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meganvermaakillustration · 6 years

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Event 6: Self-motivated project

I started my project by answering the various questions we were given:

Who inspires you? Why?

A lot of people inspire me, but the three main ones in the creative field are: Laura Carlin, Marie Cardouat and Jon Klassen.

I am inspired by Laura Carlin (see figure 1) because she loves to tell stories through her work, often in unusual ways; she is inspired by children, just like I am; and she likes to use open narrative, which I find very interesting as the reader is then able to choose how the narrative ends, giving the story endless possibilities.

I am also inspired by Marie Cardouat (see figure 3 and 4). I recently came across her work and immediately loved it. She inspires me because she is young, just like me; she illustrated the board game Dixit which is just beautiful; and the way she became a board game illustrator was actually an accident, which I find inspiring and exciting because you never know what you might end up doing in the creative field.

Lastly, I am inspired by Jon Klassen (see figure 2). I have been inspired by his illustration technique for a while and I recently read an interview with him discussing his book ‘Sam and Dave dig a hole’, which I found really inspiring. Jon Klassen spoke about how illustrations in a book are the child’s territory and how the illustrations can give out extra information- information that maybe even the author isn’t aware of. This inspires me because it really shows the importance of illustrations in children’s books and also the endless possibilities for illustrations in a book.

What inspires you? Why?

Again, a lot of things inspire me, but three main things that are relative to my creative work include children, teachers and therapists.

I am inspired by children because of their creative imaginations, their willingness to learn, how they play and how they pick up on things that adults often miss.

I am inspired by teachers and therapists because I actually wanted to be a teacher or an occupational therapist before I decided to study design. They have such a big influence over the lives of children and I wanted to be a part of that influence- now I am finding that I can still do that through my creative work which really inspires me.

I was further inspired when I read an article about why illustrations for children’s books are important. The article mentioned things like: it motivates children to read; it strengthens visual thinking; improves listening; builds self-confidence and control; serves as effective learning tools; refines the skill of children; simplifies things and in a safe manner; and it builds vocabulary. This inspired me because it reassured me that I can have an impact in children’s lives by being an illustrator.

What types of illustration do you like?

I obviously enjoy child-friendly illustrations and I also love humorous illustrations. After being exposed to Marie Cardouat’s illustrations I realized that I also have a love for illustrations with a ‘magical’ quality. (See figures 5, 6 and 7).

What types of illustration do you dislike?

Some types of illustration that I am not too crazy about include very realistic or geometrical illustrations and illustrations that are too abstract. When I say that I dislike these illustrations I mean that I don’t enjoy creating illustrations that look this way- it doesn’t mean I don’t like to look at them or that I do not appreciate those kinds of illustrations.

What are your strengths as an illustrator?

I have realized that I am good at time-management, vector, watercolour, working neatly and that my illustrations naturally tend to be child-friendly.

What are your weaknesses?

I often find that I play it too safe when I illustrate and that I stay in my comfort zone too much. I have also begun to realize the difference between neatness (which is a strength) and perfection (which is more of a weakness when it limits my creativity and image-making).

What direction or industry do you want to pursue?

I definitely want to pursue a direction involving children which could lead to things in play therapy, education, clothes, book illustration or board game design.

Specific industries that I would like to be in include textile design for children’s clothes, book illustration, board game illustration and educational illustration.

How will this fit with you as an illustrator?

I will be able to use both my creativity and my passion for children to create something that will positively affect children’s lives. I can show that illustration has a deeper, more meaningful purpose and can be used to help a child in their education.

Mediums and techniques?

For my final project I would like to try and combine by vector and watercolour technique together and see what the result is.

List of possible projects?

I made a long list of projects I could possibly do for my final event- a children’s book that isn’t bound and has little or no text; a children’s book that has a fold out or incorporated game; 2 games, one for children and an adult version; giant illustrations of a narrative and the narrative would change depending on how you walk through them; a children’s bedtime story and pajama series; a children’s book and memory game that follows the book…

I thought big and small and just wrote down any idea that came to mind. This gave me a lot of possibilities and allowed me to really think creatively.

My favourite project idea?

