Wednesday, 15 October 2014
Monday, 13 October 2014
Another 25 things at This Point In Time...
5 Things I learnt last year:
- Thumbs and scamps are actually there for a reason, work it all out first!
- Blog as much as you need, try to be more succint but also honest!
- I'm not as bad as I think I am 98% of the time, the way I think about my work and my practice is the thing that makes it not work as well as I would like.
- If summer is included; I don't have to show anyone my sketchbook if I don't want to, I can draw really terribly and it's ok, no judging. This allowed me to work out my ideas and as a result I became a lot happier with my work.
- How using different media can make my work looser, but in a good way, it feels more emotive.
5 Things I want to know more about this year:
- I still want to develop my digital skills, since trying to be all deep and find myself, I've forgotten how to Photoshop, I think this is because I'm working in different media which reacts differently.
- I want to stop being scared of screen printing
- Woodcut more and get real good at it.
- Organise my time better, I don't want to be a bit shit like last year.
- Figure out what area of illustration I want to go into, if at all, do I want to print? Do I want to write? Do I want to bum around and draw pretty things all day?
5 Strengths:
- Writing; something I tried out over summer when I couldn't make anything visual at all in a total brain lapse, I wanted to do something creative and I think it might be my thing.
- Using media, something that has exploded over the past year, a massive leap for me. I've really tried to hone in on watercolours and using things other than fineliner, and my work has developed from it.
- Self Deprecating - I'm the best. Is that a contradiction?
5 Weaknesses:
- Concept! I have no concept of concept, I suck at things that mean things, I really want to get better at this, it's something I really have to push.
- Finishing things, none of my work looks professional anymore due to the huge journey I went on last year trying to grasp that things don't have to be perfect. You win some you lose some.
- Organising my brain, last year everything went wrong a lot of the time, I didn't do a lot of the work and I didn't do it well enough. I felt really disappointed in myself.
- General brain function, a lot of the time I overthink things and get the blues, which completely debilitates any possibility of creating work. Which I overthink, which starts a vicious, imageless cycle.
- Not being brave, last year I held back on going to workshops, trying print methods and book binding because I was scared I would be rubbish, so I didn't even try and I could kick myself now.
5 Images that define my interest within the field of Illustration:
- Thumbs and scamps are actually there for a reason, work it all out first!
- Blog as much as you need, try to be more succint but also honest!
- I'm not as bad as I think I am 98% of the time, the way I think about my work and my practice is the thing that makes it not work as well as I would like.
- If summer is included; I don't have to show anyone my sketchbook if I don't want to, I can draw really terribly and it's ok, no judging. This allowed me to work out my ideas and as a result I became a lot happier with my work.
- How using different media can make my work looser, but in a good way, it feels more emotive.
5 Things I want to know more about this year:
- I still want to develop my digital skills, since trying to be all deep and find myself, I've forgotten how to Photoshop, I think this is because I'm working in different media which reacts differently.
- I want to stop being scared of screen printing
- Woodcut more and get real good at it.
- Organise my time better, I don't want to be a bit shit like last year.
- Figure out what area of illustration I want to go into, if at all, do I want to print? Do I want to write? Do I want to bum around and draw pretty things all day?
5 Strengths:
- Writing; something I tried out over summer when I couldn't make anything visual at all in a total brain lapse, I wanted to do something creative and I think it might be my thing.
- Using media, something that has exploded over the past year, a massive leap for me. I've really tried to hone in on watercolours and using things other than fineliner, and my work has developed from it.
- Self Deprecating - I'm the best. Is that a contradiction?
5 Weaknesses:
- Concept! I have no concept of concept, I suck at things that mean things, I really want to get better at this, it's something I really have to push.
- Finishing things, none of my work looks professional anymore due to the huge journey I went on last year trying to grasp that things don't have to be perfect. You win some you lose some.
- Organising my brain, last year everything went wrong a lot of the time, I didn't do a lot of the work and I didn't do it well enough. I felt really disappointed in myself.
- General brain function, a lot of the time I overthink things and get the blues, which completely debilitates any possibility of creating work. Which I overthink, which starts a vicious, imageless cycle.
- Not being brave, last year I held back on going to workshops, trying print methods and book binding because I was scared I would be rubbish, so I didn't even try and I could kick myself now.
5 Images that define my interest within the field of Illustration:
In my temple - Mike Egan
Although not one of my favourite pieces by him, it's a really good example of use of texture, one of the main draws of his work. He used to work in funeral homes and a lot of his work is inspired by this. The texure and compositions are something I would like to influence my own work, I also think it lends itself to print making which is something I want to get better at.
