Custom Doll Order - Harriet

Brief:

Doll for Harriet's 21st birthday. Black/white stripy top and red/burgundy skirt. She loves the All Time Low, studies at Durham University. Ombre/dip-dyed hair dark brown-light blonde.

Challenges:

Hair is made using wool, which is difficult to find in a natural BLONDE colour to begin with (I eventually found a good beige that I have been using for a few years) but it is just one flat colour. You can get wool with flecks or strands of different tones but to get it to gradient from one tone to a lighter one is a manual job.

Solution: Dyed the roots of the wool strands in tea to tea-stain it. Didn't work too well, ended up very gingery and smelling of tea. Coloured each strand with Aqua marker colours and worked much better - because they're markers they stained the hair the right colour but being water soluble, I managed to fade the colour down.

Response/Feedback:

Harriet's mum was really pleased with the doll and its likeness of Harriet!

The records weren't asked for but I thought it made the doll more personal to have some little props that are special to her. Didn't take long but a nice little extra.

Harriet also sent a message to say thanks and that she loves the doll.

Lessons Learned:

Don't post online until the order is received! Almost ruined the surprise.

PACKAGING IS WORTH IT. Take time to make the parcel look professional.

Face Paint Shop Australia Feedback

The order I sent to Australia arrived! Such a long journey across the world but MY PIXIES ARE THERE! So so so so so exciting. Kate keeps posting them to her page and it's brilliant to see, especially how her customers are coming across to my page and following me - expanding my audience.

Praying that they will stand up to vigorous movement! They're made for stop-motion so are really sturdy and posable but I am worried that if they start to break the customer might get angry/want a refund. Do I need to test them and offer a warranty/suggested pixie life? Do I need to make it more clear on Etsy?

If someone buys a pixie - do they own all rights to it? Can I still post photos of it? Can they call it their own? Do I need to tag them/add some kind of watermark to the bodies (on the bottom of the feet or something)

SWOT YOURSELF

Strength
I AM/MY WORK IS... Versatile, ambitious, innovative, original,
OOAK art dolls, competitively priced, posable, unique, handcrafted

Weakness
Lacking in experience (need to learn about and USE professional model making materials) AMATEUR
Too many fingers in too many pies (Damn Fine Cherry Pie) / might be better to have one solid skill
Dolls are cheap compared to others on the market, not charging enough. Selling myself cheap.

Opportunity
Animation/illustration - Growing market, more technology, more products, more consumers

Threat
Saturated area for talent
Market is growing but so are illustration courses/practitioners... Why pick me?

ROSIE ETSY DOLL ORDER

Rosie - £20.00 Art Doll

Brief:

21st Birthday present.

Curly strawberry blonde hair, rose accessories, sweatshirt, 

jeans and rose patterned Dr Martens. Maybe a little book? She loves reading.

Studying British Sign Language at Uni.

Problems Faced:

Finding the right colour hair! Don't want to offend the customer by giving the doll 

hair that is too red. Can't find a strawberry blonde, just ginger or blonde! Eventually

found some at Samuel Taylor's but still not natural colour... Stock up on hair colours and 

have them at home ready for orders. Almost ran out of time because I had to go 

looking for the wool!

Used old material I had in my stash but could have looked better with material specifically bought for this doll. I just used what I had - I could have found something to match her wardrobe. 

Need to keep an eye on profits and invest on supplies:

florist wire

polystyrene balls

mod podge dimensional magic (shoe liqueur)

fabric

wool

Feedback:

Loves the rose boots - little details! Recommended to Rosie's best friend Harriet whose 

birthday is also coming up.

LAIKA'S HEAD OF PUPPETRY

THIS IS THE DREAM.

Laika is a stop motion animation company in America. They've made films like The Boxtrolls, Paranorman and Kubo and the Two Strings. I've been thinking about working in puppet design / construction and I'd really like to work in a studio like this.

Being involved in a team, responsible for the aesthetics of the puppets, creating tiny worlds... Part of a bigger picture.

This video gives an interesting insight into one role within the company: Head of Puppetry. This artist is responsible for the running of the puppet department, which involves directing and overseeing decisions as well as organising and communicating between departments.

ELLA - ETSY DOLL ORDER

Ella - £20.00 Art Doll

Brief:

Fashion Student, enjoys sewing, loves Dr Martens Boots, 

wears black, bobble hat/beanie, loves moths.

