I.S

My tutorial with Anna went really well :-). She said to let her know if I don't need a tutorial next week as I think my I.S plan is ready to be worked on! Am now in Cheltenham til Saturday and have work on Sunday.

INVESTIGATIVE STUDY/ 'DISSERTATION'

In the morning I have a tutorial with Anna, and then I am getting a train back home for a few days. I wont be able to carry much so I have spent most of the evening trying to organise things to be easier to take home! I am currently sat working on my Investigative Study... I am going to try and do as much as I can over the few days I have at home as there wont be as many distractions!

The draft of 4000 words is due in the 9th of November and I am aiming to get it as tip top as I can as I think it is the only proof read Anna will be allowed to do.

INITIAL DRAWINGS CTD.

Here are some further initial drawings. I have decided that I really hate the way i'm working and I want to edit less using photoshop. I find the drawings very 2d and plain, and am bored of their appearance. Using this method of working is also very limiting. I am going to try using more hand based methods as I can guarantee I will be happier working in this way. I can see a lot of faults in all images below and I would like them to appear more lively and interesting. Images to follow...

EYE CATCHING CLOTHES!

Google Images

I love this little old lady! She is the kind of person that would catch my eye straight away whilst out shopping. Bless her :-) The above lady on the next post was inspired by this woman!!

INITIAL DRAWINGS...

These are initial drawings. There are lots of changes I need to make but these give you a rough idea of my thoughts.. The top one is the most decent image but I think they are all unsuccessful. I absolutely can't stand the last image, and the middle one is definitely going to have a makeover. More to come...

BIG KNIT

Keeping Warm ideas:

Toaster

Tabasco sauce

Bonfire

Hot water bottle

Fire

Oven roasting tin

Radiator

Hairdryer

Hot Chilis

Earmuffs

Hot Tea

Cuddles

Slippers

Hats

Scarf

Gloves

Wooly clothes

Sunshine

Roast Dinner

Blanket

Microwave

Candles

Thermometer

Sauna

Being Cold ideas:

Fan

Frost

Snow

Ice cream

Ice

Wind

Polar bears

Freezer

Penguin

I am currently thinking of illustrating the elderly either nice and warm but in silly ways so it's humorous as innocent often use humour on their packaging. I also considered making the elderly look cold to show the problem that has to be solved. So far I have managed to draw a couple of elderly people but I lost the work I did on them this morning which is irritating but I will re-do it and hopefully more ideas will come...

AARRGHHH

I didn't click save. I just lost everything I did this morning. :-(

LIFE DRAWING

Today I went to a life drawing class... it lasts 10 weeks and is every Saturday for a couple of hours. Will aim to go to all of them as quite enjoyed today... Although you can tell from my drawings that I haven't done life drawing in ages, I will post one up and hopefully you will see improvements...!! (horrific photography from my mobile! and the above left was a 30 minute drawing and the right was a 2 minute drawing if you were wondering!)

HOUSE OF ILLUSTRATION

Describe yourself with images of your 8 favourite things from this list:

1. favourite animal
2. book
3. clothes
4. comfort
5. food
6. pastime
7. place
8. possession
9. music
10. shoes
11. weather
12. pet aversion (the thing you most love to hate!)

You can make your artwork in any medium – e.g. drawing, painting, collage, sculpture – as long as it results in a still image that can be loaded onto Flickr.

Deadline = 9th December

http://www.houseofillustration.org.uk/how-to-enter.php

MAIL ART GLASGOW

Mail art gives artists the opportunity to post their work to an exhibition in Glasgow. It is aimed at those artists who cannot afford to travel to Glasgow, so it is based on Mail. (Not sure how successful that will be with bloody postal strikes at the moment!) It is supposed to fit A5 and can be based on any topic that is suitable for families to view.

