Research of the Alloa Project :p

Yes I'm later than I last promised but Ive had stuff on my mind and other stuff to do :p But here we go one crazy as smeg blog post on all the research of this project...

So lets dive in shall we :p

I promise not to bombard you with every single speck of research. But I have to post my major highlights.
Starting off has to be Daniel Zeller whos high detailed pen drawings always capture my attention and heart. The scale he works at is a main reason I have an obsession for "Micro Artists" with high detailed finework on a large scale of production. I often reference Daniel Zeller and most probably have done so in a previous blog post.
Moving on we have to take note of one important book I love to have a nose at.
Illustration Now! 
Volume 2.
By Julius Wiedemann
TASCHEN publication
ISBN: 978-3-8365-2138-3

Whenever I dare contemplate an idea of illustration work I always have a look in this book. Its a personal favourite.

Within this book, several key artists/illustrators/designers even caught my eye not just for their style but the content of their work. I always need to remember that Illustration is not a solid practise of drawing. You can paint an illustration, sculpt an illustration even photograph or video one.  The design of an Illusrtration is to expand on a story or a point. Something I learned from a fantastic artist and illustrator Pam Smy at an Artists Talk at the Park Gallery and Falkirk Campus.

I love the lines and details its so clean the element of photoshopping images into the drawing. Its fun, quirky, informal and comforting.

I can visualise this working in the Alloa Campus. A collage of imagery constructing a "feel" of alloa could be very effective. Could combine the river Forth, Alloa Tower, the campus and many of the other features.

If I had a style of illustration with people and characters I wish it were like this. I had an idea of creating an illustration for each specialism or subject the campus provided. It would be a series located in the areas of study. There could be a beautician with her tools, an electrician with their overals. The ideas were flowing but I cant create characters to save myself so this idea was abandoned.

Simplicity with pattern to detail of pen. Just a flash of colour in the shiny clean campus could be so fantastic.

And then I checked out one of my favourite artists from a previous project. Susan Stockwell is a fantastic Mapping Artist I highly recommend. This piece above is the River Thames in London, reconstructed with the road maps of london giving a bold and interesting sight. This piece was used to introduce an exhibition "Whos Map is it?" New Mapping by Artists.

 Next some favourite artists from
Vitamin D: New Perspectives in Drawing
by Emma Dexter
Phaidon publication
ISBN: 0714845450

This artist use's his history in creating art. He grew up in Quanzhou during a time of Taiwan and China's conflicts which left an impression on the artist. This results in his choice of Medium being Gunpowder on Rice Paper to create these amazing images

The two images here are works created by Dominic McGill. The use of typography in his work is brilliant but its the scale of his work that really grabs my attention. The Alloa campus has large spaces of wall and good open areas with big walls I honestly think the campus can handle a massive wall piece in certain areas. Just to break up the constant white and lines

Thew Ritchie created a massive wallpiece which i would love to see in the Alloa Campus.

I have no issues in showing off a fantastic artist especially for research. My fellow classmate Fiona Jenkins created this work for the project of "Emperors New Clothes" Its so gorgeous I had to add this there is a reason to my addition in which Alloas History of Glass Manufacture is a very interesting thing. And Fionas work with glass and in this case printing it to get its wonderful detail and texture is exactly what im interested in.

So ofcourse Ive researched the history of Alloa and oh my freaky its nothing I would have actually thought of being in a place like Alloa. Its Coal and Silver mines remind me of dirty charcoal drawings and shiny metallic works like Marco Maggi. The stunning Views of the Ochil Hills. The history of the textile industry with the weaving of cotton. The glassmaking and even the importance of the River Forth with the Alloa docks being the only way to export and import goods from the area. All these little elements are what construct Alloas History. Its a hard working grubby scuffed knuckles, hands and knees town. With stunning buildings of such history like Alloa Tower, the Glass Cone, the old swing bridge, Town buildings to even the current campus the range in textures of bricks and mortar are what make this town very interesting and wonderful even. But the hard working history of Alloa is suddenly given this freaky shiny glitter speck of an educational building. Its too clean. It needs to get grubby and grimey. It needs history it needs age. Its so sanded and rounded off smooth and new it needs texture the god dam buildings crying out for some freaking lumpy wallpaper for god sake!

This is my realisation. The history is what built and made this town. The new campus needs texture, life and age. It needs something to break up the flush white walls and with its massive expanse of space on these walls I feel I could apply a massive drawing to one of the areas. It wouldnt detract from the building, it may create a focal point inside because the building does seem aimless and wandering.
I know where I want this work to develop but the next task is to collect and experiment with all my ideas of textures and all the little historic elements of alloa and bring them together in a massive visually textural work.

As an expansive image I am contemplating using the Ochil Hills. Because although the building has been highlighted as a brilliant place to view them. What I felt is that the students never really face the hills. They have to go up these little gangways to view the large windows. They have their backs to the views. Even the outside entrance to the building is off angle from the best views. You have to walk away from the building to see them best. Its very wierd. On a clear day it would be stunning but this is scotland. And with the latest miserable dark weather  were having. The "Stunning Views" are invisable.
I think it would be interesting to bring the views into the building properly. The hills change with every second of light shifting the greens become grey the browns become blue. Its a living view and its a shame the building isnt dead centering its position onto the "stunning view" it acclaimed to have. I also think students can forget their location they become alienated in any environment. Something beautiful, textural, recognisable. And something not so freaky abstract could be a good potential.

I suppose the more I think my idea through I see this more as a piece designed for the Alloa Campus. These are not Conceptual abstract understanding Contemporary Fine Artists. They are students who are interested in computing, salon therapys, construction and engineering. I dont think the majority would appreciate something conceptual. I think they may like a "pretty" picture they can recognise with an interesting element the arty folks can see and explain about. Its sad to think this way. But it is not a campus for Creative Industries. And this idea has to be considered when making a piece for the Alloa Campus and its students.