Lens Based Media: Day 1

I brought in ten photos of "memories within my environment" and I chose one of these to draw. My image was of a Dandelion, I chose this image because it was a symbol of summer and the memories within that period now that winter is arriving.

I wanted to create the soft edge of the fluffy circle therefore used charcoal to produce my drawing. 

Half way through drawing Sebastian helped me to discover the meaning of the photograph. The photograph links the soft shape of the flower against the harsh background of the slate flooring. The lighting is natural and gives the flower more focus as it is darker in the background. I gave the flower human features and created a personality. The flower was a soft natural being however it still stands out from the background because of the focus pull. The shy individual is seen but not very prominent such like a shy person who is there but doesn't talk i.e. myself.

After drawing the image I now had to think about ways of cropping the drawing by covering up certain areas which would give it a new meaning. I played about with the shape as well as different areas of the image.

In the afternoon, we were shown the same image cropped in different ways which portrayed different meanings of to how the man died. I was then set the task of trying to find images which would portray the sense of Fall, Crush, Jump, Echo, Sad and Happy. I took many photographs however I chose the best below.

Fall:

Crush:

Jump:

Echo:

Sad:

Happy:

The Photographers Gallery

Prior to starting the lens based media course I visited The photographers gallery. This was somewhere I have never been before and it really took me into a new level with photography. I have always been interested in modern photography and the gallery lead me into viewing the past as well as different ideas of the word photography.

I started to view the word photography very loosely and my eyes were opened within the first floor of mass observation: this is your photo. The two floors of this exhibition were very much based around the idea of place and past which is something I'd never looked into before now. I liked the idea of finding old photographs that took on the elements of everyday events. Children were used a lot in the photographs and this is something I see both now and in the past.

The continued level explored the different views from different people. Mass observation, through your photos. It was interesting to see the different photographs all placed together contracting in places and composition. 

The exhibition I enjoyed the most was the Mark Neville: Deeds not words. It is the type of photography that I had previously tried before and is something that I enjoy trying to create. The idea of the balloon being burst in different frames is one of my favourite pieces. I liked the idea if slowing down time and capturing it in 3 frames. 

Graphics Day 3: Present: Your future self

Today was the day that I used all my ideas and typefaces to produce a piece that would be shown in 2033. I tried to portray the idea of choices and how I have to decide which path way to choose and how many others in 2033 will have to do the same. After talking to one of the tutors I was then aware that I wasn't thinking about creating the work in the future but was thinking about my own future in the present time. She got me thinking about what London would be like in 2033 and this made me realise that it could possibly more busy and over populated, therefore I wanted to portray this in my work. I decided that to show this element I would use the idea of over population and make my poster seem crowded and full of movement. I used the flowing blue line to create the River Thames using long movements with my pen and paintbrush creating the sense of movement. 

My final piece showed the concept of the future and what I feel will be around and I having grown up in the digital world how I see technology growing. This made me think of how we now have the Google glasses which allows you to film through glasses which is a very unique and clever future product. I tried to use colour to show how I would be a creative person in the future suggesting that my art will still be with me, I also used each letter of the word "DECIDE" to present a different element of what I could potentially be doing in the future; although if I was to redo the task I would most defiantly decide to create the poster in a more simpler way and think about the idea of creating the poster in the future rather than thinking about doing it about the future. 

Overall, I am not entirely happy with the work I produced although I do like the ideas that were brought forward in the weeks worth of Graphics. The week has made me appreciate the idea of Graphics and the typography also the work that goes into the sense of idea building skills.

Graphics Day 2: words: what do you say?

Today I was presented with the task of creating my own typography. I've always been interested in the style of letters and the way they are produced therefore this was an fun task to be challenged with. I started off with exploring different ways of manipulating the paper to create an effect. I list the ways in which I could think of.

I then decided to experiment with different mediums and tried to generate a range of designs using the letters A, B and C. This allowed me to explore the movement of letters and how I could produce them in different ways. I started to use the paper, challenging myself to create letters out of the torn pieces. This then went onto using paint and exploring the use of water.

