Monday, 22 May 2017
Friday, 19 May 2017
OUIL402: PPP Presentation
I will be using using cues from my iPad so that I know the things I would like to mention during the presentation.
Hi there, I’m Kimberley Burrows of Level 4 and this is my PPP presentation reflecting on my first year of degree and looking on towards the upcoming one - the challenges I’ve faced and will face, my successes, my future prospects at the college and beyond on television and in published works, and my fundraising and volunteering and how that has fed into my strong work ethic and illustrative outcomes. More on that later!
Slide 1: I wanted to start by looking at my strengths and the interesting discoveries I’ve made this year that have impacted positively on my emerging practice.
Slide 2: The final outcome of my Pearly Kings and Queens book in Visual Narratives was something I was really, really proud of. As a research driven module, I was able to look at a variety of research methods from going on trip and having personal first-hand experiences, talking to key figures integral to what I wanted to research and find out, recording audio responses and soundscapes, drawing sound maps, photography, collecting ephemera - all telling a different story to what I would have learned if I’d just researched through websites and books. It became a very personal project because of the emotions and experiences attached to it and I think that really comes through in the final work. Roughs and storyboarding, making multiples and considering different ways to frame and compose the same image, helped to drive forward my understanding of images and how different narratives a told through how the visual is presented. Learning new skills in InDesign - a piece of software I had never used before - combining with photoshop collage and transferring my wide breadth of research into the visual were all challenges but eventual successes and my First reflects that. Contextual research was of high importance influencing and inspiring the aesthetic and tone of voice in my illustrations. Emulating Louise Lockhart, The Printed Peanut, who visited us during this time changed the way I make pictures and gave ma feeling of renewed excitement for picture books. I want to be able to take the foundation of knowledge from this successful module and transfer it to the work I make next year in response to more complex and thorough modules.
Slide 3: Visual Language was successful for me in terms of allowing me to look at my current practice to take apart in a diagnostic fashion - rebuilding it again from the very basics. Particular sessions that inspired me were the line quality, texture and collage sessions - giving me the space to let go of the perfectionist approach I had before of drawing very realistic-looking work which was very representational and had little to do with my own experiences or my own tone of voice. Observational drawing was, as you can image, extremely difficult but this allowed me to have artistic license and learn, personally, the difference between illustration and fine art. I can omit information and keep in the things I see or think are important.This shows my distorted lens, it tells a narrative, and captures an audience much more.
Slide 4: Visual Communication was my most successful module. Both in terms of grade (at 75%) and in terms of learning. As the final module for the year, I really fought to question and challenge my intentions as an illustration and ask myself what work do I want to make and why? What do I want to communicate to someone looking at my work? I chose the opposite to what I would have picked on first glance to get some interesting results which were very professional and very design-based. Totally unexpected of me! I gained many new skills including how to make GIFs in 3 ways, creating vectors in Illustrator, photograms and photography which was totally foreign to me but something I wanted to pursue independently, and vac forms of clay models I made. All embodied a new perspective of seeing and making through the work of architect Zaha Hadid - important to me as a trailblazing woman in the architectural field but also her perception of how forms should work in her deconstructionist and fragmented way. Her own life experiences as a child living in Iraq influenced her to apply interesting ‘skins’ to buildings and looking towards nature for organic forms.
Slide 5: I am very proud of what I have achieved through my studentship this year. As part of the student union as an exec officer, I have helped to shape the events we have at college as well as present a voice for disabled students and provide a platform for equality and accessibility. As student governor I have ensure the students are at the heart of all decision making processes and learned more about an institution I love. And winning student of the Year in November really celebrated the hard work and incredible journey I have had over the past 2 academic years in Access to HE and first year of degree - allowing me to reflect and project forward.
Slide 6: This year hasn’t been without its difficulties, however, both academic and personal. My severe visual impairment means that life is never going to be easy and I have struggled with studio space and obstacles left around such as bags and chairs, accidents I’ve had in my student accommodation, my guide dog having conjunctivitis earlier in the academic year, large class crits being difficult in terms of mobility, people walking into me, leaving feedback on the wrong pieces of paper, not being able to read my own feedback. Context of Practice was difficult for me in terms of group work and often times being alone with Pete spotlighting me and the fact I was alone - making it even more embarrassing and awkward for my peers who clearly don’t want to work with me and that should be respected.
Slide 7: I have surprised myself with some of the discoveries I’ve made this year; from new artists to new reading materials and elements in my personal life. I decided to take up the violin earlier this year, synthesising with my creative flair and my problem solving skills. I’m not able to read sheet music due to low vision but have learned to play by ear and the process of iterating and repeating notes and songs until they are professional sounding - and can then be improvised - marries with that of my illustration process. I have rediscovered my faith which has been a comfort through the rollercoaster of highs and lows, allowing me to keep being charitable, helpful and with a feeling of purpose.
Slide 8: Op-Art is the biggest discovery I have made through a gallery visit where I happened across the work of Victor Vasarely. The strong contrast of black and white, varying frequencies of information and the interlocking shapes create a fascinating but also challenging experience for me and is something i want to learn more about. It begs the question of how we perceive imagery through our different lenses and what is read first. Is there a complex narrative? I want to uncover more next year.
Slide 9: In terms of future prospects, I have a number of things lined up. At the time of writing my presentation I had the Guide Dog Awards to look forward nowhere tami and I had been nominated for the Life Changing Partnership Award. I can now say that we won and just like the student of the year award it feels like such a celebration of all the hard work we put into our partnership and our university life. Tami has truly changed my life for the better and I wouldn’t be here without her. I was very kindly contacted by Davina McCall and ITV for their show ‘This Time Next Year’ where I will be undertaking a year-long journey of publishing my first children’s book - a dream I have had since a little girl where picture books were my only comfort in the months I spent at hospital in London having various operations and procedures. I want to be able to create an accessible book for all going beyond the sense of just sight - through tactile illustrations and Braille, audio CD, a hand-made toy that smells of ginger, and large print and beautiful images for sight children. Why can’t we all have the same book and the same package to enjoy together? I have also been invited to the Loogabraooga festival in October, in Loughborough, to give a seminar and workshop on how to create pictures with limited sight and through that have been out in touch with David Williams, Michael Murpurgo andd Michael Rosen - extending my network of contacts in the professional field.
Slide 10: Fundraising and volunteering really feels into my practice but also my personal life and the sense of helping others facing hardship and tribulation helps me to feel more fulfilled. This then influences the work I make through my personal experiences of giving and receiving compassion. I’ll be visiting Uganda this summer with East African Playgrounds helping to give creative plays sessions to disadvantaged children and teach them the value of play, art and creativity which I am really looking forward to. We are encouraged to take photographs and diaries when we are there but I will be recording a reportage sketchbook of the places I visit and people I meet to have a more unique and personal end result.
