Another Failed Screenprint

I think I was destined to never print the superhero image. Absolutely everything that could go wrong did in the process of trying to screenprint it. I will now always allow time for manual image tracing on illustrator when creating vectors as live trace just sometimes does not work. Also when screenprinting I will never forget that simplicity is absolutely integral in designing a successful print. You can't just use any old image for screenprinting, it has to take the amount of colours (the less the easier it will be) and the level of small detail (can't be too fine or it will break up) into consideration as well as more technical things like bleeds and layering.

Its a shame that the image I worked on for several days is now redundant but I did manage to livetrace one of the bluetits I had done and ready this for print tomorrow. I will also be working on a one off illustration with a load of different birds to be sold at the auction so all is not lost.

I also still have the image of the superheroes me and matt worked on which I am actually pretty pleased with. Other positive stuff to come out of the project was that I found I worked well collaboratively and I found that I enjoy making work with a sense of fun about it and may look to make more images like this.

Anyway, here's the digital version of the image in full colour;

Video Games As Inspiration

I think generally, alot of the public consider video games as a malevolent distraction for today's youth. To be fair, if you don't play (and therefore understand) video games, your only insight into the gaming world has probably been through other people who don't play games on the news clamouring for the latest controversial title to be banned, either that or maybe your brother, son or boyfriend is addicted to Call Of Duty and as a result is a cranky geek for 90% of the day and you therefore, quite understandably despise gaming in any form. However the games industry is now making more money than the film industry and with the arrival of more powerful machines with more realistic graphics (xbox 360, PS3) and the massively popular family orientated nintendo consoles (wii and ds), it is now an increasingly important form of entertainment and is starting to be taken more seriously as creative medium.

Games, like films, are art directed and in development, alot of thought is put into the design of the visuals. As with other forms of media subject to mass consumption, games are increasingly becoming part of our visual culture. Already retro games like pac-man and space invaders are parodied in the simpsons & family guy, their images adorn t-shirts and their influence is evident in a wide array of contemporary graphics (especially in gig and club night posters which often use the pac man typeface as an index of 80's style design).

There are also many current games notable for their distinctive visual styles. Two that I have recently played and thought were particularly memorable in terms of visuals are Canabalt, which you can view and play free online (it is probably the most simple and addictive game you will ever play) and Little Big Planet, a colourful, dreamlike platform adventure which you can play if you are privileged enough to own a PSP or PS3. Check out a trailer for the game here.

Really Boring Post...

Tutorial Research For SBC2.....



http://tv.adobe.com/watch/visual-design/using-indesign-export-to-flash-xfl

-Tutorial on exporting from indesign into flash.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081002141605AAoTFS4

-Playing a movieclip with as3.

http://bytes.com/topic/flash/answers/704967-how-apply-stroke-text-flash-cs3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKIMjuBREnY
http://www.informit.com/articles/article.aspx?p=1312651&seqNum=20

-Placing a stroke on text in flash. Ended up not using any of these as the stroke didn't look too great, I instead typed the relevant words in illustrator with the stroke, created the vector shapes out of the words and pasted them into flash.

http://www.entheosweb.com/Flash/external_links.asp

-Hyperlinking in flash.

http://www.youtube.com/user/oppcell#p/a/9AE5F50F252486D3/2/-ak-I5rklqg

-Really youtube channel useful tutorials on the basics of building a flash website.


http://www.actionscript.org/forums/archive/index.php3/t-144951.html
http://groups.google.com/group/macromedia.flash/browse_thread/thread/a41b0290daf4c2ed

-Information on a compiler error message I got whilst testing the site.


http://www.texelate.co.uk/blog/should-you-make-your-website-in-flash/

-Some reading I did before deciding whether to make the site in flash.

http://www.ultrashock.com/forums/flash-professional/acceptable-file-size-for-a-flash-site-115584.html
http://animation.about.com/od/flashanimationtutorials/ss/flashbandwidthp.htm
http://articles.sitepoint.com/article/steps-faster-flash/2
http://articles.sitepoint.com/article/steps-faster-flash/2
http://articles.sitepoint.com/article/fast-track-flash-site/2

-Research I did after I realised my .swf was too big.

http://www.flashmagazine.com/Tutorials/detail/how_to_make_a_custom_as3_preloader/

-Tutorial on making a preloader animation.

http://d-graff.de/fricca/center.html

-css for centring .swf in dreamweaver.

http://www.kirupa.com/forum/showthread.php?t=162240
http://www.bigresource.com/FLASH-Skipping-ahead-a-set-amount-of-frames-rUyy6MUOSc.html#XUBBaY5AdP
http://www.adobe.com/livedocs/flash/9.0/ActionScriptLangRefV3/flash/display/MovieClip.html

-Actionscript to place on control buttons.


http://www.boutell.com/newfaq/creating/setclientarea.html
http://www.boutell.com/newfaq/creating/setclientarea.html
http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread?t=600738
http://dustinbrewer.com/fonts-on-the-web-and-a-list-of-web-safe-fonts/
http://www.webdesigndev.com/web-development/16-gorgeous-web-safe-fonts-to-use-with-css

-Various reading on css which informed my decision to use flash.

