ASS4 - Prpject 1 - Satirical illustration
Illustration 2 Part four - Contemporary |Illustration
Research point Find online social networks that connect with your work or present content that you’re interested in. Find a range that covers commercial opportunities, professional networking, archived work, learning opportunities, or discussions around illustration. You might want to join in on some of these forums.
What did you find and how does this inform your understanding of illustration? Share what you have found on OCA’s forums.
For Paper Pawtraits
As I run my own pet portrait business, I have had to learn to evolve my designs and also hit out at the right market to find the right people who would be most interested in buying a pet portrait. There are a few Facebook groups which I find useful such as pet groups, there are pet groups for every pet, dogs, cats, guinea pigs even hedgehogs! There is also a group for pet portraits, but I don't really post there as many pet artists do and as my idea is so unique Im afraid if I post here someone will copy my idea. Pet portrait artist prob do see my work in pet groups but in the pet portrait group there are over 40 thousand artists in it which I think it is best to steer clear of. I have just had a look on there and there is an announcement at the top of the page saying some people have been copying other people's work. So you see not all groups are safe to post in, you have to really think about it before you show your artwork in a group.
For my style and interests:
On Facebook there are loads of interesting groups and pages of artists showcasing and selling their work. For myself and my style I am in a few groups which are interesting and give me information , ideas, techniques with paper and inspiration
Here are just a few below:.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1980452938874402/
https://www.facebook.com/colinroytoddpopup/
https://www.facebook.com/antoanaoreskiilustration/photos/p.2316094228441839/2316094228441839/?type=1&theater
https://www.facebook.com/Paper-Art-and-Craft-175661105976070/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/papermacheart/?ref=br_rs
I have found pinterest to be useful for inspiration and ideas. It's very easy you just type in what you're looking for eg paper cutting and it will bring up thousands of paper cut images, this helps to see how far you can push yourself as some of the work I have found with paper is outstanding. If makes me see the level I want to aim for.
Here below is my profile so you can see the boards I have that inspire me for ideas:
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/paperpawtraits/boards/
Instagram has become very popular recently and I have notices a social move from facebook users who have now moved fully over to instagram, I find it a great place to showcase your work as well as see what other people are up to. It is more of a photo social media then facebook where you also get quite a lot of posts that are just written.
https://www.instagram.com/britsketch/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/captain.lulo/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/childrens_illustrators/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/marianneeriksenscotthansen/
https://www.instagram.com/batra15himani/
Heres my own -
https://www.instagram.com/paper_pawtraits/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/papergemzdesigns/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/gemmaleesillustration/
Commercial opportunities, professional networking and learning opportunities.
There are various social medial places to go when looking for career opportunities and networking with other professionals.
Linkedin is great and full of information, you can have a profile on there showcasing your talents and skills and also see other people in the same profession as you. There are also a lot of company business pages who are also constantly looking on Linkedin to find the right people with the right skills for different jobs in their company.
Linkedin is great for job searching but also they have groups and discussions based on certain topics where you can join in. Sometimes you learn new things and also help other people.here are two groups I am in to show examples:
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/754987/
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/2289474/
Join the dots
Join the dots and a few other websites like this are based around employment in the art, design and illustration sector. Here there is alot of companies scouting for people to work for them and also showcasing opportunities. It is more of a high end profession which personally for me I felt I didn't have enough skills for most of the jobs. A lot are looking for digital art, where I am more of a traditional artist. There are also agency websites and other websites that you can have a portfolio to show your work to potential companies. However I found this way usually charges you a fee to be seen.
Learning
There are a lot of learning resources online. The first free one that comes to my mind is you tube. Here it is like a huge library full of topics and guides to learn you things Here below are some videos I found useful.
Linkedin works with a business called skillshare where people share their skills online for other people to gain the knowledge, You have to pay but keep a lookout for offers they put out which are worth it :) The few tutorials I have watched are very informative and they have some great videos on learning photoshop, putting ideas onto paper and paper art which I can relate to with my work.Some are also free!
https://www.skillshare.com/orientation/classes
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/me?trk=nav_neptune_learning
Selling your illustrations, designs and more.
Here below are a list of selling places that I have used and will maybe try out in the future:
Fiver - An online art and design place for people looking for artists/illustrators. It's a place where you can put your skills out there with some examples and people can get in touch if your style is what they are after. I have had a little play with this a while ago and not had much luck from it at all. I will at some point give it another go incase I was not promoting myself on there correctly.