Bryn Perrott - Spider Murphy's Tattoo
This is a woodcut! I went to a class over summer and expected to immediately be this good (I wasn't). Her work is within the same vein of traditional tattooing and is incredible. There isn't a lot of commercial things, just very intricate and lovely to look at. I love Bryn Perrott's work because of the craft. I really want to try woodcutting this year and get really good at it, not even to make prints, just art in it's own right. I think the textures are beautiful. I think to develop this I need to work on getting better at self contained composition.
Lizzie Stewart - Illustrated Life, Wrap Magazine.
Lizzie Stewarts use of traditional hand generated image combined with digital colouring is something that I really want to get better at. Especially in the piece above, the colours are really sympathetic into the work. To get better at this I need to practice on photoshop, I also think this will make my work look more professional and finished.
Clint Reid - Europa Exhibition
Clint Reid is a favourite from years and years ago, someone that I keep discovering. What I find more interesting is his progress shots. He draws with red and blue pencil, then traces over for clean, crisp linework. His adaptation from paper, to computer, to wood makes but still retains his 'style' or tone of voice is something that really appeals to me as a practitioner.
Jon Klassen - I want my hat back
I'm not really interested in children's book illustration, or at least I thought I wasn't until I realised how rife it is for texture and shape. Jon Klassen adopts a 'hungry caterpillar' approach of sharp clean shape and beautiful brush stroke-filled textures. Making the flat simple shapes more intricate. The way he depicts plants are especially beautiful, layers upon layers that are ever so slightly translucent to make the compositions seem really vast and deep.
Monday, 6 October 2014
An evaluation of Level 4
This is a copy of the first post on my PPP blog, I wanted to see what was still relevant. As a whole I think I fell into the trap Fred warned us of, forgetting PPP and putting it on the back burner. Even though I did a lot of things, researched and found my own influences and things that were relevant to PPP, it wasn't ingrained enough so it was forgotten about. I think this year I need to get into the habit of blogging the things that are relevant, instead of absorbing them then forgetting them a few days later!
I chose to study on this programme because:
- As an internal student I knew about the reputation of Leeds College of Art and of how successful the Graphic Design course is and how that would be transferred to the Illustration course.
- Also because of my year on the extended diploma after transferring from sixth form, I appreciated how good the college was and found I could work better in the learning environment and the curriculum at LCA.
- I love Leeds as a city, I knew I wanted to study Illustration and thought I would have to move away, when I found out about the new course it seemed obvious this would be my first choice.
- I want to be an Illustrator, I'm not sure what area within the subject yet, I'm hoping after three years I will have more of an idea.
Things want to learn during my degree:
- I want to fall back in love with drawing, I've found that sometimes I go for weeks without drawing because of creative blocks. I want to be able to draw every day and enjoy it.
- I would like to refine my practice, I find it difficult at the minute to make a piece of work look finished and polished.-
I think my strengths are:
- Although it's sometimes a weakness, I tend to think I'm doing worse than I actually am which makes me work harder (and possibly sends me insane).
- My need to better myself, I constantly look to contemporary illustrators and want to be at the point they're at but within my own practice.
- My pen work, I am most confident working in a 0.05 pen to create highly detailed pieces of work.
I want to improve:
- My time management
- My technical skills
-My drive for making images
I think because my work has gone through a complete maze of tests and reworking, a lot of stuff isn't relevant to me anymore. I still would like to refine my practice, improve technical skills and get a really good drive for image making going, at the minute it's not as difficult as it was but it's still something I struggle with.
I chose to study on this programme because:
- As an internal student I knew about the reputation of Leeds College of Art and of how successful the Graphic Design course is and how that would be transferred to the Illustration course.
- Also because of my year on the extended diploma after transferring from sixth form, I appreciated how good the college was and found I could work better in the learning environment and the curriculum at LCA.
- I love Leeds as a city, I knew I wanted to study Illustration and thought I would have to move away, when I found out about the new course it seemed obvious this would be my first choice.
- I want to be an Illustrator, I'm not sure what area within the subject yet, I'm hoping after three years I will have more of an idea.
Things want to learn during my degree:
- I want to fall back in love with drawing, I've found that sometimes I go for weeks without drawing because of creative blocks. I want to be able to draw every day and enjoy it.
- I would like to refine my practice, I find it difficult at the minute to make a piece of work look finished and polished.-
I think my strengths are:
- Although it's sometimes a weakness, I tend to think I'm doing worse than I actually am which makes me work harder (and possibly sends me insane).
- My need to better myself, I constantly look to contemporary illustrators and want to be at the point they're at but within my own practice.
- My pen work, I am most confident working in a 0.05 pen to create highly detailed pieces of work.
I want to improve:
- My time management
- My technical skills
-My drive for making images
I think because my work has gone through a complete maze of tests and reworking, a lot of stuff isn't relevant to me anymore. I still would like to refine my practice, improve technical skills and get a really good drive for image making going, at the minute it's not as difficult as it was but it's still something I struggle with.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)