Project proposal printed pictures.

Images of mass incarceration in prisons.

Whats the Problem? Edinburgh festivals -BBC.

What problems are identified by the brief ?

• Edinburgh festivals are hugely popular with global audiences and performers.
• A message needs to be put across to the vast audience about the sprite of the festival,  through some form of technology(not spesifide what kind). It also needs to encourage interaction between the people in the festival , both performers and audience.   
• The main aim is to make the festivals connect to a globe audience.

What is the Breif asking you to do about them?

• Design some kind of app possibly or a new way of interacting media that will help connect people from around the world. 

Trying to achieve?

• A wider out reach for the festival, heightens publicity of it.
• Encourage interaction between the people who visit/ use the festivals. 
•  Networking.

Who will benefit?

• The globe audiences
• The festivals , publicity and popularity.
• 
  

What is the message ?

• They want to send out the message or feeling even of the event being a fun cultural experience , the 'sprite'.  

Who is the audiance?

• Should be aimed at all ages however, I think it should be aimed at 18-40+yrs as I think that they are more likely to use , things like apps. 

How will the message be delivered?

• Through an interactive technology. 

Can you foresee any problems in responding to the breif?

• What kind of tech do they want ? 
• How interactive should be technology be?
• How do you capture the sprite of the festivals and who can you express this? Colour, shape , motfis?
• It is very vague about what it wants and I think in order to gain a better understanding I would have to do more research into what kind of techs work best for interaction purposes.
• Getting the message Globely , might have to be quite pictorial as this is a universal language. 

Jeffery Alan Love.

Jeffery Alan Love's work has a strong use of negative space. This seems to be a technique throughout his work, and is a very clever and interesting. This piece in particular was made for a book cover. This cover uses very simple shapes that clearly illustrate a wolf and human, it also contains three colours , and the minimal use of the third colour , red, is effective and helps the overall composition.

The textures as well are really good. I really like the messiness of the line quality. The roughness give a sketchy and earthy aesthetic, hand made. The shapes as well are not smooth shapes, they are very elongated and jagged , this also gives the image a playful feel.
I'm not sure what print techniques he has used, but it looks like Mono, possible however it could easily be a collection of different print textures put together digitally.

Lino and stitch.

This started as an experiment to see weather I could print lino onto fabric using oil based inks. And it worked however the ink did rub off slightly but I ironed it , the ink stayed on. SO IT WORKS!!! Which is really good as it is way faster then screen printing and you get the effect of a Lino print, the engraving marks.

Really happy with how this has worked , needs way more development to add more meaning but I am really enjoying this process so far. Red thred also might be better then blue, more meaning behind the colour too.

First Lino experiment.

 Throughout 13th african american people are referred to by people as 'super predators'.  The term implies that they are of a violent and unhuman nature , which they are obviously not. So from this I wanted to find an animal that would best show this predator , a wolf. The lino cut at the top makes a reference to the super predator but also I did some rough sketches within the teeth/bars of people, referring to mass incarceration. I love the bold effect of lino and the mark marking involved in it. With more development I think that this idea could have potential but I need to make the people much clear.

Here, I did a mono print of a quick idea I had of making it a bit more clear that I am tackling a prison issue. Dressing the wolf in prison uniform and chaining him up. Im not sure about this though. I prefer the previous idea it is more symbolic and would allow the reader to decode it. Also by just having the head and smaller details with in that make the image more interesting.  

Mono print experiment.

I tend to find colour a hard aspect to include in imagery.I never really seem to hit the right balance and also tend to under or over use it. So this could be the main challenge for me moving forward is having the confidence to use colour . But doing experiments like this could help me learn more about the application of colour and give me Ideas about how I could apply it to the prints. The reason behind choosing orange as a colour is that it relate to the prison uniforms the inmates where. The line represent bars and the smudged out section is meant to be like the slot in the cell door but I don't think the really works that well as the lines look like the back of a bee a bit.  It could still work as a stand alone piece however , it is textural and I like how the colours overlap in places and how you can see the smudges , it create an interesting aesthetic.

halftone experiments with own work.

Example of a lino print with half tones.
-Because the image is already a print and contains quite a lot of textures it is really hard to see the half tones and actually when it is in half tones it looks very noisey and grainy.
- I could just use the image as it is and print it out, and exposit it onto the screen. I just need to make sure that this image is completely black and white.

