I’m so excited to share with you all our newest paper installation in the sample studio. Parse & Parcel’s sample studio associate and super talented artist, Molly Brill, is the creative mind behind all of our installations – this is number four if you’re counting. In this post, Molly shares her take on the entire process of transforming pixels into art through the medium of paper. Enjoy!
Tackling a blank canvas can be a daunting task for an artist. When your canvas is a wall that spans 24 feet, that feat becomes even greater. As an artist/designer you must utilize every skill set in your arsenal for a successful product. Every step you take in the beginning stages creates a foundation for a smooth process with less headaches. Of course, you can’t always predict every hurdle you might come across, but having a solid game plan sure takes away a lot of uncertainty.
For our newest paper installation, I knew I wanted to incorporate envelopes in a way that could be both beautifully striking and interactive. After brainstorming ideas, we decided to go with the concept of a pixelated image formed out of envelopes. With springtime just around the corner it made sense to create a scene that represented the feeling of the season — a field of flowers backdropped by a cloudy sky.
THE PROCESS: FROM PIXELS TO PAPER
The first step after the concept was to decide on the design and colors. I dove into Adobe Illustrator and created a scaled down mock-up of the image for where every envelope would be placed. In choosing colors I kept it simple to blues, whites, grays, greens, reds, and yellows. Of course, keeping in mind my knowledge of which paper colors we had at our disposal. This step later turned to be more of a hassle than I thought since due to the availability of envelopes. As a result, my initial color plan design changed a multitude of times throughout the completion of the project. This resulted in a lot of handmade mock-ups of envelopes. And one too many nights of scoring and folding in my dreams!
START WITH THE ENVELOPE FIRST
Looking back if I had done things differently I would have nailed down the availability of colors for envelopes before deciding on the design. A simple change in order of planning could have saved me days of extra reworking. It just reiterates the point we are always recommending to designers. Plan your paper choices and confirm availability early on in your print design process.
PRODUCTION: PAPER INSTALLATION
After officially finalizing the color plan, there wasn’t any more guesswork to be figured out since all the planning had been addressed. The rest of the wall completion would just take a lot of tape, stepping stool climbs, and indie band playlists. They say creation is only limited by your imagination. That may be true, but when you couple your imagination with thoughtful planning, that’s when you truly can make your best work.