Professional context blog

Post 1: - Study Task 1 - Who am I?

I have learnt that I am more of an analogue illustrator than a digital one.

I have learnt that it is perfectly fine to make bad drawings - this has

allowed me to have more confidence in my work. Colour and shape are

I want to know more about selling my work and setting up my own website.

I want to become a pro at screen printing. Digital art is something I've never really

experimented with so it would be nice to know more about it.

My strengths are mono printing and generally mixing medias to create interesting

outcomes. I tend to really think outside the box with my concepts and not be so literal.

I need to be more reflective with my blogging and do it more regularly. I tend

to sketch out a few ideas and stick to one which I feel is best - i need to produce more initial sketching.

Noma Bar is one of my favourite illustrators. Rick Berkelman and Shepard Fairey

- I'm really drawn to colour and simple shapes.

I need to look at more resources that demonstrate my area of interest within the creative

industries - Other than Instagram etc.

Post 2: Study Task 2 - reading and understanding texts

'Pink and blue: the colour of gender'

Paolo Frassanito, Benedetta Pettrorini

The author is trying to investigate the meaning of colour and how it has changed over the years.

She is trying to establish whether or not there was a pivotal turning point when colour coded

gender differences (pink for girls, blue for boys) drastically changed - and the factors

of why/how it changed.

Key quotes/points:

'If you like the color note on the little one's garments, pink for the boy and blue for the

girl, if you are a follower of convention' The Sunday Sentinal (advised mothers)

'It was not until WWII that the colours were reversed and pink was used for girls and blue

for boys...' - The Dress Maker Magazine

Darker blue was associated with Virgin Mary

Painters often mixed 'Lapis lazuli' in paints to depict the most sacred female icon.

Nazi Germany had something to do with pink being associated with femininity

- catholic traditions in Germany reverse the current colour coding because of the

association of blue with Virgin Mary.

The Nazi's in their concentration camps use a pink triangle to identify homosexuals.

Post 3:

'Colour and Human Response'- Faber birren

E. R. JAENSCH (THEORY)

Blond complexion types for the most part have different attitude toward color than do brunets.'

'the difference between a predominance of sunlight in the more tropical regions of the world

and skylight in the more polar regions.'

'red-sightedness' - intense light (brunette, dark eyes, hair and complexion) - natural preference

is for red and warm hues.

Blonds - 'green-sighted' (blue eyes, light hair and light complexion) Preference is for blu and greens.

Where sunlight is abundant, people are likely to show a preference for warm, vivid hues.

Post 4:

Colour Distinctions

'In the biological records of animal life it is apparent that the female responds to vivid colours.'

'Babies still being dressed in pink for a girl and blue for a boy. This tradition may have

originated in ancient

Egypt, where boys were seen as a gift from the heavens, and so became associated with

blue, while girls

were seen as being of the flesh and were, therefore, were invested with a more mortal skin

colour. Also the

Victorian class division of 'blue collar worker and white collar worker' is still common currency.'

Post 5:

The various briefs and task I have achieved this year have allowed me to develop into a slightly

more refined practitioner. Much of my work focuses around the concept of colour and simplicity -

My graphic approach to briefs has allowed me find success in Editorial illustration and Character

and Narrative.

Because my approach to illustration comes across quite 'graphic' and in your face' I feel like my

practice would fit in nicely with Book design, and Packaging - my interest in more symbolic,

metaphorical imagery leads me to think Editorial illustration is also appropriate for my practice.

I like telling a story through imagery - simplifying more complex images (using cut out shapes)

is a big part of my practice, which would fit nicely into Children Books illustration.

Summative statement:

These posts are pivotal in my journey through semester 1. I have a learnt a lot about colour theory

and their associations which in turn has helped me in my current practice in the selection of colours

for branding, printing, packaging etc. My PP posts have been extremely useful in regards to analysing

myself and my practice. This has helped me to become a lot more assured as a practitioner and

become

more of an established illustrator - understand and embracing my own style.

PP also helped me to escape this uni 'bubble' where i am so wrapped up in the ease of having everything surrounding me when reality is this won't be forever. The research I have been doing into potential jobs or internships is something I need to keep doing - get myself out there and actually potentially make some money from it.

Working out your current finances and income is extremely important way of working out how much you can price something - something I have struggled with in the past. Taking into consideration the cost of making something, the time it has gone into it and of course the scale of whatever it is for (if its for a corporation) or something along those lines.