tutorial

Tutorial went well, still need to do my introduction, alter my second chapter and make some grammar changes but the essay is good so far.
In terms of practical I have been a bit stuck, I've had fun making imagery and the practical side, but the narrative to go alongside the illustrations in the book is slowing me down slightly. I'm don't know the exact text to write, I'm worried it might be too complicated or boring as there isn't really a story, it's just purely historical.
Teresa suggested that if I am making the book I make the age group 5-8 as they still have books read to them, but the subject might be too complex for them.
She gave me the idea of making one big image rather than a book - similar to the concertinas in colours may vary - where its a collection of relevant imagery to give an overview rather than a strict historical narrative.
Some examples of no brow work:

I imagine it to be quite a big image/map. If it is a map it could have keys areas enlarged like vintage historical maps. 
There could be a band on the boarder with key scenes/moments in history, possibly double sided with facts/timeline on the back.
I like this development, this way it will still be historical and educational, but in a funner, more interesting format - less bogged down in information and complicated narrative, it can be more about the illustrations. And I will still be able to use the imagery I have developed so far so it won't have been a waste of time. 
I could propose other versions of these maps for various histories. 
I am going to try and develop on this idea to see if it will work, how my imagery will fit around the page. I need to have a visit to colours may vary to get an idea of for,at and how the illustrations work together. 

I also need to alter my question to make it less of a 'walkthrough' - have more of a purpose for it. One idea I had was :
'An exploration into the synergy of propaganda and culture during the 'golden twenties' in Soviet Russia, and examining whether it is still relevant in design today'

flags

Part of the narrative will look at WW1, so I made some flags of the keys countries fighting against each other

setting development

For my final illustrations I will be making them digitally (or mostly anyway) but with the handmade textures. So I thought I should transfer some of my sketchbook ideas into photoshop. I developed this setting, which I plan to be the opening page, with Russia unhappy with the rule of Tsar Nicholas.

I made all the different bits using my textures 

This is what I initially came up with, but I the church/cathedral apparently looks like the Taj Mahal rather than St Petersberg. Also I wanted to make the building housing the royals to be intimidating to the peasants housing 

I decided to depict the Winter Palace instead - that way there will be more of a connection when I show it being seized by the soviets. Its block shape looks a bit more scary as well. I made the houses smaller and made more of them to create more of a city. 

I really like this combination of shape, line and texture - think it works well to create layers and depth, while also resonating with aesthetic in the children's books

peer review

My boards:

My feedback was pretty positive:
theme and subject

• children's book is relevant idea, my style is well suited. Work so far with landscapes are figures look good
• possibly reconsider age group, is 9 too young? 
• visual ideas are a great way to inform about this topic, makes it easier to understand
• characters are simple and iconic
• keep playing with scale to suggest authority/social class

appropriateness

• doing a second book may be too ambitious, maybe just propose the front cover and content
• keep exploring characters
• idea of having two books 'rise' and 'fall' works well
• how will you show link between two products? colour palette maybe?

visual development

• contextual references are very relevant
• make a colour palette to stick to, will make work more consistent 
• consider how much text will be on page, relevant to age group
• simple/iconic approach is really strong
• keep experimenting with background, will help keep a common theme/mood throughout

media/format

• textures and background working really well
• where will the text exist? within the illustrations? make sure front cover fits will illustrations
• start including text so I can play around with layout and not rush it at the end - make it more if a combined product

other

• start planning pages asap and what text will go where, can have a more realistic idea of what I am dealing with
• visually everything is consistent 
• if age group is 9-12, maybe include something interactive 
• maybe consider a concertina format if I am working from a timeline
• from visuals so far it doesn't seem like there will be a struggle to put together a coherent book but think about narrative and how I will make key moments stand out
• age group is appropriate, but maybe re-word and simplify text to make it less long winded 
• could maybe add a dialogue to make it interactive?

lenin v stalin

The characters of Lenin and Stalin are really key - I need to be able to make them very recognisable. Here are some tests:

Stalin has a very recognisable big moustache, once he came into power he would often be depicted in military uniform with his achievement badges so he would be seen as superior to the rest. He made sure propaganda after he was in charge was centred around him - thrived on adoration. 

