Summary of First Brief

I have enjoyed this project, I have chosen the right graphic design area to specialise in, as my strengths can be put in to more use. By working on something you enjoy, you are able to work consistently, which is important if you are working on a tight deadline and/or juggling more than one brief. As always I believe I could have produced more work if more time was provided, but I am pleased with the quality of my work.

I am looking forward to the next brief when I return to university in the second term- in Jan 2010. I have not been informed yet what the task is, but I wish to involve more techniques such as screen printing and perhaps using the photography facilities available.

Handmade- Birds

For the first handmade brief in the handmade specialism we were required to select a british bird, I chose the waxwing. I began this project by experimenting with spraypaints, so I created a stencil which would involve two colours.

The next stage we moved on to producing a group display using vinyl. From the 3 colours available (white, pale blue and brown) we hand cut our designs and formed a scenery of the birds. It was important that the whole piece merged together, and did not look like individual outcomes. I was involved in incorporating my design in a woodland scene with a mixture of other birds produced by other people. The process of this workshop took longer than we thought it would, because of the consistent development.

Above is a photograph of the planning process.

This is my design of the waxwing

The final outcome

Throughout this project I have involved my textile skills, as it is one of my strengths. My sketchboook reveals a number of small experiments, from painting to delicate hand stitching. I discovered a new method of generating an image, using a needle I pierced paper to make the image visible. This idea came from pointillism- one of my high interests. At the time of doing this the fairy lights in my room shone through the holes of the paper, which then gave me the idea of my final outcome.

Above I chose sections of the waxwing that still made it obvious that it is a bird. This piece is a3 size, and the light is shining through the holes. Photographing handmade work doesnt capture the whole essence of the work. I enjoyed constructing this style because the end result is effective, the time and effort is expressed in the detail, and the sharp texture created by the pin pricks adds more interest.

Above is another piece which slightly differed from the previous pieces, because I have used a range of dots. The larger holes where more difficult to make.

To conclude this project I produced a cover for Vice magazine:

Clothes Show Live 09

The Clothes Show is a 6 day event which takes place every year at the NEC Birmingham. The 45 minute live show is a combination of a catwalk and a dance performance, modelling from winter clothing to underwear. The show was amazing!!! It gets better every year.

Personal Work- Pointillism

I adore japanese illustrations- such as manga, and pointillsim, which is where my style is generated from. I prefer to work on a small scale and focus on tiny detail rather than something large that you have to stand away from. Many of these pieces are no larger than 5x5cm all done by pen. Alot of people will not realise how long it takes me to form each illustration, so another reason why I am incredibly fond of pointillism is because I respect the artist's time and effort.