Deadline = 26 November

WINDOW WONDERLAND

I have just found this competition, which sounds really interesting and I will definitely apply for. The theme is for christmas, and you are allowed to have any take on it. Seeing as I am creating illustrations to keep the elderly warm over xmas etc, I will submit some relevant images to re-design the window! Apostrophe is a boulangerie/ patisserie/ cafe that sells hot food like soups too :-)! This might help out with imagery for the project as I want my illustrations to be more relevant to winter. Will keep you updated and post my submissions...

Deadline = 9 November

http://www.apostropheuk.com/windowwonderland/

http://www.apostropheuk.com/ (boulangerie, patisserie, cafe)

GRR!

I got a bit annoyed that he looks like santa haha... maybe i will redraw him with just facial hair and a bald spot!

GRAYSON PERRY WALTHAMSTOW TAPESTRY

http://www.victoria-miro.com/exhibitions/_400/

The Walthamstow Tapestry explores the emotional resonance of brand names in our lives and our quasi-religious relationship to consumerism. Charting man's passage from birth to death, the tapestry is peppered with leading brands encountered along the way. Stripped of their logos and thus much of their identity, the names run alongside - often incongruous - depictions of people going about their everyday lives: walking the dog, nursing children, skateboarding, hoovering, and, of course, shopping. Perry is a great chronicler of contemporary life, in whose work sentiment and nostalgia sit subversively alongside fear and anger. In The Walthamstow Tapestry many of the world’s leading names, from luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Tiffany to high street giants such as Marks and Spencer and IKEA, come under Perry’s excoriating gaze in this cautionary and prophetic tale of modern day life. Inspired by antique batik fabrics from Malaysia as well as eastern European folk art this vast work provides a colourful, rich and complex visual journey across our contemporary landscape.

http://www.timeout.com/london/art/article/404/a-day-in-the-life-of-grayson-perry

http://www.victoria-miro.com/usr/file_browser/usr/downloads/10_09_perry.pdf

I find the concept behind the tapestry quite inspiring. I am interested in how Perry includes every day life in his work and exposes the effects of living in current situations.

PROJECT PURPLE UPDATE

I heard back from the lady from ageconcern about the local project in Poole, and am meeting her on the 11th November (investigative study hand in day :-o) to show her my illustrations and determine next steps. Sounds quite promising if they like my work, keep fingers crossed!! It could lead to my illustrations being on some posters or their website, or even their little magazine! She also asked me for my availability to teach the elderly some drawing or painting! Will discuss this further with her in November...

KLEENEX CUBE COMPETITIONI

http://www.mykleenexcube.co.uk/

This competition sounds quite fun. It closes on the 31st October

NYLON

The first time I ever saw Nylon was in a Doctor's surgery I think and I remember wanting to leave and go and get the latest one. The illustrations and graphic design in it are lovely, and I found it quite surprising that they let people send in artwork and put it in there. It is the kind of thing that 'girl talk' - a mag I must have read when I was about 8 haha, used to do. If I could work for any magazine, it would be Nylon! Even though it is mostly a fashion magazine, it is informative and culturally interesting. It also reviews bands and interviews women that are an inspiration to others.

http://www.nylonmag.com/?section=section&papid=4

GRAFIK MAGAZINE

http://www.nikipilkington.com/index.php?/exhibitions/barn-gallery-/

Had a little look in my housemates latest Grafik magazine, their 'talent' part of the mag is filled with illustrations and an interview from Niki Pilkington.

I really like the way she focuses on people that are dressed differently or in other words captures styles with her pen. She is a fashion illustrator, but I personally think she is also interested in people as she really brings out their character in her illustrations and is not just focused on clothes.

ILLUSTRATED GREETING CARDS

These are very old paper greetings cards my Nan found in her attic recently. They are very dainty I love them!

THINGS TO DO, MAKE & PLAY

This is a scan of a book I used to love as a kid... my Cousins and I used to make things out of it at my Nan's!! I just found it amongst a random box of stuff in my room. Nice :-)

I GOT A REPLY!

