responsive: war horse inside illustrations

At this point, I realised I just really had to make something given the time constraints of this project and other deadlines! I mostly was thinking about scale in these compositions, making the horse small or really big to suit the feeling of the text it was based on.

I made some more sketches but found experimenting as I was going along with the final piece itself to be helpful. Most of the sketches I had made were tiny, and these pieces around A4 size, and I found that as I sketched them ready to paint that they would need rearranging to fit the new scale, that they wouldn't translate so well. In the future it would be useful to sketch at a larger scale to be more prepared and sure that a composition will work!

For this series I also wanted to paint out of personal preference as I wanted to work with more colour than I had been allowed to with the print project and also work with something physical. 

 

The first illustration is in regards to the scene where Joey is bought at the auction. He is the main focus of the image at this point as the scene is very much about his personal emotions. The men who are grabbing him are at this point faceless as he does not know who they are. I'm quite pleased with this composition wise, the curving of the horse's neck and the pointing of the hands leading to the horse's face, the main focus of this image.The straightness of the ropes look extra taut and restricting compared to the curve of the hands and neck.

I'm not particularly pleased with the hands though, I painted them freehand because of the nature of painting and they ended up looking very thick and clumsy compared to the rest of the piece. I suppose this could present the brutish nature of the men but it just looks cartoony and anatomically wrong. I will edit these if I have time to.

The second illustration is of the scene where Joey goes into battle and loses his rider. The scene is very much about his own instincts and how he has to power himself through so he is a focus of the image, and scale wise disproportionately larger than the other horses and soldiers. However, he is still aware of them, and they add to his fears, so they are there too, but small. The scene around him is still relevant because it is the environment that causes his pain, not just singular characters (the hands of the men in the first image).

The third image is of when Joey decides to not run away with the soldiers in favour of staying with his lost friends. It's a very emotional part of the book. Joey is selfless, and it is less about him, so he is small in this image. This chapter made me think about the effects of war on horse and man, so wanted to include them all. I exaggerated the scales of both by making the trees very big in comparison, I wanted them to look helpless and vulnerable like all are in the war.

This was the first image I painted and at this point I hadn't really practiced enough to establish a style for the series, so I think this horse looks too different to the other ones. The others have more exaggerated proportions and this one looks a little stiff. I hope to have enough time to repaint him, and he will be a priority over the hands that also should be repainted.

about the author: lino block cutting

I underestimated how long it would take to cut the lino plates and as a result it messed up my timings for other work too! Cutting hessian lino for long amounts of time can also be quite painful especially if done over consecutive days so it's good to take into account time for a break!

At this point it's hard to say how successful they are when they haven't been printed and won't be until I'm back and able to use the college's resources to print. But- I have tried my best to cut them in accordance to what I have learned with previously cutting lino.

about the author: lino and mono print testing

At this point I was feeling very disheartened with print making, particularly lino, but knew I had done so much work with it that I could only persist and keep trying! I'd found before that hessian lino was more effective but hadn't worked it out quite as much as I hoped. I suspected that the amount of negative space was leading to all the messy bits that were printing but shouldn't be, as it is harder to get rid of these- so now I worked with more inked space designs.

And so I tested my theory with a small practice stamp of lino and it worked- this time! There were some uneven edges still and I suspected that this could be because of my old lino cutting tools so have ordered some more in the hopes it would make a cleaner and deeper cut!

The next issue is how I will add the yellow to the designs, as there isn't much of it if I was to use a whole plate with just the small bits of yellow left that would be likely to leave those marks again in all the cut out space. I had tried stamps before, but they moved in the press and I'm not entirely sure if I want to risk that or if I can get away with it in these designs.

So I decided to try using mono print

Pros:

• won't move around in the press (!!!!! the main pro)
• cheaper than stamps
• might not takes as long to make as stamps, but then again if a stencil needs to be made for each one then it will take a long time

Cons:

• quite fiddly, will be quite complicated for some of the designs
• if using a paper stencil it can only be used once as it will leak ink through to the image if reused
• when put through the press it leaves an indent on the paper, would have to be careful that it matches to the edge of the design or else it would look odd

At this point I'm not sure which method would be more suitable so will look to asking for some help from people with experience! In the meantime I will cut the black lino plates as I know they will be needed for sure and will probably take the most amount of time so there's no point waiting around for it!

about the author: print inspiration

I'd been struggling to think of something for my prints but coming across this image by Shigeo Fukuda on pinterest reminded me of the simplicity and balance I wanted to achieve. It reminded me that what I create need not necessarily be made up of many objects or be a scene, but also served as a reminder that simplicity must be done just right to achieve balance and visual harmony.