When I looked through my list of projects I realized that there were three main recurring ideas: a children’s book, a game and clothes. I decided to combine these three for my final project idea:

A children’s book using my concept for my zine about mix-matching animals. A children’s game that is an extension of the book and then a range of iron-on stickers that children can use to create their own, unique characters.

My inspiration for this project can be seen in figures 8, 9 and 10.

Why?

I am able to work in a variety of mediums and produce a variety of ‘products’. It promotes children’s creativity and imagination. It is also educational and encourages children to play and, therefore, develop. The game could promote language development and negotiation. It’s a fun way to learn and it would also challenge me- learning different mediums and digging deeper into children’s education.

Possible extensions?

The extensions to my project are endless- toys, pillows, readily printed t-shirts, cards, gift bags….

How will this project strengthen your portfolio?

I have already touched on products for children in my previous projects and so this project will build onto that. I have also briefly touched on bringing children’s creativity, imagination and development into my previous projects and so this project will speak to that. In previous projects I have worked in watercolour and vector separately, showing my skills in each area -this project will give me the opportunity to bring these two mediums together, showing a development and progress in my creative work. This project will also show how I can work on a variety of different ‘surfaces’ or ‘platforms’ and will emphasize my passion for children.

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dawnajaynes32 · 7 years

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Art, Technology & Optical Illusions: Bradley G Munkowitz’s Phenomenal Places and Spaces

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You may not know the name Bradley G Munkowitz, but if you’ve seen the movies TRON: Legacy (2010) or Oblivion (2013), then you know his work. Munkowitz, also known as GMUNK, worked on many of TRON: Legacy‘s concepts and designs, including its opening title. He also created interface graphics for the movie Oblivion.

Artist, director, visionary, futurist… Munkowitz has won countless awards and exhibited his work internationally. He boasts big name clients such as Audi, Microsoft, and Samsung.

GMUNK’s BOX

In this HOWdesign.com interview, Munkowitz discusses technology, art, design, and creativity, as well as BOX, a project that he calls “something really special.”

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What lead you to design BOX, and whom did you partner with?

GMUNK BOX was meant to be a technology demo for Bot&Dolly, showcasing the technologies of projection mapping onto moving objects while being captured with a motion-controlled camera system. However, after about 6 months of dedicated development, we decided to refine it into a more of a design and performance piece as well. We simply thought the technology was too impressive to not push the aesthetic, choreography and music—the essentials of a great film—and as a result turned it into something really special.

[Related: French Agency Graphéine on Illusions, Typography & Sustainable Businesses | Beyond the Screen: The Future of Virtual & Augmented Reality in Design]

BOX has won Vimeo’s Top 10 Videos of 2013, The Creators Project’s Best of 2013, SIGGRAPH’S Best in Show 2014, and a Silver Lion for Innovation at Cannes. Years later, it’s still going strong. What’s your response to the accolades and attention it’s received?

GMUNK The best part about this film was that we had no expectations on how it was going to be received—we didn’t expect it to be as influential as it has become, which feels great when the amazingly positive feedback is so unexpected.

What have you and your team learned from working on BOX that you’ve been able to apply to other projects?

GMUNK For me personally it was an introduction into design and animation for the physical space and practical, in-camera effects. Collaborating with the roboticists, architects, cinematographers and mighty wizards at Bot&Dolly taught me to get my face out from in front of the screen and to start thinking about motion graphics in an entirely different way. Fast forward a few years and designing and directing for the experiential space has become a heavy influence in my work, and also a huge passion.

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When you get new commissions and work, if clients have seen BOX or your other design and directorial work, do they want that same visual sensation—a similar aesthetic they’ve seen in your other work—infused into their work?

GMUNK Yes, they sure do! It’s challenging sometimes to break free of the typecast you (or others) create for yourself, as right now I’m the Projection and Lighting Guy—I have been for a few years because of BOX (and Audi A3 Sportback) and other Light-Based projects.

Orbis Integra

So to break free, I’ve been doing other types of work with Drones (Car vs Drones), Car Commercials with heavy CG (Audi A5), Cymatics and High-Speed Macro Photography (Orbis Integra) and interactive Driving Simulations (Acura Mood Roads). In sum, I’m just trying to stay diverse so I have a body of work that potential clients will see and realize there’s more to the Munkowitz than just projection mapping and lighting. I think as a Director in general, in such a competitive field, you always have to stay busy, making and learning, evolving styles and approaches so you can keep up with such a demanding and saturated scene.

