'Cinamatic'

This is a new app I discovered on the App Store! Not tried it out yet but I may begin thinking about making a couple of short videos, each based on different subjects. 

I use an app called Vine occasionally to view and film 6 second videos, but when it comes to editing and saving the clips - Cinamatic seems a much more efficient way to achieve what I want. Gonna have a go at filming some stuff tomorrow, I look forward to utilizing my phone for uses other than music and Facebook!

Break time at Hawick Knitwear

"See that bed sold for a couple million quid? Bloody ridiculous"

"How the fuck is that art onyway?! When I have a few beers for supper, don't dispose of the bottles and then leave my bed unmade - you deh see me raking in the cash!"

"I deh fucking get it"

"It's no right, where's my 2 million?"

"If I had 2 mil everytime I soiled my bed... "

Cya First Year

First off - MASSIVE thanks to Siobhan and Niall for teaching, guiding and helping us through our first year on the course. It's safe to say I can speak for the whole of the Level 3 first year class in saying that their guidance has proved very important to our progress.

Secondly, I miss college. Having the resources so close to hand (Macs, paper, printing press etc..) was such a vital part of the creative process. Nonetheless I have been making the most of my sketchbooks and spare time! Staying productive is important to me, slipping into a lazy routine of what I like to call 'easy' activities like listening to music, watching TV and playing my PS4 isn't what I want to do all summer..

I've found that my Kindle has came into good use regarding my productivity. After recently downloading and reading 'A Game of Thrones' I have found that my attention and energy are being focused on more important activities.

My A2 sketchbook is my main outlet for these occasional bouts of creativity. I am lucky enough to have a garden in which I can sit in and admire a view that on a sunny day makes me feel very positive about creating some work. I am able to take that sketchbook outside, sit, and draw away at my surroundings.

As of late, my artistic interests have moved onto the more design, and idea based areas. Sketching and drawing when I can is essential to my progress even if it isn't my favourite thing to do, and so perseverance also becomes very important.

Separately, as my desire for an Apple Mac grows and grows with every day, annoyingly, my bank balance doesn't... Though this hasn't altered my aim in saving money for one! Having access to them daily during first year was a blessing and I grew to love using Photoshop and learning how to create and alter pieces of work. Having such a device at my disposable would be a valuable tool when it came to progressing with my own stuff.

Lastly, I feel at somewhat of a loss on what 'theme' or possible 'area' to pursue in my second year on the course. Going down the personal route and exploring possible issues or problems I have with myself or the world around me - is definitely not what I want to do. Dissecting my secrets and laying bare my every thought and feeling doesn't feel right to me. I love how others are able to do this with themselves though. Plus who knows you better than yourself, right? I don't want to rule out any personal references in my future work altogether, but I do want to address that going down that road just isn't for me. Actually reading over that last part it kind of paints me as some sort of machine like, heartless sod - I assure you this isn't the case! I have feelings too...

I guess I just want to keep things a little more subtle and less obvious - and if that means either myself or my work coming under fire for being too mysterious...then so be it!

Dissapointment

Today I properly realized that time management is a huge problem of mine. Once I had presented my Botanics unit, I felt a sudden wave of reality hit me in the face.

I think it is normal to be interested in some units more than others. For me this has been a recurring theme since I begun the course. I can pinpoint 2 units at the moment that I feel I have thrown all of my creative energy into, and those are 'Viewpoint' and 'Typefaces and Letter forms'.

Keeping time and organizing my schedule to fit in college work hasn't been easy so far (can I just make this clear now, this blog post is not an opportunity for me to make up excuses for my lack of work haha). Having a reasonably busy social life and a part time job has definitely had a negative affect on my studies. Obviously I am still getting used to this new schedule and I hopefully will have tailored my time management by the time I enter my second year.

I feel if I had spent an equal amount of time on each unit in the course up to this point, they would all have been average. I believe that this first year has taught me a lot about how long practical work takes and where I should be doing it i.e College. I'm afraid that I may continue this disorganized behavior once I am in second year but hopefully not.

I remember Niall and Siobhan mentioning at different times that if we are indeed serious about pursuing a further education in Art and eventually a career - then we will no matter what make time for our studies. That made me think. It made me think - surely if I am serious (which I really am) I wouldn't have this problem with time management and lack of work?!

It's obviously down to my priorities. Right now what's most important is furthering my knowledge and understanding of Art and the Art world. But at the same time I need to make a living and support myself and my family.

I am waffling on too much haha. The point I'm making is, in a perfect world I'd come into college everyday, leave my job and commit all of my time to my studies. Now as much as I would LOVE to do that! - I just can't, or at least I can't right now.

I guess I'll just carry on and adjust my timetable the best I can.

It could be worse, after all.

Summer 2014

I have been thinking how I will spend my free time over the coming Summer holidays. As well as working 5 days a week at Hawick Knitwear I have 2 holidays to look forward to - Nairn, Inverness with my family and Poland with 3 friends, both in June. So in no way will I be 'bored' this Summer.

Receiving an A4 Moleskine sketchbook from my friend Flora will likely prove a very worthy - if a little belated - birthday present indeed. I plan and hope to keep up my creative ways throughout the summer and keeping my sketchbook at hand will almost certainly help.

Updating this blog will be a regular occurrence. I am also hoping to pursue a certain extra-curricular activity that will involve some guts (I don't mean intestines) and patience, then again it might not happen, probably because of the risks involved...I hope I'm not hyping it up too much ha ha.

Anyway this post was just for me to affirm my intentions for the coming months. I hope it helps!

