SB1 - Study Task 3 - Applied Illustration

Application and use of Illustration

Illustration as an applied art is practicle and purposeful, employing a decorative, universal language to objects and visual media. The differentiation it has from Fine art is its orientation to a brief, rather than art for arts sake. It is a bridge between an idea and the understanding of that idea. Illustration relies on multiple people working together, with or for each other, and as such, communication and function defines the application of that illustration. 

Examples of Applied Illustration

ROB HODGSON - CARDS & WRAP

In collaboration with U Studio, Rob Hodgson's illustrations have been developed and applied to greetings cards and wrapping paper. The regular shapes Hodgson has applied to his illustrations make them flexible for pattern making, and as such, his smaller pieces become part of greater patterns and grids. I am interested in Hodgson's use of shape and colour as his simplistic shapes and minimal colours create rather simple individual images, but these seem to work successfully when applied to wrapping paper as the colours and shapes do not become over powering. Hodgson's work applies a fun feel and playful aesthetic to the rather mundane and everyday objects of card and wrap.

BELLE & BOO - PARTY WARE

Children's party wares from Belle & Boo also demonstrate applied illustration through their use of characters and motifs. A selection of images are used and manipulated across products to create these party motifs which work so charmingly on party ware and decorations. I am interested in the connection between children and illustration and how illustration seems to be more prominent in children's wares. Perhaps characters and images are more engaging and exciting to children, making these products more appealing and therefore more saleable. Using characters on cupcake cases and paper plates introduces a narrative to these objects, further enhancing their interest to a child audience. 

LAURA CARLIN - CERAMICS

Laura Carlin's work explores the medium of ceramic as a means to materialise and display illustrations. The medium of ceramic enhances Carlin's already sensitive and delicate aesthetic and her use of shape and delicate details compliments the fragility of the medium. Carlin has used ceramic as a material on which she can apply her illustrations, for example, on crockery, but also applies illustration to it by creating 3D characters and scenes. This applied approach to illustration explores the effect of media on the aesthetic of an illustration and the message it portrays. The medium seems to interplay with the mood and character of her illustrations.

LOUISE LOCKHART - TOYS AND GAMES

The application of illustration to toys is a key part of  Louise Lockhart's practice. Her production of paper doll's houses and toy circuses uses illustration to create engaging characters and scenes that can be cut out and moved. Louise's delicate approach to image making, through paper cut outs, creates charming, sensitive images that achieve a beauty that seems to elevate the paper medium, giving these paper toys more worth and therefore using illustration to enhance the value of an object.

TOM FROST - WOODEN TOYS

Tom Frost applies his printmaking practice onto 3D products, creating screen printed illustrations and then realising these in 3D formats to produce nostalgic wooden toys. Frost's vintage aesthetic gives a nod to old toys and advertising, so his application of illustration to old style pull along and wind up toys works very successfully through the complimentary aesthetics and sensitivity to the materials and function. 

SB1 - Study Task 2 - Practice - Louise Lockhart

                   

Louise Lockhart is wonderful...

Louise Lockhart's illustrations have such unique charm and playful imagery. Working from paper cut outs as a starting point, all of Lockhart's illustrations foster a jaunty aesthetic and capture a lovely hand made feel. This process of cutting shapes out on different layers enables the work to maintain a transient state until rendered on photoshop, meaning the illustrator can re-use, repeat and manipulate layers to explore multiple outcomes from single shapes. A consistent approach across Louise's work is the application of restricted colour palettes, primarily made of just 3 or 4 colours. This interests me as she seems to be able to manipulate these through tone and layering to achieve a wealth of colours in her images. This restricted approach to colour is effective as the colours created through layering are guaranteed to tone with their purer forms alongside. Lockhart's reduced palettes and simple cut out shapes work towards simplified images that communicate on a level that is clear and direct. It is through texture that Louise issues aesthetic curiosities. Scanning in found textures and patterns, Louise embeds information in her cut-outs on Photoshop to merge details and through misalignment and layering, a screen print effect is achieved. 

In an interview with Boden, Louise explained the importance of handmade drawings too; "I use sketchbooks to experiment with pattern and colour, which I use a lot in my work. I do use the computer to compile my illustrations, but you can’t mimic the quality of line that you get from hand drawing and painting. When I’m happy with the design, I scan it in and apply it to a part of my illustration, such as to jazz up a tablecloth or get a rippling effect on water."

I am interested in the way Louise practices pattern making and line drawings to create a bank of textures that can be applied to her illustrations at a later stage, suggesting that not all pieces of work need a decided outcome but can be used to create new pieces.

  

The playful issues addressed by Lockhart's work engage children and adult audiences through their reference and re-imagination of vintage games and toys. The paper doll and dolls house shown above show a modern interpretation of older, more basic toys, re-imagined through colour and visual clues to create toys that connect with modern childhoods. I love the way Louise's work visually echos traditional illustration methods and also echos traditional values and past societies. It is noted on The Printed Peanut Website that Louise works with the aim of "keeping traditional toys and games alive with a creative and modern twist". Her concern with nostalgia and social history makes Louise's work compatible with both editorial and commercial outlets through it's accessibility to a wider audience and appeal to nostalgia. 

Having listened to Louise's account of her practice and methods, I am interested to explore the idea of translating existing imagery and re-establishing old things by making them the subject of pieces of illustration or wider narratives. The cut-out process seems to be something I could explore within my own practice to experiment with shape and scene building as this is something I tend to avoid in place of more simplistic compositions.