About Me
- John
- Birmingham, West Midlands, United Kingdom
- Aspiring illustrator for the computer games industry. Currently Studying Visual Communication at the Birmingham Institute of Art and Design
lecture RVJ
As an illustrator, the reflective visual journal is an essential tool that ultimately can determine the success of one’s workflow and the quality of that work. The term reflective is a notion all illustrators will be familiar with; they must have space for thinking, a space to reflect on their own ideation and a general free flow of thoughts, which allows creativity to flourish. To be in a reflective state is crucial as it is an honest critique of one’s own work, this inevitably leads to the improvement of one’s work and eventually heightens the illustrator’s standards. This can thus make way for the development of ideas and lead to a focused outcome. An illustrator’s visual world is everything; this prompts visual thinking, which is ultimately essential when solving design problems. A journal is a portable workspace, which is constantly used over time. It is an effective means of transferring ideas from the mind to paper no matter the situation or setting. This is a personal method of developing ideas, the preliminarily ideas can be instantly taken down wherever they occur and then given the care and development needed at a later date. The RVJ makes the collection and organization of visual thoughts extremely simple, one can then simply edit and reedit the afore mentioned ideas from the RVJ in a professional setting, i.e. one’s own workspace. The visual material gathered, once analyzed, can then be used in the RVJ in relation to the development of further visual material whenever inspiration strikes. Drawing as a principal is an art form, which the RVJ allows to flourish. The relationship between eye, brain and hand is at the forefront here and Drawing allows one to be in creative in ways void from the written word, photography etc. There is no limit to one’s creativity whilst drawing; it is simply the free flow of ideas in a direction subject to visual thinking. Drawing in itself is a creative process but it is not enough to simply allow the free flow of ideas, as this provides no closure to one’s work. After the initial drawing has taken place, iteration is a principle incorporated to help evaluate, plan and finish the concepts that have arisen from visual thought. For example, ‘Thomas Edison designed over 10,000 prototypes of the light bulb until he found one that worked’ this shows the initial drawing process and the evaluation that followed as a result of iteration. Another integral aspect of iteration is the concept of visual problem solving, to constantly question one’s work, predictably leads to the refinement of ideas and the final solution.
ITAP - Practices of Illustration
Research is the first stop on any artists creative thought train. It not only provides a deeper understanding for the subject in hand but allows us to communicate, relate and draw inspiration from our surroundings. Research is split into two categories: Primary and Secondary.
Primary research is where there is no existing information available and the researcher must start from the beginning. In an illustrators case this would involve visually recording images that relate to the subject in hand. This is commonly achieved through sketching, many illustrators including myself carry a sketchbook with them at all times or even a camera to work from photographs at a later date. I find primary research more rewarding as you are analyzing your own findings rather than referencing from elsewhere - this brings me on to secondary research.
Inspiration
Sketchbooks play a big part within inspiration, as they are the medium in which you can record your ideas. I like to keep a range of sketchbooks, which have various different ways of recording my ideas and anything that I find interesting. For example I have a small A6 notebook completely filled with text which allows me to record ideas quickly on the go. My other books range from having a portable a5 moleskine, which is great for observational sketches to a4 and a3 books for more controlled works.
ITAP Connectivity
In this post i will be discussing two practices of illustration: Research and Inspiration.
Research is the first stop on any artists creative thought train. It not only provides a deeper understanding for the subject but also allows us to communicate, relate and draw inspiration from our surroundings. Research is split into two categories: Primary and Secondary.
Primary research is where there is no existing information available and the researcher must start from the beginning. In an illustrator’s case this would involve visually recording images that relate to the relevant subject. This is commonly achieved through sketching, many illustrators, including myself, carry a sketchbook with them at all times or even a camera to work from photographs at a later date. I find primary research more rewarding as you are analysing your own findings rather than referencing from elsewhere.
Secondary research is much easier to carry out especially in today's technological climate where the researcher is but a few mouse clicks away from an educated, infinite amount of data. Both types of research have their benefits; it is not a case of picking one or the other. An illustrator should look into the widest range of research possible to get a better understanding of the subject they are focused on.
Inspiration
What is inspiration? Inspiration derives from constant inquiry, which is based on research, observation recording and experimentation. Inspiration can be found everywhere and can happen at anytime. Picasso quoted that ‘ Inspiration exists, but it has to find us working” Which I wholeheartedly agree with this view as it decodes the thought of inspiration being some unknown force that that can only be stumbled upon – this is not to say it can be forced. Research is tied in strongly with inspiration; to be inspired one must have a well-informed grasp on the subject in question, which is only achieved through extensive research. Many artists gather things that they find interesting and end up with a collection, which they can refer to when they encounter the famous ‘Artist’s block’.
Sketchbooks play a big part within inspiration, as they are the medium in which you can record your ideas. I like to keep a range of sketchbooks, which have various different ways of recording my ideas and anything that I find interesting. For example I have a small A6 notebook completely filled with text, which allows me to record ideas quickly on the go. My other books range from having a portable a5 moleskin, which is great for observational sketches to a4 and a3 books for more controlled works.