Since finishing the 13 final playing cards, I have been playing around with them and making GIFS. There are multiple websites that will ‘glitch’ your image in different ways such as changing the colours, adding static, giving them movement and also moving around the page. These glitched images can be added together to make a GIF that plays in a seamless loop. I think these would be really cool on my website and Instagram- it also would help appeal to a younger, more technology aware audience. I do not want the images to be so unrecognisable from the original cards- I don’t think I want to change the colour pallet too much, but perhaps focus on more motion changing effects to make the cards even more interactive. The QR code on the back of the cards could also display these GIFS on my website which would make more sense than just seeing the physical card you have on the website again? I am still playing around with them and figuring out what would suit my concept best and why.

As I had also been experimenting with the physical destruction of playing cards previous; such as tearing and burning them, I wanted to experiment with this on my actual final cards as well. I printed out some of my final cards and physically burnt them- recording and taking photos to capture how the fire engulfed them. While the quality of the images and videos are not amazing- it made for a good foundation to further my experimentation on the cards. I have experimented by making this material into GIF’s to accompany my digital ones- and perhaps even further illustrate from or make a short film to accompany my cards (if I have time). I’m not particularly happy with the videos but they add an extra layer to my body of research and experimentation, so I am still happy I tried something new out.

I’ve inverted the colours on the burning card GIF’s which has given quite a surreal, distorted aesthetic which suits the concept. I’ll be trying to experiment with these more- hopefully I will be able to create some sort of moving image piece with these for my GS space.

I wanted to further my experimentation of the deconstruction and reconstruction of playing cards in both a metaphorical and physical way. I selected some images from my ‘Cloud’ photoshoot and resized them to fit the standard playing card ratio. I edited the images to remove some of tones, making the images have more of a red hue to contrast against the full bodied colours of the playing cards. I tore the playing cards and layered them over parts of the images to reconstruct the bodies and give them a fragmented and distorted feel. By having the playing cards laid over the subjects body makes them feel as though they are overpowering and overtaking the subject- imposing the structures and restrictions of the playing cards function/meaning  over the female form. I really like how these came out and think they define my projects concept well- giving me a good base to understand how my illustrated cards will be formated and presented.

I have been considering the different ways in which I can alter or manipulate the function of playing cards. I have taken this deck of standard playing cards and experimented by burning them to deface them and take away their meaning. Although this does not aid my illustrated cards, I may decide the experiment with burning the final cards in order to make GIF’s or a short video. This is still just an idea, as I want to make sure I have enough tests to solidify my illustrated cards and give myself different options for experimentation once the cards have been finalised.

I recorded a short clip of me creating the 10th card so my audience could see how I illustrated the cards and what my process/ techniques were. The video will also be on my website, so when the QR codes on the back of the cards are scanned- my audience will get an interactive experience and find out more about me as the creator of them.

Following on from my previous post regarding the back of the playing cards, I have finalised the design and made some alterations to the layout. The previous card did not include the essential QR code which redirects to my website page which displays all of the final playing cards, their behind the scenes production and their accompanying GIF’s. In my mock ups I had left the QR code’s in their original black and white scheme- which was quite stark against the colour pallet I selected for the rest of the playing cards. I decided to change this to black and purple (sampled from the lines on the card) to make it feel more settled and blend in slightly more. I do feel as though the QR code looks a little bit strange on the card, but I could not think of a concept that would make it look more normal (tried to look at circular QR codes but without any success). I also added lines on the neighbouring blue circles (in yellow sampled from the diamond shape) to make it feel more combined and consistent. I am overall quite pleased with the playing card backs and think they compliment the front side illustrations well. All of the playing cards will display the same QR code which directs back to the FMP page of my website- from here the audience will be able to navigate their way through the cards and the other pieces of work.

