James Richardson

[jamesrichardsoon]

CURRENT TUMBLR : richardsoon.tumblr.com

CURRENT PORTFOLIO : cargocollective.com/richardsoon

[jamesrichardsoon]

Cuthbert Ottaway is England's greatest sportsman. He was the captain of the first ever England national football team, he played for the England national cricket team and he also competed at a high level in Racket (early form of squash), Tennis and Athletics for Oxford. The brief for this project was to create a memorial of anything. Most people went down the route of doing a personal memorial but I just can't work in that way, I like to know that my work could actually benefit or inform someone about something. I started off by looking at not so famous, important inventions and inventors. This then lead me to finding Cuthbert Ottaway, the unsung sportsman. To secure the memory of Cuthbert I created a set of stamps which feature symbolism's to represent the five different sport areas he competed in. I then presented them by sticking them to envelopes and addressing them to more well known sportsman in their respected individual sports. 

[jamesrichardsoon]

This is the summer project for Kingston where we we're given the brief of creating something that represented something of "Value" and something that was "Worthless". I went straight into looking at the way we measure value. I also looked at the way we measure other aspects of things we buy such as nutrition facts. I like the idea of being able to break down the term value and define the actual costs that went into producing the product. I soon realised that no company would be willing to show this information on their packaging so the alternative had to be a web based guide. This allowed me to be a bit more extravagant visually in presenting the data which I defined into four categories: other costs, manufacture, materials/resources and profit. From these labels I was able to think about the aesthetic of the chart which I later concluded on a detailed hand-drawn style adaptable chart. When creating each area I considered small details and features that I could put on the different sections. After I had completed the chart I realised that I need to make a "Worthless" version of the chart. This would be used when information about the product would be unavailable. The main area of change in this piece, which took me as long as it did to make the entire first chart, was the manufacture section, aka the building. I tried to make the building look run down by making the windows appear cracked or have them boarded up as well as what now seems to be my thing of always referencing football at every occasion possible in my work (chelsea fc graffiti). 

[jamesrichardsoon]

Hello! As of about 2 months ago I started my art(&design) foundation at Kingston Uni. We've had a go at everything and I thought I'd update my el tumblrinho on what I'd been doing and stuff. So we started off with fine art, I'm not gonna lie I was dreading this. The project was all about doing something about you or something you liked doing or some deep conceptual thing you noticed in the world or something else, I don't really remember, sorry. I started by experimenting with the way I could improve gadgets or combining them just to convey the idea of how companies fill their products with as many features as they can to sell it to us but actually in the grand scheme of things we rarely use these features and are inevitably pointless. I tested out combining a standard biro pen with all sorts of things from a rock/paper weight, a water bottle, glasses, a usb cable, a peg and many, many more. One thing that did strike me was how I could still use every single pen in an effective way, par one, the glasses! They didn't improve the tool in any way and the function of both items we're hindered. This gave me the concept of trying communicate how much we (as in humans) rely on tools to help us in life to live. To do this I created two A3 and several A4 sheets of "dot-to-dot" drawings and asked my peers to attempt to complete them while wearing the glasses I created, with pens attached. This was not only funny to watch but also created some funny outcomes. As I was carrying out the process I also noticed that I had made the odd mistake with numbering the dots, making it often difficult to complete.

Overall I enjoyed the process much more than I had expected and I felt that the way I worked was massively inspiring to the final outcome. It was different but also interesting trying to be a bit more free in my method of production. However I think that it re-assured me in knowing what I wanted to do with my life but also opened my eyes in the way I think about how to decipher a brief. P.S. sorry for the bad photos, I was given the wall hidden from the windows and I only had my phone on me.

[jamesrichardsoon]

My final piece is a book/box about the history of Fulham FC. The cover is model of the front gate at Craven Cottage which I made by laser cutting several layers of card and sticking them together. This is attached to a box which holds a book. The box is made from layers of wood which I covered in graphic imagery to link it in with the Fulham brand. However the main feature of the piece is the book. Even though it is small, it contains a range of images and text about the club. To extended the use and purpose of the product I added QRcodes which link to the official Fulham site and store as well as the video I made. Information these days is all online and I think a lot of people like to be able to see information in a tangible form, being able to treasure and look over several times. It makes the information feel more personal and desirable. Even though people like to have physical products, they also want something that they can interact with online or get access to more content. By using QRcodes within the piece, it gives the project several layers of content, making users want to learn more.

To get some feedback on my work I rang Fulham FC and got a response from the Head of Branding, Michael Benedetto, about my work.

I asked him the questions,

Do you think that people would buy a piece of memorabilia which explored the history of the history of the club?

"Yes. We already make DVD's each season but something that was tangible and talked about more than just one season would definitely sell, as fans want to be part of the club."

