James Weston

 Jame Weston specialise in Lino and Woodcut. He decided to work with a limited colour pallet and he like Wormell works with a mix of traditional and digital. His work features in publishing and editorial. Westons work is amazing and it is interesting how he incorporated digital and print to work together. Using plain gradient background allows for the intense detail on the Lino/woodcut, for example the women jumping into the pond. The bushes and trees that surround are highly  detailed but the women has been done using more graphic techniques with block colours and shapes , thus doesn't get lost in mid ground. Every line / shape is also in colour , back is only used in dark shadows. This is a technique that I need to get back into my own work. Black outlines are not as interesting or effective as using blocks of colour to shape the different elements of the image. It also allows as Weston has shown for the addition of other elements without making the image over crowded. Control and planning seem to be key in this. And with the addition of digital techniques and spending time perfecting these , the process with speed up vastly.

Interim evaluation 1

After trying to tackle a hard social issues by undertaking a deep level of research and working out how best to visually communicate this within context of practise. I have found that I get burnt out quickly and struggle to get the work up to a high standard that im happy with. So I want to create work on much lighter subjects, focusing more on narrative and the idea, whilst mastering the techniques I use to make the images. One of my aims is by the end of this module is to have designed a collection of silk scarves. Incorporating image and narrative onto textiles is something that I am trying to grapple with and am going to continue to do. The reason behind wanting to design silk scarves is it a simple way of applying narrative illustration onto commercial products and once it is on fabric it is easier to visualise being applied to other fashion based products. Scarves also have a simple format, they are just a square. This means that I will be able to create multiple designs that can be applied to other ideas, such as wrapping and wall paper , product packaging. This all however need to be research. I need to find a target audience, an appropriate theme and investigate how the images could work on different products. Currently it appears that the overall project will be extensive but split up into shorter briefs. From working on the ohh deer brief I am starting to develop an idea of how the scarves could be and work like. Even though the patterns used in the development don’t have any narrative, they still help with understanding how the composition could work. More importantly at this stage is how the silk acts once it has been printed on. I have found that it is better with some binders than others. Printing with too thick a binder means that the fabrics flow is hindered, but also with the ink being think and bold it doesn’t have that natural transparency that occurs within the material. Playing with the fabrics has also allowed me to see one dyed how the different colours work together. Natural dyes have a nice subtle tone to them, but depending on the narrative I find to work with , a bolder more colour using direct dyes would be better. You also get more verity with this form of dyeing. Having this time to experiment I think it vital to my practice. Your still producing work but with a less intensive subject and theme, and by doing this I am start ot really gain an understanding in the values of take that time out to explore, play and have a break from  working with the hard hitting projects.

Chris Wormell illustration

 Chris Wormell is an illustrator who specialise in Linocut. He recently designed the cover for 'The Book of Dust' recently named Waterstones book of the year. I bought this book and was fascinated in the cover instantly. Seeing that straight away it was a Linocut I was surprised. Recent book covers that I have seen for example the cover for 'A Handmade's Tale' Margret Atwood  and ' Turtles all the way down' John Green take a much more graphic approach to their design. Bold shapes and type. But seeing a cover that has been designed using Lino print and for a books arrival has been anticipated and who's author is prestigious is inspiring and fantastic to see. The process and image makes the book look and feel significant and have a sense of difference and refinement. It also links to the darker and fanciful nature of the book. In a video on Wormells website he explains his process and how it has changed from a purely traditional process to one that now incorporates new digital techniques. He still cuts and prints using the traditional methods and then edits the different prints together using photoshop. But one process that his video reminded me of and which I forgotten was Lino reduction. When you just use one block and you print the initial block cut and work back into it and re print. This allows for multiple colours for edition prints but also accurate lining up of the different layers when editing. He also explores digital brushes , one the sea in the cover this is evident as it would be hard to achieve the wispy splash with Lino as it is a bold material. I also an interested to see how he has utilised negative space.e.g. sky and trees, this helps to balance out the image and highlight the key points of focus.