1. What skills have you developed through this module and how effectively do you think you have applied them?
I have developed all sorts of sign writing skills throughout this module, as I have had the chance to practice the craft and teach myself basic building techniques. I have also developed on my academic writing skills, and found that I work well under pressure.
2. What approaches to/methods of design production have you developed and how have they informed your design development process?
I have found that getting out and investigating by yourself really informs you on where to take the project. Being able to talk to pub owners, canal boat owners, etc was really informative and taking photos for primary research helped when I was trying to think of what do design later on in the project.
3. What strengths can you identify in your work and how have/will you capitalise on these?
I have identified that I am pretty good at writing, although I feel as though I needed more help than what I actually received, to make sure that I was making good points. I have also found that I am getting better at sign writing, and I hope to capitalise on this new found strength by pursuing it in further briefs, extending my portfolio and getting involved in some taught workshops by masters of the craft.
4. What weaknesses can you identify in your work and how will you address these in the future?
I have identified that I have really bad organisation skills, and it really let me down. I feel as though I could have extended upon a lot of points within my essay, had I given myself more time. I have also noticed that my brush pulling techniques need a lot more work, so that lines aren't quite so wobbly - but this comes with practice.
5. Identify five things that you will do differently next time and what do you expect to gain from doing these?
- Manage my time more effectively so that I can get better feedback from my peers, therefore strengthening my final work.
- Be more confident when speaking to strangers, as I have found from this project that you can find out a lot of interesting things from talking to pub owners etc.
- Book a camera out in advance, so that taking photos in low lit pubs is a lot more convenient - it was hard to get a decent photo of my work within the context which was really annoying!
- Try to stay positive. My negativity towards the workload really got the better of me last term, and I could've worked a lot harder than I did if I had a more positive mind set.
- Keep up to date with blogging, as I found that haven't blogged enough things, and uploading images can take hours which is a complete waste of time when you only have a few days left before the deadline!
6.How would you grade yourself on the following areas:
(please indicate using an ‘x’)
5= excellent, 4 = very good, 3 = good, 2 = average, 1 = poor
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1
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2
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3
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4
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5
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Attendance
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x
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Punctuality
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x
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Motivation
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x
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Commitment
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x
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Quantity of work produced
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x
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Quality of work produced
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x
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Contribution to the group
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x
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The evaluation of your work is an important part of the assessment criteria and represents a percentage of the overall grade. It is essential that you give yourself enough time to complete your written evaluation fully and with appropriate depth and level of self-reflection. If you have any questions relating to the self evaluation process speak to a member of staff as soon as possible.
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Because of having issues with hiring cameras out for photographing the sign at Whitelocks, I took some photos at home in a more minimal setting so that it wasn't as distracting and you can see the sign better.
Have only uploaded the edited versions, as all the unedited photos took up too much blog space.
I recorded and made a quick video to demonstrate the processes used to create the sign and uploaded it to Youtube so that it can be viewed..
As I wanted to create something that felt traditional and suited the aesthetic of the Whitelocks brand, I decided to use some circular glass and have a go at gilding. I watched a variety of gilding tutorials online and then created a test piece at home over Christmas to see if I was cut out for it..
Applying the gold size to the areas...
Attaching the gold leaf...
Burnishing the leaf to clean up the mess and blend the layers...
Adding a second layer of size and leaf to cover up any imperfections or holes..
Then burnishing and neatening up the edges..
I then used black enamel to pain the shadows..
Et voila!!
The Final Result:
After producing this test piece, I realised it was going to be quite a time consuming practical, due to all the drying time. But the process itself wasn't as complicated as I thought it would be, and I'm really impressed with my first ever gild, even though a few things went wrong - for example the gold size puddled in some areas as I brushed it on a bit too thick, and you can see this in the gold.
I then looked back at all the photos that I took whilst at Whitelocks and had a little scan around their website to inspire myself for the sign I was going to design. I took the quote "the very heart of Leeds" from the website, as it was written on a plaque about the pub, and I thought it would suit the commemorative sign.
The Whitelocks typography was inspired by the golden typography that they have hanging across the alleyway by the pub:
This was also inspiration for designing the type on an angle, however when I finished the product, I seemed to prefer how it looked from straight on, rather than at a jaunty angle.
I started by hand painting all the letters onto the sign using one shot black enamel paint..
As I had a few puddling issues with my ampersand gild, I tried covering more of the area with gold size this time, as it's quite easy to clean off due to being water based. This caused quite a sticky mess (which I later found out via a conversation with a gilder on Instagram, that I should of used gelatine capsules dissolved in boiling water - a method known as water gilding, as they leave no mess and is just about sticky enough for the gold leaf to attach to - this method also creates a shiny finish!!! DAMN! Oh well, it's a learning curve).
I then painted the gold size by hand onto the glass for the flourishes, as I wanted this to be more precise and I didn't want another sticky mess!
The silver leaf was then applied to the size..
And then to create the flourishes at the bottom..
When I was finished with creating my sign, I took it down to Whitelocks, as I had emailed Dave (the manager) and he was happy for me to bring it down and photograph it inside the pub before opening hours. I was really pleased with the final outcome, although it's not perfect, but I feel as though the imperfections only add to the personality and hand-rendered feel. I also wanted to challenge myself by using a serif typeface, as I have found that this is my weakness, and if I want to pursue sign writing later in life, then I need to get better at this!
Whilst at Whitelocks, Dave was really impressed with what I created and has even offered to use the sign that I created during their 300th anniversary events!!
Here are the pics of the sign in Whitelocks...
I felt as though my sign suited the pub perfectly - the entire entire is lined with reflective materials, such as mirrors, glass and bronze metalwork. It was quite hard to take perfect photos of the work in there, as I was constantly capturing myself or others in the reflections, and it was sometimes difficult to photograph the entire design against all the busy backdrops, but I really loved the interior and how it complemented my signage.
Luckily, Dave has allowed me to go back whenever I want for further photos, as I didn't have enough time to hire out a camera from uni, so I'm planning on going back for better portfolio photos.
