Monday, 24 March 2014

Studio Brief 2 - Colour, Value and Notan





I then looked at a few images that I could possibly use. But after looking at a few reference materials I wasn't too sure about this idea and how it would work. 



First I drew out my image using a bit of reference from some photographs of friends I have. In the final drawing I thought there was too many lines within the hat but liked everything else. So I light boxed my image and drew it again without as many lines. I wanted the final image to look a lot sharper and cleaner than it is so I scanned it into the computer and placed on illustrator.









                                                      

Using the pen tool I went over my image creating straighter and sharper lines. I also found a way of making the lines different thickness' which I thought created a great effect on the jacket. I decided not to have the extra lines on the front of the spray can as I don't think they're really necessary.   


After creating the outline on Illustrator I then went onto Photoshop to add in the colour. I thought I would try using the Wacom tablets as I have never used them before so thought it would be a good opportunity to have a go whilst its the holidays and no one else is using them.I actually really liked using them. I found it quite difficult adding in shading and got a bit carried away. I then tried blending the colours together but it wasn't blending very well. Plus, compared to the flat background I don't think tone worked too well and looked better as a flat image.  

   

Because I have gone back home now and I don't have illustrator I thought that I could scan in my work and try out a few different colours using my pro markers. 







After testing out some colour ways I realised I liked having a minimal amount of colours compared to the first one I did on illustrator with the greens and purples. I much preferred having the red tones and then having a big contrast in the can so that it stands out more. 

I've come back to Leeds and gone back to my Illustrator drawing and tried out the new colour way that I had done using pro markers. Though I have tested out some different colours to use for the can to see what makes it stand out more. 




Going back to basics with colour theory I found that the purple and yellow worked well to create a bold contrast. Also after playing around a bit I found that I prefer the look of having dark red lines rather than black lines. It just links in all the red tones together well without having harsh black lines that break everything up. 




I think that it all blends in well together using orange for the middle colour it makes it more ascetically pleasing to the eye and makes it less harsh to look at but still have a contrast against the red tones. 









This is my final outcome. I am quite happy with the final image. However, I think that this has been a bit more of a learning piece for me. I am still very much getting used to using Illustrator and Photoshop and can feel myself getting more confident with them and learning things along the way. I am happy that I had a go at using the Wacom tablets as I have been very nervous about having a go on them and now feel comfortable with using them in future projects. I did find it frustrating not being able to get on with this at home due to not having the programmes. I think that this could have more detail and work put into it and would've liked to of had go but think that this does work well with being quite a flat image. I feel now looking back that the can should've been bigger to create a better sense of depth within the piece. I maybe should've had a go at some of my other ideas before jumping on to this one; though I knew I wanted to use the computer and I worry about how long I take so I didn't want to waste anymore time. Overall though I am quite pleased and just want to keep trying so I can improve more. 



Studio Brief 1 - Observed Drawing Session

I really enjoyed this lesson. We were quite free in what we wanted to do. I drew my backpack from observation after positioning it. I began by doing a few blind drawings as I find when drawing from first hand observation it tends to get me going in knowing what I am drawing well.  

                         

             

I tried out using pencil crayons as I don't tend to work with them so thought I would try something different.
                                  

From when I drew the octopus right towards the start with the inks I thought I would use that idea again as I thought the outcome looked effective.
                                         

Studio Brief 1 - Screen Print Workshop and Hot Dog Book

We were put into groups and together we were to create a screen printed hot dog book. We decided our topic was to use black white and red and to illustrated food. I chose to illustrate an ice cream. I drew it a number of times and decided where I was going to place the colour. 



Unfortunately I was ill for the screen print workshop so I didn't get chance to make one. However here is a picture of what the final outcome came out like. Overall I am happy with how it turned out and I am really pleased with my ice cream it turned out better than I thought. I think by keeping the colours simplistic it worked well. 

Visual Language Final Evaluation

Final Evaluation

Which practical skills and methodologies have you developed within this module and how effectively do you think you are employing them within your practice?

