Illustration work which influenced the project

Since I am about to start posting my work from the last few weeks, I think it's about time I showed the work of artists I have been looking at over the last few weeks!  As I started my practical work I began by making mood boards (Fig 1.1) but there were so many artists whose work I thought was fitting for the themes I am trying to explore that I decided to expand on that a little

Mood Board

Fig 1.1

I knew straight away I wanted a style of illustration that was vector-based, whimsical and bright, as that is a style I work with a lot and I wanted to see where I could take a simplistic style.  As I would be illustrating visuals that functioned within an information graphic, there would be a lot of text surrounding, it so I focused on a style that allowed for the visuals to stand out without confusing the eye with too much on the screen.  It's no secret that I love a good gradient, so I would be using those to create depth, highlights and shadows as seen in the work above.

Jeffrey Bowman

Fig 2.1

Fig 2.2

Fig 2.3

I came across Bowman's work through Computer Arts' Magazine and was really taken with the way he mixes vectors and textures to create gorgeous, simply crafted work with a tactile look to it.  Examples such as the trees in Fig 2.1 or the mountains in Fig 2.4 lend the illustrations a little more visual appeal.  I am a sucker for using textures in my own work, usually of crumbled paper, but Bowman demonstrates a way to use them which relates directly to the subject matter (e.g tree bark textures on the trees, rock textures on the mountains).  

Bowman's work is also an example of how to make a niche pursuit feel appealing to the masses without  adhering to the usual way of advertising it.  His blog showcases his love of the outdoors and camping, which is reflected in his charming vector illustrations.  This is kind of a surprise element as usually camping, hiking and so on are presented with photography of "the wild", with open skies, mountain trails and camping gear.  All these iconic elements are seen here, but they feel very fresh done as illustrations.

Fig 2.4

Fig 2.5

My work for the Mental Health Nursing course

I created these illustrations for Emma Lamont of the Mental Health Nursing programme last year.  Looking back on them now I realise they are a style that I would like to work in again, as the drop shadows help the illustrations to "pop" which may help if there was a lot of information on screen.

Fig 3.1

Fig 3.2

Toby Triumph

Toby Triumph is an illustrator whose work never takes itself too seriously.  I like the line offset in Figures 4.1 and 4.2 and the watercolour brushes texture, and the kooky illustrations in Figures 4.3 are clean cut so work well with the bolder, crazy type.  Triumph's work is very versatile but it is ideally suited to print, but the playful elements in the illustrations can translate onto screen and could potentially help information stick in the viewers' mind.

Fig 4.1

Fig 4.2

Fig 4.3

Aaron Martinez

Aaron Martinez' work struck me because of the effective way he mixes 3d illustration with 2-dimensional elements.  I have discussed the possibility of working in this style with Simone, and we have agreed that it is a possibility but we need to go over my schedule to determine whether or not I have enough time to create 3d elements and have them rendered.  In my ow case, my work would be the other way round to Martinez', in that the majority of elements in my illustrations would be 2d.  

Fig 5.1

Fig 5.2

Fig 5.3

Martinez' portfolio shows off skills in 2D as well as 3d, as shown above.   As much as I love the 3D work, the 2-dimensional projects also stood out for the depth created using cell shading and simple shapes.   I also love the humour used in the images; it adds a little edge to the subject matter as office illustrations are sometimes difficult to make interesting outside of visual style.

Fig 5.4

Fig 5.5

    

Fig 5.6

Anna Kurzakova

Similar to Martinez' vector work, Anna Kurzakova creates work in the popular flat vector style.   Her work pops because she uses a selective colour palette, against a neutral or cool background to make the subject matter stand out.   It is a flatter style than I would use, however the simplicity of the illustrations can work well with text by means of communicating information in an info graphic style.  

Fig 6.1

Fig 6.2

References

Fig 1.1 Bowman, Jeffrey. 2014.  Gildersleeve, Owen. 2014. Unknown(s), 2014. [online image(s)] Available at:  http://jeffrey-bowman.co.uk; http://www.owengildersleeve.com/portfolio/istanbul-palaces/ 

[Accessed 15th Feb 2015]

Fig 2.1 - 2.5  Bowman, Jeffrey, 2014.  Jeffrey Bowman website banners. [online website] Available at: http://jeffrey-bowman.co.uk

[Accessed 15th Feb 2015]

Fig 3.1, 3.2 Own work

Fig 4.1, 4.2  Triumph, Toby. 2014.  Virgin Media [online] Available at: http://www.tobytriumph.co.uk/VIRGIN-MEDIA-1

[Accessed 15th Feb 2015]

Fig 4.3  Triumph, Toby. 2015. Doodle Rhubarb. [online] Available at: http://www.tobytriumph.co.uk/DOODLE-RHUBARB

[Accessed 15th Feb 2015]

Fig 5.1, 5.2  Martinex, Aaron. 2013.  Concepto Nike Airmax 90. [online] Available at: 

https://www.behance.net/gallery/11912195/NIKE-AIRMAX-90

[Accessed 15th Feb 2015]

Fig 5.3 Martinez, Aaron. 2013. Corre Hot Dog!! [online] Available at: https://www.behance.net/gallery/13285295/CORRE-HOT-DOG

[Accessed 15th Feb 2015]

Fig 5.4 - 5.6 Martinez, Aaron. 2013. CFO. [online] Available at: 

https://www.behance.net/gallery/11783015/CFO

[Accessed 15th Feb 2015]

Fig 6.1 Kurzakova, Anna. 2014. Mother Russia! Stereotypes.  [online] Available at: https://www.behance.net/gallery/18210019/Mother-Russia-Stereotypes

[Accessed 15th Feb 2015]

Fig 6.2 Kurzakova, Anna. 2014. Collection of Pictures on the Theme of Football.  [online] Available at: https://www.behance.net/gallery/18128307/Collection-of-pictures-on-the-theme-of-football

[Accessed 15th Feb 2015]