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[houseofcards-byernfairy]

FINAL CONCEPT

*EDIT* When starting to research this brief and my ideas, I split them into two different concepts. One, looking at items involved in the Wiccan culture - such as crystals and tarot. Two, looking at representation of witches in mainstream media - mostly film and tv. 

I decided to combine both my ideas into one complete concept as I feel like I was limiting myself by only thinking about one idea at a time. I started to think this because I was liking the prints I had created for my first idea and didn’t want to lose out of work I wanted to include in my finals - which would have happened if I had just went with my second idea.

[houseofcards-byernfairy]

EVALUATION

*EDIT* For our class brief, 'House of Cards' we were to use our imagination and personal style to create our own deck of cards. Showing representation of each suit, the card design and the box cover.

At the start of this brief, I was really excited. I am a keen card player and thought this was a really fun and interesting project. I wanted my cards to not only be functional, but show my inspiration and style in them. I have previously looked at the topic of Witchcraft and wanted to use it for this brief as I felt personally interested in it and thought combining with this idea would work very well.

My biggest issue in this project has been me. I've been unmotivated at home, I've been stuck in my head or stuck on one idea that I wasted my time on. If I could start over, I would've approached this differently. I would’ve simplified my topic down - I would’ve focused on film or culture and not tried to included everything. I would've organised my time better and I would've spoke to my lecturers and class earlier to discuss ideas sooner. The best thing I've done this project was my prints. I’m proud of the work I was able to create considering my poor start to this brief. I think once I had spoken out and got a new mindset, my motivation started to come back and the only issues I had then were the resources I had at home and the deadline.

I'm very happy with my prints and my digital mock ups. I think they successfully show my style, what I was wanted to create and what I think my lecturers are looking for in this project. My weakness is that I think they could be better. I think with more time and better planning on my part, I could confidently say I have completed the brief to the best of my ability.

[houseofcards-byernfairy]

FINAL CARD DESIGNS

These are my final designs for my deck of cards - with a representative of each suit, the chosen design for the backing and my box design. I’m really happy with these cards. I had a lot of issues and personal struggles with this brief and I’m just glad I was able to end with art that I wanted to create. 

[houseofcards-byernfairy]

BOX DESIGN

I realised I wouldn’t be able to make a physical version of the box due to my deadline so I decided just to keep it digital. 

I wanted to use some of the blended images I had made previously because I wanted the box and the back of the cards to pair well together. I used my first image (without the Spirit print) as the front of the box because I wanted to add text and thought it would make it easier to read. I used the same front for the face cards because I wanted them to all tie in together. For the top and sides of the box, I distorted some of the other designs and cropped them down to fit. I decided to keep the back of the box simple with the same design I plan to use as the backs of my cards because I felt like if I started to add too much, it would look too busy and messy. 

The one thing I wish I had done was more experimentation. I do really like how they have turned out but I feel like I haven’t created the best because these were my first attempt.

[houseofcards-byernfairy]

BACK OF CARDS

I was really annoyed when my prints of the Elements symbols didn't work on my face cards so I decided to blend them together to create a design for the back of my cards.

Image 1 - Blended together using Multiply mode. I changed the hues so that they would match the suit colours but I was missing the grunginess/dark feel I was wanting.

I realised I had missed a print of the Spirit symbol I had done so I included it into my recent mock ups.

Image 2 - Blended using Multiply mode. I changed the Spirit print to grayscale so that I could get the grunginess/dark feel that I was missing before and it worked so well. I love the pops of colour through the texture. The only thing that’s bugging me is the harsh square where the black stops. I think it’s a little distracting but I’m still really happy with how this turned out.

Image 3 - Blended using Screen mode. I started to play around with the different modes on Procreate and just wanted to have different various of this piece for inspiration. I liked this but I don’t think I’ll be using it as it’s a little too bright for what I’m wanting.

Image 4 - Blended using Overlay mode. This is my favourite so far. I love how vibrant the colour is but with the grunginess coming through in the texture. The harsh line is still there but I think it works better in this because of the contrast against the white.  

Image 5 - Blended using Vivid Light mode. I think this is really cool - if I wasn’t working with a rectangle shape and could crop this into a square, I’d probably use this in my finals. The black on top looks a little muddy and gives the overall result an eerie feel. 

Image 6 - Blended using Difference mode. I’m unsure how I feel about this piece. I think it’s super colourful and would work really well as a background for something. The pops of colour and the different shapes almost make me think it looks like a collage but I think it’s a little busy for my playing cards right now.