Research For Screen Based 2

After basically (apart from hosting the site) having finished this project I've come back to my sketchbook which looks pretty bare and have realised I don't really have a lot to put in it. I did some research into vis com related sites right at the start of this project which I documented in a previous post here but other than that I haven't really got much to show.

I guess the main reason is that at the core of this project was my own visual identity which sort of came together quite organically, meaning it is hard to dissect, record and justify. The research that informed this was all kind of from introspective thought about myself and my work which lead to a more instinctive way of working. The rationalisation of the aesthetic decisions behind the identity is too esoteric to allow any other explanation than that; they just looked and felt right- apart from the use of coloured paper that is simply just cos I use it in my work.

I am also going to cite alot of the last years' websites as being important in the development of my own. I looked at all of them but continually revisited a set few (Luke Bonner's, Gareth Sanger's and James Mcmorrow's were the ones I took most from) when I needed to find out what sort of things people had written in their about sections, how much work they had up and what sort of size this should be. This was an incredibly valuable resource during the project as these designers created their sites when they were in exactly the same situation as me and the ability to see how well some handled the task, creating original, personal and well designed sites (while also showing the pitfalls which some fell into, some sites were too personal, too gimmicky and hard to get around) made for a good reference point.

On the technical side, tutorials were a life saver during this project. I've bookmarked all the ones I used and the list is too long too put on here. If you've ever posted anything to do with flash on the internet than thank you, you probably helped me at some point during my project.

I guess after all that, that I have done a substantial amount of research, just a different kind which is less sketchbook-friendly than the billions of print outs of other designers work used in previous projects. I could go back and tart-up my sketchbook, pretend I was inspired by stuff I never looked at and probably get a few more marks in the process but thats not really the point of being on the course, besides I've got animal superheroes to draw.

Illustrator Will Kemp

Checked out the new consortium shop today and found some pretty nice stuff, sweet tee-shirt graphics by Parra and other prohibitively expensive but awesome stuff. One of the reasons I used to love the old consortium shop was the various free magazines with loads of illustration and graphic inspiration so I was disappointed not to see any out. However those who don't ask don't get and they had some Carhartt brand book thingys behind the counter which I thought was being given to me but later saw a £4 price on the cover which leaves me in a situation whereby I am unsure whether I casually shoplifted (was it just to look at or for keeps? I will never know....)

Ah well, if I did they'll make it back x100 if they sell a jacket.

Anyway the point is the Carhartt book is awesome. Beautifully designed with some interesting stuff about their brand heritage (in-keeping with the current trend for reputable, well established companies visually returning to their roots, I didn't know they've been around since 1910) as well as some insightful interviews with their designers.

One of these really struck a chord. I found it pretty motivating and positive to read graphic illustrator Will Kemp talking about how jaded he was with uni work and how his work improved as he resolved to be more natural in his approach to work.

I also got into visual communication at a young age because of skateboard graphics (and football kits) and similarly think that alot of people at the AUCB are pretentious sods who spend far too much time worrying about their haircuts.

Read the interview here and check out his clothing label Second Son.

Website Setback

I have my website as a published SWF file now, everything is in working order, I've checked it and checked it again, sorted the annoying smoothing that flash decided it should put on all my images and (apart from the italic text which, strangely, looks alot more slanty in flash than it did in indesign for some reason) I am pretty pleased with what I've produced. I've got a domain name now (which I need to figure out how to use) and a pdf CV sorted so I was pretty pleased with myself until I decided I should research what a standard size is for a flash site....

I read a forum post in which a guy in a very similar situation to mine (first website, file size of around 3mb) was told his site was ''waaaaaaay too big''. I also found a feature on flash called bandwidth profiler which simulates the download of the site at various connection speeds. I don't even want to write how long it took at dialup speed and though no-one has dialup anymore, even I couldn't be bothered to wait for it to download on DSL I actually, without thinking about it, closed the site and went on something else!

This is really annoying but not a catastrophe as I can do some stuff to streamline the file and if that doesn't work then there seems to be a method involving splitting the site into separate movies so the user doesn't have to load it all at once (annoying though cos navigation will be slowed) then there is the option of some kind of loading graphic so all is not lost, just scattered into a lot of small pieces...

New Year's Resolutions

As well as not eating red meat or junk food, I have a few changes I want to make about the way I make work. I've been thinking about it during the christmas break and I feel at the moment like drawing and designing is becoming a stressful chore that I find myself trying to avoid. I feel like I am constantly trying to create what I think other people will like rather than the kind of stuff I like myself. This is why I haven't developed a strong personal style. Also I have too much of a binary view of my work, I have a few bits I definitely like whilst everything else I consider a complete failure, there is no middle ground between me not being able to look at a piece and wanting to put it up on my wall.

I also feel like I am personally being judged by everything I produce which makes the process of working really stressful and actually conducive to making work which all too often plays it safe and is too self aware.

My goal therefore is to try and be more free in my work, imparting more of myself in the work I produce. I have alot of ideas which don't make it out of my head because I'm unsure as to how they will go down so I will try to exorcise these abit more.

I've finished my website now, which I'm pretty pleased with and am going to use as a starting point for a general improvement in the work I produce. I'm going to make a start tomorrow with the screenprints for the postcards exhibition.

Happy 2010!