Slide 11: Moving onto level 5 and looking toward the future, I have the challenge of combining my new found love for op art with my core love of children’s books. What experiments and processes can I play with and what will be the final outcomes? What discoveries will I make? How can I embed my learning from visual narratives, visual language and visual communication? I will be working on my first children’s book alongside all of this learning which will feed into the end result shown on This Time Next Year. And in COP 2 I wanted to look more contextually at the relationship between shapes through Gestalt theory, analysing framing, grounding and out personal experiences and how those things affects the imagery we see.
Thank you for listening. Any questions!
Slide 1: I wanted to start by looking at my strengths and the interesting discoveries I’ve made this year that have impacted positively on my emerging practice.
• Making a picture book in the Visual Narratives module
• Letting go of my perfectionist mentality in Visual Language and adopting a bigger sense of playfulness, quirkiness and charm reflecting my personality and developing my own individual tone of voice
• Trying new things in Visual Communication, purposely going against what I originally would have picked for a music piece and for a person of note and challenging myself with new things to push myself and my outcomes, exhaustive blogging reflecting on my own work, the thought process and crafting process and analysing contextually and visually to better understand my practice and the practice of others
• My strong sense of studentship
Slide 2: The final outcome of my Pearly Kings and Queens book in Visual Narratives was something I was really, really proud of. As a research driven module, I was able to look at a variety of research methods from going on trip and having personal first-hand experiences, talking to key figures integral to what I wanted to research and find out, recording audio responses and soundscapes, drawing sound maps, photography, collecting ephemera - all telling a different story to what I would have learned if I’d just researched through websites and books. It became a very personal project because of the emotions and experiences attached to it and I think that really comes through in the final work. Roughs and storyboarding, making multiples and considering different ways to frame and compose the same image, helped to drive forward my understanding of images and how different narratives a told through how the visual is presented. Learning new skills in InDesign - a piece of software I had never used before - combining with photoshop collage and transferring my wide breadth of research into the visual were all challenges but eventual successes and my First reflects that. Contextual research was of high importance influencing and inspiring the aesthetic and tone of voice in my illustrations. Emulating Louise Lockhart, The Printed Peanut, who visited us during this time changed the way I make pictures and gave ma feeling of renewed excitement for picture books. I want to be able to take the foundation of knowledge from this successful module and transfer it to the work I make next year in response to more complex and thorough modules.
Slide 3: Visual Language was successful for me in terms of allowing me to look at my current practice to take apart in a diagnostic fashion - rebuilding it again from the very basics. Particular sessions that inspired me were the line quality, texture and collage sessions - giving me the space to let go of the perfectionist approach I had before of drawing very realistic-looking work which was very representational and had little to do with my own experiences or my own tone of voice. Observational drawing was, as you can image, extremely difficult but this allowed me to have artistic license and learn, personally, the difference between illustration and fine art. I can omit information and keep in the things I see or think are important.This shows my distorted lens, it tells a narrative, and captures an audience much more.
Slide 4: Visual Communication was my most successful module. Both in terms of grade (at 75%) and in terms of learning. As the final module for the year, I really fought to question and challenge my intentions as an illustration and ask myself what work do I want to make and why? What do I want to communicate to someone looking at my work? I chose the opposite to what I would have picked on first glance to get some interesting results which were very professional and very design-based. Totally unexpected of me! I gained many new skills including how to make GIFs in 3 ways, creating vectors in Illustrator, photograms and photography which was totally foreign to me but something I wanted to pursue independently, and vac forms of clay models I made. All embodied a new perspective of seeing and making through the work of architect Zaha Hadid - important to me as a trailblazing woman in the architectural field but also her perception of how forms should work in her deconstructionist and fragmented way. Her own life experiences as a child living in Iraq influenced her to apply interesting ‘skins’ to buildings and looking towards nature for organic forms.
Slide 5: I am very proud of what I have achieved through my studentship this year. As part of the student union as an exec officer, I have helped to shape the events we have at college as well as present a voice for disabled students and provide a platform for equality and accessibility. As student governor I have ensure the students are at the heart of all decision making processes and learned more about an institution I love. And winning student of the Year in November really celebrated the hard work and incredible journey I have had over the past 2 academic years in Access to HE and first year of degree - allowing me to reflect and project forward.
Slide 6: This year hasn’t been without its difficulties, however, both academic and personal. My severe visual impairment means that life is never going to be easy and I have struggled with studio space and obstacles left around such as bags and chairs, accidents I’ve had in my student accommodation, my guide dog having conjunctivitis earlier in the academic year, large class crits being difficult in terms of mobility, people walking into me, leaving feedback on the wrong pieces of paper, not being able to read my own feedback. Context of Practice was difficult for me in terms of group work and often times being alone with Pete spotlighting me and the fact I was alone - making it even more embarrassing and awkward for my peers who clearly don’t want to work with me and that should be respected.
Slide 7: I have surprised myself with some of the discoveries I’ve made this year; from new artists to new reading materials and elements in my personal life. I decided to take up the violin earlier this year, synthesising with my creative flair and my problem solving skills. I’m not able to read sheet music due to low vision but have learned to play by ear and the process of iterating and repeating notes and songs until they are professional sounding - and can then be improvised - marries with that of my illustration process. I have rediscovered my faith which has been a comfort through the rollercoaster of highs and lows, allowing me to keep being charitable, helpful and with a feeling of purpose.
Slide 8: Op-Art is the biggest discovery I have made through a gallery visit where I happened across the work of Victor Vasarely. The strong contrast of black and white, varying frequencies of information and the interlocking shapes create a fascinating but also challenging experience for me and is something i want to learn more about. It begs the question of how we perceive imagery through our different lenses and what is read first. Is there a complex narrative? I want to uncover more next year.
Slide 9: In terms of future prospects, I have a number of things lined up. At the time of writing my presentation I had the Guide Dog Awards to look forward nowhere tami and I had been nominated for the Life Changing Partnership Award. I can now say that we won and just like the student of the year award it feels like such a celebration of all the hard work we put into our partnership and our university life. Tami has truly changed my life for the better and I wouldn’t be here without her. I was very kindly contacted by Davina McCall and ITV for their show ‘This Time Next Year’ where I will be undertaking a year-long journey of publishing my first children’s book - a dream I have had since a little girl where picture books were my only comfort in the months I spent at hospital in London having various operations and procedures. I want to be able to create an accessible book for all going beyond the sense of just sight - through tactile illustrations and Braille, audio CD, a hand-made toy that smells of ginger, and large print and beautiful images for sight children. Why can’t we all have the same book and the same package to enjoy together? I have also been invited to the Loogabraooga festival in October, in Loughborough, to give a seminar and workshop on how to create pictures with limited sight and through that have been out in touch with David Williams, Michael Murpurgo andd Michael Rosen - extending my network of contacts in the professional field.
Slide 10: Fundraising and volunteering really feels into my practice but also my personal life and the sense of helping others facing hardship and tribulation helps me to feel more fulfilled. This then influences the work I make through my personal experiences of giving and receiving compassion. I’ll be visiting Uganda this summer with East African Playgrounds helping to give creative plays sessions to disadvantaged children and teach them the value of play, art and creativity which I am really looking forward to. We are encouraged to take photographs and diaries when we are there but I will be recording a reportage sketchbook of the places I visit and people I meet to have a more unique and personal end result.
Slide 11: Moving onto level 5 and looking toward the future, I have the challenge of combining my new found love for op art with my core love of children’s books. What experiments and processes can I play with and what will be the final outcomes? What discoveries will I make? How can I embed my learning from visual narratives, visual language and visual communication? I will be working on my first children’s book alongside all of this learning which will feed into the end result shown on This Time Next Year. And in COP 2 I wanted to look more contextually at the relationship between shapes through Gestalt theory, analysing framing, grounding and out personal experiences and how those things affects the imagery we see.
Thank you for listening. Any questions!
My presentation clocks in at 8 minutes and 30 seconds! Again, this is just a possible outcome but I'm glad it fits within the time limit somewhat and that there is plenty of room for improv and additional thoughts and comments on the day with a window of time leeway on either side of the 8 minute mark.
Now I'm itching to get this presented!
Now I'm itching to get this presented!
Guide Dog Awards 2017
Well, I feel truly humbled and honoured! Tami and I won the Life Changing Partnership Award at Wednesday night's ceremony and I just simply cannot believe it! We have come so far this year and this is such a celebration of everything we have achieved together in our 2 and a half years of partnership. It was wonderful to be able to finally hear what Matt and Simone said about me during the filming in February! Thank you so much for the kind words, guys! :) Such a wonderful event with lots of incredible dogs who change lives every day, and full of inspirational Guide Dog owners who I can proudly call my friends.
I just feel so happy, so blessed with the gift that is Tami and so motivated to keep going in my journey!
Tuesday, 9 May 2017
OUIL402: Tutorial
Today I had my final tutorial with my tutor which was very bittersweet! We discussed the end of the year, my presentation ideas and my final A2 poster.
Here are things for me to consider:
• Picture books - context
• Visual language - letting go
• Research - real life experiences
• Intent
• Authenticity and voice
• Challenging and surprising myself
• Contextual research of other practitioners
• Criticality
• Op Art, colour theory, gestalt theory and how to marry that with children's books
• New ways of seeing
• Value of studying Zaha Hadid
• Next year: Davina McCall and This Time Next Year
• Uganda trip with East African Playgrounds
• Loogabarooga festival in October
• talk about success
• Focus more on the future - what excites me, successes in current work and what can be taken forward
• See beyond signs and symbols to more non-representational work
• Scrapes of grey and black are successful in being suggestive in my poster
Thursday, 13 April 2017
Study Task 7: Self
Now that 4 out of 6 modules are handed in, and there is only a month and a half left in my first year, it's time for a reflection on how far I've come in Level 4 and the strengths and struggles I have encountered along the way...
As a Practitioner
5 STRENGTHS:
• Adaptive; I'm willing to explore a range of briefs, develop multiple ideas, push myself away from what feels comfortable and safe, and work with an array of materials - as I'm wanting to learn as much as possible in these early stages of being a professional artist, designer and illustrator.
• Critical reflection; I am very critical of my own and others' work, reflecting often on each stage of the process and questioning what could be done better to improve the aesthetic or learning of skills, and considering the next steps to take. I regularly undertake contextual research regarding contemporary practitioners who have a similar practice or have used a similar process to what I am exploring and reflect on what they have achieved and how I can imbed that in my own outcomes.
• Good time management; I often plan ahead and make schedules and timetables for myself in my academic planner to ensure I have enough time to complete tasks and research, juggling multiple projects and responsibilities at once. A lot of my personal time is dedicated to Tami, my Guide Dog, making sure she is happy, healthy and has a good amount of work to do partnered with play time - so I have to be as effective as I can in completing my work to a good standard in good time so I can play and enjoy myself too (going on long walks, taking Tami for weekly free runs to burn off extra energy, regular vet visits, monthly flea and worm treatments, booster vaccinations, body and teeth checks, etc.) It isn't easy being a student with 100% responsibility of a full grown 26kg Lab x Retriever! As Student Governor I have regular 2 hour meetings on a Wednesday afternoon after my lecture, so I ensure I am up-to-date on my COP blog with my lecture notes so I can engage fully with Board of Governors' and / or Learning Teaching Enhancement meetings in the Boardroom afterwards. I also have to make sure I can fit my weekly violin lessons around my busy schedule!
• Strong work ethic; As discussed in a previous blog post, I come from a working class Irish family in Salford and from an early age I learned about the benefits of grafting, hard labour and strong dedication - keeping on top of work and keeping the momentum going to ensure I am not burned out and continue to have a love of the work I do. I am willing to put the extra effort in, going above and beyond what is required, to see results in everything I do - whether that is illustration, playing the violin, undertaking charity work, and so on. Having little possessions or opportunities growing up, I take absolutely nothing for granted and am humbled and grateful for any and all opportunities that come my way and want to ensure I do my absolute best to make my family, and myself, proud.
• Resourceful and good problem solver; As someone with a big disadvantage in life, I have learned to have a different perspective and to not accept any problem or misfortune as a finality. There is always a way around an obstacle with courage, determination and imagination! With my own hoard of materials and books, knowledge and experience partnered with the facilities at the college and the wisdom of my tutors - there is nothing that can stop me from being ambitious at art school.
5 STRUGGLES:
• Over-complication: As someone who has faced adversity and a daily struggle, I have a natural tendency to overthink even the simple tasks and make things much harder for myself when they don't need to be. I am getting better at just doing something and then leaving it alone, giving it space to settle and then coming back to reconsider the outcome. As I have learned over the course - to simplify is to amplify!
• Research: I absolutely love researching and finding out new information but I can get far too caught up in the research process, long after the timeframe has elapsed, rather than spending time on developing work and experimenting. I have learned to reel it in for the Visual Communication briefs though, due to them being only 2 weeks long, - instead, pushing myself to fill sketchbooks with just playing and experimenting with ideas, motifs and materials.
• Experimentation; Following on from this, I need to be more exhaustive in my experimentation! I have experienced the benefits of creating roughs, multiples, iterations, media and materials swatches and test pieces through my 2 years of being at Leeds College of Art and need to continue down this route as my practice develops. I usually have a mental image in my mind of how I want the final outcome to be executed and tend to skip the testing stage so I can spend as much time as possible on the final outcome.
• Collaboration; I am so, so, so independent and can be a bit of a control freak. Partner this with being a perfectionist and the idea of collaboration is just totally off the cards... Things have to be done in a certain way and I cannot deal with people not doing work on time, not being decisive enough on ideas and not having a clear channel of communication. I have collaborated with the UK Scouts magazine and various charities when producing illustrations for printed work - but was given a lot of creative freedom. Any adjustments I needed to do were made very clear to me and I did them quickly and successfully. If I am to collaborate in the future, I expect the same level of punctuality, commitment and dedication that I give to a project.
• Disability; I cannot deny that my severe visual impairment (blind in my right eye and only 8% central vision in my left) creates a humungous about of obstacles and barriers on such a demanding and visual course. I have struggled with observational drawing in life drawing classes and on location, getting headaches and eye strain by spending a long amount of time focusing on peers' work during crits (I much prefer smaller group crits) and being on the computer too long, using the lightbox which completely floods my useful field of vision with bright light, using the facilities where there are lots of people, students attempting to distract my Guide Dog when she is working, difficulty reading books for COP using the knfbReader on my iPhone which is massively time consuming and sometimes inaccurate.
As a Student:
5 STRENGTHS:
• Punctuality; I have good attendance and I'm always on time unless something gets in the way of me travelling to uni. I had 100% attendance last year on the Access to HE course and was there before everyone else - and usually one of the last to leave at 7pm every evening. This year, I've had a few more struggles in terms of Tami getting conjunctivitis, me having multiple falls and accidents as I get used to my student accommodation, an incident with a taxi driver, etc. but I have always made the effort to complete my work, come into the studio when it's necessary and work at home when I'm unable to attend.
• Positive role model; I have been told many times that I am a positive role model for fellow students, not succumbing to my disadvantages and taking education back into my own hands. Despite having no support at primary school or high school from 1992 - 2005 -relying on friends to read out the blackboard and whiteboard and help to guide me around the building - and being bullied when I went to college as I was no longer in my safe place, I still never let go of the dream of one day having my art degree. After a long journey of losing even more of my sight, accepting and embracing my disability, learning how to cook, clean, use technology, read Braille, use a long cane and a Guide Dog for mobility, I made the decision to get my degree before my sight deteriorates any further. I do hope I encourage and inspire those around me to keep pushing on and achieving their goals despite any setbacks as life is too short.
• Engagement; I involve myself fully with each and every session - whether that is group discussions, peer crits, asking and answering questions, providing suggestions, completing practical tasks, group work, going out of the studio and into the workshops, getting to know my tutors and the resources well. This is evident in my blogs through regular session notes, reflections, evaluations and learning outcomes.
• Organisation: I'm extremely organised in terms of my work space in the studio and at home, always bring my books back to the library on time, attend lectures, sessions, Governor meetings and Exec Officer meetings on time, ensure to do my general admin each day of responding to e-mails and answering phone calls, carrying out tasks for Tami's health and well-being, arranging weekly violin lessons, and so on. I have both an academic and personal planner and religiously log into eStudio to plan ahead for sessions. I have my iPad and bluetooth keyboard fully charged and ready to type up notes on and always have my trusty rucksack packed with essential media and materials for working in the studio.
• Student Union; I actively participate in LCA's Student Union as an Exec Officer and Student Governor - attending Board of Governors meetings, Learning Teaching Enhancement meetings and Exec Officer meetings with the rest of the union - sometimes travelling to different cities to attend conferences with other SU's across the country and attending attends to represent the college. I care deeply about LCA and love the institution, and everyone involved behind the scenes, a lot.
5 STRUGGLES:
• Crits; I tend to lose focus and concentration during the lengthy crit sessions... With 60 peers to look at and evaluate the work of I start to feel eye strain, headaches, disorientation, boredom and lethargy at moving around a huge space with lots of people crammed into it. I constantly walk into people, chairs and bags and find the whole thing entirely uncomfortable. I can't read my feedback and have no way of knowing whether mine is neat enough for others to read!
• Studio space; I often cannot concentrate in the studio during independent study days because of others' loud banter and conversations, losing focus my work and instead melting into a pot of 'lit', 'fam' and 'safe'. I tend to just go home or stay in the library so I can really anchor my energy and drive into my work. I don't always want to listen to music so have no other option, which is a shame as the studio is a shared space and should be a hub of creation and excitement. The small space, obstacles of people standing around, chairs pulled out at all angles and bags creeping out from under tables also disheartens me a lot and I like to go home where I know I have everything organised and in its place.
• Context of Practice; I hate to say it, but I don't enjoy COP as much as I'd like to... which is a huge shame as I absolutely adored Contextual Studies last year on the Access to HE course. I love attending lectures, learning new aspects of art and design that were unknown to me previously, discovering new theories and practitioners that ignite my creativity to try something new - but I just do not enjoy the COP sessions. Point blank. I think because I have the very first slot of 9:30 in the morning and not many people turn up, partnered with a clunky schedule of just having peer crits week-in-week-out on our learning journal, just really bores me and becomes a monotonous pattern. I'd love to be able to do more presentations, work with new people, have opportunities to go into workshops and the library to undertake tasks rather than sitting around filling out a sheet of paper... Last year, I knew everyone on the Access course and we had fruitful debates on modernism vs. postmodernism, masculinity and the male gaze, objectification in advertisements, colonialism and imperialism and the stealing of artefacts to put into museums... I just don't know anyone in my group well enough, rarely have anyone who wants to work with me - because I'm uncool or something - and just keep myself to myself, wasting the 2 hours of the session and feeling like I have achieved absolutely nothing.
• Self doubt; As an artist and practitioner with a disability, and very high standards, my self-doubt is truly amplified and I often criticise and pick apart the work I make and question my intentions, processes and outcomes religiously. Am I good enough? Is what I am making any good? Does it have merit, start a conversation? Is it funny, charming, evocative? I need to let go of these feelings and just make and do.
• Mature student; Right from the get-go, I found it hard as a mature student to fit into the overall group - by my opinions, interests and overall life experience. Everyone seems to have formed their own cliques and circles now and it is impossible to get to know anyone. Being back in education after so long was my main concern last year but being on the Access course, with such a small group of fellow mature students, all from different walks of life and occupations, was such a fantastic and inspiring environment to be in every day. There was a Doctor who decided that he just wanted to paint, a mother of two from Bulgaria who was a breath of fresh air and turned up to sessions when it suited her independent and care-free lifestyle, a computer technician who was over 60, and my close-knit group of friends were all over 25 and decided to get back into art full-time. One has moved onto Chelsea School of Art, another at Sheffield Hallam, and two at Leeds Beckett. We were all on the same page and the same path and that is what made Access truly unique - any hang-ups were left at the door and we all had a mutual understanding and respect for each other. I don't feel that on this course, I feel like people are incredibly uncomfortable around me and don't know how to interact with me. I only stay with the other mature students for fear of being seen as trying to relive my youth and acting younger than I am, and feel worlds apart from everyone else. It was extremely difficult to get my head around it at first, but I have just had to accept that this is the way it is and carry on... I'm a very social person so this is something I am working on! I still keep in touch with the mature students who progressed onto a degree course at LCA: one on animation, one on surface pattern, two on visual communication, three on fine art and one who will start the masters course later this year.
Thursday, 23 March 2017
Study Task 6: Interdisciplinary
This year I made the decision to learn how to play the violin. It has been a life-long dream to be able to do so but, as I have very little sight, I was always worried about not being able to read sheet music. It was a silly hang-up to have as I create my drawings with only 8% vision in one eye and this year I realised I was just making excuses for fear of more trials and tribulations. However, living in a new city with only a few friends left from the Access course who moved onto LCA, I found that since the started of the degree course I have only been focusing on my Guide Dog and her personal care (grooming, playing, walking, free runs) and my module work. Not good! I needed something else in my life to ensure that I didn't burn out my visual creativity! With my grandad passing away in the summer, a good sum of money meant I was able to research properly into YouTube videos, website reviews and music shops to find a good model that works best for me - looking beyond a standard student grade model that would squeak, produce a flat sound with no personality or individuality and eventually need to be upgraded in the future.