Looking back through my work and reminiscing over my time during this module I really do feel like I have progressed a lot. I can really feel it, not only do I believe that my drawing skills have improved, my knowledge and understanding of analysing working has improved greatly. In addition, I feel my attitude and approach to a brief has changed thanks to this module. Through out the entire course I feel that I have grown up a lot. Before I was very reluctant to use a computer but now I really don't mind blogging my work it has become almost a part of my routine. Also, I am now comfortable with using Illustrator which is a huge thing for me as I would always avoid using any sort of programme. Visual language has helped the way I would approach a piece of work massively. Now I wouldn't even consider creating a final piece of illustration without forming a number of scamps/thumb nail sketches. I feel that it helps me visualise all my ideas and the options for different compositions/colour ways/ format etc...Moreover, Visual Language has helped me actually think about all these aspects of creating an illustration; I couldn't create a piece of illustration without thinking about the composition and the line of sight now, it seems to be coming natural now. Its just been in the last couple of months where I can really feel the change in my attitude, I have become a lot more organised and have been keeping on top of everything. I can feel the difference between the work that I produced in the beginning of the module and the work I have produced at the end. I take more time and care into my work now and clearly see the improvement. And I think that this has reflected in my other more recent modules too. 

Moreover, this module has forced me each week to test and try out different medias and given certain restrictions such as: not using colour in a piece. This has really helped broaden my mind to not just sticking to the same tools as I would usually go for. Yes, using some types of media didn't work out for me too well such as collage. But though some weren't successful I still feel I learnt a lot from them and glad I had a go at them and doesn't mean I wont use them in the future I just need to keep practising. Which is another thing I loved about this module; my work didn't have to look perfect it was mainly about playing around with the medias and formats. I surprisingly really enjoyed the 3D mutant task and had so much fun with it. It really makes you think out side of the box. Before that session I would never of even associated 3D with illustration. 

In addition this module has introduced me to lots of interesting artists that have helped and influenced my work along the way. It really helps me to see the work of others to visualise the kind of work that I should be producing. Such as the 3D brief it really inspired me. Without seeing the work of other artists I wouldn't of really known where to go with the task as it helps me to understand what I am doing by seeing the work of others as examples. Also, it has helped being shown work to analyse as it really has built on my understanding of an illustration or a piece of art in general. Visual Language has forced me to break down a piece of work and look at the different aspects separately to analyse and when discussing a piece of work.   


Which principles/ theories of image making have you found most valuable during this module and how effectively do you think you are employing these within your own practice?

I've learnt that I need to consider so many aspects of an illustration that I produce before creating a final piece. There are so many possibilities that it could become just by changing the media. I think the theory side of the module has helped a lot for me in trying to make finished pieces. A principle that has really stuck with me is considering the foreground, mid ground and background and having a line of sight. It may sound simple now but I never thought about it before. I think that it help

 I have always struggled to make final images and stay in the comfort zone of drawing randomly on the page and not considering the frame, composition etc. But now after learning about these theories and principles I feel more confident in making final images and the last few tasks have enforced that more by making me come to class with a final image. I am happy with the final images that I have created and have actually been doing some of my own work at home and have taken in all the advice and read the hand outs which has really helped me. I never really have that much confidence in my own work but I do feel I am gradually getting more confident by presenting my work to other people. In addition, I find that I can now help give better and more informed opinions on other peoples work and helped me be able to criticise my own work better. And I can back myself up when talking about why I do/don't like a piece of work.  

What strengths can you identify within your Visual Language submission you capitalise on these?

