PLAY: 3. Binoculars

I wish I did more character design practice! In third year, maybe I will, if this part of my 'Play' project goes well :)

I'm going to draw loads of little people doing various fun stuff.  This is little-guy-numero-uno. Birdwatcherman! I will do several more I think, until I can make a little poster out of it.  That should do for a bit of digital work for this project I think/(hope) -.- aha

All good in the hood.  Going away for two weeks this Saturday, can't WAIT to see Brunei ^^

PLAY: 2. Have Fun?

At noon, I spent a while hunting for a certain cosmetic (eventually tracked down in Selfridges) without headphones.  This meant I had an interlude where I wasn't listening to something/concentrating on work/eating/reading/talking/etc. >< and finally had a chance to THINK about my uni project.  Reminded self that all this brief is meant to do is keep us sketching and drawing over summer.  So I should just do whatever I want to keep me enthused and enjoy the freedom to do whatever the hell I like, which is what 'Play' even means surely :D

This pointless introduction-type paragraph is just my justification for any work I do that I say is for the summer brief.

This has been stuck to my wall for years, I took it with us when we moved house and everything.  No reason why!  It's just a cut-out from an ancient Teen Vogue magazine XD from an article about children eating too much sugar, I think. ANYWAY

I decided it would be a colourful and decidedly fiddly picture to make a crayon drawing out of, and challenge myself. That's it basically.  

That picture at the top is the finished picture, and I wish so much I'd not chosen this heavy, textured paper.  Also that all my crayons weren't such a pain to use, they've all been worn down after the Macmillan project -.-

But I am beginning to like using coloured pencil crayon a lot.  So yeah.

Still organising myself after the great move from Preston to home, and feeling nervous for Sarah, who has college exams tomorrow! :| 

Apart from that, all's generally okay :)

Actual Job o.O

Decided to post about Studio Liddell work on my course/personal blog ^^  my original plan tonight was to crawl into bed and sleep at about 9pm, after minimal hours were spent asleep last night. This (admittedlyyyy pretty mudane) plan was foiled,  by the band playing outdoors nearby, who are still going. I thought the owl was bad for keeping me up -.- this is worse, we've been tormented by covers of all the 'classics' and shouting people aaall evening. Despite the closed windows :/ but in case you're somehow seeing this, I very much enjoyed the Snow Patrol song I'd forgotten about till now, and thank you for not playing anything by Queen.

Also, you have kept me up drawing, and now doing this blog thing.

It's course related too, honestly.  Last month, I bumped into my personal tutors Steve Wilkin and Ali Graney at the train station (where I seem to spend half my life now). Maybe unsurprisingly, the fact that I've disappeared from the talks, lectures or feedback sessions - particularly in the months building up to end of year portfolio prep - came up. I said that the work experience was greatttt and I'm really enjoying it and learning lots and such. They said good, write something on your course blog about it. 

Was then struck by how nothing written or official had even been given to uni about my absence, so putting something here would make me feel a bit less of a sneaky, or whateverr. And obvs, so I can record this majorly unexpected and interesting part of my short, mostly uninteresting life for myself :3

Can hear neighbours going to complain about nearby music. Har har har, oh Poynton.

This is all quite hindered by how little I'm permitted to put about my job -.- I spoke briefly to the art director Max about it, and he said, 'don't put anything about the project'. SO

I'm doing part of the illustration and extra bits and pieces for it, and there are other people working on illustrations too and on the animation side of things. And it's going well :) I don't think that jeopardises anything...have also blurred out anything I think might be recognisable as artwork for the project. Pedantic? Maybe. Hush.

About the studio place, I'm apparently okay to write stuff. But tbh there's not much to describe, it's an office with people and computers ^^ but I took some pictures on my phone of my desk space, and I think that'll do. And the cake I had on my birthday XD

Disguised professional illustrators at play :3

I've been there since March and finish in time for third year, which commences in September.  It means, for conveniences sake, I'm back in Manchester for the whole summer.  Weirdly, this is where I was when I began this blog last year; spending summer juggling personal and uni work with placement at Studio Liddell, or it was maybe a couple of months earlier. Whatever cooooool.

I have a summer brief too, which is just to create 20 pieces of self-initiated work based around a starting point, which you can chose yourself from a provided list. While this is enough to be getting on with, I also have to start thinking about my third year project, and come up with three options about subject matter by September.

All I have on that front is 'going to Brunei will give me ideas again'.  And I really need it. So we'll see.

Turns out that in the Hockley Centre, it's someone's 40th.  They've started the DJ set >< sibling has gone to sleep in the lounge on the other side of the house. I'm going to think of a way to drown it out somehow. Au revoirrrr

PLAY: 1. Literally Reshaping Style

Got this idea from Ryan Morrison, who's quite the origami pro!

I thought I was done with university work as of 4th May, and that I could at last put all energy into surviving full time employment this summer... but as it turns out, we have a pretty extensive project for all the spare time we get in the holidays. For the first couple of weeks, I just ignored it, reeeeeally couldn't work up any enthusiasm for self initiated work as well as Studio Liddell work!  But I can feel focus coming, so who knows, I might get it done aha

I'm doing 20 pieces of work to fill my studio space next year, and I'm working from the word 'Play'.  Vague right.

I decided to do something unrelated to biro doodling, which is always my first instinct -.- origami is a form of play in art and craft, and after a bit of practice I could make a simple crane by heart.

Chose 'Vogue' because it's such a serious and important fashion magazine, and folding it up so it's a bird with beautiful colours and shapes on it, is a show of having fun and playing with fashion :D kind of...yeahh.
Completed when much too early for work one day.  Whenever my fatherrrr who also works in Manchester decides to go work dead early, I give myself a minute...make that an hour...or so to read or draw or something (getting double the reading done. Just finished '1Q84: Book Three' and moving on to 'I Capture the Castle' this week) with coffee, 'cause I can). This was one of my more fun mornings :D haha
So now they're a mobile, which should look okay in my studio space next year :) it's not illustration but...mmm shush ^^

All going well.  Studio Liddell still haven't fired me from my delicate position of student employee, and it seems I'll deffs be able to attend third year in September!  Missing the Preston lot, megaaaa looking forward to seeing the good Rosie Vegro in Manchester this evening for the Nothing Sinister show.