illust-majorproject

[illust-majorproject]

fabulafia.ro & romanian illustrators

Here's a website that was suggested to me by a children's book illustrator we had as a guest visitor at uni (I'll try to recall the name and add it later). The illustrator had recommend this website to me upon hearing I'm romanian! He told me he's attended a book illustration fair held in Bucharest a few years ago and thats where he was introduced to this website! The name of the website is called fabulafia.ro and it's a place where Romanian illustrators can post the books they've worked on and their contact details. I loved taking a look at the different art styles and the stories they accompanied.

Next up, here's one of my favourite Romanian illustrators: Alexia Udrişte! I've been following her on social media for a few years now and I absolutely adore her work!!

Here's a link to her Instagram: instagram.com/alexiaudriste

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Rough Ideas for the final piece

Here's an initial plan/idea for my project! I'm well aware this plan will probably be turned upside down as time passes but I felt like it would be good to keep track of the stages of this project!

I'm super excited to see where I will end up eventually!

A few more examples of illustrations that I would like to fill my book with! I really like the addition of flowers into art and I look forward to drawing more beautiful clothes and flowers soon!!

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Inspiring books

Heres a couple of books that Ive picked up from the library! I found them to be very inspiring as they grabbed my eye instantly when I saw them on the shelf. The art style present in these books made me want to experiment more and possibly incorporate some of these elements into my own work and eventually into my final project.

I like this book in particular because of the incredibly detailed landscapes and city views!

Next up a book written in Japanese that I found very charming! I wasnt able to find translation for the text but the illustrations manage to transmit so much emotion!! I'm not sure what type of medium was used on these but my guess would be either gouache or oil! Definitely worth experimenting with in the future!

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Riso printing

After attending the riso printing workshop and lecture at uni, I immediately started browsing the web to find more examples of this type of printing and find inspiration for my own project. Here's what I found: https://pin.it/7suONU5 (My pinterest board)

Unfortunately I won't be able to use the riso printer any time soon but in the meantime I'll be collecting pieces that inspire me and I'll try to recreated the unique risograph look digitally if possible!

I went to youtube to find out more about the process:

Vlog by Fran Meneses (one of my fav illustrators): https://youtu.be/KQJgYDsulco

Video on how to use Photoshop to create cool effects: https://youtu.be/JZw2kAlDx2A

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London trip - Tate Museum

At the beginning of March I had the opportunity to go on a trip to London with my friends and we decided to go visit the Tate Modern museum. It was an incredible experience as this was my very first time visiting! All the art pieces put on display were so eye catching and eccentric - I didn't even know where to look first!!

After walking around for what seemed like hours, me and my friends decided to sit down in this little separate room we found - turns out this room was dedicated to showing how artists work in their studios. (Pic below)

Across the walls there were pictures of various artists from around the world and one of them caught my eye immediately!

THE MOST FAMOUS ROMANIAN SCULPTOR!! - Constantin Brâncuşi

Here's a bit more information about him and some of his works:

I can't even explain the amount of happiness I felt seeing such a familiar name in such a prestigious museum in the middle of London! I immediately started telling my friends about this and they were amazed by my enthusiasm!!

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Moodboards

Here's a couple of moodboards I put together using pictures Ive found online. I usually put these types of collages together when I try to find a certain atmosphere to add into my work. After putting together these moodboards I know what type of details I want my book to include and what types of colours I could use. Seeing these elements next to each other help my imagination run free~

Here's a screenshot of my work in progress. I'll be experimenting with scenery/backround illustrations as I dont have much experience with them:

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Coded couture of Antique Lacework

An article about the hidden meanings present in antique lacework. It's fascinating to see the amount of effort people use to put into their garments and the way they were trying to also tell a story!

This article was sent to me by my teacher!

Link to the article: https://www.messynessychic.com/2020/01/14/the-coded-couture-of-antique-lacework/

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Traditional music in today’s modern music

Whilst taking a more modern approach to my research, I must share one of my favourite music groups from my country:

Subcarpați (the name is Romanian for the Romanian portion of Subcarpathia) they’re a hip-hop band from Bucharest. Formed in 2010 the band blends hip-hop with elements with Romanian folk music.

 The genre seeks to reinterpret popular motifs specific to Romanian's folk music, and is often referred to as "underground folklore"

Let’s have a look at the cover art for their albums and logos:

I love the way the incorporate traditional elements (clothes, musical instruments, patterns) into their ‘aesthetic’.  

The British newspaper The Guardian described Subcarpați as being "an explosive mixture of old and new. It's an eclectic combination that brings together melancholy Romanian folk songs, Romanian unity songs, traditional instruments and the rhythms of trip-hop, dubstep, hip-hop and dancehall. - taken from Wikipedia

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Romanian painters

Let’s take a look at a few Romanian painters and their work. These artists have been a huge inspiration for me as I remember seeing a few of these paintings in a museum when I was young!

Nicolae Grigorescu -  was one of the founders of modern Romanian painting. He was named honorary member of the Romanian Academy in 1899. His work was centered around painting rural areas, peasants and landscapes. Here’s his work:

More: https://www.wikiart.org/en/nicolae-grigorescu

I absolutely adore these paintings!!!