Now that I have my violin, a beautiful Fiddlerman Artist Violin made from maple and spruce and fitted with ebony accents, mother of pearl inlays and a carbon fibre bow, and researched a local violin tutor in Leeds - I am truly well on my way to realising one of my life-long dreams. It was finding that confidence and (monetary) support that catapulted this, just as with the brave decision to go back into education and get my art degree.
In my illustrative outcomes it takes iteration and roughs for a foundation to be built on which to develop a deeper understanding of a motif to perfect an outcome... much like with the violin. Practice and experimentation allows for a 'motif' of notes to be understood enough so that it can be made individual and interesting. That process of repetition allows me to think things over in my mind, have some time to myself and make sense of things happening in my life at the moment allowing for personal development. Translating sheet music to sound interplays with the ability to translate a thought in the mind's eye as a physical interpretation on the page of a sketchbook and I play by ear by following what my tutor plays to make this work for me. It is difficult, as is creating illustrations, but it's a challenge I feel I get a lot of benefit from and something I hope continues to strengthen my personal life and my practice as an illustrator - reassuring me to not give up, keep trying and experimenting and finding new ways to approach a piece, or a brief, in my work.
Wednesday, 15 March 2017
Contextual Research: Visual Communication
Raphaël Garnier
Raphaël Garnier was suggested to me by my tutor and is someone who was previously mentioned in a Visual Language presentation. His weird and wonderful shapes and forms express narrative, perhaps thoughts of a new or alien ecosystem. Visual language of mark-making at varying frequencies is used to convey texture, surface area, pattern and material - which is quite free form and illustrative that also has a graphic design edge to it. Garnier works in textile design which can be seen in his use of pattern, mark making and simplicity - possibly informed by composing textile patterns and the properties of thread, yarn or wool?
Garnier likes to explore worlds that don't exist yet and continues experimentation with string and rope-like forms, exhausting combinations, referencing DNA - an ongoing symbol woven through many of his works. Garnier likes the process of turning an illustration into something more three-dimensional like a ceramic piece - something I am considering doing in this project. Using black and white unifies his work, identifying links between them just like the rope. In an interview I read previously, he mentioned Stereotonomy and the art of cutting down volumes for assembly. Is this what he also refers to in his work? Cross sections of natural volumes? Interesting and something to consider... I could look into cross-sections of Zaha Hadid's buildings, perhaps.
Victor Vasarely
Victor Vasarely was highly regarded as the Grandfather and leader of the Op-Art (Optical Illusion Art) movement. His work can be described as geometric abstract art using very limited forms and colours of varying spacing and frequencies, working primarily in acrylic on canvas. I first discovered Varasely and Op-Art on a PPP visit to Leeds University's open gallery and fell in love with the high contrast, simplification and grand scale of his work.
These are some of my favourite pieces of his. The first, especially, reminds me of blueprints and schematics of architectural propositions and this is something I could try to recreate in illustrator? The aesthetic of white lines of varying widths and heights against a black background is different to anything I have ever liked or attempted to make - and shows the departure of my previous thinking and responses to illustration, influenced by Visual Language and Visual Narratives. The first painting, especially, would work so well if it was incorporated somehow into my final piece. Could I overlay illustrator lines onto more organic drawings? collages? Do I want to try acrylic on paper or canvas or stick with digital for a more accurate representation?
Hannah Duncan
Hannah Duncan is a BA (Hons) Jewellery Design student who is inspired by both architecture and design. She is particularly drawn to linear patterns, geometric shapes and contrasting surfaces in the natural environment. She works with brass, copper, enamels and fragmented surfaces, creating textures, patterns and atmosphere of the coast - immersing wearers and viewers in memories and the experience of an unreachable environment. She finds inspiration in beaches and coasts, telephone pylons, shadows and distorted reflections.
I am fascinated by Hannah's responses to the natural world around us, much like Zaha Hadid did with her practice, looking to organic forms and shapes as well as fragmentation and how that can effect a surface. In particular I really like these pieces of jewellery (a necklace and an earring) using acetate, and how that can be reflected onto a wall to create shadows and different perspectives - all by interacting with an object. Her work reminds me of Zaha Hadid's use of faceted triangles. Acetate is an interesting medium to use... it works especially well with the black, printed areas. I used acetate for the front cover of my Pearly Kings and Queens picture book and was happy with the results. Is acetate something to consider for my final pieces?
Wednesday, 8 March 2017
Study Task 5: Exhibit
Geta Brãtescu at Tate Liverpool
I recently visited the Liverpool Tate and had a lovely day out with my mum and my Guide Dog! For context, we regularly go out to exhibitions together so that my Guide Dog can assist me around the exhibition space for a good sense of mobility and my mum can provide audio feedback, if a venue isn't as accessible as it can be, for a good sense of accessibility. This allows me to have the same experience as a sighted visitor. I trust her descriptions, judgements and directions enough to forms opinions from them and take photos on my iPad (with permission!) so that I can zoom in as much as possible to gain a clearer understanding of the piece being presented.
The first thing I noticed was the location, at Albert Dock, and how the gallery was a big part of the infrastructure surrounded by shops and cafes. As it had been quite a long drive, my mum and I went for something to eat first at a fish and chips restaurant on the dock which had a friendly atmosphere and the chips and peas were delicious! As well as the fish and chips restaurant, there was a coffee shop, a gift shop selling crystals and stones and a thrift shop selling unique and affordable jewellery pieces, scarves and gloves. It was like stepping back in time to the 1950s or 60s and I really enjoyed having that added dimension to my visit!
The first thing I noticed was the location, at Albert Dock, and how the gallery was a big part of the infrastructure surrounded by shops and cafes. As it had been quite a long drive, my mum and I went for something to eat first at a fish and chips restaurant on the dock which had a friendly atmosphere and the chips and peas were delicious! As well as the fish and chips restaurant, there was a coffee shop, a gift shop selling crystals and stones and a thrift shop selling unique and affordable jewellery pieces, scarves and gloves. It was like stepping back in time to the 1950s or 60s and I really enjoyed having that added dimension to my visit!
The gallery space inside Tate Liverpool was open and generous in space and capacity - meaning no one would be walking into me or my dog. Hurrah! I enjoy spaces where there are no obstacles of people or objects allowing me enough room to feel comfortable, get my bearings and allow myself to be seen with my service dog for minimal distraction and interruption. The Geta Brãtescu exhibition really appealed to me in the sheer volume of processes and techniques used throughout her career - from collage to performance, installations to paintings to textiles. She has a very experimental approach to her practice, looking beyond perfection and representation, focusing on the process and the skills learned. This appeals to me as a creative wanting to break away from accuracy and detail (which I trained myself to do so I wouldn't be seen as a 'crap' artist!) and instead adopt a more loose and playful approach to spotlight my individual and personal lens.
