EGRD3014 INDEPENDENT PRACTICE

3A: ARTICULATION BENJAMIN GARDINER

SKETCHBOOK

All of my work begins in a sketchbook. The classic way to explore ideas. It provides a space to make mistakes, learn and improve work. Approximately 80% of my sketchbook work is never continued but when I’ve felt I’ve hit on something special the page is scanned in and used in my work. Much of my work involves a large amount of image making which begins in a sketchbook similar to the above. The pages that I have selected above have been used for the V&A competition, The Dream Book and a zine put forward for Hand Made and Bound.

PHOTOGRAPHY

The photography chosen here is not an example of my photography skills but as a way of collecting material for other work. Most of my photography gets scanned, photocopied and picked apart to be used as something else. However I think photography has a great importance in the Graphic Design world. Photography helps me to keep my eyes open and being constantly aware of what’s around me, find the beauty and capture it.

TWO INTERNATIONAL POSTER

This poster started life as a collage then after blowing up it gave it a really interesting quality. Picking a heavy paper stock meant the ink sat on the page in a distorted way which gives a new dimension. The words were put together for purely visual reasons. On reflection I would like to create a fold out poster/zine entitled Two International which contains illustration work of mine. This will be useful to send to potential employers as a way of following up contact.

During the creation of the Dream Book, I was greatly enjoying creating work in reaction to information I was given. As a way to keep creativity active, I wanted to create something conceived purly for its visual beauty. I chose one of favorite typefaces, two interesting images and began experimenting. This final product printed on acetate was the most successful. Another good promotional piece.

This poster came out of pure experimentation in a journey of discovery to use minimal elements to build up a layered image. Blowing the image up to a A0 scale creates quite an impact instead of a page in a sketchbook. A chance to see how my work looks in various formats I find a valuable exercise. This also has become the home page image for my website.

FINAL PIECE: DISCOVERY POSTER

FINAL PIECE: DREAM BOOK

This book was born out of picking my dissertation theme of dreams. Many creative people thought out art, film and music have used dreams as inspiration for work. I collected a variety of dream material. A students questionnaire, my own dream diary and also science and religions take on dreams.

WORKSHOPS

The booking binding workshop provided the skills that I need to complete my Dream Book. The ability to bind your own books I am certain will come in very useful in the near future. I would always walk around book fairs envious of the skills of book binding but now I am ready to join them.

I have always had a keen interest in screen printing as some of my favorite graphic artists and designers are master screen printers. Therefore this workshop was one of the most enjoyable of all the learning experiences. I teamed up with Aaron Kitney to make this fractured poster. It gave the chance to take elements from it to use in other work such as the One Rainy Monday Zine (left).

Due to an interest in analogue printing techniques, I was lucky enough to visit the New North Press to create a poster for the ‘Reverting to Type’ exhibition. Below is the line that I entered that I feel represents my approach to how I work.

A self taught learning experience to create Lino cut prints with song lyrics forming the content for the posters. It also provides a very interesting typographic experiment.

The rule with printing is prepare and don’t stop until there is no more ink left. Trying out different amounts of ink, colour and layouts ensures the best result to select from a broad batch of prints.

LINO PRINTS

One of the first workshops that we had allowed me to continue my interest in the photocopier with its unpredictable nature and uncertain results. These provide an amazing aesthetic that can not to reproduced in any other way. I went for a large scale zine to fit with the theme of blowing things up to distort the images beyond recognition. It also allows for layering with various opacities. I then went on to create a more reproducible version of the ‘One Rainy Monday’ zine.

ONE RAINY MONDAY ZINE

Following the zine brief day I really wanted to carry it on further and as a result made this more reproducible version to hand out as self promotional material. I also put the images to bleed to increase the impact of the scale. 10 copies were produced.

RANSACK ZINES

A mutual respect of fellow students work lead to a few of us grouping together under the name ‘Ransack’ to create a zine a week following a one word theme. These three were, Repetition, Anti, Bizarre, Revival and Wet. The team consists of, Ben Ewing, Chris Vickers, Aaron Kitney, Bob Wilson, James Fraser and myself. Total creative freedom. A chance also to see how individual peoples work fits as a collective.

Image on the top right belongs to Aaron Kitney.

A short film which focused on the idea of body language in an interview situation rather than the dialogue. The film was entitled the Rooftop Interview. I enjoyed creating this short film and am always open to new media, however it is not a path I wish to continue for my degree.

FILMS

A brief set to do something that we never done before. Mine was to sit through a horror film, I recorded the event as evidence. This was an interesting project but is not an area that I see myself pursuing. As with The Rooftop Interview it was a lesson in observation (of others or myself).

EVALUATION

This year I feel I have developed my own style in which I am comfortable and happy to work in. I believe that is getting strong enough to appeal to an employer and build a career on. The whole of my university experience I have always known what I liked but all the work that I did would fail to tie together in one coherent style that I could call my own. However now I am glad to admit that has changed following this years work. Its been an exciting time as when work is produced that is pleasing it becomes self sustaining, in turn I wanted to produce new work as I enjoyed what was previously done.It has also been hugely helpful to understand what I dislike or am less interested in as well as were my passions are. The relationship between what I would call analogue or hand produced work and the rise of the digital age is an area of interest for me.

FMP PROPOSAL

When at school we would have to attend a Cathedral service at the start and end of each term. Before my first service as a year 7, I saw a leaflet for the cathedral which was very tame and boring. Then I went to a friends whose father had a giant oil painting of the Cathedral, my views were changed permanently. The painting was awe inspiring, every time from then on when I went to the services I felt the same feeling I did from looking at that painting. The power images hold on expectation and the power they have to alter emotion is of great interest to me.

This is an area that could possibly warrant a final major project, to explore space and representations of it. More thought is needed to clarify if this is a worthy subject or if there is a similar topic that may work better.

Following work produced this year and feeling that I have grown into a style I am comfortable to work in has been the biggest achievement for me. I am however aware of how it is dangerous for the style to come first followed by the content. This is a trap I feel I have fallen into in the past and will ensure that in the FMP the same mistake will not be made.

I am therefore keen to pick a subject matter that is of great interest and to not rush into anything with the risk of regret. At present I am unable to decide on a concrete topic. However I have developed an interest in Architecture and space. How places affect mood, touching slightly on behavioral economics. To capture the feel and heart of area I find fascinating.