Its been one of those weeks...

Its been a week of personal chaos in the household and working world but what's been a great distraction is finally getting some work done for the Contextual Studies class with David Sweeny.

After having a quick 5 minute presentation on our previous work. Mine being on my studies within Drawing and what its Definition towards this practice may have been. We were given a small area to focus on. In my own presentation it was suggested I look towards what the "function" of drawing may be.

After doing some small research my idea towards the function of drawing, its so broad, its like asking why do we do art at all?

In full honesty. Last year I set out to figure out a personal understanding as to what I believe was the definition of drawing. I feel very concluded in that case study to expand on it would feel like im just padding it with fluff and bubble wrap.

Part of me really wants to find an area to study Im really passionate about and interested in exploring as in 3rd year you dont have to study an area which revolves around art or a practice of interest. It can be anything as previous years examples spread from "child abuse", "abortion", social aspects, curating galleries and even pedophilia. Why is it always the depressing or shocking exhibition pieces I remember the most. I want to do something fun and cheery like a study on fairy tales and their meanings or a study on cupcakes and daisychains. I have no idea.  Haha.

One area Im interested in is illustration. Im a fan of comic books although Im concerned I could never make an indepth study as to what David Sweeny showed us on Friday (Although most of the information he shared with us I already knew about) Id love to make illustrative imagery for stories, not so much multiples but one off page covers. And I'd like to study and find out how to get into an area like that. Sadly one of my failures in drawing is creating human figures without a life model or photograph image of the human subject in the position. This could be a really good idea for the friday classes of contextual studies. But looks like I'll need to look into this.

One awesome upside to doing more researching and studying. Is that I came across one of my favourite (half forgotten) websites academia.edu Its a great site to connect through your facebook and connects you to other researchers in the field your studying in. The researchers are past students, faculty members to art schools around the world and even primary researchers. They all publish papers of their own interest ranging from Degree level to Doctorate level providing great secondary research and routes of progression towards primary research. Some Faculty members are more than happy to answer questions, so long as they're relevant towards their studies and they havent already answered them in the published papers.
So I really recommend you give it a bash. Never know you might discover something when your stuck in a rutt like myself.

This weeks antics

Within the past week Im feeling pretty dam confident about the project at hand and I think Ive managed to make up the lost time from the week where I was clueless about what to my subject matter of the pattern should've been.

0.4 pen study of Grouse wing.

The origional reasoning behind doing this scale of a pen drawing (measuring 26x22cm). Is because I wanted to get a general understanding as to how long it would take me to draw something detailed on a larger scale. It probably took me a full class day, 7 hours. But with my hand cramping up it did slow me down in that I had to take breaks to ease off the pain. I also wanted to get a general idea as to how a larger image would appear when done with fine detail. It's also valuable research in which Im more than confident with my function of linework in progression to my final piece.

Because of the length of time it took to create the image I decided to use the more efficient option of creating pattern concepts. Because I had sourced various feathers from a range of sources, A couple from friends and the majority from online sellers. (check out ebay) I decided to arrange the real feathers into a variety of positions and pattern ideas. Meaning I explored a range of different layouts quickly and easily because I am confident in my own linework.

One thing I will state however... Is that previously I decided to draw feathers, as well as cloud formations. Sadly because of the weather (and I have been working at times of good weather) I have only managed one pencil study of clouds. This is not a complete loss because of the progression in my feather studies I think it would be best to keep it simple and stick to one subject matter. There's no point in cluttering and jamming in every single drawing for a final piece if it doesnt need it.

I also came to realise something once I had collected all the feathers in one place, That only the rich and indeed the emperor, could have afforded objects of this beauty. Peacocks and their feathers were a status symbol of your wealth in history and indeed stories from the Grimms collection to general story tales use peacock and other feathers to relate to wealth and good fortune.
Guinea Foul Feathers (the black and white speckled variety) were imported by only the rich for decoration in womens wigs, clothes, purses and even the dining tables. Pheasent was another rich food that only the rich could afford and the same goes for Grouse. All the feathers Ive collected have inadvertently managed to be connected to royalty and wealth. Much to the Emperor and how he spent most of his money obtaining these beautiful clothes and fabrics. In a strange turn of progression its all worked out really well and still connects strongly to the story.

As much as I like the larger images. (and yes there were plenty more...) I will admit Im more enthusiastic about the close up photographs.

