I'm still trying to do all the previous EDMs, but I thought actually starting on a current one and keeping up was quite good fun (also it meant I started on number 99, which quite appealed to me. So here you have the January EDMs plus one or two from December. Apologies for the scan quality as I'm having issues with the scanner at the moment.
This morning I went for the first of a long line of open days I've organised to go to. I'm looking mostly at BA Illustration and similar courses. Today it was at the "University College for the Creative Arts" (formerly the Kent Institute of Art and Design) in Maidstone. The college has several other campuses but illustration is only in Maidstone.
It was about an hour out of London and in a nice little town with pretty houses and a pedestrianised city center. The college itself was small and intimate (just the way I like it) and with quite good facilities - especially in printmaking which is one of my interests. It made a fairly good impression, but it IS only my first open day. I'm not sure what Sunshine would be able to do if I chose to come here and I don't know anything about the social/cultural scene either. I'm still debating about being in/out-of London, so I'm going to all the places I can that have been recommended to me for Illustration degrees.
This is going to be hard work.
Links:
BA hons Illustration
BA hons Printmaking with Illustration
Illustration students gallery
Yup, you heard me right - earlier this month, my sister found this while netsurfing and sent the link to me. Looking through the website I realised that they had also started doing a franchise in London. I asked around and managed to find a bunch of my coursemates who all thought it would be a laugh to go along to one of their sessions - so off we went this morning.
Our model for the day was the lovely Red Sarah, and the host of the show was the wonderful Dusty Limits(!) Like Sunshine commented later, these aren't my finest works, but I had a laugh and enjoyed myself (and got quite drunk! Thanks to my bunch of lovely ladies for the drinks!), so its alright ...
We started of with a mini burlesque routine by Red Sarah - she was dressed up as Miss Piggy, complete with piggy nose, and Kermit shaped nipple tassels! Then a few quick sketches - first a blind contour drawing, then one with our eyes shut, one with our right hand, and one with our left hand.
Alcohol break, the some longer drawings - but with instructions! Firstly to imagine Red Sarah as a piece of furniture - ah, see my chaise lounge ..., as a kitchen utensil - both Laura and I went for egg-beaters, and then as an item of food - somehow the model reminded me of jello ...
Then it was, "Draw Red Sarah sewing a technicolour dream coat", and to help us along, the host had us all singing the tune too ...
By this point I was a bit annoyed that I hadn't yet really been given an opportunity to really draw the model, so I made up my mind that whatever the next set of instructions were, I would pay more attention to my life drawing, and less to the imaginary bit - the instructions were, "Draw Red Sarah meeting the Queen and Prince Phillip".
Finally we were given a chance to just draw Red Sarah and her surroundings.
Like I said, these are not my best work, but I have managed to take some photos which I will hopefully use to do some PROPER life drawings. It was a great afternoon out - BIG THANKS to Laura, Rosie, Nicky, Ros, Julia, Lorna and Ruth for coming along and buying me drinks, and winning prizes and being generally good sports!
Spring term Week 3 at Art School
At the end of last week, we were given our promts for the following week's project. Basically we were provided with seven pictures (mostly photographs, and one painting) from which we were to pick one and make a body of work inspired by that picture. I picked the picture on the left. Of the seven given it was the one that jumped out at me first, but by the time I had got home, I couldn't find any inspiration in it. We had also been told to try and fit our piece(s) towards what type of degree course me might be aiming for (in my case illustration) - as we are trying to generate material for portfolio interviews.
For a while I was intrigued by the guy in the corner's almost-catseye glasses, which reminded me very much of Dame Edna Everage. I thought of maybe doing a large poster-type thing with Dame Edna sending out a message of "Are there any possums out these?" via a gaily decorated satellite dish, and putting some funky-glasses wearing spaceships, rockets and aliens, and possums in spacesuits. Unfortunately that prooved difficult as I don't really have much cartoon drawing skills. Also, looking after a very ill Sunshine over most of the week meant that I just couldn't concentrate on the work.
