PRELIM TASK: Masthead Font Ideas

For the masthead, I wanted to carefully pick out a very particular font that will relate to the title 'Fine Line'. I used the website dafont.com to help me out as I know I can select different styles of fonts and choose from the huge variety they have there. 

I searched through the 'Brush' section under 'Script' and picked out these five fonts (top to bottom)
1. Beyond The Mountains
2. KG Life Is Messy
3. Guld Script
4. Airways
5. Southern Aire

This gave me something to start with so I could not use anything too rough or gritty looking like dry brush strokes since fine liners are very smooth, crossing off 'KG Life Is Messy'. 'Beyond The Mountains' looks too thick to be written by a fine liner so I marked that one off too. Also, since people not only draw, but write with fine liners I thought of choosing a font that looked handwritten yet was easy to read therefore no long tails or decorative lines around it. I wanted the font to have a elegant feel so I also decided not to use 'Airways'. 

I finally decided to choose the last font, 'Southern Aire', for its classic, handwritten finish to match the photograph and the rest of the text.

PRELIM TASK: Final Shots - Why I Have Chosen Them

FRONT PAGE

To conclude, I chose this photograph for my cover page; I loved the pose and thought it was the most artistically effective one to represent traditional fine art poses for portraits as well as landscapes with the beautiful flow of her arms and hands since her hands look relaxed and softly placed; not gripping or violently clawing. It should make the reader ask themselves why she is posing this way and what this magazine may be about. The model's nails also give it a more feminine and elegant look to emphasize the fine art style as well as her top that matches. The model is not facing the viewer yet you can see just the right amount of her face and angle of gaze to be drawn in. The facial expression is just right for me, too, and emits a relaxed feel as the eyes are slightly smokey as well as the mouth hanging ever so slightly open. Because of the model's shoulder and elbow (of the arm around her head), this should give me a very interesting base for my text and layout, as I can use the form of her figure as a basis for what shall go where, giving me the right amount of negative space as well as filled space.

I also thought about using this photograph however found the lighting to be too dramatic for my type of magazine as well as unbalancing the highlights and shadows of the photo, giving me an uneven foundation for my texts and colors. However the first photo is very well-focused, the lighting is okay and should be excellent after editing it and I feel like I have successfully directed the model to express what I had in mind for my front cover page.

CONTENTS PAGE

As for my contents page, I decided to choose this photo because of its mystery. Because the model is covering half of her face, the viewer would wonder why that is and who this person is, wanting to read more about them in their exclusive cover story. Not only that, but the model's angle is different from the front cover photography as she is facing the viewer and making direct eye contact to gibe the impression that the model is telling the reader 'you, and only you'. Her slight smirk of invitation yet lowered brow gives a sense of power, in my opinion, and expresses strength; this very-particular facial expression contrasts the relaxed one in the front cover.

Here are two other photos from this final shoot.

PRELIM TASK: Flat Plan - Contents Page

A key thing I have to remember when creating my contents page is that the cover & contents page must look like they come from the same magazine and link. 

I can do this by using the same fonts and feature colors as my front cover; therefore, I have decided to have the title 'contents' and '09'16' (month'year of the issue) in the same color and font as the magazine title. I then decided to have the page numbers in small boxes for a neat finish and beside them, a subheading of what those few pages will be about in my feature color, red. Underneath each subheading will be a sentence or two explaining, in black, in a little more detail about the magazine article.

Photograph-wise, I will have the same model as my front cover model in my contents and include one photo of her, perhaps playing around with hand movements like the front cover photo, linking the two pages together. By using one and only model in the front cover and contents page, I am emphasizing the importance of this person, making the reader want to know more about what is special about her. 

However, I have some negative space about her and thought of placing a quote by her from her exclusive cover story but I dislike this idea and may experiment with a photo of the model to cover this negative space.

This layout was inspired by this magazine's contents page, because of its simplistic design yet interesting layout, with no collaging and using one photo.  

PRELIM TASK: Flat Plan - Cover Page

This is a rough sketch of my front cover page of my college magazine, consisting a more detailed version of the photograph idea I had on my shot list (number 3) with one hand around the model's head and on her jaw with the other. These positions of the hands and arms will tell the reader that this magazine is more on the creative side rather than the model not posing with her hands in this way. The eyes are to be relaxed, inspired by past portrait paintings with the mouth ever so slightly open and loose to give the same impression as the eyes. The model is to be wearing a red lipstick which will be the feature color along with black and white to give the cover page a classic yet effective look. 

She will also wear a white off-shoulder top to expose some skin but not too much for a feminine look and to be able to gently blend with the white background; this will also give me the clean base for the anchor: the model's name to go on as well as a caption to explain what the issue includes about her. This layout of the anchor was inspired by this Rolling Stone issue that loved the classic look of and since the anchor was the first thing I saw.

 I also would like to include a graphic, perhaps a sketch or a few brush strokes that links with the text beside it to also tell the viewer that this magazine is about fine art. Along with that, I plan to add a '+' plus sign since plugs lure more viewers to become interested as the cover page will explain what is included to appeal to more and different types of viewers.
Not only did I choose to add detail to the photograph idea, but I also mindfully drafted out where I would like to place my text. I did this so I can see whether or not there would be too much negative space in a certain area, unbalancing the text and effecting the entire front cover. I have also thought about the color of each layer of text to be able to balance the colors out and make certain things such as my anchor stand out.


I finally labelled each piece of text and/or graphic that I plan to add with a number to represent the layers I would make in Photoshop and what order I will begin to place text in for a neater plan with something to always refer to.

PRELIM TASK: Test Shots - Front Cover & Contents Page

On the first day of the shoot, I decided to take some test shots of different poses, using my shot lists as a guide. Whilst taking these photos, I chose to experiment with shot types, facial expressions, angle of gazes, poses (both hand and body) as well as angles and even lighting.

Here are a few other photos I took from the shoot that were directed by me merely inspired by portrait paintings.

PRELIM TASK: Model Consent Form

 My model that I am using for my preliminary task has signed a model consent form to give me permission to use and publish the photographs I plan to take of her along with me signing it, the date of the shoot and the location of it.

PRELIM TASK: Shot List - Contents Page

For my contents page, I wanted to try something unique and use only one photograph, since most contents pages have quite a few pictures on it. I continued focusing on different artistic poses and after choosing sketch number 3 for my front cover image, I decided to have the model's hair in a high bun rather than down to be able to show off more of her face, neck and shoulders that are shown since she will be wearing a white, off-the-shoulder top to be able to neatly blend with the white background, causing her red lipstick to stand out even more.

1. Medium close-up, model's angle of gaze at reader and gives an inviting smirk as an introduction to her exclusives that will be featured in the last pages of the magazine (bottom of page). Simple photo to contrast front cover pose/position.

2. Medium close-up with three fingers over one eye, inspired by inventive poses. Angle of gaze with the exposed eye + smirk.

3. Medium close-up with hand covering half of face, expresses mystery through the pose. Along with angle of gaze with the expose eye + smirk. 
(Alike to number 2)

4. Side angle of medium close-up / close-up shot to emphasize on the facial feature of the model, creating mystery and making the reader want to know more about who she is.

5. Long shot of model on the floor, hand positions inspired by Jennifer Hudson's work; surrounded by blank white background like Jennifer Hudson's dark backgrounds.

6. Between medium close-up / close-up, hand on one cheek and model's angle of gaze is down for a peaceful, relaxed expression like portraits during the 1500s.