Etsy, folksy, numonday, Ebay and Amazon Marketplace - I have put these all under the same discussion as they all work in the same way, you can put your products on to sell on these sites but there are fees. I find etsy and amazon to be the most expensive - If someone looks at your product (click on an item) you get charged, If you sell they not only take a percentage off you for themselves but they also take some of the customer too which I think puts people off buying on Etsy- I think etsy is dying out they have gotten so expensive and now they have added membership plans starting at 7.99 a month - I’ve discovered if you don't even pay for the lowest plan, your products and artwork are never to be found by potential customers, they get lost and hidden behind the people that do pay. I did some research the other day and if you type in a personalised dog portrait my dog pawtrait advertisement is on the 10 page of pet portrait artists which is too far down the line. I discovered from some research I found that people when searching look up to 5 pages of items before either giving up and going to another website or finding something they like so with that in mind my work never gets seen on there as much as I want it too - Unless I pay £7.99 a month.. NuMonday is a new one and I looked on their recently as people kept telling me that it is free to advertise and have a shop page. They have told me its better than etsy so when I have a free day on a weekend next I will be adding my art and Paper Pawtraits on there to see how I get on. Theres are always new websites and areas online popping up to advertise, the trend is always changing and in order to be successful you must keep on top of the game and know where your customers are going to look at handmade items and artwork.
Archived work, discussions around illustration.
For Archived work, discussions around illustration I find blogs, Vlogs and forums online useful.
Here's are a few below which I go to. Boredpanda is great filled with ideas and fascinating articles regarding other artists, their styles and success stories of people following their dreams. There is so much information out there, websites too online which you could just spend hours upon hours reading.
http://www.graphicdesignforums.co.uk/forums/illustration-forum.41/
https://www.boredpanda.com/illustrations-modern-society-sam-bailey/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GZQHxqEZhk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GZQHxqEZhk
Project Satirical illustration
Research point Steve Bell, the contemporary political satirist who produces the If... cartoon strip and other editorial pieces for The Guardian, regularly makes reference to the political satire of earlier times by re-working it with a contemporary twist. By doing this he’s also making satirical references to the past – making a link between the contemporary moment and a similar (or different) historical one.
Look at the work of William Hogarth, James Gillray, George Cruikshank or other eighteenth century political satirists and pick out examples you think could be successfully re-worked for a contemporary audience. Strip away the layers of eighteenth-century meaning to establish the core symbolism and metaphors that make the satire work. Identify what would you replace with what to make this work for a contemporary setting.
The work of William Hogarth, James Gillray and George Cruikshank is available online at the Bridgeman Education Library which you can access via the link on the OCA student website.
Steve Bell houses an archive of his work at www.belltoons.co.uk. His current work and interviews with him are available at www.guardian.co.uk
Steve Bell
https://www.theguardian.com/uk
The second cartoon strip is about the new protesters called the Extinction Rebellions. In the last decade we have come to realise climate change is changing the world as we know it. It is because of us humans burning fuels, leaving our waste in the oceans and more that is destroying our planet. ‘The Extinction Rebellions are is a socio-political movement with the stated aim of using civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance to compel government action on climate breakdown, biodiversity loss, and the risk of social and ecological collapse’ In my terms they are fighting back and telling the governments they need to help and face Climate change instead of ignoring it. There are many ways we can change for the better - and even I feel its taking too long to do any simple change - So far all I’ve seen is McDonalds changing plastic straws to paper straws. I as a member of the public have not seen any vast change. I am totally there for the Extinction Rebellion group as something needs to be done else who knows what the future holds. Steve Bell in this cartoon again has portrayed an important message in the cartoon he has created the MP’s as dinosaurs. I look at this two ways either to see them as they are too old and they don’t understand or to show them being extinct because they never lifted a finger to change anything. Humans are known for just ignoring a lot of things, thinking it will go away or someone else will sort it out. But this issue is a huge thing for everyone on the planet and I just hope the Extinction Rebellion gets heard and finally we do something before it's too late to rescue what we are currently destroying.
William Hogarth
Above - The Madhouse
Above - The Orgy
You can see all the series here on this link below:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Rake%27s_Progress
Over the years various artists have recreated the series to more of their time for example in 2013 an artist called Henry Hudsin created his own view of the Rakes Progress to represent his time which therefore turned them into contemporary illustrations (article below)
https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/exhibitions/smutty-putty-henry-hudson-re-renders-hogarth-s-a-rake-s-progress-at-sothebys-10194502.html
Below- The After party
This is his version of Williams painting called the Orgy (above). It shows our time now -There is a lot of details in the image which correspond with our current time: There are more modern buildings, Technology that was not available back then, new fashion, electricity, drugs. I feel like I can relate to his idea based on the rich having too much money and spending it on things to entertain themselves and perhaps get so drunk and high on drugs because of depression of having the money to do absolutely anything they want.
