Statement of Intent Review

Initial Rationale: October 2016

The main thing that I want to explore this year within my practice is the essence of behaviour ; what makes people want to do things and why. I want to explore how the role of illustration as a socially responsible visual medium can urge people to make positive lifestyle changes, can be used as an important tool within education, and can be generally appreciated and valued by society rather than being viewed as ‘just a drawing’.

Although my practice is still quite broad because I am interested in a variety of areas, the theme of social engagement connects the dots between all disciplines and lays at they stem of every brief. To sustain a strong social theme throughout my practice I will need to regularly practice my editorial skills, creating strong visual metaphors relating to current affairs in everyday life. I want to further explore the value and sensitivity that hand rendered creative processes can portray to specific audiences, on particular themes with a contrast to how important issues are visually portrayed in the mass media. This means I will need to emphasise the sensitivity with production processes such as screen printing, creating hand made type, collaging and many others.

To large extent, COP3 allowed me to research and visually explore the relationship between imagery and behaviour and how illustration can be used as a socially responsible device. Aspects of education have been put into practice through my work as a student ambassador, as well as working in a group to produce a set of workshops for the Illustration for Learning brief.

In hindsight, I think I had put a lot of pressure on myself at the beginning of the year to become the 'perfect illustrator' by June, and painstakingly forcing myself to do work that I thought that I should be doing rather than enjoy doing. I have learnt this through the 'editorial a week' brief that I set myself, which I discontinued and took a different approach; draw something every week that I want to draw, and then create a brief at a later stage.

Themes/Subjects

-Educational

-Positivity, health and wellbeing

-Socially engaged arts

-Editorial

-Narrative

-Ethical advertising

-Culture

Products/Methods of Distribution

-Visual imagery used in ethical advertising

-Editorial illustrations

-Book Jackets

-Workshop packs/proposals

-Cards

-Postcards

-Prints

-Stationery

-Zines?

I definitely overwhelmed myself with such a lengthy list here! At this point in time, I think it would be a wise idea to start small. Reducing both lists will give me something to focus on doing really well NOW, rather than thinking about too many things at once.

Themes/Subjects:

• Positivity, health and wellbeing
• Education
• Narrative
• Environment/sustainability

Products/Methods of Distribution:

• Prints
• Publications
• Workshop packs/proposals

Methods/Materials

• Watercolour/gouache
• Collage
• Monoprint
• Line work
• Screen printing

I haven't done as much printing as I had anticipated this year which is disappointing, but I really want to push myself to get in the print room more, especially after last years successes. My watercolour and line work is something that is really developing into a strong and sensitive tone of voice within my practice; I aim to continue to capitalise this.

Progress/Changes to Initial Briefs

Brief 1: Illustration for Learning
Status: Ongoing.
Areas outstanding: Presentation boards(how will I present these?), additional workshop planning for future events

Brief 2: Collaboration Children's Book
Status: Discontinued? Unsure...

Brief 3: Penguin Randomhouse Student Award
Status: Ongoing (I have a lot to do...)

Brief 4: Weekly health editorial
Stauts: Discontinued

Brief 5: Royal Watercolour Society
Status: Submitted, but not counting as a full brief

Next Steps

• Try to plan time from now till May 15
• Think of what is actually achievable; don't force myself to do too much!
• Keep drawing, I might get some ideas

Royal Watercolour Society

I know it might seem that the Smokestack and Pret portraits are the only pieces of work that I have produced in the last month, and the only thing I am talking about, but I decided to enter them into the Royal Watercolour Society competition, because why not!

I initially intended to produce a new body of work for this brief, but have not managed to allow myself the time to do so in the midst of COP. But nevertheless, you have to be in it to win it...

Independent Leeds/Building Portrait Success

This afternoon I received a very exciting email from Independent Leeds! I can't go into too much detail about the contents(because it's a secret), but they saw the two building a week portraits I posted on Instagram, and really liked them!

I am so chuffed! It's such a nice feeling to make work that other people like, and that I enjoy doing too, which is a bit of a rare combination. Independent Leeds also reposted my two instagram posts, gaining me a great deal of online exposure and even some requests for commissions! 

So I obviously can't share too much about what they have asked me to do, but I will eventually make a blog post about it when it's no longer on the down low. 

I've given the Building of the Week a short break whilst COP has taken over all priorities, but cannot wait to get back on it as soon as possible!

D&AD Briefing

@DandADNewBlood

D&AD is a non profit organisation that was founded by a group of inspirational art directors including David Bailey, Terence Donovan and Alan Fletcher.

26 Categories for professional awards. Client driven work that has been released in the past 12 months.

Work is judged in London. Judging process is important, integrity is key to everything that goes on at D&AD.

Public exhibition; first D&AD Festival. 25-27 April

Professional awards underpin everything they do at D&AD.

Win One/Teach One basis- Nurture the next generation of talent

New Blood

Celebrate and elevate new creative talent

Awards, Festival, Academy

Academy: Two week workshop. Entering awards and entering for an academy place, or a wild card. Something definitely worth aiming for.

