PP&M: Blog entry  5

After doing some mind maps and thinking around the ideas of natural hexagons...I started thinking about extinction (my actual train of thought went something like natural hexagons>turles> endangered> wwf animal adoption packs) so I've started to do some drawings around this idea.

Drawings taken from sketchbook

I had been looking at Alan Bakers work (below); showing the animal in the foreground and then a depiction of the animals habitat. I wanted to take this idea and use it to show the reasons for the animals endangered status (the panda is endangered because of deforestation, the background image would represent this).

I have only done these few quick sketches, the idea obviously needs more work.

Alan Baker - Swallows in Retro design

Alan Baker - Kingfisher at the Seaside

Another of the ideas that I've had from the initial idea of extinction, is to recreate the RSPB bird guide focusing on the red list; the red list is the UK's top birds of conservation concern. The red list is something that I looked at before, but I couldn't really come up with a good idea then. However now I think I might have something.

The current guide is mainly for identification; it includes very traditional images, some information on the type of bird, and a little bit about the endangered species. What I would like to create is a book solely focused on those red listed species; with better pictures, and more information. This book would be less of an identification guide for twitchers, more something to raise awareness of the red listed birds, to try and get more people aware of what is happening, by appearing to a wider audience.

So far i have had a couple of ideas for how things might look. everything needs refining, and much more work, but below are my first few rough ideas and sketch book experimentation.

Experimentation with text

Above: An idea I had for the main text in the book. On the right is the entire list of species, and the right, the books title. The pattern on the text is taken from feathers of different birds on the list. I really like this idea, but it definitely needs more work.

Sketchbook work 

Above: Initial doodles in sketchbook, I haven't drawn for a while, so they're a little rough in places. I need to do lots of these to get my drawings up to scratch again. I also need to think about adding colour.

Andrew Beckett

Thinking of adding color, I found a couple of images by Andrew Beckett. I really like this image, the use of shading and just one bold color is something that I can really identify within my own work. 

I have always tended to work in black and white, even when doing color photography, I seem to choose a film that produces a dull muted color. In the past, I did a whole series of photographs of pigeons using a dull film, but the film also picked out the iridescent colors of the birds plumage, and random bold colors, such as red.

Sketchbook work 

 Above: I started to work in colour. Although I like my little pencil sketches, if I'm going to follow through with this idea, I really should work out how to work with colour. I do like this image, but it still feels very traditional. I wanted to create something more interesting, and vibrant. 

Ralph Steadman - Dodo

I really like the works of Ralph Steadman, he does this really well. I think I need to do lots more experimentation, to help me to find my own style.
I also did a quick sample of the text and image together, which i think works quite well. I do like this idea for the text, but I possibly need to work on exactly what font I would use...
Right now, I like the contrast of the harsh bold text with the soft colours of my drawings. The font also allows for the use of the feathers to show quite well. The font used, I think, will also depend on the style of image that I eventually decide on.

Bull finches aren't actually on the red list, I just quite like them.

Above: more experimentation with using colour this way, but this time using ink. this works really well with this type of bird, but I'm not sure would work with others. Also, is still really quite traditional. This is just something that I need to spend lots more time on before I get it right.

You can view information, and an explanation of the RSPB's red, amber and green lists here: click

And here is a PDF containing the lists of all the birds that are currently on our red, amber and green lists: click

Both of these ideas need more thought and development...to be honest I am  little unsure if I have strayed too far from the original brief..? I possibly need to talk to a couple of people about where my work is going.

Baker, A. n.d. Kingfisher by the Seaside. http://www.childrensillustrators.com/portfolioIllustrations/65295.jpg [Accessed 7th Feb 2014]

Baker, A. n.d. Swallows in Retro Design. http://www.illustrationweb.com/image.aspx?sz=760&image_id=77647&fitw=y&src=hires&name=image_52285.jpg [Accessed 7th Feb 2014]

Becket. A. n.d <http://www.illustrationweb.com/image.aspx?sz=760&image_id=82310&fitw=y&src=hires&name=image_57323.jpg> [Accessed 11th February2014]

Birds of Conservation Concern. n.d. [PDF] http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/BoCC_tcm9-217852.pdf [Accessed 31st Jan 2014] 

Newscientist.com. 2014. CultureLab: Exhibiting lost birds to preserve those in danger. [online] Available at: http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/culturelab/2011/11/exhibiting-lost-birds-to-preserve-those-in-danger.html [Accessed: 11 Feb 2014].

