Creation Zone - Image Bank

1 | Using Descriptive Word and Index Search
The Descriptive Word and Index Search tools can be used together or independently.

Step 1
Select from the Descriptive Word Search terms, using the drop down menus. For best results a maximum of two choices per search is recommended. See Descriptive Word Search for more information.

Step 2
Select the Index Search categories you are most interested in, by checking the relevant boxes. To view the subcategories for any Index, click the corresponding + symbol. Multiple top-level indexes and/or subcategories can be selected concurrently. See Index Search for more information.

Step 3
If your search is successful you will see a series of thumbnail images. To view an image in detail, click on the relevant thumbnail. To return to the results screen of thumbnails, click the Return to current search link.

Step 1
In the text field, type the word or words you wish to search for - There is a maximum of 50 characters, including spaces.

Step 2
Use the first drop down list to select which field you would like to match keyword/s in:

Image Title
Select this option if you are looking for a specific image

Image Keywords
Select this option if you are looking for specific subject matter

Book Title
Select this option if you are looking for images from a specific source book

Author/Illustrator
Select this option if you are looking for a specific illustrator or author

All Fields
Select this option if you want to source a broad body of material loosely connected with a specific subject

Step 3
Use the second drop down list to logically refine your search to images that closely match your needs:

Search for all words
Select this option, if you want to exclude common hits that would be irrelevant to your query. All the terms you specify in the search field must be associated with any image, for it to display in the results. For example, if you typed "red beetle" only images containing "red" AND "beetle", would be retrieved from the database.

Search for any words
Select this option, if you don't want to rule out any hits that may be relevant to your query. At least one of the terms you specify must be associated with any image for it to display in the results. For example, if you typed "butterfly moth" all images containing "butterfly" OR "moth" would be retrieved from the database.

Search as an exact phrase
This option is best selected if you are looking for a specific creator, book or image.

Step 4
If your search is successful you will see a series of thumbnail images. To view an image in detail, click on the relevant thumbnail. To return to the results screen of thumbnails, click the Return to current search link.

From a Results Page
If your initial search results in a large number of hits you may wish to refine your original search criteria to produce a manageable list of records.

If the Descriptive Word and/or Index Search tools were used, click Refine Your Current Search to jump back to the original search tool screen. Your previous selections will have been saved. By choosing additional Descriptive Word terms and/or Indexes you will narrow down your search results.

If the Keyword search was used try searching for all words or an exact match to limit the results.

From an Image Detail Page
Once you have found an individual image (Record) that suits your needs you my wish to find other images that have similar references associated with them, such as:

Same book source
Same creator
Same keyword

Within an Image Detail view such data is displayed as a series of hypertext links, enabling specific creator, book and keyword searches to be made in direct response to viewing a particular picture - This eliminates the need to memorise information and return to the main search tool page to utilise the keyword search tool.

The Find images from same source/creator option is the most effective way to find similar artwork, as this will conduct a search for images by the same illustrator AND from the same book.

How do I use my Personal Album?
On the Image Detail pages you will be invited to save images to your Personal Album, through the Add to Personal Album links. This facility has been provided so you can store an individual collection of favourite, inspirational images, for quick repeat reference on future site visits.

Personal Albums can be viewed at any time within Inspire Me by clicking on the Personal Album link in the sub-navigation bar.

Full record details will be displayed, including the original image location and reference codes. These can be printed off, to provide a physical reference sheet, should you wish to visit Birmingham Central Library to view the original articles, and/or purchase high resolution images from them.

Add/Update Notes
Click here to attach any textual notes to an image in your album, such as thoughts and ideas that have been triggered by it - Your Personal Album is a private space and so no other user will be able to view this information. This feature is aimed at assisting users studying/researching for specific project purposes.

View Item Details
Click here to view the large size image and to use the Zoomify tool. See How do I use the Zoomify Tool?

Remove Item from Album
Click here to delete an item from your Personal Album space.

Email Record to a Friend - COMING SOON!
This feature enables you to forward image thumbnails to other people who you think may be interested in viewing our images.

Most of our images, in their original form, are large format and extremely detailed. To maximise on the amount of visual information that can be studied on screen, we have incorporated a Zoomify tool that, as its name suggests, allows you to literally zoom in on this detail.

Step 1
From the Image Detail screen, click the Zoomify link displayed below the image. This will instruct the system to load the high resolution version of the image, and zoomify tool palette, into the viewing window.

Step 2
Using your mouse, zoom in, out and navigate round the image by clicking/dragging the relevant buttons on the tool palette:

A = Zoom In
Z = Zoom Out
Click and Drag = Pan
Esc = Reset

The image detail will load in as the image is magnified or moved around within the viewing window.

A small reference thumbnail will help orientate you on the image canvas, once the image is magnified to a high level.

Inspiration Bank is an evolving project being developed for you, so please send us your feedback!

The search tools have been especially developed for a creative audience. Each tool can be used independently or in combination with one of the other search tools.

Our index categories loosely fall into two broad types: Inspiration from Nature and Inspiration from Mankind, in deference to the strong natural history and design/illustration collections accessible through our image bank.

The top-level indexes, such as Animal Kingdom, can be selected to simultaneously search all subcategories assigned to that specific group. For instance, if Animal Kingdom is selected, the subcategories Mammals, Birds, Insects and Reptiles will all be searched.

If a specific type of image is required the top-level indexes can be expanded, to reveal the subcategories, which can then be selected independently or a few at a time.

