Case Study: Scribble
from left to right: SCRIBBLE HOODIE (CHARCOAL), SCRIBBLE HOODIE (YELLOW), SCRIBBLE HOODIE (LIGHT BLUE), SCRIBBLE HOODIE (COFFEE), SCRIBBLE HOODIE (MINT)
When I think about all the artwork that I admire and cherish the most, it seems I'm most drawn to works that have some sort of reflection of the creator’s character and personality. Works where the fingerprints of their creative touch are visible and have their idiosyncrasies on full display. Things that might make someone reject a work, for me, makes it much more interesting. To see evidence of the artist’s handiwork stamped all over a piece surges it with an electric energy.
With Van Gogh’s work, it’s the thick brushstrokes that implies the swift madness of each decision made when laying paint on canvas while attempting to capture the impression of something. With Wes Anderson’s films, in between all the meticulous precision, are the small things like the slight wobble of each camera move that lets you know that you’re watching a movie and emphasizes the subtle imperfections of its characters and world. In a culture that continually favors sleek design and polish, I find myself gravitating towards those subtle imperfections. There is a uniqueness and sincerity to things that don’t shy away from their handmade origins and expose the human artifacts that exist in a piece. It reminds you that there is somebody behind the work.
"SCRIBBLE HOODIE (CHARCOAL)" FRONT VIEW AND BACK VIEW
This is what I hope to capture with the products we put out. Unique designs that have unique personality and reveal the humanness driving the creation. Designs that maintain the original hand-drawn quality and embrace the imperfections and roughness born out of the design process.
"SCRIBBLE HOODIE (YELLOW)" BACK VIEW CLOSEUP
In my quest to achieve this, I’ve tried and combined different techniques. Uneven linework. Asymmetrical composition. Registration that’s just a bit off. All of these recurring motifs in place to retain a faithfulness to the original sketch.
The one that I feel gets the closest to capturing that initial energy, however, is something we call the “scribble fill”. Instead of filling a drawing with a solid color with a flat look, the scribble fills in the space, capturing the fun and joy of creating the original idea while also replicating the impulsiveness and loose energy in which the idea was first thought up.
"SCRIBBLE HOODIE (MINT)" FRONT VIEW CLOSEUP
Thinking about this reminds me of an experience from when I was in college. There was an assignment in my Illustration class where we were tasked with making a 5-panel narrative featuring one ordinary object. A kitchen knife was my object of choice and a samurai tale of revenge was the basic premise. One of the panels in my story depicted a duel and had the knife doing some sort of spinning action. For the initial sketch, I quickly dashed a pencil drawing that was both messy and loose, but the general idea was communicated, so it was enough. My professor, upon being shown my collection of sketches for the pitch round of the assignment, commented that he especially enjoyed the energy of that panel and the motion it implied. At the time though, I had it in my mind that the pieces we made in that class had to be fully polished and that anything other than that was missing the mark, so the sketch was to remain as just that. Most likely because each example shown to us had that refined quality to them and it was how everyone else approached the assignment. As a result of this thinking, for the final round, I had turned in a cleaned up drawing that replaced the messy chicken scratch for overly cautious linework. The professor noted that it wasn’t as exciting as the original drawing I had presented. It had lost the liveliness that made it attractive in the first place and the piece suffered as a result.
from the archive: "I LOVE NORA INU (WHITE)" AND "I LOVE NORA INU (BLACK)"
Now, when designing, I think of ways to preserve that initial spontaneous and free expression that was such an essential part of bringing the idea to life in the first place. If there is something I can do to add richness to the texture of a piece and elevate it to a more satisfying level, I want to make sure that is reflected in the design process so as to hopefully give my own work the same electric energy that I admire so much in the work of others.
- Dylan Tsubasa
pictured: VARSITY HOODIE (BLACK), CURSIVE CORDUROY CAP (RUST)
"SCRIBBLE HOODIE (LIGHT BLUE)" BACK VIEW CLOSEUP