Image 7 - Blended using Subtract mode. I like how this turned out. The darkness is what I’ve been wanting to create and I think it works well in contrast to the purple and green. However, I lose some of the texture that I’ve had previously and I feel like it wouldn’t pair well with my cards.

[houseofcards-byernfairy]

CARD MOCK UPS

I continued to digitally work on the other suits.

Image 1 and 2 - Two of Air. I wish I had taken a step back from my work and realised I had already made mock ups using the 2 card but I just kept working and made mock ups using my Nancy prints. I do really like how these turned out. I think they look a little more neat and polished than my other cards do but I don’t think that benefits my idea and I feel a little bored and that they are a little simple.

Image 3 and 4 - Four of Air. I really like the layout of the repeated images - I liked playing with the different scale of them but I feel that the background is too busy. I tried to create another example with the plain background and I prefer it. I like having the images flipped and scaled differently so it doesn’t look too repeated. This is my favourite mock up so far.

Image 5 - Three of Water. I don’t like how this turned out, I think the images look too randomly placed and the overall look is a bit dull. 

Image 6 - Three of Water. This is one of my favourites so far. I think it looks creepy with the stacked images and the background draws you in. 

Image 7 and 8 - Five of Water. I don’t think this image worked well repeated five times. It’s too busy and if I was to do it again, I would possibly try and repeat the suit symbol or try and blend the images together. 

[houseofcards-byernfairy]

CARD MOCK UPS

Although my original idea was to show the face cards of each suit, I decided I wanted to play around with the composition of the cards.

Image 1 and 2 - Two of Earth. I wanted to mimic a normal deck of playing cards for this idea - if you had a two of hearts, there would be two hearts on the card. I felt like keeping each Witch as a representative of a certain suit and so, I repeated the images twice. My first mock up felt a little too busy - I like the different scales of the image but the background made it a little hard to make out the card suit/number in the corners. For my second mock up, I went back to using the plain background and decided I wanted to keep playing with scale. I zoomed them in and tried to make them mirror each other. I really like this - I think it’s strong as a print itself and I think it’s a fun twist on a playing card.

Image 3 and 4 - Four of Earth. I feel these two cards are a little busy and there’s a lot going on but I don’t hate them. I like how the mirroring of the images looks and it just helps me to keep in mind to experiment with composition. 

Image 5 and 6 - Two of Fire. I really like the creative background in this mock up - I think it draws your eye to the card and it works well with the shape of the image. For the plain background, I scaled up the images again but I think it’s too similar to the other mock up and I don’t find it as interesting. 

Image 7 and 8 - Three of Fire. I really like the mock up with the creative background, I think the layout of the repeated images flows with the background well and I think it’s easy to make out while still being different. 

[houseofcards-byernfairy]

CARD MOCK UPS

*EDIT* After scanning my prints, I wanted to do a digital mock up of what the cards could look like. I tried to use my prints of the elements as the card suits but it was hard to make out when scaled down so I drew them smaller and mimicked the American Horror Story font and used that to label the cards.

Image 1 and 2 - Ace of Earth. My original idea was to just keep the backgrounds plain and cut the print out so that the edges feathered, but after doing that I thought it looked quite boring. I decided to edit the prints I wasn't using with the Liquify tool to create a more interesting background which I think looks so much better. I think the vibrant green against the image just makes it pop.

Image 3 and 4 - King of Fire. I edited these images into a purple hue because I didn't want to use black for two of my suits and thought purple would work well against the green. I think the plain background actually looks better with this image - I think it could be because of the overall shape of the image and the feathered border around it. I still wanted to create another background as I was really happy with how it turned out before and I think it looks just as good in the purple colour.

Image 5 and 6 - Queen of Air. I changed these images to be purple as well as the green prints I did of this image wasn't my favourite. Again, I think the plain background looks good with this image but it's just a bit simple. These images are my favourite of the mock ups so far. I think they benefit really well from the colour change and the background itself, is really fun and interesting.

Image 7 and 8 - Jack of Water. I kept the green colour for these prints as I think they were the best out of my Willow prints and it kept the card suit separated into two colours. I find the plain background too simple again for this image and prefer the background, but I don't find it works as cohesive as my other mock ups have looked.

[houseofcards-byernfairy]

LINO PRINTING

To pass this brief, we need to show a representation for each suit and I've already done the prints for my face cards, I thought for my final print to be for the Ace card. I chose Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch. As before, I just did the continuous line drawing digitally using Procreate.

Image 1 - Reference image.

Image 2 - Continuous line drawing. I tried to keep the drawing in the same style as my Nancy Lino - by keeping the lines a little more minimal.

