Colour Journal

Source: http://www.rebeccacampbell.net/romancingframeset.htm

Date: Nov.19, 2012

Critique: This series called “Romancing the Apocalypse” by Rebecca Campbell consists a wide range of bold colours. Especially in these four, which I find very captivating because of the colours reflect the subject. What I love the most about these is that it only takes a few brush strokes for Campbell to achieve recognition of what it is and it also looks realistic from afar. There is no line to define the outer edges but Campbell manages to make these images look real by using the right hues, tones, and shades alone. The images are somewhat abstract and I think they’re interesting to look at because it has depth and it is very dynamic. I think the composition works well as well as the colour placement and the mass that it creates is located nicely on the top one-third of the page. I think if I had to choose, the second piece may be a bit top heavy because there is a lot of contrast between the red and black. Overall I love this series because it looks so simply done up close, however it creates this detailed photographic image in my head when I look from far away.

Source: http://www.abcgallery.com/M/mucha/mucha39.html

Date: Nov. 19, 2012

Critique: This advertisement for a champagne brand was done by none other than the revolutionary Alphonse Mucha. His style is very distinct and unique, and there are countless parodies and attempts to replicate his approach to design and illustration. First of all, I admire his linework: thicker around the outer edges and thinner within the female figures, to show detail. These lines are also clean and fine, which goes well with the soft, watercolour effects that take place in the background and the figures. Mucha’s use of framing is unique because not only do they set boundaries for the subjects inside the piece, but it also becomes a prop: sometimes the women are seated on it, and in this case, it acts like a gate or door frame. Mucha also created a few of his own signature typefaces that we see and recognize, which makes me think that he is more of a graphic designer than a fine artist. He pays great attention to composition, depth, and his works seem very calculated. We also see that the circular framing is always around the woman’s head and that attracts focus to that area first. Although it is hard to figure out nowadays whether the colour of his works are true to the original, I find that his colour palette is mostly neutral and soft. The clothing draped around the women are always very light tints and there is low contrast overall.

Source: http://www.yerkaland.com/rate/preview.php?off=24&curr=PLN&ord=&t=5&act=0&string=

Date: Nov.19, 2012

Critique: This fantasy-based painting is done by surrealist painter, Jacek Yerka. What I really like about his works is that they take to you a different dimension that has aspects that we’re familiar with in our world, but distorted, altered or placed in places where it would scientifically not work in reality. Especially for this piece, Yerka takes a Gothic cathedral and fuses it with a conch shell. The surface it stands on is even more interesting in that it seems like the water is shallow enough for the cathedral to stand, however we can see that there are actually houses underneath with lit windows. And that suggests a little more depth underneath. What this also reminded me of is the Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona, designed by Gaudi. The horn-like development on the shell resembles the stalagmite structures of the church. The high contrast between the bright yellow and black catch my attention right away and the darkness of the water gives it a very sinister effect. I like that Yerka also moves the eye around with trails of what’s left of the wooden pathway. My eye goes to the church first, because its contrast, then the trail leads me to the houses below the water’s surface.

Source: http://www.anthonyfreda.com/index.html

Date: Nov. 19, 2012

Critique: Anthony Freda touches base with the issue of childhood violence: children learning and adopting destructive behavior whether through the influence of media or those unfortunate some who are forced into hands-on experience with machinery. I feel especially strong about this image because it reminds me about the Kony controversy, or really the very first video shot back before this activist “fad” came about, showing personal interviews with children who are in hiding and are apart from their families to avoid being assimilated into this dangerous organization. One thing I really like about how the artist rendered this is that the gun is black, while the child is orange. Children and military equipment do not mix. Which is why I think the choice of orange and black is great because it contrasts extensively when juxtaposed.

