I Have A Boot Filled With Crap Now. This Was Not Well Thought Out...

Today was ace. Smiles all round I cry! This morning was my first letterpress session. Granted it was much later then most and I felt a bit behind but I had a lot of fun. Hopefully, photos to follow but my little moments of genius are drying at the moment. I played with the 'Don't let the if's get in the way of life' idea that I've mentioned before and I concentrated on the words 'Freedom' and 'Boundary' but I remembered a piece of Alan Kitching's that really inspired me while I was researching him and everything that's going on in the papers about the new census trying to find out who we're sleeping with and the political state of the country- we as a nation find freedom in our boundaries. So I did a big 'Fuck This!' with a St George's flag painted over it. I get bouts of political anger. You may have to bare with me... but I think I may be on to something...

Also, we did book binding today- using three different ways of creating our own books. Although by the end of the day my sugar levels were low and I started feeling a little sleepy I did understand the importance of this session. FIrst of all, it was fun. Secondly, it's cheaper to create your own sketchbooks from scraps of paper then buying one (and it makes them more personalised) and thirdly, its a good skill to have for employers, CVs etc.

Personally I'm still feeling a little overwhelmed. We have two mini-crits next week and two things for Anna to do by Monday and I'm more then scared about it, due to the fact I lose two days because of my Buffyfest (which, regardless of my nerdiness I will be posting photos up here. Who knows? They could have some artistic merit). I just hope my body lasts without sleep for a few days. I decided to crack on tonight with the DaDa poem/phrase.

I picked the G2, a pullout from inside The Guardian (dated 05.10.09) and had my wicked way with scissors. I picked words that jumped out to me, nothing more, nothing less.

But I don't have a hat, or bag. So I put all the words in my boot and shook it. Yes, I know, I now realise the mistake as some of the words fell into the holes in my boot and now I have scraps of paper somewhere in my shoes.

But it was more fun then a hat :) The words I got, in order were 'Forgotten that interest stand music heartless women I'll art called of people ask stuff minimalism'.

I'm not sure what this says about me. Or what it says at all...about anything. It sort of rhymes at a stretch (women and minimalism) and I guess, if you add grammer, it could become a short poem or something.

So I'm kind of stuck on how to represent this visually and also, what that even means. Its extremely vague. When I first read it, I focused on the words 'heartless women' and 'stuff minimalism'- like this character has lost everything in their life. I don't particularly want to do an illustration. Dadaism wasn't really into that anyway from what I've researched. Dada is anti-art. It's about being the opposite- chance and randomness. To lose everything- material objects, emotional stability, time and space...I couldn't really imagine that. But I do know someone who has. Whose personal foundations have been rocked to the core, ripped away and she's had to start from scratch. So maybe, in losing everything you gain hope? You gain a chance to become someone else- to start afresh.

Look Mom, Look What We Did Today!

I think I may be in love with layouts and grids...This is not just a throw away comment, this may be a concrete realisation of inspiration. It might seem a little nerdy, but I do actually enjoy learning the bones and law of design- the first rule of design is you need to learn the laws before you can break them. The first thing we had to do in Kit's lecture was empty our pockets and create a layout with them;

I really enjoyed doing this and tried to pick things that were random but meant something to me. I'm proud to be a doner, I've had a doner card (numerous due to the fact I keep losing my wallet because I'm a twat when drunk) since I was 11, the keyring was from a friend over the summer who taught me a lot about myself and introduced me to some critical punk bands (Billy Bragg anyone?), the tattoo card is the guy who did my sailing ship on my ankle...you get the idea. This is me, summed up on a piece of paper covered in pocket crap.

Then, we had group work, creating a variety of layouts using grids. I don't mean to, but I usually take the lead in groups- I've got such a mouth and so many opinions and I don't have that thing in your brain that filters what you think and what you say- I am what I speak. This was my outcome:

As you can probably tell already, I like big, bold, brass and simple. Simple in the way that if it's there for no reason- what's it doing there? Another thing I learnt from North Devon College... One side of the text is upside down as well, if you can't see it in the photo, to give it a bit more of a twist. The group I was in decided it would be good as a front page- the introductory page you see in a magazine before an interview. The group's final layouts were this:

We also got a new brief- to create a promotional booklet about ourselves and our work. I feel a little overloaded but I think if I crack on with it I can do it. The only problem I have is Adobe Illustrator and Neil's glyph project. Me and computers have a fine friendship- we hate each other and Illustrator is just so complicated! Am enjoying it though- I love to learn new skills and its an important programme for the field I want to go in but I can see a long and difficult road ahead. I am overwhelmed.

