Evaluation

This is now my third year learning and working with Photoshop and CorelDraw.  My first year consisted of learning the basics of Photoshop which included such things as making selections for adding colour, the importance of using new layers for each stage of the design, the implementation of research, mood and colour boards and the blending of different images into one concise piece of work.  I feel that my first year gave me basic skills and a good introduction as to what can be achieved using Photoshop and the importance of it in the fashion management industry in this current day.  Figure one to four below highlight pieces of work I produced in my first year of using Photoshop.

Figure 1: First year mood board

Figure 2: First year consumer board

Figure 3: First year research board

Figure 4: First year final board

During second year, we developed on our basic skills learnt in first year with the introduction of more advance skills such as the incorporation of our own unique figures and utilising these digitally, adding digital colour and shading to make fabric appear life-like, producing more advance research, mood and consumer boards, digitally enhancing flat working drawings and implementing all these pieces into our final design boards whilst making sure that all the work carried out flowed well and correlated together perfectly.  Fundamentally, everything that we had learnt in first year was adapted and developed to a higher standard.  Figures five through to eight on the following couple of pages illustrate the work I carried out in second year;

Figure 5: Second year research board

Figure 6: Second year consumer board

Figure 7: Second year flat working drawings

Figure 8: Second year final illustration

Currently now during our final year, we have spent more time working with CorelDraw than Photoshop for this assignment.  This I have found quite difficult as we didn’t use much CorelDraw in first and second year so this year I have found it particularly hard to utilise my skills learnt during those first two years into this assignment.  Therefore, I feel the work I have produced for this assignment is not up to my best standard.  This assignment would have proved less difficult if we had have had learnt CorelDraw equally during the past two years.  However in saying this, I feel I now have a better understanding of CorelDraw and feel I can pick up the necessary skills required quickly in order to do my next assignment in a more professional manner.



My Unique Illustration

After my analysis of both Caroline Andrieu and Yordanka Poleganova's illustrative techniques, the illustration below is my own interpretation of both illustrators combined.  I have taken the complex, detailed style of Caroline's and interpreted it into the clothing of my illustration.  I've then taken the inspiration from Yordanka's characters and produced my own style of model with playful facial features and exaggerated limbs.  I've also taken the digital colour blocking Yordanka used and incorporated this into the models hair, facial colour, shoes and I also used a coloured background which compliments the illustration overall.  I hope you all enjoy this and see both illustrators style in my design.

Second stage of analysis on Yordanka Poleganova

After my initial analysis of Yordanka's work, I decided to do a second one just so I had a full understanding of the attention to detail, not only in the colour scheme but the interaction of the characters and the use of props etc.

I chose the following image displayed below; 

The same steps as the last were taken in the implimentation of this illustration.  Block colour is the primary theme with the model on the right's trousers, hat and cheek colour being the same as the model on the left's belt and cheek as well.  Furthermore, the model on the left's dress, gloves and boots are the same colour as the model on the right's top, belt, gloves and boots.  I picked up on this style in the analysis of Yordanka's last illustration.  Below is an example of my work half way through.  Notice the matching colours used in the watering cans adn the trousers and belt of both models;

Below is my final illustrative interpretation of Yordanka's illustration at the top of this post;

I feel I have successfully analysed, acknowledged and implemented her style here and I now feel that I have a greater overall understanding of not only her work but Caroline Andrieu's as well.  I can now pick out certain features from both these illustrators and produce my own unique illustrative style.  Wish me luck!

Initial breakdown and analysis of Yordanka Poleganova

Yordanka's illustrative style is so different to Caroline's in the respect the whole image is produced digitally and is meant to look that way.  Playful and Characterful!

My initial analysis began with the illustration below;

My analysis began with the tracing of the above image and then it was scanned into Photoshop so as I could begin copying the styles used in order to better understand Yordanka'a methods of illustration.

Basically I found it rather easy, yet fun to recreate this image.  All it really involved was the selection of an area, for instance the hair of both models.  This was selected on the background layer with the use of the 'Magic Wand Tool' and then a new layer was created where I then went to 'Layer', 'New Fill Layer', selected 'Solid Colour', then clicked 'OK'.  I then selected the chosen colour by using the 'Eyedropper Tool' and then the selected area was filled with that colour.  The illustration below shows my intrepretation of the two models from the original image;

Whilst carrying out the above steps throughout this illustration, I found that Yordanka likes to keep to a select colour palette which mimics the scene it is set in.  I also found that she uses the same few colours on both models, for instance, the models' rosey cheeks are in fact the same colour as their trousers, while the red circles used in the background is the same colour as their shoes.  This doubling up use of colour is a clever detail only picked up when you actually break down the illustration.  Below is my finished intrepretation of Yordanka's illustration.