To finally create my typography, I decided to use water and marker pens. I drew out each letter at a time and then used water and a paintbrush to blur the lines. I felt this effect was one in which I had not of created before because I like to keep my work neat. I also felt the water represented my clumsiness which spoilt the clear lines of my lettering. Overall, whilst pinning all of our work together I realised that mine had a sense of normality and did not loose it's shape like others. From afar the letters are formed in ways you can read however up close it's harder and creates a different effect to the piece. I now created a phrase or sentence that I felt meant something to me or that i want to do in the future, which I wrote using my typography. I decided to write the words "Love, Lust, Faith, Dreams." I wrote these words because I feel they are the basis of every decision anyone makes. These words are the reason we choose to do something.

Graphics Day 1: Do you have a dream? Faces: yourself and others

We watched a short film about Martin Luther King 1963. The film was a BBC film which had many different iconic people such as Stevie Wonder say his speech. I've been taught about Martin Luther King before and how his speech "I have a dream" is a very powerful and life changing event for the slavery movement. I was immediately covered in goosebumps by what I was hearing and seeing. The pictures shown were of the different negros of the time being discriminated by the whites. This disgusts me however it is an iconic time in our history and we have changed views from hearing this speech. 

Today was a chance to get out of our comfort zones and use different ways to produce our drawings. 

We were first set the task of drawing someone with our eyes closed which made it hard to know where the persons features were in relation to everything you had previously drawn. I found this hard and is something I rarely do therefore I found this task amusing on the final outcome. 

We then had to use our left hand, and whilst I am right handed this was a challenge. I found it to be hard although it have my drawing a more sketchy feel to the drawing because of how hard it was to hold the pen and move in the direction I wanted it to go.

I then had the chance to use my mouth to create a drawing of someone. This was the hardest to do. I felt uncomfortable drawing the picture but it challenged me incredibly. I wanted the picture to be good but I quickly realised that it wasn't going to be and accepted the fact that it was a drawing from my mouth rather than my right hand I always use. The experimental work really pushed me and challenged my skill.

After being put out of my comfort zone I was then put into a place that I had previously been which is a continuous line drawing of myself. I really dislike the technique although I tried my best to complete the task to the best of my ability and enthusiasm. My drawing is one continuous line that leads it's way around the face crossing over on each feature.

I now drew an ear which is something I find difficult doing because it's not something many people draw when thinking of the face. Whilst drawing the ear I used coloured pencils because it's something I find hard to draw with. As well as finding it challenging I realised that ears are very weird and interesting to draw. My outcome was pretty good and I enjoyed the idea of drawing from life. After reviewing everyone's drawings together I was aware that not everyone's ears are the same and they all vary in size and shape. Also many people drew their ears in different colours which made each drawing unique and different.

After drawing in different ways I then made a face out of different celebrities faces glued together in a collage way. This is something I enjoy doing so I challenged my self by making the face turn to the side. I tried a different side because it's something's I hadn't done before and it put me in a place that I hadn't been before.

I then took a piece of paper and cut it into a view finder which made me focus on one small area of my collage. This square was then enlarged onto a 20x20cm square which I drew out. I wanted to keep the lines if where the paper overlapped and therefore drew them in. I also wanted it to feel very cartoon like as the collage wasn't human looking with multiple elements of the same features. I took this drawing and made it very bold in colour and design which I feel stands out and is something I really enjoyed doing. It is one of my favourite pieces of today.

 

Milton Glaser

He is an american graphic designer and illustrator. He has studied painting, typography and illustration and wanted to become a comic-strip artist which is why drawing is a key element in his graphic design background. He has designed advertising as well as print media where Glaser’s work became a fashionable cult. In the 1960s his work became flatter and brightly coloured, which was inspired by Pop and Op art. Glaser was art director of New York Magazine, which he helped to introduce into the industry. Another interest he followed in was furniture, consumer-products and interior design, as well as widening his involvement in print. He has been involved in many works and has designed numerous sign systems. I feel that his work is very much inspired by pop art and is not something I tend to enjoy. This tends me to not like his work but appreciate the design talent he has. I am not aware of many of his pieces although I can see his sense of style within the ones I have previewed online. I may grasp a full enjoyment of his work but I can understand how he has progressed and diversified over his lifespan. Although you may not recognise his name you may have seen his works such as the I 'heart' NY because it is a very iconic piece.