On Wednesday evening, in a last ditch attempt at getting inspired I did the four little drawings above based on the idea of SPACE. They were framed in old CD cases for display. I'm not very happy with them as finished pieces, but at least it meant I had something to show today. We've been given another week to work on further pieces based on this or to expand on the pieces we've already made so maybe there's hope yet. I've also picked up copies of the other six source pictures, just incase I get really stumped.
I've got a serious case of artists-block this last week, and also have been feeling quite lacking in self confidance about being able to actually make it onto an illustration course, and going down that career route. It's no fun being miserable. I hope I snap out of it soon!
Spring term Week 2 at Art School
So, what happened with the project from last week? Well, because of my leanings towards illustration, and my interest in bookarts, I ended up making a little book. Above is the cover, and below, the page spreads (sorry for the bad quality of light on the photos!). Ink and coloured pencils on paper, cut out and stuck on acetates, then the book bound with strips of clear tape).
I've been playing with lines lately, and now that I have my colour fineliners, I'm playing with lines in colour!
Despite not having much space and time to do much art during the holidays, I did manage a little bit of creativity...
People waiting at the airport:
Some beach walking and shell hunting led to this:
And finally, I made Sunshine's sister a brooch for Christmas (I've had the idea for ages, but just needed to sit myself down and get on with it. Its not really for wearing - a bit fragile - but nice as an ornament to put on show).
Spring term Week 1 at Art School - p.2
Whoopee!!! I've got a DISTINCTION for my work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Four of us from the course did - I'm really surprised, but also very happy. My feedback sheet had hardly any comments, apart from, "Whole thing fantastic, a pleasure to look at. Could go anywhere in the 'design' area." YAY! Illustration and design is exactly what I want to go into. :)
After the excitement of the morning, and wondering around looking at everyone else's fantastic portfolios and sketchbooks (I'm fortunate to be surrounded by a really talented group of people), we started on this week's project. They are no longer structured like last term, but very very open ended. For example, today we were given an architectural plan of the building our studios are in, Central House, and were to use that to inspire a piece of work. We didn't even have to necessarily base it on the actual architectural plans, but anything to do with the building.
First off we were sent out to take photos and do some drawings of things that interested us. While most people wandered of to look at bits of the building itself, I was more interested in the fixtures and fittings. I took lots of photos of door handles and plumbing and taps and safety equipment etc. Then when I started drawing, what really inspired me were all the things that kept people form entering or exiting - locks, bolts, etc. So most of my drawings were of those.
*Hmmm... I'm sure this qualifies for EDM challenge 55 - draw a door knob!
I have some idea of where I might want to go with this, but I think I'm also going to spend a bit of the weekend trying to pursue a couple of other options.
Spring term Week 1 at Art School - p.1
Hello and welcome back to Planet Mithi! Happy new year to my regular readers ... so I've been away for over three weeks, and haven't really done much art. Visiting family is never a real 'holiday', as they see me so infrequently that whenever I visit all my attention is taken up by them, and I really can't get away and do some sketching. Still, since I knew I had homework to finish for today's assessment, I spent the last week with my folks hunched over the dining table doing homework - and here are the results:
Back in October, we did a developmental drawing project. I was not very happy with my results so I redid them.
We were to use these drawings to then to finish the colour theory project.
I still haven't managed to do the 3D for the developmental drawings, or anything exciting with the colour theory offcuts, but I handed all this stuff in anyways. They said they 'd understand that the part-time students wouldn't be able to finish everything. I got home late last night after delays with flights and a 30 hour door to door journey. Still managed to put my portfolio together before I collapsed into bed. This morning the jetlag meant I was up by 4:30 am (damn!). Got into college, put my portfolio and sketch books out on my desk and wondered off for a lecture on photography with Dave, and then our final History of Art lecture with Georgina.
History of Art this week was "postmodernism" - which is pretty much most of the latter half of last century - everything that is "post"- "modernist".
After the lectures, we wondered back to our studio and were told that the tutors were still doing our assessments, and to come back tomorrow for the results. I looked into the room and noticed that my stuff had been moved around - so they've seen it already. Fingers crossed for tomorrow....