Second stage of analysis on Caroline Andrieu

For my second analysis of Caroline Andrieu's illustration style, I wanted to study how she illustrated the clothing in her designs.  For this I selected the image shown above.

I decided to concentrate on the middle model as it is a full body illustration with incredible detail.  my first steps in replicating this image was to firstly, trace around the outline of the image with a black marker (shown below);

Following this, I then scanned my illustration into photoshop where the hard work began!  However, upon uploading it to Photoshop I realised that I needed to add in more detail to my original outlined image as the detail was so high, I needed more guidelines before I could even begin to think about adding in colour.  Therefore, I took my original image and drew in the following extra details which are shown below;

This image was much better and therefore I could now begin to colour the image in the same style as Caroline.  I began with the shoes which I basically selected on the background layer using the 'Magic Wand Tool' and then created a new layer where I used an array of complimentary colours to the original image and created a striped effect (shown below);

Following this, the hair and facial features were added.  The facial features were drawn in using basic grey shading skills previously learnt in Photoshop.  The hair was created by using increasing layers of different shades of grey with the brush tool (same settings as the initial illustration) and the smudge tool was then used to blend the strokes together.  This is shown below;

Once these basics were achieved the main dress was next on the list.  I decided to break it up into sections and started with the top left hand side of the dress.  This was created by using the same method as the hair in this illustration as the collar in the intial illustration.  By building up varied shades of the chosen colour whilst smudging the lines, it created a fantastic three-dimensional style as shown below;

The bottom half of the dress was then created using the same method and the result is shown below;

At this stage I was very impressed with the outcome so I moved on to creating the striped effect on the right hand side of the dress.  I created this by initially adding alternate horizontal stripes of varying colours.  Once I was happy with this I then blended the edges ever so slightly just to reduce the harshness of the lines.  Following this I then added some white paint using the brush tool as before to add light to where it would naturally fall on the garment in real life.  This is widely seen in Caroline's illustrations where the outcome is to make the garments appear as life-like as possible.  My result is shown in the following illustration;

This is my final illustraton done on my analysis of Caroline Andrieu's illustrative style techniques and how they are used to create they fantastic images.  I hope you like it!

Inital breakdown and analysis of Caroline Andrieu

I began by taking the image shown below for analysis.

 By breaking it down to its fundemental basic first steps (shown below), I was able to distinguish the illustration style used.  I began by firstly outlining the basic face shape of the illustration and by drawing in the guidelines, I was then able to incorporate the style of the eyes, nose and lips. 

Following that I then took a smaller study of the same illustration and pencilled in more detail, such as the hair and shadows, while still maintaining the guidelines from the initial study.  By doing this I discovered that this style of illustration follows the basic illustration sizing of the body being eigth times the length of the head.

Once I was familiar with the face shape, style and size, I thought I would take the colour from the original illustration and digitally add colour in the same style as the original, whilst trying to achieve the watercoloured effect.  I started with the larger collar and began by selecting the collar with the 'magic wand tool' and then created a new layer.  Upon this new layer, I began by selecting a medium shade of blue and by setting my brush shape to;

*Brush Tip Shape - 23

*Shape Dynamics - Size Jitter 20

                               Minimum Diameter 10

                               Angle Jitter 10

*Scattering - Scatter 130

*Select 'Wet Edges'

 These settings for the brush shape remained the same throughout.  Once the brush shape was changed to the above and a medium shade of blue selected, the collar was coloured in to the style of the illustration, for the darker and lighter areas different shades were chosen.  After each new blue colour was added the 'Smudge' tool was selected and used to blend the edges of the colour to give it the watercoloured effect.  The result is shown below;

Following this, the smaller collar was coloured in using the same technic as above.  however, because the original had a pattern to the blouse, I incorporated this pattern into the smaller collar by simply adding in more of a white colour.  The result is shown below;

This is how I carried out my initial analysis of Caroline Andrieu, my finished interpretation of her original illustration is shown below;

My Aim...

Ok so basically what I am trying to do and will keep you all updated on is my progress into making up my own unique illustrations.

These illustrations that I will create will stem from two chosen illustrators being; Caroline Andrieu and Yordanka Poleganova.  I will breakdown and analyse both illustrators techniques used and choose some from both and merge them into a new illustrative style, being my very own.

I will do this through the use of CorelDRAW and individually take an image from each illustrator and break it down digitally and select certain areas of both to rework into my own individual style.  Once I have done both illustrators I will them merge them together and hopefully produce a wonderful illustrative style to use in my own portfolio..

Wish me luck!