Visual Research

Visual Research

Image | | Sophie Barnard Leary

I was really inspired by Hannah Waldron’s talk as she reminded me how much I love textiles and jewellery as sources of inspiration. She said you should always research what you love. I amassed lots off cuts of fabric to draw inspiration from. I love anything to do with the decorative. I wanted to explore jewellery design aswell. Why do we adorn ourselves with it?  On my way to work I always walked by this antique jewellers and would dream of the pieces I would buy. I want my work to have the quality of precious materials. The power of shiny, brilliant things that makes it impossible not to stare. To work like a jeweller without the costly materials. I remember when I went to a talk with a 3D digital artist and he said to always look at different disciplines to inform your work.

Collecting imagery – these pictures were taken at a cafe with a plastic gingham table cloth. It’s important to draw inspiration from everything around you. Everything is usable.

 

The 1940s and 50s were a great year for gingham. That homely feel.

Gathering visual research and colour palettes.

                             

Drawing from life

Collage experiments with gingham wrapping paper. I like how the collaged gingham creates a relief effect. I need to scan these in and manipulate it further in photoshop.

I had to try manipulating gingham digitally. I like to make my own brushes and textures when I start a project so I don’t stick to the same thing. To vary the materials I use.

I created this gingham jelly brush in 3D – it has a very glossy texture reminiscent of jewellery.

Making pearl brushes and silver beaded brushes. These look great and would work as a font.

Water pattern superimposed into graphic shapes.

Trying out the 3D workspace in photoshop. Made the drawings straight in photoshop. The lighting tool is pretty amazing – helps you to understand where shadow falls on 3D objects.

Visit to the V&A to collect imagery. I loved the beaded bags and mother of pearl inlaid tortoiseshell boxes. The jewellery room I always go back too for inspiration. Would be interesting to see how I can recreate these effects in photoshop and make them into brushes. A pearl brush, beaded brush and a see through jello brush would be interesting to create.

 

Nudie Cohn and the transformative power of rhinestones. He adored country western music and wanted to make show costumes. He ended up becoming one of the most sought after designers of show wear. The costumes had a power that absolutely transformed the musicians into larger than life characters. They dripped with attitude and style. He was on the outer edge of taste and style, the bad boy of the fashion community. The embroidery on them was inspired by traditional polish folk dress. What do me and Nudie Cohn have in common? We both love rhinestones and want to work with musicians.

I love the use of outlines in Rhinestones on Nudie Cohns suits. The bling factor. I love heavily beaded fabric and textures. How can I incorporate this into my visual language in an innovative way?

Old style American country films like Annie get your gun popularised country western style of dress. In the above images we can see the use of rhinestones and sequins in the casts costumes. I just love anything that has that has a highly theatrical feel. I would like to incorporate this into my visual language. I will need to experiment with making different brushes in photoshop to achieve these brilliant effects.

Films like Philadelphia Story started a trend for gingham dresses that carries on throughout the 40s. Gilbert Adrian was a costume designer who was very prolific in Hollywood and designed costumes for the above movies.

 

Colourful pop cow print ideas. Rhinestone cow print?

I experimented in photoshop with to try and come up with something that could be used like a rhinestone trim. This is the result which I am quite happy with.

 

Photos I found from a trip I took to India a few years ago. I think its always important to look back at trips and reminisce . You may see new things that will spark new ideas. I visited City Palace in Udaipur, known as the city of lakes. Rooms were enamelled with representations of the gods. Each piece is made with mirror and enamelled glass and inlaid into a panel on the wall. Glass inlay panels were also used in the classic Bollywood movie Mughal-e-Azam (1960) – one of the most lavishly decorated set designs of the Bollywood genre. I love this technique – I thought it would be interesting to try this out with collaged photographs. How can I achieve a similar effect using different materials and processes?

 

 

Love this set! I found a tutorial on YouTube on how to make a glossy tinted brush. It reminds me of jewellery. I think I have been able to synthesise the different elements of my initial visual research. I just need to keep experimenting with these techniques. The blending of the hand drawn and the digital processes.

Pearl brush experiments to make different decorative reliefs. The block shapes of colour contrasted with the glossy matte pearl brush is a visual delight. This is definitely one of my favourite brushes I created.

I scanned in collaged sections of gingham wrapping paper and manipulated them in phtoshop using the warp tool. I love this tool in photoshop as it allows you to really experiment with new visual approaches to your work.

 

 

In the 1920s Art Deco period, the jewellery house Cartier, made incredible Vanity Cases with imagery made completely out of precious stones and mother of pearl. They were replicating chinoiserie in lacquer and had stone. I would love to use the same technique with collaged imagery and brush effects to make it look like my drawings are made of precious metals. To work with the intricacy of a jeweller using digital methods.

Art Deco had a lexicon all its own, and was truly revolutionary: the colours, designs, motifs and materials used were all so inventive and avant-garde. These were happily matched by an extraordinary level of craftsmanship and skill, which jewellers have struggled to replicate since.