Image 3 - Wanda print with black ink on white paper. My first print came out too faded. I like how the image came out but I knew I needed to add more ink and more pressure.

Image 4 - Wanda print with black ink on white paper. This is my favourite print so far - I feel like the ink/pressure could have been more even but I'm happy with the texture and the lines.

Image 5 and 6 - Wanda print with black ink on green paper. I had the same issue as before, I think these prints would have benefitted from using a printer press but I'm happy with the end result.

These are my favourite prints I've done for this brief. I think the more minimal line drawing works really well for Lino printing and I wish I had printed more editions of this image to experiment with.

[houseofcards-byernfairy]

LINO PRINTING

*EDIT* After my Willow and Nancy prints, I wanted to print another person so I could use three different images as my card faces (King, Queen, Jack) I chose Melissa Joan Hart as Sabrina in 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch.' As before, I just did the continuous line drawing digitally using Procreate.

Image 1 - Reference image.

Image 2 - Continuous line drawing. This was the hardest image to draw, I think because of both the pose and the additional of the cat.

Image 3 - Lino block. Like I said before, this image was the hardest to draw and so, was difficult to cut into Lino. I wanted to do it in the same style as my Nancy Lino.

Image 4, 5, and 6 - Sabrina print with black ink on white paper. I struggled with creating the pressure evenly onto the prints - my first print didn't take well on the bottom of the photo which frustrated. So I applied more ink and tried to print again but I used too much and lost all the detail in it. Then the last print was too faded. I think the best one was my first print but I still wasn't 100% happy with the outcome.

Image 7, 8 and 9 - Sabrina print with black ink on green paper. I prefer these prints to the white paper. I think my best one is my first green paper print - it has a good mix of detail and some texture.

Out of all of my Lino prints so far, these were my least favourite. I think the biggest issue was the original drawing I was using, if I was to do this again I would have used a different photo.

[houseofcards-byernfairy]

LINO PRINTING

*EDIT* After my Willow prints went well, I started to think about who else to use for the face of my cards. I decided to use this photo of Fairuza Balk as Nancy in 'The Craft' as it was one of the first films I saw regarding witches. Thanks to one of my friends from my old class, I was able to get some more pieces of Lino. As before, I just did the continuous line drawing digitally using Procreate.

Image 1 - Reference image.

Image 2 - Continuous line drawing.

Image 3 - Lino block. It was much easier to cut out - I'm assuming because of the fresh Lino but also I decided to change what I cut out from last time. For my Willow prints, I started cutting out the background but for these I wanted them to be slightly different so I tried to keep the cutting to a minimal.

Image 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 - Nancy print with black ink on white paper. I was so happy with the result of these prints. Even the parts where the ink hasn't stuck as well, I think it adds to it. For my third print, I used thinner paper and it moved while I was rolling it onto the lino block. I really like how it turned out, it feels haunting - almost like a ghost.

Image 9 and 10 - Nancy print with black ink on green paper. I liked how the Willow prints had turned out with the green paper so I tried them again with the Nancy print. I don't think these turned out as strong as the prints on white paper, but I do like them.

[houseofcards-byernfairy]

LINO PRINTING

*EDIT* After the positive outcome of printing with the cardboard technique, I decided to move onto Lino. I wanted to combine both of my ideas - using the pop culture as the card faces and using some representation of the Wiccan culture as the design and suits. I wanted to try something different and thought about using a continuous line drawing as my reference from cutting out the lino block. I didn't know how this would turn out so I used the other side of an A4 sized Lino that I made in a previous project.

I liked the continuous line drawing I done of the Crow and I thought it would make the portraits I was going to use a little bit more interesting. I started with the image of Willow that I had used before. As before, I just did the continuous line drawing digitally using Procreate.

Image 1 - Continuous line drawing.

Image 2 - Lino block. It was really difficult to cut the image out - I think due to the image being a little harder to get my head around and because I had already used and cut out parts of the other side.

Image 3 and 4 - Willow print with black ink on white paper. For my second print, I had some scrap paper that had 2 sides of it ripped and I decided to rip the other sides and create a 'frayed' edge. I don't think this added anything extra to it like I imagined but I do really love how the final prints turned out. I like how strange her face came out and blotchiness of ink on her clothes, it just adds to the feeling I want to create with this brief.

Image 5 and 6 - Willow print with black ink on green paper. I knew I wanted to include some form of colour in the images, I didn't want to print in a colour because I couldn't guarantee how it would show on black paper. I decided to use green as it's connected to the earth and can be seen as lucky/fortune in the Wiccan community. I'm really happy with the prints using the green paper. It does exactly what I wanted - the grunginess of the black and green together, the creepy drawing and the rough lines and texture.

