OUIL402 PPP1: Study Task 6 - What is Illustration For? - Part 1

• What is Illustration?

1. According to the National Museum of Illustration in Rhode Island, USA, 'illustrators combine personal expression with pictorial representation in order to convey ideas'.
2. Design writer and art director Steven Heller stated that 'Illustration was the people's art'.
3. National Museum of Illustration; ' illustration serves as a reservoir of our social and cultural history', 'illustration is therefore a significant and enduring art form'. 

• What is Illustration for? What is it's function?

1. To communicate a message or meaning.
2. 'It is illustrated images that capture the imagination, that remain with the viewer and that inextricably tie moments in one's personal history with the present. 
3. On a grander scale; 'Illustration has recorded man's achievements, interpreting them in a way not possible before the birth of photography.' ... for example; the paintings of pompeii, the Aboriginal wall paintings of Australia, the frescoes of Italy, and you understand a moment of time, and the belief systems of the population'.
4. Contemporary illustrations with their roots within the magazine racks, bookshelves and record collections of our homes stand as testament to the importance we place on the art and craft of the discipline. 

• Where do you find illustration? In what context does it exist?

1. In advertising

Commercial advertising MetLife Stadium using a cute and charming mix of real life film and cartoon;

http://www.passion-london.com/featured-video/metlife-stadium/9c1209903728347a8549bcf0374409aa

1. In packaging

http://www.buzzfeed.com/copyranter/12-of-the-worlds-best-package-designs
http://www.buzzfeed.com/copyranter/10-of-the-best-package-designs

1. In editorial

George Butlers G2 Cover

http://www.georgebutler.org/commercial/g2-cover

1. In portraiture

http://www.creativereview.co.uk/cr-blog/2010/september/cardinal-sinister-a-new-unofficial-portrait-of-the-pope

Jillian Tamaki's portraits:

http://jilliantamaki.com/illustration/portrait-gallery/

1. In set design

Grand Theft Auto Set Design:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/josephbernstein/way-beyond-anything-weve-done-before-building-the-world-of-g
Minature Set design:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/donnad/famous-miniature-movie-sets-that-will-blow-your-mind

1. In character design

Character design used here to produce these lovable meerkats which the nation can get involved with by actually recieving their own character; the plush toy meerkat character is actually used as an incentive to join the company/buy its products:

http://www.passion-london.com/featured-video/compare-the-market-daily-life/d3780e8f275aa624205ead1d511bee42

1. CD sleeves/record covers

• Who are the specific audiences for illustration?

1. Consumers of products (illustrations used on products)
2. Consumers of products (illustrations used to advertise the products)
3. Children (illustrations used to communicate a story when they are unable to read words)
4. The public reading through a newspaper or magazine article (illustrations accompany the article to draw the audience in to read the article, or to obtain a clearer understanding of the article)
5. Those unable to understand the language (illustrations such as signs and symbols used so that anyone with the same contextual understanding can understand them, e.g. woman and man stick figures representing a toilet) 

A Book

http://ohhdeer.com/product/moose-belongs-me

A Magazine Article

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2014/03/24/140324taco_talk_coll

A Website that uses illustration

http://www.graze.com/uk/p/PR2LFYJ

An Agency / Illustrators website

http://www.bigactive.com/

A 3D object that contains illustration

http://ohhdeer.com/product/honest-boy-pencil-sharpener
http://ohhdeer.com/product/matchcarden-city-blue

OUIL402 PPP1: Vector Based Illustrations

http://www.pinterest.com/dearalice1/vector-based-illustrations/

Looking at; promotional, editorial, publishing, packaging, character and sequential vector based illustrations.

Saatchi

Ohh Dear

INSTA INSPO

I really like the effect of the white and black reversed here! I never usually think to do this. 

The frame makes the sketch look like a finished illustration. I really need to think about frame in forming the illustration.

I like how this illustrator has used water colour and then drawn in pen over the top, it adds some depth and interest to the image- who's hands are they? 

I think the expression in the above image makes the audience feel sad/awkward/uncomfortable. The line work reinforces this. I need to think about mood and how everything can enforce it. 

I absolutely love the way she has used watercolour/ink to add colour it just looks so beautiful and delicate but also the cheeks look really strong and powerful. 

I just really love indian and other prints and materials. Their details are amazing and they all are so different. The colours are always so diverse and reflect the passion of the culture. 

I really need to start using ink more in my work. I have been meaning to create some fashion illustrations and when I saw the above work it motivates me more to have a go myself. I think she has used ink to create the black and then dropped bleach over the top of it to create the interesting gold effect. 

Ralph Steadman