Atm things are all great. And its sort of really setting in how im mismatched for this course, I want to spend every our of every day obsessing over something, that’s what illustration is for me, I put all my care and attention in to one thing. That’s what I was talking about a few blogs ago.. just all the love in me to create one output. That’s just happens to be what I enjoy doing. I’m (just about..) enjoying my time, but its so ungratifying, there’s no excitement in what I do, maybe that’s just me not doing my best to get the most out of the course. But anyways! I’ve found a way around it. The one thing this course has allowed me to do that illustration at foundation didn’t is that I actually have time to experiment with doing really quick side projects (probably because I don’t engage as much with the work). I’ve managed to start a few of the projects that have been itching away at me since the summer:
- light exposure on paper with cut outs
- make a paper star – 75% done Complete
- paint with wax/oil
- surface design, create textiles and surfaces (only b/c a part of me is envious of someone I know doing that as a degree at csm.) – ongoing
- continue making stationary and skc books (w/ alt opening and cover flap designs, try double fold pocket papers ongoing…ive made 3 since
- make patchwork paper cards and surfaces for covers
- make the rice bag!
- Create the doggy stationary
- Try repro work, for portfolio with folder – ongoing..
- Print book/portfolio on cafepress wip, trying a different idea, to be printed on monday..
- Print short story on cafépress
- Dan’s sd card holder (plans made, waiting measurements)
- Make paper – (attemped, I have the pulp, waiting for Monday to buy wood to make new frames) done.it was unsuccessful but done. and even marbled it..
- Experiment with tucks and folds
- Buy a mannequin-> make designs and use printed fabric
- Print fabric using repro paper cut pattern – done!
- Screen print (ebay the pigments)
- Reprodesigns, print exp using polystyrene boards and lino! used on the cards mum commissioned me. sort of almost mass produced, i made 30 prints
- Create wrapping papers – ongoing
- Weaves using scraps still gathering scraps. i’ll be an old lady before i get enough..
- Jen and svenni card holder commissions. – atm Out of red thread done! shit i just remembered need to send it to jen.
- Print onto fabric permanently
- Go charity shops, hunt for ts and shirts to revamp
- Do Chinese style multiple paper cuts using tissues
- Try layer prints 3+ colours (try poster colour for grain)
- Try ph dr martins!
- Try (l) w/c
- Make more 3d models little figures / sets etc.
- Try air brush
- Try laser cuts (metal stensils?)
- Create a website (ive got a long way to go..)
updated 21st january
Also finally going take the parents’ ‘don’t worry about money, this is the time to learn not earn’ speech to heart. I mean fuck it I’m going to be in London for 3 years and it’s a different place with different people and different opportunities, now’s really the time to go crazy and do everything I’ve wanted to (but I’ll wait a little before I do any base jumping..!) I’m out of the reach of the lifestyle that made me who I am for the last 18 years, this is the chance to really who I want to be. so yeh, that’s my take on things, if its worth it ignore the money issue and just do it.
I met up with Svenni on Wednesday to return her jumper and afterwards I was thinking about going back down to leister sq. (there’s a little lady there that do these awesome chicken buns for a quid.. awww soo goood..) she convinced me to go and then I asked why, ‘what are you going to do at home?’ fair point, so I headed down there, turned the wrong corner and stumbled upon a theatre, which had a really familiar name, turns out I’d read about it the day before in the London lite, Frankie Boyle was going to perform, tickets had been sold out for months but I went in and asked and I got one of the last 2 tickets, and seriously, Svenni was right, there’s no Frankie Boyle at home?!! Really glad I went out that night.
Also I’ve been told I’m spontaneous… hmm.. but the anyways.. I’m trying to approach people more, there’s nothing you can’t get with a smile and politeness.. not to sound like a complete arse or anything. There are several things… London is such a fast moving place, faces start looking the same, you see all these miserable people around, and I mean with a full on frown, I just think, I don’t want to look like that when I’m 30. a smile and politeness really goes a long way, even if you’re picking up a free newspaper. I approached a guy in the tube who was replacing the adverts, I just went up to him and asked if he was going to throw the old ones away, ‘yes’ was the reply so I asked if I could have them, and gladly he handed them over, at this point I got a lot of looks from the commuters. Lol. On his way back he said ‘enjoy them!’, ‘yes thank you! (smile!) There are so many Londoners, they’re more like a number than individuals, just acknowledging someone’s presence with a smile…. I don’t know to me that’s really worth it, small effort big result. I was walking down Chinatown at half eleven and an old man walked past me I smiled and he smiled back a huge smile! People don’t like being seen as the same as another and I’m just enjoying walking down the street smiling and making eye contact, you’d be surprise, you can judge people but you never really know them till you try, you’d be really surprised about the kind of people who smile back, the ones you’d never expect! A bit of a social experiment I guess. Anyways.. off for a shower, then off to earls court for cheap cheap internets! If you made it all the way down to this line, thanks for reading!
oh and finally
pics of my information graphics project: its a piccadily line carriage. each box represents one of the 16 people i did a survey of. each strand represents a different piece of information. boxes can be stacked to compare info.