I guess this isn't as promising as it could be, I still think it would be cool to get my work up on Innocent's site. Even if it is only on their knitter-natter blog, it will give me an opportunity to actually liaise with a (sort of) client! Hopefully if she likes my work she would do something more exciting with my illustrations! I am excited about making the work anyway though, need to get cracking!

I LOVE DUANE HANSON

1988 Tourists II - image from 'Duane Hanson' by Saatchi Gallery.

Due to my interest in people I thought I would share one of my favourite American Sculptors. OK so he isn't an illustrator, but I love what his work stands for, and I am thoroughly amazed and interested in the meticulous presentation of his work. They say so much about life and social status without a word. There is so much to read from these hyper-real sculptures which is what I find so interesting. Stereotype plays a big part in his work too. I would really love to see this piece in person.

INNOCENT - SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING

Inside this book, Designing Sustainable Packaging by Scott Boylston I came across a case study on Innocent smoothies. I found some information on their beliefs and I think they are quite a respectable business. They developed the first ever "100% PCR drinks bottle (PET)" which highlights the fact they care about the environment.

Innocent strive to be ethical where possible and the book also explains more information on 'the big knit' project. "In 2006 alone, 230,000 hats were knitted, raising over £100,000." Also 10 per cent of Innocent's annual profits are donated to charities in countries that supply fruit for Innocent's drinks. Both images scanned in from the above book pg.80+81.

LEARNING AGREEMENT

Have almost finished my learning agreement. Just got back from the library to look at the reference material. Have a few photocopies and a couple of books to look through...

Oh yeah I started reading a book by Darrell Rees at bedtime. It's actually quite interesting so far and makes me feel a bit more confident!

Will keep posting updates on this..!

U3A BOURNEMOUTH

"University of the third age"

The U3A appears to be a social activities club for over 50's that organises events and walks etc. My Grandad has recommended it to me, suggesting that it may be a good opportunity for me to tag along and take some photographs as inspiration. Apparently the Bournemouth U3A is very popular, so I may look into that..

http://www.u3abournemouth.org.uk/

'NO LIMITS' MAGAZINE

'No limits' magazine is a free magazine for the elderly produced by Bournemouth Age Concern. This is an advert taken from it and I think there is potential to make it a lot more interesting:

http://www.ageconcernbournemouth.org.uk/documents/NO%20LIMITS.pdf

The article also mentions a poem by Jenny Joseph which has some lovely words to illustrate from.

"WARNING" by Jenny Joseph

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/warning/

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat that doesn't go and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only eat bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers

But maybe I ought to practise a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old and start to wear purple.

BOURNEMOUTH AGE CONCERN

Project Purple Poole

Project Purple Poole is a new project to set up activities for the over 55’s in Poole. Building on the success of Project Purple in Bournemouth (activities include Gentle Yoga, Computer Classes & an Explorers Group) the project is being expanded to Poole. The aim is to set up a range of social and health improving activities for the over 55’s across the Borough.

Is there an activity that you’ve always wanted to try?

Want to volunteer with us and lead an activity of your choice? We would be very interested to hear from people of all ages to become leaders for various activities across Poole including, but not limited to; walking, Tai Chi, painting or crafts, a theatre group and for excursions, quizzies, knitting, dancing, bowling, cooking/cake decorating, sewing, book clubs, drawing and scrabble! If you have an interest in any of these or even something different please get in touch.

My view: I find this local campaign really interesting as their aim is to get the elderly active and help them to socialise. There is potential to create imagery for a poster or to promote the events they hold. I have contacted Steph Quinn to find out if this could be a possibility.

http://www.ageconcernbournemouth.org.uk/

INNOCENT SMOOTHIES - 'THE BIG KNIT'

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28908463@N04/3950960687/in/pool-innocent-big-knit-2009

I visited 'help the aged' to see what they are up to in terms of helping out the elderly, and have found a campaign for innocent smoothies, called the big knit.