The RSPB. 2014. Red, amber and green explained. [online] Available at: http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/status_explained.aspx [Accessed: 7 Feb 2014].  

PP&M: Blog entry  4

So going forward with the idea of natural hexagons, I started sketching bees. Did you know that when making honey comb bees actually make circles, but as they join together they create the hexagon pattern. after the doodle I scanned this in and experimented with the idea of making a pattern, which luckily, turned out to also create a hexagon-esk pattern. I really like the bumble bee print...but I don't know what to do with it yet. 

Below are  couple more ideas from my sketchbook, all based on this idea of the natural hexagon. A turtle and turtle shell..also a small sample of crochet and a pattern made from that. I was thinking about how nature often uses the hexagon shape as it is the best way to efficiently fit something together (in the case honey comb for instance) and it dawned on me that lots of crochet is hexagon shaped for this same reason. So I did a couple of quick motifs.

We have this weekend on this and then it should come to close on Monday...I have a couple of ideas for some sketches over the weekend (still going with the natural hexagon idea; looking at flies, flowers, and in more detail bees and honey comb). Although I'm finding it easier now, I'm still struggling to get excited and find a clear path with this project. I will be relieved to move on to something else.

PP&M: Blog entry  3

The below images are just some rough ideas of what the library, might look like. the text creates and idea that there might be some kind of pattern that the library has formed in, similar to how nature will create patterns with hexagons, this is one thing that my mind keeps coming back to.

One thing that cam to mind when I was reading the text was the idea of 'searching infitinty', that just made me think of the Library's similarities to the internet. Like the library, the internet contains endless amounts of information, one every topic, some of it is fact, some of it is nonsense, theres duplications...

To me it seemed like a search engine was a good comparison. 

Below are a couple of rough ideas of what Babel Search would look like, based on Google's home page. 

The first image is quite plain, and was my starting point; this I think puts more emphasis on the 'logo' it's self, using the infinity symbol in place of the B. The rest of the images are just further experimentation, I thought with these it would give me an excuse to use the hexagon pattern that I cant seem to move away from.

These experimentations are ok, but I'm still struggling to find a connection that I can move forwards with. I've noticed a couple of references to the 'natural' in the piece; the hexagon it's self, "spherical fruit", "a circular chamber, containing a great circular book", circles being a symbol of life and eternity (did you know that when making honeycomb, bees make circles but when they join they become hexagons?). I think I am going to look into natural hexagons, and see where that may take me.

Task: The Library of Babel

PP&M: Blog entry 2

Having started lectures on Monday, this is our first task;

"Read the story ‘ The Library of Babel’. Make at least one visual response everyday to the 

‘Library of Babel’ either in a sketchbook or on loose pages or digitally. Your visual responses can be drawings, 

photographs, typographic ideas, visual thoughts, diagrams or any other method that suits your practice intentions. At 

the end of task 1 you should have a minimum of 15 visual outcomes. "

The Library of Babel PDF.

It's day 2, I have none yet. Although I have got a bunch of scribbles and some rough ideas that I'm going to go and make sense of once I'm done here.

I can see my evening vanishing while I obsessively draw hexagons.

Edit:
Day 4 - I have spent two days scribbling, reading and making notes, and have come to a halt. 

Introduction

PP&M: Blog entry 1 

So, this week I started a Masters course in Visual Communications, and apparently; part of that is keeping a blog.

All my past attempts at blogging have failed after the first week. I usually get as far as setting it up, fannying around with colors, and making it look nice, and then I forget about it. So we'll see how this goes...

A  little about me? I graduated Sheffield Hallam in 2012 having done BA (Hons) Fine Art. I took  year out to decide what to do next; and i decided to do this. 

In my work, I have always liked to experiment with a range of techniques and combinations. However, towards the end of my last degree I was focused mainly on photography.  I had spent a while toying with ideas of sculpture, printing, drawing, and possibly taxidermy, but eventually I came back around to my original and strongest interest, photography.

I've always had an interest in birds, and decided to work around that as a theme, and examine my own and other peoples interest in birds.  For my dissertation, titled 'Birds and their symbolism and their use in contemporary Fine art".

After lots of experimentation, I decided that for my final piece, I would photograph pigeons around the city of Sheffield. You can have a gander at my degree show piece here, and some of the work leading up that here. 

I think I've managed to put a link to my Flickr at the side of the page...if not try this.

I'm not sure what direction my work will go in while I'm on this course. I think I will probably still work around birds and animals, and our relation ships with them, but I have no idea in what form that will take yet.

We shall see...