For this project I had to produce 2 illustrations and a front cover design to accompany a monograph of an artist's lyrics. Of the three artists we were given, I chose Joni Mitchell.
​Artist Inspiration & Research
Alan Aldridge: 'The Beatles Lyrics Illustrated'
Stanley Donwood: 'Kid A Mnesia - A Book of Radiohead Artwork'
Article interviewing Donwood and Yorke, discussing the relationship between the artwork and music.
I like how Donwood integrates the lyrics into the illustration in a way that fits with the two components complimenting each other rather than looking disjointed.
James Moir: Vic Reeves Art Book
I like the techniques Reeves uses to create abstract, expressive pieces as well as the texture he is able to get from using oil sticks.
Jean-Michel Basquiat: Bird on Money
My Work
For this project I wanted to experiment with taking a more experimental approach, which is usually something I reserve to only use for doodling and small paintings in my free time. I recently bought some oil pastel after watching Vic Reeves use them on Grayson's Art Club back in 2020 and being enraptured by them. I thought that they would fit well with this project and I would learn a lot for attempting such a different approached to what I normally would. 
​Joni Mitchell
'Big Yellow Taxi'
When searching for the meaning behind the lyrics, i found that the 'big yellow taxi' could be referencing Metro Toronto Police patrol cars which were bright yellow until 1986 or simply be that the 'old man' was leaving in a taxi.
I started by reading through the lyrics and separating them by verse and then drew out my initial ideas and thoughts roughly in coloured pencil before thinking more about composition with fineliner.
When beginning to think more about the colour palette I wanted to use, I realised my colours were far more literal than I had wanted so I decided to continue making them more expressive. 
After getting feedback and discussing the trouble I was having with deciding on colours that wouldn't look too messy and over-complicated, I decided to use the colour palatte from the Basquiat painting that I was inspired by when I began this project. I think the main colour being blue works well paired with Mitchell's songs as they have a melancholy feel and are heartfelt with deep meanings to the lyrics.​
I wanted the front cover to feature a guitar as she plays one alongside her songs. 
Using R&F oil pigment sticks, I painted on canvas and then took a photograph in order edit it digitally to include text and tweak the colours.
I decided to not make the fence of the left vertical as I thought it may clash with the direction of the car and take away from the dynamic movement. I edited the colours to be more vibrant to add life to the illustration. I couldn't decided on a font that would fit so I decided to hand letter it with a textured brush that matched the texture of the painting but I don't thing it works very well and will need more work to find a better solution.
​After Feedback
I improved the look of the guitar, making it more believable as well as improving the grip of the hand on the neck. It was suggested that I may not even need the name on the cover, rather putting it on the spine instead so I tried that out and think it was a great improvement.
In order to make the bird look more grounded and in an environment, I added grass along the border of the painting which I think works a lot better and improves the piece. I didn't think the original layout of the text worked as the dynamic angle took away from the impact of the vertical lines of the actual illustration. I think that keeping it horizontal created a good contrast. In addition, rather than hand lettering I found a font that I thought matched the illustration better as it has character but isn't distracting for the art.
After getting feedback, it was suggested that the direction of the car didn't convey it moving away in an obvious enough manner so I flipped the image so that it more accurately shows the taxi drifting away. In contrast to the previous page where the text being horizontal gave better contrast to the vertical image, the fence in this one does the opposite. It instead clashes with the car and takes away from the dynamic composition so I painted over it again and then edited the original fence on top which I think vastly improved the composition.