Spot colour channel experiments.

Idea brain storm after watching 13th.

After Watching the 13th.

 1865- 2016 - In my personal opinion the american justice system is disgustingly corrupt. There is a server problem of mass incarceration within america jails. One of the reasons being due to the 13th amendment which supposedly abolished slavery , However this dose not apply to criminals. Police are unlawfully arresting African , and Latteno Americans even when there isn't any evidence against them, they are imprisoned and made to work. This group are still targeted due to the past but also due to the allegations of illegal activity such as drug dealing. And whilst the inmates are imprisoned they are made to work.  Another big reason as to why prisons are over full and why the system is so corrupt is due to this:

• A investment company called ALEC funds huge companies by keeping people in privet prison. 
• These company consist of pharmaceutical companies and the CCA who profit from the imprisonment. 
• The money of this company network is now so heavily relayed on, that the numbers of inmates can not go down. As the prisoners are used to work for these companies. 
• Now when the people are arrested they just admit to commiting the crime because they are so scared of going to prison and police brutality with in the institutions toward them. 
• However if you a rich you can in a way pay your way out but if you are poor your stuck in the system.
• The word criminal has been re written in a sesence and slavery has just been re designed for mass imprisonment becomes the slave trade again. 
• One very important point that an intervene made at the end was , a person said if they lived in the times of 'slavery' they would not tolerate it, 'We are still living in that time , we are tolerating it..'
• this is why it is important to have movements like black lives matters to highlight the still gapeing floors in america and make people listen!   

The Black Panther movement.

The Black Panther Party or BBP was a revolutionary black nationalist party in the u.s

• The party had many leaders and started off with just 6 people but soon spread into its thousands, and as result became know as 'the greatest threat to the internal security of the country' according to the head of the FBI. The government oppression caused the growth of the party increased. This was due to the killings of it leaders like John Huggins and the arrests of innocent African Americans.  The Party population however started to decline after reports stating that the group was involved in illegal activitys, drug dealing. And it was said that the FBI used dirty tactics such as forging letters to provoke conflict between the leader the party had. Overall the group was controversial.
• But the parties had 10 value/ beliefes:

1) “Freedom; the power to determine the destiny of the Black and oppressed communities.

2) Full Employment; give every person employment or guaranteed income.

3) End to robbery of Black communities; the overdue debt of forty acres and two mules as promised to ex-slaves during the reconstruction period following the emancipation of slavery.

4) Decent housing fit for the shelter of human beings; the land should be made into cooperatives so that the people can build.

5) Education for the people; that teaches the true history of Blacks and their role in present day society.

6) Free health care; health facilities which will develop preventive medical programs.7) End to police brutality and murder of Black people and other people of color and    oppressed people.

8) End to all wars of aggression; the various conflicts which exist stem directly from the United States ruling circle.

9) Freedom for all political prisoners; trials by juries that represent our peers.

10) Land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice, peace and community control of modern industry.”http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/the-civil-rights-movement-in-america-1945-to-1968/the-black-panthers/

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mono print experiments.

I used techniques where i removed ink using paper towel from the dispensers by the sink. For all of these I just went into the print room with no plan of what i was doing just went for it and I am really happy with the result as I have got some really interesting ideas which I can use as a platform.
My favorite ones are at the top and the bottom. They both have interesting narratives, especially the one at the bottom. The composition , a small child and a big black spaces gives the meaning of loneliness maybe or isolation ?

I am going to keep going into the print room and playing like this , I find it a much more efficient way of creating ideas rather then roughing. I find roughing to restrictive.

The Thirteenth Amendment.

The thirteenth amendment was enforced by the US government in 1865 , after the civil war and sated the abolishment of slavey and involuntary servitude. However this did not apply to criminals. Which is where the loop hole is. Black people would be arrested based on false accusations and very minor crimes. This ment that because they had been arrested and made criminals they could become slaves again. A mythology of black criminality was created, they where described as animals that needed to be controlled. This amendment kick started violence towards black people and this is when klans like the kkk where formed. It also triggered segregation where black and whites would have separate bathrooms for example.  So a real hate had brewed between the races and that is still not fixed today, as the american justice system is still a significant issue, in which holds 25% of the worlds prisoners. In the prisons black people are still unlawfully arrested and charged for crimes they didn't commit , as well as the shooting that have happen recently involving white police officers.  And it is said that they have more african american people in incarceration , being monitored , then the amount of slaves there worse in the 1850's. Mass incarceration.  This documentary on netflix gives the viewer an insight into this issue form the 1850's to today.

