Today Sean De Burcha came in today to talk to the class about clients and how to handle them if they were being difficult. Once his talk was over we got to see some of his works spread out on a table and one really caught my eye.

The T shirt had a inverted image of a lady displaying two different personalities when flipped and it reminded me of playing cards.

Playing cards would be appropriate in my development as they are considered to be part of a game and I thought that if I applied this to my concepts it could work out.

I started to illustrate my ideas and sketch out both Oswald and JFK which I plan to now make into playing cards. I also am designing a card boarder in order to emphasise and symbolise the illustrative nature of the card. I think a hand drawn effect would be appropriate on this illustration because playing cards are known to be very traditional and I would like to symbolise that.

 

 

 

I played with the idea of the whole conspiracy as a game being played by higher powers above the government. So I thought that a sort of board game would be appropriate in order to produce the appropriate signifiers such as game pieces or stages on the boards. I would probably want to make the board colourful in order to juxtapose the entire event.

I could possibly develop this further by providing information blown up on the page to make it more like an info graphic but maybe it might be a bit too much considering I would like this illustration to be purely graphical. I reckon I could use a log of angular shapes which would make the process easier. I would need to visit the association illustration website in order to conduct more research into styles i could use.

Here I just though of more shots and perspectives of the assassination. A lot of my research has shown me that the pictures of the JFK assassination are in a high angle perspective and I thought that it would be interesting to produce another lower angle shot because a big part of the conspiracy is that when JFK was shot the second time his head jerked back. While most believe this is the killing shot by Oswald, conspiracy theorists believe that someone from the ground level must have fired a shot from in front of the car.

This leads many to suspect that the CIA was heavily involved as they were the ones tasked of protecting the president and a CIA motor vehicle was in front of the convoy which would lead me to include a CIA vehicle positioned in front of the President’s car to symbolise this notion.

Above is another perspective on the entire conspiracy theory where I shift the focus on the assumed assassin with and over the shoulder medium shot with Oswald looking out of the window (taking aim?) and have the Presidential convoy in the background. I also added the idea of puppet strings in order to convey the idea to the audience that Oswald did not act independently and there is a higher order dictating his actions or messing around with his fate.

This is when I came up for an idea that the conspiracy was like a game which was also inspired by the chess board image I found during my research. The king would represent JFK and I would have Oswald in the background symbolised as a pawn with a gun. The strength of this idea as opposed to the original image is that there is more connotations in the image because of the gun and Oswald and JFK are just pieces in a game being played by higher powers.

Here I combined some iconic shots of JFK with some graphic and minimalist imagery with the blood. I do not plan to make the blood super realistic and it would probably just be depicted by a single brush stroke to signify the absoluteness of the shots and the final result of them. I also took the puppet strings idea from the previous sketches and modified my puppet strings idea to show them being cut from, signifying that he no longer wanted to be controlled and thus was killed for it.

This idea above is just a rough perspective change which I was inspired by the rough sketch that Depicts Oswald’s perspective in the tower. This time, the focus is more on a presumed mystery shooter on the famous grassy knoll who is presumed to exist because the second shot which kills JFK causes his head to jerk backwards which could only be achieved by a shot from the front.

 

Here, I had an idea of framing the image with guns which signifies that a lot of people conspired against JFK and also another switch in perspective of the car in front of the presidents limousine which is another presumed spot where the execution shot was fired at. I also had an Idea to have more buildings in the background of Dallas and have other conspirators aiming for the convoy.

Above, I wanted to just put down some ideas on paper. I had started out with the most basic ideas which involved JFKs head and the bullet wound also the basic idea of him being aimed at through the lens of a snipers scope with the cross hairs. This is just my procedure when making my designs and my use of Divergent thinking.

Below I expand into more ideas and borrow some from the research I conducted with the composition shot of Oswald and JFK together which again are looked at through scopes.

I also had this idea for a James bond introduction style illustration but i think that unless the context was known not a lot of people would understand that it is supposed to be JFK as I would probably need more signifiers like the car and the building or the American Flag.

Positives:

• looks like a book cover
• well balanced composition
• bright and dark colours to highlight areas on the image
• foreboding atmosphere with the use of dark colours
•  lack of cheering and a lot of secret agent looking figures emphasises conspiracy

 

Negatives:

• too much detail – I don’t think I could produce something like this for a illustration in a book

Interesting:

• little nuances and subtle references. IT clown, ‘The End is Near’ sign post, red paint.
• Blue road for some reason.

 

Positive:

• Isometric style
• Potential game board to emphasise conspiracy is like a game.
• simple recreation of events that transpired
• a lot of information and blow ups of unseen details.

Negative:

• too much detail
• too much text – not allowed in pure illustration according to brief
• boring to look at
• looks like an encyclopaedia image.

Interesting:

• image only includes the famous spot where JFK was shot – most relevant information
• a lot of information is shown visually as well as through text

 

A shot of the building Oswald shot from. A good reference image I may want to draw from when illustrating. Should I do the illustration in black and white which is what was common back then?

 

Rear view of the car JFK rode through dallas, Have an Idea for a shot from behind for a unique take on the assassination.

 

The famous grizzly scene. Would this be too graphic to illustrate? a lot is going on in this scene and it it well framed.

 

 

Positive:

• chess board – symbol and signifier of game
• king piece – symbol communicates JFK and his death
• king of spades card – symbol of JFK

Negative:

• None of the above are clear without the image of JFK

Interesting:

• why would they include a chess game and a playing card when they are both different games? Maybe this alludes to something like two players?

