Talking to Illustrators...

Future and now in helping me with my work, am putting together an email to send to illustrators to gain their wisdom and get an idea of what freelancing entails/what could be in store for me over the next couple of years.

Below is the email that I sent to about 16 illustrators and image makers that inspire me, however I made the effort to write a personal sentence regarding their work in everyone to make it a little more personal!

Haven't had many replys, but it's as to be expected with how busy they must all be. HOWEVER the reply's I've had have been super super amazing and from lovely lovely people...it's been most interesting to learn from things they wish they'd done and mistakes they'd made. I'm going to try my best to keep these relationships and build on them...

Tutorial 28th April...

Today I had a really very useful tutorial, It made me think a lot more about who I am and why and who I make work for, which in turn will mean my main focus will have a 100% put into it rather than doing so much!

Things I have on and deadlines set already are:

- WEBSITE complete: Friday 6th May

- Business Card Mock up: Friday 6th May

- Prepare for PPD3 Interview: Friday 6th May

- NEW PRINTS to take to 'On The Wall': 26th/27th May

- Craftfair YORK: 28th May

- 'Reetsweet' Craftfair LEEDS: 2nd June

For these I will need...

- New stickers designed and printed

- New designs all ready and presented

- FINAL Business Cards ready

Final Yearbook Cover:

Well below is the final photograph that we took, there will now finally be placed onto it a sticker with the title or the title will be placed as part of the image. Towards the end of the shoot Adam and I moved all the objects into a pile in the middle to perhaps make a contrasting back cover which still complements the front cover image.

Through the traumatic day we had yesterday it became apparent that we were trying to present the objects in a certain way and make them look 'nice', but that was not what was important. On reflection we realised that the objects represent themselves as the objects they are and the meanings they hold themselves...so us trying to put them and display them in an inventive way, then takes away the meaning of the objects. We then decided to just make it really simple as this then gives the objects a chance to be the object which they are. Although we needed the cover to have a degree of structure so decided that the structure and presentation would come from colour coding most of the objects and placing them down in a tidy and grid like formation. I think it works really well, communicating the broad and diverseness of the Visual Communications course, in a sophisticated way. It defines a lot of practices and projects if you look carefully at the objects...

We also made a stop motion of the objects disappearing, which could be used maybe as you walk into the exhibition? We shall see I guess, showing it to the year next week, so then the decisions will be made about how or what we use for the front and back images or whether to go with a graphically designed cover.

Lizzy Stewart & Matt Hodson...

Been reading Lizzy Stewart's blog and she has done a post on freelancing, things to be aware of and how she would advise students moving into the real world to grab a hold of it in the best way!

What I found most interesting was her comments she made about the transition from student to professional and how going from a classroom with lots of encouragement around you, feedback readily available and people always about for a chat...TO being alone in a room with your thoughts and other illustrators posting lovely work, it can be depressing. She comments on it saying that you have to remember that most creatives post their best work and don't show the struggle they had to get to their final piece, which in turn makes you feel shit. Everybody that freelances always finds they have struggles, it doesn't always go right and so don't let others work get you down!

Matt has sent me a lecture he did about freelancing which was a very interesting read indeed! He makes similar comments on the internet being a very good but bad thing as well. I also foun interesting, that he comments lots on drawing something for the sake of it and drawing with passion behind it, which is what I think I have come to develop and find for my self throughout this project.

Another interesting thing to keep in mind is that working for free, is not cool. However when you're just starting out it may be advised to do a few jobs for free, building relationships with other creatives. Matt explains that people he worked for free when starting out have now turned into jobs he gets every year and now is paid for them.

Over all ...some very useful information!

Inspiration For Year Book Cover...

This next couple of days are going to be hard, trying to pull random objects together for a front cover for the year book. We started by looking at some very famous books...'Tactile' and ' Tangible', which clearly show some very creative ways of putting together a 3D type installation. Below are some images and creatives that we've come across through the books and websites...

Various creatives working with installations...

http://www.jvallee.com/accueil2.html

After stuggling all morning, got some help from couple of graphic students, they began to see the objects as shapes and through colour, which we then went on to use primary colours and see it more as a neutral sculpture.

After discussing we decided the stuff on the right looked to graphic-esq but liked that nobody's work was in it, meaning it was neutral and loosely you could decipher everybody's practices.

The idea we came to next was to play about with other compostitions and maybe have a back and a front cover, the front looking swish and professional/structured. Then on the back of the book to have a messy 'creative' image with a clear divide.

New Brooch Designing... Building up my Skill.

I always paint designs and then refine through drawing it again with a pen, this is so it's easier to prepare in illustrator. However as I've been doing new designs I've realised that I need to always make changes for paint to pen as too much detail is too much for the laser cutter. Especially with the size of a brooch. As I start with the pen, I have to make bits up and add and take away details to suit the laser cutter...It's proved that I have learnt to use it well as I know what it can and can't do well, in order to get the best possible outcome for a piece of jewellery.

Alphabet...

I've been thinking more about developing a skill and being able to apply this idea of wood burning (pyrography) to my brooches and I've decided to start with cutting out letters of the alphabet in the style of old wood blocks which children used to play with and adding detail to these with the pyrography pen.

Today I created the files using the pen tool and then went to the laser cutter to get the outlines cut...it's quite exciting. I've had to consider size a lot as using a pyrograhy pen could be hard for tiny detail.

They don't look perfect and I haven't used the actual type to produce them, I've used images of the old wood blocks that I've found, however I don't mind the rustic and un-perfected look and feel of them, that's not what my work is about.

Interim Crit - Progess...?

Today we had the interim crit...

From this I realised that I had done plenty of reasearch surroundoing my topic of 'beauty', so now I go on to loosely research it as I go.

More importantly we came to the conclusion that I need to now take my paintings I've done and DESIGN...producing final pieces from the bits I've done. I want to get a better idea of what my audience thinks of certain pieces and so I will be looking to get lots of feedback over the next week or so to then go on and take my images and do all the design work.

Talked about looking through the eyes of a young girl and what they percieve as being beautiful and I will definitely be putting together an image surrounding this, hopefully using a dog of some kind and pets are pretty spoilt with love nowadays.

Ages Of Womanhood...Through the eyes of little girls

Is another topic I've made up and am now looking at and exploring for ideas and inspiration for images. The area which I live in is very friendly and we often have a game of football with the kids that live on our road. This week I've been making an effort to try and speak to the little girls about 'what they think beautiful means' and recording their reactions and conversation surrounding the idea of 'beautiful'.

Below are some responses I got...

'My mummy says I'm beautiful'

'Daddy calls mummy beautiful'

'I saw a beautiful mountain on holiday'

I particularly enjoyed the chats I had and love the first comment about her mummy calling her beautiful! I will try to create some work surrounding this topic now, putting the quote with something common in mainstream society! Better get to it!