Soft Ware workshop.

First collaboration.

•  The idea that was picked by the group was hungry high-5, which is an social app , in which you can order food and find other people who are hungry, so you can meet up and eat together. 
• As a large team I think that we worked really well and efficiently in creating the pitch in time for the deadline.  In smaller teams, such as branding , presenters and marketing which I was in along with graphic designers and animators. We where in charge of coming up with ideas for advertising the app and creating the pitch presentation. It was really helpful when I was writing the presentation to have graphic designers as they had a way better knowledge then I had about which font to use and the curling between the letters. Also about the format of the presentation, where the text should be placed. 
• Working with animators and graphic designers was really good and it was useful to have different ideas and skills floating about. It really helped throughout the whole process and having different points of view open up to debate and discussion which helped to develop the idea further. 
• Overall the experience of working with the other was great and has given me more confidence in approaching people in other specialisms. Also what to expect when working with others.  

Photoshop -Screen printing inductions.

Sophie lecuyer.

This image has a very dark and ominous mood. That I think is an immediate thought when looking at this. The boys facial features are hard to identify and they have very vacant expressions,  this is creepy they look absent, ghost like.

The technique she has used perfectly suites this mood. She looks to have used mono print and the in has been rolled out before hand and worked into.  The tonal value in the boys is strong. I like how the whiter areas are not totally white , it blends better with the black areas.


This image has a definite dark mood , but i'm not sure as to what the image saying. Why do the boys have no cloths? and why are there faces hard to see? The scratchy drawing method gives the image a rough, dirty texture. And it is also a really interesting technique. And is something I will consider when using mono print , instead of using cut shapes , using other medias.

Final editorial images.

 Feedback for crit:
Effectiveness of the concepts/message:

• Very Chilling imagery, dark and spooky.
• Very mysterious dark.
• Games.
• Haunting , speaks of dark topics.

 People who have left comments have not said what they think the concept is much, they have just commented on the emotion they feel about the image. This could be because the image don't communicate very clearly , and I think that this could be true with some of them as it is not clear who the author is from these. But it would have been good if people had put that because i'm not sure weather that is a problem or not.

• Moody, sinister atmosphere.
• imagery is great- love how you've linked it through all three, Interested who the author is though? are these strong links to there work?  

I think that there is a strong link to Lee's work during the time she grew up there was the civil rights movement and in her book black people and under class white are described through the metaphor of a Mocking bird , this is why I have made the bird Motif and played around with that, creating it into a symbol.
 
Visual quality and craft:

• Traditional aesthetic yet well composed .
• Textures really compliment the style.  

• Lovely Patterns e.g. landscape.
• Dark tone helps to drive the concept. 
• A lot of white space for the landscape.

I agree with that final point but I think having a similar textured background as the portrait one would have been too much with the pattern and the birds would have been lost. 

Experiments.

 Instead of roughing further I thought it would be better just to go for it with printing and creating final ideas and I found this a way more effective way of getting my ideas out and seeing a more developed image helps me to make further effective developments.

I am really pleased with the experiments especially this one here (the winged man). I think once I cleaned this image up in photoshop I will use it for my final square image. As it is very symbolic.







Mixing print shapes with coloured pencil patterning works really well and has a good atheistic but by doing this it gave me an idea for the landscape format.
 

This image was a happy accident as I was just playing around with the bird motif and realised when I printed them at reflecting angles they connected perfectly into a chain like shape. And this is a good metaphor I think for how black people where trapped and enslaved in the 1930-50's.  

Alabama Laws on Segrigation in the 1930's.

Segregation: setting someone or something apart from others.

Feed back from Idea pictures.

Comment on the concept/content of the sketches. Which are strongest?

• From the feed back, there is quite a bit of debate into which sketch is the strongest but number 3 was mentioned most. The Chess idea could lead to some further interesting texture experiments and still has a concept which is relevant and political. 
• number 6 was also mentioned for composition. 

Comment on the visual quality and composition of the sketches. How can they be improved?