Lenin was more modest; hated being photographed/painted. Dressed in casual, working class attire as he wanted to viewed as one of the people. Often seen wearing or clutching his hat. Had a pointy beard. His image was only really propagandised after his death.

I think these turned out well - definitely recognisable. Not sure which version our of the stencil and paper cut out I prefer, but will develop further. 

figures

Figures are something I struggle a lot with within my work, I usually try and avoid them but they are pretty necessary for this book. So again I looked at the russian children's book illustrations to get a sense of how I could develop the people of russia.

They used simple geometric shapes again, and are quite flat images - which work well with my process of cutting out textures. Some of the characters look like dolls/puppets with the disjointed lines which could be fun to work with.

I started out thinking about imagery for the beginning of the book - where peasants are unhappy with the government, they're starving and there are 4 main classes of people; peasants, workers, nobles and royalty. The peasants took up most of the population though. 
I quite like how these turned out, the most effective are the least detailed ones, where is is just shape and a bit of line work.

I started trying to contrast the peasants with the nobles - I thought colour could be quite a good way to do this; the nobles would be in extravagant, colourful clothing with a rather round figure whereas the peasants would be in black and skinny. 

I've also taken some inspiration from illustrator Roman Muradov. I love his figure work! Its so simple yet really give a sense of character with his little additions of detail - like the glasses and scarf. Also the contrast of block colour against the texture works so well. His shapes are so playful and interesting compared to standard, realistic figure work, I find. 

practical development

I had fallen behind a lot with practical, but after I changed my direction I got more into my sketchbook work,  just playing around with shapes and textures. I initially started working out imagery for the setting - looking at key buildings in St Petersburg.

I'm pleased with how these worked out, I think the darkness of the cathedral in the background adds a sense of depth as well as an ominous presence. This setting would be for the beginning of the book, when Russia is still under the rule of the Tsar - royalty is the powerful force repressing the russian people. I think this is illustrated by the atmosphere surrounding the royal structure compared to the small, peasants housing. The simple, wonky shapes works well I think, makes it playful and reminds of the style of the Russian children's books

I took the book 'Inside the Rainbow' out of the library which is full of beautiful illustrations from 1920s-30s Russia, there are lots of geometric, constructivist style shapes but they have been made appealing to children by the use of textures and characters. Here's a few which inspired me for the setting of my book:

I love the simple use of shapes for the buildings, ail definitely develop on that aesthetic. Also there is one example of a concertina style book which might work quite well for my narrative as it is based on a timeline of events. I thought about maybe adding a map to the book, like the one in these examples, it could help give more of a understanding about which countered were fighting against who, and kids love maps. 

the stenburg brothers

Fred also let me have a look at one of his books, one about the Stenburg brothers - a pair of creatives during the Russian Revolution who collaborated on pads of film posters, as well as other creative areas. The film posters where highly innovative and revolutionary in terms of design. 
I love their use of photomontage within the posters, especially when paired with the dynamic angles. There is a running theme of 'the machine' throughout the designs - just little bits of man made structures and machines which highlights the constructivist's love of the industrial structure. I think it will be important to have an underlying sense of the machine somewhere within my book illustrations. Colour palette is really important as well - in their poster designs the palette is usually limited to about three colours often backed with a dense black to make the design really stand out. The colour palette is something I need to consider and keep consistent throughout the designs. 

russian children's book

Teresa let me have a look at an old russian children's book she has, it was published in 1990; so quite a while after the revolution, but the illustrations still have elements of constructivism within them with the outlines of geometric shapes in the sky. Also the massive figures link back to the glorification of the soviet leaders, almost like gods - more so when Stalin came into power. But there are appearances of Lenin within the book which is interesting, as it is so long after he was in power. The book is completely in Russian so I have no idea what the story is or how Lenin fits in at all, but it was interesting to look at with beautiful illustrations. 

