Whola's Context of Practice: Lecture Notes 4: Chronologies 2: Illustration

My favorite CoP lecture so far! ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

Illustration is a shining, spiritual illumination, vivid representation, an enlightening, light up, illuminate, make clear, disclose, explain, adorn, shine light, act of making clear in the mind.
It is normally added to something else to enhance it.

Illustration is the strategic (Not accidental, it is decided and planned properly most of the time) image making, used within the context of visual communication to convey meaning or concept.

The aesthetic of an image, its formal qualities, its media and composition can communicate as much as the semiotics of the signs and symbols employed.
Good illustrators not only communicates through the use of sign and symbol, but also by the very aesthetic of their chosen media and its application.

Born from an individual image making process and creative practice that is unique to it's creator, illustration often communicates with a specific tone of voice.
It is the authenticity, craft, consistency and individuality of an illustrators visual tone of voice that will inform their success as an applied artist.

It is this combination of both an individual visual aesthetic and use of functional visual symbols that allows illustration to communicate both an explicit message whilst also being able to convey more subtle, nuanced or abstract sensibilities.
Disciplines however need to work together, they can't actually be distinguished when the time comes for one to start working out there.
It could be argued that during a recession, where the publishing industry is dying and creative budgets are being slashed the the need for illustration is weaning.
It is believed that the discipline of Illustration has never been so exciting. It has more contexts within which to exist and more ways to be seen.
As an applied art, contemporary illustration has the potential to overlap with many other communities of creative practice, including textiles, model making, costume, film, animation, games design, photography, architecture and graphic design.
With the inclusion of moving image and the web there is a massive demand for visual content within contemporary media. Brands, published, businesses and products are all desperate to develop deep and genuine relationships with consumers.
When it's done well, illustration can communicate an idea or notion too specific, complex or sophisticated for any other medium.
How do we define good illustration?
Good illustration is more than illumination. It can be more the vapid, trend driven cool. It can be more than twee, pretty embellishment. I can be functional. It can have a message. It can have emotional impact.
Good examples of Illustrations: