Traditional Medium Experimentation: Watercolour

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Due to the traditional nature of the Somerset Cider Brandy Company, a 300 year old established brand that pride themselves on their historic achievements and processes, I wanted to experiment with traditional mediums and textures. To begin this research, I chose an existing and a new design to paint allowing me to evaluate the medium.

The first painting is a recreation of the previous tree and copper pipe design. The muted pastel palette of watercolour forms a natural and soft focus aesthetic to the illustration, which suits the Somerset and english countryside setting. However, in terms of the trunk, this transparency has allowed the green of the tree to come through the brown of the bark, not giving a distinct finish. The layering of colour provides texture and helps to form the bush of the canopy of the tree without intricate details needing to be added. Also, the path of the paint when applied to the the paper leaves an uneven edge to the shapes, creating the leaf like forms. The uneven coverage of the yellow/orange paint for the pipework has created an almost reflective effect, matching the metal of the pipes.

Overall, in this design watercolour has provided an appealing whimsical aesthetic that suits the brand but has little impact or modern flair. Perhaps for a new consumer, this application of the medium would not be enough to catch attention and advertise the brand effectively.




The second watercolour design is a more simplistic approach, purely using a leaf and apple repeated pattern. A pattern is a helpful method of adding illustration to a design to give a more modern finish. To form the apples, layers of red were added to give the illusion light giving a convex shape to the fruit. The layering of colour also gives a brighter and bolder red to give a bolder impact. I used a thin elliptical shape to give the impression of leaves without too intricate detail that would alter the minimalist style of the pattern.  To give more interest to the leaves, I alternated dark and light green to provide shadow and depth.

Compared to the first design, this is a bolder use of watercolour, however, it still provides the whimsical air of the medium. The pattern is more modern and could appeal more to a new consumer, combining the previous advantages of watercolour with a more impactful aesthetic.



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