STANDING OUT: Take something that is great and get the word out there. John lewis, amazon, desperados, mubi, squarespace, arjowiggins

Arjowiggins: create a tangible and personal relationship between paper and digital.

Mobil: campaign to get the word out there

SHIFTING PERCEPTIONS: kickstarting dialogue, changing conversations, opening eyes and shaping perspectives

Autistic society

Crowne Plaza

SHAPING THE FUTURE: big chunky challenges

BBc, hasbro, nationwide, pearson

Nationwide:open banking initiative.how can you bring data into everyday life

Hasbro: golden age of board game, but screen crisis. Old school party game

You've got to be in it to win it!

Why is entering so great?

Every single piece of work that is entered is seen by the judges

What does winning look like? key into the door of creative agencies

Ticket to the new blood awards ceremony

Chance to apply to new blood academy

Name in lights

Hamish gardner-cats not ads

WINNING TIPS

1.show personality evoke emotion

2.make a connection

3.be brave 

Make people laugh, cry, gasp, angry; make people care. tell a story and inject some personality. REALLY BE YOURSELF. Level of emotion and humanity that shows through. Should be more than a job to you, its your own life, its your voice so use it. Do the unexpected.

Make a connection between idea and audience. Get under the skin of the people who you are talking to. Look for the white space to generate the idea and deliver an execution from the back of it. 

Go the extra mile and really make a statement. Be bold and be different. Doing things the ways that you want to do them. No matter what you see, that is the number one thing you need to be when you get a brief. Keep going. Originality, bravery and persistence. 

Look at 'stubble' cut the crap

ENTRY DETAILS

Download briefs and create your response

£20 per entry

JUDGING CRITERIA

does it have a great creative idea

well executed

on brief?

How would it be delivered and realised. Real depth of thought for real life. Tell the story and get across the idea of what it is. Show the process and development of idea. Craft based briefs, the execution is key. Craft is always at its most powerful when it is driven by the concept. Keep revisiting the brief. Needs to answer the challenge at the heart of the brief.

PENCILS

Wood, graphite, yellow (bronze silver gold)

White: social responsibility and environmental. combining purpose and profit

Black: Best of the best. New generation of hope.

(no quota on pencils) 

Entry deadline: 15th March (its actually the 22nd)

Mega Progress Crit

I only bought along my two building portraits, extended practice sketchbook (sketchbook of confusion) and personal sketchbook with me to the crit, not expecting a great deal to come from it. 

In a nutshell, most of the feedback commented on the fact that I should just focus on things I am enjoying doing, rather than forcing  ideas that don't come naturally to me. I think that the building portraits are the start of something good; I love the whole process, and actually feel confident in the outcome. Sitting in coffee shops, people watching and observing and asking questions in my head about the surrounding environment is something that I guess comes naturally, and also ties in with my interest in sociology and behaviour. 

For the first time in what seems like forever, I've used the sketchbook as a documentary tool for personal outflow for everything that goes on in my head, which actually feels somewhat liberating. Ever since I've studied art, I've seen the sketchbook as a platform for critical judgement. I've been so meticulous about how the pages in my sketchbooks look aesthetically, rather than just embracing it and utilising them for progressive and reflective purposes. 

~I THINK THIS MAY BE THE REVOLUTIONARY MOMENT THAT I HAVE BEEN LONGINGLY AWAITING FOR~

(Here's your mention Jack!) 

Jack gave me a really helpful pep talk about where and how I can build on these ideas and skills and how I can start to regain the confidence in my ability, what a life saver! Having peers that can see the development process you've been through since the start of the course,are able to empathise, give constructive advice and a confidence boost when you need it most really is a god send.
Things that he suggested:

• Jumping straight to using pen isn't the best way of working (for me) as there is no mercy in using pen and ink straight away.
• Using pencils more as a preliminary tool is the way to go, this can be adapted, changed, manipulated so that I'm not immediately knocked if something doesn't go to plan.
• For now, focus on drawing still life things like buildings, food, objects
• In terms of drawing people,play around some more. Draw different angles of the face. Layer things up on the light box, just go through the process of learning again

Now what? 

I think that due to all of the stress with COP, I'm just going to see extended practice as an enjoyable relief from now to January. I'm not going to let the briefs that I didn't submit put me off, but I'm going to just try my best to make work that I enjoy doing with the hope of it being more successful.

Building of the Week: Smokestack

This week I focused on the Smokestack bar and club on Lower Briggate. I've only been here a couple of times before, but from word of mouth I know that it is a really popular bar in Leeds!

'SMOKESTACK OPENED IN NOVEMBER 2007, AS A PURPOSE BUILT BLACK MUSIC VENUE WITH A STRICT MUSIC POLICY OF BLUES, JAZZ, SOUL, FUNK, LATIN AND REGGAE.'

Minor hiccup...

I'm having trouble finding the history of this building! (In all honesty I just painted it because I was a fan of the aesthetic of it!) Nevertheless, I have to remind myself that I am doing these building portraits because I enjoy them; putting too much emphasis on their purpose at this early stage could be a hinderance to their development.

