Statement of Intent
For my final major project I am hoping to design a collection of illustrated book covers and create my own brand of book company. I want to research into fairy tale stories from the Grimm Brothers because I reckon you can be highly imaginative as you want and use a wide range of illustration styles. I’m going to experiment with a few different medias, such as; ink drawings, watercolour, paint, printmaking and pen. I am also considering creating a few extra illustrations to add inside the book for chapter pages. The books that I have in mind to illustrate are; Rapunzel, Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel and Thumbelina. As well as that, I’m thinking about producing a box set to contain my books as a collection and also a promotion poster.
To start my project off I am going to start researching into fairy tales to choose from. At the minimum I’m going to illustrate 3 books, considering I want to create my own collection. For inspiration, I will research into illustrators and graphic designers who will help me develop my designs. I preferably want to find artists that create line drawings with the use of watercolour and patterns like Aztec and tribal. Some artists that I’m going to look at are; Zoe More O’ferrall, Edward Dulac and Emily Taylor. Since I’m designing my own book brand and covers, it’s a good idea to visit my local library or the college, and take out a variety of books from publishers such as; Puffin, Penguin and Grimm, to help me with layout and branding. I’m also considering emailing one of the illustrators that inspire me, and give them a small interview to help me with techniques and the thinking process to produce appropriate designs.
The techniques and processes I anticipate to use:
. Research merchandise/ artists (golden age illustrators, children illustrators, graphic designers)
. Illustrations/print making/screen printing. etching
. Photoshop
. Watercolour and ink based drawings
How I tend to assess my project:
. Group discussions – To develop ideas and also ask others points of view (e.g. constructive criticism)
. Questionnaires – Produce surveys to gather helpful information on what can be improved
. Annotation – Explain my work and ideas along the way
. Assessments – Assess my work and set myself new targets to work for improvements
. Online blog – updated weekly
. Evaluation – 1000 words to sum up to key factors of the project