Going Nuts with Photoshop Many Moons Ago

This was a second year of college project. That feels like a million years ago now! This image was part of a booklet but the rest of it is pretty horrendous to me. I can’t bare to embarrass myself by putting the rest of it up but I actually really liked the colours in this one and I’m also mad for symmetry, so up it goes!

It’s not really like any of my other work. I wouldn’t often heavily work in Photoshop, especially at the time. A few tweaks on things here an there sure. But I guess I just wanted to try do a project using it fully. So it’s a bit filter-laden there. I think everyone needs to do things like this to figure out Photoshop though.

Basically it was part of a concept that every memory has a song for a small booklet. So I made five images to illustrate that point and I did it through photo collage. So I combined photos I had taken and things related to photos like frames, negatives, cameras with things related to music like CDs, tapes, vinyl, gig tickets, MP3 players, headphones etc.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever To Tell CD Case

This was the second part of a college project where I had originally illustrated a CD booklet of the album of my choice. I chose Fever to Tell by Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Another tutor in a different class decides to link up with the booklet project and gave us a brief that instructed the class to create the packaging/casing for the booklet. I made a sleeve style cover for the album influenced by the art work I had already created. The CD itself slots into one side, the booklet into another.

I kept the design on the outer cover black and white to contrast with the vibrant colours of the booklet inside. I created the design for the cover using by cutting into black card and scanning the results in to be printed off. I then wrapped the print off around my card template for the case. The general shapes and forms were in keeping with the ones I had drawn for the booklet, so that the musical style as well as illustrative style was still reflected.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever To Tell Booklet: Part 2

These are the other six pages in my Yeah Yeah Yeahs Fever to Tell CD booklet which I made as part of a second year college drawing project. Click here to see the first part of my booklet.

7. Pin – Pro markers and drawing pen.

8. Cold Light – Photocopy, drawing pen, colouring pencil and pro markers.

9. No No No – Oil pastel. Etching

10. Maps – Pro markers and drawing pen.

11. Y Control – Pro markers, coloured paper and drawing pen. Collage.

12. Modern Romance – Colouring pencil, pro markers and drawing pen. Collage

Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Fever To Tell Booklet: Part 1

This was a second year college project for a drawing class. We got to pick an album that we liked and use drawing to create the CD booklet for the album. I chose Yeah Yeah Yeahs album Fever To Tell. We could interpret this however we wanted i.e. illustrate the style of music, or the lyrics, or the message or the sound. Whatever way it inspired us.

I decided I wanted to combine a lot of these elements. I drew what I saw when I listened to songs, I took inspiration from single words as well as lyrics, I was heavily influenced by the musical patterns and spikey guitar riffs. I tried to convey this the best I could. I was also partially inspired by the actual album artwork in that I wanted it to be a multimedia piece.

1. Rich – Drawing pens, pro markers and oil pastel. Collage.

2. Date With the Night – Coloured paper, black sugar paper and drawing pen. Collage.

3. Man – Pro markers.

4. Tick – Oil Pastel. Etching.

5. Black Tongue – Colouring pencils, pro markers, drawing pens and coloured paper. Collage

6. Band Picture – Paper and photoshop. Collage.

I wanted to retain the handmade look so I did not try to cover up any specks, smudges or marker lines in Photoshop. I think it adds to the indie nature of the band and they have even used fan art in their subsequent album covers so I know this is something that could suit the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Homemade Instagram – The Stone Roses

Some more home jobs making instagram style pics. Dublin can be such a dull place what with the weather and all. Photos can be so grey and lifeless as a result. (This sounds like a hair dye ad but somebody must know what I mean). So messing around with different effects in Photoshop can really breathe life and colour back into your photos. Sometimes I play around with the photos I take just because I like the old school effect, but in this case, the images needed a lift.

That’s the entrance there marked by all the flags. You may have had to walk a million miles after you got off the bus just to get there. The bar may have been akin to a cattle market, smell of hay and crap included. The ground was more swamp than park. But when they open with I Wanna Be Adored…?

…Who cares. Amazing.

You Taste Like Cherry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My ode to a song that I’m in love with at the moment called You Taste Like Cherry by Anoraak. I’d love to design an album cover some day. It’d be especially sweet if you actually liked the bands music too. Anyway if you like other French bands like College and M83, you might like this bands synth poppy stuff too.

Listen to it here.

Jazz Festival Posters

These are some jazz posters I did for the Tour America office in Cork while the Cork Jazz Festival was on. They promote the less popular city destinations in southern America. I decided to go with the jazz style instead of the typical American fare. Key to this look was a sparing colour palette, asymmetric design, black and white photographs, musical reference and an art deco font to reflect the era of the 20s that spawned jazz.