These are my final 13 playing cards (not including the back of the cards) that I have illustrated using a free Photoshop alternative called GIMP. All the cards are in a A4 portrait format with a 15% curvature to round the edge of the cards like in the traditional decks. All the cards now have a boarder which ties them all together and helps make them look uniform. No two cards are the same, they take different vantage point, subjects, body parts and natural imagery. I have opted to use a mixed colour pallet; focusing on muted, dusty tones but adding pops of colour where they are due. I have worked hard trying to keep a sense of continuity running throughout, which is something I did struggle with. Looking back at the cards and investigating where I have used different techniques or different amounts of shading ect has paid off as I think that they look like a compete deck (by my standards).

When I was first experimenting with the card layouts and format, I was using heavy graphics, sometimes repeating them across the card- but I have now decided to strip them back and tell the audience as little as possible, while still giving them enough. The card numbers are listed but I have chosen to remove the suits of the cards- as this defies the purpose and the majority of restrictions and rules in playing card games. By having only the 13 cards (Ace-King) they could belong to any of the suits, or perhaps they belong to all four of the suits. They could still function the same way as normal cards (some card games do not need the suits) if you were to collect the cards 4 times- creating a full 52 card deck. I did consider creating my own suit for the cards, the same way Shelter created the ‘house’ suit for their campaign- but I thought this would give the cards meaning up too easily, I wanted it to be a more personal and intimate process for the audience. Overall I am very happy with the cards outcomes, the back of the cards is still being designed but will feature a QR code that links them to my website where they can view the full deck. My next steps will be making the back of the cards, experimenting with creating GIFS or animations with the final cards and thinking about how I would want my cards displayed for GFW or if I physically sold them.

The 13 front faces of the playing cards are completed but are awaiting feedback from Chris for any changes. I have been thinking about the design of the back of the cards for quite some time, and have decided that including some natural imagery will tie my cards together and confirm a consistent theme running through them. I still want the cards to embody the aesthetic and layout of the traditional playing card, otherwise the concept will feel too detached from the content. I have decided to experiment with pattern making to further my experimentation process and try new techniques. I have been sketching different layout options and styles and considering what colour pallet would compliment the illustrations on the other side. I created this repeat pattern tile that can now be added into the playing cards background.

         This is the final basic outline of how the playing card backs will be generally laid out. I have sketched and measured this by hand to make it easier to configure on the GIMP application (I know how big each section needs to be, what angle the connecting lines will sit at and how each layer will be positioned).

This template has been designed at an A4 scale with a 15% curvature to match the front of the playing cards. The boarder section will allow for a 1cm restriction pattern that will be repeated all the way around the card. The central circle will be the space where the QR code sits, having the two smaller circles to mimic the traditional style of playing cards, but also to ground the QR code and not make it feel out of place. I wanted to test the pattern I had made with a loose version (unmeasured) of the template above.

They are obviously not exactly the same as the template, as I just needed a rough idea of how the pattern would look in the sections. After putting this together, I decided that I really did not like the outcome. I am not a fan of the red backs (used traditionally in playing card design) and think that it will overpower the illustrations on the front. I do like the pattern I created, however I do not think it suits the purpose of the cards so I will be redesigning a card that has more of a connected flow to it- leaving less blank space between the flowers. I went on to experiment more and test out different colours and patterns. This is basically the final mock up for the playing card backs, I much prefer the new pattern as it is flawlessly continuous and suits the sections outlined in the template. I added a second, more intricate pattern to the top and bottom of the cards to easily introduce a new colour pallet. The boarder I drew on the template did not exactly fit in the GIMP program as I did not consider if the edges of the boarder would curve or overlap (leaving gaps on each corner), so I added a basic 3 dot filler which I think adds to the cards overall. I really like the overall design and think the colour pallet of muted, dusty tones will suits all of the illustrations well. The card is not fully complete as I will need to add the QR codes and may make minor tweeks to the layout. (There is a curved white boarder around the whole design, but it is not visible here as the page is obviously white as well).

