UCAS - Applying!

So the time has come! The dreaded UCAS Application. I'm stuck between Nottingham Trent and Staffordshire University at the minute, but I'm swaying more towards Staffs mainly because its that little bit further from home but not too far and the course just looks brilliant! I'm wanting to do Surface Pattern Design and it looks so interesting, with all the different skills you get to learn. I'm going to see my friend whose studying there and to have a look round on Friday so I'm seriously excited to see where I could hopefully be spending 3-4 years of my life!

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/4330903/?claim=t27fd5ts2sy">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Fison-Zair by Katy Aston

A couple of weeks ago Katy Aston, a previous Art Foundation student, came in to give a talk about what she did at University and how she'd progressed since leaving. After the talk I was left with the decision to do textiles. I just loved the patterns she had created using print both digitally and by hand. She made some really vibrant, eye catching cushions and various swatches, by printing onto velvet and just looking at them makes me want to feel the gorgeous velvet. Her prints also include PEGS! So I'll be definitely looking at her work for some inspiration.

http://www.katy-aston.com/

New Project!

So I passed my assessment! (YAY) Its such a relief to finally have it all handed it and not to have to worry about it anymore! Today we were given a mini project just to do over the next week, we were each given an object and we have a to fill a sketchbook with ideas based on the object we were given. My object was..... a peg! I was fairly happy with it though because I've already got a few ideas to do with print and observational drawing, I'll keep the blog up to date with how the projects progressing and the idea's that I'm developing.

Graphics - Collapse

This week we were given 6 words and we had to create abstract collages to represent the words, at first it was really difficult to come up with so many different ideas for each word but in the end I was really happy with my final idea, I like the way its only black and white as I don't think "collapse" is a very colourful word, because it brings up images of destruction which I imagine as being very dark. I also like the way the words fall in the same way the blocks are falling. Over all I'm really happy with the outcome of Graphics week. 

Teagan White

http://www.teaganwhite.com/anatomicaltype.html

RISE Design Studio

http://risedesignstudio.com/25410/568580/gallery/loominous-visions-of-a-third-world

Neuarmy

http://neuarmy.com/

Two Arms Inc

http://twoarmsinc.com/

Peter Saville

http://designmuseum.org/design/peter-saville

Peter and Paul

http://www.peterandpaul.co.uk/news/?p=2269

Noma Bar

I find this artist, and this piece in particular  really very interesting because of the way he uses the negative space to create and image inside an image, at first glance the viewer only sees one image or the other, but when you look closer you notice the other. Both images are linked together with a topic for example hoodies  and teenagers seen as troublemakers and arsonists, which is why the the match is within the hoody. I really find it interesting how he links the colours and both images to a certain topic.

Pep Carrio

I really like this piece because of how simple it is, there is no detail to the drawings and I think this makes it look almost childlike. By using just two colours the designer makes the table that bit more simple but still looks finishes, anymore colours or detail would look too much. 

Kris Sowersby

I love the colours used in this poster, the brightness and contrast between the colours really catches the eye and makes the whole thing stand out. The way the writing is overlapped and slightly transparent does make it look like stained glass and I think its really clever how the designer matched the typography to the event. 

Alan Fletcher

I really like this image because if I can use the phrase "does what it says on the tin", the paint is obviously wet because its dripped so it just states the obvious. I think this makes the usual Wet Paint sign so much more interesting by using bright colours and not making the letters perfectly neat and tidy, perhaps by using stick and ink. 

Stefan Sagmeister

This piece really caught my eye because of the way its not just written on a piece of paper or painted on canvas, he's made a mundane piece of fruit into a really interesting piece of art. I think its really interesting how he's created something really original just by taking what might have been just a doodle and reworked it to create this. 

Graphic Designer - Norm

http://designmuseum.org/design/norm

Fashion Pathway

Having already done a National Diploma in Clothing and Fashion, I found it a bit difficult to get my head round the fashion project. We had to make shapes out of card and find somewhere around the mannequin they would fit and create something that wasn't necessarily wearable but looked interesting. I'm more used to designing and creating something someone could wear so to unlearn something and work in a completely different way was really difficult. But I did really enjoy working with paper rather than fabric because you could get it to stay in certain shapes and angles with it being more sturdy than for example Calico is. 

Textile Designers - Zeena Shah

After 7  long weeks of swapping and changing between fashion and textiles, I've finally decided to do Textiles as my pathway on the Foundation Art and design course, so I thought I'd better research some textile designers who's work I like. These gorgeous designs are by Zeena Shah, I love the way she's turned a really simple line drawing into lovely little cushions and lavender bags. The colours are really pretty and everything looks so neat and precise without being too over planned and try hard. I cant wait to start print making, designing and creating stuff and finally getting stuck in after the half term holiday. 

Winter Person?

First of all its absolutely freezing today, a proper autumn day. And here I am googling Matthew Williamson for my college homework. Looking at bright summery shades in preparation for the warmer seasons is making me question whether I really am a "winter person". Normally I look forward to October and the winter period, wrapping up warm, hot chocolate and finally getting to wear my brand new winter coat. But really?! Who wouldn't look at the gorgeous colours MW uses and crave the sunshine? Its not just the colours that make ache to throw away the woolly hats and scarves but the floaty summer dresses and skirts that scream "Wear me on holiday!!" Roll on the Summer!