I really believe that this module especially studio brief 2 has improved me greatly. Studio brief 2 really made me think about how to make my work look better by using simple theories and principles like changing the composition of the image. Thinking about the line of sight within a piece is important as it can really help with the flow of a piece and makes it a lot more visually appealing to an audience. Now when I look at work I cannot help but see all all these aspects and things like foreground mid ground and background it come almost automatic to me now. Which therefore I considerate when making my own final images. Another strength is that I am really good at thumb nailing all my ideas down I feel that it really helps me just let all my ideas down out of my head without having to draw it out properly, its just so I can get the idea and then improve and develop on the thumb nails that I like best. From the second week I discovered I definitely work better when working from reference, it just helps me get my proportions better and know when everything should be. In general this is module has really taught me that I just need to play more with my work and ideas and that there isn't a limit to the possibilities. 
  

What areas for development can you identify within your Visual Language submission and how will you address these in the future? 

There is definitely work that I have produced within this module that I don't like especially the work I created before christmas. Before christmas I was terrible at managing my time and would put other projects first before this therefore the work that I created for this module suffered. Also, I often went off task and and forget key instructions, such as: only work in monochrome and then I would go and create a colourful jellyfish.  

I understand what was being taught and once I got started on the work I really enjoyed trying out different ways of illustrating but I often didn't leave myself enough time to put my all into it and for fill it to my best. I especially thought that my collage and work with textures is quite poor and definitely need to improve on that as I can really see the benefits it can bring to some pieces of work. This module made me open up to new ways of creating even if I wasn't too good at it but made me realise that you don't necessarily have to draw to create a great piece of illustration. 

In what way has this module informed how you deconstruct and analyse artwork (whether your own or that of contemporary practitioners)? 

Each week we have focused on different principles/theories of illustration so each week we are forced to look at how artists have used these particular aspects within their work. And because each week we have just focused on one area at a time it gave us the opportunity to really gain an understanding. So now when I look at an image I can bring all of that knowledge together and analyse and deconstruct the piece into parts and know what I am talking about. Also after this module I am not afraid to have my own opinion as I will be able to back it up as to why I don't think something works or why I don't think it is ascetically pleasing.   

                                                                                                                                                                          
6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas:
(please indicate using an ‘x’) 

5= excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor

1
2
3
4
5
Attendance



    x

Punctuality



    x

Motivation


   x


Commitment



    x

Quantity of work produced

   x



Quality of work produced

    
    x 


Contribution to the group

   x



The evaluation of your work is an important part of the assessment criteria and represents a percentage of the overall grade. It is essential that you give yourself enough time to complete your written evaluation fully and with appropriate depth and level of self-reflection. If you have any questions relating to the self-evaluation process speak to a member of staff as soon as possible.




Monday, 17 March 2014

Studio Brief 3: Persons of Note

We were given this next brief today, the final brief within Visual Communication; and I am really excited about it! The amount of work that we need to produce is quite daunting however the actually project is going to be really interesting and exciting to do. The three people that I got were Elvis Presley, Isambaard Kingdom Brunell and Yuri Gararin. Instantly I wanted to do Elvis Presley however, I thought I should do a bit of research into them all just to make sure that I am making the right decision. 

After looking at all three people I found Yuri Garagin to be quite interesting. But still Elvis sticks out to me the most. I decided to do a mind map of more research that I can find. As I find it a good and easy way to get everything down in a clear visual way.






I've just rang my mum then my dad to get their opinions and knowledge on him.Though quite a lot of the things they were saying I had already found out in my research but just thought it was good to hear peoples thoughts rather than just looking on the internet. 

Here are notes that I jotted down that my mum said:  
- His house was called Graceland. 
- America hadn't seen anything like him.
- He had a lot of films. 
- At one point they only recorded him from the waist upwards because of his provocotive dancing. 
- Cutting edge
- When people first heard his music they thought he was black from the sound of his voice. 
- He loved his mum. 
- Was in the army. 
- His dad died when he was at a young age.
- Vegas
- Cornal Tom Parker was his manager
- World influence. 
- No-one on this planet doenst not know who he is. 
- Iconic, shocking time when he died. People could remember what they were doing and where they were when they found out.  