Do you think that the piece links in with Fulham's existing style and what would you change to make it more suitable?

 "Well the colour choice and overall look works really well and you would easily recognise it as Fulham, however te cover would be better if it was the cottage, as that's Fulham's biggest sale tool. But it still works how it is, and most Fulham fans would recognise it."

When Fulham make a poster, video or product do you do it all in-house or commission it?

"Fulham do everything in-house as it helps to keep a consistent brand identity to the club."

In a real life situation, how would you advertise a product like mine?

"We would advertise through our newsletter and our social network pages either in text, graphic online posters or through a video, so your video would work in real life, as it is clear and entertaining for people to watch online."

What is the future of Fulham's branding?

"Well something that we learn't from our fans is, mention more about the history of the club. For next season branding I have personally made a new font, which we will be using throughout Fulham branding. We probably will be using it alongside the Fulham logo stating the founding date of Fulham."

Thank you very much for your time and it was a pleasure talking to you.

"No problem. Thank you for contacting me."

[jamesrichardsoon]

This is an advert for my final piece as well as a final piece in its on right. I used mainly Adobe After Effects to create the video but also combining programs such as cinema 4D to create the 3D images in the video and Adobe Illustrator to create original images. The video was first meant to be almost a documentary but I decided to expand the project out and make the video more purposeful. It would be used online to advertise the box through e-newsletters or social media posts by Fulham FC. I took inspiration from several artists/ designers when making my video. The main ethos of the piece was inspired by Max Hattler to create a moving sculpture that connects with sound in a dynamic and story telling form, as well as Richard Swarbrick, whom I took direct inspiration from, making a stop-motion, hand-drawn animation of Johnny Haynes featured towards the end of the video. My contextual study in my book of Archibald Leitch also inspired the video where I wanted to explore the shapes within his creation, Craven Cottage, using various effects to create a flowing video of Fulham FC. The end of the video embarks on the main link to the book, by slowly building up to the song, "Viva el Fulham", sung by fans, as well as then using a set display of text together of the title of the book, Fulham Football Club The History. Overall I am happy with the final outcome but definitely deserves even or more credit than the book I made to go with this due to the amount of time this took, several long weeks.

[jamesrichardsoon]

A side project to the Kilve project was to create an animation using only 5 lines. However I wanted to twist this and use it to further the development of the rebranding of the hood arms. To do this I came up with the idea of lines forming to create the shape of the logo and then using whats there to mask and dispose of the lines later in the video. I decided to make my video using Adobe After Effects as I felt more comfortable and familiar with it and had an understanding of how I would animated in After Effects. The video would be used on loop as a display screen in The Hood Arms or as an intro to any promotional videos they made. To conclude, if I'm honest, I'm not sure about the outcome, for me, I didn't like the music, I found the ending too sudden and there were little things that need to be corrected. However I think the best bit about the video is the moving backdrop which is a continues manipulation of a photo I took in Kilve. I feel it keeps up the pace and energy in the video and makes it much more interesting to watch.

[jamesrichardsoon]

For the Kilve project I set myself the task of creating a brand imagery for a local pub and inn, The Hood Arms. I first researched how I wanted to present the company. I found that there was a local train line called West Somerset Rail. This is a railway which tries to preserve locomotive history by still rolling out steam trains and keeping the stations style to a by gone era. I also looked into the history of the Hood family and the Hood arms. The Hood family is well known to have naval connections with the obvious HMS Hood named after Samuel Hood a well known British Naval Admiral. The symbol in their coat of arms of an anchor is to show this. Another symbol used in the Hood family emblem is a Cornish chough, where Samuel Hood was born. I first created an emblem using these symbols, trying to keep a clean, well finished symbol as to allow it to be used for further development such as; embossed menus, decor, letterheads, coasters, napkins and more. From that I created another logo using the original symbol I made, which features an illustration I made of the Kilve landscape based on a sketch I made there. This logo would be used as the pub sign so I had to keep to a traditional design. I used repeating circles of variations of blue and different stroke styles to imply the idea of drawing the viewers eyes to the information. The pub name is branded across the circles on a yellow ribbon. These colours were chosen again in sync with the family coat of arms. The final piece of graphic work I made was a A1 poster that I had printed which  would be used at stations along the railway line I mentioned earlier. The poster repeats colours used in the logo, developing and emphasising the idea of a brand. It features the early symbol I made of a chough and anchor (what the hood arms was previously called) at the bottom and another illustration of the Kilve landscape. At the bottom of the landscape is an illustration of the pub highlighting the idea of small, friendly, individual pub. I tried to show some of the character in the illustration of the pub but I felt that it looked over complicated against the backdrop and was unnecessary, something I could have worked on if I had more time. In addition to all this I made an animation which I is in the next more recent post which I will explain their. Overall I really enjoyed the project and being able to explore and develop my own brief giving me more of a push into wanting to achieve a high quality finish to my work. Obviously there are little things that looking back on I would improve such as the house in the poster but nothing that completely ruins it. I really liked being able to given a system to my work and planning my pages by myself helping to support the project better.