Sarah Moon

I found this photograph really interesting because of the way the model nearly fades into the background because of the colours used. I think even though only three colours are used its really effective. Also the puffiness off the garments almost drown out the model underneath, but you can still imagine her body shape because of the little bit of the shoulders and legs you can see. 

John Davies

This photo's are really stunning because of the contrast between the old and the new architecture, I love the way the two bridges seem to collide in the first image. The chimneys in the second picture look like they're slowly creeping up on the church in the foreground, as if they're getting ready to take over and ruin the old, fragile building.

Imogen Cunningham

I really like this image because the photography hasn't taken a bog standard picture of a zebra, she's chosen one section and made the pattern on the animal really defined. You see that the zebra isn't just black and white but it has different shades of colour in its hair. 

Thomas Joshua Cooper

I find this picture really beautiful, just because its so simple with the black and white but it looks really haunting and powerful. At first it looks like a sketched drawing using a material like charcoal but looking closer at it you can see that its actually a photograph, I really like that as it makes the picture different.

Carrie Mae Weems

I chose these pieces by Carrie Mae Weems because of the normality of the images, just another day round the dinning table, from doing homework to being intimate with a partner. With the simple background your focus is on the people in the pictures and I think its brilliant how the photographer takes something so mundane and makes it beautiful.

Tony Ray Jones

I found this photograph really funny because of the contrast between the young women in swimsuits and the old man in a suit and tie. I think its funny how he has these beautiful women scantily clad stood so close to him, yet all his attention is on his cup of tea. I really can't tell whether he's intentionally not looking at the women or he's just not interested, but either way I thinks its a very British way to deal with the situation, just concentrate on the tea!

Steven Klein - Kate Moss W

I find Steven Kliens work very dark and gritty, and these pieces are no exception. He creates the Saint like Kate with the white satin, bows and wreaths of flowers but then the Sinner with thigh highs and the black structured coat, he manages the make the same old Kate Moss images look completely different and memorable. The images are really haunting but beautiful.

Sally Mann

I find this image quite disturbing, with the child having the cigarette in her hand and the subtly angry, pouty looks on their faces. Two beautiful children playing grown up's with dolls and pushchairs, surely should have happy smiley faces?

Photography Week 2

When creating this image I wanted the woman to look as if she was in mourning for someone or something, this is why I chose to have her face covered but with a slightly opaque fabric so that you can see she's looking away from the camera and not reading the book in front of her because she cant concentrate on anything other than her loss.

Lights!

I really enjoyed creating these images using torches, its something I've never done before and the outcome really surprised me. I didn't expect the lines to be so defined and bright. The colours in the first two pictures work well together and almost jump out from the image.

Annie Leibovitz

I really love this picture because of the richness of the colours used, the grandeur of the furnishings and just the over all beauty of the image. There's no need for bright brash colours to make the picture stand out. It tells a story without the use of words and its easy to read. It has a very fantastical look to it and it really does look like a fairy tale.

Corrine Day

"Photographer of the Waif, the Heroin Chic, the bare-faced model.

You will know her for those first images of Kate Moss."

This image stood out to me because it shows the less glamorous side of fashion. The skinny model stands half bare wearing a thin ripped dress in a dilapidated room. I think this shows the way models are thrown away after being used on runways and in ad campaigns. A shadow of former glory with sticking out bones and greasy ratty hair. The way she stands facing away from the camera could show that she's ashamed and humiliated.

Discoveries

I was given a task by my college tutor to find 6 illustrators, pick a piece of work by each illustrator and explain why I picked each piece, so here goes.....

1)Rob Ryan 2)Hayden Williams 3)Fabian Ciraolo 4)Sarah Bochaton 5)Ann Field 6)Si Scott

Rob Ryan- This piece really drew me in because of the way it looks so intricate and delicate. The negative space has been cut away to leave a gorgeous piece of art, this is a technique I would really like to experiment with. I think you could make some really interesting patterns by cutting away the card or paper.

Hayden Williams- I have been aware of the London born illustrator for a while after seeing his drawings of Rihanna and other celebrities. I prefer this piece to his others because it looks so detailed, life-like and realistic. 

Fabian Ciraolo- This illustration really stood out to me because of the way the illustrator has taken an old image and turned it into a modern piece of art. I think the tattoos and short clothing give a sense of rebellion to a iconic child star. 

Sarah Bochaton- I really like the way the woman in the drawing has now colour to her but there is a large burst of colour over and around her. I think the picture looks almost transparent because of the way the water colours overlap and merge together, this is an aspect I would like to try and maybe put into my own work. 

Ann Field - This image really stands out because of the block of black on top of the pale coloured background. I think its really interesting because there are no defined lines its pretty much just a silhouette but the light and dark give the form a shape. Again this is something I would like to experiment with.

Si Scott- This illustration is really interesting because of the way the illustrator has created a shape out of patterns. 

  

Sara Fanelli

In this piece I was impressed by the way the artist Sara Fanelli has conveyed the way a childs imagination works, with it branching out from the head and forming different shapes and letters. I think the way that she only uses three colours but the piece looks so colourful is something I could use in my own work. I also think the way she created the title using different fonts is something that I could incorporate into my work, I like the way she takes something ordinary and possibly boring and turns it into something eye catching and interesting.

http://shelleysdavies.com/?p=2692