Idea for background of cookbook

Despite the initial ideology that Vegan food is 'boring' and 'all natural' (even that it isn't) I want to keep the theme of it being somewhat clean eating. I feel a lot of vegan cookbook selling points are based around health more than anything else - so I would like to portray that ideal despite the contents actually including (essentially) shitty fast, junky food. Therefore, for the background of the cookbook, the plan is to take the colour from a Katie Scott illustration because her backgrounds are a neutral, perfect off white therefore insinuating a neutral/natural feel to everybody who's looking at the actual book.

Accuracy within repeat patterns

Initial problems within the repeat pattern is that you have to be careful as to where you are placing the images or else you end up with an unsightly random repeat of an image. Also, without measuring you don't have a chance with getting it to fix comfortably inside the page.

For fixing this, the repeat pattern needs to be shrunk from 49.60 to 12.4, 75% smaller. Then it should fit comfortably onto an A4 sheet.

This is the repeat pattern square and heres how you do it:
PIXELS
1200 x 1200
Flattern image
Offset 50%

Vegan Food Illustrator - "VeganStoner"

http://theveganstoner.blogspot.co.uk/?m=1

I'm not going to take a huge lot from the illustrations that Stoner uses in his cookbook - however I intend to take inspiration for the actual steps to creating the food itself.
The main thing that's inspired me is the blunt, informal way it reads. I'm not intending my cookbook to be the formal, precise kind that you find by nigella. More, unique and simple with a hint of humour! That's how stoner does it too; example: "8 Munch."
This way when I come to giving it out, since the target audience is quirky teens, 20 odd year olds who have a low budget but don't wanna subject themselves to the grotty food of corpses. Yum!

Digital 2 second plan (02:49 insomniac decisions)

FRONT COVER - bold, eye catching, cute 
CENTRE OF BOOK - Each page seperate 


BACK OF BOOK - Repeat pattern design 

FINAL SHOW PROJECT 

Spiral Binding DIY / Zine Page Count

https://youtu.be/_W99DY-iHcc

• 3mm hole puncher 
• Pencil 
• Spiral binder (eBay that shit)

Zine page count

• 20 pages including front and back page 
• 9-11 will be cut out pages to create your own meal planner 
• Front - one solid image
• Back - repeat pattern 

Initial experiments and conclusion of style

The initial stage of my design work was to experiment via hand. This was nothing new to me because I've always been very "doodly" however I figured, nobody wants to eat something in black and white. But my experiment with colour, previously painting with acrylics was poor unless I wanted a fine art piece (which is not the aim at all.), watercolour left me with a uninteresting finish. (As shown below ---)
By all means, I love the finish and I love the way of working with watercolour, but it's just not what I want visually for my cookbook. Many illustrators I love use solely watercolour, but it just isn't gunna cut it for my for my goal in this book! So I later went on to digitising -

I love, love, love digital. I love how you can alter colours even after you've coloured in. I love editing up and making it pop. I love making layers to hide the layers and to see what it previously looked like and the steps I took. I love the way that you can create a solid shape and form. I just really enjoy the way you can proceed with digitising work! However with this work, I think I need to think of how I want my image to finally look. By all means, this was fun, but do I want something so bright and bubblegum? I'm going to look into sample art. I want to expand my exploration and try scanning in a lightly drawn image and then go over it with no lines involved - almost like a stamp or like a stencil!

Final Inspirations, plans and elaborations 💃🏻

The idea for my Final is that im going to focus on more towards a product design scale. I want to test how I work with an audience in mind - in summery also having the final marketing scene stand during the show.
Initial plans come of that and of nothing more than; a cookbook. To be exact, a vegan cookbook. The cookbook with have multiple page in which contain a full illustration of the meal and then an informal, relaxed, quirky ingredients list. For all intentend purposes I will not be giving a step-by-step on actually making the product because it's self explanatory (although there's a possibility I will be very shortly describing the over all process but nothing indepth). Reasoning behind that is to keep everything short, sweet and tied in with the whole concept of it being a quick, simple and cheap way for students to eat cruelty free.
To actually know what I'm drawing I'm doing a mix between my own dishes and I will be creating or pre-using a thead off of the site "what fat vegans eat" so that I'm not limited for what dishes I place in the book (especially considering I eat many of the same meals each week. I suck at variation.)
The Research
Kid Acne


