Black Pearl

PDF saving

2011-06-08T10:43:00.002+10:00

When i went to save my files into PDF..I was a bit worried about the front and second last page (of my final illustrations) that they were going to be pixalated but after i show Amy and she looked at my link files, she said that it should be ok..I hope it is! I mean it is perfectly fine at 100% but when i zoom into 125% i think it is a little bit pixalated... but oh well. I think it is ok, i hope it is ok!

Pretty excited to see the end product all professionally printed and bounded but then also a little nervous about the margins lines :( hopefully it will ok!

Finished!!! and new cover

2011-06-07T16:08:00.000+10:00

This is my new cover, I just added in the basic how-to and also I didn't change the font as when I tried to they didn't give the same clean effect that this font has, so I decided to stick with it. I also added in the 5 mm margin as seen with the blue line mark and move and adjusted my pages accordingly. I am overall very happy with my effort of this assignment and enjoy particularly working with the lace flowers symbols for the skirt to create the illustration.

I think that my booklet has a pretty good flow through. It goes over what symbols are and why it is useful for fashion illustrations, the basics and how to individually use each symbol tools in the pack. I think that it is very clear and would probably be helpful for those who are just starting to use symbols in illustrator. I think what I included is enough to teach someone to create an artwork using symbols. I also like the way I made the star symbol as all my examples as I think that it makes the booklet looks cohesive aswell as it links back to the colours of the front and cover background. :)

I am also so relieve that we didn't have to print this as it would had been a nightmare!!!

symbol manual booklet

2011-06-06T21:00:00.002+10:00

These are screenshots of my symbol manual booklet...for the actual booklet, I hope I increase the size of the screenshot in photoshop right..I put the screenshot in photoshop, changed the colour mode to CMYK and image size resolution to 150-300. I hope when it prints out it is ok!!! I think i need to change the fonts for the booklet though..and centre everything a bit. But right now, I'm pretty happy with the result and hard work!

I think I also need to leave extra bleed for the booklet bind!

process of how i did the lace

2011-06-06T09:55:00.001+10:00

I dragged in the pdf file of the lace flower i got rid of the white background in photoshop into illustrator

I then rasterize the image as symbols cannot contain linked files

Always, make sure that the background is transparent, otherwise all the work you had just done in photoshop is useless

Now, drag the symbol into the symbol panel and name the symbol, making sure that it is graphic

Do the rest for all your desired symbols and now you have your very own symbol panel to use!

I slowly layer all the different types of lace flowers over the top of each other. I did not use the symbol sprayer tool in this illustration as there are a combinations of lace flowers not just one. I also adjusted the flowers by arranging them by 'bringing to the front' or 'sending to the back' option (object>arrange>)

Final..i think

2011-06-06T09:46:00.000+10:00

I stained the sequin flowers to be a bit whiter using the symbol stainer tool and added shadow and lines in, i think this is my final but i will probably find something else to add knowing me.

symbol illustration

2011-06-05T22:36:00.000+10:00

process of the symbol illustration, all the lace flowers are symbols. I do like it but i think the sequins looks a bit weird..not as shiny so i might just make it all lace..not sure

progress - outline of the dress and hair

2011-05-22T16:22:00.000+10:00

So now i have done the basic outline of everything, it is time to work on the lace flowers on the dress!

progress so far

2011-05-21T00:40:00.000+10:00

So what i have done so far is to outline the body by basic blocking of shapes by the pen tool and filling in the colours. My main focus with the use of the symbol technique is in the clothes so i wanted to get the body out of the way first. I think i need to soften her expression though, her eyes are a bit wide and not as demure as in the picture..perhaps its the bright white in the eyes that i should tone down.

Assessment 3: symbol technique reference picture

2011-05-21T00:37:00.000+10:00

This is my reference picture for assessment 3, i chose this picture because my technique is symbols and i think that the detailing on the dress could be made up using symbols, with the spray tool etc... I think it would make for an interesting example.

Poster research

2011-05-11T10:29:00.000+10:00

This is my layout for the poster research document. My title page links back to my posters in the form of the geometric shapes i used for each poster's background.

FINAL POSTERS - HOORAY

2011-05-10T14:39:00.003+10:00

I really like all of my posters! Although at first I thought that my for the better for the best but once I've fixed up the faces of the figures in Full Bloom and For Fun to be more realistic, that was all they needed :)

I think my posters works really well as a collective group as I have worked on them in the same ways even though they all have different moods to them. The garments are filled in with real fabrics, the hair is kept simple by just blocking the lines, the background are made up of the same geometric shapes (different for all three) layered over each other in complimentary shades. I really like the font I used, I think that it is simple but still have enough detail in the way that it is designed to not make it look boring and i think it works really well with my geometric and colour blocking design.