Working on making my boxes more professional. An illustrated drawing on the front is charming but also a little messy? Need to clean it up digitally and add colour maybe. Need to find a good supplier for C5 size boxes. Ribbon is cute!

Feedback:

'Completely amazingly fantastic. I hope you're in for a busy time because I know you'll get more orders after I share it with everyone on her birthday.'

FACE PAINT SHOP AUSTRALIA - ETSY ORDER

Etsy order for two pixies to go to AUSTRALIA. I've never sent dolls overseas before and I'm really nervous but also so humbled... Kate found my dolls on Etsy when searching the keyword 'pixie doll' and CHOSE MINE.

Brief:

A boy and a girl pixie doll. Need to be sturdy enough to be posed and balanced on top of boxes. To be used in display next to her face paint products. Kate sends photos to her customers of the parcel all wrapped up before it is sent to get them excited about the order and wants some 'packing pixies' to pose with them in these photos. 'Quirky', 'Cheeky', 'Cute'.

Why Mine?

Price comparison - I'm probably a lot cheaper than most on the market.

CHARACTER - Kate said she was drawn to the character and personality of my pixies.

2 x Packing Pixies - £40.00

Shipping - £12.50

THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES - STUDY TASK 2

A really interesting and relevant discussion about where our practice sits in the creative industry and in the economy. I found today's session really thought-provoking and this discussion of where/how I want to work is something I need to figure out. 

I need to prepare myself and answer all these questions that I have and that people keep asking me. Stop burying my head in the sand and work this out.

How am I going to make a living out of this?

ONLY 31% OF UK CREATIVE BUSINESSES ARE BASED IN LONDON.

I have always assumed that London is where EVERYTHING HAPPENS and that if I wanted to work as an illustrator, I might have to move closer to the buzz of London. I knew that other things are happening all over the country, but it's reassuring to know that in the creative industries today 

YOU CAN WORK ANYWHERE AND BE CONNECTED GLOBALLY.

As a creative practitioner, the industry offers work in the form of:

Design Studios (usually small teams, like Studio Mama Wolf)

In-House Creative Teams (normally full-time job, designing for a company)

Freelance Practitioners (a huge risk that can pay off)

My work currently sits across a few of the different creative disciplines. I'm torn between trying to specialise my practice to one specific service or building a broader skillset with which I could apply my practice to many different creative challenges.

Publishing and Book Design:

Publishing and Book design is what I initially perceived an illustrator's job to be. I now know that illustrators can and do work in all sorts of formats, but I do still dream of this goal. Working as a children's book illustrator/author is what I want to do, I want to see my books in book shops and for children to recognise my characters.

Most illustrators/Authors work freelance and are aided by agents who help them to negotiate business with publishers. However, there are some full-time creative jobs in the publishing industry (mostly Designers) and there are a few publishers whose team I would love to join:

Nosy Crow

Nobrow

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvZMFZSIkkJx4IMRV5XW8h0EJMkW3K3dWc9E1-i_TE74Do_W47YNEHtOIcUuPmUK5_aJkbk2QFk8uhBZ_PywyS3YciQnGbhx5b_RLvgFfR-dd-7MFRscjhaLWaixPH7E6mzxUX47WpqK4H/s1600/Pic1_Shana_N-S_Flying+High+with+Flying+Eye_Title_17sep15.jpg

Character and Narrative:

My interest in performance, theatre, stop-motion animation, puppetry and doll-making taps into this discipline of character and narrative. 

Examples of corporations that use character and narrative design in the entertainment sector:

The Jim Henson Company

LAIKA

I really admire the films and products that both LAIKA and Jim Henson company creates, but there are many roles and professionals that work within these companies to produce the final product. It's not all done by one person, so I should stop fretting that illustration is the wrong course. I don't need to know how extensively how to mould/cast models if it's the designing and sculpting that I'm passionate about. I'm not interested in the digital production of animation, it is the character design and storytelling that suits what I do/aspire to do.

Job roles within LAIKA that I might work towards:

http://www.laika.com/people

Art Director

Puppet Fabricator

Puppet Painter

Model Maker

Sculptor

Set Designer

Scenic Artist

Character Designer

Storyboarder


Retail & Merchandise
My 3-Dimensional characters (art dolls and toys) are sold as commercial products. This business is going quite well through Etsy and selling in a shop window in Ripon, but I would like to push this to be even more professional and successful. I would like to devise some sturdy, attractive packaging for the dolls I make.

