For this week’s work I will be researching three artists and then creating the front page of a book cover, copying their style.
Vaughan Oliver
Vaughan Oliver found a love for Graphic Design through music. He studied graphic design at Newcastle upon Tyne Polytechnic and that was when he decided to take it seriously. He uses script fonts and his main go to software is photoshop. He also uses Photography within his work.
Looking at his work, Oliver changes the colours in the images, adds some noise filters in some of his work and distorts images.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaughan_Oliver
I did some experiments trying to replicate his style.
With my first experiment I played around with exposure and colour balance, mimicking his bright red Pixies piece.
For my second experiment I messed around with the smudge tool as well as script fonts. I cut out my dog first with the polygon tool then used the smudge tool to distort her. Once I’d done that I distorted the background too and used the colour balance adjustment to change the colour. Afterwards, I looked at different script fonts until I found one that I felt looked most similar to Oliver’s style. I added a linear dodge filter to the text and loved the effect it had.
For my final experiment, I used both of the methods from my first two experiments and then added a noise filter on top of the image, I feel much more comfortable with his style after experimenting with these methods.
After doing some further research in Vaughan’s work, I tried using more filters over the top of the picture as well as using a halftone brush as a top layer.
Peter Grundy
Peter Grundy is a graphic designer and illustrator who redefined graphic design into what is now known as infographics.
He uses no frames in his work (black outlines) and plays around with scale and colour so there can be a more dominant object in his work.
To experiment with Grundy’s style, I went to illustrator where I copied one of his pieces and see how he might work. I enjoyed exploring the different colours that he uses as well as how he combines shapes together to make art.
His work that I recreated:
Overall, when I make the cover I need to make the colours much bolder and align the shapes together better.
El Lissitzky
El Lissitzky was a Russian Soviet artist. He was a painter, illustrator, graphic designer, printmaker and photographer. In his work he uses Sans Serif fonts and his main designs use red, an off white and black, very commonly seen in Soviet Russia. He frees type from horizontal justice and works in diagonals.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Lissitzky
To experiment with El Lissizky’s work, I also recreated one of his pieces. I learned how to use shapes more than anything and how even the most random placements can separate and standout as it’s own subject.
The Books
The three books that we have to create covers for are:
Trainspotting, Wuthering Heights and The Wind in the Willows.
Trainspotting
The novel is a series of interconnected stories focusing on a group of friends, particularly Mark Renton, as they deal with their heroin addiction. Their lives are marked by theft, violence, attempted withdrawals, and a constant cycle of relapse. Key events include the death of a baby from neglect, the contraction of HIV by several characters, and a final, desperate attempt to escape their lives.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trainspotting_(novel)#:~:text=Trainspotting%20is%20the%20first%20novel,disused%20Leith%20Central%20railway%20station.
Previous Book Covers
Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights is a passionate and violent story of obsessive love and revenge between Catherine Earnshaw and Heathcliff, a foundling adopted by her father.After being humiliated by Catherine’s brother and believing his love is unrequited, Heathcliff leaves and returns years later to exact a terrible revenge on everyone who wronged him. The novel is a masterpiece known for its complex structure, evocative moorland setting, and intense, unsettling power.
Previous Book Covers
The Wind in the Willows is a children’s novel by Kenneth Grahame about the friendship of four animal friends: Mole, Ratty, Toad, and Badger. The story follows their adventures, primarily centering on Mole and Ratty’s explorations of the riverbank, and their attempts to handle the wealthy and impulsive Toad’s obsession with motorcars.Key plot points include Toad’s repeated motorcar accidents, his subsequent imprisonment, escape, and the eventual help his friends provide in reclaiming his home, Toad Hall, from the weasels.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-Wind-in-the-Willows
Previous Book Covers
Thumbnails
Before I made them fully I curated a selection of thumbnails for ideas.
Wuthering Heights Cover
For Wuthering Heights, I chose to make the cover inspired by El Lizzitzy. I started by drawing some thumbnails of ideas and then developing my favourite ones, moving the type around to a position I like. I then went to illustrator and used shapes and type to make the cover.
Trainspotting Book Cover
For this book cover I wanted to keep it simple. I made a skull in Illustrator then played around with the positioning of it. In the end I settled with it being on the side and having the text centred next to it.
The Wind in The Willows Book Cover
For this cover, I mainly experimented with the colours and textures that I could pull out. I tried different layer modes like multiply and colour burn but settled on colour burn for most things. I applied a full halftone above everything and set it to colour burn so it really brought out the textures. Finally, I added some airbrush effects to add texture, also setting it to colour burn so it didn’t take away the animals behind it.