At the start of the project, i was hoping to achieve a modern, streamlined look in my design (as inspired by the poster research) and i think i did. The crisp outline of the figure, geometric shapes and the simple use of text i thought really made the design modern. I also think that the information on the posters are places quite well as the eyes of the audience are drawn to them through the vectors (full bloom: ribbon on the wrist and legs, for fun: hands and elbows, for the better: the hair).

Overall, i am super happy with my posters, it is an extension on the techniques i used in my first assessment plus a few more skills i happened to learn along the way :)

(In the end, i settled for the block colour bracelets as i think that the sequins were taking away the focus from the figure)

ps. when I printed the for the better poster, a tiny white line came up across the jeans denim and whatever i did, i couldn't get rid of it...but you can only see it if you put your face right up to the poster because the denim already have white lines weaving through it as the nature of the fabric (i guess i can see it because i've been working on it for a long time)

for fun - more update

2011-05-09T12:42:00.000+10:00

Since i think that my for the better poster is looking much better than all my other posters, I have slowly gone back to fix them all. I have re-done the face and changed the fill in of the clothes to be actual fabric instead (since for the better had denim filled in) and i made the jewellery pop more by using clipping mask to cut out sequins in bracelets shapes. I have also put more details into the band on the dress and added a bow on her shoulder. However, i don't know what looks better now since i have 2 options for the band.

Which looks better? hmm..

for the better - process

2011-05-08T12:31:00.001+10:00

The face was done the same way as my other posters, just simply blocking the areas and filling in contrasting colours to create depth and shadows.

I outlined the shape of the jeans and the shirt and made a clipping mask to fill in the outline for the shirt while defining pattern for the dark denim then filling it in as colour.

Close-up of the heels

Adding some jewellery to add some bright colours.

Details, details, details!!

This took so long to outline and fill in but i am incredibly happy with how it turned out! To make the fill in colours for shadowing blend in with the denim more, i decrease the transparency to make it feel like it is really a part of the garment.

I used a dashed brush for the stitching lines and some ink splashes as the bleach on the denim.

For the better - inspiration pic

2011-05-08T12:25:00.000+10:00

I think that this image really captures the theme for the better well with the washed jeans and comfortable travelling look.I really like how her styling is very minimum.

Poster research/inspiration

2011-05-04T09:59:00.000+10:00

Bauhaus Poster
I like how text is used in this poster, it is subtle, does not take away from the artwork but gives needed information

Poster for a french play

I like how text plays a large part in this poster, it makes the design. The details of the play is incorporated through different typography and that makes it very interesting.

Drawn from fashion poster

I like how the illustration is the main focus of the poster.

The audience sees the illustration before the writing - however i think there is too much writing on the poster.

Poster for a paper fashion exhibition

I like how text is incorporated into this poster and i really like the font.

Exhibition poster by Reza Abedini

I think it is really smart how the text is incorporated right into the artwork in this poster, it is clear enough for the audience to read while adding texture to the illustration.

full bloom - update

2011-04-25T23:17:00.000+10:00

Added leafs to the headpiece and butterfly to armband

added creases to the bodice and side seam

changed colour of the heels

changed background colour

full bloom - process 2

2011-04-25T22:24:00.000+10:00

Adding in some gingham pattern

As you can see there is this bit of the line that makes the pattern irregular - this was later fixed

Adding in some shadow at the legs

Applying ribbon bracelet with the charcoal brush

Applying charcoal brush to the belt

Adding more hair

Playing around with the background, adding in stripes of white to tone down the pattern

Background pattern repeat

for fun - update

2011-04-25T17:18:00.002+10:00

Placed in some pattern in the yellow band of the dress

Because the pattern has a transparent background, I copied and paste in front the yellow band and then applied the pattern to get the yellow to come through.

I wanted to keep all my 3 posters,effective with the use of simple lines for the illustration. This was from an influence from my poster research where I found the more geometric and contrasting colours posters with minimum texts most interesting.

full bloom - process

2011-04-25T15:26:00.001+10:00

Body outline

Close up of the face

heels!

filling in the creases shapes in the skirt and experimenting with patterns

full bloom - inspiration picture

2011-04-25T15:19:00.001+10:00

I chose this picture because i really like the pose and the volume of the dress.

for Fun - the process 3

2011-04-23T17:25:00.000+10:00

Figure with more brush applied to various parts of the artwork to soften the look.

