Key Steps in Illustration – Graphic Design

Exercise: Editorial Illustration

Buy a newspaper with a supplement and go through cutting out any article that contains an illustration. Notice the heading for each article and read the text that the illustration refers to. Make a mental note about the way the illustration relates to the text, how its ideas relate to the meaning of the piece,…

Assignment four: Magazine illustration

This assignment should give you the opportunity to show off your developing style and use of tools and materials. If you decide to work digitally save the early stages of your image and print out key points of your experimentation. Often illustrators working editorially for newspapers and magazines will be given a very loose brief…

Assignment three: A poster

The brief To design an illustration for a poster for a music event. An Early Music concert, a Jazz evening or for a pop group. You can choose. The finished poster will be reproduced at A3 size, but you can work at the size, in proportion, that you feel most comfortable with. You will need…

Exercise: Giving instructions

Using the internet, magazines, reference books leaflets, brochures and flyers make a collection of examples and reference materials that can help you with an illustration to fit one of the categories below. Making a cup of tea Getting to my house Playing a tune on an instrument Start by working out the information you need…

Exercise: Illustrating visual space

Using internet searches or your own visual references select an image of: each of these A tree A child running or walking A building Photocopy them in black and white at different scales and sizes so that you have several versions of each image. Cut them into individual items with which to work. Working with…

Assignment two: Point of sale display

This assignment will consolidate the skills and knowledge you have gained from the projects and exercises so far. At this stage of your development it is important that you focus on research and gathering and evolving your ideas. The brief To create images which will be used within a campaign for a supermarket, to package…

Exercise: An objective drawing & A subjective drawing

Exercise: An objective drawing Shoe, Umbrella, Pair of trousers, Pair of glasses, Hat Take an item from the list above and explore it visually to become aware of its textures, physical qualities and function. What is the item for – what does it do? Using a pencil or fine liner do an objective drawing of…

Exercise: Exploring drawing and painting

Create a sketchbook with different kinds of coloured and textured papers. Use a variety of surfaces including rough textures such as sugar paper and heavy watercolour paper and smooth, shiny surfaces such as brown paper and cheap typing paper. Collect the sheets together in a binder or with a bulldog clip. Collect a range of…

Exercise: Using reference

Collect as much reference as you can find for the1950s period. Catalogue the information you find according to these categories: People and costume, Architecture and interiors, Art – painting, drawing sculpture, Graphic design – posters, books, typography, Advertising, Transport, Film and TV, Surface pattern and decoration. Be eclectic in your sources. Identify the visual qualities…

Exercise: Turning words into pictures & Making a moodboard

Exercise: Turning words into pictures Choose a word from the list and draw everything that comes to mind. Don’t be concerned about the accuracy of your drawing or the prettiness of it. Use your drawings as a form of visual shorthand. Have a broad range of materials to hand and during your visual brainstorm add…

Exercise: Writing a brief

Identify a piece of work by an illustrator whose work you find some connection with. You might, for example, choose a particular illustration because you admire its conceptual or narrative dimension. Now try to write the brief for the illustration you’ve chosen. Starting from the context in which the illustration is positioned, write the brief…