Pretty in Ink

 A few quick experiments with Indian Ink and water combinations from Tuesday.
I did these with cloth material in mind as a part of costume design for the Children of Lír project.

I have a mix of tie-dye and decay with a Camelot/fasión/C.17th France mongrel style.
As it's fantasy I didn't want to set it in a specific time period so I'm completely free to be inspired.
J. x

Sneaky Peek

No one outside of class has seen any of my exhibition work - and not everyone in the class has seen it.
So, as the exhibition is looming, I've decided to give you all a glimpse as to what my work is looking like.
To jog your memory: 'The Pied Piper of Hamlin'.  I adapted the story so it's set on another planet and in space to be developed as a feature animation film.  I selected four scenes from my story to digitally paint mock animation cels.

Click image to see it in glorious full resolution!

Let me know what you think!  What vibes do you get?  What does it remind you of?  What can be improved?   Though from this small crop it's hard to get a good idea - the original images are A2 sized and look like widescreen film stills.

When it's all over and done with I'll most probably put up all four of my images.  Until then!

Hello, caffeine, my old friend...

J. x

A Quick Update!

As of last night my work alongside others at university is on display on our course website's home page.  My work shown is all my drawn stuff, as a variation from the 3D work that was already up.  Plus my 3D work pales in comparison!  I'm all for texturing and drawing, but 3D modelling, not so much.  I enjoy it, but my heart's not in it.  Hope you enjoy looking at everyone's work, I think there's some impressive stuff.  We have industry people that check the site leading up to our end of year exhibition, so it's nice to have something on show.

In other news, online statements I made about International Women's Day and sexual equality are being put in to the new edition of the University of Cumbria's newspaper, The Informer.  You can go to the online edition here.  The guys doing BA Journalism devote a lot of time and effort in getting news stories, and don't get the credit they deserve.  I'm sure you'll find some good stuff there.  I'm slightly nervous but I've not said anything outlandish or insulting to anyone, so I should have nothing to fear!

'Holiday Song' - a sneaky preview!

I'm also waiting to hear when the third issue of Bagatelle, a creative anthology of writing and sequential art, is going to be printed and up for sale!  I was responsible for illustrating a graphic novel script, written by Creative Writing and Journalism Joint Honours student, Jess Copley, called 'Holiday Song'.  It's a very beautiful story and I was so honoured to have been asked to do it.
It's very exciting and humbling knowing you're responsible for someone else's vision, placing it along side other talented people, and then having it printed and sold around the UK!
I finished it mid-January, and all the other contributors' work is in.  We're just awaiting a final cover design, and voilà!

J. x

More Green Pencil!

Andi lovingly clinging on to Piper's leg!
J. x

Catching up on Andona

I was meant to post this a couple of weeks ago!  Yikes.  Time is just slipping away...

So, I had to present all the final major project work I had so far to my class and lecturer, in an effort to pitch my planned exhibition pieces.  It has been well received, and I got some good grades which is big a bonus!

After trying to imagine every aspect of the world I'd created, and writing the whole story, it all boils down to four images.  The four pieces I'm creating will (hopefully) look as if they're stills taken from an animated feature film.  I'll try to present each image on multiple layers of acetate to give the illusion of being from a cel animation, or a single print out on photo quality paper, A2 size.  It's a lot harder than I imagined it would be!

Finalising Andi

Piper Design

Visualising the Princess of Andona

Andonian Housing

Concepts for my final exhibition pieces

Developing the throne room scene

Designs for the palace guards and handmaids

Piper capturing the rodents on Andona

Andi dragging an unconscious Piper post-explosion

Drafting the scene on the Odd-Job Space Station.
The crew have just got the Andonian children on board

No doubt I'll put up images when they're done.
I'm excited to see mine and my class' work framed and displayed!
The exhibition will run from June 1st to 8th.

J. x

Post-Holiday Blues Meets Pre-Holiday Bliss

Happy new year, I hope you had a good holiday season.

I've not posted for a while due to the aforementioned 'holiday' where I didn't do much that can be considered post-worthy.
Plus, I was ill - again!  From Boxing Day for a week.  With flu!!
I hope this isn't a new fortnightly sickly habit I'm developing...
I have to admit, being so ill really shook my confidence.  It's taken me a while to feel capable of doing anything and my work has piled up.
I've been in the all too familiar place of feeling not worthy to even consider myself amongst 'the art crowd', but it's a matter of telling myself I will continue to improve and learn for the rest of my life.
It also helps when one of your heroes gives you a few words of advice....

On the 6th of January, Iain McCaig - the genius that is - had a web chat on his blog around 6pm Pacific time. It was midnight for me and I held on until 4am.  It was totally worth it!
People that were online asked him questions which McCaig answered with the wisdom of experience and such humility I was taken by surprise and love him all the more for it.
Someone asked for his opinion on how we are able to draw exactly what we picture in our mind's eye, and why we are so UN-able to do it.  This was his response:

"You're probably finding it hard because you also want it to be good"

A light bulb went off in my mind.  I felt pressure lifting from my shoulders.
Stop trying so hard, Jess...

But this was by far the best thing he wrote to we budding unemployed trying to make it:

"We are the industry.  The industry is formed by what we do, our visions.
It is the job of an artist to express to the world who they are and how they see and feel about things - in other words, their TRUTH.  My truth is no more valid than yours.  So you and I are equals.
There will never ever be a better you.  So if you learn to show that to the world, your art will be every inch as good as mine, just different."

Wow.  I was speechless.
Not that I was asking him anything anyway, I had only been staring at the screen in awe.
After four hours of his time, Iain signed off with:

"May the Muse be with you.  Always."

So yeah, I guess I was finally inspired to get down to my work for the semester.  I have a lot of it!
Currently I'm modelling a humanoid witch doctor/Zulu type character in 3Ds Max, which is fun but completely new for me.  If it looks any good I'll post a couple of renders.
Outside of class I'm honoured to be illustrating a comic script written by a fellow student to be printed in 'Bagatelle', a small comic and literary anthology.
I'll tell you more about it when it's completed and on sale!

My Pied Piper project lasts until April/May, but I have to give a presentation on what my final piece will be for the end of year exhibition.  Eep!
  
I'm very grateful that I have a lecturer who understood how much being sick took out of me, and I've been fortunately granted a couple of extensions.

Worried about being behind, I decided to forego the class trip to Paris in March.
I refused to continue feeling sorry for myself....
So, in July, I'll be going to MOROCCO!
I couldn't be more excited!  I expect to have so many photos I break my computer.
It will be my personal pay off for finishing this year, hopefully with work to be proud of.

Sorry if the length of this post put you off so you jumped straight to this last bit!
My next one will have pictures - even if they're not mine - promise.
Thanks for reading guys.
J. x