For Fun - the process 2

2011-04-23T13:05:00.001+10:00

Background so far.

not sure if it is too busy but i think it definitely looks fun.

It was created by multiple circles filled in with a geometric pattern in different colours combinations.

I decided to soften the look with the use of charcoal brushes because the figure looked very stiff.

I really like the painterly effect that the brush created, it really highlights areas of the artwork and helps creates more depth and textures

The background pattern shows up with lines, however when I keep zooming in it disappears which Amy says is fine, so I'm hoping when it will be when i go to print!!

For fun - the process

2011-04-23T13:00:00.000+10:00

The basic shapes of body

Adding in the clothes and creases of the fabrics

Adding in Jewellery

for fun - inspiration picture

2011-04-22T20:16:00.002+10:00

I chose this picture as the base for my for fun poster because i love the volume of the dress, the colour and most of all the pose, I am not planning to take the styling literally though as it is too couture. I am interested in creating a very geometric based poster that consists of colour blocking and random patterns.

mounting on concertina

2011-03-30T10:08:00.000+11:00

This mounting business on the concertina is actually harder than I thought :( although I marked them all exactly A5 - when I folded it, it didn't match up properly and then the sticky bits left over on the folds manage to catch fluffs from my jumper when i was mounting and the carpet when I was showing it to my sister...literally it made me so stress!

but anyways its all done and I'm just happy, I do wish that I could had done the mounting better somehow but as hard as I tried it didn't work :( I feel that it doesn't really do my work justice though..

printing

2011-03-29T17:20:00.003+11:00

So..went to print my cover and concertina today and everything went well except there is this faint purple line over the chest of my model on the A3 poster - I got it reprinted like 3 times and it was still there, so this is what Im stucked with to hand in. It is weird because on my A5 cover, there is no line over her chest although it is scaled down from the A3 file. The conclusion is that, it is from the printer's paper and I can't do anything about it - this includes the minor scratches on some of the paper aswell (they refused to reprint it for me). I did considered going to print the poster somewhere else but then the colour would differ to that on the consantina and that would be equally bad. Although, I am happy with my finished outcome, I'm still dissapointed that the printing didn't do my work justice as it looks so so much better on the computer! Hopefully Amy understands this circumstance :(

playing around with background

2011-03-28T20:34:00.000+11:00

So....my sister and boyfriend thinks that the model was fading into the background and that the butterflies were a bit too much hence I pretty much changed the whole thing.

Now the background is darker, giving the model more definition with fireworks in the background to go with 'the celebration issue' theme (which I thought was appropriate since I am celebrating the artists' works).

Helmut Newton

2011-03-28T15:33:00.000+11:00

a true genius

Danny Roberts

2011-03-28T15:32:00.000+11:00

no words to describe how amazing he is

Kat Macleod

2011-03-28T15:30:00.000+11:00

So inspired by her use of fabric in her illustrations

Julie Verhoeven

2011-03-28T15:28:00.000+11:00

obsessed with her use of colour and abstract forms.

dilemma!

2011-03-28T14:57:00.001+11:00

Butterflies image created in photoshop then placed in illustrator

I'm not sure if I should have the castle and add some tiny butterflies or have just the butterflies..

hmmmm...

bodice detail

2011-03-28T14:54:00.001+11:00

The pleated details on the bodice.

I did this the same way as the body shadow.

hat!

2011-03-28T14:47:00.001+11:00

Having fun creating a hat for my girl! I used a watercolour brush from the brush library for this with short strokes and playing with the size of the brush! When the shape I wanted is created I layer it over and over around the model's head to give her that papery - feather feel hat. The second picture is the finish product after hours of playing around, as you can see I gave her a bit of hair and also changed her eyeshadow to a minty green :)

giving my girl a face - make up and shadows!

2011-03-28T14:42:00.000+11:00

Adding details to my model's face and body. For the shadow on the body, I simply blocked the shadows seen in the photograph using pen tool and creating a shape then filling it in with the darker flesh tone. I also played around with the transparency of each shapes so that more depth is created. For the face I simply outline the shapes and filled in the colours that i wanted. For the eyeshadow, a watercolour brush was used to create the smoky effect.

accessorizing

2011-03-28T14:35:00.002+11:00

First attempt at drawing necklaces using downloaded scattered brush, I turned the individual diamond into a normal brush

As you can see - there is not a lot of movement

Second try, much happier with this outcome!

