Week 4- Illustration as Object

Research the illustrated products of Fredun Shapur.

Fredun Shapur was an illustrator largely popular throughout the 1960s-80s, and manufactured illustrated toys and games popular with children and adults alike. His works were mainly produced as wooden toys, with printed designs and patterns on them, although he is also known for the illustrated 'play sack' children could dress up in.

Fig. 1- Fredun Shapur, Playsacks

Fig. 2- Fredun Shapur, Placksacks 2

Shapur's Playsacks were the result of being a father- his daughter needed a costume for a play, and using only a kitchen refuse sack, he designed a fantastically creative and appealing pull over children of all ages could enjoy. Being made of paper was also an advantage, as of course after the war economically friendly products were needed while materials were scarcer. 

After the war, most children's toys in Britain were made with plastic or metal instead of the traditional materials such as wood and string. Shapur's primary canvas was wood- his jigsaws and puzzles fitted the form fantastically with their bright, blocky colours and images. Almost first and foremost in his design was the need to play; Shapur believed anybody, anywhere at any age could play, and his toys were designed to challenge and enthral children. The Animal Puzzles he created were a great example of this, and 'favoured high contrast and playful imagery'[1].

Fig. 3- Fredun Shapur, Animal Puzzles

Shortly after the Animal Puzzles came the Four Way Blocks. These were blocks that when lined up, showed a screen printed image of an animal, and when turned, revealed another on each side. 

"Turning and reordering the blocks slowly and magically reveals a different animal: a cat, an elephant, a snake, a horse." [2]

Fig. 4- Fredun Shapur, Four Way Blocks

His work also extended to illustration as we would usually know it, in books or as images. In each image he produced there was always the same playfulness as his toys, and of course the bold colours and simple forms were the basis for his illustrations. 

Nowadays it's extremely easy to find products with illustrative images on. Fashion retailers such as River Island and Topshop feature printed t-shirts, skirts and dresses among other things, and a lot of prints are typography or photography based, along with lots of illustrative patterns. 

Fig. 5- Topshop 'Sketch' Illustrated Dress

The above dress features a dress with an illustrated pattern, described as a 'sketch' pattern. This sort of pattern could be applied to almost anything, i.e. t-shirts and skirts and even on things such as wallpaper. Prints like this are very versatile and if picked up by a major retailer could be a good source of income. 

Fig. 6- River Island 'Santa Claws' T-Shirt

This t-shirt from River Island shows what looks to be an ink or paint illustration of a cat wearing a leopard print Santa hat. This print is also rather versatile and could be printed on cushions or cards, on it's own as art or onto a tote bag. There are limitations to prints like this though, as anything from clothing style to background colour would affect the appeal of the piece and it would need to be tested carefully to ensure an attractive product.

In my own work I do get ideas from time to time of good products my own illustrations could be applied to. An example of this is my watercolour 'Chicken and Egg' drawing which was exhibited in the Coningsby Gallery earlier this year.

Fig. 7- Me, Chicken, 2014

I think my chicken would look great on cushions, tea towels, aprons, bags... The exact product I would choose for this illustration would be limited to which demographic I was targeting but with research this would be easy to define. Animal illustrations are hugely popular in mass culture today and feature on anything from phone cases to blankets and pillows and even tights and underwear. The market for illustrated objects is massive today and the demand just keeps growing and expanding, accelerated by the use of social media and the Internet. It has never been so easy to make money from illustrations by using websites such as redbubble.com and printalloverme.com, which are websites where you can apply your image to a product that they supply, manufacture and price and then take a commission from. Redbubble has a video to show prospective designers just how easy it is to get started.

Redbubble selling video

[1] M. Shapur & A. F. Ogata, Fredun Shapur: Playing with Design, Paris, Editions Piqpoq, 2013, p14

[2] M. Shapur & A. F. Ogata, Fredun Shapur: Playing with Design, Paris, Editions Piqpoq, 2013, p25

Figure 1- Fredun Shapur, Playsacks, 1960s, M. Shapur & A. F. Ogata, Fredun Shapur: Playing with Design, Paris, Editions Piqpoq, 2013, p46
Figure 2- Fredun Shapur, Playsacks, 1960s, M. Shapur & A. F. Ogata, Fredun Shapur: Playing with Design, Paris, Editions Piqpoq, 2013, p49
Figure 3- Fredun Shapur, Animal Puzzles, 1960s, M. Shapur & A. F. Ogata, Fredun Shapur: Playing with Design, Paris, Editions Piqpoq, 2013, p22
Figure 4- Fredun Shapur, Four Way Blocks, 1960s, M. Shapur & A. F. Ogata, Fredun Shapur: Playing with Design, Paris, Editions Piqpoq, 2013, p25
Figure 5- Topshop 'Sketch' dress, taken from www.topshop.com , accessed 9/12/14
Figure 6- River Island 'Santa Claws' t-shirt, taken from www.riverisland.com , accessed 9/12/14
Figure 7- Sophie Babur Puplett, Chicken, 2013