Reflection on last term
As I am finishing my last term at DMUIC it is time to reflect on the work I created this term and overall on my time spent at the college.
This term went quickly. My major project was to create children’s book and I devoted most of my time to it. I have chosen to create a children’s book because I enjoy doing bold illustrations and using vibrant colours. However, I do realize that my style is simple, and I have to learn more and train my hand more in graphic design. As a child I liked reading books but later they weren’t present in my life. However, for 3 years now I have adored reading again and wanted to introduce my hobby into the project. I chose the topic of Oriental Surprise because I thought it would give me an opportunity to use dramatic, contrasting colours and also because I was excited about exploring other cultures and their attitude to illustration. In previous term I focused on renowned illustrators in European history and this time I felt inclined to search a little further. Also, I am keen on learning about different countries in general and I dream of travelling around the world one day.
The work on the project started with doing research into artists who make children’s books in oriental style. The first artist was Alina Chau who designs and illustrates children’s books. In the beginning I didn’t know what aspect of oriental couture to chose, so when I came across her books, it surprised me that I hadn’t thought of oriental children’s books earlier. The next problem which I encountered was which oriental country to focus on. I looked at images of Indian, Japanese, Thai and Chinese women. I researched Frank Wagtmans who paints huge beautifully elaborate portraits of members of different cultures, including Asian. When admiring his work, I realised my main interest would be Chinese culture. The next artist who inspired my journey was Grace Lin, who designs illustrations with dragons and children. At this stage I knew that as my final project I would create an illustrated children’s book based on Chinese culture that told a picture story of a dragon and a girl.
All the elements being chosen, my next step was to look at Chinese landscape, which is why I included mountains, cherry blossom trees and Chinese architecture. To make sure that my story is as true as possible to the oriental source I read about the meaning of Chinese dragons and the differences between Chinese and European stories.
Through this experience of creating an illustrated children's book I have improved my understanding of the process of making illustrations for a particular audience. When I researched how to create a book for children I found out that it is particularly important that the characters are likable and relatable. The dragon needed to look kind, amicable and helpful so that the children might view him as a friend they would like to have.
This term went quickly. My major project was to create children’s book and I devoted most of my time to it. I have chosen to create a children’s book because I enjoy doing bold illustrations and using vibrant colours. However, I do realize that my style is simple, and I have to learn more and train my hand more in graphic design. As a child I liked reading books but later they weren’t present in my life. However, for 3 years now I have adored reading again and wanted to introduce my hobby into the project. I chose the topic of Oriental Surprise because I thought it would give me an opportunity to use dramatic, contrasting colours and also because I was excited about exploring other cultures and their attitude to illustration. In previous term I focused on renowned illustrators in European history and this time I felt inclined to search a little further. Also, I am keen on learning about different countries in general and I dream of travelling around the world one day.
The work on the project started with doing research into artists who make children’s books in oriental style. The first artist was Alina Chau who designs and illustrates children’s books. In the beginning I didn’t know what aspect of oriental couture to chose, so when I came across her books, it surprised me that I hadn’t thought of oriental children’s books earlier. The next problem which I encountered was which oriental country to focus on. I looked at images of Indian, Japanese, Thai and Chinese women. I researched Frank Wagtmans who paints huge beautifully elaborate portraits of members of different cultures, including Asian. When admiring his work, I realised my main interest would be Chinese culture. The next artist who inspired my journey was Grace Lin, who designs illustrations with dragons and children. At this stage I knew that as my final project I would create an illustrated children’s book based on Chinese culture that told a picture story of a dragon and a girl.
All the elements being chosen, my next step was to look at Chinese landscape, which is why I included mountains, cherry blossom trees and Chinese architecture. To make sure that my story is as true as possible to the oriental source I read about the meaning of Chinese dragons and the differences between Chinese and European stories.
Through this experience of creating an illustrated children's book I have improved my understanding of the process of making illustrations for a particular audience. When I researched how to create a book for children I found out that it is particularly important that the characters are likable and relatable. The dragon needed to look kind, amicable and helpful so that the children might view him as a friend they would like to have.
I initially believed that children’s books tell simple stories that are universal and similar worldwide. This was a very limited and limiting belief. All the cultures convey massages and truths that are important to them and while European culture values individuality, other cultures, for instance Chinese, what the children to learn thoughtfulness and cooperation more than explore their inner selves.
One aspects which I did not consider enough was the font. It might be true that it is the parents who read the stories to children, but an interesting child-friendly font would make the appearance of the whole book more pleasing on the eye and could even serve as an extra stimulus in the child’s development.
Overall I have learnt that as a future graphic designer and illustrator I need to be sensitive to more than just the aesthetic element of what I am working on. Unlike other art fields, graphic design and illustration has to have the audience and the meaning in mind.
I also learned how to create the website, how to make flip-book, paint with mix media including gouache, watercolour, markers and colourful pencils.
My time being at DMUIC has been very enjoyable, I have learned much in that time. The tutor have all imparted fantastic information to us.
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