responsive: war horse material testing

I have an idea that I'd like to give painting a go for this project. After OUIL504 I'm a little bored of solid blocky shapes. Reading War Horse brings to mind lots of dull, grim colours- but as a practitioner that's not really what I'm about. Here I made a little painting sample of what a War Horse environment could look like with small splashes of colour but using a dull base to fit the mood. I quite like this, though am not so fond of the unnatural blues. I think I'll give it a go when I'm painting.

about the author: selected compositions

 

• The first image was created with the idea of 'possession'. When I read Murakami's work I read a lot of it as being possessive of women. I'm not sure if this is clear enough or should be clearer. I suppose there are other instances of possession too, mostly in the male protagonist hopelessly wishing for a life he can't have.
• The second image is simpler, and mostly based on my work with the egg motif whilst also including the 'mysterious woman' trope.

 

• The third image wasn't as well thought about, but was mostly just to capture the dark mood of Murakami novels. This may make it weaker.
• The fourth image was loosely based on one of the books, Colourless Tsukuru Tazaki, and how one man feels left out of his group of four other friends. I had chosen not to specifically illustrate any of the books but I think it is not such a specific looking image that it may get away with still looking like part of the series. 

• The final image is meant to present the motif of parallels in Murakami's novels. I think the reflection is quite cliche and I had noted in earlier sketchbooks to specifically avoid this visual metaphor but at the same time I can't help but think the image itself works quite nicely. 

As a series I think they work quite well, stylistically matching each other whilst also presenting a good balance of colours to work even when lined up in a row. Individually I worry that some images may be weaker than others (particularly the egg girl) but at this point working as a set has become more of a priority.

about the author: lino print composition ideas

After not being satisfied with my positive/negative and the first set of minimalist compositions I went back and made a new series of compositions.

I still liked the idea of minimalism and shape driven work but knew that if I wanted to make something simple I would really have to take into consideration a well balanced composition. For this series I continued with a surreal approach but somehow the images seem more grounded despite probably being a little 'weirder'. I think this might be because they are less obscured by a background, and are either based on realistic objects (plant) or given an 'environment' to be in (two heads).

about the author: animation first draft

draft 1 from Molly Fairhurst on Vimeo.

As a first draft I'm quite pleased with how the sting has turned out, but some notable points I'm concerned with are

• timing with the music- it isn't wholly smooth and that interrupts the viewer a little
• smoothness of the animation itself- the scene with the flying hands looks a little odd as they're obviously static images, though I'm not sure how to get around this whilst using After Effects
• the cat at the end is off centre but not enough so to be a deliberate composition point and this is distracting
• I'm wondering if the word "Murakami" needs to appear at the end to tie together the odd letters and make it make more sense as a documentary advert sting. Still, the strangeness adds to the Murakami feeling.

But I'm satisfied with my use of motifs and odd surreal imagery to communicate the darker feeling of Murakami I wanted to get across. The textures I used won't necessarily match the prints as I will be using lino printing as my method, but using digital media gives me the scope to create things I wouldn't have been able to create in print making and I think this is a good opportunity to use- whilst also making sure the imagery and colour style stay similar enough for them to work as a set.

about the author: bad print making

Feeling discouraged by my last attempt at print making I tried again because you can only keep trying.

I was told that hessian backed lino gives a better result. It is harder to carve, but won't be moved so much in the press so less of the extra 'bits' won't come through in what is supposed to be negative space.

This is true, but this print was far from good.

The edges in this print were messy and I couldn't get the small details. I suspect having so much cut out space is what's leading to the 'extra bits', but also perhaps not the greatest tools. I need to take much more care with carving.

The colours themselves weren't even a good choice! The green is garish which is far from Murakami's sensitive writing.

But it's a little bit of progression.

about the author: project proposals

The content, audience and what I want to communicate for the two pieces are very if not completely similar, but I thought that was integral to making the two pieces connected as much as possible. Stylistically they could be different but linked through these, I suppose.

responsive: image inspiration

Ward Brackett (1964)

WARHORSE

• use of scale to create impressive images and atmosphere
• collage, texture, minimal colour scheme

Janusz Stanny

A CLOCKWORK ORANGE

• focus on shape
• limited colour 
• texture (here through traditional print reproduction, but am inspired to look at paper and lino)
• minimal sans-serif type does not distract from the image

responsive: war horse initial sketchbook development

At this point I'm not sure where I'm going with this brief but I know I need to figure it out soon and get on with it as the final illustrations are due mid January!

I began by practicing drawing horses as, whilst I don't want to make an obvious outcome, horses are a pretty integral part of the story that can't be missed out! This was the first time for a while I had to do such visual practice and research for a project and I think it would be useful for other projects too.

I began drawing my responses to the plot of the book but soon found that due to time constraints that it isn't really feasible to draw the whole book before going back into it again.