These are notes that I made when speaking to my dad (quite a bit was repeats of what my mum said, but written on here other things that he mentioned):

- He never came to England properly; nearest he got was the plane landed, refuelled and went back, and he never got out the plane. 
- Amazing music
- Towards the end he took lots of drugs and ate lots of fast food
- Died whilst on the toilet 
- He wore catsuits, big collars, jewels, wide belts. Catsuit trousers that flared or what were called 'bell bottoms' 
- Iconic hair style - side burns. 
- His top lip always went up in one corner. 
- He was known for driving big Cadillacs with big wings and bought them for his family and friends. He told me to google 1950's American Cadillacs. 
- Rock and Roll. 
- He was the best ever. 
- Looked after his family.
- He will never be forgotten, even future generations will know who he is.     

After gathering all this information about Elvis, I have now just been looking at images to do with him and used my research to narrow down the imagery to look for. 


These are some images of films posters that he was in: 
















Then looked at photos of him and his family: 










I came across this stamp on google images, which is completly relatable to my project, so thought I would save it. It also gave me the idea for my stamps to also have the ridged boarder on them like an actual stamp would. Also, like this one, to make mine look more realistic I could include some text and numbers. 

Then a big part that he is known for is the way he dances so looked into that:









My dad spoke to me about the cars he would drive, particularly his Cadillacs.After looking at images of his cars, I really do want to involve them in my work somehow.  











Next I found some images of him in the army: 





In addition, he is very famous for his white catsuit. 









This is house Graceland: 













After looking at images of his house I thought it would be good to actually be able to have a tour around his house so went onto youtube and just watched this:

Some things I wrote down whilst watching it: 
- A family owned this house before he moved in. 
- He played the piano by ear, he never took music lessons apart from the one music class he did take in highschool/middle school he failed music. 
- Bought for 102, 500 dollars in 1957. 
- Private mecca for him. 
- He had 14 TVs and in the 50s it was rare for anyone to have a television. 
- Elvis loved Hawaii. 
- He also loved horses. 
- He had his very own custom made aeroplane





Here are some images of the day of Elvis's funeral. You can really see how much a shock to the world it was. 















These are just some random images that I collected that I thought were just generally good iconic images to do with him. Which you can also see in most of them they back up what my dad said about Elvis tending to lift one side of his top lip up.  









I just watched this youtube video about Elvis' life. I found it to be quite moving and facinating to hear about his life. I feel like I understand more about him. As I only knew about him from the basic information and I feel that this has informed me greatly about him and has given me many ideas. It was good to hear not just about his greatness and the good in his life but to hear about the more darker and sad side to his life as it really helps know truly about his life. 


These are some notes I made though out the video: 
- Began life very poor and had some hard times. 
- Mommas boy
- Complusive generocity 
- Gladys Presely is his mothers name, he bought her her first car which was a Cadillac. 
- He became the provider, bought his mum Graceland. 
- Gladys was scared of his fame. 
- 1957, christmas was the happiest time of his life; a combination of all his dreams. 
- Memphis Mafia 
- Gave every employee 1000 dollar bill. 
- Was drafted into the U.S army 
- Stationed in Germany 
- Left for emergancy leave as his mother was very ill. 
- His mother passed away and felt a huge amount of grief. 
- Most hurtful moment of his life. 
- Couldn't turn to his father in the same way. 
- Prescilla met Elvis when she was 13
- Came to live in Graceland at 17 and Elvis promised her father he would marry her. 
- No drugs or drinks at his parties. 
- Sonny West was his body guard
- He became interested in the afterlife
- Reincarnation 
- Read the bible
- Beetles became popular dominating pop culture, becoming a threat to him. 
- They came to his house; moment of silence when they met. 
- Then all sang together - Jam session. 
- John Lennon shuck him up a bit. 
- Married Prescilla after 5/6 years. 
- Unhappy marriage 
- Stunning comeback. 
- Oozed talent. 
- Escalating drug addiction.
- Had a daughter, Lisa Marie 
- Couldn't have sex with a mother, detierated marriage. 
-  Horrified by his appearance that he had become. 
- Mindi Millar companion 
- Billy Smith, Elvis' cousin. 
- Deadly allergic reaction to Codeine. 
- Died, and wasn't found for about 15 minutes. 
- Greatest entertainer. 
- Warmest human being you could find. 

