Illustration for an Environment - Non Commercial Brief (and ramblings of an idiotic student)

 Thought it was about time I uploaded some of my own stuff!

For this project, I chose the non commercial brief. This meant going out and finding my own private or public space and creating a large illustration or mural for that space. After debating which sort of area to go for, I chose to look at train stations. This idea didn't last long as all the stations I went to depressed me.

Then as I was just about to leave Leeds, I clocked my eyes on a cafe building underneath an old railway bridge (above). I finally settled on this space because I really love the arched panels and thought it would be really nice to create images within each of them.

Whilst researching a theme of "transitions" I came across the most adorable animation. It is actually really shit but the concept is inspiring and the old man narrator has a nice voice.

The animation is called "The Unsettling Truth About Life" (YOUTUBE IT!)

Basically it compares life to a piece of music and the moral is we should sing/dance along and enjoy it.

Then my tutor told me to: "draw what you like drawing!"

Well I like drawing people, and I like jazz. I therefore decided to try and compare music to jazz visually. Also I thought this sort of jazz/underground theme would look really good in my railway arches.

After experimenting..or rather dossing about in my sketchbook, I came up with this final idea below..

 

I was really happy with my little jazz man and was in the process of pulling other things together with it; jazz singer, a sax and drum player as well as abstract backgrounds and text.

However in a one to one tutorial, my soul was crushed as my tutor didn't like it. Apparently it isn't sophisticated enough and he wanted to see more hand drawn qualities as well as detail. Although at first I was devastated, I can see where he is coming from and I have always thought my digital work was too flat and lifeless.

Also my sketchbook stuff is lacking in resources..

So I am now in the process of going back over everything and it sort of feels like I'm back at square one. I have done a few larger paintings today in my sketchbook (below) ..they aren't realistic, that's not my thing! But I am quite proud of them and beginning to develop them and work something out. 

I used acrylic paints for these and slapped it on so no one can tell me off for them being lifeless!