Playing card could be a good symbol…

 

I really like the stencil style of this image where the detail is kept to a minimum. Because of this, the image is strong and stands out against the white background. I also like how it depicts a famous bust shot of JFK which is very recognisable.

The image itself is rather plain and could do with a bit more variety in terms of colour or like an American flag in the background or something to do with the assassination in order to make it more appropriate to my brief.

The minimalist design of the image is what intrigues me however, as there is not a lot going on in the image yet essentially the mixture of shapes forms the likeness of JFK.

This is the bust image of JFK I will likely be referencing during my time researching/developing ideas.

I like how this image depicts the Kennedy couple in a cartoonish style which is a different take and another style to consider when developing my illustration. the strong block colours are pleasing to the eye and still allows for their likeness to be identified.

I do not like how static the figures in the images are however, and that the use of dynamic poses or more interesting poses would be a better use of the figures.

I find the colour combination and shapes of the background interesting as it is not just a solid colour but a combination of a circle on a rectangular background which complimentary pale colours which I do not expect to work well but it does. It also highlights the initial image of the couple positioned in front.

 

I like this blatant and dark symbol of the entire incident, the bullet that ended the life of JFK. It is a powerful symbol of one of Americans darkest days which is further emphasised by the simplicity of the image itself which is its only feature.

I do not like how too simple the image is though, the JFK text at the bottom is needed to clarify what the bullet image is referencing because this image could easily be misinterpreted by others without knowing the context.

I think it is interesting that the colours used are nearly the same as I would expect an image like this to have a lighter background in order to make the main image pop out.

I like the overlay of strong bold colours and distinct shapes symbolising the events JFK was around for almost like propaganda posters like the ones Cuba had of Che Guevara which is due to JFK’s famous profile shot.

I do not like how some of the symbols are very large that they go over the entirety of JFKs face as I think that takes away from the shot itself and what it stood for and represented.

I do find it interesting how the images and colours are positioned and again the pale colours used instead of bright bold colours which also seem very gritty and rough.

 

 

I like this style of illustration as it looks like it was painted in watercolour? and how the red stripes of the star spangled banner are used to also represent the blood that splattered everywhere after JFK was shot.

It is hard to find something that I do not like about this image but I do feel that even though the crosshair image on his head is overused. I reckon I could use another type of imagery to be something different but also communicate something similar.

I find it interesting that I found that without the symbols of the crosshair and American flag, I don’t think IK would guess that the person being depicted is JFK. I guess it goes to show how powerful these symbols are in relation to his assassination.

I really like the style in this poster where the star spangled banner is overlaid on the photograph of JFK as it is very Americanised which makes the communication strong which is also paired with the caption at the top. Unfortunately the image must be free of type for this project. The grainy effect also emphasises and communicates to the audience that this is an emulation of the image quality from the era which did not have the High definition images we had today.

What I do not like so much about the image is that it could use the background some more. The background itself is very plain if you do not count the faint star patterns of the american flag as there could be potential for the space to be used with more interesting imagery like the background of dallas or the building Oswald was inside.

What is interesting about the image is the red mark that is on the area JFK was shot in the head. It is not very graphic. It is very minimal which is interesting and it communicates to audiences one of the reasons he is famous. The shot to the head is a very recognisable negative symbol.

I really like the composition of the image above as it is very well balanced with the buildings of both sides of the vehicle which centres the image. IT strongly signifies to the audience that JFK was a very popular president to some although historically he was still controversial in regards to the Vietnam war which makes this image ironic in a way.

I do not like how busy the image is however, as the confetti makes the image noisy and messy and although they are symbols for celebration i think that the removal of them would make a clearer polished picture which could reflect the president himself.

I find interesting how the composition allows for many images and objects in the image to direct the audiences eye towards the focus of the image which is the president and the first lady, perhaps I will use this technique in my designs.

I really like the composite photograph here of the two men who are famously involved. The expressionless visages make the images easy to match together and it would symbolise two men who history will always associate together.

There is not real deign work here apart from the composite images but perhaps if the line splitting the images was re imagined  it could stand out. Also more added colour would make it more appealing for audiences to look at.

 

I did some brief research on images on Lee Harvey Oswald where I thought instead of focusing on JFK himself, I could take a different approach and focus on his alleged assassin for a whole new perspective because the theory is he did not act alone in the murder.

I like this design because it subtly hints towards the cross hairs of a sniper scopes which is a dark and ominous foreshadowing of the events that would transpire the happy go lucky mood is about to be instantly flipped 180 degrees and become known as one of Americas darkest days.

I know it is a magazine cover but if I were to improve this image in any way I would remove the framing device as it seems a bit much. In terms of pure illustration I would also remove the text around the circle shape and add cross hairs.

I think it is interesting for this image to include the wife as she is also very personally involved with the entire incident and her life was forever changed for the worst after the death of her husband and the whole conspiracy theory surrounding it. Her pink dress is very famous and stands out in the many films and videos of the shooting against the grainy background.

I really like the way this coin has JFK’s head on it with the bullet hole in his head which is a very obvious signifier. I admire how the irony of the text juxtaposes the image on the coin and how the red stands out against the rest of the dark image. I think this image communicates a very strong message to audiences in how the truth was hidden for 50 years and the files were only recently made public.

I think more could have been done with the background again as it is very plain and seems to be a wasted opportunity again I would use the dallas city as a background to highlight where the events transpired.