The piece that particularly stood out to me was Women (2007, tempera on paper) which comprised of a multitude of small drawings executed by the artist with her eyes closed, repeating the same form of woman's body recalled from memory. As someone with a severe visual impairment, a sighted artist drawing with their eyes closed appeals to me greatly - relying on the 'mind's eye' and past experience rather than factual perception from reference. She is 'interested in the tension between chance and the memory of forms that exists when drawing with the eyes closed, suggesting that without the 'freedom of the eye' the hand can better explore the 'freedom of the muscles' instead. The process of iteration and repetition interests me greatly and synthesises a lot with what I have discovered this year on my degree course. That constant repetition allows for variables and visual interest as well as deeper understanding of movement.
The piece that particularly stood out to me was Women (2007, tempera on paper) which comprised of a multitude of small drawings executed by the artist with her eyes closed, repeating the same form of woman's body recalled from memory. As someone with a severe visual impairment, a sighted artist drawing with their eyes closed appeals to me greatly - relying on the 'mind's eye' and past experience rather than factual perception from reference. She is 'interested in the tension between chance and the memory of forms that exists when drawing with the eyes closed, suggesting that without the 'freedom of the eye' the hand can better explore the 'freedom of the muscles' instead. The process of iteration and repetition interests me greatly and synthesises a lot with what I have discovered this year on my degree course. That constant repetition allows for variables and visual interest as well as deeper understanding of movement.
I was very impressed with the accessibility at Tate Liverpool, providing a Braille booklet and large print upon request, with the staff allowing me to take a photograph for my personal blog to better understand in my own time. I would most certainly visit again to see the next featured exhibition and have another fun day out with my family.
Monday, 6 March 2017
Contextual Research: Reportage and Observational Illustrators
Cat O'Neill
I love the way Cat has used mark making and pattern in her observational work to be descriptive of forms' textures and contours. A thick brush with ink to describe the tilled fields, allowing the ink to scrape across and get drier in the background showing the sense of depth and distance, is such a clever and minimal way to achieve it. The flow of the land is easy to see because of how the brush has been moved from left to right and those contours show where land is raised and bathes in sunlight. The swirling mountains are particularly nice too, where our eye is lead towards, and there is evident description of their flowing shape. Such a minimal but powerful piece of illustration. I also love the mark making for the trees and how movement and motion have been implied in the direction of the flicked strokes. Using minimal ink pens is something I have discovered enjoying earlier in the visual language sessions and combining that with mark making is what I hope to experiment with tomorrow.
Nina Cosford
I've selected 3 of my favourite observational drawings from Nina that each focus on a different element - shape and colour, line and texture. In the first illustration, Nina has used basic shapes and forms to describe the skyscrapers and architecture in New York in a very simple and free-form way. Variation in thicker and thinner lines convey the windows and ridges on the side of the buildings. These few simple components, used in a very primary way, still communicate Modernist skyscrapers - with the addition of a bright yellow taxi, angled backwards to represent speed and motion, connects with the audience to automatically allude to New York. Her second observational piece provides more perspective and exploration of line quality; thicker lines outlining meeting points between objects - where the underneath of the roof meets the bricks of the house, or the edges of the brick wall of the fence end to meet the gate. A few marks and patterns are used to describe different trees and plants, different surface areas and textures. Simple, lots of white space, but very charming. It is a little over-worked I think, and some of the background trees could have been omitted in my opinion. The third drawing shows the texture, light and shadow of the mountains really nicely through the use of a fine, cross-hatched pencil. More pressure is applied to show peaks and the lighter areas show the angles and ridges. The ramblers at the front of the composition are sketched in pen to make the darker and closer to the viewer. Nina's simple use of line, shape and texture is something I want to employ during tomorrow's session.
Ahead of the York trip tomorrow, I wanted to look at some other illustrators' reportage and observational drawings on location to give me some inspiration. I want to identify what has made their work a success; is it their ability to adopt good line quality? Pattern, texture and mark making? Shape and form? Colour?
I've selected 3 of my favourite observational drawings from Nina that each focus on a different element - shape and colour, line and texture. In the first illustration, Nina has used basic shapes and forms to describe the skyscrapers and architecture in New York in a very simple and free-form way. Variation in thicker and thinner lines convey the windows and ridges on the side of the buildings. These few simple components, used in a very primary way, still communicate Modernist skyscrapers - with the addition of a bright yellow taxi, angled backwards to represent speed and motion, connects with the audience to automatically allude to New York. Her second observational piece provides more perspective and exploration of line quality; thicker lines outlining meeting points between objects - where the underneath of the roof meets the bricks of the house, or the edges of the brick wall of the fence end to meet the gate. A few marks and patterns are used to describe different trees and plants, different surface areas and textures. Simple, lots of white space, but very charming. It is a little over-worked I think, and some of the background trees could have been omitted in my opinion. The third drawing shows the texture, light and shadow of the mountains really nicely through the use of a fine, cross-hatched pencil. More pressure is applied to show peaks and the lighter areas show the angles and ridges. The ramblers at the front of the composition are sketched in pen to make the darker and closer to the viewer. Nina's simple use of line, shape and texture is something I want to employ during tomorrow's session.
Ahead of the York trip tomorrow, I wanted to look at some other illustrators' reportage and observational drawings on location to give me some inspiration. I want to identify what has made their work a success; is it their ability to adopt good line quality? Pattern, texture and mark making? Shape and form? Colour?
Wednesday, 1 March 2017
Words of Wisdom by Paul Rand
"I haven’t changed my mind about modernism from the first day I ever did it…. It means integrity; it means honesty; it means the absence of sentimentality and the absence of nostalgia; it means simplicity; it means clarity. That’s what modernism means to me…"
"The visual message which professes to be profound or elegant often boomerangs as mere pretension; and the frame of mind that looks at humor as trivial and flighty mistakes the shadow for the substance. In short, the notion that the humorous approach to visual communication is undignified or belittling is sheer nonsense."
"Simplicity is not the goal. It is the by-product of a good idea and modest expectations.
Don't try to be original. Just try to be good."
"Design is everything... Everything!"
"Design is so simple, that's why it's so complicated."
"Good design adds value of some kind, gives meaning, and, not incidentally, can be sheer pleasure to behold; it respects the viewer’s sensibilities and rewards the entrepreneur."
"Innovation leads one to see the new in the old and distinguishes the ingenious from the ingenuous."
"Art is an idea that has found its perfect form."
Reflection
I recently came across these inspiring and interesting quotes by Paul Rand on his official website while contextually researching for Visual Communication. I am a fan of Rand's work as a graphic designer using simple shapes and colour as vectors; and these quotes were a nice surprise to find in my research. I feel these sound bytes have a connecting power and are really inspiring to me; they will stay in my mind while completing the rest of the year. Simplicity, clarity, streamlining, innovation, ingenious, perfect form... all things to consider in my final modules.
