Illustration

A short project we did during our first 4 weeks at college was illustration.
We were asked to create a character out of our chosen objects however, with my object being a deer-an already living object with characteristics, I was asked to select another. I chose a cocktail umbrella and began experimenting with selecting the look and thinking into the type of personality he would have. We were also asked to experiment with different tools to produce interesting backgrounds and illustration techniques. I drew using ink and a fine stick to produce images that resembled that of Quentin Blake and used equipment of my own; walter colours, oil and chalk pastels etc. to add to the images. I was also introduced to a new product called brusho. This is a type of powder that, when sprinkled on a water covered surface or has water added to at, disperses to reveal a vibrant ink; perfect for backgrounds.

Continuing Observation

My realistic observation of a deer.

Everyone else may have chosen to continue to just observe their object but I wanted to do something different.
I really enjoy attempting to draw animals in a realistic style or, my style.
As my object was a deer, I thought this was a good opportunity to draw an actual deer. I went through the process of a simple water colour wash to get base colours and then moved on to pencil crayon, acrylic paints and even a black biro pen to achieve finer lines and to create the texture of the deers hair.
I then finished by using green pastel to create the surrounding haze.

The Begining

So, the first 4 weeks of the Art and Design course was mainly just to get an idea of the things we can expect and we can do over the next two years. It was a chance to experiment with new tools and equipment under a range of methods such as: clay work, 3D models, illustration etc. and to understand what is required of you and the progression from school to college.

The task was to chose an object and this would be your focus for the first 4 weeks. Unfortunately, I did join 2 weeks into the course so missed out On clay and producing a 3d model of my chosen object which, as you can see below, was a small ceramic deer.

3 observational images of my initial object.

I wasn't told what others had done in this first 2 weeks so, took this as an opportunity to use my initiative and independently come up with some ideas to start off my book.

The first thing I did was some observational drawings of the object; I did this using the photos I had taken as I feel I work better working from photos rather then life.

Observational Drawings

I initially drew the deer with the intention to make it look realistic however, as i started to paint with water colours, the image bled. This could have ruined the result but I decided to work with it and created 3 abstract images. I think it is a different approach and something else I will use in the future.

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