After watching this video it's made me interested about The Beetles meeting Elvis, so thought I would find out more about that and watch a video on how they felt about meeting him. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWSfqQcJ9tE



I've now just watch another youtube video about Elvis. Watching this video really emphasises how much of a star he is and the impact he had on people. Even influenced other well famous musicians.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP-zcXtiXhA 

"Elvis rearranged the mainstream." 


I found a book in the library of Photos of Elvis. 

This image stuck out to me the most and really is iconic; this is one of the main visions you think of when you think of Elvis. It has really made me want to incorportate his way of moving and his guitar in my work. 




Today, I began by getting my ideas down onto paper by drawing thumbnails, ideas and words that came to my head. On the bottom right of the first photo I did a very rough drawing of Elvis in the style of Ryan Feerer as I'd just got a book out of the library (Illustration Now! Volume 2) and was really drawn the way he draws; very narrow arms and legs with a larger more chunkier body. I find it so interesting when illustrators make the body disproportional.  

                   




I then made another list just to jog my memory of the things you would associate with Elvis as I was getting a bit of a mind block of what to do. Then This list actually really helped me stream off some ideas. My favourite idea was to use the format of playing cards. As you would link Elvis with Las Vegas which you would connect with playing cards. In addition I thought it would be a good idea to make all the cards the king seeing as Elvis Presley is known for being 'The King of Rock and Roll'. The cards would work really well as a set, plus on each card I can involve things that you would connote with Elvis. 

                                                 



However, I still want to come up with more ideas so drew some mouths as he is known for his upper lip curl that he does. Then I did some scamps of Elvis doing different dance moves. As he was very well known for his what was provoctive dancing of the time. I drew these in the style of how I illustrated my last visual language task. Creating the background using cross hatching lines and then keep clear a spot light and in each spot light have Elvis in a different recognisable dance move position, wearing his famous clothing. 
                    
We then went into group crits to discuss our research that we had gathered and ideas that we had developed. It was interesting to see who people have and what they had found out. I do really think that this is a very exciting project and feeling really positive about it and got the impression from my group that they all feel the same about it. I feel that my crit went well; Elvis is a very well known person so people instantly knew who I was talking about and think I should definitely do some drawings of him dancing. They also think that they postcard idea seemed good and that it related well. However, Joe who also was in my group was thinking of doing postcards too which has slightly put me off a little bit as I would rather do something different to anyone else. But we are still in early stages so I still have time to develop and generate ideas. These are just initial drawing ideas that I have come up with today, I think tomorrow I definitely need to work on more ideas and then begin to develop.I feel if I do go with the postcard idea, I probably would like to create them using illustrator as I think it would give that slick finish to them. Though I would need to take into consideration the easter holidays and the fact I don't own illustrator so would need to come up with a plan. 


I have thought about it now for a few days and have decided that I still definitely want to go for creating playing cards. We both have very different styles so think we will create completely different outcomes. 

I created a Pinterest account not too long ago so thought I would have a look on there to see what other people have done with playing cards. I have collected a few that I particularly like/ thought could help me gain ideas for mine. 

http://gb.pinterest.com/rf251653/studio-brief-3/

In addition here are a few that I found using Instagram which I recently got. 


                 
                 

Today I want to create some mock up playing cards so I can get the idea of what the content will involve plus working to the specific sizing that has been given. 

First thing I have done is gone onto Illustrator and using images found off the internet come up with some possible compositions. 



Really liking the idea of playing with symmetry. I think that it creates an interesting composition. The first playing card I think has the best line of sight and helps you distinguish the two sides of the playing cards. 





Really just playing at the moment. I am not keen on the pink cadillac that I just did, I think that I need to come up with a better composition for it so that it flows better. 

After attempting many different compositions I am finding it quite hard making interesting symmetrical compositions with a car. I guess I need to just keep on trying.