Okay, Let's Crack on Shall We?

I promised myself I would back up a bit and explain the first two weeks before starting this blog. I'll cut out all the boring bits of being lonely, bored, moneyless and having the flu (which I successfully passed onto about six people in my class. A way to meet and influence new friends- cough on them) and crack on with the work.

So jump into your DeLorean and lets go driving in a storm...

Our first real brief (the first week was pretty much the usual. Meet the principal, isn't he nice, do your work, make us proud, have fun, be safe, have a shitload of information that'll take you a month to get your head round etc etc) was in the second week. We took an arty sightseeing trip to Poole to get a feel of the place. In a sentence- Poole is one of many seaside towns whose tourism has dried up and now they're regenerating themselves. I come from the coast- no offence, its nothing new and I have no opinion on it either way. I've seen a lot of it. I feel sorry for the locals- it really sucks when your council is more interested in reflective artwork then the real problems in the area. Anyway, mini rant over, Poole isn't half bad. Some of their architecture is beautiful and I loved the little nooks and crannies.

There was a picture I particularly liked which summed up the regeneration perfectly. There was this building, that if you looked at straight on- it looked quite modern- one of those Victorian buildings spruced up with a bit of paint. However, there was an alleyway called Button Lane down the side of it that was completely untouched.

I decided to use this photo to work on the brief. The brief itself was to create an editorial illustration for a newspaper. I chose The Guardian because the audience is left-wing young professionals and I thought the way I wanted to create the illustration would look best in that environment. I used a cutting method I learnt in Foundation at North Devon College and created a number of experiments with different types of paper. Poole's colours are blues and turquoises and some brown so wanted to use a brighter colour to compliment that. The colours I chose were orange and blue. I didn't really have time to really work into it as the brief only gave us a week before a mini-crit but I do plan to work on it a bit further. I researched quite a bit- at other editorial illustrations in The Guardian and the word 'Regeneration'. I have a sketchbook with it all and I plan to work on it at weekends to really get it how I want to.

The feedback from the mini-crit was positive albeit a little confusing. Because, rather then showing half a finished piece I decided to show what I'd started with, I think Sally must've thought I'd done absolutely no work. And it really doesn't scream 'I AM POOLE!' so I need to step that up a bit as well.

We also have an ongoing project with Anna, about the meanings of images and type, which I'm really liking actually. Not so much the lectures because I'm not really a sit-down kind of girl, but the information- semiotics and the sociology and historical threads through the work (I did A Levels in Sociology, History and English Language and Literature before doing the Foundation Diploma in Art and Design) interest me. I like politics and the way things work.

So thats my trip into time. I'm off the research I think, but first, a little cigarette break.

Excitement? You underestimate how I'm feeling

Picture it yesterday. Pissing down with rain and a small group of VisCommers are running away from the library with scissors in one hand and a roll of tape in another, looking for the next mini anarchic moment.

The Tape & Type project was immense to say the least. As Sally was talking about it I immediately knew I wanted to do something big bold and crass. It was the moment I felt like I was taking the right course for me. This is what I do. The team I was in were fucking awesome- we worked well together and our ideas were pretty much on the same page. The outcome? Our typeface 'One Night Stand' was born. We were more interested in how we could be cheeky- how far we could go without being caught. We went for a type that was quite simple so we could slap it up, take the photos we needed and run for the wind. Most of all, because I was so excited, I wanted to be fun with an upper case F. Sally gave us one rule; stay away from the main reception building. Red rag to a bull much?

We chose the word BULGE because it gave such a reaction to us. We were playing with words that described cheeky or filthy and it had to be five letters, so we could tape up each letter in five different locations and then have a big finalie. I believe Dan came up with the word and after some discussion, it fitted the best. It also gave us the name for our font because it was a wham, bam, thank you mam with a bulge- a perfect one night stand.