Ps. As you can see I have outlined the paper castles as in the reference photograph here as well

Progress

2011-03-26T12:31:00.002+11:00

This is my figure trace out with the skirt detailing completed.The skirt detailing was done by using a flower symbol in illustrator. The symbol came with some leafs and I simply break links to symbol, ungroup and deleted them, then creating a new symbol out of that. I then sprayed the flowers on with the symbol sprayer in different groups and layered them up into the skirt shape.

Before, the skirt was just one colour making it look a bit flat but with the spray stainer tool i was able to make the skirt have multiple colours on it (unfortunately i forgot to screenshot the before image)

Reference Photo for my cover!

2011-03-26T12:25:00.000+11:00

From Vogue, 2010

What I learnt today about Illustrator

2011-03-26T12:21:00.001+11:00

Shape tools

To get the dimensions you want, click on the shape you want to make, double click on the page and type in the dimensions, sides, roundness, points (so you can manipulate it)
Radius 1 – inside, radius 2 – outside

Width tool (distorting the shape via anchor points)

Warp tool
Twirl tool
Pucker – suck in anchor points
Bloat – expands anchor points
Scallop
Crystallise
Wrinkle tool

Distorting the whole shape

Select the shape you want to distort à effect – distort and transform
Pucker and bloat - change the % click on the preview and see what’s happening
Roughen – roughen the edge of your paths, details (amount of shards you get). Corner – sharp edges, smooth edge

Brushes

Brush libraries menu
Change the colour by turning the fill off and filling the stroke
You can apply brushes to lines or shapes you have created
Change the stroke size, the opacity and play around with the outcome
Brush option – click twice on the brush that you are using and play around with the option with the preview on.
Brush options will depend on the type of brush you are using e.g bristle brush, art brush, calligraphic, scatter brush etc.
If you have made a change to the brush e.g. scatter brush – just rename them and save brush

Altering Symbol

Drag symbol onto your page, right click, ungroup, deselect and reselect (you may have to ungroup more than once) – now you can change the colour of the symbol and turn it into a new brush
If you are not happy with the brush you created, you can play with the option until you are happy with it

Making brushes out of Type

In word, select your type box
Type – create outlines (turning the text into shapes)
You can ungroup them, scale them, scatter them, edit anchor point etc.
Turn it into an art brush or a pattern brush depends on how you are going to use it

Downloading brush and using it

Download – go to download folders, drag to desktop, double click on it
Open other library on the brush section, select file hit open

Tracing image

Find reference image
Place in
Put in the site web
Lock the layer
Create new layer – figure
Create another one – garment
Trace away with pen tool!

I'm still dreaming about you

2011-03-26T12:06:00.001+11:00

yes its 2011. and yes i still want you.

I'm back!

2011-03-26T12:02:00.000+11:00

I have disappeared from the surface for a long time...no excuses really - just lazy and too much work but i am back and hopefully this time i manage to stay :P

So incredibly inspired by these images right now:

favourite postsecret. ever.

It's sad but so liberating at the same time.

studs all over a classic pair of heels?

enough said.

yup. this is my baby from the future.

alexander wang's niece.

greatest hair.

I wish I could pull that off.

Images courtesy of: postsecret, I spy DIY and anickaa.tumblr xx

How DDS can be used in different ways

2010-08-05T12:26:00.002+10:00

DDS - template based, start from CF line, perfect, work from the waistline, show how to get in and out of the garment, basic details
Digital DDS – show colours, patterns, proportions, in conjunction with hand drawn
Range board and sheets – use it in presentation to clients and buyers
Look books – used for designers to show to the buyer, use a photo (creative shot) and then the DDS to show details
Spec sheets – plain black and white sketches, not stylised, highly detailed, different companies have different spec sheets, consist of the picture of the garment and information for the maker (e.g sizes, buttons, details, pin-stitching etc.), technical details, used by everyone in the company
Costing sheets – cost of everything in the garment including the amount of fabric used, very technical, how much it is to make it, how long it takes to make a pattern, consists of basic image
Trends prediction books –basic indication of the silhouette, style and feel of each season’s garments, style forecaster, can be used on the website, portfolio
Merchandising plans – how the shop is going to look this season, can figure out the whole plan before it gets made
Sewing patterns and instructions – commercial

Illustrator

2010-08-05T12:25:00.000+10:00

· Vector based – everything will be clean

· Layer colour panel – used to identify layers when you have many, double click and change colours

· It does not matter what size your file is as you can use the whole area of the page in illustrator

· In illustrator, you can click on anything with the black arrow and do anything to it

· 2pt – standard outline stroke

· pen tool – X means ready, wedged shape means you can delete the bottom handle bar point, one slash means starting half way through, + means add anchor point, - means delete anchor point

i like you

2010-05-25T12:36:00.000+10:00

Architectonic Assignment!

