Part 5: Exercise - Editorial illustration

I chose the three following editorial illustrations to examine:

This is a decorative and diagrammatic illustration depicting the likeness of the plant African Ginger in a botanical sense. It clarifies the article.
p.49, Health Intelligence Magazine, Issue 32, 2015, An untapped medicine chest by Linda Scott illustrated by Sally Arnold.

p.90, Sawubona Magazine, May 2015, Africa takes its place online by Claire Mason, illustrated by Siyamthemba Bobotyana.
This illustration above relates to the article below and is informational and decorative. The lines represent lines of telecommunication, with an African person holding a computer mouse while lines stream outwards from Africa to the world.

The illustration above offers conceptual information about the article in a visual context and offers an opinion on the topic.
p 60, Personal Finance Magazine, Vol.59, 2nd Quarter, Article by Kari Lagler, who owes where? Illustrated by Colin Daniel.

I chose the headline THE BEST RESTAURANT IN TOWN and found suitable text to match. I linked a couple of reviews together with my own words.

Two diners from different parts of the world share their unique experiences at Aubergine, a food establishment so special, you need to book months in advance for a table:
Mark says: my dining experience at Aubergine was a rare treat in that multi- award winning Chef Josier Harald is innovative, uses seasonal ingredients and shows them off with flavour and presentation like few others. The sauces were intense and always compliment the specific dishes perfectly. He has a light touch with his food that makes you want to come back again and again! 
Connor had this to say: An aubergine, or in America as we know it, an eggplant, is such an original name for a restaurant as there are so few with that name, and my god, the food was wonderful, and the atmosphere even better. This was my first dinner after arriving in South Africa, and the restaurant was recommended to me by a friend who lives in Cape Town. The fact that they are on the top 100 restaurants of the world list in 2015 made it very attractive. The Chef is German, but the food is South African with an international twist, that will take your taste buds to a phenomenal extreme. I am so glad that while visiting, I was able to stop here and eat. The Front of House Manager host Catherine Poole greeted me by name and title, confirmed my reservation, and then escorted me to my table. At the table she asked if I wished to start with a cocktail as she placed down the menu and wine list. I started with a White Russian cocktail while I looked over the menu. I had already decided before arriving that I wanted the Chef’s tasting menu called the Digustation Menu, but I wanted to see everything else that was available. The Digustation Menu consisted of 5 courses. Johan my server, and another Johan who was the back or secondary server, introduced themselves and began serving me. The taste experience was out of this world. I must add that I did not have a bad meal during my entire trip. I rated Aubergine based on its menu, plate presentation, and excellence in service which was comparable to Alinea in Chicago, Fleur de Lys in San Francisco, and Rioja in Denver, Colorado.

Summary of article:
Aubergine: a food establishment so special is is internationally comparable, renowned for excellent food and service. Tourists who've enjoyed it say that the winning Chef Josier Harald uses seasonal, fresh ingredients in a special five course menu.

Descriptive words:
Elite, exclusive, excellence, Michelin star quality, five courses, leafy greens, organic, flavours, colours, tables, impressed clientele, presentation, sophistication, distinguished.

Quick descriptive sketches as a visual response: I made these preliminary crude sketches in a quick reaction to the text that I read. They lack form and any kind of direct observation but have helped convey my thought process as ideas came to mind as I read the article.

My process: I researched Greg Betza's illustrations. The one below is for the Denver Magazine for an article about the ice-cream craze in Denver. He's used colour to depict the exciting ingredients and tone to draw a focal point. The blue hands are a visual metaphor for a creative, hands on approach that is all encompassing. I love his use of line which is also reflective of the order of importance of things.

[Accessed 15 August 2015, www.gregbetza.com]

[Accessed 15 August 2015, www.gregbetza.com]

The colour in the drawing above depicts wine and is used to communicate. The tone in the waiter's waistcoat and the patron's tie indicate a formality of service only available in classy establishments. It's a great 'black tie' concept that although, not clearly indicated as a 'black tie' has a connotation that communicates very well.



My photos:

I took photos of a restaurant and various elements in it for ideas. These included tables, people, china, table settings, a glittering chandelier.

My line visual: refers to the meaning I want to communicate: Michelin star, upmarket restaurant, five course meals, extravagance, elegance, presentation, style, design.

Of all things glamorous, long lengthy lines, chandeliers, candles, linen and decor spell it out.
How to represent food so that it looks less ordinary in a drawing?

I decided to try and work within the realms of Greg Betza's style of drawing with black line, adding colour to communicate something about the drawing.
Although I really enjoyed the first image at the top of this post (Sally Arnold's African Ginger) I believe it is too technically restrained but enjoy the decorative quality of it.

I have departed from my original ideas although they sparked this thought process in that I realised the formality of the dining style and the need to draw that.

I searched online for Michelin restaurants with chandeliers. Glittering jewels, candles mean atmosphere, something that can be depicted visually I thought, instead of my squat characterised stick like drawings.

I got really stuck at this point because I needed a visual reference. I decided to draw from a photograph and the headline is actually THE BEST RESTAURANT IN TOWN: restaurant, best, lavish. I moved from my original sketches to photographing a restaurant to picking a photograph to draw from.

A Michelin star restaurant

[Accessed 19 August 2015, www.extravaganzi.com]

I drew this portrait style with long vertical lines to try and depict strength and formality. The chandeliers were very important. I referenced the idea from a photograph I took in a more casual restaurant. The couple being seated dressed in black tie attire is also a visual sign. There is no food anywhere because I think THE BEST RESTAURANT IN TOWN must convey opulence and not just decliciousness. A burger is also delicious but depicting it as opulent isn't really feasible. Through referencing Greg Betza's drawings I have come to accept the irregularities, measurements and character of lines. It is an easier way to overcome the dishonest stilted way of drawing for hyper-real perfection which for me isn't a technical possibility at this time. Through scribbles, shaky lines and distortion it has been easier for me to understand the character of line and the way it can work for an illustration. I drew this with a thin black fineliner and added thicker detail with a thicker black laundry marker.
My one major issue with this drawing is my inability to detect and use tone as a focal point, and use it accurately in a drawing.

I used tracing paper to trace the original drawing to transfer it to a piece of coloured board, above.

I transferred my original drawing to this piece of coloured card. The picture reversed and the originality of the original drawing and the line expression is lost. This type of effect I think, is better achieved with the use of Adobe InDesign (but my knowledge is limited in the program). The drawing could be scanned into InDesign and the background colour changed without losing any of the original drawing.