'Make your Mark' Brief: My Backpack/Badges.

 We're continuing to explore different ideas for our brief. At the minute I'm looking at my little black backpack and my badges. I actually got my backpack at Chesterfield market, since then I've always had badges and brooches that I've attached to it. The problem is I'm always losing or breaking these badges, so they're always being replaced or changed around. I thought this would be an interesting thing to document. I started with a couple of collage/pen/ink illustrations of my backpack and a few of my badges.

I really like how this first piece came out, although for the text ('and all the badges I've loved and lost'.) I wished I had used a sea green/dark green colour. I think it would have worked much better. 

This is two of my badges, one broken and one surviving. It's a shame the colouring on the frog didn't quite work as I think it would have made a nice page! 

Minimalistic collage of a woman brooch I had. This is growing on me. Initially I wasn't sure, but I like the minimal colours and the use of white space.

A quick blind drawing/ink drawing of some buttons and badge pins. I think what works is the limited colour and the mix of detail and basic line.

Same as above really, but with my broken frog pin. 

Another of a pin in ink detail, with collage areas of another broken brooch. I'm really enjoying what I'm doing so far, but I need to expand it further. I'm thinking of illustrating the entire collection, just producing more work. I think I'll do this along with experimenting with bypass printing over my Independent Study days, as well as that I'd like to keep working on the hands idea. 

On another note, this is my 40th blog post! Worth a miniature celebration.

'Make your Mark' Brief: Habits/Independent Study.

At the beginning of the week, we spent the day focusing on one possible theme. From my mind map I decided to start looking at the idea of my habits, specifically the rather bad habit of cracking my fingers and wrists. I started off doing some observational drawings and A3 pieces (using varied drawing techniques and media) focusing on my hands in pushed and strange positions. I also began experimenting with type, referencing the sounds my wrists/fingers make when I crack them: 'snap' 'pop' 'crack' 'click'. My initial experiments were okay but needed more research and exploration, they looked a little messy. I liked the idea of incorporating type though!

After this, we made our own paper to work on out of different pieces left over, or from the collage box. I tried to keep the colour really quiet with a few bits of print. However, not all my materials worked, as one of them had a resistant layer so I couldn't use ink over it properly! I finished all three pieces and they didn't look quite right, they were too busy. Our tutor suggested using block/negative space areas to quieten down the busier areas. This really helped, and I'm pretty pleased with how these turned out.

After this, I looked into more areas of type, I went through magazines and cut out appropriate letters in many different styles, settling on a few that I liked. For our first day of independent study we were to round up our work on this theme. I tried using the scanner and bypass printing to overlap my hands. It worked once, but the colour was too dark and I was wasting ink, so I used the failed ones for collage material.

To finish off this theme, I kept trying things out with the scanner and bypass printing, using my previous work to create new pieces. I wanted to refine and simplify what I'd done and create some more graphic spreads. My first one was more simple, I quite like it but I'm not sure it properly works as a spread. I'm still unsure about how busy it is! 

I prefer my second one, for this I scanned some elements of type over the previous work, and also included some bold block shapes, and more white space to calm it down a little. I think the colours flow better, and it's generally nicer to look at! I really enjoyed exploring this theme, I need to stop focusing so much on hands though, time to move on to another few ideas. It was nice to start having a go with type too, as I've not really done that yet. I'm pleased with my outcomes, however I think I should try something a little different for my next theme.

'Make your Mark' Brief.

This is the beginning of a brief all about 'our story'. After answering some quick fire questions I created three double page spreads of graphic responses based on my answers. I was using my favourite colours (Dark red/sea green) and shapes (circles), and also letters and numbers (B, S, I, 8...). I was trying to maintain a balance of shapes and colours across the pages, so it flowed, and also keep a balance between the shapes and the white page.

My first response was fairly simple, I was just experimenting with different shapes and techniques. I like the textured brown paper and also the cut out shapes, but overall it needs more to it. More overlap and texture, and better use of space.

For my second response, I used bypass printing to create further depth in the overlap and colour, and less actual cut out card. I liked this piece, it flows better than the first, and the colours are generally quite muted with little pops of red/green. 

