Degree show meeting - intense, scary, stressful so much to do! MUST BREATH!!

Today we got given a timetable of the next few weeks leading up to our degree show, and learned about where needed to be when, how the tutors and external examiner will be marking and grading our work.

To say the least my brain felt fried when I left the studio. I did not know where to start or what to think. I could either cry, laugh or run off to Mexico. Even the though a friend suggested running of to Mexico and getting a pretty damn good tan I decided this was not going to help me complete my degree - so I can start getting on with my life. Ok maybe not get on with my life because Im living now - now is my life; but I'm ready to move to the next faze of my life so to speak.
Anyway after getting back to my flat and just staring at my mac for a while I remembered some pretty good advice that I was given once. "Just breath, devise your work into small chunks so it's less intimidating, make lists so you don't forget anything and plan your time."I think this is some pretty damn good advice, my mother does know something after all. 'HA'. Even though I haven't always used this advice in the past I think now may be a good time to use it otherwise I might just freak at how much there is to do.

So I took a breath, and started to compartmentalise my work and make lists lots of list.

After a good hour or so I had got this list making stuff 'down to a tee'.

I have a list for my illustrations, a list for my text illustrations, a list for my presentation document ie my blog aka this what I'm writing now. (Which feels weird as Im typing this.), a list for my sketch book and finally a list for my portfolio.

OK Im freaking out a little it is still pretty intimidating everything that needs to be done, however I think I may just survive if I take one list at a time!

I also have my ipod, F.R.I.E.N.D.S's box set and of course my friends to keep my sane until the end - hopefully! Although a couple of my close friends may say I wasn't sane to begin with.

Right my list are sorted I'm more clear in my head what needs to be done, now all I have to do is do it!

DO IT!

On with the text...

Once I got home and let everything that had been discussed with Johnny and Louise, sink into my brain. I started looking at different styles of text that I felt would go with the theme of 'The Demon Girl' book.

After a few hours and a few websites later, I had downloaded a few text styles that I liked.

I then typed up and played around with some layouts on my mac, because I have an header then the main body of text I wanted two separate text styles that worked well together. I finally decided upon this:

I printed out the text to the appropriate size, and began drawing the text with ink and dip pen via a light box. Once I had done this I found the text by itself was to bare, so I began research on Victorian patterns to see what kind of patterns or imagery I could add around my text without taking away from the main illustration.

After a couple more hours I ended up with this.

I  got frustrated with myself when I accidentally smudged or dropped ink where it shouldn't go. However once I had finished I found this added to the character and hand drawn-ness or the text which I really liked, because I did not want the text to look typically computer generated.

one on one with Johnny ...

... & Louise.

After a successful work in progress, and some works being developed over the weekend; I was a lot more relaxed about seeing Johnny.
While hovering in the studio for Johnny to finish with another fellow student, I was approached by Louise inquiring to whether I had had much progress over the weekend. To which I showed her the following design.

 

Louise appeared to be please with this development, I am pleased to. I think this image is a lot more successful than the previous illustration of 'The Rupture'. Has Louise said in the work in progress when I use solid colour the effects are a lot creator. 

I must say as an off shoot, I am please to say that I feel a lot more comfortable talking to Louise, during our first meetings in second year and early first year I felt like we clashed, did not see eye to eye we simply didn't seem to get on. Which I found very frustrating, not because I  needed her approval but because I felt I did not get my point across well when talking to her. Over these last couple of months, as uni is drawing to a close I have found a new ground with Louise, whether it been the theme of this project or I have just stopped expecting not to get on and relaxed more around I'm not sure, but when I'm wrong I say I'm wrong and previous battles/misunderstanding etc with Louise I have found maybe not to be resolved as such over these past couple of months but forgotten about!

Back to the tutorial, after re explaining about me deciding to go back to painted illustrations, which again got a more positive response than expected. Johnny suggested some small adjustments to my images, for example on the one piece showing Rai's (demon girl) hair; I had kept it quite minimal and only put a few lines of hair on a solid block of hair. He suggested that there either needs to be loads of lines or none at all. He said the victorians was always way over the top with their imagery and patterns and he felt this how this needed to be. He also suggested about keeping the background white or pale, because he felt it brought the other elements out in the image. - I could totally see what he meant about the hair, I was not so sure on the background I was scared it would look unfinished with a white background especially with this pacific image. However I went back to my flat, added more lines to the hair and after a few undeceive minutes I decided to go for the white background. 

Johnny and I also talked about adding text to the images, as I felt that their where small sections of the book that really related to my images. I felt that these pieces of text need to be displayed along side my work some how, in order to support my images and share the story with the viewer. 

Louise commented how when she needed to draw text she would download the appropriate text of the internet and print out that text she wished to draw at the correct size. She would then use a light box and dip pen to create her text. She said it gave the text the feel of being hand drawn but allowed her to keep the sizing and spacing correct. Johnny again commented about victorian text may work quite nicely and for me to have a play around and see. He also invited me to find him in the studio tomorrow, so we could experiment with some text. 

02/05 - 06/05 :: Week summary

★ Flicking through the pages.
★ One on one with Johnny
★ On with the text...
★ Degree show meeting - intense, scary, stressful so much to do! MUST BREATH!!

Flicking through the pages.

I was rummaging through some old note books that I had used to take notes on during lectures and I came across this random doodle.

This made me laugh, because I remember doing this early on in a lecture at the start of my third year. I just think it funny how I hadn't start my FMP or had only just started my FMP, and I was already doodling wings and daydreaming of fairies. Now I'll be happy not to see another fairy or set of wings for a while.

Easter's been and gone ... off to uni I go ...

Well back at uni and in full swing.

Had a work in progress meeting which I was just dreading, mainly because I had gone back to the original way of working, with paint instead of the transfer process. However the work in progress went surprisingly well, with understanding why I had gone back to the paintings, I received good feedback and tips on how to take it further...

 I was recommended in during this work in progress as an off shoot and for maybe some inspiration, to watch Alfred's Hitchcock's 'Birds' (1963). Known for being creepy and little scary I was slightly put off because I don't deal well with anything that's a creepy or scary. However I did take myself off to purchose the film, to find it HMV had sold out. - I am now considering trying to find some you tube clips, but I will I get it not watching it all the way through?

25/04 - 01/05 :: Week summary

★ Easters been and gone... off to uni I go...