Fonts

Providing the format of my illustration stays the same on the opening page, i will only include the first half of the title and have the rest on the end page as otherwise it will be too fussy. It also encourages the reader to carry on through the spread.

Above are some variations of text i could include. My favourites are the more 'swirly' ones as they represent the delicate organic feel i am aiming to capture in the illustration. Anything too simple may look to harsh and not blend in. I am still looking at the possibility of incorporating hand drawn text for a more unique and personal finish.

1st Page Experiments

I have begun to experiment with the layout of my illustrations and accompanying text. I have only used the shapes from the jewellery as introducing the others looked too much. The 2nd layour is my favourite as it is not too fussy so really gives the effect of a tree falling apart, whilst introducing a hint of colour to tie it into the shot.
The 2nd position of the text if my favourite as think when it is broken up in the last image there is too much going on to follow it, whereas in the 2nd it is clear, concise and you can't miss it.
Overall i am pleased with these layouts, although i would like to change the bottom of the trees so they dont all end the same - ask Jamie about this as soon as poss!

Further ideas to discuss in tutorial:
- hand drawn text interacting more with the image?
- variety of trees so not all the same format?
- simplify the image?

When the image is finalised and the credits are added it should pull it all together alot more.

Inital Illustrations

I've messed around on Illustrator, tracing around my own intial sketches to create graphic shapes to illustrate the spread. I will play around with the scale and colours of these 5 shapes so it doesnt get too busy with different things hanging in the tree. Time-wise this will always be useful as it is quite tedious and long winded to create these shapes but no time at all to edit the colours...

Tutorial 28/04

Following a tutorial with Tammy today i have come away with the following points for development and consideration:

• Look at research in a wider context and not just as work to hand in for this unit. How can i make use of my outcomes for portfolio? I could scan in all loose sheets for a more pristine finish and get them bound in a book - more professional, could be taken to an interview (therefore look at printers and quotes for how much it will be)
• Prioritise who i am making promotional material for? Will i be freelance and therefore showing work to potential buyers? Or working for someone else and therefore showing work at a job interviw?
• Experiment with illustrations and layout - aim for perhaps one double spread for next tutorial to get a feel for the look before i illustrate for them all.
• Post production of photo's - there are a few shots which need editing (ask Steve on friday!), are close-ups taken by me compatible in final spread? Could use stand in photographs (if there is not time to develop this - maybe into a look book? - it could be done outside of uni).

Liberty

This advert from the recent Liberty London catalogue really stood out to me. The flowers really grab your attention (yet somehow blend in!) and look as though they have just been cut and sticked together, giving a fragmented look but one that really works. Although i love how the flowers wrap around the bottom of the figure, this is something I won't be considering as i don't want to swamp the images, particularly the background as it is simple enough as it is and if the markings of thr squash court are hidden i may as well have shot in a studio with a plain white background. However, this image has given me the idea to combine photographed elements and illustraion - perhaps taking photos of individual parts of the necklace which would save the need to include the close up shots of the jewellery to show it off more.

Starting Point for Illustrations

I sketched this intial page to inspire my illustration. Although i tend to work best when i don't plan my drawings i want to have some direction.

As can be seen in the Inital Layouts post, each spread in Amelias starts with a photo spread across 2 pages, although not always a full double spread, sometimes it are a smaller image but positioned so it overlaps the pages. This gives me lots of free space to fill with an illustration without taking away from the powerful first image.

Points to consider:

• Branches could frame picture? Interact with the image? Lead between each page? Just be a small feature?
• As a bow is used on the design footers to reflect my girly nature i could use hearts? bows? flowers? shapes taken from jewellery? in the trees instead of or as well as leaves.
• Text could start on last page finish on last page? Be all on the front page? Intertwined with tree? Different colour or style to make it stand out? Separate from tree?
• Delicate sketch? Strong lines to reflect strong shapes in jewellery? Too overpowering?
• Tree in black and white? 'Tree' colours?
• Shapes and leaves could be in colours taken from each image to blend it in? Or contrasting colours to stand out?

Amelias Illustrations/Typography

Here are some of my favourite illustrations/typography from Amelia's. They all have a 'handmade' element to them which suits my personal way of working as i love drawing by hand rather than on the computer, although i will touch up my work on Photoshop. This handmade element also reflects the style of my jewellery so should compliment the photoshoot well.
I particularly like how some of the illustrations are topical - for example the clock illustration next to the word 'No Where Fast' and this is something i would like to incorporate as it will focus my illustration work and make it easier to develop.