We chose the main reception (obviously), the library, a giant window somewhere, corrugated metal and these giant water bottles we found by the Photography section. We wanted our letters to be distorted so it took the viewer a little while to find them, to be all part of the fun and frolics. The final piece was going to be up on the huge winding staircase by the main reception a giant taped BULGE (seriously, Sally should never have said that we couldn't go there). However, rain spoiled our fun and we had to change the corrugated metal to double doors and our final to a lift by Digital Media.

I seriously had the most fun on this project. It should of had 'Tasha's Perfect Project' written all over it.

And on another extreme happy note- I got a sketchbook finally. And I feel more settled on this course. I've been really worried that I shouldn't be here but the success of this has flushed me with happiness and creative fairy dust.

Hoozah! Have some photos :)

I Really Need The Internet...

The weekend was fun but not really work eventful. Although I did buy some Post-Its. Post-Its are my organisation saviour. They calm me- it's like, if I stick a Post-It on something, its worth something to me. It sends the old shivers of inspiration down the spine. I really went for it on A. Fletcher's 'The Art of Looking Sideways'- that guy's book makes me smile :)

The one thing that's really pissing me off is my internet connection. To put it blankly- I don't have one. I would love to blog every day, or close to, but as soon as I leave university grounds that's it. No internet for Tasha. And it's all because of Vodafone. Regardless that I am a loyal customer (read loyal to say in debt) they won't give me a dongle/doogle thing. And I'm a little 'urgh' about going pay-as-you-go. I'm going to have to have a nose at maybe wireless hub connections. If anyone knows a good price or company it would be helpful to have a starting point.

Also, I am in desperate need of a sketchbook. A little one that can take all kinds of crap. I figure I'm going to have to make my own. Or check out WHSmiths or something. My CB is just too big to lump around with me and CB No.4 is mainly writing. I've realised, that although this blog started on a high, I'm kind of depressing myself. Okay, so plannage:

1) Sketchbook- by hook or by crook by tomorrow I will have a new sketchbook for this unit. It will happen. The criteria- A4-A5, not too thick, with a spine.

2) Check out the internet stuff. However this might not be sorted until after November just purely because I have a sci-fi convention to go to (yes yes this is my secret shame) and a gig in London to get my ass to.

I love lists. They calm me down. I wish I could Post-It this blog...

First Impressions

I am going to have to backtrack at some point this week and explain my first brief...but I was given my second on Tuesday and I'm more then a little excited. PRINT MAKING- LETTERPRESS- to create and design a series of creative typographic designs using block printing using two or more words from the choice of; Sequence, Freedom, Extend, Outside, Boundary and Extensive.

Initially I was drawn to sequence, freedom and boundary because they seemed to me to make the best series. I think personally, thats also how I'm feeling. University is meant to be this big jump but it seems more of a logical step in my life, an added chapter. I do also feel a bit more free, free from the old gossip of tiny old Barnstaple, like I can reinvent myself a little- smooth the rough edges of my personality. But I also miss it, and am bound by education and responsibilities and making new friends and sorting out emergency TV licenses (bad me- that was a bit of a shock through the post) and life- life is a big boundary. It's grounded by rules and laws- some you just can't get rid of, like gravity and emotions. Which fits nicely into my Crazy Book.

A Crazy Book- A sketchbook, diary or journal that if somebody else looked through would think you're crazy. I'm flicking between my third and fourth at the moment because they have separate styles and depending on my mood depends on how I want to express it.

Anyway, the back story is, before I moved to Bournemouth I bought this guerilla art book and was inspired by the quote 'Don't be too timid in your actions. All life is an experiment' which kind of fits me. I don't do anything by halves; if I jump in, I jump far and hard. So in the CB, I was experimenting with it and noticed the word 'if' is in the middle of the word 'life' so was working on somehow bringing that out, sort of, 'Don't let if's get in the way of life'. And the way I'm feeling right now I think life might be an interesting larger theme to incorporate the whole series together.

On it like a tramp on chips. x

Are We Sitting Comfortably?

...then we'll begin. I think this new blog thing (which, for my technological inept brain has just taken me an hour to set up) is a sign that I won't be joining the ranks of university drop-outs. Because, starting a blog and then dropping out is just embarrassing.

Its been about...two weeks (I think we're in the third now) into my new shiny course. I still don't know everybody's name or who is actually in my course, not even by sight. I've only been out drinking twice (which is, by all standards, absolutely fucking shocking) and still yet haven't spent a weekend in Bournemouth. So this week is all change.

Let's go go gadget.