If I was to strip down the original and have it redrawn in my own way - perhaps I would of done a nightclub showing reality TV famous people with champagne, good looking men and women and paparazzi (just like the only way is Essex). There would be lots of drama between people, all different types of people, some with plastic surgery, Botox to try and keep looking good (and failing). Also there would be people taking selfies, posing and just constantly trying to look amazing for the cameras. Today's world showcases a lot of people's lives through TV. There are a lot of reality shows on TV and it's also where people have become rich and famous through it. There is also a side of it that is dark, mentally draining and a lot of people who suffer from depression. There are a lot of online trolls who are bullying people online making them feel not great about themselves. The famous reality stars are constantly trying to change their looks and personalities to fit in and also to make the general people like them. So my illustration would be more of a social influence and those trying so hard to fit in and cope with their lives constantly being filmed.
James Gillray
https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw35503/The-giant-factotem-amusing-himself?
'The giant factotem amusing himself'
Above has been illustrated by James Gillray - It is about a powerful guy amusing himself and the people below him suffering. When I looked at this closer and stripped it down its meaning is of some one so powerful he can do as he pleases no matter who he treads on he is perceived as a giant compared to the rest of the people. If I was to redraw this illustration in today's world, I would do the giant as Donald Trump the USA president and the state people below him. There is a lot of talk about how he got to his position. There are talks of corruption, black mailing and bribing. No matter what anyone thinks he is now there with all the power of the USA behind him. I think my illustration would illustrate the talks around his position as president and who perhaps he had to step on to get there.
George Cruikshank
https://www.britannica.com/biography/George-Cruikshank
Here above shows an illustration created by George Cruikshank called The Headache. It illustrates someone in politics looking stressed and around him are his gremlins each one represents a different problem he is facing. All of the gremlins are bugging him and torturing him - The title is a metaphor of all there gremlins causing a headache. Usually you see PM's having a lot going on, so I can imagine when they finish work they slump in a chair just like this and think about all the problems that are difficult and have not been solved. If I was to do this illustration I would have dome The late MP Teresa May crying with all these gremlins around her, all the problems she faced. This would work well with what happened earlier this year when she stepped down as an MP. I felt sorry for her as she came in to solve the Brit-exit issue and no one would agree with her ideas. Eventually she got so stressed and emotionally stepped down in front of downing street. My illustration like the above would of been of her the night before making the decision to step down with her thinking about all the issues and all the gremlins torturing her making her realise its all too much and to let someone else try which is currently Boris Johnson. He also is currently having the same problems too.
From this research I can see how history repeats itself when you strip the old illustrations down. I am then able to convert their meanings in today's world to make people relate to them, turning them in to contemporary illustrations. It just shows that things are always the same just the development of our lifestyle and world changes.
Research point Find examples of contemporary caricature and identify the elements of the drawing that help with the character recognition and where the caricature takes place. From the information contained in the drawing, how do you know who this person is? How has the illustrator exaggerated or embellished this visual information to provide a caricature? What are the connotations of their exaggerations? Reflect on this in your learning log.
Caricature, I usually see this type of work when I go to theme parks and zoos and artists ask you to sit for a fee while they draw you in this style. I have never had one done of myself but perhaps on my next trip to Florida in a months time I will have a look to see if I can get one done.
Caricature is about comically distorted drawing or likeness, done with the purpose of satirizing or ridiculing its subject. Usually caricatures are used today primarily for conveying political commentary, celebrity fan memorabilia, editorial opinions in newspapers, for social comedy and visual wit in magazines.
Personnel and political satire caricature is often seen in newspapers and for TV use.
In a TV series from 1984-2014 called ‘Spitting image’ It transformed caricature into puppets, It was known as caricature sculpture. It was a funny and satirical puppet show featuring rubber re-creations of prominent people.It was a very popular show with around 15million people watching it. Whilst researching I discovered its making a comeback and I feel this is just what we need in Britain today because with the Brit-exit and other political issues we have today. It's good to make lightness of it as it has felt a bit stressful for all. This program also I found use to help me understand things better that were going on back them and also the characters of parliament and the royal family.