Reflection
I recently came across these inspiring and interesting quotes by Paul Rand on his official website while contextually researching for Visual Communication. I am a fan of Rand's work as a graphic designer using simple shapes and colour as vectors; and these quotes were a nice surprise to find in my research. I feel these sound bytes have a connecting power and are really inspiring to me; they will stay in my mind while completing the rest of the year. Simplicity, clarity, streamlining, innovation, ingenious, perfect form... all things to consider in my final modules.
Tuesday, 21 February 2017
Contextual Research: Vector Illustrators
Anna Kövecses
Anna is one of my favourite vector illustrators as I love the simplicity of the work she makes. Her colour palettes use muted backgrounds matched against brighter, more saturated values evoking a feeling of nostalgia and harking back to children's picture books from the 60's, '70s and '80s - which used expanses of flashy colour against muted creams and greys with a musty book smell to match! She uses very rotund shapes with very little use of angles, and no stroke outlines, to give a friendly approach and tone of voice with effortless simplicity of reduced forms.
Susie Hammer
Susie Hammer is very playful with her shapes and proportions, and the way she arranges the shapes gives a quirky disjointedness and altogether imperfectness that works in such a naive and charming way. I love her use of colour and pattern to add a sense of fun and sillyness to her characters. Her colour palettes tend to be quite pastel-based with a mid-saturation level; not too garish but not too watery at the same time. The unconventional proportions and forms placed at odd angles provide a quirky aesthetic - and again, this illustrator uses very rounded vectors with no strokes to give an appealing and softer approach.
Monday, 20 February 2017
Visit: The Stanley and Audrey Burton Gallery
Today I visited the newest exhibition at the Stanley and Audrey Burton Gallery at the University of Leeds and wanted to document my thoughts, feelings and experiences...
Upon arrival I have to admit that I had absolutely no idea what this exhibition was about - and I still do not have a clue! I kept hoping to hear someone mention something about a featured artist or a certain theme or idea that sparked the culmination of these pieces together in one place, but there was nothing. I imagine that there would have been some sort of description printed on the wall regarding the relevance of the chosen work and plethora of artists and designers but, as a severely visually impaired person, who knows what it said? And where? Access to information was entirely inaccessible. Both leaflets and booklets were in small print and had to be purchased before they could be read and labels next to the work were even smaller... What on Earth was I even looking at?There appeared to be a diverse extent of work across three rooms, from paintings to sculptures and books behind glass cabinets, but what linked them all together? Why were these pieces selected? I asked someone on the desk for some assistance and, after a lengthy phone call with her manager, large print was printed out on request. However, Braille and audio - the formats I can understand independently - was not available and the lady, who had just started working there, said she felt entirely embarrassed and apologised. Hopefully something will be put in place for the future and I have catapulted the winds of change.
These paintings by Victor Varasely stood out to me immediately because of their sheer size and the immediacy and definition of black and white. After a discussion with my tutor, who helps me to identify the artist from the minuscule labels, Op Art had instantly piqued my interest. What was it? When did this movement begin? What prompted it? Is it purely to play on optical illusions? Do you need a certain level of vision to be able to be 'tricked' into seeing imagery? How does it work? Is it still a movement prevalent today? Who were / are the key practitioners? Are there any theories at play or is it purely decorative?It seems very '60s to me and I love the simplicity of it. The relationship between the shapes and colours. The perfection of line and curve. The boldness and stark different of black and white or a limited colour palette of green, red, black and white. Inspired by Notan? Balance? Could be replicated in illustrator. I need to research more! This is exciting! Transformative moment! How can this feed into and inspire my practice?
Friday, 10 February 2017
Google Doodle: Carmen Miranda's 108th Birthday
Today's Google Doodle celebrates Carmen Miranda's 108th birthday and I absolutely love the composition and aesthetics of this illustration - so much that I wanted to document a few thoughts on my blog! The bright colours, subtle textures in the brush strokes and soft, round shapes have a friendly and inviting tone of voice and the character design is truly charming. The symmetrical composition and framing gives a sense of balance and harmony, and the glowing light around Carmen's character draws the audience immediately to the centre. There is a big evocation of nature with the headrests being reminiscent of flower petals and leaves and it leaves me with an appreciation of mother nature and a fresh outlook and approach to my day.
Tuesday, 7 February 2017
Visiting Lecturer: Kristyna Baczyski
• Always liked drawing but now an illustrator in a world of wolves!
• Dropped out of A levels did art foundation then Beckett. Multidisciplinary degree comprising of graphic art, photography, typography and illustration. Loved making animations of weird things.
• Year after graduation was difficult but shaped her practice. Interim period of no one there and no one interested. "How do I make my work?"
• Thought Bubble - this amount of time to fill a table of stuff was exciting
• Makes things herself that helps her connect directly to her audience. Shop and working go hand-in-hand; client see the stuff she is making, they as her to make stuff which she loves
• Uses a combination of an iMac, Wacom tablet, risograph and sketchbook. She loves her world of making and scanning and sending off to clients
• Sketchbook - loves drawing for herself and isn't restricted. Works with different materials, stream of consciousness, measured. Shapes and colours. Obsessive with sketchbook, variations, project itself and becomes a zine and sell it.
• Feeds into her work and becomes her work because it is published. Or taps into it for themes. Or characters. Maybe make characters from them. Elect characters, navigate something.
• Local job at first, ripples go out and something echoes back. Leeds - northern - U.K. - international.
Timeline of work Kristyna has created:
• Picture house 100th birthday tote bag
• Leeds college of music: be nice, do a good job and you will get more jobs from the same client!
• White noise - motorcycle character, breaking through fabric of space
• Friends of Ham - family are from Ukraine and her work has those folklore and those sci fi elements.
• Leeds train station public installation with Leeds artists and designers - pretty cheap to live here, extra room in house, not vast amount of rent, creative and nurturing. Drystone walls and nature close by
• Gosh comics - retailer and publisher. Poster series of their 20th anniversary, nice to be regarded with other illustrators
• Metro newspaper ad piece. Fold out piece, weird characters, busy city scene
• Gateshead big posters used on printed material and on the metro and a big welcome mat. Modular so can be reformatted
• Worked as a greeting cards designer for a few years after graduating
• Worked as a greeting cards designer for a few years after graduating
• Design learning curve of illustration came after graduating
• Pad file so clients can move things around
• Beers in London published into a book. Made a fictional label. Citragalaxy hop. Fictionalised this and build the story of a special edition beer. Grain landed on a meteorite And created an abundance of beer
• Thought bubble - Beatrix potter - book cover for catalogue. One job is seen by the right person and links in a chain - forged by you alone in a studio - or forged by working with other people
• Chipotle Mexican restaurant - packaging. On the back of making comics about feelings. Cultivating thought. She put together lots of stories that would take 1 or 2 minutes to read while waiting for food to cool down
• Worked with a writer really beautiful thing to be proud of
• Etsy store - done a few jobs for them. Email sent out when making a shop and selling first order. Designer mentality.