Rob Hodgson

BIG HEADS WITH ROB HODGSON

Didn't think I'd heard his name before but then when we saw his website I kept seeing images I'd pinned/reblogged online, so had without realising seen lots of his work before.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/53dd4013e4b05d8340b1c32c/t/554cc2ede4b09d4b2220a564/1431094047063/rob-hodgson-little-boxes.gif?format=original

'Print making, gets sucked up into the computer'

something I've been thinking about with my current 504 Printed Pictures Project. Process is often digitised at some point, for ease/necessity/pleasure. Hodgson digitises his printed textures to archive them, to revisit them and to show them off (hence where they end up on my Pinterest feed)

Radio signals - the work he publishes either rings out forever, radio silence, or someone likes it and little responses ping back.

Likes to get hands-on

'Cool material, what could I use it for?' I find his approach to materials quite innovative and inventive in this way. Finding and re-purposing. Quite a Postmodern approach - recycling, taboo materials, use them as starting points.

Visiting Lecturer: LOUISE LOCKHART

http://bibelotmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Bibelot_Louise_Lockhart_Games.jpg

Louise Lockhart's practice centres around products, printing and application.
After graduating, she worked for a short while in a stationery shop in Canada, selling printed products and greetings cards that evidently inspired the work she makes now that sits in similar gift and stationery shops. I think that this was where Lockhart discovered how her work sits in the market and fits in commercial illustration.
She runs an online shop called 'The Printed Peanut' with all sorts of lovely goodies from prints to soap that are made to be sold as products.

I found myself drawn to her traditional toys and games, especially when she commented that she was fed up of modern toys being 'PLASTIC AND NAFF', a sentiment I've been fighting with handmade dolls/toys in my own practice.

http://www.soma.gallery/media/catalog/product/cache/1/small_image/270x360/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/n/s/ns-circus_packet_web__67954.1459445018.1280.1280.jpg

Lockhart makes prints of her work using a Risograph machine. A hybrid screen printer/photocopier, it's designed for cheap, quick prints (for leaflets/flyers in the business industry) but have are much-loved by illustrators for the natural GRAIN/texture they produce. The quality of her prints therefore looks old-school and worn.

I love the textures that Risograph produces and would really like to have a go at making some Riso prints myself. There is a Riso print company in Leeds and it's super cheap.

Lockhart told us that she wants it to look handmade.
She uses photoshop as a tool to combine scanned printed textures/found papers and add text.

I appreciate that and much prefer handmade aesthetic to the digitally constructed image, but I also feel a little like I'm being cheated when an image is made to 'look' handmade. Similarly to how shops label new clothes with a grungey/distressed image as 'vintage', I find it a little inaccurate and in-genuine.

The Weirdest Day of My Life

My sun ft Siobhan and Penny's clouds.

All we knew about today was that it would be a 'MEGA TASK' (even more daunting than a mega crit!) All about COLLABORATING and starting to work with the Animators and Graphic Designers. Started the day feeling anxious because WHAT A SCARY SITUATION but it was actually a lot of fun.

I was randomly allocated a partner, hello Bash from Animation. A lovely dude with lots of ideas. We had a good time thinking/brainstorming and it sure is easier to come up with ideas when you're bouncing them off someone else. I won't go into what we conceptualised, I'll just say this:

SAUSAGE RAIN.

PITCHING: Bash and I are both extroverts/wannabe performers so we really enjoyed pitching.

Peers must have liked it too because they chose to join our team. We worked with a group of graphic designers whose names I should probably have written down so I'd remember (oops, but they were really groovy ladies whom I would like to work with again) and one other illustrator (the fabulous Penny).

We were a little bitter when our pitch didn't win but I was excited to work on the Slug Bean project. We made a silly video and everyone (38 PEOPLE + John and Patrick) helped out. Everyone did their bit (puppetry, design, voiceovers, set design, etc) and it all came together so well.

Seriously, it's so easy to forget how many people we have at hand at uni. SO MANY IDEAS, SO MANY HEADS, SO MANY THOUGHTS. So many hands! Make use of them.

I had a brilliant (if very weird) day. Thank you! I look forward to meeting and working with even more creatives (especially animators, that's really what I want to work more on in the future so I think I can learn a lot from them).