Here are some Caricature artists I have looked at below:
https://onozas.com/seven-great-lessons-you-can-learn-from-what-is-a-caricature-drawing-what-is-a-caricature-drawing/about-caricature-what-is-caricature-what-is-a-caricature-drawing-2/
https://patsyclare.co.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjZX2lvqO5QIVCLLtCh0VBgTIEAAYBCAAEgJdQfD_BwE Here below are some examples from these artists to show the comparison of person to caricature:
caricaturist to the stars, George is one of the most popular here in the Uk here is just some of his work below:
https://onozas.com/seven-great-lessons-you-can-learn-from-what-is-a-caricature-drawing-what-is-a-caricature-drawing/about-caricature-what-is-caricature-what-is-a-caricature-drawing-2/
https://patsyclare.co.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIjZX2lvqO5QIVCLLtCh0VBgTIEAAYBCAAEgJdQfD_BwE Here below are some examples from these artists to show the comparison of person to caricature:
George
Daniel Craig
Bruce Forsyth
George typically uses line drawings with a marker to capture his models. As you can also see above he has also tested his skills out using digital tech. He is really famous for capturing celebrities and you can see some great examples above. For example looking at Bruce Forsyth he has looked at him and exaggerated his main features such as his nose, squinty eyes, wrinkles, chin and his smile. To create a caricature you have to look at someone and pin point what their main features are and use these to your advantage. Creating them in a big and bold way, helps people recognise them for there appearance and personality traits.
Patsy Clare
The Queen
Harry and Megan
Patsys style is not as bold as Georges but you can still clearly see who is who. Hers are more often using colour and showcasing more of her subjects personality such as the queen with her courgies. Using added items, objects and animals this way with a person enhances there familiarity with the viewer
By doing my research I have come to find that caricature is actually quite fun and interesting to do. I am looking forward to giving it a go myself. The professionals make it look easy but I've got a feeling its harder then it looks.
Exercise: Caricature and character
Pick a well-known television celebrity or personality who has a public persona on screen
that might contrast with their private life or who has a particular reputation – for example,
an aggressive interviewer, a philandering sports person or a vain actor. Your examples don’t
have to be negative, but caricature tends to focus on people’s failings rather than their
successes.
Produce a character portrait of this personality. Aim to make the portrait recognisable. This can come from both from the portrayal of the person and by adding in other visual clues. You may want to work from photographic reference material as a starting point. Then produce a much more satirical caricature of the same person in which you use exaggeration to hint at the other aspects of their personality you know about. Try and maintain a level of recognition, so people know who you are drawing. Reflect in your learning log whether you have been successful in achieving this. You may want to test your drawings on a friend or family member. Do they know who it is and what traits you are trying to caricature?
For this exercise I thought about different celebrities I could do. I read up on this website below which gave me some tips on how to draw a caricature:
https://www.wikihow.com/Caricature
It was very interesting and a great tip I thought was to look at the person you are drawing and select two or three aspects to their face and exaggerate them.
I was looking through celebrities that I can think of that have a background or have been in the news. After looking for a while I decided to do Miley Cirus. Miley was known as a sweet girl from Disney channel and pop idol TV show. But in 2013 at the MTV music awards she shocked the world changing her appearance and personality. She performed on the stage wearing hardly anything on and displaying sexual gestures. She also made the news for her song she brought out then called Wrecking |Ball. The video saw her swinging on a wrecking ball, sometimes in clothes and then some times naked through out the video. I remember at the time thinking she was seeking attention and needed help, but time has moved on and she has calmed down a lot. However people were so shocked by her change that year that this is still how people perceive her when she comes in to a conversation.
Caricature Portrait
For my portrait caricature I wanted to do it by had. Many Caricature artist create their caricatures while looking at the person and live for people to watch so I feel I want to attempt this just like a professional.
Here below is my quick sketch I did and then built up my illustration of Miley:
I had so much fun creating her. I took on some of the tips and also ideas from the research I did to create Miley as I see her. I exaggerated her mouth as she is always sticking her tongue out. I also exaggerated her eyes as she has beautiful blue eyes and finally her slender body shape. I showed a few people and they knew who it was instantly. After asking people I copied her signature to put on the illustration to add some more personality.
Satirical Illustration
The nest step want to create a Satirical illustration of Miley. For this I decided I needed a few props that people recognise as her persona. Things I want to include are the wrecking ball, weed, drink, and a broken wall.
