This is my Final Image for Olio. Featuring My Map Template , my two main figures and the layers I added to them , my scanned paper layers with my morse code text conversation.
All in all , I am quite happy with my final image, there is some room for improvement , in particular , if I had more time I would have drawn out the left figure again and took the perspective and angle into more consideration. mirroring him with the right figure so it looked more symmetrical .
As I bagan to experiment with different ways to colour and layer my images I soon began to build up lots of layers to mix together and modify on photoshop.
To get the desired colour and effect on my images, I decided to gradually layer my images once coloured. I then worked with Filters and the Opacity of each layer to build up an image which i was happy with .The first was a simple grey scale layer. A very limited palette of colour with no line art. This would act as the first layer to build on.
Adding quite a bit of tone and shadow to the layer early, I hope to keep building the layers and changing the opacity to get the desired colour for my image .
The second layer was a sepia layer, very similar to the greyscale only with browns and tans . By layering these two filters together It gave the image more depth to the shadow and tone that the previous grayscale image lacked.
The third was one I completed using a more traditional method of using Copic markers and fine liner pen to create a sense of line with some added tone.
The Last layer shown here is modified to show how I will use it, it's a transparent version of the coloured image that I will use to enhance the line art of my image .
While Exploring ways to make a limited colour palette to make the images seems older I came across one of the works on Mike Mignola , A well known Comic Artist and Illustrator. Known for his work on the "Hellboy" and "B.P.R.D" series , Mignola's blend of dark , creepy subject matter along with a unique visual style that seems to hark back to the German Expressionist Period.
The Work that drew my interest for this project was his work for "Witchfinder" , A spin from the "Hellboy " series which was written by Mignola as well as him providing cover Illustrations.
Along John Severin providing the images for the comic and colouristDave Stewart , the teamwork between these three people in particular really pushed the comic to look very true to Mignolas vision and fits perfectly with the world he has created.
You can see Mignola's distinct style for the front cover on the first issue , with its bold shadowing and very strong blocks of colour . It creates a very atmospheric image that Mignola is recognised for.
With the images in Witchfinder you can clearly see some similarities in terms of shadow and colour usage , with a limited palette being deployed to give a sort of washed out look with a varied use of grey with tans and a very light blue . the colours work well together , giving the sense of a very limited colour palette and almost makes the images look older more fitting with the period setting.
For my own project I want to experiment with a limited colour palette to make the images look older , almost sepia. By looking at work like this , it helps me understand how to use colour in a more dynamic way , matching them to create a harmonious blend of colours which give a certain filter or mood to the images.
Maps
I decided quite early on into my roughs for this image that I was going to include a map to symbolise how wireless communication can spread across many continents .
I began looking at old maps to get a feel of how they looked and how I could draw it out myself .
By looking at these I was able to get a rough Idea of what to do for my own map and started drawing and tracing out a rough template for me to build on until I had my finished Image which I used as the background layer on my image .
These are some of the roughs for my olio submission .
I went with two thumbnails you saw earlier.
The first is showing how radio connects everyone, the presenters radio transmission broadcasting to a range of locations and people .
Influenced by trending radios shows and podcasts such as 'Welcome to Nightvale" I wanted to look at how even a small radio station or podcast , they can still reach a vast amount of people who listen and download on a daily basis.
The second is focusing on Radiotelegraphy and Morse Code .
Radiotelegraphy is the early form of radio telegraph communication and wireless telegraphy .
It focuses on two figures in a long distance transmission using morse code.
When Deciding to look into the topic of Wireless communication for my piece, I wanted to get an Idea of how the machinery and the whole concept of the practice worked.
I started by looking at images of the operators, I found a vast amount of images of operators from various books and sites, these are some of the ones I found the most interesting and looked at quite a bit before starting work, studying why they look so interesting to me .
This is one of the most intriguing images I found, presumably from an older text, I found this image on an Boat safe/ SOS distress call site .
Everything about this image appealed to me, the way the figures were placed and framed, pulling my attention straight to them , along with their poignant expressions as well as the dramatic lighting, notice how light the foreground is to draw our attention to the figures and create a sense of drama , as you look further into the background you get this real sense of darkness and shadow which helps make the figure of the older gentleman look as though he is looming over the young man .
I found Lots of photographs depicting Telegraph and Morse code Operators throughout both World Wars , when wireless communication was at its peak for communication and espionage.
This particular Image I found on a site which explains some of the process of some of the training for radio operators .
After looking at photo references , I moved onto some film reference, I watched some scenes from films featuring some morse code and radiotelegraphy scenes, such as "A Night To Remember " and "Titanic " . I then moved on to watching videos featuring the practise , I found some really interesting information films on morse code , explaining how the equipment works and how to decode and structure sentences ect.
I found this really useful in terms of educating myself on the subject more and also by watching figures at work.
A few years Back I came across an Enhanced comic series made for Channel Four entitled "The Thrill Electric " .
The series was set in the Victorian Era and was made to sort of show a Parallel between the Victorian Telegraph Age and the Internet Age.
I revisited the series for this project to look into the information provided and also to take a look at the animations that were dotted amongst the series as I recalled them being very interesting visually .
Relooking into this series proved to be quite useful as I had forgotten how visual and interactive it was with moving panels , sound effects and animation to immerse yourself into the series.
While researching into the process of Morse Code , I began to look into the text that I would use in my image, I decided to look into how Morse code is structured and how I can string sentences together .
I found a simple table , which helped me have a good reference when writing my sentences out . I then double checked it on an online morse code translator .
I found this process very tedious but rewarding , I had written the whole conversation before converting it to get a sense of how long it would take to write and for someone with very little experience with morse code, it took quite a while but I imagine I would get better with practise
For Olio this year, we were each given a phrase to kickstart our work for this module,
Mine was "Think of the Radio".
From this I started thinking into ways I could communicate this phrase into a piece of narrative illustration, this was the list I originally wrote down in my notebook:
- Think of instructions to change an existing idea.
- Part of a dialogue
- Starting point for a discussion
- Title for a short Narrative
- Free Association
- Visualising Sound
- Progression of the radio
- Radio Times
- Radio WAves
- Reception
- Transmission
- EVP's
- Radio Show
- Finished musical Piece on the radio
- Radio Energy
I really liked the idea of Radio connecting people and so I decided to look into how radio broadcasts can be transmitted to different people around the world. I also wanted to look into the history of the radio.
I began making some thumbnails of possible ideas. looking at Nichola Tesla and his contribution to wireless radio, Morse code and how Radio connects people and radio transmissions .
There are some of the sketches I did to plan out simple olio roughs .