Vladimir Makowsky, a Russian emigré artist living in Paris in the 1920s whose signature was inlaid lacquer and gemstone work. He worked for several of the high jewellery houses during this same period, such was the demand and level of specialist craftsmanship required for this work.

Trying to replicate some of the ideas I looked at with the vintage Cartier jewellery. I discovered I could wrap my own patterns onto 3D shapes which is just heaven. A quick and easy way to make your 2D ideas come alive in 3D.

 

Mythological designs are an expression of the pagan ideals of the new age.

Enamel + Pearl

Jewellery – Their durability is able to escape the ravages of time. Precious stones in jewellery are said to have magical properties. In the time of the Renaissance jewellery was used to adorn rituals and magic making ceremonies. Jewels as adornment were worn as a protection from the dangers of life or as a mark of status and rank. Maybe that is why I have an obsession with collecting jewellery. They have a magical quality that has stood their time throughout the ages. Interestingly it has only been since the middle of the nineteenth century that jewels have become objects for the collector, destined to end their days in the glass cases of museums.

During the reign of Louis XV there was a taste for precious stones with a pale hue, such as pink and pale yellow diamonds. During the Renaissance Botticelli trained as a jeweller. Leonardo Da Vinci was also known as gem expert, and was often invited to the Moro court as a consultant in the purchase of expensive precious items. Da Vinci also devoted himself to research, in the attempt to create artificial stones. He succeeded in creating synthetic pearls. The testimonies of the time also mention the fact that Leonardo da Vinci managed an academy: “a fruitful seminar of absolute perfect creators… in carving crystals, gems, ivory, iron and in the casting arts of gold, silver, bronze”, says Giovanni Ambrogio Mazenta. Leonardo da Vinci’s school and his incredible legacy in the art of jewellery were passed on and reproduced, influencing the fashion of Italian and European courts.

My own collection of costume jewellery. Pieces like the 1940s choker and the beaded 70s earrings are some of my favourites. What elements can I take from the things I surround myself with/ the things I like to adorn myself with.

Digital Da Vinci!

 

Beaded brush experiments

Donwloaded a gold leaf brush and combined it with jelly brush. Interesting texture.

Love the organic, sensual forms of the Rococo period.

     

Collecting visual research of elements of Renaissance jewellery. The allegory of love symbolised by Cupid. Then I made my own jewellery designs using my own motifs. An idea came to me whilst doing these sketches – jewellery that carries the ocean. To tell a story through the things we choose to adorn ourselves with.

More digital experiments using Rococo inspired motifs.

A fun little edit making 3D objects with my designs printed on top. It was great to experiment with the use of perspective and lighting tools in the 3D workspace.

 

Successful collages using all the different brushes and textures I have created over the past few weeks. The aim is to work like a jeweller but using Digital programmes and pencils as my tools. I want my work to have the quality of jewellery. I need to keep experimenting with this way of working to see what new visual connections I can make.

Perspective drawing

| Sophie Barnard Leary

Brushing up on my perspective drawing. Perspective drawing isn’t taught anymore at school – I found an old book from the 70s in the library used for A level students. Really in depth and brilliant exercise. Its so important to keep improving your technical skills. The book also has a section on shading 3D shapes.

  

Experiments + Artist research

| Sophie Barnard Leary

Pierre et Giles

 

Early works from Gilles whilst he was at art school and before he met Pierre. It was great I stumbled across these – its great to see an artists early works and understand how they have refined their vision and techniques. His love of the excessive is apparent in these paintings. The repeated painted dots and patterns are showcased in his later works with Gilles.

Images from Mikado’s A la fenetre and Naufrage en hiver. You can see throughout the video the careful planning of the shots and sequences they repeated for the chorus. I realise now why I struggled with storyboarding in past projects as I wasn’t studying enough music videos. How are they doing transitions, how are the shots framed, what techniques are they using. How are they telling the story?

 

They worked heavily with musicians and singers throughout the 80s and 90s. Making videos for the likes of Dee lite, Khaled and Nina Hagen. Their dream like style lending itself beautifully to music videos – building extravagant sets and luxurious looking costumes and accessories. The characters in the pictures look ethereal. I would love my work to have this quality.

Stills from Mikado’s music video La fille du Soleil. Lavish use of props and fountain which I love.

Use some of the techniques/transitions/effects used in their music videos for my animation!

 

Music Video for Mark Almond’s – A lover Spurned. Very camp. 10 costume changes. Transition – Rotating backdrop and then same texture superimposed onto the image as a cool way to make a transition between scenes.

Surrealist imagery – use of scale and masking techniques to place the female singer inside the glass of champagne. Lunettes Noires by LNA – Rapid moving backdrop with the singer placed within the frame. Diamanté twinkle effect around the border. I love this aesthetic – will draw inspiration from this.

The cut out of a flower rotates and grows – this is a great idea for a transition. Will be interesting to experiment with this.

   

“Labour of Love”. Pierre et Giles Photo paintings overflow with beauty and camp passion. The composition are reminiscent of renaissance paintings, staged deliberately in an exaggerated way. Colour is refined but over the top. They work as a team – Pierre takes the photographs and Gilles paints over them. The idea is sketched out. Gilles sources the elements to make the set. Pierre photographs the models. The photograph is printed and Gilles paints over the top. Drawing inspiration from the helycon days of retouching photographs in the 19th century.