Here is my finished Satirical Illustration:
Again as I'm more of a traditional artist I have hand drawn and used pro markers to add colour. I put the word 'wrecked' on the ball breaking the wall. This also is a metaphor to the state of Miley on the ball drinking and smoking.
I think I have done well and shown understanding both Caricature and Satirical illustration. I have discovered how to show a persons likeness and their personality to create artwork that is recognisable to the viewer.
Exercise: World affairs Working with a contemporary news event, create an illustration that comments on it from a satirical perspective. Think about how you structure this image. What information do you need to give the viewer in order for them to understand the context in which this image should be read? In other words, how do you connect your image to your chosen event? Think about how you use symbolism and metaphor in the image. You might want to take a lead from William Hogarth, James Gillray or George Cruikshank on this, either by using well-established metaphors or making the connection between the contemporary and historical moment. If you decide to do this, don’t forget to cite them. Use caricature to help you identify who’s in your illustration. You may want to use collage to do this or work with your drawing skills. Test out your illustrations on somebody else. Did they understand what you were trying to do? You may want to modify your approach if they’re struggling to connect with your work, or consider adding in
My thoughts and initial Ideas
For this task I wanted to create a collage due to the fact that is is different from my usual style. I want to show I am very versatile and I can do anything creative I put my mind to, I just prefer my style I have but I am always open to enhancing and developing it. I am quite excited to see what I can come up with. First off I will do my initial research and find an idea I think will work for the task.
Here above are my thoughts. I had some really great ideas to show my thoughts on today's wordly news topics. Out of them I have decided to go with an illustration based on the future 2050 showing the effects of climate change and plastic in the ocean. To show these two things (which are both created by humans) together in the illustration, I have decided to do a fishing trip with four of the highest people that are able to do something about it by changing laws and making people and our way of life greener. The people I will use are Boris Johnson, Donald Trump, Vladmir Putin and Kim Jong-un. I want to show in this illustration the predicted future of our world if these leaders decided to ignore these issues around them.
In my illustration I want to have them fishing in the sea and catching fish, preferably a new species of fish that is half fish and half plastic to show our plastic pollution contaminating the sea life and then also in I want to show some tops of buildings in the background to show that the ocean has risen and flooded the land - this will show the effects from climate change.
I am really excited about my idea. I am now going to go on the internet, look in magazines and find images that I can cut out to create my collage.
My Idea Coming together
As the image above shows I managed to find all the faces of the people I wanted. I originally was looking for them with their bodies and their hands up so I could make them look like they were holding fish but then it came to me to find fishing men who were already holding fish and just put the heads on top which look great and better than my first idea. For the fish I found images of plastic bottles and used them for the latter half of the fish to show them being a new plastic species. Finally I looked for some buildings and decided to go with a new york style with the statue of liberty sticking out of the sea and also some of the skyscrapers too.
I think my college is going to look great! The next part will be to choose some colours for the sky and sea and create the boats they are in and start gluing it all down whilst adding in some details. One of the things I am keen to emphasise is the fish because from the photos I have taken above, it's not quite clear what they are so I am hoping once I have stuck it all down I can add some extra details such as fins using a fine liner to see if this makes them easier to understand to the viewer.
I have now done a bit more work on it and here is the video below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vtt3oGYAs8g&feature=youtu.be
I have started sticking it all down. so far I have Vladmir and Kim Jong-un in their boat. I have scrunched up blue paper and cut out waves and stuck it down with pads to make it have a 3d effect. Next I am going to do the foreground and add details to enhance my collage.
The Finished result
Video of final process:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsAp8eiHt9k&feature=youtu.be
Here above is a photo of the final Satirical Illustration, and below is a link to a time lapse of me creating the foreground.
I am really happy with the out come. I still have my style in there merged with collage. I have had a lot of fun creating it. As a Satirical Illustration does it work? Yes! I have put the title on the top calling it Fishing Trip 2050 like a holiday photo which is kind of a metaphor reflecting on the current news and what is predicted to happen in regards to our plastic waste and climate change.It is showing the top powerful people having a fishing trip as a result from climate change flooding the world and also catching plastic fish to show the contamination of our plastic rubbish. I think after adding the details to the fish they are a lot clearer now which I was not too sure about but my technique has worked well to make this clearer to the viewer.
Overall I think it is clear to understand the hidden message and also an idea of how it will be if our top leaders don't help to make a change to save the world. I think my message is deep and current with the modern world yet also making fun of some of the world most powerful people.
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