Reflective Visual Journal

Iteration

Thomas Edison is a good example of an artist who uses iteration. This image is one of his thousands of drawing designs when he was inventing the light bulb. It took him 10,000 goes inventing the lightbulb until it finally worked.

I believe that a better/stronger piece of work is created when so many designs of the same or similar thing are drawn over and over again to progress the idea each time it has been re designed.

A question that should be asked when designing something new is 'can it work better?' or/and 'can it look better?'

Another example of this is James Dyson and his invention for the bagless vacuum, which he made 200 prototypes of before he got to his final creation.

I think it is important that if we create an idea which doesn't seem to work, we shouldn't give up on it straight away. Like Thomas Edison and James Dyson, we should keep trying out the same idea until it works, maybe change it slightly but we shouldn't give up.

"If you can't find the right answer, look for the right question".

Reflection

Throughout sketchbooks i find it helps to progress my ideas further by constantly reflecting on what i've created each time making sure i engage with the work, questioning and evaluating it constantly to get a better idea of how i need to improve it and also compare it to other artists work that i've researched who gave me inspiration to create the idea.

An example of work from my sketchbook to the left shows that i use brief notes to record reflection of my progress throughout projects, showing how certain aspects of an idea may work really well, when other aspects may not work at all, therefore i find that writing more ideas of what may work better or what i know i should change helps me to improve the idea so much better.

The majority of brief notes used in sketchbooks are usually critical, this helps me to notice how i can improve on what i've started to create and maybe notice what's wrong with it.

                      Another example of my ideas in progression.

Annotating throughout my sketchbook as shown here helps me to think of a similar idea but maybe shown visually in a different way, however keeping the same meaning behind the work.

Working through previous projects i've found that once i've changed the idea visually, the meaning behind the work may also change slightly but i don't think this is a bad thing as long as the meaning still works with the visual idea shown through the work.

From constantly annotating sketchbook work and ideas helps lead to the final outcome, or closer ideas to what the final outcome will turn out to be.

Bibliography

Thomas Edison Light Bulb - http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/bledison.htm

James Dyson Vacuum - http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/04/0409_unsung_innovators/7.htm

The Design Process

Practice

I admire Andy Warhol's style of work, i love the variety of use of bright eye catching colours. One of my favourite pieces by Andy Warhol is his painting of Marilyn Monroe. 

His choice of colours for the paitings refer to the popular culture of that time, this also helped him to experiment with different techniques such as silkscreen printing, which is a popular technique for mass production.

The Marilyn canvases were early examples of Warhol's use of silkscreen printing, this was a method that he experimented with.

"In August 62 I started doing silkscreens. I wanted something stronger that gave more of an assembly line effect. With silkscreening you pick a photograph, blow it up, transfer it in glue onto silk, and then roll ink across it so the ink goes through the silk but not through the glue. That way you get the same image, slightly different each time. It was all so simple quick and chancy. I was thrilled with it. When Marilyn Monroe happened to die that month, I got the idea to make screens of her beautiful face the first Marilyns."

Matteo Bertolio

“I love photography that is graphically clean and that sends an essential message. I think elegance and an esthetic eye are the dominating elements in my work."

Matteo Bertolio created this piece of work from inspiration off Andy Warhol's - Marilyn Monroe.

He used this image for a magazine front cover 'Tank'.

The intention of the use of bright colours is to appeal to the reader more, to stand out and be eye catching. 

Although this is almost a clone of Warhol's piece it still inspires me because of the use of colour as it is so bright and eye catching. 

Legibility

I think this 'ok' magazine cover is a good example of a legible cover. The main news of this magazine is obviously about Britney and as soon as i looked at this, straight away i was drawn to the bold yellow writing with a picture of her face above. I think the text underneath which is in white would be more legible if it had a darker background maybe, however it can still quite easily be read.