Whilst trying find images of Elvis' famous pink cadillac I a came across this image: 


It really shone out to me. I love the contrast of the pink and the black and has made me want to keep my colour palette very simple to just two or three colours as I think from looking at this it shows keeping a minimum amount of colour can be very effective. Also,it has really made me want to try and play with possibly having paint splatters in my work it really seems to make this piece more striking.  




I definitely want to use Elvis's home also known as 'Graceland'. I think within this piece I can give a good symmetrical line of sight using the path in front of the house.  
Another thing that is iconic towards Elvis is his personalised guitar. I have played about on Illustrator with some ideas on composition.I think the one I prefer the most is the sunglasses and guitar one as its incorporating two iconic aspects and works visually well together. 





Next I focused just on his famous lip curl. After adding the lips into one of the practise guitar pieces I wanted to have them on their own as a main piece as I think they are just very iconic on their own and don't need anything else. 

After making this I realised that the upside down could imbue some sort of deeper meaning that there was this unhappy darker side to him. Also, I noticed that this does look quite similar to the style of Andy Warhol and after looking at Warhol's work I thought that I could try out the way he uses his colours within a piece.  
I have just had a sit down and thought about my plan on what i need to do over easter. And I have realised I've spent my time just thinking about the postcards and not even taking into consideration that I need to not only do that but create a big A1 poster plus stamps as well. I don't know whether I should have the theme of playing cards throughout or whether to do the stamps in a different style and the poster in a different style. I think that it would all look smoother and better if they were all in the same style. But I don't know how much I can do with the playing card idea. Especially when it comes to the stamps, I think the scale might be too small for it to work so I do need to have a think about that. I do feel a bit better now that I have come up with a plan for over easter.


We just had our crit. I found it helpful to tell someone about my research and ideas. I was partnered with Adele and she said she's liked my ideas and that I was more looking at the positives and celebrating Elvis rather than showing the negative as I did come across the negative sides in my research. She said she liked that I tried out some experimentations of layout and composition on the computer. Though she said I need to put more thought into my big poster as I haven't done any work for it yet. She has put that she reckons it maybe a problem would be making the poster and making it all fit together. Taking this into consideration I want to begin doing some rough sketches and ideas for the poster and the stamps. After speaking with Adele she said she really liked my drawings of Elvis' lips and reckons that it would be good to use for my stamps. Taking that into consideration I think for my stamps I am going to keep them very simple and just use one iconic aspect that you relate to Elvis. For example: his lip curl on one, sunglasses on another, his famous hairstyle and sideburns and guitar on the other. After having this discussion I am now going to get thumb nailing and sketching and create a plan for over easter.   

                   




I have sat down and been doing some thumb nailing which has definitely helped me visualise my work and stemmed off new ideas. Here are all my sketches in my make shift sketchbook that I made for this project: 







Elvis' dancing was very iconic and is still remembered for it now. So I want to portray and capture his way of dancing and came up with this idea of having a line of Elvis's all in different dance move positions. I thought that this would be good to have as the big poster as it will involve a lot of his iconic features all together. I did a quick drawing in my sketchbook of an example and think that this would look good reflected like the playing cards. 


Like the postcards I thought I would make it on illustrator to get the idea of the composition and will give me reference to draw from. 

Using the line of Elvis's that I drew I just wanted to test out some effects. 




 I think that this one below is probably my favourite out of all the tests. I like how the colours go well together without being too over powering. I definitely wanted to involve the colour red as it is associated with the King of Hearts card in a standard pack of playing cards. But by adding the creams and the blues will create this artistic contemporary twist to your usual pack of cards. 











I feel like it was good to play around with different colours and textures and things and definitely will consider some for the final piece. 

Its the easter holidays now and I've come into the studio to do my work as I'm useless at home. I've decided to stop getting confused and complicated and do one step at a time. I'm beginning with the stamps then I shall do the postcards and then the main poster. 