• Keep it simple , a good piece of advice I tend to overcomplicate things and keeping it simple is probably the key to this and a way to ensure the message I want to get across communicates well.  
• I should carry on keeping my tone of voice. dark messy textres , it enhances the authorship. 
• As a next step I need to start working in colour more. keep the dusty red colour.
• the hanging idea, is there a way in which you could show this without humanising it too much. I don't really want to pursue this idea any more as I can see this being a unsteady path as if communicated poorly or taken the wrong way by the viewer could be really bad and will not be reflecting my true intentions with the image. 

My own question:

How can I make the composition stronger?

• Use purely symbols, it is a more subtle techniques rather then using full figures.
• A change of perspective for example looking down. and think about where the game pieces , how are they being played? have some been 'won'?

From this I need to develop the images more . Think about the colours, perspective the content of the scene,  and then I need to get making. Need to do more texture experiments too, and start creating symbols to represent the different elements.  

Joohee Yoon

                                                     

 Joohee Yoon did this piece of work called 'Global farm yard rush'. I firstly love this piece of work because of the technique/process she appears to have used which is print. The texture and colour really help to elevate the distressing and dark mood.  It also has a playful and experimental feel to it, and has similarity with my practise so far. The symbols she has used are simple and to the point. And this helps the images narrative. The crouched person looks starved and the tears lead down to the corn which is growing, so it is showing the farmers desperation  is trying to make food grow. The Composition is well controlled too, as the hole image fits nicely in a rectangle shape and each element of the image connects or lead some how to the other, for example the tears leading you eye down to the corn. 

The imagery is non realistic, she has used interesting shapes to make up elements like the human body and it's face. And I think that this also massively contributes to the mood of the image. Having the features in the face looking distorted and different adds a darker , scarier tone. Mixing that with the the obvious universal symbols makes for a clever image. I really need to apply this way of thinking into my work, in particular really going for it when it come to being playful when developing my work and thinking in more symbols , shapes and how could these relate to one another.       

Feed back from 2nd Mega Crit.

The main feed back that came back from the crit was that the 'hang man' ideas where perhaps too much , and had a too brutal approach for a commercial illustration. Even though it is communicating a hit in the face image, it need to be more subtle and have a lot less brutality. The audience for news papers is predominantly adult so having really obvious things in the image isn't really that nessery and the veiwer should be allowed to decode the image. I have been making my images too obvious. However the Chess idea seems to work well , but dose need more development. People generally liked the composition of the test prints I did and they got a sense of it being not too dark which was preferred.

Also to consider when producing finals ,  with trying to tackle such a sensitive and important issue to loads of people, I need to make sure that the work communicates the way I need it to as to avoid causing offence.

Other factors to improve:

• keep playing with simple textres.
• Start to work in colour and consider shape. Is there anyway to show hanging without showing the person? through shadow ?
• Steer away from figures and think purely symbols, again a more subtle way of depicting intense issues without handing the veiwer all of the information at once.   

I find the process of roughing hard and , I am not so sure how productive it is to me when I am trying to create images. I would prefer just playing and experimenting loads and pulling ideas from that and working from there. I also find it quite restrictive, and I aim to find a way of planning and thinking of ideas in a less restrictive way.    

Roughs- 3 piece editorial.

Roughs for editorial feed back:

• Over all most of the ideas I had in the session where well received and would work as editorial illustrations.
• But the ones that where highlighted most where the games like ones for example the black and white chess board and Hang man. This would be a really interesting concept to follow in further roughs as in the 1930/50's klans like the KKK would take the capture and hanging as Black people as a game so the images would hopefully be portraying that as well as the dark matter which it contains.  
• The washing machine idea( black people inside and the setting changed to white) still might be worth developing more though as I really like that idea and I think adding it to an everyday appliance , would this be a good idea? 
• I think that I have a solid footing in which to carry one developing and hopefully I aim to end with strong powerful outcomes.     

Final Zine - Harper Lee.

Over all it was very positive feed back about the Zine: The main feature that people liked the most was the circle frame hiding the face on the next page. Also the darkness of the book, how the dark colours matched the heavy stock that I used. The only criticism that I reserved was that the font could have been developed more to fit in with the mood of the book, and I agree. I could of made the lettering more scratchy and jagged , would have also added to the overall mood of the zine. Over all I am happy with the zine too and as a final experiment I decided to stitch into it a bit and I wish I had more time as I think that this technique really works with the images especially with the more patterned and textured backgrounds. I found it hard to respond so quickly to a brief but it is good as you learn skills and methods in which best to tackle quick briefs such as this one.