Counting Sheep: Two

Fiiiiinally this children's book is done!  The whole book now has colour, writing, and a fucktonne of purple sheep :3

Since mid March, I've returned to Studio Liddell!  Although this means juggling university course work in Preston with a 9-5 job in Manchester, alls going okay at the moment :) at least, I've managed to finish this project in time. And I'm verrrrry glad to have been asked to be junior illustrator at Studio Liddell again :)

Have completed most of these pages in the living room at home (watching The Office with the cat), on (uncrowded) trains, in the studio surviving on crisps and Fanta with Rosie and Jess, in 'Morrison Studios'/The Cradle of Pleasure watching Ryan make music with tea and movies, or aboard the Millenium Falcon - our student home - with the housies and 30 Rock.  I would like to thank Buffy, Ryan, Jon, Rosie, Dave, Sarah, Mum, chatty train lady and all others who have entertained me as I worked.  This book is for you XD

Not about to upload all the finals - there are 12 double pages, so 24 pages not including front and back cover, end pages or title pages.  So thats 32 pages, and a looooot of crayon and biro -.-

These are my favourite pages.

That last one is my favourite ^^

DD2000 Design Practice: Wayne Hemingway's Talk

Here's the second and final review of design practice talks I've attended this year.  I went to a few to find one I wanted to review, and I'm so glad I waited till I'd been to the Hemingway talk because it was sooo good.  Wayne Hemingway was an inspiring and interesting speaker.  He's had so much experience in design, and came across as what I can only describe as 'the genuine article'. Yeahhhh I'll keep the gushing to a minimum.

His talk began with his quirky story about how he got into the design industry. He and his girlfriend - now wife - Gerardine met and moved to Camden Town in London in their teens.  One day when they were especially stuck for rent money, they had little choice other than to sell their clothes - mostly second hand and self-made - at a stall, back before Camden Market was a tourist hotspot.  Through Gerardine's designs and Hemingway's initiative (liked his stories, such as scrounging and then mending for sale hundreds of flawed Dr Marten boots from the factory) they were soon a fixture at Camden.  Then a scout from Macy's in New York commissioned their designs, and the rest as they say is history. Hemingway's retelling of their story was told with such humorous anecdotes and interesting titbits about 70's marketing and fashion that we literally forgot this was a lecture.

His talk also contained a lot of good advice, a key bit I remember was basically to get off our asses and go the extra mile.  Although neither he nor Gerardine went to college or had a background in fashion or art and design, they kept an eye out for opportunity and took any that came their way, and it paid off.  Another memorable question he asked of us was 'what do you stand for?'.  Hemingway told us about when he and Gerardine were first starting up their fashion line Red or Dead, and they were advised to think about that question by a prominent designer.  As he put it, it changed their way of thinking.  Why you do what you do is key to being a designer.  He advised us all to be sure about what we stand for, and to follow through with our message in our work.  It's certainly something that's stuck with me since.

Hemingway's talk was ultimately appealing the design students to help out with the Preston Guild Festival this summer, as Hemingway designs are organising much of it, and his own Vintage Festival.  He showed us some videos and gave us a lot of information about who to speak to about being involved and encouraged us to attend.  To find out more about the Vintage Festival, click here.

Word count: 448

DD2000 Design Practice: Ben Tallon's Talk

Our university was visited by illustrator Ben Tallon for a lecture earlier this year.  It was a really good, informal talk about the breaks and pitfalls we might experience as illustration graduates.  Tallon had graduated from our course several years ago, and was in a great position to advise us about our futures should we become freelance illustrators.

The part of his talk about how he took time to find his own style after uni was very interesting to me.  He spoke about how other illustrators influence his work, and how just trying to imitate their style never works.  I would say a target for our class is working towards an original, signature style, so I was really glad to hear him address that from personal experience.  His advice was to persevere experimenting with digital and traditional media, even while working after being a student.  It wasn’t until after he got his degree that he became comfortable using Photoshop in his current style. 

It was also interesting to hear more about the transition from graduate to professional illustrator, which he also spoke about by describing his own life after uni.  He came across as funny and honest about what we can expect, such as working independently in your own studio, supporting yourself with a part-time job as well as illustration work, and building a client base.  The story about how, as he put it, ‘invited himself over’ to an art director’s house when he was struggling for work, and how it paid off, was funny, memorable and a good indication of the effort a self-employed person would have to put into self-promotion. 