The way I'm going to incorporate an inspiration through kid acne, is that I'm going to create a large posted at the end of the cook book to be placed above and mounted during the show. I'm ado going to be using the way he works as inspiration- the flat, almost wood printed look of his work. The way he leaves gaps between the block colour is interesting and something I would like to explore.
Katie Scott


The inspiration coming from Katie Scott is less of my usual interpretation. This time I'll be using her way of working - the method through scanning in and producing a finished, absolutely crisp piece of work via photoshop. This way I can get the colours either exact or muted (since I'm going to be looking into the idea of sample art which is also knowingly a big inspiration for Katie Scotts work.) My earlier experimentations have definitely inspired this way of working since prior works have become extremely stronger in my opinion, than hand drawn and it's a much more professional way of working. I really love the way you can edit any mistakes without having to re-do a piece 30 times over.
Katie Wilson

Wilson will inspire and has previously, inspired me to do repeat patterns. The idea is to apply the repeat patterns to a detachable meal planner in the centre of the cook book and also the idea of using a repeat pattern to show via a podium in the show. This will add a very quirky, unique touch and could be a big selling point and eye catching statement for the individuals exploring the show at the time.

Repeat Pattern Experiment

Exploring into repeat patterns was an interesting one since there's so many ways to actually do it. I loved the idea of doing a repeat pattern via hand and paint, however the complications and much harder doing it hands on than it is on photoshop. Via photoshop you have a much easier platform and it's much quicker. My favourite point of call with photoshopping them is that you can brighten the colours and lighten the background making the overall composition crisp and unique. I went for red and blue due to the inspiration by William De Morgan and the way his paint and inks print onto the plates. His initial inspiration was Hyspanic and Italian designers which originally work with primary colours and a splash of green. 

The way you actually photoshop up a repeat pattern is simple. You make sure that none of the illustration is touching the sides of the square (it has to be square) and you flatten the image. After flattening you go to offset.

When you alter the ratio in offset, you are left with each corner flipped creating alternate sides which will later match up nicely creating that aspiration of repeat pattern. 

Then to create the repeat pattern, you copy and paste onto an even document and line up (or duplicate the layer). The one issue I had way that the outer sides didn't always match up leaving an annoying non matched side. However that isn't important if it isn't going to be repeated again.

This is the final look of the experiment. I love the way the colours contrast but the blue is heavier than the red which somewhat leaves it looking washed out because the reds so bright and bold despite being less of it. The outsides are uneven therefor if you were to repeat that finished design, they wouldn't match so that's something to consider and work out at a later date.

source

Home Comforts - Filling Space

The idea that people buy a blank canvas to do up, interests me vastly. They buy a blank space to put their own possessions in and fill the space with *typically* items and friends, that make them happy. This links in to the idea of how people fill their mind with comfortability to make everyday life that little more bearable. The "filling" comes with time and effort and I plan to illustrate what they do fill their space with.
Here's a few images from the internet of home, rooms, own spaces - of what people fill their spaces with.

Fury friends and tables

Indoor plants

IDEA'S FOR ILLUSTRATIONS

• Basic illustrations of the items 
• Pictures of items with illustrations on top 
• People illustrations
• Repeat patterns
• Zine

Style/Artist influences

Cath K

The Cath Kidston designs are a favourite of mine because of their sometimes very intricate detail yet simplistic take and common house hold items made interesting. I'm not actually sure who designs them, I can't find it anywhere! I imagine there to be a warehouse full of floral designs and people in beautiful outfits with fairy lights, designing all the possible designs for their new season feels.

Richard Hamilton Inspiration (collages)

The technique used by Richard is something that I have been eager to try for a while, but with a little different edge on it. I have been interested in creating imagery that is photography x illustration, however this has a hint of it - it contains something quite similar of a technique. The background looks like it's from a magazine and is simply edited up on a photoshop document and then a circle placed over their faces. That is interesting to me because we typically recognise people from their faces and I would be interested in creating something that takes away that familiarity and ordinary way of recognition. Taking away somebody's immediate identity gives a sense of freedom to me - almost going completely incognito - which by theory, relates to my "what you fill the space" in your mind, with. The feeling of being completely comfortable.