• Set of stickers. Weird physical stickers with badass animals. The suburban crooks
• First job was with hallmark, hated the job as she wanted to be an illustrator. So it was great to be asked to do 7 or 8 designs for hallmark US
• Sample cupboard of stuff from the US, loved looking at it then ask to contribute
• Making stuff for yourself has its advantages
• Science tech engineering, she likes those microscopic galactic stuff with story through it
•Sci-fi, being an introvert, comics is for her. She just likes sitting, making and drawing
• Labours over her work. 24 hour comic page in an hour, 24 pages. 6 other artists in a room each of them making a 24 hour comics! Blur of activity. Sent to printers, made an edition to sell.
• Nominated for best short award
• Hand me down - an object having a cyclical story
Fanfare legit book with ribbon bookmark
• Nominated for a Canadian award
• Being braver to share stories about herself and share that after the buzz of the 24 hour comics
• Every year she makes a published edition
• Toronto vessel - autobiographical, steer your life how you want and breaking free escaping
• Debut, memorable, giving a deadline, new comic to debut. Half personal half fictional
• Sequential and TCAF - do a comic about Toronto or Ontario. Golden Horseshoe tall tell fake folktale
• Jobs lead into jobs
• Birmingham library pavilion workshops lead to working with the royal Shakespeare theatre having a season of events - blending of gender roles - creating characters who could interchange
• Hall full of tall wooden mystical creature things
• Comics for other people. Street press comic, won dury award at the Belgrave.
• Bimba - witch house - tapping into Russian Ukrainian - Baba Yaga - flies around in a pestle and mortar. Story about that.
• Empowering to self publish.
• Raw comics
• Comics anthology - trying out weird stuff.
• Keep making work, let the journey be organic, Twitter and Tumblr can be toxic ... sharing comics and zines, trading in her bag, sending in the mail, making friends, respect for other artists, supporting artists.
Reflection
Krystina has inspired me so much with her positive and quirky personality and her passion for creating images. She is a hard worker and I respect her grafting and crafting to create work that she loves. I want to be able to be so driven during the hardships and the misfortunes that happen with life and to just keep creating no matter what. It is something I'm trying to juggle with when having a 26kg Labrador who just wants to play all the time. When I'm at home, I can put Tami with my mum or my dad - but in the studio flat it is just one big room with us two in it and I can't always avoid her wanting to play or wanting to cuddle and stopping me from creating. Other times I am just some exhausted from life. I need to be more like super-dude Krystina!
Reflection
Krystina has inspired me so much with her positive and quirky personality and her passion for creating images. She is a hard worker and I respect her grafting and crafting to create work that she loves. I want to be able to be so driven during the hardships and the misfortunes that happen with life and to just keep creating no matter what. It is something I'm trying to juggle with when having a 26kg Labrador who just wants to play all the time. When I'm at home, I can put Tami with my mum or my dad - but in the studio flat it is just one big room with us two in it and I can't always avoid her wanting to play or wanting to cuddle and stopping me from creating. Other times I am just some exhausted from life. I need to be more like super-dude Krystina!
Monday, 6 February 2017
Book Review: Chimidyue - A Folktale of the Amazon Rainforest
Reflections
• I immediately love the vivid colours, simple shapes and forms and use of light and dark to show
whether Chimidyue is in the rainforest or outside it. A simple but effective visual device!
whether Chimidyue is in the rainforest or outside it. A simple but effective visual device!
• The book has a hand-made, crafted, papercut aesthetic though it has been illustrated digitally.
• The line patterns give the illustrations a certain charm and texture - almost alluding to hand-sewn
felt elements again showing craft and a feeling of family, something made and handed down just like this folktale story itself.
• The line patterns give the illustrations a certain charm and texture - almost alluding to hand-sewn
felt elements again showing craft and a feeling of family, something made and handed down just like this folktale story itself.
• Repeated motifs of butterflies, flowers, leaves, trees and branches on each page encompasses a sense of continuity,
flow and togetherness of the book as a whole.
flow and togetherness of the book as a whole.
• Each page is a surprise with its viewpoints and composition. Makes turning the page fun!
• Each page spread has been used to it's full potential, but without feeling cluttered.
• The text is either placed above or below the illustrations to make it easy to read and so as not to interrupt the visual storytelling.
• The chosen font is large, rounded and bold for readability.
• Pronunciations (Chim-ID-yoo-a) as well as other terms relevant to the story are explained at the back giving an educational angle.
• This is a charming story with a cultural aspect that is entertaining and interesting; important in today's political landscape. Our differences should be accepted, embraced and celebrated and I'm glad that an obscure fairytale from a different country is featured in a children's book to help children learn about other traditions and folklore as well as their own.
How is this relevant to my work?
I have started to play more with simple shapes and colours in my own practice as seen in my Visual Skills, Visual Narratives and Visual Language work. I have really experimented with and adopted this mode of image making as it is something I respond positively to and enjoy the aesthetics of. Simplify to amplify! Having just completed my own picture book, titled The Pearly Kings and Queens, and learning more about composition in Visual Language, I now look at children's books in a different way - is the composition and framing interesting? Is it fun to turn each page and expect something different? Is there a sense of depth and viewpoint? I can start to pick these apart and use them in my practice.
• Each page spread has been used to it's full potential, but without feeling cluttered.
• The text is either placed above or below the illustrations to make it easy to read and so as not to interrupt the visual storytelling.
• The chosen font is large, rounded and bold for readability.
• Pronunciations (Chim-ID-yoo-a) as well as other terms relevant to the story are explained at the back giving an educational angle.
• This is a charming story with a cultural aspect that is entertaining and interesting; important in today's political landscape. Our differences should be accepted, embraced and celebrated and I'm glad that an obscure fairytale from a different country is featured in a children's book to help children learn about other traditions and folklore as well as their own.
How is this relevant to my work?
I have started to play more with simple shapes and colours in my own practice as seen in my Visual Skills, Visual Narratives and Visual Language work. I have really experimented with and adopted this mode of image making as it is something I respond positively to and enjoy the aesthetics of. Simplify to amplify! Having just completed my own picture book, titled The Pearly Kings and Queens, and learning more about composition in Visual Language, I now look at children's books in a different way - is the composition and framing interesting? Is it fun to turn each page and expect something different? Is there a sense of depth and viewpoint? I can start to pick these apart and use them in my practice.
Sunday, 5 February 2017
Contextual Research: GIF Illustrators
Matt Wilson | Gemma Correll
Lilli Carré | James Curran
After doing some basic research into GIFs by illustrators I follow on Twitter and through editorial works, I really enjoy the simplicity of these GIFs by Matt Wilson, Gemma Correll, Lilli Carré and James Curran (SlimJim Studios). Everything from the basic shapes, colours, and animated elements make these easy to follow without being too overthought or complex. They each have an individual charm and the reduced shapes and forms help to push that forward. The digital ones have a smoothness in the looping of the frames making them seamless... This is something I want to be able to achieve in my own GIFs. I especially love the textures and morphing shapes of Lilli Carré's GIF - showing that even looped images that aren't exactly smooth in transition can work just as well and give visual interest!