25.04.13 - collab project ideas.

I said to my partner on the collab project that I work well with character and shape and pattern so I'm bringing some basic ideas along to tomorrow's workshop.
They are honestly only blue as I was sick of using black ink.
I think the colours should be something we decide together.
(P.s that last photograph is to show how amazing iPhone photography can be sometimes. Cool)

Creative Space (2)

Thought I'd update you guys on how my work space looks when I'm working from home. As you can see its usually with headphones and an iPad these days so I'm blogging straight after I draw. Something a bit more personal for you.
Update soon.

25.04.13 - silver birch development

Did a few inks of the different contrasts I'm trying out with silver birch forest.
Update soon.

Artist research - violetta lopiz

More amazing artwork by Violeta Lopiz.
Keeping with that gloomy vibe I'm feeling today.

Artist research - Artie Shaw - NIghtmare.

Okay, this is pure out of thin air but I just had to share it.
I was casually making my way through the radio channels, and this song came on
And I'm not kidding you, i felt like a grey cloud had just gone over the clouds
I couldn't think of a more fitting song to this whole thing I'm looking into right now.
Wouldn't it be the perfect thing to listen to while viewing my drawings, I'm tempted to play it on loop while painting and see what happens.
Update soon.

http://youtu.be/K0lH8OM8gmI

25.04.13 - silver birch forest development.

After realising when doing the visual inspiration of forests, it clicked in my head that most of the trees I've been drawing have been silver birches, it was only, when I was doing the research that I knew they were the most off putting to me, then I looked back at my drawings and realised I had been drawing them without even realising. Spooky.
So I thought I would do a quick little ink painting of them after I'd realised. They sure give me the heebie jeebies.

25.04.13 - collaborative project.

Here's a few character sketches for the collaboration project.
Will update soon.

25.04.13 - forest inspiration.

Work I'll be honest with you is going a little slow.
Me and my flatmate are currently n the process of sorting out arrangements for moving out, it's stressful and boring and so are back pains.
The whole thing just seems like one big moan, so I apologise.
Because of this, I've not been in the tulip much this week, therefore works been slow, I have done a few sketches for the collab project as I don't want to let my partner down but only a few.
One thing I have got round to doing is researching more forest ideas.
When I had my tutorial last Friday I think all the ideas were a bit confusing to my lecturer Emily, she suggested simplifying it a little and concentrating less on the Japanese myths and more on the forests and woods as a visual thing.
This seemed a good idea so here's some fantastic photographs to the the visual inspiration ideas going again.

I think the one that stands out to me the most is the silver birch trees. I find them really strange, and unsettling tress to look at. Long, cold, but still beautiful.

I feel like this project is taking on almost all the factors I find unsettling and putting them all into me place, to signify a bad time in someone's life, and since I can only work with what I know to be daunting and scary, I want to visually show them in my work.

Artist Reseach - Rosie Gainsborough

Home animation by Rosie Gainsborough

This short animation made by Rosie Gainsborough depicts "home"
Really interesting piece.
Will go into further artist research soon just wanted to get this up before it slipped my mind!

Artist research - Violeta Lopiz

Violeta Lopiz is a well know Spanish illustrator and animator.
Now here's my problem, since her blog is completely in Spanish I actually don't know that much back story on her sadly.
What I do know is that her visual language in the way she tells story is amazing.
I fond this 5 minutes animation she had made while online researching for inspiration.
I find that whenever I'm uninspired or just lacking the feeling to do work, looking at other amazing artist really helps me

The animation: https://vimeo.com/58336808

Her blog: http://violetalopiz.blogspot.co.uk/

There's one part of the animation that early stood out to me, when the story is being told both the people and the plants are moulded together to tell the narrative in a more calling and flowing sense. It was so beautifully composed, I so badly wish I could know what was being said over the top of the animation!

