Where does that go? By @thomas_ludo
By Ludo Thomas
Where does that go?
Scamping is the current hot topic in SCA, we’ve just had a number of master classes from the King of Scamps Dusty so we know the basics but I guess like most things it will only get easier with practise.
It’s slowly being engrained that as a creative – writer or art director, scamping an idea is one of the most important and vital parts of the creative process. You may have a brilliant idea fully mapped in your head but for someone who struggles to draw, it can be a really daunting prospect trying to get that thought down on paper. Currently the task resembles someone trying to scale a 20 foot wall without a ladder, you can see where you want to go but you can’t quite get there.
We’ve started to learn really useful tips like always use a Sharpie and a keyline, use simple shapes to form certain body parts, and treat the blank page as an opportunity not a barrier, yet even if one was to nail these basics, then comes a whole other artistic curve ball – the layout. It may seem easy but when it comes to putting pen on paper the difficulty seems to multiply. There are so many considerations, where will the readers eye go first? Then where next? Is my message instantly understood? Have I left enough space around the borders? It’s far more complicated than you initially think and made trickier when remembering what the ad Queen Alex Taylor said – there must be justifications for every decision.
It was time to put our teaching to the test. Our first proper taste of scamping came this week as we tackled the God brief. Wonderfully kooky monsters were the subject and straightaway all of the above questions were encountered. But even though it was a good four hour three-way battle between myself the pen and the paper, I absolutely loved it. I started to embrace the decisions rather than be terrified by them.
The poster was far from perfect and I don’t suppose I’ll ever be completely content with the work I hand in – I believe you can always make work better. But like I said, only practise will make this layout business easier so I can wait for more.