I started to think vaguely about book covers as a starting point but am definitely struggling. I don't want to create a lazy outcome but I find that War Horse is quite a literal book and it's hard to not just illustrate what is physically happening in the book. I'm questioning whether it's enough to just illustrate the plot line but in an aesthetically interesting way. It's a definite contrast to my Murakami project.

about the author: two colour lino print practice

This series of lino print practice was not successful, but did teach me a lot!

• The first image was one of my most successful prints, despite the faded print and slight mark (although I think the fade could look quite nice if it managed to be consistent throughout the prints). By this point I had learnt that it was best to make the red print into stamps to avoid marks from the rest of the lino, so this gave it a cleaner print.

• The second image was my most successful umbrella print but that does not make it good! Because I hadn't considered stamp making on the first (blue) layer, there are lots of marks from the rest of the lino plate which make it look very untidy, and do not suit the nature of Murakami's balance and clean edges.

• The next two images were before I had cut out the red layer as separate shapes and again, had those messy lines left on the plate, which has been described as "looking like someone has been massacred over them", which is not very much in the Murakami mood! However, having the whole plate available did help with aligning the layers. 

• There needs to be a lot of consideration into how I will physically print these images if I choose to create separate stamps. I think a float made of the original design but reversed would be best as I could accurately place each stamp on to the float. The egg yolk and face were ok as they had right angles corresponding with the edges of the print but as the umbrella floats in the middle of its image it took many many tries before I got it into a place which was vaguely right! Lino has taught me that it needs lots of planning.

• The final image is a complete mess, from two of the wrong plates being put together. Take care when printing!

about the author: sting inspiration

I saw this animation on the Guardian and admired its simplicty and effectiveness. It appears to be made from paper and I think this probably makes a huge difference- if this was straight up digital I think it could look a little bland- the textures and slightly odd edges give it an authenticity and interestingness. Still, the piece is probably composed digitally, perhaps even in After Effects, showing that you can have that traditional animation feel even when working with AE. After seeing this I am considering using traditional methods to create my animation, perhaps even lino printing the assets. This shouldn't be too hard, considering there is little animation actually planned for my sting, but depends on how much time I have!

about the author: small linoprint test/ more print considerations

 

I started to get tired of my previous print ideas. The shape driven work was visually interesting enough but I couldn't find a way for it to work in a more complex image than a pouty woman's face so started to look for something new.

I made some small lino prints at home based on the idea of rearranging a character's body through lino stamps. I suppose it fits with the idea of feeling disconnected and the surreal but it turned out seemed much better as an idea rather than in reality. Visually, I think they're interesting enough, but do little to convey anything much about Murakami. The repetitiveness may also appear to be a 'cop-out' too.

As a print these are not good either! I used cheap block printing ink that left odd textures and uneven printing. They are also printed with a wooden spoon rather than a press which I think could possibly work, but with better quality ink.

I started to think about the balance and harmonies in Murakami's work, and wanted to capture something effective but simple. And simplicity works well with lino print (hopefully).

Below are some digital sketches I did of potential compositions. I'm concerned about things being too simple, and although I know a piece's merit isn't just in its complexity I don't want all of this research work to culminate in something visually disappointing. I think it is quite a challenge however to do something simply and well, so it will be something to get my head around.

My favourites of the compositions are the umbrella and the eggs. I think they feel quieter than the other compositions, which are quite busy, and maybe too busy for this series.

about the author: storyboard/ sting ideas

Inspired by the BBC4 idents mentioned before I began planning animations based on screens split up into sections. I wanted to create something surreal and dream like.

< scan of animation proposal >

The animation itself will be quite simple to make, based on moving and panning shots and whilst I think it is good to be ambitious I think this suits my current skill level with After Effects whilst also suiting the brief.

I also forgot that the sting was meant to be an advertisement for a documentary based on the author! But I think having his name float in like the other assets would fit nicely. For this I am considering something type based rather than hand drawn as I think this would most suit the minimal look of the piece.

about the author: screen print

This year I am still struggling with screen print! This time there were problems with the pressure applied and the ink drying on the screen, though my alignments were quite good. 

I like the clean feel that screen prints can give but all of mine came out textured! And I'm not yet sure if this suits the image. There would also be an issue that if I did decide that I wanted all of my editions to be textured as I'm not really sure how this came out this way.

It was suggested that there may have been a problem with the screen or emulsion coating, and that I'd have a better chance with hand drawn positives on acetate which I think I would enjoy making. What I liked about lino was the physical process in it and it would be nice to get this in screen print.

  

I struggled with pressure particularly on one side but it also seemed that the ink was starting to dry on the screen as the same corner was not coming through on multiple prints.

