OUGD504 Brief 01 My Design Process Pen and Ink Experimentation

Once I had got my basic map structure drawn out I started to experiment with different mediums. I knew I wanted to use black ink in some way because of the scratchy, slightly scary impression it creates. 

 I started with a fine pointed fountain pen with a pot of ink in an attempt to get an inconsistent line as the ink ran out .

I liked the result but also felt that It was too controlled and didn't have the irratic look that I wanted. As you can see it just has the look of a Lord of the Rings Map which although is interesting is not what I want to be the prevailing impression.

After talking to other students I tried a different method. I sharpened the end of a paintbrush and used that to draw in the ink. It created a much blob bier look and finish, a bit crude but interesting. I like the way that it looks as if the drawings are scraped into the page.

At first I was thinking that I would perhaps do some brush pen calligraphy for the names of the places on the map because they are the part that make the whole thing make sense as a representation of my design process. However, i was just playing around when I used my sharpened paint brush to write out some of the place names and I came up with what you can see in the image above. It has the slightly 'mentally unstable look' that I was going for and I think I really would like to use this in the proper design because it works so well with the whole look. I will have to ask peoples opinion during the Crit.

In preparation for the crit I have produced a map using a conjunction of the sharpened paint brush and the fountain pen. I have gotten to the point where I really need other people input to a greater degree to improve this design. I just don't know if I have managed to get the illustration style I wanted and I am unsure to to go about improving it.