For my last response, again I used bypass printing. The brown paper came out a funny dull pink colour, I quite liked it though and just used it. I think this last piece has a defined colour palette, and the greater use of black/grey sort of complements that. I'm happy with the responses. It was nice learning different elements of graphic design and how far it stretches. I think I managed to keep elements of me in there too with the shapes and letters! 

3D Design: 'Enclosure' Brief part 2.

After developing my first two responses, I worked on constructing a further 3. I struggled with the wire when trying to keep it straight, and so started to experiment with different materials as well as different shapes when looking at ways of responding. I found some double sided card (white on one side and grey on the other) and thought the contrast was really interesting. I planned out different techniques in my sketchbook, like hole punching and gold eyelet detailing, and started to construct my first spherical cage.

I used staples to fix the card in place. The finished response was surprisingly strong! I was very happy with the strength and look of this response. I moved on and started experimenting with more materials, paper, canvas, plastic coated wires etc... I wanted to create a very colourful piece to contrast with the previous one. I took pictures as I put it together to show the layering of different materials, like the hidden canvas I tried out on the inside! 

For my third and final structure, I decided to risk using the wire again! I thought it would be easier to bend into a circular shape than keep it straight. Alone it looked boring, so I wove green thread round it. I loved the contrast of colours and also the straight angles created within this circular shape. It looked really interesting! 

...and here is all 3 displayed together! Overall this task has been fairly beneficial, I enjoyed working into and developing my responses, and looking at all the possibilities that come from one word! I'm happy with my structures, however if I had more time I would have tried to suspend them (cubes and spheres) or display them in some other way. 

3D Design: 'Enclosure' Brief.

After being split into groups, we were given a word which we were to generate thoughts and ideas around, and eventually create 3D responses to. We were given the word 'Enclosure'. Straight away I recognised this was a really nice word to work around. Starting with a mind map, we came up with different areas relating to 'Enclosure', for example...

• Cage/Box
• Clothing
• Transport
• Housing/Ships/Rooms...
• Shapes, Circles
• Phobia, Claustrophobia/Agoraphobia  

After watching demonstrations of paper folding techniques, I decided to try out different methods and see if the material was suitable for 3D construction. I decided on using paper for my response, and using a traditional 'cube' layout to construct it. However, I wanted to make the box more cage like, so used cut outs to make it look how I imagined.

After creating this response, I wanted to make a similar object but with different materials. I had not yet worked structuring and welding wire so I decided to do that. After planning/refining ideas in my sketchbook I got to work creating the structure. I found the wire quite difficult to keep straight, and I struggled with incorporating different materials. I'm happy with my responses so far, and if I had more time would have used fish wire to suspend one cage within the other. 

Fine Art: Experimental Drawing: Artist Research

Recently in the Fine Art block we've been experimenting with different and unusual ways of drawing/mark making. We've been trying out everything from ink and stick, card and wash, to thread and sponging shoe polish! In conjunction with this we've been researching artists who also choose to use experimental methods to create their work.

The first artist I looked at was Gavin Turk. I was surprised by the fairly large range of work his has. Turk uses all sorts of different materials to create his work. From polystyrene, tea staining, footprints, neon lights and newspaper cutouts, egg shells and more! I just really enjoyed looking through this work and exploring the different techniques he's included.

The next artist I looked at was Jane Grisewood. My favourite work was the performance pieces she does, exploring time and memory with continuous line drawing and repetition. I have never heard of something like this being done, where the artist creates the work there and then as a piece, so for me this was new and a very interesting take on drawing.

2D design: composition work.

Over the two week period we have had a constant focus on composition. Stripping things down, we've been using different techniques (blind drawing, left hand drawing, outline drawing, negative space...) and creating A3 pieces of work. When we first started this I was definitely out of my comfort zone, I found it difficult to work the way we were. However, looking through other people's work (and my own) I realised I am now learning to appreciate the importance of composition and simple line work and am actually enjoying working this way!

I really like these last two, I think the simplicity works well, and the negative space around the rubber duck compliments the red pen lines.