Task 1

5 Things I've learned on the course:

How to rough

How to research

How to keep a professional and reflective blog practice

How to set up/print a book

5 Things I want to know more about:

The animation/stop-motion film industry

Puppets in contemporary theatre

History of puppetry

Jim Henson's Camden Creature Shop

5 Things I'm good at/skills I have:

Story-telling/Narrative

Character Design

World Building

Doll-Making

5 Practitioners that demonstrate my interest in the specialism

Jim Henson

Henry Selick

Tove Jansson

Oliver Postgate/Peter Firmin (Smallfilms)

Mr Finch

5 Weaknesses/things to improve on

Print-making

Mould-making and Casting

Costume Fabrication

Stop-Motion Photography

5 Websites/Resources

Ibex Puppetry

Centre for Puppetry Arts

Jim Henson Company

Moomin

Laika

FIRST DAY BACK

Sketchbook Activity: MEGA CRIT

Looking at Summer Sketchbooks and finding my favourite pages from across the levels.

Feeling anxious - there are so many students now and the studios get so loud with mega crits. It's too noisy and overwhelming for me. I'm also nervous about showing my work because it's not my best and I know there's some really brilliant work on show today.

ON THE OTHER HAND I am excited to see what everyone has been doing over summer. It's nice to look at these personal, self-driven sketchbooks to find out what inspires, moves or triggers people to DRAW for fun.

Page from my sketchbook

My Sketchbook:

This is the page I had open. I didn't enjoy this project that much because it felt forced. I wasn't working towards any set goal, yet I needed to make work. I struggled to find the point in drawing for fun because it's not something I do anymore! I'm often drawing or making, but always for a deadline/brief/client.

To begin with, I was drawing because I felt obligated to. I drew from observation or from imagination, but whatever it was, it was just because I felt I needed to fill a sketchbook.

I work much better with a brief. I enjoy research and know that this motivates my practical outcomes, but I also think that my OUIL504 sketchbook developed a lot further than this personal one because I know it 'counts' as part of the deliverables for that module.

It wasn't until the end of the Summer that I started to make pictures I actually like. Once I finally stopped trying to draw intricate things with pencils and gave into the beauty of black ink, I made work that was more striking and bold. My hand doesn't suit dainty, shaded lines, especially when I'm drawing these dark characters. The media I used changed the tone of the drawings dramatically.

I never thought that comic art/graphic novel style would suit my drawing or that I was capable of making something that would fit within that category. I really enjoyed making these pannels and would really like to revisit comic-making! Could look good in print as a zine! I need to read more graphic novels too.

Common themes in my personal sketchbook:

character, halloween, skulls, fantasy, fashion, girls

Pages from Dana Davis's sketchbook

Dana's sketchbook:

Colourful, fun and full of ideas. Interest in cartoons and anime.

Made me smile, very cute and sweet. Pages bursting with drawings, tapes and jottings.

Can instantly tell that it's Dana's work because she has made it such a personal space. Things that are important and interesting to her. Her humour and her way of seeing.

Childlike and whimsical. Soft pastel colours suit this tone of voice ad the markers she's used reiterate this soft, cute approach to illustration.

NOT ACCURATE REPRESENTATIONAL DRAWING, BUT IMAGINATIVE, INVENTIVE DRAWING.

Page from Alex Patrick's sketchbook

Alex's Sketchbook:

I wanted to include Alex's sketchbook because she has used her Summer to realise her visual signature. She's developed a standardised way of drawing characters, they're so cheeky and devious!   I know that Alex was struggling before with what her art should look like and she was torn between representational drawing and a more stylised approach. I'm really happy for Alex because she has achieved what she set out to. She's answered some big questions for herself, all through the act of drawing.

This project has been hugely beneficial for her and it's evident that she has had a lot of fun over the summer, recording and documenting snippets of conversations and events, particularly those which are silly or funny.

Emma Knowles's Peach Puppet and Sketchbook

Emma's Puppet:

I saw this on Instagram over Summer and I was initially intimidated and jealous.

It's so brilliant and weird, I feel deflated knowing that other people are making puppets too (and doing a better job than me). BUT I have to stop being so precious and childish. This is a fantastic piece of work and Emma deserves lots of praise for it! I love it and would pay good money to see this in a creepy peachy programme.

Her painterly marks echo the sparkly, magical ones in her sketchbook. Great synergy and translation across the media.

Surprised that a couple of people had brought in MADE things, not just drawings. I thought that this project was just about DRAWING EVERY DAY so I didn't include any of the work I've made in 3D over the Summer. A little disappointed in knowing that I could have shown that but I didn't.