2010-05-18T22:40:00.001+10:00

5 things I've learned from Assessment 1:
1. How to merge pictures and layers
2. How to use the pentool better
3. How to use different effects (e.g paintbrush)to create an interesting outcome
4. How to fade one image into another
5. How to pick up colours from different parts of the image

collage board

creative board

template board

The creative board is probably the one which conveys my concept the best as it shows the the religious theme and the concept of moving up towards heaven. This was done through the repetition of the architecture piece and the use of the light stained glass in the middle to represent the ray of heaven with an angel transcending to the top. However, when it comes to picking a board for my skirt inspiration, the class and lea agreed with me that the template and the collage probably have more in it to work with. I had chosen to work with my collage as compare to the template board, there are more inspiring images and more pictures of the exterior of the building which is one of the elements i want to focus on.

The blog title

2010-05-18T21:05:00.001+10:00

I've decided to take my blog title i made for the blog title assignment down as i just like a plain header. I've posted on here anyway incase lea needs to look at it again.

And more..

2010-05-06T21:29:00.000+10:00

I don't love tartan print, but this one by Givenchy stole my heart. It's true love.

Givenchy's studded gloves

2010-05-06T18:56:00.000+10:00

It's not very practical, I mean you can't really hold hands with anyone but you'll look fabulous!

alice + olivia for payless shoes

2010-05-03T00:15:00.001+10:00

I am totally inlove with alice + olivia for payless shoes. So chic for such affordable prices but hey, they don't do international shipping. I wish Australian designers would do some collaborations with chain brand :(

If I was in America, I would be wearing these babies - ALL. DAY. LONG.

love

2010-04-09T22:35:00.002+10:00

“Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won’t adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as its accomplice. Instead of vowing to honor and obey, maybe we should swear to aid and abet. That would mean that security is out of the question. The words “make” and “stay” become inappropriate. My love for you has no strings attached. I love you for free.” – Tom Robbins

Scanning

2010-03-25T15:52:00.001+11:00

The steps I used for scanning were:

1. Open image capture

2. Overview the image

3. Crop area that you want imported

4. Select settings e.g dpi., Descreen

5. Select scan image

6. Save

Selecting the Descreen button reduces the risk of moiré patterns from appearing on your scans so by selecting it your image will look clearer.

scan at 150 dpi, descreen off

scan at 150 dpi, descreen on

scan at 72 dpi - suitable for web

scan at 150 dpi - suitable for print

Scan at 360 - suitable for presentation

DDS drawing at 360 dpi, descreen on

fabric scan at 360 dpi, descreen on

Layers

2010-03-25T15:37:00.000+11:00

The significance of layers in Photoshop is that if there are in the wrong order, the image that is on another layer may be hidden and does not show on the overall image. It also allow the user to work on their image in a more systematic way.

yes, please

2010-03-18T17:02:00.002+11:00

Fashion Toast

2010-03-08T17:12:00.024+11:00

Rumi Neely of Fashion Toast is truly a stylish girl. I love following her blog to see what outfits she is wearing. Neely vintage thrift and i am always fascinated by what she picks out from the stores and how she wears it, she alway seems to give vintage clothing a new, fresh twist. Her blog features some great photos which i find very interesting. Neely also attends a lot of high-end fashion shows which means that her blog shows some really intimate photos from shows like Thakoon for Aloha Rag and Marchesa. Neely also have lots of great projects - she also design clothes which makes her blog truly inspiring.

Visit Rumi Neely at http://www.fashiontoast.com/ and you can also shop her clothes at http://www.shoptoast.blogspot.com/

IN L.O.V.E WITH PERCY

2010-03-08T16:59:00.001+11:00

"Percy" Moschino Piggy Bank

Cupcakes and Cashmere

2010-03-08T16:44:00.005+11:00

Emily Schuman was a former magazine editor and her blog cupcakes and cashmere has been my favourite to read since last year. Her blog is very easy to read and what makes it even more special is how she also blog about what she cooks and bakes (heart-shaped brownies for valentines, yum). From time to time, she also blog about beauty tips which makes visiting her blog like having a good chat with a girlfriend. I love reading Schuman's blog and looking at how she interpret current fashion trends to suit her own style. For me, this blog is basically everything i love put together in one place which is why i find it so amazing!

check out her blog at: http://www.cupcakesandcashmere.com/