Perhaps for next time I could formulate a bit more structure to this brief, by looking into how this series of portraits could develop in terms of range/distribution. But for now, I'm just going to have fun exploring illustrative architecture!

Peer Review One

I was really happy that I was put in a group with Georgie and Naomi, as they know how I work really well and are equally as supportive. I was able to explain that I've been struggling with confidence in my visual work and they were able to give constructive suggestions as to how I can amend this as well as build a stronger direction within my practice.

First of all we had to break down the meaning of the learning outcomes, as they are really wordy and don't make much sense when you first read them. Then we each took it in turn to give each other feedback.

6A3: Knowledge and understanding:Research

Contextual references, blog,  primary and secondary research

• Make sure to do thorough contextual research for different briefs, especially as they are so varied
• Look at watercolour illustrators
• Consider the application and variety of outcomes

6B3: Cognitive skills: Problem analysis

Thinking process, experimentation, practical thinking, problem analysis and solution, skills to evidence

• Be decisive, see briefs through until the end
• Make sure that I take breaks when I get stressy
• Research the pathways into where each brief could take me
• Do more watercolour tests

6C3: Practical and Professional skills: Visual quality

Tone of voice, blogging, presentation, professionalism, mock ups and roughs

• Get an A6 sketchbook for testing materials
• Keep it loose!
• Don't think about presenting until I've finished it

6C4: Practical and Professional skills: Technical competence

Problem solving through concept and ideas, making the brief your own, understanding media and processes

• Be analytical of WHY things sometimes don't work for me
• Be honest with myself; what did I enjoy about the process?
• Don't just jump to one idea, be more open. Diverge and converge

6D3: Key Transferrable skills: Evaluation

Continuous reflection and evaluation of process

• Good evaluation so far, continue being honest
• LAYERS: fave way of working

Are the selected briefs balanced and appropriate?

Yes! Focus on the process. Develop strengths and skills.

What time considerations are there?

For the rest of the semester, focus on COP, One-A-Week buildings and possibly the baby clothes brief. Get a move on!

What technical considerations are there?

Watercolour and mixed media, look at the process and how I can apply them. Also look at format and context for the murals.

Self-Evaluation

What do I think works well?

I've realised that my method of layering different media and loose fine line drawings is something that I am good at, and need to do more of because it sort of comes naturally to me. I also really enjoy it! 

How will I capitalise on it?

It is important not to get stuck in a mundane comfort zone. I need to experiment on using different processes with media and refining, such as adding textures and colour digitally as well as manually. Also, not just focusing on buildings; try other things too.

What do I think could be improved?

My stamina with the experimental process when first tackling a brief. Naomi mentioned that I need to 'diverge' with exploration of different options, refine them to a good standard and then 'converge' my preferable idea down to a finished outcome. If it does't work out then at least I have other options, as opposed to completely disregarding the brief all together. That cannot happen when I have a real client to work for!

How will I benefit from it?

I think that I will definitely become more confident in my way of working and my ability to tackle briefs well. I know that I can do it, but need to be less uptight about what the final outcome will look like. This will lead to minimising the amount of 'pigeon holing' that I am currently doing, as well as expanding my practice.

What do I need to revise?

I need to revise why I am choosing each brief. The briefs I have chosen so far are all so varied, which isn't a huge problem, but I definitely need to consider the pathways that I want to take that could lead to potential areas of specialism or opportunities post-graduation.

What will I achieve from this?

I will be able to have a stronger sense of what my work is about and what I want to say. What my tone of voice is and who is my audience. It will just generally make me less of a nervous wreck, and a productive and successful illustrator (I hope!)

What actions will I take from the peer review?

I really need to sort my head out because this amount of stress is doing me no good. Even if it means dragging myself out of bed at seven every morning and doing yoga to wake myself up/calm down then so be it, I can't afford to let my mental health keep getting in the way of my work because it certainly won't get me very far. When I'm in a good place in my head I am able to be productive, enjoy my work and feel positive about it, so more of this please!

Having the discipline to avoid rushing projects is my biggest weakness. Before I start a brief I will leave myself a good amount of time to spend experimenting on a wide scale, then reaching a stage where my finished outcome is something that is refined and that I am happy to submit without any feelings of unease.

It is important that I prioritise my time accordingly to the upcoming deadlines. COP is a huge weight on my shoulders at the minute, and feel like I need to spend every second possible working on it. However I am only just getting somewhere with extended practice after weeks of uncertainty, which I can't allow to slip any further. I have all of the reference material to complete my building per week brief, and they only take a few hours each, therefore I can filter in breaks from COP to complete my one-a-week.

What have I gained from the peer review?

SOME SENSE! I really needed this peer review to nudge me in the right direction and get my feet back on the ground, especially as I've found this week extremely tough and feel as if I haven't made much progress. BUT, I am now aware of what I have to do to get to where I want to be and feel a lot better about my practice than I did at the start of the week. I'm at a stage where I can properly get cracking now and actually make some decent work!