Unidentified Level 6 (I'm going to scout this person out and discover whose work this is someday!)

Unidentified Sketchbook:

A quiet series of pretty girls/women. Elegant, innocent, sleek.

Careful, delicate.

Almost hauntingly beautiful portraits. Can't tell whether these are observed, referenced or imagined.

Some interest in pattern - would like to see these combined with collaged patterns!

Would have been nice to receive some feedback directly. Doing it this way, I don't know who saw my work and what they thought of it at all (unless I stalk through every single programme blog...) so it feels a bit counterproductive in that sense, though I have really loved seeing so many diverse collections of work today. Proud of you all.

MEET AND GREET

The good old Jay charm kicked in and I coped with the overwhelming situation by being even more overwhelming. I jumped about, danced in people's faces and I embarrassed everyone. Sometimes I really hate the person I am in these situations, but I certainly made an impression. I try to act normal but NOPE out comes awkward Jay touching your face and telling you you're a beautiful little star.

I met some super people and I'm already feeling nervous for the Level 6's! They're leaving soon! Out into the big world! Don't go! It's not safe out there.

It was a great idea for us all to mingle and get to know each other at this point. I now know at least five/six first years by name so I'm going to look out for them and check up on them. My little babies.

Felt Mistress

I made a vow to myself at the end of last year that I would FEATURE an artist every Friday right from the start of the year. Even though we've not yet begun PPP at Level 5, I thought I should get ahead of my game and continue LEARNING: this week I'm showcasing the work of the wonderful Queen of felt, Felt Mistress.

I recently attending the opening night of her exhibition at Colours May Vary in Leeds.

Wanted to begin by discussing her identity: Felt Mistress.

 I discussed in PPP last year that I felt more comfortable acting as a character or performing as an artist rather than just being me. I discussed the possibility of inventing and taking on a persona for my professional practice - which is what Felt Mistress has done.

The persona of Felt Mistress provides her with a mysterious, enigmatic aura and a magical, untracable allure.

Her practice began in fashion/textiles but now she designs, plans and constructs characters with personalities. She creates humour and tells stories with her felt creatures.

I couldn't decide my favourite character, but I loved that they all had tiny little details that you don't realise until you get closer e.g. earrings, nail varnish, piercings...

Felt Mistress takes them around the world - they are especially popular in Finland.

Despite her Muppet-like aesthetic, her audience is mostly in high fashion - window displays at Liberty London. Though her new book has patterns showing how to make her characters

ISN'T THAT GIVING AWAY HER SECRETS? THAT'S HOW SHE MAKES MONEY, SHE CAN'T GIVE THAT INFORMATION AWAY!

Actually encouraging and an act of inclusive making. MAKE MY THINGS LIKE ME. JOIN ME. FOLLOW ME.

----------------

Also wanted to mention the Soda stand that was there - top bevs lads! V. fruitygood

OUIL402 - END OF MODULE EVALUATION

PRESENTATION PPP

The Creature Shop

"The Creature Shop" went from being an informal identifier to a formal one, used to denote the more aesthetically realistic, technically involved "creatures". Traditional puppetry techniques, while not entirely abandoned, were placed to the side in favor of radio-controlled advancements, animatronic technology, body suit performers, and fleshy latex faces capable of multiple eye, brow, jaw, and teeth movements."

I've looked at Jim Henson's Creature Shop so many times for other modules but I wanted to revisit it as a WORKPLACE. What would it be like to work there? Why is it my dream?

The Lab
Rather than a studio, the Creature Shop's workshop is called a 'laboratory', since its a place for inventing, experimenting and bringing things to life.
The Lab is filled with everything you'd need - all the materials organised into departments and areas. A wig zone, drawers for eyes and different materials. It would be incredible to work in such a place where freedom is not only allowed but encouraged. Creature Designers have access to all sorts of materials.

 https://makeupmag.com/wp-content/uploads/images/2014_Henson_Syfy_Brooke-Rudd-Smith1200px.jpg

Workplace
The Creature Shop was originally based in Camden, London after Henson wanted to distance his Muppets from his more advanced and artistic creations. The studio is no longer there which I think is a huge shame! It's a piece of history if nothing more and now it's been turned into flats. Such a pity.
The new studios are back in L.A. in the States, and I worry that people will forget the Creature Shop's routes.
It would be awesome to open the Creature Shop back up, especially since it was the British public who received Jim's work so well when America was a little slower. It was in Britain that Labyrinth was filmed, in Britain that several Muppet films were made and that the Frouds met the Hensons!

