Tutorial with Teresa

I spoke with Teresa today and explained that I'm really running out of steam with motivation and productivity coming towards the end of the year, and that I feel like I'm going round and round in circles with my FMP. Additionally with the added pressure of PPP to get myself to a certain standard by the time we finish, which I don't feel ready to do.

Her advice:

-With the website, you don't have to make it live yet if you don't feel ready. If you're stuck, divide it into categories or projects.
-Amsterdam is a good shout, but did you spend long enough there?? Do you have enough research?
-Think about doing a travel guide, having a map in your portfolio will help you to get work in the future, and will be an interesting project.
-Look at travel magazines and editorials.
-Have a rest this weekend, you need it.

So my job for after the weekend is to research illustrated travel guides, this sounds like a good direction for my project to head into, and would be really motivating in accumulation with my interest in the architecture over there.

Last Ever Peer Review

With this being the last ever peer review, I've realised that perhaps I've taken this advantage for granted over the past three years. Having peer support has been integral to my practice and progress, and I honestly think that I will struggle a lot without it.

As per usual, I felt really underprepared for the crit today. Although I think everyone was in the same boat. Everyone feels nervous about leaving in less than two months, and that they haven't done enough work this year. So I guess I'm not alone there. I received some really supportive and encouraging feedback much to my surprise.

Comments I can capitalise/reflect on:

• "Finding my style"-so is this it? Do I have a style?! Maybe! But I don't JUST want to do watercolour and fineliner. I want to keep playing and experimenting.
• "Style is adaptable"-THIS IS GREAT and means I can keep my practice quite broad successfully.
• "You've found your feet"-Not so sure...I still feel like I have a long way to go.

Wellington Place Brief Results

Unfortunately my work wasn't selected to be put forward for the Wellington Place Brief. Never mind! But in hindsight I do feel a little disheartened, because I could have spent this time more valuably, and to be honest I don't really have full confidence in the work that I produced for this brief anyway; i.e. I probably wouldn't feature it in my portfolio. This has taught me the importance of prioritising briefs in a short space of time, and sometimes saying no is just as important as saying yes. But nonetheless it was a good experience!

ibis Changes

Town Centre Securities have been contacting me via email requesting a few minor changes to the finished piece before it will be sent off to print.

Before

After

Although I'd rather have not changed the Belgrave for the arena, it looks SO much better now, so I'm actually quite glad they asked me to change a few bits. This has taught me that it is extremely important to be persistent with layers. Making sure that I keep each element on a separate layers in future will mean that it is quicker and easier to make such changes.

Additionally, they asked me to include an artists statement at the bottom (which they drafted out) and I had to give a name for my piece, which I hadn't initially thought of. I decided to call it 'home from home', because thats what Leeds is to me and to so many other students.

The mural will be installed ready for the opening of the hotel on April 10, so I'm super excited to go and see it!

FMP: Visiting Amsterdam!

Yesterday we got back from Amsterdam, and it was such a great experience, I wish we could have stayed for longer! We mostly just explored and observed in our short trip, and just acted like general tourists without taking an obsessive amount of selfies...

Places we visited:

• Dam Square
• Van Gough Museum
• Anne Frank Haus
• Hortus Botanicus (botanical garden)
• Vondelpark
• Sex museum
• Red light district

General observations:

• Everyone who lives there is so cool
• BIKES EVERYWHERE
• Hardly any litter
• No poverty?! No beggars!
• Beautiful architecture
• Didn't notice any traditional dishes, apart from chips
• The locals seem to just get along with their business and keep to themselves
• The locals also hate it when tourists hire out bikes
• Lots of interesting history in the city
• Drugs are so normalised there
• So is prostitution
• Perhaps this is why there is hardly any crime
• Lots of students
• No overweight people!? Perhaps the cycling helps
• Loads of american tourists

Photos/Ephemera

ibis Brief Results

I'm so excited/happy/overwhelmed that I somehow managed to win the ibis brief!!! Can't believe it!

The mural is going to be printed out and installed in the new hotel next month (so thankfully I don't have to paint it!)

