fuzzy letter W, done in photoshop with brushes
the different colours make it more realistic, also went over with dodge tool to add some shadows

Pin and Thread typography

Pins and string on a piece of card. While the first one is readable, which is surprising, but it looks inconsistent. I could try adding more details and uppercase/lowercase letters next time.

The second picture I tried to make a cat. Same as the first, I need to add some details like whiskers.

Foodography

People like to eat meat with ketchup so I thought it'd  be interesting to write BBQ.

I've never tried canned alphabet soup but it's probably delicious.











And the spaghetti "Mamma Mia" was an obvious choice.

In class we looked at the works of Ed Ruscha:

 Ed's pieces are made with oil on canvas, but you wouldn't know that at first glance. They're very detailed and almost photo realistic.

review

1. Which materials and techniques have you experimented with during the typography project? 

I experimented with a range of materials, traditional and digital. Traditionally, I used watercolor, markers, colored pencils, pastels and acrylic paints. digitally I used photoshop and illustrator. I've also used ipad apps like fontmaker and fontsruckt.

2. Have you explored and developed your ideas imaginatively? How have you demonstrated this? (give examples, link to posts or include images) 

I've developed my ideas through experimentation. For my final piece I did a lot of preparatory work, digitally and traditionally. I drew the character in different poses and made a list of words and quotes that he says in the film.

3. Have you research a diverse range of artwork and completed this on your blog? who have you analysed? is you analysis in-depth? (again give examples and link to posts) 

I've researched and analyzed my own work and the work of other artists. My Oscar Wilson analysis is in-depth, because he relates most to my final piece. Oscar Wilson: Calligram analysis

Digital VS. Hand Drawn

4. Have you explored a range of ideas around the theme of 'Sayings and Expressions' within your experiments? 

What are they? How have they informed your ideas?

I have several experiments around sayings and expressions. I've done typography with food and objects. I've never done object typography before so it was fun, but it didn't influence my calligram that much.

Object Typography

Food Typography
The sayings that are used for both projects are related to the object themselves. 

5. Have you refined / developed your outcomes through experimentation? How? 

We start a lot of classes with brainstorming and creating mind maps for what we want to create. After having a list of ideas to chose from, we move on to the sketching. Finally, we pick the most successful piece and develop it further. To develop an idea I do a couple of experiments related to it, digitally and traditionally. Then I pick the best experiment and develop it further and so on.

6. Have you annotated, in detail, your experiments and developments on your blog and used this information to help you improve? 

A couple examples of annotated work: 

Pins and String typography

Digital VS. Hand Drawn

By annotating I'm recording my thoughts and it's helping me if I want to replicate the picture later. It's also helped me stay more organized.

7. Which techniques / experiments have been most successful? Why?

I prefer digital to traditional because I have more experience with it and it's much more versatile. My photoshop experiments are most successful and I made my completely digitally. My favorite experiment so far is probably the calligram. You can be very creative with it, make it less or more readable or colorful, but it'll still convey a message and spark interest.  

8. Which techniques / experiments have been least successful? Why?

The lest successful examples are the cut outs I did, because I didn't have a sharp knife and the letters came out wrinkled and a bit crooked.

9. Which techniques / experiments will you be developing further for your final outcome? Why? 

For my final outcome I will be doing heat press. I really liked experimenting with it and the calligram that I've prepared will look best heat pressed. 

10. What else can you do to further develop the techniques / experiments you want to use for your final outcome? 

Make different mood boards and collect different t-shirts as reference.

A font that I created in Fontstruckt

Haven't done a pixel font before, but this is quite fun

calligram design

Final result of the calligrams mini-project

The first picture I made is quite colorful - the joystick is associated with video games and fun, so I tried to cram in as much colors as possible, but still kept in mind that they should have some relation to one another. 

Oscar Wilson calligram analisys

Oscar Wilson started working in London in 1996 and has worked for many clients in different fields since. He runs his own studio, "Studio Wilson". He specialises in image cration for advertising, TV and fashion. While he has other types of graphic work, for the past few years he's only done calligrams and it's become a definitive aspect of his style.

 In this particular piece Oscar uses a Gorilla to represent the zoo in Camden, and the district in general.  The words that construct the gorilla are specific information about Camden and the zoo. They fit the silhouette of the gorilla but also create an appearance of facial features. The bunched up letters where the gorilla's face is, for example, represent the big nostrils and the prominent brow. The gorilla stands out from the bright green background, and the text and website on the bottom left stand out as well. The add is created for Totally Lond-ON.

 Wilson uses a mixed technique for his work. He uses both traditional and digital mediums. In most of his pieces he has  a simple but effective colour palette. He understands the importance of shape and silhouette.  Even though the gorilla is the main subject of the ad, the text is just the right size and color to be read clearly from afar.

 Oscar Wilson's work is simplistic but bold and unique. I like his use of shape and colour, he knows how to emphasise and attract attention. You can see this in each one of his calligrams. He changes the volume and size of letters to create a three dimensional look to his work.