Contact Jane Ray Brief 01

I have used the email address on the website because after much searching I have fund nor more direct way to contact her. What I sent can be found below. I am concerned that I was too intense but all I can do now is wait and see, although I doubt I will be getting a response.


I am unsure if this will actually reach Jane Ray herself but I hope that the sentiment of this message gets to her in some way.

I am a first year student, studying Graphic Design at Leeds College of Art.

I have been involving illustration increasingly in my design process which brought me back to some of my favorite books when I was a child. To name a few: 'The Twelve Dancing Princesses' and 'Earth, Fire, Water, Air'.
I just want to say that going back to them has inspired me anew.

The effortless beauty inherent in every stroke, the incredible way natural shapes are captured as almost a character of themselves; enhancing and communicating what a plant is rather than simply what it looks like, creating a depth of visual communication rarely matched.

It is clear that you construct your illustrations out of layers of media; in what order are they applied and what is your process for doing so?
How do you decide what to include in each creation?
What are you methods for controlling and aiding the readers eye as it roams the page? In turn controlling the message sent by the design?

I understand completely if this just goes straight through to PR or the publishing company but I would be incredibly appreciative if this could get through to her. Even if no reply is made I just want to communicate my admiration for her work.
She has replied really quickly and I hope to continue our correspondence.
Dear Elizabeth,

Thanks so much for your generous email - I was very touched buy your comments. It is always so nice to hear what people think, out in the big wide world, of the imagery I have created in my little studio.

I will attempt to answer your questions:

It is clear that you construct your illustrations out of layers of media; in what order are they applied and what is your process for doing so?
I draw first, then brush in background watercolour. On top of that I begin to add detail in paint and pencil, and also coloured pencil. Some paint is left to dry, or dabbed with tissue to dry and give a mottled texture. I add collage sometimes, and also print or 'stamp' patterns to give texture.  I also use a sponge to give a soft texture. Its difficult to describe the exact process - there are lots of layers...
How do you decide what to include in each creation?
That is decided partly by the text, and what lies behind the text, if its an illustration, but also just by looking and looking and judging what looks right, balanced..
What are you methods for controlling and aiding the readers eye as it roams the page?
Sometimes the composition will lead the eye, or the light on the page.

I hope thats useful? And good luck with your own work.
Thanks again,
Jane

OUGD402 Networking Task Two

Why is networking good for ME personally?

- It allows me to comprehend the proffessional creative industry that I will be going into at the end of this degree. It creates connections with people who inspire and improve my design process and its results. Most of all it introduces the social aspect of design, which in my view is the backbone of the practice, in which people share thoughts ideas and ways of thinking that allow design as a discipline to grow and change and continue to be exiting and engaging.

For what I may get out of it is it worth it? YES/NO

-Apart from everything mentioned above, I think a confidence in making contacts with designers would be gleaned from being willing to chat with professionals. So, the answer is a resounding yes. Design is all about the people who create it, without them it lack all ability to communicate to its audience.

WHAT can I get out of this?

-A confidence in myself as someone who others might want to work with and an understanding of the areas of the creative industries I want to go into.

Am I doing this simply because I am being asked to?

- No, I would have done it my self, but the encouragement means that it will happen a lot sooner.

WHAT do I think that I am NOT doing as far as networking?

-Spend more time really researching design studios before approaching them so I can be confident enough to do it and show a real interest and awareness of what they are doing.

Do YOU think that in this kind communication, language is a major barrier?

-Not with the technology available to us today. However, it does require a greater commitment to making the connection.

Design Studios In Leeds Brief One

Not being very aware of the design work going on in Leeds I thought it might be productive to look into what some of the design studios are up to.

The first one I came across was the rabbit hole. What brought them to my attention was there joint publication with Hebe 'The City Talking' which has caught my eye many times because of its strong aesthetic and grasp of the role of layout in publication branding.

http://rabbithole.uk.com

Another studio I found was called bark and bite.

They specialise in moving image design and advertising. What really caught my eye was the way they obviously had great, simple and well communicated ideas. The best example of this is their add for miss guided which can be found in the link below.

http://barkandbite.com/work/missguided.html

Taking Risks

Just recently we were set a brief to do with layout design. I knew that up until this point a lot of my designs were very safe and I wasn't taking risks. So with this brief I wanted to break the grid that it was so tempting to stick to. I attempted to do this but I found it really didn't work. At first I was very annoyed at my self because I had to use the design in the interim crit but the feedback people left was really constructive and actually made me glad I had taken the risk. For now o I hope that I can look back and say that taking risks and failing is just as good as taking risks and it paying off. I really feel I have learnt from this experience and want to make more mistakes in areas I am uncertain in, helping me to learn much quicker.

Epiphany on the Subject of Presentations

Today I did the presentation detailing my findings from the research brief of the module OUGD405 and I found that the usual bane of presentations to large numbers of people became amazingly enjoyable. I think the difference was that I was really sure that I could confidently do the presentation in a coherent manor and answer any questions posed, this made me self assured and a better performance resulted. Overall this has allowed me to discover that with a good amount of preparation my presentations can always be enjoyable and confident. Hopefully a skill that will standee in good stead for employment.