I have seen the bottles with little hats on before and have bought a few myself in the past. They come on sale on the 5th of November and I thought it might be nice if I could create a few illustrations of the elderly warm and happy as innocent are aiming to raise money for them to have a hot christmas dinner and stay warm during the cold months!

I have sent an email to innocent this morning, and am so hoping they reply it will be a lovely project to do I think! There are some nice little phrases in their informative text such as 'hot christmas dinners all round' and 'boosting their spirits!" so plenty of potential for creating illustrations.

Wouldn't it be lovely if they said they would post them onto their blog!! :-)

Keeping fingers crossed, but in the meantime I will be looking for other opportunities!...

http://www.innocentdrinks.co.uk/thebigknit/

"NOT JUST TEA AND BINGO'

After looking at my previous illustrations I realised that I am interested in social issues. I am inspired by everyday life and have an interest in people in general. After researching social issues online I came across a text called 'not just tea and bingo' about the elderly. As age is a subject I am interested in I had a scan through vast amounts of text on a community provision for older people in Newham.

I found some really lovely little quotes from the elderly. I think it is good to see their opinions on their quality of life, and social aspects.

“I think years ago older people really used to struggle; now elderly people can’t really grumble”

Female, early 70’s

“I meet people on the bus...they say they are lonely but there is no need to be lonely because of these clubs”

Female, early 70’s

“Would be nice to have something like flower arranging...they don’t do enough that is mentally stimulating”

Female, early 70’s

“Be nice to have days out”

Female, mid 70’s

“We need more men to dance with...I think they are a little shy”

Female, early 70’s

“It’s strange when they get old, they don’t like to ask for help...all day sat at home, it must be terrible...just telling them about these things, telling them to come along, there are other people like you”

Female, early 70’s

“I think ethnic minority people are perhaps quite wary but we would like them to come along because we could learn from them and them from us, because it’s a two way street.”

Female, mid 70’s

"They (men) need something to keep them occupied like dominoes or cards"

Female, mid 60’s

I find it quite sad as well, there are also these facts within the text:

• 60% of people aged 65 and over have a long-standing illness

• 1 in 6 people aged 65 and over suffer from depression

• 16% of those aged 65 and over are carers of sick or disabled relatives or friends

• Pedestrians aged 60 and over have more accidents than other adults.

• One in five older people living in deprived areas are likely to be socially excluded, and one in seven is likely to be severely lonely. Nearly a third of people over 65 do not see any friends at least once a week.

• One in five people aged 65 and over are alone for more than 12 hours a day.

"The same survey identified that more than a quarter of people over 65 do not have a best friend, which is higher than any other age group. A third of people over 65 see their local supermarket as somewhere to socialise and get out of the house and one in five people eat their meals there rather than at home"

www.community-links.org/images/uploads/NotJustTeaandBingo.pdf

ANORAK MAGAZINE

http://img127.imageshack.us/img127/3423/lcab0a83f1e8b31364beaf2fp5.jpg

We have had a talk from the producer of 'ANORAK' magazine, one that is aimed at younger kids. Learnt a lot about what it takes to start something like that and what their aims are. They are holding a competition to design the back cover for the Winter issue, which is something I am quite tempted by and might possibly submit something to.

• Launched 2006
• Quarterly Magazine
• Colourful
• Aimed at 5-10 year olds but attracts a wider audience
• Mostly illustrated
• Stories
• Fashion
• Games
• Fun
• Happy
• Informative in a creative way
• Pop culture mag for kids
• Aims to be 'your imaginary friend'
• Sponsored by H&M

Deadline 30th October

http://www.anorak-magazine.co.uk/

MY LITTLE ILLUSTRATION BLOG

butterfly lady by Jess Gooch (myself)

It is my final year at Uni (Level 6) and we have been asked to keep a record/ 'learning log' of our inspirations and progress. I am going to tell all you lovely people what I get up to over the next few terms and hopefully give you an idea of how I work and my interests.

*jessy