Editorial Illustrations Presentation

Roughs - the benefits and difficulties

I found working with roughs really useful because it challenged me to consider ideas as plans rather than just drawings. Producing roughs made me work beyond just sketches and make blueprints in line with solving a complicated brief such as this one.

Being asked to present my ideas as roughs to my peers likened the task to a real editorial illustration brief. This task helped me to think like a professional and produce work to the client's specifications.

Working with roughs isn't something I'm used to and I did find it difficult to produce roughs when I had no clue what they should look like. How rough is a rough? What would my client expect to see at this point? I focused on the concepts behind my plans, but I think that I should have spent a little longer working out the aesthetic of the roughs so that I had a clear idea by the time I presented them to my client. I ended up having to re-rough after the discussion with my client because I still had creative decisions to make in relation to media and colour.

I have to be confident in my work and my decisions.

I tried to take on board the feedback I was given before moving forward with the roughs chosen by my 'client'. Being able to propose a visual concept without making the finished outcome proved incredibly useful in discussing my ambitions and how I should progress to meet these goals.

I found it difficult to get used to working through a roughing process but it made my planning a much more methodical, organised and strategic journey as I moved from concept to proposal for each idea in a logical manner.

Process & Production - the benefits and difficulties

I received feedback from my final illustrations saying that I'd demonstrated good Photoshop skills. Personally, I wouldn't agree with this point because I can see many flaws with the digital application of colour where I rushed or missed details. I am proud of the overall finish that using Photoshop to enhance my illustrations produced, but I know that I could do better and that I need to improve my skills in this area. I don't think Photoshop is my greatest image making asset and I think I should have stuck with my strengths in collage and mark making.

I spoke to Amy who also used Photoshop in her final illustrations, but she used a Wacom tablet rather than just a mouse like I did. I would really like to try using a Wacom tablet next time I approach a brief using digital drawing.

Mary suggested that I experiment with other media too. She suggested water colours, but I saw some really impressive work by other artists in the studio who had tried something different. 

Briar used paper cuts to divide the lines and colours of her paper stock and construct delicate scenes.

Feedback from my peers included positive comments about my planning and preparation: 'Well planned', 'a lot of sketches in the sketchbook'. I'm really proud of the level of work I put into planning this project and think that it paid off in the final illustrations. I was very wary of this project because it was something so alien to what I expected illustration to be, but I think I have created something intellectual and to a professional quality.

Design and Images

After worrying about the restrictions on colours, I received several comments on the colour scheme of my illustrations. I was over the moon to hear feedback saying that the colours work well and I know that this has changed the way I will approach colour in the future. Sometimes simplicity is best and it is always good to have at least some restrictions.

Amy suggested that I could have used more Photoshop brushes, which is definitely something I will explore next time I use Photoshop.

 Composition was something that I think the majority of the studio struggled with. Composition is a major element of design, but as illustrators we don't always consider it as much as a graphic designer would. Composition is often an after thought, but I really tried to get to grips with it through this project. It took me several attempts to achieve the right mise-en-scene, but I can now see the importance of this visual tool and why it should never be overlooked, because it has a huge part in dictating how the image is read.

People seemed to really love my characters and the expressions that they featured. I enjoyed working with character and I think that this is something that brings both consistency and authorship to my illustrations.

The most encouraging comment I received today was that the illustrations would make people 'stop and read'. I am so pleased that my images successfully attracted readers and that these images would look effective in an editorial context.

Concept and Communication

Feedback praised my research and original ideas, but several readers brought up the issue that the concept was not entirely obvious at first.

My abstract approach to the topic of lad culture meant that some readers were confused when they saw the images without the article; this means that my illustrations were not 100% effective in communicating the subject. 

Next time, I would test the comprehension of my roughs to my audience, measuring how far from obvious motifs I can take a subject before it becomes unrelated or irrelevant.

Perhaps I needed to include more visual cues to imply the subject of gender. My peers said that the gender-specific colours played a major role in identifying the topic, so this might be the answer to using an unconventional idea but still making it legible for the reader.

I needed to spend a lot more time working on the communication of my illustrations as this is their main purpose and I am not sure that I have succeeded to do so efficiently.

I am really happy with the atmosphere created by my illustrations. The article was sensitive and serious and I think that I managed to convey a matching tone of voice within my illustrations that evoked an emotional response from my readers.