Source: http://thomasjamesillustration.com/category/new-work/

Date: Nov.19, 2012

Critique: Thomas James created this piece on politicians who do not take into consideration what impact their words may have. For this piece, I am more drawn to the concept than the technical rendering. I think replacing the uvula with a noose creates a strong depiction of “verbal suicide” and what criticism can lead to. But at the same time, it is the speaker that brings it on to his/herself. Hanging is probably the most common method, or at least that’s what we think of first when we recall the word suicide. In terms of composition, I think the focal point is placed well in that it is on almost one-third of the mouth from the top and the natural circular shape of the mouth leads the eyes around the entire image. In conclusion, I think that James communicates this idea perfectly, although personally, I would have chosen a different colour scheme, or have either the mouth or noose in colour and the rest in gray scale to make the noose more prominent.

Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/le-vol/4685603847/in/photostream/

Date: Nov.19, 2012

Critique: This charcoal drawing by Tom French illustrates the illusion of a skull through the composition of two women. Their dark hair creates the hollows where the eyes should be, and a dark shadow in between the two produces the recession in the nose area. I initially thought this was a drawing of a skull done in high contrast, but when I took a second look, I realized there were actual figures inside it. I like how the artist uses specific parts of the women to accentuate certain features of the skull. For example, the shoulder of the woman on the right serves as the cheekbone, the fingers of the same woman kind of suggests teeth, the strap of the woman on the left gives the illusion of a crack in the skull. Also, the pillow (or whatever furniture it may be in the background) produces an edge for the rear end of the skull. The artist seems to break some rules on where to put shadows and highlights, however the image has great impact and he does incorporate realism, making it interesting to look at and successful in delivering the illusion.

Source: http://vladimirkush.com/princess-cinderella

Date: Nov. 18, 2012

Critique: This piece called “Princess Cinderella” was painted by Vladimir Kush, showing a scene where Cinderella arrives in her wedding attire just before getting married to the prince. What I love about this image is that it is not only surrealistic but it is interactive as well because there are actually a few heeled shoes hidden within this scene. The clouds in the background form at least two, and Cinderella with her large, flowing veil becomes a shoe as well. I also like that there is strong contrast as well as cool and warm colours throughout the piece. When looking up close, there also seems to be much detail and the edges are really crisp, however when you move back, the hidden symbols are visible. The composition works well in the way that the ship on the right provides a starting point, then the land’s shape guides us to Cinderella’s veil to her head, then to the moon and the clouds. Overall I think the atmospheric effect of the sunset is beautiful and it makes me feel like I’m actually there.

Source: http://society6.com/BrianDeYoungIllustration/junk-dee_Print

Date: Nov. 18, 2012

Critique: This parody is done by Brian De Young, depicting the unfortunate state of our waters due to the disposing of garbage. This poster definitely catches my attention; first of all because it’s an iconic image that reminds us of a movie we all know, a plastic water bottle is one of the most common objects that we see lying around, and the features such as the shape of jagged teeth, type, and the woman is easily recognizable. I also like how the artist adds an ominous yellow cloud emitting from the bottle because it makes it look somewhat disgustingly realistic in terms of how plastic decays and how that substance spreads throughout the waters. I also noticed how the colours are relatively similar to the original poster and I think that’s what really makes this poster so well done and clever. It is a smart approach to getting people aware of environmental issues as well as how it can directly affect us.

Date: Nov. 11, 2012

Source: http://thomasjamesillustration.com/bookswing/

Critique: This is a really simple illustration by Thomas James, expressing his love for books as a child. The image is basically a swing with a book as the seat. The piece is simple, but the message is clear: we associate swings with childhood and innocence. It is a source of memory that most of us relate to. The way the artist fuses the book and the idea of childhood in this way is brilliant because the message is still communicated without placing an actual child in the picture or with any captions. The placement of the book is great composition-wise because he uses the golden rule and the eye is nicely directed to the bottom of the piece. I don’t think this piece is over simplified because it still has details, such as the fraying in the rope, the elaborate design on the cover of the book, and the underlying texture. Even though this piece is simplistic and monotone, I think it executes a lot more meaning than what we would usually expect.