How much do you really notice when you are going about your day ??
In my visual library series, I want to share with you a few things that I do in order to increase my own visual awareness. This first post is the most simple but requires the most attention.
It's simply just - looking.
Now you may be thinking - 'looking? don't we do that all the time already?' well....yes we do but we don't often look with intention and therefore we don't retain the information we want to when it comes to visual reference. Not only does this exercise help build your visual library but it is a great way to constantly spark new ideas and inspiration.
Take the time to observe the world around you and find inspiration in the most mundane of things.
I find the best place to do this is commuting journeys or when you go on a walk somewhere - whether that's on a sunny day in the park or your walk home from work.
The following tips are ways in which my approach to 'seeing' has changed...
First things first...
- Does anything stand out to you? why does it stand out? - Is it the colour scheme? The contrast ? The form and shape of something ? or it's texture?
Start by noticing the things that stand out to you and try to identify why they grabbed your attention.
Most people take the same journey, they have the same routines and you may be thinking - I see the same stuff every day !! Well this is where you get even more creative in the way you look at your surroundings.
- Focus on one specific aspect such as colour.
- Take the time to identify what colours you can see in objects / landscapes. Not the colours you think they are, but what you can actually see, that make up the overall colour.
- Look at how the sunlight and weather affects the colour of things. Does it make them cooler or warmer toned? More saturated or desaturated ? Look at how the sunlight can change the colour of shadows and highlights - shadows can become purple toned and highlights can appear orange.
- How does the sunlight cast it's shadows? What are the shapes / patterns of the shadows?
I find that one of the best places to observe colour changes is when you are away. When your on holiday you tend to take the time to appreciate and observe your surroundings at various times of the day.
I have given some examples from my last trip to Portugal:
- Notice how the reflection of the rock in the sea casts a warm green tone to the surface of the water - and within that shadow cool blue tones are used as highlights.
- Also notice how the sky in all 3 images has a gradient to it.
- All three images were taken at different times of the day and notice how different each colour palette appears.
For most people the reality is that you wont be on holiday all year round so another tip for keeping the every day interesting, is finding the things that change every day. I'm talking about things like the weather and the people around you. Something I like to do when I am out is people watching - now its time to up your 'people watching' game!
- Start to identify what things make a certain person unique. Is it their hairstyle? Glasses? Clothing? Posture? Freckles? Ears? If you start identifying people's uniqueness you are more likely to remember them when thinking of original character designs.
- If you are able to sit and people watch, take this time to do quick sketches. Don't focus on the person as a whole, just quickly pick out what makes them unique and draw that one thing. People are often moving by to quickly to capture all of them and this will train your eye to pick out key elements that interest you.
The main point that I want to get across in this post is to open up your mind to the world around you. Try to observe things as a source of inspiration or reference for ideas that you can develop later on.
Below are some images of things that caught my eye and sparked some imagination