 

http://www.henson.com/jimsredbook/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/DC_Build_007.jpg

  Productions
The Creature Shop made the puppets for DreamChild, Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal and more. So many of my favourite things came from that very studio, so it's hard not to fall in love with the seed from which they came!

 http://psychodrivein.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/CS102-04.jpg

Values
The Creature Shop endeavours to make creatures!
They were behind the first Hollywood blockbuster to use CGI animation technology with the owl in Labyrinth (the worst part of the best movie ever). They pride themselves in being pioneers of new technologies.
They now have a whole department for computer generated animation and embrace digital processes in the design stage. This is the one thing that I don't fully support. I just feel that it contradicts the traditional, hand-made, CRAFT of the work that goes on in there, that Henson started. I know that Jim Henson was excited about digital technology and that it can be really useful editing and finishing scenes, but I think it's taking over and taking away from the thing that makes Henson's work magical.

UPDATE: JOHN COCKSHAW COLLAB

Thank you for the reply. I agree, this could be the start of something brilliant. I'll definitely keep in touch regularly. Could I start with commissioning you an Alice and March hare doll (only when you have time to do so and when your schedule allows) at the 7" dimensions mentioned. From one artist to another I understand the importance of our own signature styles so you have complete artistic licence to do whatever you like and I'll gladly pay. Feel very free to depart from the conventional Alice imagery and go as fantastical or macabre as you wish!

Thank you very much. Oh, and please ask any questions or random musings anytime you wish

Awesome! I'm really excited to start work with John and he has paid me an invoice for £40 for one Alice doll. I want to make sure that it is functional and worth his money. After this module submission I'm going to begin building her. I'd really like to have a go at making eye mechs so many this is the chance I've waited for?
I'm going to do some concept sketches first too, since I always rush into MAKING the character without a clear vision of WHAT it will look like.

Puppet Making Workshops

Fred said there might be an opportunity to do some puppet-making workshops next year!

Absolutely brilliant and just what I've been waiting for, learning about PROFESSIONAL puppet-making techniques and MATERIALS!

But again I'm nervous about the idea of other people in the group learning about puppetry. Everyone is already so much better at drawing than me and MAKING is the only thing I'm ALMOST confident with at the moment. I can't let other people steam ahead of me with that too. This is all I have.

I'm just feeling really low in terms of confidence at the moment. I've been throwing out all my old sketchbooks from previous modules and I know it's all just rubbish. I'm worried that my time on the course so far has been wasted.

I know this is all just a late-night anxiety low but I need to chat this out with myself in order to find out how to move forward from this point.

POSTER TIME

This is the last ever practical piece of work I'll be submitting this year... feels so strange! I want this to be the best, the final and therefore most informed illustration I've made in Level 4.

I don't feel like this is worthy of that place. It's not good enough to be the last thing I make! I want to completely redo it but there's not enough time and I know that my presentation is more important at this point.

It's not awful, but it's just not what I want to end my year on. There's nothing I particularly hate I just don't think it's as exciting or interesting as it could be. It's basic and a little predictable.

This pose feels more immediately obvious as an anatomical/medical diagram.

Have I played it safe by making a doll in the same way I always do? I want to push myself over summer and try some new techniques. Just because I'm enjoying making dolls/puppets doesn't mean I should stick with this - I need to keep pushing it and find ways of making them better, function better, look better, move better!

I like doing something different and out of the box, making things that noone expects or has seen before, so I need to keep moving. I need to keep my work interesting by interesting myself! I can't expect to make something new and innovative if it doesn't excite me.

I think I went wrong at the concept. I didn't spend long enough thinking about ideas for the poster, so I went with one of the first things I thought of.

Tummy Bug

Some photos of the bugs inside my little doll...

Using a Nikon D3200 DSLR camera and two zennox studio lights.

A ribcage too? Bring back the heart? Too busy? Too boring? I made smaller butterflies so they'd be more proportional to the rest of the body but it's now just quite empty. Humph. The good thing about this process of image-making is that I can very easily change the composition, change the butterflies and just take the photo again without having to scrap any drawings or completely start again.

Only putting this one up to demonstrate how horrible it is. A really ugly angle that accentuates her nose and ears, this doesn't work!

Playing with background space, pose, shadow amount and direction of gaze. I think she needs to be central - as I've drawn in my roughs - but I wanted to take some alternative angles just in case there was another solution that worked better. There isn't.

