More Poster Designs...

From my previous posters the one thing I decided to take from them and continue to use was the use of the different strips as I feel it represents the years well. For this poster I ripped the text out of a screwed up piece of paper and laid them onto a black background:

I felt these posters were very unsuccessful because of the screwed up and ripped paper. I felt that this didn't represent GF Smith paper in the right way what so ever! So that idea was well and truly scraped. 

Getting Started...

At first I tried to use some images I already had an incorporate them into a poster. I used my images because I thought some of them were very strong photos in themselves, also as they reminded me a lot of natural forms, shells, flowers, coral, these things have and will be around for hundreds of years. They are also something that everybody knows of, loves and uses on a regular basis. I'd say almost everyone has a flower in their house, or perhaps a picture of a flower... Also, the individual petals in my images represent the number 100 - I haven't actually counted them but there must be a LOT of petals. 

I wasn't very happy with this piece, I tried using a simple font like GF Smith use (http://www.gfsmith.com/) in contrast with a busy image, but I just don't think it works that well. Although the image is busy, I feel the text gets lost, and I don't really feel the connection between the two... 

I tried another similar type of poster, using the same structure, but a different image from my final sculptural piece. Again I didn't like this poster at all, I felt the image was poor, the text was a bit crappy too. And I just didn't like it. 


Therefore, I am going to explore different options for this poster rather than using images from these paper flower manipulations. 

Previous Work for GF Smith..

I looked at previous work to get an idea of what kind of image and branding GF Smith currently have. I used this website (http://www.gfsmith.com/gallery/phoenixmotion) as they would have featured their favourite and most successful work: 

They all seemed to use quite bold images and text with a limit of a couple of colours. Seeing previous work has shown me how their posters and book covers etc are always quite simplistic, using a clear and easy to read sans serif font, because their brand speaks for itself, therefore there is no need to over complicate it. 

Poster: 100 years of GF Smith Paper...

To create my poster, I need a link between the image I would use, the number 100, as well as relating it to GF Smith paper. Therefore I looked for inspiration from everyday objects around me: 

I looked at the circles of paper cut by a hole punch, thinking perhaps I could use these circles in some way on the poster - using sections and cut outs of paper.

I looked at my shower because there's about 100 tiles there and its a very clear grid. I could use an obvious grided layout in a tile format for my poster? Create things in each section? Use different colours or textures of paper for the squares?

Even though this about 400 sheets, I looked at a stack of paper, maybe I could cut into it to create the text? or photograph it well to capture the lines in the stack? I could flick through the paper and capture it to see the motion? However if I were to use to just 100 sheets it may be too thin...

I looked at elastic band balls because there can be hundreds of elastic bands holding this structure together, also its very built up, like GF Smith paper is! I could recreate a rubber band ball using strips of paper. Perhaps incorporating the text in the strips? or adding the text onto the poster?

The Final Piece...

Although making these flowers took a lot of time, and paper, I have finally finished the ball! Towards the end it got trickier to close up, I had to think ahead and judge how big the flower should be, how wide and deep, depending on the space available. 

The ball ended up very uneven and more of an oval shape, rather than perfectly round, with some flowers sticking out further than others, again making it quite uneven, which is probably its biggest flaw. 


However I do like the mixture of the sizes of the petals and flowers themselves, making it more visually exciting. 
Maybe it would have been more symmetrical and even if the flowers were all the same sizes? 
Maybe the overall piece would have been better if I'd used different techniques for the flowers, making them completely different instead of just different versions of the same thing. 

Creating a Bouquet...

I discovered, whilst leaving the pieces in a small cluster on my desk that they resembled a bouquet of flowers, inspiring a potential final piece. I fixed the flowers together using a glue gun, and created a cone out of layout paper to arrange the models in a bouquet like form. I thought this was quite successful, however, the flowers were too heavy for the cone and I was unable to fix them securely to it. 

