Targets

Have you explored and developed your ideas imaginatively? How have you demonstrated this?

When creating type and design I have stuck to a specific style of drawing etc, this doesnt show much development and could risk a lower grade then I hope to achieve. I have, however used various techniques such as painting, lino printing, photoshop, hand drawn styles and more to develop my surface design ideas as well as exploring text and different themes and styles for the invitations outcome.

Have you researched a diverse range of artwork and completed this on your blog? Who have you analysed? Is your analysis in-depth?

I have analysed a few artists such as Hettie Hayworth and quite a few unknown artists ranging in ideas and styles. This has helped with my ideas and brainstorming as I was able to explore various techniques etc. Most of the analysis is vast but not too in depth and I am currently looking to extend on these in order to improve my grade.

Have you experimented with a wide range of techniques both handmade and computer generated? Which techniques have you used?

Yes, I have explored various ideas for surface designs such as painting, creating lino tiles and printing as well as using photoshop and stamps in layers too. I have also explored sketching typography ideas, using illustrator to give these a more professional look, and am looking to expand using paper cut outs, stencilling and more.

Have you refined / developed your outcomes through experimentation? How?

Yes, ultimatley I am looking to explore various techniques in order to choose a final idea, my initial idea is to create a 3D style collaboration of text and print using florals, italics and stencils. This will be a very busy invitation that will look very interesting and pleasing to the eye with lots of visible techniques used.

Have you written in detail about your experiments and developments on your blog and used this information to help you improve?

By expanding on the explanations of how I have created these pieces I will show well that I understand the techniques and also how they were done. I have briefly explained these ideas and outcomes and will allow myself the time to expand on this area of development.

Have you taken imaginative leaps/ shown a sense of discovery/ willingness to take risks in your work? If so how? If not, how can you do this?

No, by using techniques not usually used in wedding invitation etc I will be able to explore outcomes that break the boundaries and stereotypes of wedding themes, my design concept and ideas initally aren't regular of a traditional wedding and will hopefully denote this regardless but exploring other ideas and creating diverse outcomes will help.

Have you shown enthusiasm and imagination in your work? If so, how? If not, how can you make changes to do this?

 I think I have as I have shown various techniques for surface design and type, etc. This helps show my creative flare and range of ideas when it comes to creating the final outcome, as well as exploring various ideas and skills that could be used.

Have you created work that is exciting and original? If so, how? If not, what can you do to improve this area?

I think that my ideas generally stick to one theme, this could be easily improved by exploring different styles and ideas of type and surface design. My ideas are definitely original and traditional as well as eye catching and exciting but stick to too much of a theme and could be improved by exploring more techniques and styles.

Have you annotated your blog thoroughly throughout?

I have done some annotations that describe and explain what I have done and created but could expand on this in order to increase my grade.

Have you practised with your exam outcomes by creating mock-ups? Are your outcomes skilful/ well constructed?

I have not yet created any mock ups but will be exploring techniques and finalizing ideas in the next few days in order to do so. I have in fact created basic sketches to denote my ideas so that I have a breif idea of what I have to create.

Have you created an exam plan?

No, but I will be creating this very soon in order to plan what it is I need to do and use my time wisely in the exam.

 

Nancy H Gardner

Final evaluation

Graphic communication

A2

For my final exam I chose to create a series of wedding accessories. This entailed an invitation, name place cards, RSVP cards and a party favours paper bag. When looking at traditional ideas and themes I decided against using something traditional and classic, this was because I wanted to break the boundaries of what was expected with a wedding and give it more character and quirkiness. The traditional ideas were however still incorporated in order to make the initial brief and final piece an obvious depiction of wedding accessories. As well as wanting to combine the idea of new and old ideas of what a wedding should look like. My first ideas were to create a quirky and kitsch style theme that looked cute and fun. Artists such as Cath Kidston and Hennie Hayworth generally inspired these ideas. Their exciting and eye popping floral designs mix traditional and fashionable to create something all together new. By also taking inspiration from work I had previously done in my own time, such as mothers day and birthday cards I was able to see the similarities and differences in these artists work, and incorporate the kind of ideas I liked and created with those of the artists who inspired me. By researching various ideas and styles that included naturist, traditional, textured and technical I was able to look at lots of different techniques I could explore in order to find and initiate what I wanted to do for my final piece. With many, but short and slightly detailed analysis I was able to show my understanding of these techniques and how they were created. As well as this I also experimented in similar ways as what I had analysed to try out various techniques and explore different ways of creating the same effects, for example when looking at surface designs I was able to create totally different outcomes with different tools and artistic outlets, such as painting, printing and Photoshop. As well as this I looked in depth at texts and typography in order to establish the traditional and non-traditional ways of perceiving a wedding invitation. For this I found that most invitations would use an italic or calligraphic style type, making the invitation look regal and almost royal. However for other styles I found that non-traditional themes would use quirky bubble types or Chinese style fonts and sometimes even handwritten styles. For my final piece I also decided that I would use a combination of the two, depending on the text itself. For example the word ‘invited’ lies in gold italic text with a dramatic capital ‘I’ that makes the reader feel special. It is also used on the name place cards for a simple yet effective typeface but with an extra special diamante capital. I chose for my final piece to be floral and colourful, very colourful. This was a bold decision as the non-traditional aspects of the accessories were a step into the unknown and unexpected, but ultimately work very well. Another aspect of my creations that I wanted to be secure on was that they were all completely hand made. This was to create something with a wonderfully personal and special touch. People receiving the invitations or favours would feel both excited to see something so personalised and honoured to have something handmade which had taken so much time. The idea of the invitations being so big and time consuming is that families often choose to keep invitations as keepsakes or memories, especially when they are personalised or hand made. I think this was also a special idea as it sticks with the theme of kitsch and quirky. For example the imperfect cutting and combination of patterns creates an organised mess. No two pieces are exactly the same and this is what makes each unique and special to the receiver. I also stuck to the overall exam theme of ‘combinations and alliances’ I made sure of this by both combining classic and quirky, but also combining the use of techniques, materials, colours, textures, design and ideas. When looking at my final pieces this is obvious as I have used painting and cut outs of text, using iridescent paint, and a combination of texts, I have used 3D techniques and flower styles amongst 2D design, I have used bold and bright colours as well as pearlescent, material and fabric pens, glitter, bold text cut outs and a gold regal looking text with a frame over a memo style, hand written calligraphic style type. For the rest of my outcomes I have created some hand drawn RSVP card created with hand drawn illustrations and covered with a handwritten text over tracing paper. My name place cards combine the use of cut outs to emphasise the shape of the card as well as using 3D aspects, to tie in the theme of the invitation. Adding a small love heart in the corner also differentiates these. Much like the rest of the pieces, no two of the place cards are the same. My final and personal favourite outcome is my favours bag; this is filled with handmade confetti and sweets for those who took part in the wedding. This outcome was created from scratch by designing a net and feature for the bag, measuring the correct size for each, cutting out the design in a Rob Ryan style and covering the cut out with coloured tissue paper in a floral coloured design. I also added a specific cut out to the top of the paper bag, which looks great for the final aesthetics. Overall I think my outcomes work really well together. They are interesting and beautifully handmade and really denote the kitsch and homemade style that I hoped to perceive. Using traditional elements also incorporated a great element of tradition within the unsuspected bold and bright leap of the untraditional ideas. Finally, by creating more then one of three outcomes, I was able to show that the mass production of them was easily achievable. This is important, as lots of these are usually needed for a real wedding. I chose to do this in order to show that it was more then possible to create a few at a time as well as show the mismatched and unique style to each piece.