I think Tallon’s talk settled my mind about life after graduation, because even though the future is as murky as ever, his straight-forward attitude to working life just made me feel more positive.  His advice was sound and he was in a perfect position to advise us about our futures which made his experiences really relevant to us.

So thank you for speaking to us Ben Tallon :)

(343 words)

Counting Sheep: One

I spose this is like a preview to my children's book XD

Our current project is to write and illustrate a children's book, aimed at 3-7 age.  My story - so far untitled - is about an insomniac boy who counts sheep, literally, in the field outside his house, and begins to hallucinate sheep in his tiredness. 

These are going to be the end pages, when they're inked and coloured (and hopefully made to look more fluffy ><).  That being the patterned inner-cover pages. Rosie and me have been in the living room, cocooned in animal print blankets (zebra for me, leopard for Rosie) watching X-Men films, then listening to music (and Dave gaming at the table) and drawing for hours.  Feel all productive and happy...I will miss my housemates so much after university.

Of course there's still a way to go yet. So since my camera is out of battery and the scanners are a trek away at the library, here are just a few low-quality webcam shots of the rough work. Could that sound any more half-assed?  Mehhhh, too comfy, moar superheroes now.

Oh, and if you have an idea for a book name, please tell me because I have zero inspiration for a title so far.

DD2000: Design Practice - Contemporary Exhibitions 1

Review 2 contemporary exhibitions you have attended recently...one we will visit as a group, one you must visit yourself (600 words).

So I suppose this is HALF that essay, I visited this one myself :3

We went to the Cornerhouse and Manchester Art Gallery last weekend, to visit recent exhibitions for the DD2000 Design Practice section of the course.  I've chosen to talk about the 'Under That Cloud'.  It is better explained in the curator's own words...

The exhibition was really lovely, and I thought how it came about was really interesting - showing how creative energy can be put to positive use.  Often in exhibitions, it's difficult to get a good idea of context and the thought process behind the work.  On one hand that allows people to interpret the work themselves. But having a story behind the work, especially involving an experience shared by all the artists, made this exhibit different and fun to relate to.

The work itself was pretty, and I liked reading about the ideas, all relating to the Icelandic volcano erruption, behind the ornaments.  For example, the pendant below is a combination of an aeroplane, a bird and a cross.  This was supposed to symbolise the conflict between human technology, nature and God - in this way the artist, Lucy Sarneel from the Netherlands, asks 'What force determined whether we got home?'.

 The work seemed to vary between ornamental work and wearable jewellery, colourful and monochrome, patterned or simple, and a wide variety in media.  Regardless,  the difference in format only highlighted the contrasting styles of the artists from all over the world, tied together by circumstance and an interest in jewellery.  Also, the artists were away from their studios and usual working routine when they designed and carried out their work.  In the way what they produced is novel from the creator's point of view, as well as ours, and the constraints on the artist make for a challenge and an unusual outcome.  I think more collaborative exhibitions like this should take place, though maybe with planned themes and constraints on the artists...it's not like you even could possibly plan a volcano erruption for the sake of producing an exhibition, nor should you -.-

http://www.manchestergalleries.org/whats-on/exhibitions/index.php?itemID=85

Household Randoms

Selection of elective drawings.  Working basically means holed up in the house drawing stuff, and other people's stuff now.  Finally over :)

Fran's Owl (Bird Drawing 06)

Owl illustration again, this time designing for part of the wonderful Francesca's tattoo design.  I'm really honoured she asked me to work on it, even though it's likely it'll be a while she gets it inked :) it's biro and grey colour. It was drawn from an owl at a bird show, and I got carried away and drew the tag around it's leg :( aha ignore pls. Also the writing on the other side of the page you can sort of see through!

Coloured version below.

This weekend commences me attempting (most likely not succeeding but hey ><) to blitz my drawing elective.  Beng full of the cold, I'm probably better off committing myself to do that whilst I mope, make sugary tea and watch the Kill Bill films again, like I was gearing up to do -.- 

The radiator next to me has just turned on, which is a sure sign our boiler operator (Rosie) is up.  So I'm off to go bother her now, or maybe Ryan, to make me comfort food :3