Because of the flaws in this model I decided to continue making flower forms and continue attaching them to each other, hopefully to create a spherical form which could be suspended, resembling more of a wedding bouquet....

Further Flower Experiments...

I continued to make the flower shapes, trying different sizes of paper, different sized slots, and different ways of fixing the forms. 


For this piece, I made quite a heavy crease and used a smaller scaled template, stapling and using tape to fix the flower.

This was made out of a larger form with only a light bend in the strips, rather than heavily creasing the paper 

The flowers all repeated the same template and used a very similar technique, yet differed on scale. 

Influences

Jen Stark

About a year or so ago I'd discovered Jen Stark for a different project about colour for my A Level Art, and remembering her she fits really well with this project, working with paper in some really amazing ways. I found this website not only showing Jen's work but also with questions about the work itself: http://pingmag.jp/2007/12/14/jen-stark/

I love her use of colour and geometric shapes in the paper eruptions. It's really eye catching and is a piece of work which you kind of think it's potentially something you could do yourself, but know it would NEVER look anything like it!

Jennifer Maestre 

Although this artist doesn't work with paper I found the forms of her work particularly interesting, much like Sweeney's they were very natural and organic, using curves and soft folds, contrasting with the sharp spiky surface created with the sharpened pencil tips. 

I found these sculptures incredible! Her work particularly reminded me of coral and star fish, relating back to my link with shells and flowers, the curve of the shells, yet the protruding elements of the pencil tips - like the petals of the paper flowers

   

Paper Workshop 2 - Continued at home part 2

Again I used the fold and twisting again on this piece, however having a very different outcome, more like a flower, again having a very natural organic feel about it. 

I then tried to recreate this piece with smaller sections, also using a smaller piece of paper. Furthermore, I used 2 sheets to create this piece as it gave it more body. 

The outcomes were very different, but leave a potential for a series of flower like manipulations. 

Instead of the shell like forms I had created before, these pieces were more resembling flowers, therefore I will continue with this type of structure, but looking at flowers for inspiration rather than shells. 

Paper Workshop 2 - Continued at home part 1

I continued to experiment with some techniques at home after the workshop.


With my first piece I made a fold in the paper, different to the more natural curve I had used in the workshop, twisting and securing it. I found that this piece was better displayed suspended. 

Influences

Rob Ryan

I like Rob Ryan's use of a single colour with such detailed and floral cut outs. I also like his incorporation of both text and figures. 

Peter Callesen

Callesen is another paper cut out artist, but with a twist:

This last piece is one of my favourites! I'm not entirely sure why - I think its because he is escaping the boundaries of the rectangular piece of paper. 

I love Callesen's work as I think he possibly uses the net of the paper cutout? But I'm not 100% sure, god knows how he does it really - but I like how the cutout and the paper sculpture relate but are not exactly the same. I think it keeps his work unique and mesmerising 

Yulia Brodskaya

Yulia's work amazes me - I actually cannot understand quite how she's managed it! I love the detail in her work and just packed the text is with decoration, yet never seems too much!

Helen Musslewhite

Helens work is a build up of layers to create a 3D image, using a mixure of coloured paper, as well as just white pieces.

Her work is so vivid and intricate, as well as having a playful feel - like in this last piece for example, reminding me of children's books and art work for kids. I love her work as it feels achievable and makes me want to go and have a go as well! 

Sue Blackwell

Sue uses books to create her sculptures from, I like how this breaks the boundary of a plain sheet of paper, with the words giving it depth and a completely different texture to the page. Also the book she uses may relate to the piece of work itself 

I love how her work climbs out of the story - as if the picture is literally being built up and created as the story is read (not that you can read the book any more!)

Julene Harrison

Julene creates stunning paper cut outs with ornate frames containing images and type, I love how these are used for cards - such as weddings, birthdays... I would love these for my wedding! They're beautiful

I even love how she photographs her work with the scapel and cutout next to it - showing just how hand made and personal they are. Her mix of hand made type is also really inspiring for other projects.