C.O.L.O.U.R.S.>

LOOKING AT THE TRADITIONAL PATTERNS (S.E.E.B.E.L.O.W) THE WAY OF INTRODUCING COLOUR TO THE PATTERN IS BY MAKING IT THE BACKGROUND. THIS IDEA APPEALS TO ME TOO BECAUSE I OFTEN FIND IT HARD TO IN COR PER ATE COLOUR INTO MY WORK. I CHOSE THESE MATT COLOURS AS OPPOSED TO BOLD COLOURS BECAUSE I THINK THEY SUIT THE MOOD OF THE HAIKUS BETTER AND SEEM TO REFLECT THE TRANQUIL/REFLECTIVE EDGE OF THE POEMS. IN REALITY (NOT IN THE SCANS) THE PAPER IS SLIGHTLY TEXTURED GIVING IT AN EVEN MORE 'RUSTIC' FEEL.

HAIKU POTATO PRINT COVER S > .>. >

I HAVE CHOSEN TO MAKE MY REPEAT PATTERNS USING POTATO PRINTS. I THINK THEY CREATE A REALLY ORGANIC FEEL TO A PRINT AND ENABLE YOU TO OBVIOUSLY MAKE A REPEAT OF SHAPE EASILY.

I TRIED TO EN CORPERATE SUBTLE IMAGES FROM THE HAIKUS IN MY STAMPS SO THAT WHEN THE READER OF THE ANTHOLOGY LOOKS AT THE COVER OF THE BOOK THEY CAN RELATE TO WHAT IS INSIDE. I THINK WITH THE REPEAT PATTERN IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR ME TO FIND A METHOD WHERE I COULD STILL BE QUIETE FREE WITH THE SHAPES I WAS MAKING, INSTEAD OF CONFORMING TOO STRICTLY TO A GRID FORMAT OR STRAIGHT LINES ----- ETC. HAVING NEVER MADE PRINTS BEFORE (AND HAVING A SISTER WHO IS A PRINT DESIGNER) I WAS VERY NERVOUS ABOUT HOW TO GO ABOUT CREATING A REPEAT PATTERN. HOWEVER, I FEEL THIS METHOD IS IN A WAY SIMILAR TO THE WAY I DRAW, BECAUSE EVERYTHING IS ALWAYS DIFFERENT. . . . .

THE FIRST THREE PICTURES WERE MY FIRST ATTEMPTS AT STAMPS - I LOVED HOW QUICKLY THE SHAPES BECAME ABSTRACTED AND TOOK ON DIFFERENT FORMS JUST BY PLACING THEM NEXT TO EACH OTHER....







THE NEXT PRINT I MADE, WAS THE ONE I CHOSE TO TAKE FURTHER - I JUST FELT IT WORKED SO WELL WHEN YO PUT ALL THE SEPERATE COMPONENTS TOGETHER - YOU COULD SEE SO MANY DIFFERNT THINGS IN BOTH THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SPACES....





THESE ARE THE TRIAL COVERS I DID TO SEE HOW THE PATTERN LOOKED AS A REPEAT AND SEE HOW IT LOOKED IN DIFFERENT S C A LES ET C. DUE TO MY LACK OF COMPUTER SKILLS I HAD TO MAKE THE PATTERNS IN MICROSOFT WORD WHICH IS WHY EVERYTHING IS SLIGHTLY OUT OF ALIGNMENT. BUT I QUITE LIKE IT. THE ONE I THINK WORKS BEST IS THE REDUCED SIZE VERTICAL STRIPES COVER...............

HAIKU ANTHOLOGY REPEAT PATTERN ///

ONE OF OUR SUMMER PROJECTS IS TO DESIGN A REPEAT PATTERN TO GO ON THE FRONT OF A POETRY ANTHOLOGY ((( I.E PENGUIN BOOKS))) I HAVE CHOSEN TO DO AN ANTHOLOGY OF HAIKUS -----JAPANESE POEMS MADE UP OF THREE LINES WITH A SYLLABLE COUNT OF 5/7/5. THEY SEEM TO REFLECT THE NATURAL WORLD IN A SIMPLISTIC, RURAL AND ATMOSPHERIC WAY////WHEN READING THEM THE AUTHOR APPEARS QUITE REMOVED FROM THE READER - I'M NOT SURE WHETHER THIS IS BECAUSE THEY ARE TRANSLATED FROM JAPENESE TO ENGLISH OR WHETHER IT IS DUE TO THE RIGID STRUCTURE THE POEMS ARE FORCED TO TAKE.
THIS CAUSES AN INTERESTING CLASH OF THE NATURAL IMAGERY AND THE COMPLETELY UN NATURAL FORM. I THINK IT WOULD BE IMPORTANT TO CONSIDER THESE FACTORS WHEN DESIGNING THE PATTERN.

IT FEELS AS THOUGH YOU ARE LOOKING AT THE PICTURES PAINTED BY THE AUTHORS OF THE SCENERY//TREES//FLOWERS//ETC//THROUGH A HOLE CUT IN A BOX - SO THAT WHILST YOUR VISION IS VERY RESTRICTED, WHAT YOU CAN SEE IS THROWN IN TO SHARP CONTRAST AS A RESULT.

THREE EXAMPLES OF THE HAIKUS I HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT ARE:

THE MOMENT TWO BUBBLES
ARE UNITED,THEY BOTH VANISH
A LOTUS BLOOMS

A LIGHTENING FLASH:
BETWEEN THE FOREST TREES
I HAVE SEEN WATER

THROUGH MY FINGER PRINTS
ON MY WINDOW-
CLOUDLESS BLUE SKY


I LOVE THIS COVER FOR A BOOK OF EROTIC HAIKU (!). I THINK THE SHAPES AND COLOURS AND BASIC NESS ARE BEAUTIFUL. I THINK IT HAS PERFECTLY CAPTURED THE BALANCE BETWEEN THE STARK FORM OF THE POEMS AND THE NATURAL FORM OF THE PERSON. . . . >>>>>>>





I LIKE THIS HAIKU BOOK COVER BECAUSE YOU CAN BEGIN TO SEE THE FORMATION OF A REPEAT PATTERN IN THE DRAWINGS. IT IS AN INTERESTING IDEA TO SEE HOW QUICKLY IMAGES CAN BECOME ABSTRACTED PURELY BY THE WAY THEY ARE SPACED AND THE RESULTING NEGATIVE SPACE......................>>>>>> >>>> >>



THIS IS A SIMILAR CONCEPT...>>>>>



THIS IS A PENGUIN CLASSICS BOOK COVER OF TENDER IS THE NIGHT---EVEN THOUGHT IT BORE NO REAL CONNECTION WITH THE STORY I REMEMBER THINKING HOW MUCH I LIKED IT. I LOVE THE FACT THAT YOU THINK IT IS A REFLECTION UNTIL YOU SEE THE FACES DON'''T MIRROR ENTIRELY.. .. .. .. ..>> >> >>



NEGATIVE SPACE . . . .> > >>>



TRADITIONAL JAPANESE PATTERNS > > >(((BOTTOM RIGHT - "THE MOMENT TWO BUBBLES
ARE UNITED,THEY BOTH VANISH")))





POTATO PRINTS - - - - >



JAPANESE MAHJONG SET - I PARTICULARLY LIKE THE SHAPES AT THE TOP OF THE TILES



TRADITIONAL JAPANESE COLOURS > . > . >