Illustration for an Environment - Non Commercial Brief (and ramblings of an idiotic student)

 Thought it was about time I uploaded some of my own stuff!

For this project, I chose the non commercial brief. This meant going out and finding my own private or public space and creating a large illustration or mural for that space. After debating which sort of area to go for, I chose to look at train stations. This idea didn't last long as all the stations I went to depressed me.

Then as I was just about to leave Leeds, I clocked my eyes on a cafe building underneath an old railway bridge (above). I finally settled on this space because I really love the arched panels and thought it would be really nice to create images within each of them.

Whilst researching a theme of "transitions" I came across the most adorable animation. It is actually really shit but the concept is inspiring and the old man narrator has a nice voice.

The animation is called "The Unsettling Truth About Life" (YOUTUBE IT!)

Basically it compares life to a piece of music and the moral is we should sing/dance along and enjoy it.

Then my tutor told me to: "draw what you like drawing!"

Well I like drawing people, and I like jazz. I therefore decided to try and compare music to jazz visually. Also I thought this sort of jazz/underground theme would look really good in my railway arches.

After experimenting..or rather dossing about in my sketchbook, I came up with this final idea below..

 

I was really happy with my little jazz man and was in the process of pulling other things together with it; jazz singer, a sax and drum player as well as abstract backgrounds and text.

However in a one to one tutorial, my soul was crushed as my tutor didn't like it. Apparently it isn't sophisticated enough and he wanted to see more hand drawn qualities as well as detail. Although at first I was devastated, I can see where he is coming from and I have always thought my digital work was too flat and lifeless.

Also my sketchbook stuff is lacking in resources..

So I am now in the process of going back over everything and it sort of feels like I'm back at square one. I have done a few larger paintings today in my sketchbook (below) ..they aren't realistic, that's not my thing! But I am quite proud of them and beginning to develop them and work something out. 

I used acrylic paints for these and slapped it on so no one can tell me off for them being lifeless!

Selfridges Christmas Displays 2010

 

Gotta love them Selfridges displays!

Street Art Exhibition - Herbert Art Gallery & Museum, Coventry

Today I went to the Herbert Art Gallery & Museum in Coventry to see the Street Art Exhibition...Not knowing much about street art other than the obvious, I was expecting it to just be graffiti and stuff but it was actually really interesting and some things I was totally not expecting, such as the work above. Was meant to be no photography but I manages to get a sneaky few on my phone before the lady told me off. The first image above is a section of Sarah McLaughlin's work which I was introduced to just the other week when I saw her paintings on the Central Library building in Birmingham. I think I am in love with her work!

Walking out of the gallery I went past the old cathedral that was apparently burnt down! I loved it, its like a shell...

Harvey Nichols Window Display in Leeds

 

I visited Leeds last week and walked past this amazing window display in Harvey Nichols! I absolutely loved it! So imaginative! ^-^

Birmingham Art Gallery and Museum

Wandered about a Birmingham Museum a few weeks ago. Saw a few cool bits and bobs...hehe bum!

Street Illustration in Birmingham

Saw these cool illustrations on the central library building in Birmingham and thought they were quite cool! It is this form of work I have chosen for my first project of second year at BCU - Illustration for an Enviroment.

IKON Gallery - Kitagaw Utamaro Exhibition

Today I went to the Kitagawa Utamaro exhibition at the IKON Gallery in Birmingham. The exhibition featured loads of original japanese prints. It was really amazing to see the detail of the prints close up, and crazy how they could achieve such detail through woodblock prints! The show also featured some of the erotic prints too which was quite a sight! ;D

Marita Forss - Exhibition at Leamington Spa

On Monday I went to the private view of Marita Forss' work at Leamington Spa. There was stuff in different media, my favourite though were the small illustrations (above). A lot of the large paintings and mixed media pieces she does are good, they show a dream-like state and it's all very conceptual. Although I preferred the illustrations, she seems to have a good knowledge of what certain media can do and she uses it really well; for example in her use in acryllics is not heavily applied but really thin and she blends the colours really well.