'Fragment'

I recently discovered an app on my iPhone that is able to let you edit your photos in a unique and creative way that I have never seen before! I was excited at first because I knew it meant I was going to be able to adjust my personal photos if I wanted to share them on Facebook or whatever, but today I realised I could put it to the test with some of my artwork.

Below is a photograph I took a while back of a screen print I completed near the end of last year.

This wasn't the final stage in this particular screen printing series, I decided to test it on 'Fragment' it because of it's 3 colours. After glancing at the different tools available on the app I figured, the simpler the better for my first try!

Above, is what I came up with. I found the choices of shapes interesting, you are able to include different patterns on top of your photograph. As well as being able to adjust the contrast, colour, brightness etc., it allows you to decide the position in which the squares - or any other shape you want - are placed in relation with angles and lines. I, by no means wish to display this edited photograph as my original work. I admit some creativity on my part went into the adjustment of colour and composition, but overall - it's an app! If anything, the experimenting I have been doing has so far influenced me into thinking about straight lines and angles, especially how they effect the composition of images.

I felt it was necessary to post this because it has played a part in my important and expanding learning process, plus I needed to get it out there before anyone wrongly praised me for my digital talents...I've not mastered Photoshop yet!!

Progress Update

This past month has felt like a mad rush. Next week we have our Viewpoint unit hand in and presentation, as well as Exploring Specialist Techniques. Both units have been great fun and I have learned many things since beginning them.
The week after next we have our Botanics unit to hand in and present. Being the most tricky of the units so far to initially get started with I am pleased with how my sketchbook and final piece have progressed! I enjoy drawing, so having to include sketches of various flowers was a pleasant experience.

As for Viewpoint, I've felt the only way express my creativity regarding ideas for my cover and centre spread was to have a bash at Photoshop. Although weary to begin with I soon grasped the basic idea and how the different tools worked. Many if not all my ideas for the final pieces required me to get them down on paper first, just quick sketches. This proved a valuable reference when trying to convert the ideas onto the computer.

Exploring Specialist Techniques has allowed me to further investigate printing, and more particularly, lino prints. I have really enjoyed cutting my designs and experimenting with colours and composition.

I hope to achieve good grades with my last 3 units of 1st year, fingers crossed!

To The Kwai and Back

 

As part of my Exploring Specialist Techniques unit I have recently discovered an illustrator by the name of Ronald Searle. I came across him whilst researching other artists for my sketchbook, and his work instantly grabbed my attention.

He was called up for national service during the Second World War and subsequently was captured by the Japanese and forced to work on the Burma rail line. Although weighing in at 6 stone and living under the most hellish conditions, Searle still managed to maintain a sense of acute awareness. He believed that it was his duty not only to survive, but to record the experiences he and many of his fellow soldiers and officers were going through. He often hid his small drawings and quick sketches under the beds of his dying comrades, as the enemy would have no reason to go looking for contraband in such a place. 

After looking around the internet for examples of these impressive illustrations, I ended up discovering his book 'To the Kwai -and back' and could not resist purchasing it for myself. I have not yet had a proper read through my copy yet but the pages I have had a look at are great, it just amazes me to no end that this man had the patience and focus to record such a time in history of which he was a main part of.

This discovery is just another example of why this course is proving to be extremely eye-opening and enlightening. I may sound like I'm exaggerating but I guess I just become enthusiastic about a lot of things I like and admire. If nothing else, books like this one and people like Ronald Searle provide me with inspiration and a drive, they inspire me to maybe create something (hopefully not in the circumstance of a World War) that will live on after me.

My Interests

I have noticed with every unit we have embarked on, I have taken a keen interest in each topic we are asked to research and develop.

This may already be obvious due to my previous posts but I felt the need to address it's importance!

The latest unit my frantic curiosity has chosen to pursue is 'Viewpoint'. Coming right after 'Typefaces and Letter forms', it has managed to keep hold of my attention and in doing so has made me feel aware of magazines, their purpose and how they are created.

My years subscription to GQ (Gentleman's Quarterly) is becoming more and more worth the money with each issue that arrives in the post. I can now appreciate the text and typefaces on the front cover, along with the content inside. I look at the cover for while before beginning the magazine. Just figuring out what they want you to take from the information they have displayed. It's always so glossy and sharp, not to mention the smell! But that's beside the point...
What I am trying to say, is that as well as the research and cutting and pasting into your sketchbook, I feel if you actually understand the system in which magazine design is held under, it will help you a lot more in the long run.

Here's hoping I'm able to display this enthusiasm and understanding in my work!

Visual Recording

After today and experiencing a more structured lesson in the studio I am happy with the amount of work I have completed. This unit in particular is an opportunity to develop and practice my skills in drawing from observation. Whether it be realising how perspective comes into play whilst drawing buildings, or how the depth of certain lines matter in still life drawing - I finally feel like them sticking in my brain.

Today after moving on from full arm length drawings of our chosen objects, the next stage was to hold the pencil in our usual drawing position. This allowed me to switch back to a more controlled way of drawing and funnily enough made me feel more able and confident about drawing from observation.

Siobhan had mentioned a lot today about using tone and how hard we were pressing our pencil against the paper whilst drawing. I heard what she had said and decided to put it into practice. Once my shoe had been drawn I chose certain lines to darken, lines that I found were more important than others and right enough it gave my drawing depth and definition. It was suddenly brought off the paper and I was pleased and surprised at how a simple technique can change how effective a drawing looks.

Happy and perhaps a bit proud of my shoe, I continued working on tone and focusing in on other areas of shading. This is just one of a few examples of how little bits of advice have helped me improve my drawings, and understanding of different techniques.