I searched paper/recycling quotes and facts to help create a name for my shoot and decided on:

"Good things fall apart so better things can fall into place"

....the 'good things' being trees and the 'better things' being paper. I particularly like this quote as it can be taken in many different ways and applied to different things which challenges the reader and makes them think.

I will develop the idea of nature and trees in my illustration, this will tie everything together, especially as the shapes created in the jewellery look like exotic flowers.

Key Words:
- organic
- intertwined
- twisting
- decay
- roots
- leaves
- delicate
- strong
- veins
- earthy

Close-ups

As much as i love the photos from the shoot, in some of them the jewellery cannot be seen clearly, for example when becky is lying on her back. I don't want to dissmiss these images all together as they work well with the rest of the shots so instead i have taken some close-ups myself of the jewellery to accompany the images.

I took them outside on my digital camera which is no where near the high quality of that of the photographer. When laying out my final spread, if the images are not consistant and you can tell they were taken separatly i will have to consider perhaps borrowing an SLR or getting someone from BA Photography at AUCB to take them for me.

Blog Header

I love the composition of this image with the necklace worn backwards as it is unusual and all the focus is on the jewellery but i think there is too much going on in the background taking away from the model.

As i still wanted to use the image i have cropped it to use as a header on my personal blog for a professional look which also incorporates my work, this way it will be the first thing anyone see's when they come onto my page and hopefully it will grab their attention enough for them to want to read on more about my work.

Editing Inital Images

The bottom image is the inital image Charlie sent over and although i love how it shows off the jewellery, i think her hair looks quite messy as it is not thick enough to be sprawled out so looks abit straggly!

Above are 2 variations of the image. In the 2nd I used the 'patch tool' on Photoshop to select the gap in her fringe and fill it the same as the rest of her hair. Initally i thought this was a good idea but the result looks too fake and too groomed - something which i wanted to steer clear of as it doesnt fit in with the feel of Amelias - so instead i will use the first image.

Photoshoot Images

Here is a sample of the edited images Charlie has sent over. The lighting in some needs editing so it is consistant throughout the shoot (especially those in the squash court) - this is something i need to discuss with Steve asap as i'm not sure how to go about doing this!

The Shoot

The shoot went fab! Charlie, the photographer was incredible and really put Becky at ease as she was abit nervous, having not had any previous modelling experience, but everyone did a brilliant job. Unfortunatly the lighting in the pool area wasn't very good and there is only so much editing that can be done but I am not too worried as we got some really good shots in the squash court.

Points to consider:

• should have done a test shoot beforehand so things like lighting in the pool would not have been a problem - this was difficult as the shoot was done in Devon where we are all from but in the week both Farah and Charlie are based in London.
• hair and make-up took 30mins longer than anticipated - luckily this was not a problem as the centre were flexible with what time the facilities were available but this is something i must consider if ever doing another shoot, especially if we are on a tight schedule.
• got carried away with time and only managed to shoot in 2 outfits plus the bikini - this isn't the end of the world as it was an accessories shoot but for next time i need to plan each pose in accordance to each outfit.
• having the moodboards there was a massive help, especially as Becky was nervous at first it was easier to show her a pose and have her reinact it until she got more into it and then we could experiment more with positions.

Inspiration Boards

I made the storyboards above to finalise my ideas for the photoshoot and to also inspire the photographer, model and make-up artist on the day.

Apart from the make-up, for which i had a set look in mind and the make-up artist would need to see exact styles/colours, it was difficult to finalise things such as poses as i want the shoot to be spontanious and natural. My fear is that if i plan each pose in too much detail it will look forced and i want the images to be natural and playful to fit in with the more relaxed shoots in Amelias. Even those which are posed are still fairly laid back, and have an element of fun to them.

Layout Variations

I have quickly drafted some layout variations based on Amelias to make things quicker and easier when i have decided on the final pictures. The first 2 are smaller as the last 2 pages are repeated in the actual spreads so if necessary i can just duplicate these. There is no real consistency in spreads in Amelias other than they all start with one image across 2 pages. As i said these are only inital layouts as they may change once I have put my final pictures in...

Becca Souster

Unfortunatly Belle had to drop out of modelling for me as she is moving house the day the shoot is scheduled but my friend Becky has stepped in to help. I met up with her to fit the clothes and have decided on these 3 outfits. Although i for the final spread I will have more than 3 shots i decided to stick to a couple basic outfits, even though it means they will be repeated in the shots as the point of the photoshoot is to promote the jewellery, not my styling skills.

The outfits are very simple casual pieces to allow becky to move easily in them and to give a laid back sporty feel. None of the pieces are patterned so the jewellery will really stand out against them. I havve also sourced some thigh high socks and a gym bag to accessorize if needed on the day.