Made this in the actual size of what it should be so when made larger it gets pixelated. 


After making that I thought that it would be useful to make a template stamp so the boarder and the kings are already in place so I just need to draw in the middle the different designs. This is so that they can all have the same identical framing/format. Slightly different from the first one; this time I have decided that the 'K' looks better bigger so that more space is filled. 



Next I have done the famous aviator sunglasses. 



After making these I've thought that the font of the 'K' is a bit dull so went to find some more interesting fonts that I could use. 
 
 
 
 
 

After choosing the font that I liked best I began on a postcard. I have used illustrator to make the famous Graceland house. 




I'm still getting the hang of using Illustrator but can feel myself getting better. I have decided that I think that the cards could use a bit of colour in them. I have chosen to go for red as it follows the nature of a typical authentic playing card. 



Next, I made this Elvis and following the other postcard I have put in red.I made this on Photoshop as I have never really given Photoshop a go. I will use the frame that I made before and place the Elvis within in and copy and rotate it.  


Because I've really got into this last one with Elvis dancing I'm going to create the final poster now as I want that the have Elvis dancing. 

I decided to test out some other colours to see if they would work too. As I want the final poster to stand out so thought maybe a few colours could look good. 





After testing them out I think that I should stick to using red and black so that it is continuous throughout. 



I wanted to use all four dance positions but found that three just looked a lot better. Plus the three that I have used all create a similar reflection so looks more balanced. 


I feel like I am getting some where now and know where I am going with it. Where as before I was sort of jumping from one idea to another. 


Using the sunglasses that I created before I am going to re make the stamp. Like the postcards and the final poster that I have made so far I have added the colour red to it.  

I thought that it looked a bit dull and boring so I've put it onto Photoshop; mad it bigger then used the skew transform tool and played around with that until I was happy. I felt that the 'K' and the heart looked better in the lens and because the lens is a dark colour turning the 'K' white created a better contrast for it to stand out.  


Using the hair that I made before I have also re made this stamp to follow the style and colour theme of everything else. I have played around with the sizing of everything and the positioning.  



For the next stamp I looked back at my thumbnails and ideas and decided to create a stamp of Elvis's guitar. Like the sunglasses I have used the transform then skew tool.  












 The next stamp I have done is his famous cadillac and continued with the red and black theme.  

This is a print screen of me playing around and skewing the image: 





Now I have created the stamps its made it a lot easier for me to make the postcards as I will use aspects from them. Looking back at my ideas and thoughts I am going to create the postcard of the guitars and his aviator sunglasses in the middle like the composition I made before in the mock ups. 

Same as the sunglasses I used the mock ups the help create the next postcard of the cadillac. 
                                                           

Final Stamps:





Final Postcards: 





Final Poster: 

We have just had our final crit. Which helped me know what final changes that I needed to make before I print off properly and hand in. Here is how I presented my work: 




It was nice to receive feed back and that they have recognised how much I have enjoyed research for this project on my brief. After getting their opinions and thoughts back its made me realise that there still is final tweaks that need to be done to my pieces.

Overall, despite the stresses and frustration that I felt I did in fact enjoy this brief and feel like I've learnt more from this brief/module more than any other so far. I have always wanted to learn to use Photoshop and Illustrator but have had no confidence or knowledge to use them. Therefore, I am pleased that I did force myself to use these programmes in this brief as I have over come my usual dismission to use them. However, I think that I shouldn't of completely relied on computers and maybe of scanned in my own illustrations and used them as it would've made it look a lot more personalised. I did achieve what I wanted to achieve in the ascetics as I think that they clearly portray playing cards. I believe that I managed my time well, taking into consideration the fact it would take me a long time to complete a simple task on Illustrator/ Photoshop. So a lot of my time was spent learning. But I don't regret that as I needed to learn. It just means that it isn't the best piece of work, but I feel so pleased that I challenged myself. I believe now if I used Photoshop or Illustrator again in future projects I could do it and not feel apprehensive about doing so which I did before.