Even though I don't know what is being said I get the feeling that the man figure is some kind of forest spirit, giving the plants life.
I love the two are mixed together, it's so effective in a dream like child's story.
Very smart and really enjoyable to watch.

24.04.13 - update on collaborative project brief.

Major apologies to the lack of post these past couple of days, I just haven't seem to had the time to get online to quickly put up what I've been up to.
Today, I'm actually not at the studio, the fore have some time to get up some photographs online of something's I've been unto.

On Monday, we were briefed on our collaborative project.
Here are my notes from the morning lecture:
22.04.13
Collaboration project lecture
Current and interesting idea
Grew from the 1960s from underground art.
Paris 1968 - the popular studio
Poster work, graphic imagery
Counts art, Caroline coon - feminist art now is being done graphically
Linda montano - 8ft rope.
If you could collaborate website (on blog)

Doesn't make that much sense I know but I thought I would put them up here so I didn't lose them in anyway.

Then in the afternoon we were put with our partners. My partner was Jess Nash.
Me and my partner were given the word "prop"
I was really quite lucky when being randomly out with Jess, her style and feel of her work is not to dissimilar to mine yet we have enough differences to make the task exciting.
We knew when discussing from quite early on that we both wanted to look at colour and shape in a big way.
We spoke about our high and low strengths in our practices and decided that Jess would have a leading role in place as that's what she knows best and I would take a leading role in character as that's what I feel more comfortable with. So we didn't end up just smashing our two styles together as well, we decided that for some of the pieces we made we would switch it up a bit, so our idea would have a more abstract feel.
In the end we came up with a narrative story based around an elderly man, who has left his umbrella "propped up" on the side, and decides to explore the world. As we're short on time, we made the decision to stick to eight frames, all set in different themes of places. All getting the feel of a place on mood and colour.
We currently have a rough plan on what places and in what order but decided at the end of the workshop to go away, continue with our own projects and come back together on Friday with a few ideas and sketches. Here's what I've got so far.

As I said I did these in about 45 minutes jut so I had a quick idea to show Jess while I was with her, but you sort of get the jist of what were working on.

I'll update soon to let you know how it continues.

18.04.13 - Thursday all day workshop.

Today's workshop was a long but productive one.
The brief was to produce 4 double page spreads by 4pm.
We were asked to use image and text and look at scale and composition.

Now I knew in the back of my mind that I wanted to experiment my drawings with some sort of sequential style. I think the first has such a rich history to it that I couldn't help but develop it into some sort of narrative.
My plan was to do very quick thumbnails, then sketch out the ideas in pencil, then move onto watercolour. This was a wee bit unrealistic now thinking about it.
When I started to sketch up the composition, I released that working with the pencils really helped me look at scale and tone and perspective. I probably got to much not this and ended up not even finishing my 4 double page spreads
BUT! I am happy that I spent my time on them, it has really help put my head into the mindset of seeing progression through my work.
Also working in the pencils really made me want to try charcoal as I know in the end I'll end up using colour but I think charcoal will really bring out the atmosphere in the piece.

I had quite good feedback from the class, and that using colour would be the only improvement, so that worked out great for me!
I know I'm slacking a bit with the blog for yesterday and today but I will update at the weekend more thoroughly I promise.
Update soon!

17.04.13 - death/pain symbolism and mythology.

Wiccan Animal symbolism

Crow- Guardian of the Place Before Existence, Carrier of Souls from Darkness into Light, Working Without Fear in Darkness, Guidance While Working in Shadow, Moves Freely in the Void, Understands all Things Related to Ethics, Shapeshifter, Secret Magic of Creation, Thief, Trickery, Boldness, Skill, Cunning, Single-Mindedness, A Bringer of Knowledge, Swiftness, Eloquence

Dog- Guidance, Protection, Loyalty, Faithfullness, Devotion, Trust

Tarantula- Ability to Shed the Outer Skin (Masks) and Transform, Creativity, Spinning a Web to Entrap Enemies, Defense of Territory, Intimidation by Size, Use of Environment to Conceal Oneself