These two are also a couple of favourites produced by Richard Hamilton. They are interesting because again, neither have their initial identity - both are face/headless. However, the right image completely interests me and relates to my idea in mind. The way the body is floating above the sea, almost in the clouds, creates a sense of freedom, yet contrasts slightly with the way the body is structured and is almost stiff looking. The right hand image makes me question, because immediately you don't see what it is (which as far as i can tell, its two people kissing.) The imagery looks found, especially since I do believe the behind image is a recognisable piece by Andy W. Both images are quite easily constructed - they could almost be done completely by hand, cut and stuck out.

Illustrated illuminated Medieval Manuscripts of Interest

SOURCE 1

Snail vs. Knight, from The Smithsfield Decretals, decretals of Gregory IX, Tolouse, c. 1300. Illuminations were added about forty years later in London.

Why did knives fight snails in illuminated manuscripts?

The truth is, nobody really knows for sure why snails are always fighting against knights in illuminated manuscripts. They are typically seen to be on the winning side of the fight and this has caused much speculation over why the knights always seem to be fighting snails:- 'the poor against oppressive aristocracy'; to ruin the reputation of the snail being a garden pet; even the ideal that it could be a symbolisation of the 'saucy female form.'

-Source 2

Rabbits killing men in The Smithfield Decretals, c. 1300

Long Neck, from Book Of Hours, England, early 14th century

 Dalmatian Sea Monster, an illustration by Poggio Bracciolini, added to a copy of Le Miroir du Monde, mid-15th century

Nürnberger Schemaart-Buch

Key Points William De Morgans way of working (Highly my inspiration)

How he created his tiles/ceramics:

"The original pattern was drawn onto paper and then traced onto very thin paper. Oxides and pigments were then painted onto the paper, this was then placed face down onto a bisque tile and brushed over with glaze and fired. This method was fraught with difficulties and depended on an exact firing to prevent lifting and blistering of the paper. However it must have been viable as many tiles were decorated in this way. "

"His use of Islamic Art as inspiration created some of his most intricate designs; he managed to reproduce the vibrant blues, greens and turquoise of Islamic pottery of the 15th and 16th centuries and re-discovered the sliver and copper lustre’s of ancient Hispanic pottery and Italian Majolica.  Ionic pottery  from Turkey is a prime example of his ability to capitalise on a source. In the 19th century Turkish pottery was collected by individuals and museums. His brilliance in design was matched by his knowledge of chemistry which enabled him to react to the results of firings and create a wide and exciting palette range."

ISLAMIC ART

ITALIAN MAJOLICA

IZNIK POTTERY

 "He had a great sense of humour shown in his tiles decorated with imaginary animals, influenced by his extensive knowledge of medieval illustrated manuscripts. The decorative handling of birds, fish and animals influenced many; Lewis Carroll used them in part of a decorative scheme at Christ Church College, Oxford."

"The sinuous use of line in his floral tiles relates to both Islamic and European Art, the influence of early medieval herbals with their simple line illustrations of plants can be clearly seen in his and Morris’s work. William De Morgan’s ability to re-work historical designs made him stand out as a designer. Using historical sources for inspiration was paramount in his development as a designer."

-Source

A Few More From Manc/Jai Redman

This is a piece by Jai Redman, an environmentalist artist. This is a painting (use of watercolour) and I find it really beautiful. It may just be just a leaf - but the way that if you weren't stood close it would just look like a leaf, interests me. I'm typically a real hater of all realism (because I think you can just take a photo of that and it's not very inventive) but when it comes to nature, I feel differently. Environmentalist Redman has opened my eyes and now I wanna do more nature paintings, damn.

These are some pressed fern leaves in the museum. I love the way that the leaves are all differently shaped and the detail within each section of it. I sadly didn't record where this one was from, but the difference between this one and the one below is significant considering they're classified as the exact same plant.

These final two from the museum conclude what my favourite pieces from the natural museum were. Look how pretty dried, pressed plants were and are. They inspire me to draw them and have inspired me to try out having my own version but in a sketchbook.