In a tutorial with Chris, we outlining that my playing cards will be designed and created from the view of men, on women in the current social climate. As I will be designing from this perspective, I really have to consider who this will appeal to and how I will reach my target audience better. While they will be inspired by the male gaze, the target audience will be quite varied. I feel as though the cards themselves could be functionally used by anyone (all ages playing cards), but the content of ‘provocative’ cards will obviously appeal to some more than others. I hope to introduce these cards as a redefining status on the representation of women from all walks of life and inspire the necessary change we need in society. I believe these cards will appeal more to young-adults, as this is a demographic who are more open to discussion around gender and stereotyping. The styling, digital illustration and inspiration/research behind the cards was all conducted more with a young adult audience in mind. I feel as though these cards would not be suitable for a younger demographic, but they could appeal to an older one.

To reach my target demographic, I want to make the cards more of an interactive experience by using QR codes to modernise and digitalise the cards more. I do not want the QR code’s to distract from the illustrations, so I will be playing them on the back of the cards. The scannable QR code’s will open a portal to my own personal artist website; where all of the QR codes will be able to view, you will be able to read about the inspiration and meaning behind the cards and there will also be GIF’s made from the cards to further modernise and show experimentation. This demographic are all quite tech savvy, have access to social media and smartphones- making them ideal for this project. I want the GIF’s to look quite glitchy and distorted to emphasise that the ‘view’ taken on the cards is not compatible or correct. The fact that the male gaze is here looked at according to playing cards, defines it in some ways as a game- something not real, there is always a winner and a loser, there are rules and regulations put in place. In my version there are no suits or rules, which breaks the connection between cards and games. There can be no winners or losers without the rules or structures put in place by playing cards- so everything becomes equal, tranquil and still.

I have previously done a photoshoot where I painted my upper body in gold acrylic paint for a project about self-identity. The gold paint was a representation of how the exterior of a person and how they present themselves is not always true and real. Self-worth is a topic that I have worked around quite a lot and I wanted to bring an element of my interests and background into my FMP- and I thought recreating this Gold shoot again would be a good idea. However in this shoot I only wanted to photograph the hands, as hands are a recurrent theme in my playing cards- besides facial expressions, hands are a body part that can demonstrate or portray emotion very strongly. Originally I was going to have my models hands painted gold and interacting with everyday mundane objects. There was going to be a residue left behind by the hands- showing that her exterior is fake or artificial. Once I painted my model gold, I went to go spray paint some other object but the spray can was broken. I had to change my plan and tried to paint some objects in the gold paint such as flowers- but I was not a huge fan out how they turned out. Overall I am happy with the shoot as it will work well for the illustrative next step- but the outcomes were not how I intended or expected. Regardless the images work well, the gold paint exaggerates the lines and marks in the skin which is amazing for when I come to illustrating.

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I am quite happy with the outcome of this shoot and think it came out quite close to how I envisioned. I found the right artificial sky colour to use as my backdrop, however I wish I created larger clouds to give a more dramatic look overall.  I styled my model in three different looks as I wanted to have enough material to use as my illustration inspiration. The first look was a black velvet co-ord set which looked really nice against the busy background, and grounded the model to the landscape. The second look had a pink theme- the top was a bardot, mesh pink rushed top which is quite on trend and reminds me of a renaissance style. I paired it with light pink snake print jeans to add to the natural imagery and themes. The third look was heavily inspired by both the Kylie Jenner issue for Playboy + Kali Uchis’s music video for Solita- both wore long draping dresses/material that was soaked through to see the shape of the bodies. I put the model in a black mesh dress with embroided flowers and basic black underwear underneath, so it did not take away from the general look. I wet the dress as well as sprayed the model with water so you could see the droplets on her skin running down. I really loved all three looks and thought they all worked well with my concept. I kept the hair and make up base both quite natural as I did not want to overpower the shoot or make it feel too artificial. However the main make up look was inspired by the trend of beading and pearls that I read were coming back on WGSN. I placed a mixture of different sized pearls on the models face, focusing around the nose and cheeks- creative quite a playful and innocent look. The colour of the pearls also complimented the concept of the clouds nicely- I think it all got tied together quite well. I think I have got quite a few good shots to base my illustrations off. I am still considering mixing photography and illustration, but I am not totally confident with the decision yet. I am planning to use these images to illustrate the ‘special’ cards; the King, Queen and Jack, as I want the rest of the cards to be quite close up to the subjects but the more powerful suits to be more full bodied.

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