Other representations of death. - 

Certain animals such as crows, cats, owls, moths, vultures, moths and bats are associated with death; some because they feed on carrion, others because they are noc

Japanese Mythology

In Japanese mythology, Izanami-no-Mikoto, meaning "she who invites" is a Goddess of both Creation and Death, as well as the former wife of the God Izanagi-no-Mikoto. She is also referred to as Izanami-no-kami. In Her story, Izanagi-no-Mikoto lamented the death of Izanami-no-Mikoto and undertook a journey to Yomi (the shadowy land of the dead)

16.04.13 - sketchbook.

Today's sketchbook work.

You can really see my progression of ideas today I think.

I started off from yesterday thinking and about pattern and colour and home looking at the shape known to all as home and block patterning it behind my self. Quite cliche but you have to get the shit ideas out first don't you.
Then I started to think bout symbols that represented home to me and drew them around my head all floating in the air as if it were my thoughts.
This lead to the discussion with my table about all the iconography/ symbols we think of for distress and pain, and the mood and colours that we were exploring from the previous day.

This then led to me getting onto the computer and finding about about the sea of black trees. And that started all my ideas going. I looked at forests and how I was going to portray them in a dark, depressing way. This also lead to the ideas of the crows, something following you from above almost like a vulture eating off your sadness and pain.
I started sketching out ideas and compositions and colours.
Hopefully tomorrow I will keep developing the drawings, I hope to keep reeling them out while they are fresh in my head.
Update soon.

Kuroi Jukai - "The Black Sea of Trees"

Aokigahara Forest.

Aokigahara also known as the Sea of Trees, is a dense forest that lies at the northwest base of Mount Fuji in Japan. The forest contains a number of rocky, icy caverns, a few of which are popular tourist destinations. Due to the wind-blocking density of the trees and an absence of wildlife, the forest is known for being exceptionally quiet.
The forest has a historic association with demons in Japanese mythology and is a popular place for suicides despite numerous signs, in Japanese and English, urging people to reconsider their actions.



"Part of the appeal is dying at the foot of the sacred Mt. Fuji. Part of it is the foreboding nature of Aokigahara, so dense and thick that from just a few kilometers inside it no sounds can be heard other than those produced by the forest itself. Legends surround the place; for instance, there are said to be massive underground iron deposits that cause compasses to go haywire, trapping innocents along with the purposely suicidal. Japan’s Self Defence Force regularly runs training exercises throughout Aokigahara, and claims to have had no trouble with their military-grade lensatic compasses. They admit, though, that commercially available equipment would be pretty much useless.
Aokigahara is considered the most haunted location in all of Japan, a purgatory for yurei, the unsettled ghosts of Japan who have been torn unnaturally soon from their lives and who howl their suffering on the winds. Spiritualists say that the trees themselves are filled with a malevolent energy, accumulated from centuries of suicides. They don’t want you to go back out."
- Quote taken from Article: "The Suicide Woods of Mt. Fuji" - www.japanzine.jp



Now, believe me when I say, this could not be more out of my comfort zone.
Let me go through my briefs/finals at uni so far.
Teapots, Chagall interpretation, children's book on planets, jack and the beanstalk, and the women's institute.

Yep, this is different.
But if you were to imagine a place of pain, it would be this forest.
A place still, windless, silent, the air full of sadness.
It's such a macabre but fascinating thing I stumbled upon, I couldn't not just let it pass me by.

I got this big image right at the front of my brain of a person walking through this distressing forest, full of pain and depression and glum and getting to the other edge, seeing the warm light of home and it all floating away.

(Now is that not the most pretentious/ cheesey thing you've ever heard? Oh well)

I just want to spend more time linking the two concepts together and exploring the rich visual idea that it gives me and can lead off onto other subjects to investigate.

Update soon.