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Orbis Integra

Have you begun working with optical illusions when designing for augmented reality (AR) and/or virtual reality (VR)?

GMUNK Everything in my creative repertoire is always influenced by optical illusions—be it in design, animation, lighting, camera techniques etc. I’ve always been inspired by the psychedelic palette and it’s a huge influence in my work. Regarding AR and VR, I’ve just started collaborating with amazing Unreal and Unity teams to realize some of my more insane ideas in the space. What excites me about the space is the immersion, the detachment from reality as it can take over all your senses and feel very immediate in its feedback—which plays well with my more subversive palettes and aesthetic.

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Cars vs Drones

Your work is future-forward, pushing the boundaries of design, technology, and illusory space. Naturally, people who look at your portfolio get inspired to make their own future-forward designs. You mentioned psychedelic palettes earlier, which is a throwback to the 1960s. What else inspires you, be it art, music, or design from the past?

GMUNK My inspirations are always evolving, to be honest. The crush lately is shooting with the Technocrane—I shot a Target commercial using one and I’m hooked—I’ve been dreaming of new ideas with them. That’s how it works with me, there’s a repository of ideas and techniques that I want to do, and in the end hopefully a majority of them get explored (but I secretly know that less than half actually will). Other crushes include learning studio photography with medium format cameras, more Infrared Madness in Iceland and Hawaii, Drone arrays in nature as Light sources, Robotics combined with cameras and light sources in unison with long sweeping motion control moves. Vibe-wise, I’m keen on long, drawn out shots with cinematic, almost opera music punctuating a mood—taking my time in edits, really feeling moments. Ha, I don’t know anymore.

Alaska’s Tracy Arm Fjord

In addition to art, design, and directing, you do a lot of photography, such as the landscape images you captured in Alaska’s Tracy Arm Fjord last summer using your modified Fujifilm X-T1 IR full-spectrum camera. The resulting infrared images look as if they came from someplace off-world. How important is experimenting with technology, and how do you apply what you’ve learned on your next commissioned project?

GMUNK Experimenting with technology (toys) is everything to me—I’m always trying to learn new things, collaborating with new people and just pushing myself into being a much more diverse creative. If you keep executing the same techniques and aesthetics, you’ll get bored real quick, especially for people like us who are always pushing to stay relevant and in demand. For creative output and overall conceptual knowledge, it really helps to learn as many technologies as possible, and document these findings so when the next commissioned project rolls through you and your people have a ton of knowledge to call upon to continue to push the envelope. I will say, the most important people in this learning phase are my collaborators—in this industry to do big things, you must have a crew of people whom you rely on to create, without those special people I’m not sure where I’d be right now.

When it comes to technology today and where it’s headed next, what gets you excited? Is there something, some tool, medium, or media, that will help you go above and beyond what you did with BOX?

GMUNK I think real-time movement is exciting—making experiential project scope really compelling. I’m not 100% sold on the VR headsets, but am super keen on large-scale real-time experiences, stuff that Daito Manabe (rhizomatiks) is doing with their real-time tracking and LED sources. Also super inspired by Sila Sveta and Nonotak, how they’re using real-time tracking, immersive lighting, architecture and reactive audio in their projects. Also super into the Bi-Neural technologies in the VR space—makes for incredibly immersive experiences. I gotta say, it’s a really exciting time right now—so much is evolving, and there’s soo many talented studios and individuals putting out incredible work that is more accessible now than ever before.

edited from a series of interviews conducted via email

gmunk.com instagram.com/gmunk twitter.com/gmunk behance.net/gmunk vimeo.com/gmunk pinterest.com/munkowitz

Learn more about Munkowitz’s BOX—a visual phenomenon difficult to explain but rewarding to watch and re-watch—in “Designing Wonder” from HOW’s summer 2017 issue. The article also features other artists and designers who use optical illusions in their work.

The post Art, Technology & Optical Illusions: Bradley G Munkowitz’s Phenomenal Places and Spaces appeared first on HOW Design.

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