Stefan Luchian -  famous for his landscapes and still life works.  In 1948, Luchian was posthumously elected to the Romanian Academy.

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National Village Museum - Bucharest

I was actually planning on visiting the museum during Easter break but due to circumstances I had to resume to virtual tours.

„Dimitrie Gusti” National Village Museum

The open air museum encapsulates the atmosphere of a traditional village and all the houses are perfectly preserved and open for the public. 

Here’s a few pictures of the interior of the houses:

Virtual tour link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnMVNIdCynE

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My doodles - digital sketches

Here's a few of my digital sketches of people, studies of old photos and traditional embroidered items of clothing! I'm still learning how to properly draw the human figure and detailed clothes! These are all done on an iPad tablet using a software called Procreate. I've been experimenting with a handful of textured brushes and I still have loads of ideas that I need to doodle!!

[illust-majorproject]

August Sander - photographer

August Sander was a German photographer whose work documented the society he lived in. Lauded as one the most-important portrait photographers of the early 20th century, Sander focused his gaze on bricklayers, farmers, bakers, and other members of the community.  - taken from http://www.artnet.com/artists/august-sander/

His work is very relevant to my project as he was a photographer who used to take pictures of regular people, the working class with the purpose of immortalising people from his time. 

Here’s a few of his works: https://www.moma.org/artists/5145#works

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Myorama/continuous landscapes

After the book binding workshop I attended at uni, I got inspired and decided to possibly turn my project into a book! My tutor suggested me to have a look at Myriorama cards:

I wasn’t able to find one of these books/games locally so I managed to find a youtube video of someone talking about this type of cards: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2l5V4MMmJoM

Another example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HnCTH1wD2I

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Leoporello books/Concertina books

Taken from: https://www.imagousa.com/us/blog/leporello-binding/ 

Official Leoporello books instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leporello.books/?hl=en

More examples of concertina books:

During a book binding workshop at uni we learned how to craft and conver a concertina book. Here’s my first attempt:

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Nobrow press books

As suggested by my tutor, I had a look at Nobrow press books. Here’s what I found: 

Taken from: https://nobrow.net/about-nobrow/

Nobrow press aesthetic:

Nobrow utilizes an idiosyncratic printing approach which allows the publisher to achieve a striking palette of colours in its books. It also carefully oversees the paper stock used, in order to create books that evoke a sense of history. The company's publishing aesthetic has been described by Rob Clough as pieces where design and color are often more important than line and narrative. This is not to say that narrative is irrelevant in these comics, only that the narrative direction is more on the abstruse side. The design, packaging, and attention to detail and color here are almost painfully exquisite." - taken from Wikipedia

Examples:

I really love this style of work so I decided to take a trip to the university library to try and find one of them to analyze! Here’s the one I found displayed at the entrance: 

After broswing through this "book" I realised that this is the exact type of inspiration i was looking for. I want my final piece to have a similar look and feel.

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Traditional Romanian Crafts - What type of clothes did people use to wear?

Here’s the ‘Ingredient list’ that I’ve been doing a bit of research on. The idea was to take a look at the types of clothes that people used to wear whilst doing daily activities such as farming, spinning and crafting. 

Agriculture &farming - one of the most important activities in the lives of peasants. Pinterest board link: https://pin.it/3bsfQQY

Fishing: unfortunately I couldnt find any antique photographas of fishermen but I’ve compiled a few pictures of romanian fishermen https://pin.it/5AXl74q

Spinning: here’s a (subbed) video of a very sweet old lady talking about the practise of spinning and also about her life during and after WW2   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtomLZ7n3-k 

The youtube channel also has a blog: https://peasantartcraft.com/traditional-crafts/hand-spinning-wool/

Ceramics: my Pinterest board with a collection of beautiful traditional romanian ceramics  https://pin.it/6YZYlng

Youtube video of a romanian man working with ceramics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=koqCnwUGtcI

I’ve discovered this Youtube channel that is filled with fantastic videos about traditional crafts and tutorials. Here’s a few of the many titles present on their page: 

All of these videos perfectly encapsulate what peasant life used to be like, and it’s amazing to think that most of these traditions are still followed to this day.

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Traditional clothes - embroidering

After researching old photographs I thought I’d take a closer look at the embroideries present on traditional clothes. Here’s a few examples I’ve compiled over on Pinterest: https://pin.it/J5vyb4e

Furthermore, I’ve found this website that offers computer programs (or codes) that are compatible with embroidery machines so you can embroider patterns at home. The website’s name would translate to ‘Well sown’ https://www.binecusut.ro/

I unfortunately do not own an embroidery machine but looking at their pattern portfolio was still very inspiring. Portfolio link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/binecusut/sets/ 

I’ve also taken a look at video tutorials on how to embroider. Here’s a few videos I found interesting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKnBUa4l2k4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY7hWEwe_mI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KOqFi7dKwk

I plan on eventually attempting to learn how to sew and embroider and maybe include some of these elements into my final piece.