They want a few minor changes, which I expected:

-change the belgrave to the arena

-make the Leeds letters the correct size (I knew I couldn't get away with that one)

-add a description/summative statement somewhere on the design

I can't really get my teeth stuck into these at the moment because I'm going to Amsterdam tomorrow, but I will as soon as I'm back! I'm honestly so chuffed, this has given me such a boost, and may even lead to some more work from the back of it.

Wellington Place Brief

Another live brief has come up in the bulletin that looked really interesting.

MEPC at the new Wellington Place business park have put out a call for entries for 4 bodies of work to be displayed in the reception area of 5 Wellington Place. They asked for themes such as Leeds, Yorkshire and the History of the site to be considered. This sounded right up my street as I love researching into urban development and interesting buildings; it helps that the lifting tower remains a historic focal point of the site.

I had a walk down to Wellington Place yesterday to take some photos and do some sketches:

(it was freezing cold so I couldn't draw for long)

As it was a Saturday, the space felt extremely eerie as all of the business folk were not at work and it was so quiet, but it was interesting to see the buildings and atmosphere detached from its users. 

Of course, any brief wouldn't be the same without an 'Ellie moment'...so when I got back I realised that all of my photos came out WAY too over exposed because I forgot to adjust the white balance on the camera haha. But I did some research instead and found out some really interesting facts about the site.

• The site used to be a TRAIN STATION called Leeds Central Station
• The old viaduct leading to Leeds Central Station is still standing
• The WAGON HOIST (lifting tower) is a grade 1 listed building and was used to hoist goods from arriving trains

Some facts from an online forum

Photographs of Leeds Central Station/The Lifting Tower

The brief only asked for rough concepts at this stage, but I am proposing to create between four and five A0 illustrative collages that give the audience an insight into the history of Wellington Place, so here are the images I submitted:

Final Major Brief

So I think I finally know what I'm going to do for my FMP. Booking a trip to Amsterdam next week has given me the boost I needed to become really excited about getting started on this project, and having a positive overall experience that I can develop a body of work from.

ibis Hotel Brief

I haven't done as many mural briefs as I'd hoped this year; I really enjoyed the mural briefs that I took part in a year back so wanted to have another shot. 

Brief: Design a mural proposal for the new IBIS hotel reception area, Merrion Centre.

Theme: What does it mean to you to be a student in Leeds

Initial ideas:

-Compilation of images
-Bars and clubs around Merrion St. area
-University buildings
-TEA
-BEER

I thought that I could add some of my favourite places around the Merrion Centre, as well as some of the independent perks for students around the city. I didn't do that many initial sketches...I just kind of went for it? 

Elements I have included:

-Belgrave roof terrace
-All of the uni buildings
-Yorkshire rose
-Leeds train station letters installation
-MOJO's neon 'music for the people'
-Leeds nightlife
-Yorkshire tea
-Hyde Park Picture house
-Leeds international film festival

I decided to have a go on the wacom cintiq for the final artwork; it took ages to get the hang of but I was loving it by the end! 

One minor qualm... I got the scale wrong initially because my maths skills are so poor! So I had to stretch the design to make it the right size, but it's not that noticeable apart from the letters, and they can always be adjusted I suppose.

Final design with a 3 colour scheme. 

I'm actually surprised at how well this turned out and am really pleased with myself! One of the things I struggled with the most was applying my way of working to digital media, as I am a bit of a stubborn analogue user, but from peer feedback people can still tell that I have done this and it still reflects (dare I say) my style. (I feel like I can finally use this phrase!) 

We had to email in with a supporting statement explaining our work, so I wrote about celebrating the independent scene of a new city being a student, and how it can feel like a home from home.

Updated Statement of Intent

Tutorial With Matt

When I last had a tutorial with Matt I wasn't in a good place with my practice; I wasn't producing work that I was interested in or passionate about, but rather work that I thought I had to do. 

Today he was really encouraging about my progress with the building portraits and commented that the use of explorative textures were more successful and meaningful in terms of communicating with an audience, and having a 'voice'. 

However, Matt picked up on the fact that I wasn't really sure why I was doing all of this building work, and for a final major project I need to know why I am exploring a subject. He suggested that 'a good project always starts with a good question'...but I don't know what I want to ask??? I'll give it some thought over the next few days and keep drawing and drawing until my arm falls off I guess?!

