Visual Identity - Postcards and Business Cards

I want to get a few small things printed with details of my name and website; for handing out at convention, to publishers, retailers and other creatives. I want the back to be very simple, with my logo and website.

Below are some play arounds with logo, colours etc. I really want the front image to be something that is recognisable and fun that people will pin to their desk or keep close by, so the below is just a place holder.

Postcard play around:

 

Business card size play around:

A Walk to a Waterfall - Page 1 - Traditional Vs Digital - Critique

After working through various digital backgrounds and pencil as previously mentioned, I re-drew Page 1 of A Walk to a Waterfall. Below is the digital alongside the original traditional one:

Adding Self - Working digitally has allowed me to add myself into the pieces in a more detailed and meaningful way, being able to play around with expressions in an easier way.

Colour Scheme - I've gone for a more muted pallet digitally, whilst I love the coloured look of the traditional, I felt adding myself back into the work meant I could play with the emotive visuals in a different way. It will also work better for printing, keeping the colours minimal. I still want to ensure there is a lot of texture in the work, which I'll achieve using previously explored digital pencils and paper backgrounds.

Overall Feel - Overall, I digital version feels perfect for what I'm aiming for. It feels like I've learned a lot through my digital experimentation and captured a final piece that works for me. The time taken compared to the traditional piece is a huge bonus too.

Hourly Comics - Research Casestudy

Hourly Comics Day is a yearly community event held on social media on Feb 1st, originally coined by John Campbel in 2006. Although I have taken part in previous years but want to go into this years with some pre-planning and research behind me to ensure completion of the full day.

Below are some case-studies showcasing the kind of format that I'd like to aim for:

Eve Greenwood -  https://evegwood.com/hourlies19

Really simple style, no colour just grey which will definitely save time. Drawn digitally. Four cells per hour in a simple box style, which is easy to share on social media, and collate. Eve archives all their past hourly comics on their website, and also prints them to sell as a combined book.

Renee Nault - https://twitter.com/reneenault 

Much more detailed, simple cells again but hand inked and water coloured. Minimal written narrative but beautiful images. 

Rachael Smith - https://www.facebook.com/flimsykitten/posts/10166338455445615

Rachaels comics are pre-set out in a traditional comic book page dimensions, her work is digital but a lot less sketchy than others, she clearly puts in a lot of work! She also plays around with this shadow character, and has a few bits where her cat is doing the walking! A lot of fun all around.

Lizz Lunney - https://www.facebook.com/lizzlunney/posts/353063490152105

Lizz has, again, a really simple square layout for her hourly comics, she uses a mix of 4 per hour, or whatever is required! They're drawn digitally, and very simple! Full of dry humour.

https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/hourly-comic-day-24-hour-comic-day

Experimentation - Traditional to Digital Style

I've wanted to experiment with my digital drawing style for a while, to try and achieve a similar feel to my traditional pieces; sketchy, textured and layered. I started by watching some tutorials on adding texture, and researching the ways other peoples work looks.

I know I didn't particularly need to purchase any special digital pens, but played around with various built in ones to see what effects I could get, particularly focus on with layering colours and filling in colour with a sketchy feel. The 6B Pencil worked exactly how I wanted it to.

I bought myself a package of 'Paper Textures' too, combined with the pencil I loved how it looked, and really feel like I have a great starting point to create digital pieces that match my style better.

Next, I'll redraw my first page of A Walk to a Waterfall using these techniques. 

Visual Identity - Logo Experimentation

I used the above two (free) fonts and combined them, using elements from both styles to create something unique. I then played around with layout, gradients and colour until I settled on something I liked. Detailed below:

Adding the final logo to be website header:

Visual Identity - Creating a Digital Portfolio

After seeing the simplicity of others portfolios, I decided to purchase a domain and go ahead and build a website. I wanted it to be really clear, with only a couple of links at this stage to find more information about me, and my contact details.

Below are some screen caps of the final page, which you can visit here: okaychloegreen.com

I'm using the"okay" prefix on my name as Chloe Green is quite a common name, its my current social media handle too so bringing a consistent brand. I've added the link into my social media profiles too.

The first page is a gallery of some of my favourite pieces, including scans, photos and digital pieces too. As you can see there is then only two extra pages, the about me section goes into detail about my influences, and also details some of my experiences.

Digital Portfolio Hosting - Casestudies

From my perspective of curator at Thought Bubble Comic Convention I always take note of beautiful, clear portfolios that are easy to find online. This is definitely something that I want so I wanted to do further research into them; including looking at layouts, hosts, and overall branding.

Naomi Tipping

A really clear, simple portfolio that shows Naomi's work really well. There are clear links to find more information about her, her shop and (really importantly) contact information!

Kristyna Bacynski

Kristyna has a really distinct style that she carries on into her website and portfolio. Again a really clear page, with her image gallery taking up most of the space. Really clear links to find specific work of hers, more about her, her shop and contact info.

Charlot Kristensen

Charlots portfolio is again full of images, that are clear in style and colour palette. The page is very simple in layout, with links to find more information about them, buy their books and art, as well as individual links to find them on social media, and email!

Digital Presence - Case Studies

Lesley Imgart

Lesley is an illustrator, artist and writer. She has a really great following on social media, posting almost daily (although not always brand new work!). She has a really clear website with about me section which also covers contact information, an online shop (hosted by Bigcartel) and portfolio; which is really in-depth, shows a lot of past work, names/brands of who she has created work for. 

Hannah Hillam

Hannah is an illustrator and comic book artist. With a HUGE following on social media. She posts on her instagram daily, although again, it's not always new work but often referring to her online shop. She hosts her online show (via Squarespace), and she also hosts her portfolio on the same site. I noted Hannahs portfolio was mostly in her distinct style drawings, with no specific details of client work, however, she does have an agent which she refers to often, with contact information!

Emma Carlisle 

Emma is an artist and picture book maker. She has a really nice online following, although is not a frequent poster! She also has a really successful Patreon; with a great community behind it. Her website is really clear and full of examples of her work, but no specific portfolio, but it all really does add up to one. She hosts an online show with Shopify, and h as a mixtures of self-published books, published books, prints and original work.