The bright colours on the magazine make it more appealing to the reader and more eye catching, where as the example of another magazine below 'Harmonie' is quite dull and plain. 

I believe it depends on what type of audience your trying to communicate with wether you have a bright page or a more 'chilled out' page. Before i even read 'rockprogressif' i figured this style of magazine, for example the background, colour, typeface, image of the men, one who has long hair was to be aimed at an audience who liked rock music. For both of these magazines i think the typeface and typesize that has been chosen fits perfect for each targeted audience.

Bibliography

Andy Warhol's Marilyn - http://www.webexhibits.org/colorart/marilyns.html

Matteo Bertolio Marilyn - http://www.matteobertolio.com/createbook/user/listimg.php?id_story=80&id_gallery=2

OK and Harmonie magazine - www.google.co.uk/images (magazine front covers)

Research and Development

Research is a very important thing when designing, or progressing ideas towards a final design.

I think it is essential that secondary research is done to find out what is already out there and how we can maybe progress it further to create something contemporary and original. I also believe that primary research is equally important as we can collect fresh, original data of our own by either making questionnaires to hand out, interview random people on the street, photograph buildings or objects that inspire us and document this in a sketchbook, this way we can produce a new design out of ideas that we have researched from visually communicating with what is around us.

I feel we can contribute to deeper understanding of the subject in matter by collecting information and photographs about it.

Jill Calder is a great example for someone who collects a variety of interesting, inspiring observations, making sketches of everyday life that inspires her.

"I love drawing. I'd quite happily draw on anything (and quite often do) but some hot pressed Fabriano paper or a Moleskin notebook are my surfaces of choice."

Paul Davis (illustrator)

"I fill notebook after notebook after notebook because I feel sick when I forget potentially good ideas, I take photographs, I draw, I scan, I Photoshop.”

I think it is really important to collect photographs, drawings, notes and maybe even listening to peoples conversations e.g on a train or bus journey and record all this information in a sketchbook to help progress our ideas and visually create something out of it.

Visual practice is also very important, everyday we are visually communicating for example, talking to our friends, walking observing what is around us, reading books. By understanding various practices we can progress and advance our own.

I believe that every piece of work produced is a progression of something the artist has been inspired by, whether it be a small image or idea from a magazine, it doesn't matter.

As long as we are open minded, hard working and we take risks, anything is possible.

Bibliography

Jill Calder - http://www.jillcalder.com/

Paul Davis - http://www.pauldavisandpartners.com/#/practice/office/design_approach

Connectivity

Recontextualised Ideas and Concepts In Contemporary Culture

Although these images are almost identical to each other they are still seen as original pieces of art.

The image below is clearly the same image as the original piece, however has a different meaning to it as its had weaponry edited into it. Although these examples of recontextualised ideas and concepts are almost exactly the same image, there are a lot of examples of art work that have been reproduced through inspiration from previous work, however the new piece has been changed a lot in order to make it 'their' original piece i suppose.

Notions of Originality

These images are clearly showing the same idea behind the piece of art,  'Originality' is known as something being created or invented as being new. I believe that every piece of art is new, but not necessarily original as a lot of art works are reproductions or clones of other artists work. I don't believe that because work has been reproduced in a similar meaning to another that it is no longer an original piece, but maybe a new design of the older piece to make it modern art? The piece below 'Melanie Manchot - The Fontainebleau Series' 2001 is a reproduction of a piece created in 1594, yet this has been recreated again in 1998 by Mario Sorrenti for a YSL ad Campaign. We can see an obvious resemblance between both these pieces of art, which are each portrayed in a different way and it is safe to say that Mario Sorrentis piece for his YSL ad campaign was inspired by Melanie Manchot's original version of this piece.

Here is another example of artists reproducing original pieces of work. Andy Early's reproduction of Edouard Manet's - Luncheon on the Grass produced in 1863, which he decided to rename his 'Bow Wow Wow' that he produced in 1982.