[jamesrichardsoon]

For my final piece of the project I wanted to support the cube segment of the project. I looked at various engineers and their drawings, concentrating on Isambard Kingdom Brunel who was a famous Victorian engineer. From this research I tried to interpret his work into my own work creating a graphic diagram of the components of my box. I painted them with rich earthy watercolours, representing the box and my initial space. 

[jamesrichardsoon]

To see the box in full detail watch the video below:

From these paintings we had to make 30cm³ cubes. I wanted to develop this idea of components so I made the pieces detachable, so that it could be opened up, the shape altered and have different methods of it being displayed. This also reflects the layout of the space and how it is hidden behind a fence. To get in to it you have to open a door to enter, then walk through a hallway. In my cube I also wanted to reflect the use of the space rather just looking at in a visual sense, so I looked at it in context to its purpose. The area is used to store tools and school equipment such as, stools and tables. To outline this in my cube I left the method of construction visible by having things like nails hammered in wrongly, dimensions left on the cube and glue stains apparent. This shows the human quality of the space, demonstrating that we all make mistakes, It also highlights the way it has been built and constructed. An aspect that was missing from the box was recognition of the painting I did previously. To resolve this I added a white incomplete cube inside the outside cube inspired by minimalist artist Sol LeWitt. The white structure adds to the ways the cube can be displayed as you can stack it above the other half of the exterior cube, which mimics the way the stools were in my area. 

[jamesrichardsoon]

After I had thoroughly documented the space I went on to create two large 2D pieces. I looked at the artist Jan Dibbets who uses negative space as a way of isolating locations and also presenting them in unusual, interesting method. From this I came up with the idea of using the grid form of the stools in my area as a means to disconnect and divide up the surface of the wood from the sheds and fence. I used a mixture of brown watercolours and black ink as a base layer in my painting for the wood and then overlaid it with chalk, to draw out the grain. The negative space symbolises the different pathways in my area and shows how the different components of the space are separated and divided, something I looked at, when making isometric drawings of the area.

[jamesrichardsoon]

Portrait Project

Over the summer I completed the portrait project. It entailed me visiting the National Portrait Gallery to look at the BP Portrait Awards. It featured a wide range of portraits from numerous painters who placed in the awards. I drew a few sketches on my visit as a base point for my painting. My favourite painting was by Ignacio Estudillo called, El abuelo (Agustín Estudillo). The painting was of his granddad. I really liked the misty mix of dark greys that seem to fade into each other in the background against the brightly lit face. Ignacio is trying to reveal not only his granddad but also a part of himself. He is also trying to highlight his age as best as possible. He doesn’t try to cover up the fact he is wrinkly or fat or not the most classy of men but show him in his most raw form without being indecent. Estudillo used broad strokes for the background with finer more layered brush strokes for the face. Because of the level of detail and brightness in contrast to the rest of the painting in the face, it stands and your eyes are drawn to it. The composition works well as the painting directs your eyes to look at his face then look down at the rest of his body and see his oddly large hands. The huge black space makes the man seem vulnerable but his withered face and ugly hands make you feel that he's been through worse and he is just getting on with things.

After the trip I decided to recreate the painting. I know it's not exact but I felt that I did a good job of capturing the feeling of the painting and the expression of the mans face. I also felt the hair turned out really well and eyes I felt looked pretty similar to the original. After analysing the painting and then painting a copy I made a portrait of myself in a similar style. I really liked my final outcome and I think that it is definitely recognisable that it is me. I didn't want to make myself look vulnerable like the original painting so I painted so that there was more of a contrast of light on my face and the background. I think this made it more dramatic but it meant I had to lose some detail in the hair. Overall I really enjoyed the project and I have grown in confidence when it comes to painting and feel that now I have a bigger appreciation for paintings.

[jamesrichardsoon]

New Designers 2012

I visited "New Designers" at the Business Design Centre in north London. At the event there were hundreds of different universities and art colleges in their to showcase and highlight some of there best students work. I found it a really interesting experience. It helped me to chose which course I might do after A levels and where I might like to go. It also helped me to understand what sort of level of work would be achieved at the next level of education. A lot of the work was really impressive and several universities were added to my "might have a look at" list. Some of the northern universities impressed me and gave me something to think about possibly moving up north which hadn't really thought about before. Overall I think it was a really good event, especially the fact that someone gave me free tickets at the door which were VIP.