Wednesday 23 February 2011

Sketchbook work...





sketchbook collage ideas

Hello , I've been working away in sketchbooks alongside my screen printing in the printroom . I have definately reached the next stage and looking forward to putting down some imagery on my prints. I will be returning into the printroom very soon to print my ABC..... alphabet letters and sign language . I'ts great having the option to flip between the two actually as it keeps things flowing.

Sunday 20 February 2011

Printing layers





latest printed patterns

This week I returned to the printroom to add the first layers of my pattern on the printed coloured blocks I printed last week. It was great fun . I developed to large screens with random pattern and marks, being careful not to make an actual image that could be confused when making my finished image representing the alphabet letter.
At first I confused myself trying to logistically print the pattern differntly using many colours but then i just went for it using a very small squeegy randomly using it. By doing this no sheet is the same and every piece will be unique.
I did get bored of the same pattern and being pushed for time having a lecture on Friday , I did manage to develop a whole new set of marks and patterns ready to print Monday morning.
I've had many ideas to how im going to make the actual letters and i think this will be done in print form along with the sign langauge..

Monday 14 February 2011

"To My Valentine........"






ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE

Weekend purchases...



The Doodle Book
I love this great kids book byTaro Gomi .I'ts good solid fun !I love the way it's printed in black and white and although designed for kids apeals to the 'kid' in adults im sure. It contains some great niave illustrations for colouring in , im not going to use it of course!


Weekend purchases...





centre print by Karine bernadou


 Penguin book cover displays

Puffin book cover displays

Found some great book shops and second hand shops in Oxford .The above displays were in Blackwell's Book Store .I spent ages in there and bought a couple of books and small printed cards .

The Pitt Rivers Museum

 View from outside museum

 view from the above level inside

one of the cabinet displays

At the weekend I visited the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford with a fellow illustration student and friend on the course .It displays archaelogical and ethnographic objects from all parts of the world. There are over half a million to date.
It was founded in 1884 by General Pitt Rivers who gave his collection to The University of Oxford. It has one of the worlds greatest collections and has a leading role in contemporary research and museum curatorship.

Examples of curious artefacts at Pitt Rivers








These are just a fraction of the photographs taken at the museum.It really is an amazing place and a must to visit. You do feel like you have stepped back in history on venturing into the ornate museum . Also the atmosphere  of dimmed lighting just exudes intrigue and wonder. This visit was my second and I plan to return as often as possible as the inspiration and drawing material is endless.

Saturday 12 February 2011

Mark Pawson Lecture


We had a lecture with Mark Pawson yesterday. He is an artist/ designer or something inbetween ! as he likes to call himself .He is completely self sufficient relying only upon himself to make the paraphernalia he sells online and through bookstores ,gallery shops including The Tate Library  and Museum Of Modern  Art  New York.These include small bookes ,zines and badges to name but a few.
He is an avid collector of things that most people would easily dispose of.These items inclide stickers , found papers and plastic freebies given in the likes of chocolate kinder eggs .I like this ideology as I myself collect things along this line . I find it very difficult to throw away paper bags for example and I love price stickers as today most things have a bar -code ,so to go to your local corner shop and have a label done with a price gun is fab !! arggg! im a geek !

The badges above are handmade by Mark and I love them . Im going to buy my own badge making machine online as it's always been something fun I've wanted to make .He seemed like a nice guy , some of his work did'nt interest me but I like his enthusiasm for going his own way and doing what he loves.

Yummy screen printed colours...




Above are a couple of examples of the blocks of colour I printed on Thursday. Im working on the next layers now, ready to coat and expose the screens .I Plan to dye and wax some paper over the weekend to get a different kind of texture and feel . I absolutely love printing. I feel there's not enough time in the week for me to do everything I want . Fitting in lectures and looking after my family especially my autistic son seem to be taking up all my time . I'ts incredibly frustrating !I wish I could work in the printroom at weekends too.

Screen printing...


Showing the screen printing process

So , Thursday I started work on my final images .My plan is to produce screen printed backdrops of various colours for my final images.I plan to layer my work , using screen printed pattern and backdrops to my collage which will sit on top thus creating different depths to my work.Although printing all 26 final images from collaged illustrations would have been amazing , I simply don't have the time as printing is such a long process and my work is very detailed. It could mean up to eight different screens per image and times that by 26 ... thats a lot ! I feel by combining the two and using my waxed paper technique and dyes will make it more interesting. I printed up to 50 A1 sheets all different colours . Had lots of fun as it did'nt need to be perfect. In fact the best colours came out textured or with bits missing !



Studio discussions.....


This week a group of students in our third year met in the studio to discuss our blog proposals and how we should construct them . It was a very relaxing , enjoyable day and meeting Alexandra who took the tutorial was a pleasure to be with. We discussed all the key elements to put within our blogs and how to write and promote our own work and work of others and things that influence us .
In the afternoon we all sat in the studio doodling and drawing anthing that we felt important or inspiring to us at the time , we had an hour doing this below are my doodles and as you can see i had the alphabet on my mind !


sketchbook doodles

We had a great group and we had a bit of  laugh ! We discussed all our final major proposals and it was interesting to know all the different pieces of work we were all choosing.I'm Looking forward to beginning  my final images , I,ve had some great feed-back from the students about what I,ve chosen , which has been great.

Tuesday 8 February 2011

A to Z proposal.....

where to start ? maybe A.....?






Ive been looking at all things ABC.... and came across this book and bought it because it's perfect for me. Simply full of letters ! An eclectic journey of different styles between two pieces of cardboard is how I view this book with the ability of delivering an immense sense of joy, happiness and wellbeing. I've chosen several sections from the book and I'll blog on these sections at a later date.

Inspired....

I simply melt when I look at the work of  Sir Peter Blake. How could you possibly not. I would give anything to be locked up for the night with all his amazing possessions and artefacts .His incredible collection of found objects just give you hours of delightful drawing material and a basis for for new illustration material.

Ive been looking at Sir Peter Blakes screen printed A-Z. These also inspire me to accomplish my own set of A-Z illustrations .Below are photographs of this work .







Vintage Hungarian stamps.....

I would like to share these beautiful vintage Hungarian postage stamps with you .They are
just a few of many that have been in our family for quite a number of years. The particular ones I have chosen are my favourite and im sure you will fall in love with them .
As a small child I would sit and flick through the stamp book waiting to turn the very page they would be sitting on , they transported me to another world way back then and of course being real I could touch them , which made me feel the richest little girl in the whole wide world !







Folklore \ Fairytale vintage






Perhaps it was my encounter with these gorgeous little images that inspired me to become an illustrator all those years ago when I was growing up ?

Latest finds.....






These little finds caught my eye! The print is a linocut by James Brown , the other pieces are by the illustrator Rob Ryan ..... The key is a little treasure I think .