I like the ribcage because it brings back the scientific theme and highlights the idea that it's a cross-section image rather than these butterflies just being on top of her skin. Since the body on this little doll wasn't as concave as the big one, I think the ribcage bones were really needed to shout that part of the concept.

Critters

Time to get on! I'm printing the poster on Thursday so I need to finish all models and photograph them by Wednesday.

I plan to do the digital editing and processing of the POSTER on Thursday in the studio so I have the file ready to print before 4pm.

Making some textile moths and butterflies for the tummy. I want them to be cute with a slight creepiness to them - parasitic but pretty. Needs colour but first try ain't bad. Not sure if they read 'butterfly' though, I was a little hesitant to make butterflies because I thought they might look too cheesy, childish or basic. People draw butterflies all the time, would it show any skill?

Also wondering if this concept has much depth - is it too obvious?!

NOT HAPPY WITH THE BIG DOLL'S PROPORTIONS. I used a hollow shell to get the tummy this shape but it's TOO ROUND, too much like a PREGNANT BELLY?

I showed my mum and she said the moths look like sheep. DAMMIT PAM.

She said to go forward with the butterflies. I'm still not sure whether this is too obvious, too tacky, too 13-year-old-girl-doodleees xoxo  BUT if the butterflies are OBVIOUSLY BUTTERFLIES then the message will read much more clearly.

BUTTERFLY PROBLEMO SOLVED. Found some scraps of wallpaper samples in my drawer and folded them into butterfly shapes - so simple, there's a butterfly! A few black details, wire antenna and double-sided wings, they look pretty groovy.

It's moved quite far away from the creepy, parasitic look I wanted but I guess that's not very me anyway. This vibe of 'cuteness' and 'charm' is something I hear in feedback quite a lot, and the crit the other day told me to go with my strengths. Save creepy for later.

She does look pregnant! Although the butterflies do look good in her deep tummy, I just can't get away from the fact that she looks pregnant! I DON'T WANT TO DISTORT THE MESSAGE.

There's so much I don't like about the big doll. I'd have to make a lot of changes in order for it to work... Her shoulders are too low and also wonky. Her tummy is too round and wide, her ears and nose are too big. Her limbs are too long.

Going back to the little doll. Much prefer her proportions, I'm more familiar with this scale, so I understand how the shape should work.

Might make a new set of smaller butterflies to fit better inside the small doll but I do like the crammed-in notion.

Really enjoying this background - it's just some brown card I had at home, it suits the old-fashioned medical diagram look very well.

ANATOMY OR WORLD

'Worldbuilding is the process of constructing an imaginary world, sometimes associated with a whole fictional universe'  -  Reddit, Worldbuilding (thanks Kyle!) I've never looked at Reddit before but it's a strange place - very nerdy but it's a good thing to be nerdy about something. Am I nerdy ENOUGH about worldbuilding? 

I'M STUCK BETWEEN TWO CONCEPTS

AGH. Do I go worldbuilding or anatomical? Which one is more ME? The feedback said good things about both so I don't know. I really want someone to make this decision for me but I know it's a personal decision...

If I DO do worldbuilding then I want to do it properly. I know I won't be happy unless it's a fully realised world and I know that I don't have enough time to do that the way I want to. Maybe that's a project for over Summer.

FINAL CRIT (Peer Review)

Mary Chu

Character is big for Chu - her Buttman is recognisable and a thread that she's followed since Foundation. GO WITH BUTTMAN, MARY!

Alicja

Talked about time management

how PERSONAL should the presentation be?

Swanson

Spoke about concepts and media

thread and embroidery

both really into research so this would be a good theme for the poster.

Suggested that I follow the medical anatomical route and research old medical leaflets and illustrations.

FEEDBACK

Good communication of intent - storytelling - what you're good at and who you are!

Maybe explore a narrative within the poster - sequential imagery?

Love the anatomy one

maybe include humorous things e.g. brain full of David Bowie or pencils

Storytelling and making puppets are defo your strength!

Good communication of personality and individuality! Love the anatomy idea!

GO WITH YOUR TALENT. I LOVE IDEA 5. Puppets are cooooool.

I love the idea of building a world that encompasses your ideas and likes as a practitioner. Check out the 'world building' reddit.

JAYNIVERSE! Also puppets are amaze balls, I defo think you should incorporate them in poster somehow.

