Better Late Than Never

(Please take note this was done in the beginning) 

Project Hidden Proposal

The Cold War

After mind mapping potential routes for exploration for this project, I have decided to base my theme around the cold war. The cold war era (1945-1991) was a time full of secrets, spies and hidden conflicts between east (USSR) and the west (USA). I can see a lot of potential paths to explore in this project that could fit into the hidden project brief, the secrecy of spies and the hidden identity and life they had, the hidden gadgets that they had, the secret weapons that each side were developing,  the Berlin wall that divided the two sides and the hidden non direct conflicts that each side manipulated.

My specialist path will be centred around graphics design/ illustration, so I will focus on looking at the design principals related to these areas. I will be working towards understanding these areas better by looking at other artists and identifying there processes, techniques, styles and the messages they are trying to put across.

The reason I have chosen graphics and illustration is because I feel it leaves me more opportunity to explore more variety of techniques and styles both digital and traditional or even a mix of both. Concept art in the form of digital painting is a keen interest of mine and an area I wish to research into, but I don’t want to limit my options, I want to leave the opportunity to experiment with different traditional mediums such as ink, paints and other mediums that may become relevant along this projects journey. 

     

Experiments

This experiment was just about throwing images on to a canvas (like a digital collage) , the images where all found from google images. I placed them in illustrator then changed them using the live trace and paint modes to try and get ideas from it. I like the idea of a divided page, like the divide the Berlin wall was at the time. I placed the black bird image over the line because that was the that air crafts role, to travel across into enemy air space and spy on the Russians. I feel the idea is too safe, I need to push for more original ideas.

This idea was result from researching the post card coded message. can you spot the messages within the text. This idea could have a lot of potential but at the moment it is merely a word search.But that idea of a hidden message either in text or more interestingly in illustration could produce more original results

And finally a more simple approach to the first piece (above) I actually prefer this to the first. I think it shows a clear message of a divide between the two countries. I took the simple design principles from the artist Niko ( the victory of the bay of pigs piece) to try and illustrate a simple clear message, but there isn't anything in this image that spells out that all important theme "Hidden"

Getting It Together

I may have struggled to manage my time with this project but on the bright side I do have a week left so I need to crack on and see if I will crack under pressure or turn this into something special. So what do I need to do?

1. Do further research tomorrow night.

2. Followed by some experiments in as many different mediums as possible.

I have got paint, inktense pencil crayons, pastel crayons, charcoal, markers and all the means to experiment on the computer.  

3. Start thinking about a final piece ( possibly another mind map to help)

4. Keep it simple (I have no time to create something technical)

5. Evaluation ( there is a lot of lessons to learn from this project namely time management).

How I feel

Up to now I feel that this project hasn't flowed well, I new that one project would suffer and unfortunatly it has been this one. I am capable of good things but I feel that I will have to rush to churn out somthing, and that isn't the way I work. All I can do is my best.

Alan Fletcher

Above is a report looking into the work of a well know british graphic designer Alan Fletcher, (This was done before I made the move to start working on my blogg as opposed to a sketchbook) The image below is my own result after looking into the design priciples of the image above. I used a photograph of myself and manipulated it in illustrator, but I tried to emphasise the fact that I was shouting these words.

Hidden Code Postcard

Image found at www.telagraph.co.uk

The image above is believed to be a post card that experts believe contain a hidden code within it.
But it isn't that clear cut the message links to the game of chess. How Im not sure but this is another area of cold war that has potential. I like the sound of illustrating a message that has a hidden message within the image like a sea side postcard, another route to investigate, there is so much potential within the era of the cold war.

Hidden Gadgets

A4.5mm Gun Mounted in the Chuck of a Lipstick

A bomb disguised as rock and the camoflage Paint to make the illustion

A gun concealed in the inside of a glove

A radio transmitter Concealed in the heel of a shoe

A umbrella that shoots poison darts

All the above images have been sourced from
www.businessinsider.com
Wow these objects are amazing, I new that gadgets like this existed but not to this extent, this is real James bonds gadgets.The ideas are really imaginative and the craftsmanship are second to none, all built for one purpose, to keep hidden away from the enemy.This strikes me as a interesting path to follow, imagine trying to create a hidden gadget concept (drawing, the purpose and possibly a mock final product). It could fit into the design principles that underlines this module. I also wonder what the hidden gadgets of today are like, worth taking a look at