Scott Laumann

Scott Laumann is an interesting artist because i have found that he doesn’t always use the same techniques or materials in every piece of work. In particular though i was drawn to his ink block printed images which are bright and simple but also quite thoughtful and often represent much more complex ideas. Previous clients include Rolling Stone, Warner Brothers, Forbes and New York Times.

This is the first image i found in a magazine which i was instantly drawn to because of it's bright colours and interesting composition. I love the way that each cup is overlaid onto another cup creating a different tone of colour but the brightest and most noticeable has been sat prominently in the centre of the image. 

I really like the rough effect that all of Laumann's work has; the blocks of colour which look slightly faded or still have white areas where the ink hasn't covered properly. This is another of my favourite images, because of the depth created by the two images overlapping and the cut out 3D looking heart.

New DISCoveries

Over the past few days i have been fully introduced to 'Bombay Bicycle Club' and have not stopped listening to their album since. Music is such an inspiration for many things, especially the way it makes us feel. This is what i love about their album 'So Long, See You Tomorrow'; there is such a collection of different sounds each creating a unique emotion.

For me, when I'm listening to music i always create images in my head to suit the music, in this case, i see almost psychedelic typical of artwork by artists such as Victor Moscoso and Wes Wilson who created very bright images.

This is the cover for the album and instantly i can connect it to the music, i think it fits perfectly. The band also released a special edition version of the album which featured a vinyl version, songbook with chords and an art print of the cover in the form of a phenakistoscope (a device which when turned creates a moving image) I love this idea; of bringing something made in print to life. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBxufiSe7NQ (Go enjoy their album!)

Amy Mingkwan

Recently, i have been doing some pen and ink drawings on my final major project and it was suggested that i look at the work of Amy Mingkwan, a previous student at Chesterfield College who is now a surface pattern and textile designer creating beautiful and quaint images for print.

I love her controlled use of colour, often leaving areas blank in her work to show off the detail in the drawing rather than being distracted by colour. The combination of the two work really well together and i can easily see how her work could be printed and loved on fabrics. I have also found her use of pattern very interesting, the way that the images create a pattern, but each object is not the same; i am currently looking at using patterns on my final major project and so this will hopefully benefit my own work. 

Emily Pickle, designs by Kate Yorke

Emily Pickle is named after the daughter of designer Kate Yorke who creates a range of mixed media imagery which is bright and colourful. Through the application of various layers of materials, Yorke has been able to create a sense of depth and texture in her images. She is inspired by vintage and retro patterns and studied Surface Pattern and Textile Design at Stockport College which has helped to develop her design style.

I recently saw this artist at The Green Man Gallery in Buxton and i was instantly drawn to her work, i love the build up of textures and bright colours which make them fun and enjoyable.

Sewing Project

I have had some beautiful floral cotton fabric lying around for awhile now and i wanted to use it to create a skirt which would help me to develop my sewing skills. The material was very thin so i had to get some thin white material to go underneath which i measured out and pinned into place as a long rectangle.
I hemmed the the edges of both materials together along both long edges which i found quite difficult because i had to keep the material straight while i put it through the sewing machine.

I then folded the material in half with the right sides facing together and sewed them to form a seam up the back of the skirt. 

To create the casing for the elastic waistband you have to fold down about an inch of the top of the material onto the inside and sew around it leaving a small gap either side to allow the elastic to be pushed through. 

Once the elastic has been pulled through you can sew the ends together and close up the rest of the waistband.

This is what the completed skirt looks like! I am really happy with the result and hope to get some more material to make another. I have really enjoyed doing this project; it has taught me some new techniques working with a larger area of material. 

Discovering Etsy!

Recently i have become rather fond of the website called Etsy, for both inspiration and for personal enjoyment. Below are just a few designers and pieces that i really loved when i found them on the site.

Simple and Serene

Simple and Serene is a shop i found while browsing Etsy; they sell hand drawn pieces of typography. Being a pretty big fan of the Harry Potter books and films, i was immediately attracted to these prints which feature quotes from the character Albus Dumbledore.

Also, i recently finished my typographic quotes which ties in nicely with these pieces. I used one of these quotes in my project, however i took a different approach by using InDesign to produce mine. 

