Contextual Research: Viewpoint and Depth

Critical Task

Image 1 by Laura Carlin: I love, love, love Laura Carlin and find this to be a really nice illustration - full of character and charm! The main focal point is the large sculpture to the left which fills the majority of the canvas and gives a sense of foreground. The mid ground and background are littered with figure sculptures getting smaller in size, giving a sense of depth and distance. These become darker as they enter the shadows. The viewpoint is rather strange, I feel, as I seem to be floating above and looking down on the sculptures, from the way I can see the plinths clearly. The background shows we are in a dark forest with a full moon, stars and trees - so this particular viewpoint matches the surreal and dreamlike scenario. A graveyard perhaps? There's lots of texture which becomes more prominent as the figures move into the distance. My line of sight, however, starts with the peachy-pink figure to the right and then moves to the larger white sculpture. Having a warmer colour surrounded by darker background helps to bring it out to my attention more so than the larger figure.

Image 2 by Miroslav Sasek: I absolutely love the whimsical work of Sasek and referenced him a lot when making my Pearly Kings & Queens picture book. This illustration is so full of movement; perfect for an underground station which buzzes with activity. The clever sweeping gesture of the tracks leads the eye up to the middle, just off centre, to meet the domed roof which graduated spirals outward to envelope the picture area. The walls are curved, bringing the viewer into the picture. There is just the right balance of black and white versus colour and depth is portrayed well through the use of perspective and objects going smaller into the distance. The line of sight goes straight to the centre-right where the track leads up to the curved ceiling, with the eye then exploring outwards to read the narrative.

Image 3 by Mobius: I really enjoy the different viewpoint shown here, through a bird's eye view to show the sweeping motion of the large bird - which is the main focal point, just off centre to the left. The wing pointing to the right leads the eye towards the smaller boats just above the waterfall. The larger cliff faces in the foreground pull the image together giving depth and distance as well as an 'S' shape - giving visual interest to composition, rather than the picture just being head-on. In terms of value and colour, the blue is much more saturated at the front and fades to white the further away it goes.

Contextual Research: Frame

Critical Task

Here are some of my favourite illustrations from the presentation and critical task of the visual language session pertaining to frame...

Image 1 by Dadu Shin: Angular composition; cold colours of muted purple and bluish highlights with one singular eye-catching spot of pink above the figure. Point of interest. Angular shadow draws us down towards the figure. Bottom-heavy composition gives a sense of calm, still and silence. Staring at a wall, waiting for something to happen. Intriguing composition that works well, challenging what the hand-out says about compositional objects falling to the bottom of the image.

Image 2 by Tatsuro Kiuchi: Bottom heavy again, which is a compositional technique I really like. Diagonal lines push the eye down towards the market stall. Broken up into thirds; two thirds red expanse, one third shadowy information. The lighter colours in the bottom third of the image contrast nicely against the intense red in the other two thirds. My eye is drawn to the bottom-right where the shadows dance on the objects.

Image 3 by Tatsuro Kiuchi: Symmetrical! Value and saturation much more prominent in the front of the painting. Warm colours and the most information taking up one third of the image with the other two thirds being cold colours with expanse of area. One singular figure breaks up the symmetry instantly becoming the focus.

Contextual Research: Composition

Eleni Kalorkoti

I really like the monochrome colour palette of this illustration and how the hair / fringe takes up most of the canvas. The eye is immediately drawn to the sharp edge of the scissors as the white blade stands out against the black hair in a very dramatic way. The sparkling eyes are also catching because of the white against black;leading us up towards the scissors because of the direction they are looking. I find it very clever the way it has been deliberately arranged in the rule of thirds; with the bottom third and right-hand side third containing the most information. There is a nice balance between details, shape, form and expanse of black. 

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Eleanor Davis

Another image where something takes up most of the frame, but not in an immediate or dramatic way as the previous illustration - largely due to the harmonising combination of warm and softer colours. The handle of the broom leads the eye down into the frame in the direction of the character's head and the window. The wall slopes down to meet the character's shoulder and further down to the sleeve of the shirt on the elbow, tying them into the piece rather than isolating them. The legs frame the secondary character, who is smaller - further away and therefor not as important. My eyes are immediately drawn to the purple pants against the light yellowy green wall - complimentary colours? - which then allows my eye to explore the image and the narrative.