The imagery is reminiscent of soft porn pin ups with their own twist. The erotization of the body. The portraits tell a story of lust, the cult of celebrity and make the viewer enter into a whimsical dreamlike state. I want my work to have this quality – to be alluring in its erotic power but also have a strong message.

 

The cover of LaChapelle Land designed by the Japanese artist Tadanori Yoko.

I love this cover – what immediately strikes me is the collaged combination of photocopied figures, block colour and drawings.

SEXINESS WITH HUMOUR. Surrealism bordering on the nightmare.

“Once we were playing kickball in the apartment complex when this woman came downstairs with this giant hair-do, halter top, hot pants, cork platform wedgies and started smashing her husband’s new Lincoln with a hammer. Seeing her on all fours, screaming, crawling on that car and bashing it, with that outfit, that hair, those fingernails… well, it was a little bit of heaven.”

A scene David LaChapelle never forgot. His love for outrageous dramatic scenes started at a young age and never stopped. Renaissance sculptures were also fans of the dramatic pose. He moved to NYC in the late 70s and was a regular at studio 54. Gucci and Fiorucci pop imagery for their advertsiements were a big influence. Andy Warhol’s magazine Interview was first magazine to publish his work. Models were made to do the wildest things but they always had to look beautiful. Exhibitionists make the best models according to LaChapelle. His pictures remind me of film stills – their narrative quality is so strong. He wanted to subvert the good taste, the good life often portrayed in fashion and advertising photography. “I want to see what’s cut out, I want to feature those things.” He likes celebrating the artificial. More expression can come out when the subject is interacting with their environment or a situation they are put in. This is great advice for when it comes to me directing my shoots.

Nude photoshoot I did with cling film. I wanted to manipulate the photographs to make them look like the sea.

  Experimenting with making body into waves.

  

    Knee patterns – these were really successful.

 

   

Research into animation techniques used by Terry Gilliam. Gilliam was really inspired by Tex Avery Cartoons. Its important to look into artists that inspired your favourite artists. Inspiration finds you at work.

Turning my knees into a spinal cord.

  

Erotica Shoot to be able to have a lot of bodies in different poses and positions to use as collage material.

  

Scorpion girl guarding the gates of bad taste.

I found this but couldn’t find the artist who made them. I like the weird.

  

My favourite advert of all time. The Babycham adverts from the 1960s! Very experimental – blending of green screened real life actors and

 

Icarus at the tanning salon.

In Greek mythology, Icarus is the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, the creator of the Labyrinth. Icarus and his father attempt to escape from Crete by means of wings that his father constructed from feathers and wax. But then he gets too close to the sun and his wings melt.  My own version of Icarus and why you really shouldn’t use tanning beds. Baby that shit burns your beautiful skin.

The landscape of the body. The body is a landscape. Icarus is very burnt now. Looks ravishing in neon pink. This led me to meat. I must draw some pork chops.

 

Big fan of the creative director Maurizzio Cattelan and his work for Toiltepaper magazine. The love of the surreal, the grotesque, the painful, the erotic. His imagery causes strong emotions. The cake is the same pattern as the tablecloth and the arm is painted also. Food is used a lot in the editiorials.

 

The landscape of the body. The body is a landscape. Icarus is very burnt now. Looks ravishing in neon pink. This led me to meat. I must draw some pork chops. My pen was running out and the effect is cool.

The Stamp tool in photoshop is the best. Helps you to repeat certain areas of a drawing you like. Then I can save the texture as a preset and use again when I like. Honestly photoshop is my crack. Every day I’m learning to use new tools and techniques that are propelling my work into new directions. Its a joy to use. I use it every day without fail.

Blue Pork Chop mountains.

Pork chop pattern turned into marble.

The body turned into mountains. Hips for days. I mean who wouldn’t want to climb that. Life is short – make the most of your assets in your work.

  

Love this concept – combining photography with blue pork marble pattern. These experiments taught me to always follow a thread – however random it may seem. What if? is essential to experimentation.

By the pool series. We are made of 60% water. Was inspired to make these after reading narcissus – a girl stares at her own reflection in the swimming pool. She is the water and the ocean.

 

By the pool series. We are made of 60% water. Was inspired to make these after reading narcissus – a girl stares at her own reflection in the swimming pool. She is the water and the ocean.

Tit fountain

Experimenting with different blend modes in photoshop. I love the ghostly outline of the bodies.

 

Decided to try this out using screen printing.

Learnt how to separate the colours into channels. The technician was a dream to work with. He taught me so much in just one session.

  

Very successful screen prints using Light blue base, overlayed with red and then dark blue for the body. This image lends itself well to screen printing as I was able to use clean blocks of colour to build up the shading.

Self portraits in an aquarium. Getting better at using the pen tool – its better than the magic wand tool for cutting out shapes. Allows for very clean lines.

Interesting wave textures I made using a 3D brush in photoshop. Inspired by the self portrait in aquarium. This would look good animated!