and want this to be reflected throughout my extended practice. This involves things such as networking, handling deadlines in a practical way and respecting my peers when it comes to things such as collaboration. Others will hear of my professionalism and it will encourage them to work with me, allowing for more opportunities, job prospects and feedback. Finally, it my intention to leave this year with no less than three physical products that can be sold or sent to a publisher/potential client. These products can be anything from a book to a zine and should be a reflection of my progress throughout the year. These pieces of work will also act as a physical portfolio of my work which will result in a greater interest in my products/more financial gain.
Themes / Subjects Empowerment. There is are vast inequalities in our world and I want to research this and create a narrative story around it. Subjects to be studied are: He For She. The Hawkeye Initiative. The Other 98 Percent. Austerity. Political Satire. Politics is an area that I’ve always been interested in. However it is only within the last year I’ve seen how my work can reflect this. Shows such as Spitting Image proved that political satire can be adapted to appeal to a wide audience. Looking at today’s political climate specifically the Tory government could become a great subject for material. Imagination. A persons imagination can be a great thing, however all to often it changes as we grow up. I would like to look at the theme of imagination and create a story about a child with said theme being prevalent. Products / Methods of Distribution
Graphic Novels Blankets by Graig Thompson Adventure Time (Numerous) Saga by Brian K Vaughn and Fiona Staples Children’s Book Roald Dahl (Numerous) David Walliams (Numerous) Julia Donaldson (Numerous) Editorial Work The Guardian Private Eye Publishing Houses Nobrow Puffin House of Illustration Practical Skills / Media / Formats
Digital Photoshop InDesign Illustrator Media Ink Pencil Drawliner Watercolour Collage
Brief 1:
Thought Bubble
Deadlin 15/11/15 e
Rationale:
Create products to sell at a professional event. This will expand my audience and help me gain recognition within the professional field. People will see my work and be more inclined to purchase my products in the future, I will also be able to meet other professional illustrators and help network building. Brief 2:
House of Illustration
Deadlin 18/01/16 e
Rationale:
Using the book ‘War Horse’ by Michael Morpurgo create three illustrations and a binding that represent themes and the tone of the book. This brief will allow me to play with media and such that I haven’t really worked in depth with before. This experimental work can then be added to my portfolio which in turn will help better my employment prospects. Brief 3:
Offlife
Deadlin 30/01/16 e
Rationale:
Create a narrative story for Offline magazine. An entirely self driven piece that will help me develop my story telling ability. This work will be published in Offline magazine helping to build a wide audience for me. People will see my work and choose to get in contact or even buy my work due to said exposure. Brief 4:
David Cameron: The Crime Minister and His Tory Chums
Deadlin 01/03/16 e
Rationale:
To mark almost one year of Conservative governance I will build off the work created in Context of Practice to create a physical product that can be given to publishers. The work will then be published and sold in numerous places from bookstores to illustrative conventions. Brief 5: Beyond La La Land
Deadlin 19/05/16 e
Rationale:
Create a single issue comic book based around characters in an unequal society. This comic can be printed and released to publishers or self published and sold in comic book shops or at comic/illustrative conventions. This is the Big Kahuna and will drive the last term of Level 6. I will have to show professionalism and strong time management capabilities which will lead to a final product. Additional Project Proposals
Travelling Man Create an A2 Poster for display in the Travelling Man (Leeds) store during the Thought Bubble Event and through until christmas. Deadline - 07/11/15 LCoA Film Society Posters Create A3 posters for several Leeds College of Art Film Society showings such as Back to the Future and Star Wars. Deadline - Relevant to Showing Dates. The Brunswick Comic Illustration Event Run an illustration booth for 45-60 mins. Take part in a comic making exercise. On - 10/11/15
Contextual References Understanding/Making/Reinventing Comics by Scott McCloud Blankets by Craig Thompson Roald Dahl Works David Walliams Works Buffy the Vampire Slayer by Joss Whedon Hugo by Brian Selnick Private Eye Magazine Saga by Brian K Vaughn The Guardian Newspaper
RESEARCH ACTIVITY:
Beyond La La Land Research
Deadlin 30/01/16 e
Research both theoretically and practically into the subject of inequality of sexes, race and class. This research will involved looking into subjects such as gender stereotypes, austerity and repetitive drawing. A range of medias should be used to maximise the practical final piece that will begin development following the deadline date. RESEARCH ACTIVITY:
Book Binding
Deadlin 13/11/15 e
Research further into book binding to maximise the presentation of the final products I’ll be producing in the second half of the year. This will involve visiting Vernon Street for a refresher in book binding as well as an investigation into the best ways to book bind. RESEARCH ACTIVITY
War Horse
Deadlin 01/12/15 e
Research the book War Horse to gain a better understanding of how the illustrations mentioned in the rationale should look. This will involve reading the book, watching the film if possible watching the play. Additionally a range of medias will be experimented with such as watercolours, inks, collage etc in an effort to maximise visual power of the final product. RESEARCH ACTIVITY
Topical News Stories
Deadlin 01/03/16 e
Keep up to date on all topical news reports concerning politics, specifically the conservative government. This will help inform my weekly visual investigations leading to a final practical product. The sources of the news articles can range from newspapers and books to television and beyond. RESEARCH ACTIVITY
Narrative Investigation
Deadlin 30/12/15 e
Research into the narrative medium of comic books to help better understand how they work. How do narrative panels convey time? How does breaking a narrative frame change the image? These sort of questions must be understood to better develop my narrative comic creativity.
BIBLIOGRAPHY BOOKS / TEXTS - (Harvard Refernced)
Understanding Comics -
MAGAZINES / JOURNALS / ARTICLES – (include publication date and details)
ON LINE REFERENCES / WEBSITES / ARTICLES (include specific urls)
OTHER REFERENCE MATERIAL (Films, events, exhibitions, conferences)
ACTION PLAN – use this section to identify specific tasks that you need to complete in order to resolve the brief. Brief
What do you need to do?
Deadlin e
Book Binding Investigation Ends Complete investigation into book binding
13/11/15
1
Thought Bubble Event Complete work for Thought Bubble Event
14/11/15
2
War Horse Research Complete research for House of Illustration Competition
01/12/15
3
War Horse Deadline Complete and submit War Horse deliverables to House of Illustration
18/01/16
Main Body of Beyond La La Land Research Complete main body of research into inequality.
30/01/16
5
30/01/16
6
Offlife Competition Finish Narrative story for Offline Magazine
01/03/16
7
The Crime Minister: David Cameron and His Tory Chums Complete Production of Tory Chums Book Beyond La La Land Production Deadline
19/05/16
4
8
9
10
BA (Hons) Illustration - Level 06 OUIL603 Extended Practice STUDIO PRACTICE
Project Proposals 10 steps to producing persuasive project proposals
1. Set clear aims and objectives 2. Be SMART (Specific , Measurable , Achievable , Realistic , Time Conscious) 3. Use words from your brief 4. Justify the need for your proposal 5. Describe your audience 6. Describe your motivations 7. Consider the reader
8. Eliminate vagueness 9. Visualise the ending 10. Assume nothing