Unit 4 Evaluation

Final Pieces

My Final Illustration.

My Final Illustration in a Newspaper Format.

Final Illustration

I started by doing some quick drafting of ideas I could use for my final piece, utilising the clocking in machine I had already illustrated. I tried to incorporate certain aspects I thought would create a prominent message to the audience.

I decided to use the teddy bear draft to use for my final illustration, developing my final draft on photoshop where I then began to experiment with different colour schemes I could use within it, using the paintbrush tool.

Here are some examples of the different colour schemes I trailed.

I began by trailing out a complementary colour scheme within my work. I chose to use blue tones as a back drop to help suggest at the cooler tones of the topic id be focusing on and then the oranges hinting at the brighter, happier side of it.

I then moved on to experiment with the analogous colour scheme of blue and pink. I stayed with the idea of having a blue backdrop to keep the suggestion of a harsher side to the illustration but then changed some parts to pink to suggest the happier parts again but in a more subtle, younger way.

I then altered the hue of some of the colours to see how the different strengths would look within the piece and also changed some of the colours altogether, sticking with the analogous colour scheme.

I trailed out putting a bit more of a red tone into the work, suggesting at the dangerous underlining theme of my topic whilst also keeping the cooler tones.

After trailing out the analogous colour scheme I decide to experiment with a monochromatic colour scheme. I went for a underlying red tone to the work, suggesting once again at the danerous theme of the topic I chose to focus on, as we as people tend to link danger and warning with the colour red.

I then went to the other end of the spectrum choosing to focus on the cooler colour scheme of blue tones. This suggests something more haunting to the illustration which isn't so provoking as the red but still has a certain statement to it and would capture the audiences attention.

I then experimented with a local colour scheme as I was testing whether making it look more realistic would be a better scheme to use for this specific piece.

I eventually came to this colour scheme which I thought would work well within my illustration. I stuck with a local stylised colour scheme as it wasn't normal enough to be completely realistic but defiantly had a more naturalistic tone to it which I thought was a successful colour scheme to end with. It meant that instead of the focus being on the colours within the piece its more on the illustration itself, which has a clear message on its own but is just enhanced with the colour.

I then began to draw out my illustration, free hand, on photoshop. I brought up the image next to the document so that I could try and keep the dimensions realistic.

After I had completed a rough outline of the teddy I then placed it into a Illustrator document, which I then began to outline using the pen tool. By utilising the pathfinder tool and 'divide' option, I could neatly divide the different sections when linking 2 lines together, into what colour's I thought would work best.

I then began to add colour and further detail into the illustration, allowing for it to take on a more 3 dimensional aspect, separating different tones into separate layers.

I then began to size it up against the clocking in machine to get feel for the piece as well as making it look more connected and relevant.

After completing that, I moved onto create the baby hand for the illustration as this would be the key aspect to the piece. I chose again to work in illustrator for this, using the same techniques I had previously used for the others, starting the work in photoshop with the outline.

Then I placed the drawing not illustrator when began to draw out the outline of the hand using the pencil tool which allows a continuation of movement (instead of using the pen tool which you have to select each individual point).

I tried to ensure that I drew out all the different tones of the hand into separate sections.

Then once I had drawn out a good range of different tones, I added in colour to get a grasp of what it was beginning to look like.

On some of the tonal edges i decided they were too sharp for what a hand should look like, so softened the edges using the tool located at the edge of each point of a section which, when clicked and moved with the white select tool, allowed for the edges to be rounded giving a more natural aesthetic.

I then joined all the layers together so that I could alter the side of the hand to suit the whole illustration sizing.

I ended up editing the background colour and adding in shadow tones just before I placed it into photoshop to add texture.

I did this by collecting a small section of different paper textures and placing them onto a different layer to the illustration. I then changed the blending mode, trailing different ones.

I also edited the colour balance and levels of some to get the best version of that style, or make it less overpowering over the illustration.

Here are some trials of the separate ones I tested.

I eventually decided that the lumonsity blending option created the best effect on the image giving it a more compelling textured look then the others and by changing the levels and colour balance within it, I craeted a subtle blue tone to the whole piece, hinting at the cold and loneliness a child would feel in a situation of child labour.

Here is my final illustration.

To finalise my project I thought id put this illustration within the format of a newspaper article as my brief suggested so began to create the layout of a newspaper article, using a story I annotated at the start of project to create the basis of the article. I did this by using In Design.

To help me grasp what a typical Guardian article looked like I collected range of samples and drew up a draft of what I could create for my own piece.

I then began to create the article layout, adding in text such as the title, sub headlines and then the main body text taken from the article I read and annotated previously.

I then placed my illustration into the document to finalise my piece, effectively completing my brief of creating an illustration focusing on what I thought were key concepts within the article, with a deep meaning behind the illustration encouraging the audience to think about the topic more.