[houseofcards-byernfairy]

TEXTURE

*EDIT* After looking at Alexandros’ work, I wanted to try and mimic the strong use of black that he has in his work. I decided to try this idea with this image of a Crow as it’s dark to begin with. 

Image 1 - Reference image.

Image 2 - Threshold of the image made using Procreate. I did this to see if the silhouette would stand out on its own. I really like it, I think the sharpness of the gravestone looks very eerily. 

Image 3 - Continuous line drawing made using Procreate. I wanted to add some detail into the drawing and so, tried doing a continuous line drawing. I think the gravestone is interesting but for the image to really stand out, I wish I had over exaggerated the shape to create more texture. 

Image 4 - quick ink drawing. I tried to create this image by doing different layers of ink (letting some parts dry and then build on it) I don’t like how it’s turned out, I think it looks messy. I should’ve sketched it out properly and took my time with the ink instead of rushing it. 

I started looking through the work I had done so far in this brief and my favourite was my prints of the Elements.

Image 5 - Printing ‘block’. The ink has stained the cardboard so you can’t really see the shape of the Crow in this image unfortunately - I should’ve taken a photo of it before printing.

Image 6 - First two prints. I really like the texture of these, it has the grunginess that I’ve been looking for. However, I feel like I’ve lost some of the detail of the Crow in the image. I find it a little hard to make out what it is. 

Image 7 - Final print. This is my best one, I’m really happy with the textures in the image, I think the detail is there and it’s easier to make out what it is and it has the grungy vibe I’ve been trying to create. 

[houseofcards-byernfairy]

ARTIST INSPIRATION

At the start of this project, I thought it was be interesting to look at more macabre art and artists. I’ve never used dark art/artists as inspiration before and I felt like, with my chosen topic and the vibe I want to create with my final, it would benefit me well. I had three 'horror' artists that I knew about and wanted to look at more: Keith Thompson, Alexandros Pyromallis and Rovina Cai. I decided to look more at Alexandros Pyromallis after seeing his work on his instagram (inkrituals)

*EDIT* I love how creepy his pieces are. He uses a lot of pop culture (mostly horror films/comics and artwork for metal band too) which is something that's influenced me for this topic. I love the contrast in his images, most of them are predominantly black with pops of white and occasionally red. These are a few of my favourites.

[houseofcards-byernfairy]

DIGITAL COLOURING

I really liked this image of Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenburg and wanted to incorporate it in someway in my finals. I started with a basic digital sketch and then cleaned the lines up and created an ‘outline’ of her. 

*EDIT* I tried to colour in it again but in a different way that I tried previously - this time using muted tones and more of a colour-block style instead of airbrushing so it wouldn’t look as perfect or polished. I definitely prefer how this was looking compared to my first attempt but I was back to feeling unmotivated again and I think I just continued with this because I didn’t know what else to do. 

I spoke to my lecturers who gave me advice on my work so far and suggested to focus on more physical creating instead of digital. 

[houseofcards-byernfairy]

DIGITAL COLOURING

*EDIT* My plan for my digital sketches was to continue them in Procreate and add colour. I hadn’t added any colour into any of the digital sketches I’ve done before this so I looked up tutorials online and tried to add my own style into them. I didn’t want it to be too perfect looking or realistic, which is a challenge for me because I always worry about things looking perfect.

I started with the poster for ‘The Love Witch.’ My colouring is still unfinished because during it, I realised how bright/colourful it was and I didn’t want that look for my final. I was spending a lot of time on it and I started to worry that I was wasting my time focusing on an idea that I wasn’t 100% sure I would take forward.

Image 1 - Reference Image

Image 2 - First sketch

Image 3 - Start of colouring 

[houseofcards-byernfairy]

DIGITAL SKETCHES

I’ve started getting really unmotivated with my work during lockdown. So after speaking with one of my lecturers, I decided to try and focus on digital work as it’s something I feel comfortable doing at home. I started by doing quick 5 minute sketches of my reference photos. 

*EDIT* I was glad I had spoke to my lecturer and I started to feel a little bit more motivated with the idea of doing digital work, but I wasn’t happy with my quick sketches. I tried not to get too annoyed with the result of these drawings because I am only using them as a starting point but I just felt like I wasn’t doing enough at this point. 

The first two images are for my first idea, looking at Wiccan culture, and the rest of the images are for my second idea, looking at the representation of Witches.