I can definatly see these images progressing really well through my linework into a heavy detailed intricate pattern.

My next task is to take these photographs into illustrator or photoshop to easily expand the pattern work which can then be progressed into penwork and hopefully my perspex final piece can take shape.

This weeks task is to progress my patternwork and experiment on the samples of perspex and also (time permitting) have a shot with some maquettes as Intaglio prints.
Only thing left to do now is push on and get this job done.

Pictures of The Emperors New Clothes

Well I promised earlier to upload some photographs on my brain buzzing and where I am, what Im up to. So here we go.

Free Fabric Samples from TerrysFabrics.co.uk

Trying out Dayler Rowney FW.Acrylic Artist Ink

A more detailed feather study...

Drawing from Memory

Line studies of Feather parts.

Latest purchase of Peacock feathers. - ebay.co.uk

Another purchase for drawing from ebay.co.uk...
They stink so bad they're actually for fly fishing.
Im sure fish love them.

Oopsie...

I do believe I may have jumped the gun and finished the first lap before doing the first flaming task. This is the start of week 3 and Im already visualsing what my final piece may be, I have a strong hold on my research and analysis on the area. I know of the materials I need, my processes. But have I written this all down on paper and pulled it all together... Not at all...
Major slap to the face... Have I written my PLP...

Not a chance in smeg.

Well tonight Im going to get that sorted.

Watch this space... :p

Some more brainbuzzery

At current Im still working away on my brief for the Emperors New Clothes. I know exactly what I aim to make and what needs to be done but this past week has been a nightmare in figuring out one vital element to the project.

Ive researched fantastic drawing artists such as Daniel Zeller who has been an inspiration to me for some time. Ive also been checking out Marco Maggi, Frances Richardson and Mark Lombardi.
Their work which Ive been researching has been great for figuring out pattern making and in this study Ive realised that patterns dont have to conform to the idea of repeating an image over and over again, I can create a rule to draw by and follow a set system. In the work of Frances Richardson he constructs images by following a pattern of only using + and - symbols, Marco Maggi in some of the works creates patterns which are similar to chemistry's works with Carbons isotopes and hexagonal structure amongst other fine detailed work. Whilst Mark Lombardi studied statistics and conspiracy theories to construct large mind mapped pattern drawings.


But anyways, For the past week Ive been bashing my brain over this project with what I should be drawing. What is my subject matter, I know Im making the pattern which would have adorned the fabric the conmen made for the emperor but I had no idea what the content of the fabric was to be.

It wasnt untill I was outside having a smoke on the sunny spell last Thursday it hit me. I was staring at the smoke with it swirling about in the air and the bright clouds drifting by, changing shape and staying big and bulky to thin and whispy. Looking back at the dozens of versions of the story the Conmen when dressing the Emperor describe the fabric as being light as a feather, air, clouds or cobwebs obviously for the Emperor to not suspect he were wearing nothing  at all. But I began to think these are the things I can draw. Im still relating towards the story and tying it all together, in my views, pretty dam nicely...

Photographs will be uploaded as soon as my camera battery is charged.

3rd year degree

Well here we are ladies and gents I've finally made it, I'm in my third and final year of the degree course!
After enrolling on the Monday, we are given our time table and by Wednesday the chaos begins, our first brief.
We had a choice of four and in the end I chose "the emperors new clothes"
I'm already so excited about the project and especially since its a live project from the Charlatan Ink Art Prize 2012.

I've become fascinated by the story of the invisible fabric and how the con men who said that "those unfit for office and stupid people can not see the fabric" I want to create the fabric that you can and cannot see. I've been considering constructing a puzzle which the viewer may solve and may therefore be deemed smart enough to view the pattern.

My first few tasks are to create and design a beautiful intricate fabric inkeeping with the fashion of the time of the author Hans Christian Anderson and the time when the story was written, 1837.
I feel that the history of the story and author should be an important aspect to my work and so I'm trying to respect that part.
At current I've been researching existing fabrics from remnant kings and other fabric stores available in the falkirk area to myself. I've done some online studies into the fashion but I acknowledge that I must bring the story to a more modern state. Giving it a contemporary feel. The main focus to this work is to focus on the pattern and puzzle aspect. The main specialism in this work is drawing although the final outcome may be sculptural, there may also be the potential for a series of etchings, intaglio prints or screenprinting... Although this would be an extra to the project and not the primary focus.

Heres a sneeky peek at the current brain buzz...

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