new brief

overarching theme: children's book

specific subject: history of the russian revolution

research question: 
an examination of the success of visual propaganda used during the period of the Russian Revolution and how it infiltrated the culture of the time

products: 
- a book illustrating the 'rise and fall of communism' in Russia, from just before the revolution to the end of communism in Russia. It will be for older children, 9-12. 
The book might have an activity section where children can answer questions, do crosswords etc. related to the subject

proposed outcomes: 
- a more expanded book looking at all of Russia's history or looking at history during that period but in other parts of the world
- promotional material; posters, stickers

media processes
- collage, made from textures and shapes
- photomontage
- digital print

action 1
figure out clear story/narrative for book

action 2
go to book shops and look in non-fiction children section/colours-may-vary for research about the type of length/language/narrative of their educational books for children. And the types of books for different age groups 

action 3
start developing imagery for key moments in history, work out the aesthetic 

peer review

We had to write a summary of what we wanted to produce; my theme and subject was propaganda and sustainability, I want to produce a set of 10 screen-prints with the aesthetic of the Russian revolution propaganda posters, which encourage people to live sustainably and possibly a zine alongside with extra information about eco-friendly living. 

The general feedback I got was that going with the Russian revolution aesthetic was a good idea, screen-print could work well but all the texture I have been working with would be lost, unsure whether posters about sustainability could be considered propaganda so be careful to not just create a political campaign for the green party, I also need to be clear on who my audience is. 
It was useful feedback, but it became clear in a chat at the end of the session that poster art isn't really what I'm interested in, and it seemed like I was going in that direction because it seemed the most relevant rather than something I was passionate about. 
So I had a talk with Fred about where I could go, he liked my earlier illustrations where I was depicting key moments in the Russia revolution timeline, and the fact that my interest in this subject lies more with how the propaganda aesthetic filtered into the culture, especially children's books, suggested maybe I should be trying to illustrate the timeline of the Russian revolution in an educational book for children. 

This idea is much more up my street, I wanted to go down a narrative route initially but was worried it might be illustrating my essay, but putting it into the context of education for children, it gives it a purpose. He suggested:
- look at cutting edge children's books at the moment e.g. Flying Eye Books
one especially relevant would be 'Professor Astro-cat's frontiers of space' illustrated by Ben Newman
http://flyingeyebooks.com/shop/professor-astro-cats-frontiers-of-space/? which depicts the complex ideas of space and astronomy clearly and with beautiful illustrations
- go to books shops and look at the children's non-fiction section for help on language, characters etc. 
- I could expand the content to look at Russia's history from the revolution to now, under Putin. Or possibly have multiple books looking at various histories during that time period
- the Russian revolution isn't something often taught to children, so I would be challenging what kid's books should contain, I should try and comment on indoctrination within the book

green patriot

Looking at current issues for my practical is a good direction to go in, I looked up poster art to do with environmental issues and found these posters about sustainability.

I've found environmental posters to be quite dull a lot of the time and contain too much information, but these are bold and to the point. Sustainability could be an interesting topic to deal with, it isn't political but it is a new way of living, a different lifestyle that is conceived as better for the people as well as the planet. I thought I could create a series of Russian propaganda style posters that push for sustainable living - as with the revolution the communists felt their new political regime, which would involve a different lifestyle to one they were used to, would be better for the people. 

I could use similar imagery to that used in the Russian revolution posters (fists, industrial structures, crowds of people) but push ideas of sustainable living, and use language which appeals to the viewers sense of guilt. 

I found these Russian posters to use as a reference to start coming up with ideas:

These were rough visual ideas for promoting gardening and illustrating how CO2 emissions from factories are reducing plant life. I like the boldness of the imagery and it is a good starting point, but I haven't done much poster design so it might be a bit ambitious setting myself a task of creating a set of big propaganda posters promoting sustainability, but I have a peer crit tomorrow so will get some feedback on my ideas then.