I sprayed some water on to the print to try and counteract the drying but when I pulled it these marks came up! In hindsight I should have pulled the black through on newsprint/ scrap paper until it worked ok as I think the water did improve the quality of the pull despite the marks. It's a shame this was my last print, and last chance to do it well!

responsive: made you look

I liked: how they discussed both the good and bad sides of working in the digital age, although this is such a frequent conversation nowadays I don't think there's that much to add to the conversation. Still, it's very relevant!

I disliked:

It wasn't a dislike so much, but watching documentaries like this sometimes feels a bit odd, and inward gazing on the part of the illustration/ design community. But I suppose there is a place for it, and I did find it mostly interesting. I read something vague the other day about the 'idealisation of studio culture/ the artist' and it's something I've found myself a little aware of since.

I will take away: 

I'm feeling a bit inspired to make now! 

After Effects workshop notes

part one:

part two:

part three:

Importing files with layers

Importing as footage leads to this

but we want to import it as a composition

double click the composition to open it into the composition screen, the layers are already designed as assets

and now we can double check the size and change the duration through composition > composition settings

After Effects will crop the Photoshop file to size, so say if there is a long background layer that is to be panned it could instead just be imported separately.

all of the layers have the same bounding box and anchor point

but we if import it like this

they become separate! (this is probably going to be more helpful)

IMPORTANT

like InDesign, save all of your files together in a folder so After effects doesn't get confused. If a file goes missing, it will be replaced with a series of coloured bars on screen, though the animation and keyframes would still be in place. To get it back, right click it in the project tab and click replace footage

This may also come in handy if you want to work on the animation but are yet to have finished the assets

and After Effects can collect everything into a nice neat folder too

1. shy switch: hide layers that don't need to be seen (but needs to click that (below) first for it to work)

2. for comp layer, collapse transformations: useful for Illustrator files, will retain smooth vector edges (continuously rasterises) even when scaled up. might be useful for text. INFINITE SCALE

3. quality and sampling: affect quality of individual assets. diagonal straight line is fullest resolution. speeds up RAM preview

4. FX: to be used with the adjustment layer (7)

5. frame blending: only applies to video layers

6. motion blur: simulate reality a bit more (this, below, has to be checked too. the master switch) works better with faster moving items

7. adjustment layer: applying effects (brightness, contrast, hue, saturation)

you can search for the effect you want. drag and drop what you want to change on to the composition

and you can control the effect in the layers palettes like any other keyframe. the FX box is now available! the Hue tool could be good to use for a changing sky or something, but I think it could probably look quite tacky quite easily

if you want to apply an effect to the whole composition: 

make a layer the size of the composition, drag and drop the desired effect again, click the adjustment layer box and then play around as before! useful for tweaks right at the end, e.g. in contrast or brightness, little changes!

8. 3D layer

---

mode: blend modes (e.g. multiply, overlay, lighten etc)

trkmat: (track matte) sometimes referred to as masking

without track matte

track matte set to alpha

part 4:

repeating keyframes

create your sequence you want to repeat. highlight the keyframes by dragging the mouse over them

copy the sequence

drag the time position to where you want the next set of the sequence to begin and click edit > paste

BUT if you play this sequence the raindrop will go back up to the cloud to get to the next keyframe as a loop! which is not what you want!

right click the last keyframe in the sequence and select toggle hold keyframe 

this will make the sequence stop at the point you selected, i.e. a raindrop at the bottom of the frame will not go back up to the top again to start the next set of the sequence

the icon will look like this

toggle keyframe acts as an on and off button. you can click it again to turn it off!

duplicate the layer, i.e. if you want more raindrops

to move this layer easily as one, select all of the keyframes you want to move (hint: press "position" or other property you want to change and it will highlight all keyframes)

make sure the time marker is exactly on one of these keyframes

clicking one of these arrows will take you to a keyframe

they should all be able to be moved together by dragging! hurray

SOUNDS

sounds.bl.uk -> sound archive from the british library

you can borrow digital recorders from the AV resource (in Photography)

you can use .mp3, .wav and .aiff files in After Effects

if you need to convert a file format, do it in quicktime 7. file > export

import the files as normal

add to the layers panels

to edit the sound length:

double click the layer and just drag the bar at the bottom where the timings are to where you want! 

audio layers can be edited too! audio levels is the volume. the default is 0.00dB and you can drag it to make it louder or quieter. good for fades

you can also view the waveform for a more accurate clipping of audio

you must use RAM preview to listen to the music! and you can layer multiple audio layers together just like you would visually

GROUPING LAYERS

example: making the raindrops' parent the cloud it will move with it

the layers will lock to the one you select as a parent, i.e. you can move them together

any property you change on the parent layer will affect the child layers, except opacity!