Artist Research and SMART Target: Children's Book Illustrator - Gustavo Ramos

I wanted to use my blog to record my research into Gustavo Ramos as it wasn’t suitable for my current module however I still wanted to take a closer look at their work for future reference.

Concept:

The first and second images I chose to look at were from the children’s book ‘Brasilia and the dream’ the artist illustrated. The third image I chose was created as part of an editorial series once more based around children’s illustration.

Visuals:

I really love the painterly texture within the first two illustrations; they feel almost hand painted, whereas the third image is clearly rendered digitally.

I love how each of the illustrations are based around night time, as it has helped me understand colour theory around this time of day a lot better as I always seem to struggle when it comes to working on night themed designs and how to rework the colours of the illustration. I also it helpful to note how each of the images remain warm due to the use of contrasting warm tones, rather than the use of cool hues as it makes the illustrations appear much more friendly and inviting.

Techniques / Production:

I believe the artist hand painted the first two illustrations using some form of medium like gouache or oil paint in order to create the evident brush strokes within their designs. I really like this method as it makes the illustrations feel a lot more personal. I would love to attempt painting an environment like this using a similar medium before making any adjustments digitally so that I could experience these results first hand. I feel this style works brilliantly for the development of a children’s illustration book and would be keen to explore this method in the future myself.

The third image however is clearly a more editorial expression of the artist’s style to ensure it remained fit for purpose. By using software like Photoshop the illustrator has a lot more control over the composition, and scaling of the final illustration. I feel they may have chosen this technique for this type of project as it allows them to work more time efficiently than having to paint and repaint designs.

Composition:

The first image is beautifully framed by the trees and animals within the foreground using the l colours to form a leading line of a path up towards the house at the top. I love how they have highlighted the focus of the house by placing bright lighting behind it in contrast to the other side of the illustrations which remains darker in order to force the eye of the viewer across. I found this extremely interesting and would love to explore the development of illustrations which frame their compositions using lighting successfully in order to create similarly dramatic effects.

The second image was part of a double page spread and shows the wold howling at the moon. I feel by having the wolf slightly elevated in front of the moon it really helps draw your focus due to the negative space on the other side. There is great depth shown within this composition despite the minimal amount of elements due to the way they have been structured and coloured which I find fascinating.

Finally the last image depicts a group around a campfire all in unique poses, they are framed by the lighting of the campfire which is slightly misaligned to the right, but uses the darkened bushes surrounding them to create balance and mobility within the design. I love the way they have incorporated negative space again in the sky as it helps ensure the illustration doesn’t appear overcrowded. These are all important factors I need to take into account during the development of my own illustrations. 

SMART Target:

Goal: Create a children’s night time illustration inspired and influenced by the work of Gustavo Ramos

Measurable Success: I will post the final illustration on my social media platforms to gather the success ratings of my illustration. I may choose to create a brand new artist tag during this process so I have somewhere to upload all of my current and future children’s illustrations I deem of a high enough quality so I can begin creating a fan base around my artwork. This will support me when it comes to publishing my stories as if I already have a market that supports my niche they will be more likely to purchase a printed product.

What I aim to Achieve: I hope to be able to achieve a full-fledged illustration consisting of both environmental and character based designs, following the style of Ramos’ children’s illustrations. I aim to gain a better understanding of this artists work flow and processes during the development of this illustration, which will support my journey into children’s illustrations.

Realistic Achievements: To have completed a single illustration to a square scale, ready for Instagram that includes an environment and a single character whether that be human or animal. Whilst attempting to emulate a similar style to Ramos with my own artistic interpretation.

Time Plan: I am keen to continue working on the progression and development of my current commercial project, due to this I would not be willing to begin exploring the development of an illustration inspired by Ramos until I have handed in my final submissions as I really want to ensure I give myself ample time to truly explore the artists techniques and styles without harming the progress of my more imminent deadlines. I aim to complete this illustration at least 3 weeks after the completion of this year of university.