Simple and Serene: http://www.etsy.com/uk/people/simpleandserene?ref=owner_profile_leftnav

Type quotes: http://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/175568057/set-of-4-albus-dumbledore-quote-harry?ref=listing-shop-header-1

Sweet Fine Day/ Whimsy and Spice

I was a little confused as to which name to put this under because both are associated with them. Whimsy and Spice are a confectionery company but they also stock Food related prints in their Etsy store called Sweet Fine Day. 

I love the style these pieces have been done in, they are simple but i think the use of typography is extremely effective. They would be prerfect to display in a kitchen or cafe, especially alongside their own measurement conversions information graphics style images. Not only are they nice to look at but they are useful too!

Sweet Fine Day: http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/sweetfineday#

Alexis Winter

While browsing the internet earlier, i found the work of Alexis Winter; an Australian Illustrator who is currently studying for a masters in Communication Design but also posts a lot of her illustration work online.

I love her illustration style; it is quirky and detailed and she has been able to capture a message in most pieces of her work.

Visit her website:

www.alexiswinter.com

On Etsy:

http://www.etsy.com/uk/people/alexiswinter

University Progression

I have now made a decision as to where I would like to study next year and yesterday I submitted my UCAS application. My final choices are; Chester University, Leeds college of Art, Nottingham Trent, Birmingham City and Norwich University of the Arts. I used all five of my choices on my application because I think it is important to have a solid back up. My digital portfolio is almost finished and I will be able to make this available online for people to view.

University Progression

Over the past few months I have been looking at and visiting universities in preparation for applying via UCAS this term.
I have visited the following:
University of Chester
Leeds college of art
Nottingham Trent
Staffordshire university

For each of these I need about 280 UCAS points which is the equivalent of DMM in my level 3 BTEC.
Currently this is my predicted grade based on the projects I have done over my first year. I would be happy to get these, however i would like to try and get a higher grade.

My favourite university so far is Chester, this is because of many reasons; I love the area, Chester is a small city full of character and individual businesses, they are also one of the safest cities in England. The Art and Design area in the university is on its own separate campus- The Kingsway Building.
The advantages of this is that it is very focused upon art and design and the facilities can be shared by various different courses. The facilities were great, they appeared to have plenty of equipment and resources and students seem to have utilised these facilities as you can see from the quality of work.
The building is only a short walk away from the main campus and the city centre which is ideal.

Leeds college of art also has its advantages with it specialising in art related subjects and great facilities throughout. It felt inspiring and quite small which is good because I think a large campus can be quite daunting.
Nottingham Trent was a another university I was looking forward to visit and when I arrived I found the open day incredibly organised including bags with student recipes, accommodation information and various other things about the university. I then went to a talk about their graphic design course where I was given a really helpful sheet that gave me information on what I need to put in my portfolio and the interview process. I think this will be helpful for any university that I apply to. When we went on a tour of the facilities they didn't appear to be quite so good as those I had seen at other universities and the large class sizes I found off putting.
When I went to Staffordshire university, again I found the facilities and resources were good and the staff seemed very passionate about their jobs. The studio was set out nicely and we were able to see some work from students.

I will certainly apply to all of these universities because I think they all bear good prospects for the future.

Personalised Cards

I went to the treacle market in Macclesfield a couple of weeks ago and while i was there i found a company which creates personalised name prints for children using a range of different themes. I took a business card from them and had a look at some of their products. It will soon be the birthday of my counsin's baby and so i was looking for something individual to get him, however instead of spending lots of money on something, i decided to have a go at designing something myself.

It needed to be something appropriate for a young child and so i decided to use a space theme because who wouldn't want to be an astronaut at the age of 1!

I looked at the characters in his name: SAM and thought about how i could incorporate the theme into it. 

I downloaded a good sans-serif font from Dafont and installed this onto my computer and opened it up on illustrator. I coloured the characters in a deep blue colour both fit for the space theme and for a boy and started to shape the A into a rocket, removing the counter and replacing it with a porthole. I also added an antenna to the top of the A and fire to the bottom.

I found the S and the M much harder to add to, however i decided to keep the A as the main character and simply add some hanging stars from the other two letters, i think it looks more symmetrical. 

I have some card blanks at home and so i have been playing around with my printing settings and have managed to do some test prints of the image which i'm pretty impressed with. I think it will make a lovely, personalised card for a birthday.