FMP Thoughts

I still don't know where my FMP is going. I seem to have loads of ideas, but don't feel excited enough about any. So I made a mind map of everything thats going on in my head/things that I've done so far.

The trouble is, that I'm focusing too much on what the final outcome will be, which is restricting productivity and decreasing my level of enthusiasm.

BUT...I'm going to Amsterdam on the 21st!!!! I'm so excited. I've wanted to go for such a long time, and I think that my work will naturally blossom through observational drawing and experience. So it's looking likely that my FMP will be based around something to do with Amsterdam!

In Cold Blood

So I will cut the bullshit and honestly state that I did not read this book (probably should have) and totally rushed it at the last minute from the buzz of To Kill a Mockingbird.

I always find that in last minute situations, keeping things simple is the best solution.

Plot 

Wealthy family living in Kansas are the victims of a brutal, out of the blue murder. Truman Capote becomes extremely interested in the story and heavily researches the event in great detail.

My Concept 

I wanted to communicate a really 'eerie' and mysterious atmosphere through composition and content and I have done this by creating a wide angle shot of the crime scene, the house.

Development

Final Design

Reflection

I'm not entirely sure that I can reflect upon this particular brief on a positive note. It was done so quickly and almost carefree that in hindsight I am questioning why I actually spent time working on this if I didn't put in 100%? 

I suppose not all pieces of work and commissions I do in the future will fill me with the same sense of pride and sentiment as others, though. One thing I have learnt from this is that if push comes to shove, I can meet a deadline quickly, although I honestly wouldn't feel completely confident putting this in my portfolio as I couldn't 'sell it' or explain it with passion and enthusiasm to a client. However, I am pleased with the final outcome and can see this piece as a practice piece.

To Kill A Mockingbird: Alternative Perspective and Visual Solution

After feeling completely fed up and deflated about the work I have produced so far on this brief, I had an unexpected inspirational spark yesterday during an ambassador shift to do with world book day. 

Two groups of year 7/8 came in to participate in a world book day creative workshop involving the production of a 16 page mini-concertina book that summarises their favourite novel through the use of words and images.

Some examples of the childrens' work: they are SO GOOD!!!

The contents of the publication could include:

• Front cover
• Back cover/blurb
• Character description
• Quotes from the book
• Illustrated scenes

When I assist with leading workshops, a lot of the time I find it really useful to join in with the group; both for encouragement and because its nice to feel like a big kid again! But in all seriousness, I do produce some of my best work when I know it isn't being assessed. So I took the opportunity to create a mini concertina for To Kill a Mockingbird:

(I didn't quite have time to finish the whole thing)

This exercise helped me to get out of the loop of perfectionism and allowed me to have fun experimenting from an alternative viewpoint...which is something that I haven't managed to grasp yet within my creative process.

Later that evening, I was still full of enthusiasm and jotted down a load of new ideas with the help of the workshop. Thinking of avoiding the obvious, I decided to take things from a more personal perspective, and start with my favourite quote from the book:

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point 

of view-until you climb into his skin and walk around in it"

Rough sketches based on this quote:

The concept here is based on Scout's understanding of the things that she questions, particularly to do with her fathers' relationship with the accused Tom Robinson under the theme of social inequality. The term "stepping into someone else's shoes" reflects the empathetic reasoning that exists within the quote above, therefore the shoes of Tom Robinson and Scout illustrate this concept with the inclusion of footsteps (mocking bird footprints) and the red dusty road of Maycomb.

So without further ado...here is the final design:

This brief has certainly allowed me to become more open to interpretation of how I approach and overcome creative struggles, and has made me realise that I am perhaps more resilient than I thought I was. I am very happy with the outcome of the cover, as I feel it demonstrates how my work has developed in terms of experimentation with materials and a more thorough and considered understanding of the concepts behind the visuals. I would be confident enough to put this in my portfolio!

To Kill A Mockingbird:Development/Critical Incident

Developments on the tree hole idea/experimenting with process and texture:

Paper cutouts of the tree gifts

Mocking up this concept has made me realise how literal and simple it is, and that I should be aiming to go beyond the obvious. My level of experimentation with material and processes has been positive, but yet again I have carried myself away with the first idea that came into my head and not invested enough time into the development and planning of my concept.

I'm going to call it a day and turn over a fresh page tomorrow.