Scott Bakal: A highly emotive and human approach to Illustration

Scott Bakal's work has really been imprinted into my mind after seeing it in  magazine. After reading a pretty in depth interview with him and seeing his online sketch books I came to realise just how much dedication and effort he puts in to his work. This really comes across in how exquisitely crafted his work is which is testament to just how deep his understanding of media and process is. Once again this serves to highlight the importance of keeping and regularly adding to a sketchbook as well as repeating and refining images and process until you have it right.



(All the above images taken from his sketchbook which he often publishes online to document his work process)

This has resulted in a highly personal and human feel to his work all of which is created using traditional/analogue media. When this is coupled with his genuine desire to gain a deep understanding of the subjects/concepts he is illustrating has allowed him to consistently create highly informed and emotive pieces of illustration. Furthermore he seems to be able to effortlessly produce work that communicates both incredibly subtle and glaringly obvious messages. This demonstrates how invaluable versatility as an image maker and communicate can be (something Kyle Webster also touched upon in his Big heads talk) as this arguably the reason he has managed to be so prolific and diverse in terms of who/what he's produced work for.


(Left: A piece entitled social anxiety, Right: 'Shady Banks' illustration produced for an article in the New York Times. Both very simple and direct in their messages)



(Illustration for an article called Hurt Before Before about oxygen deprivation in new born babies. A lot more subtle in its message than the previous two images choosing to juxtapose the negative aspects of the events that occurred during birth and the hope all parents will feel for their children regardless of the situation. I thought this was a particularly emotive and moving response to a very difficult subject matter. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/05/hurt-before-the-birth/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=1)

Illustration Next:
Ekta and Olimpia Zagnoli


(cover art Ekta)

After reading the book Illustration Next I was particularly drawn to the work of Ekta and Olimpia Zagnoli. Both have a very simple aesthetic to there work that revolves primarily around the use of shape. This serves to create very dramatic images that leave a very direct and instant impression on the viewer. The interaction between the shapes and their placement/composition within the pieces is particularly striking and is an aspect of my own work that still needs a lot of improvement.
 

(Right: Ekta, Left: Olimpia Zagnoli)

However despite this their work and methodology is distinctly different. Part of this may be due tot hat fact that Ekta is primarily a fine artist. This shows through he work in that it seems much more personal, often serving as a personal reflection on the world around him although he still does produce commercial illustration. What particularly strikes me about his work is his use of complex textures within otherwise very simple shapes that create a certain warmth and intrigue to his work. This is something I personally am very interested in and am currently exploring ways of achieving this within my own practice.





(Right:Several portraits produced for a solo exhibition, Left: Illustration produce for the New York Times Review)

However I think it's Olimpia Zagnoli's work that resonates the most with me. Perhaps due tot he fact that she is more deeply involved with commercial illustration than Ekta, her work is very much ideas driven. Furthermore, given her reductive approach to image making and composition, her work is always very clear and to the point in how it communicates a given message. Her work really does embody the ideas that a picture speaks a thousand words which arguably is what all illustrators are trying to achieve within their own practice. This simplicity and directness in regards to visual communication is something I really need to take on board and apply to my own work given my tendency to over complicate ideas and in some cases misdirect the meaning of my images through poor composition and use of certain motifs.


(Left: Mathematicians are story tellers, produced for Italian news paper La Repubblica, Right: Weather and Violence, As temperatures rise, tempers flare, produced for New York Times Sunday Review.)

Monday, 16 November 2015

Leeds College of Art BA (Hons) ILLUSTRATION	Level	04
OUIL403 Visual Skills	Credits	20
End of Module Self Evaluation

NAME

1.  Which practical skills and methodologies have you developed within this module and how effectively do you think you are employing them within your own practice?
The use of roughs has been invaluable for me when generating initial ideas and until starting this course was a process I rarely used. It has allowed for the quick and exhaustive generation of ideas as well as developing and understanding how they will transition into a final image. I have also tried to use as many different media and processes as possible. These have included both analogue methods such as charcoal, ink, acrylic, papercut and graphite as well as digital skills such as photoshop. I have tried to push myself out of my comfort zone as much as possible and would site paper cut and the use of photoshop as particular examples of this as I rarely use them for illustrative purposes. Although I feel I have improved to an extent with these mediums I realise that I still have a long way to go yet as I don't feel they have always been as effectively employed within my image making as thye could be.
2. Which principles/ theories of image making have you found most valuable during this module and how effectively do you think you are employing these within your own practice? The importance of drawing out as many potential Ideas of as possible as well as repeat drawing images regardless of how rubbish they are has been invaluable. This was achieved through my use of roughs which I seemed to have been drawing endlessly throughout the project. Furthermore the importance each aspect of image making, ie composition, design, colour, quality, has on delivering the message of an image. This means it's not always enough to create something which simply looks good as the wrong composition or colour combination, even if aesthetically pleasing, can completely distort the intended message of an image by redirecting the focal point or changing the atmosphere within it.
Finally that simple and reductive ideas rather than overly complex ones are usually the most effective due to how legible and immediate they are and that trying to be overly clever with ideas can often result in imagery that is too complex and confused in the eyes of the viewer.
3. What strengths can you identify within your submission and how have you capitalised on these?
I think my ideas development in response to the briefs has been my main strength and I would sight both task 2 and 3 as examples of this. Particularly they demonstrate the time I have taken to get to know the subject matter, ie its content, themes and concepts, allowing this to really inform and shape my ideas. I have consistently been able to produce a large range of distinctly different ideas both visually and thematically for each project which has allowed to be highly speculative when approaching in brief.
4. What areas for further development can you identify within your submission and how will you address these in the future?
I was not happy with any of my final pieces and therefore I need to dramatically improve how I transition roughs/initial ideas into a finished piece. The main way to achieve this is to build upon my image making skills which I feel at the moment aren't up to the standard needed to successfully solve each task. Therefore I need to build upon them as much as possible in my free time as well as within both Visual Skills and Visual Language. Feedback from peers and tutors is also essential for this as it will and has allowed me to see what is or isn't working as why. I think it is particularly important for me to do this as I am by far my own worst critic which often results in me losing faith in my own work that inevitably damages the final results.
5. In what way has this module introduced you to the Ba (Hons) Illustration programme? It has shown me what is expected us when tackling each brief both in terms of how we tackle each problem and how much we need to do in response to it. The introduction to the blogging system has been particularly useful as it has drilled in to me that evaluation and reflection is essential to the process of image making and must be an ongoing process through the course. I have also been exposed to just how high the standards of the course and those on it are. This is because we have consistently received highly engaging briefs to which many have produced work that is highly inventive and being produced to a high level of skill and crafting. In regards to the last point I feel I still have long way to improve as to be on the same level as others within the group and need to focus on improving my practical skills so as to keep my ideas development and image creation on the same level when tackling future briefs.
6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas: (please indicate using an ‘x’)  5= excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor
	1	2	3	4	5
Attendance				X
Punctuality					X
Motivation				X
Commitment				X
Quantity of work produced			X
Quality of work produced			X
Contribution to the group			X