Each image has been subscribed to multiple index categories, in the event that it spans several themes. As such, if multiple categories are checked, images attributed to all checked categories will display first.

Over time, as the image collection grows, the indexes will be revised / refined to suit the expanding range.

This tool enables you to retrieve imagery using expressive vocabulary, which is descriptive of the artistic style and delivery of the image content, regardless of its subject matter.

Since describing a picture is a subjective process, images have been categorised using a fixed set of descriptive words and 'definitions', determined by the Inspiration Bank team.

Each image has been subscribed to multiple descriptive word categories. One or more terms can be selected per search, to enable the retrieval of images combining a specific set of attributes. For instance: Hot Colours; Patterned; Round.

It should be noted that the more descriptive words selected, the less likely it will be that your search is successful - It is recommended that you choose a minimum of two terms for your initial search and then, depending on the success of this search, further refine it with more terms later.

To understand the reasoning behind our Descriptive Word Search terms please read the definitions, used during our cataloguing process, listed below:

Hot Colours
Images are predominantly made up of warm colours such as reds, oranges, yellows, pinks and warm browns, such as terracotta.

Cool Colours
Images are predominantly made up of cold colours such as blues, violets and blue-greens.

Neutral Colours
Images are predominantly made up of neutral tones such as dull browns, beige, green, flesh tones, creams or pale yellows.

Multicoloured
Images display a broad spectrum of colours, combining hot, cool and/or neutral shades in relatively equal measure.

B&W / Greyscale
Non-coloured - Please note due to the age of the original images, many display yellow discolouration.

Bold / Vibrant
Images are predominantly made up of rich, strong and vivid colours. NOT black and white images.

Subtle / Soft
Images are predominantly made up of pastel or muted tones.

Metallic
Images display gold leaf and/or gold, silver or bronze inks.

Materials
The descriptive search terms listed within this category refer to the material/s the source object is made from, in other words, the original book, book binding, toy etc, from which the digital image was taken.

Furry
Image featuring a living organism or inanimate object that is partially/fully covered in fur (natural or synthetic).

Spiky
Image featuring a living organism or inanimate object that has spines or spikes.

Rough
Image featuring a living organism or inanimate object with an abrasive or bumpy surface.

Smooth
Image featuring a living organism or inanimate object with a flat, sleek surface.

Velvety
Image featuring a living organism or inanimate object with a soft, piled surface that would be smooth to touch.

Shape
The following two terms refer to the original source object that was digitised:

3D Source Object
Including objects such as book bindings and toys

2D Source Object
Including scans of images from pages within books

Round
Image features a circular motif, or a living organism or inanimate object that forms a distinctly circular shape.

Square / Cuboid
Image features a square motif, or a living organism or inanimate object that forms a distinctly square/cube-like shape.

Angular
Image features a living organism or inanimate object with straight edges and sharp, acute angles, or any subject matter that is represented in a distinctly linear way.

Curvaceous
Image features a living organism or inanimate object with fluid, convoluted edges, or any subject matter that is represented in a non-linear, stylised way.

Hand-coloured
Image that has been produced by any printing method, and then been hand-coloured.

Etching / Engraving
Image that has been produced through any form of etching or engraving such as: copperplates, wood engravings, aquatints etc.

Lithograph

Chromolithograph

Woodcut

Photo-engraving

Printed
Images that have been printed but where the specific method cannot be determined.

Facsimile
Images that are facsimiles of an original piece of artwork.

Hand Drawn / Painted
Image is an original hand drawing or painting.

Book Binding

Carved

Portraiture
Image predominantly features a figure or figures, as head and/or shoulder shots only.

Figurative
Image predominantly features a complete figure or figures.

Painterly
Image is an artistic impression of the subject matter, evoking a feeling of mood and atmosphere in preference to exact likeness and detail.

Patterned
Image displays areas of repeat pattern. Please note that images displaying intense decoration, that does not repeat, would be categorised under the Ornate category.

Abstract
Image represents the subject matter by means of ambiguous shapes, partial forms and/or patterns, rather than true likeness.

Technical
Image comprises a mathematical / scaled drawing that has been done by a draughtsman, to form an exact, diagrammatical representation of the structure, object or design.

Stylised
Image is predominantly an illustration/line drawing that is a work of the creator's imagination, such as a cartoon, that perhaps combines block text within the design.

Ornate
Image displays intense areas of decoration, but not repeating pattern. See Patterned category.

Study
Image is observation based and is intended to represent a true likeness to the original subject.

Romantic
Image evokes thoughts and feelings of love. The image may achieve this in one of two ways - Either the subject matter will be symbolic of romance, through the display of hearts, flowers, cupids etc., or the image will have an idealistic or sentimental quality.

Dark / Sinister
Image seems threatening or is suggestive of evil. The image may achieve this in one of two ways - Either the subject matter will be symbolic of evil, through the display of devils, vampires etc., or the image will have an unpleasant quality that aims to show or evoke the feeling of fear.

Happy
Image displays people in good humour (smiling).

Sad
Image displays people that are miserable, or where the overall impression is one of gloom and despair.

Comical
Image aims to be humorous.

Fantasy
Image is clearly a work of the illustrator's imagination, through the unreal qualities of actual picture or the obvious fictitious / imaginary subject matter.

Sexual
Image that has sexual content i.e. displays naked flesh, genitals, erotic situations (realistic or symbolic)

Animated
Image that displays its subject in a lively manner or, in terms of people and animals, in literally active poses.