BUGS AND BUTTERFLIES

I'm looking at how other artists make butterflies and bugs to try and see how I will approach this subject. Do I go ULTRA-REALISTIC, or SICKLY SWEET or CARTOON?

Here's some examples of ones I've found and like:

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/73/f2/56/73f256d03157928a1cd493a85a9ae831.jpg

Mr Finch's giant, furry insects are equal parts nightmarish and cuddly! How does the man do it? They take a long time to make and they're crafted from textiles and thread. Mr Finch is brilliant and I never expect to many anything of his calibre but I'm just going to sit here for a moment and take in these big-bottomed beauties... woah....

Even though he's used bold, furry fabrics for the bodies and thick, liquorice-like legs, he's still ensured to make those wings as dainty as they can be on such big minibeasts! They're thin and transparent with skeletal details, making them realistic and looking like functional wings.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/ef/72/e2/ef72e258bb91ff61136eb3d461163881.jpg

Yumi Okita is the hands behind these fantastically bright and vibrant textile moths. A little more whimsical than the work of Mr Finch. They're still slightly fluffy to describe the hairy nature of moths, but with attention pulled to the glorious wings, hand-embroidered with metallic threads. Very groovy, perhaps too much going on for my poster? I don't want it to be too busy if I'm having several moths.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/53/42/85/534285fc8547a07a0c68a93575a2b759.jpg

Andrea Uravitch crafts these harder, wire and metal insects that make me clench my teeth - odd reaction but I can actually hear them crunch and click as they move and it unsettles me. They look heavier than the moths, and appear hard and glossy. Their legs are obviously wire, maybe more detail could be paid to them if Uravitch wanted them to be more realistic but they definitely look like BEETLES and they really do make me anxious.

Is this the reaction I want to evoke through my poster???

Donna Wilson - Goose the Bear with Ljubljana Puppet Theatre

Donna Wilson makes these highly decorative illustrations that she applies to bags, fashion garments, fabrics and wallpapers. Her work focuses on nature, pattern, line, shape and design. I think it's this thread of 'trend' and 'cuteness' that makes her designs transfer so easily to any kind of homeware product. 

donna-wilson-cushions-minimoi.jpg

Consumers purchase products from her website that are decorated with her funky lines and animal characters because they want them to decorate their homes with.

Modern-day art-enthusiasts don't buy as many prints or original paintings, but instead purchase the illustrations they like printed onto cushions or blankets to decorate their homes.

Her work feels like it would be at home on Paperchase products or Ohh Deer, very modern and fitting the trend of applied illustration. Bold colours, cute animals that everyone wants on their stationery.

She's big on print and pattern!

http://www.donnawilson.com/wp-content/uploads/puppet_5-e1461767319368.jpg

Wilson's puppets move into the realm of puppets through felt and textile fabrics. Her charming and friendly characters are knitted and sewn into 3D models that can be moved and performed with.

This is a really unusual and unconventional material for puppets, something I've never seen before. Ljubljana puppet theatre have maintained Wilson's aesthetic, her visual signature and brought it to life for the stage.

This performance of 'Goose the Bear' uses a very illustrative approach to set, character and costume.

Echoing Wilson's handmade, hand-drawn lines with thread and material.

Something about this performance that really intrigues me is that the puppeteers aren't dressed in black to blend into the background, they are wearing patterns! Typically, the performers wear something really plain to disappear and not divert attention away from the focal puppets. Ljubljana have chosen not to do this and involve the actors as PART OF THE SET.

Since the set is so heavily patterned and covered in Wilson's illustrations, perhaps the most logical thing to do to make the actors blend in would be to dress them in similar patterns. Wearing plain black would not make the actors blend into this scene, so dressing in the same marks that adorn the fabrics is the way that the Ljubljana puppet company have solved it.

http://www.donnawilson.com/wp-content/uploads/puppet_1-768x512.jpeg

The puppet company Ljubljana is based in Slovenia, a different culture to where Donna Wilson's original illustrations originate (Aberdeenshire). The class of culture might disrupt the communication and bring that make comprehension difficult. BUT PUPPETS ARE UNIVERSAL and can translate through different languages.

The animals might have different connotations in Slovenia than they do in Aberdeenshire.

I wonder if the performance involves speech? If it does, then there will be a different language presenting her puppets. But if not, then the puppets visually do all of the speaking and don't need verbal dialogue to define them, which makes them completely universal and relies on the interpretation of the audience.