Submitted!

Posted on April 28, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, College, Design, Digital drawing, Falmouth, Illustration, ma, New start, over, results, Submitted, University, Waiting2 Comments

I was up late last night trying to get my college project finished. At about 2.30am I pressed the submit button and a PDF file was sent to the University. I previously sent in my written report in March. That was for 30% of the marks, this is for 70%. No more work due. Waiting for the results now.

What’s next? I’m hoping to get some more painting done and maybe get a few commissions for illustrations? I think I’ve proved I have an interesting style of working. Anyway I’ll find something. It’s got me through two whole years of Covid.

I’ve published my book!

Posted on April 27, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, Book, Design, final major project, Illustration, Life, ma, published, self published, University, Work12 Comments

OK so it’s self published and it’s one copy. I want to find out if I can get it properly published. But it arrived this morning two days early. It wasn’t going to get here till Friday. The roads must have been quiet! It was like Christmas! I kissed it. I cried. I’m so happy with it! It cost way too much, but it backs up all my university work so I’m happy 😊.

I’m still here!

Posted on April 24, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, College, Excited, Falmouth, Illustration, ma, PowerPoint, Time, University, WorkingLeave a comment

Proof I’ve been working on my MA project all day. I’m going to give it a rest now. It’s ten thirty in the evening and I’ve got to cook our evening meal. No rest for the wicked at they say. I also want to do today’s #bandofsketchers prompt before midnight! Then more work tomorrow. I’m really quite tired but also excited. I spent an hour with the PowerPoint slides too big. Thought it was a major problem. Turns out all I needed to do was click control and – (minus)! Thanks to a student friend I’ve managed to do a lot today. But I need a rest. X

Nerves

Posted on April 22, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Anxiety, Art, Author, College, Design, final major project, Illustration, Insomnia, Life, Nerves, Stress, Worries8 Comments

Its almost time to submit my final major project but I’ve become very nervous about it. Such a lot rides on how I do. I’m already suffering from insomnia but this is just making it worse. I’m wondering why I can’t sleep, but I guess it’s thoughts like “have I got enough images?” “what if I forget to include?” “how do I create?” Don’t get me wrong, I have learnt a lot over the course of the last two years. I am attempting things I would never have done before. And what am I going to get out of it, apart from those new skills? Would anyone employ me as a free-lance illustrator/ author/ crafts person? Lot’s of questions. I think my style is my USP. I tend to do my own thing. I am probably too analogue. But I have a passion and I want what I am doing to be interesting. Do I have to be subsumed into a generic style? I hope not!

Book finished

Posted on April 20, 2022 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, Book, Design, Drawing, final major project, Illustration, Jpegs, Pictures, Struggle, tiff files, Work4 Comments

Today I put childrens book together in a site called Blurb. I had saved all my files as .tif files and it needed them as .Jpegs so I spent HOURS swapping them. A lot of the jpeg files were not able to open. It meant that I had to change some of the pictures for different ones. I’ve ordered a one off copy for my course. The only problem is that it might arrive late so I’m going to have to take the photos to a printer and mock up the book as well.

Fighting with Jpegs!

Posted on April 16, 2022 Posted in Sketching, UncategorizedTagged Art, Computer, Drawing, Frustrated, Fun, Illustration, jpeg, Layout, ma, Project, tif, Working2 Comments

I’ve been working on my MA project Al day and it’s driving me mad. I have one image that will save as a .Tif file but not as a .Jpeg, no matter what I do I get a notification that the file is not supported or something. All the rest are fine. I have both sorts of files so I can put them into a website that will print a one off book for you! Argh!

trying to write Limericks

Posted on April 13, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged bad limerick, Book, Copyright, Dragon, dragon story, Fun, Ideas, Illustration, Limerick, Poem, Poetry3 Comments

Flying up into the sky

She was scared, that’s no lie!

Round cliff edges in flight

And around the lighthouse, bright

They swiftly rose up very high!

My dragon story is coming on. But I’m trying to write 16 limericks to go with it (perhaps more). Each one will relate to a page that has a black and white ongoing illustration of the story. At the moment I’m trying to decide on a good clear font for the writing which will be visible against any illustration. There will also be colour illustrations of the dragons scales. This poem and image are part of the book so I have to say that they are covered by copyright and should not be copied or shared without my permission. Im just giving you an idea of what I have been up to ( bad limericks included!)

Report finished.

Posted on March 30, 2022 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, College, Digitally manipulated, Fine Art, Illustration, Life, Mirrored, Painting, report, Time2 Comments

Feeling a bit less stressed. I’ve got my report in with a day to spare! Gives me time to try and solve another problem tomorrow! If only life was easy. I think I’m going to have another sleepless night while I worry about that. Then next I’ve got to finish putting my Illustration portfolio together. I have almost a month so time to do some more experiments and trials. I want to write some limericks for it too!

Writing about dragons

Posted on March 28, 2022March 28, 2022 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Art, College, continents, Dragon, Illustration, Life, Mythology, report, Thinking, WritingLeave a comment

My college project is about dragons. I have to write a report and I’m getting bogged down with all the information I’m trying to put together. From dinosaur fossils that could have been mistaken for dragons. To their ancient mythological history. Then I looked at Bestiaries and the bible. It’s surprising how many places they appear. There is a dragon or group of dragons for every continent. So much so that I cannot talk about all of them. They seem to split between benign and protective beasts or evil and sly. Then I look at the symbology of them. I tried to include some semiology within the report. Finally I’m looking at modern imagery, novels and children’s stories. I’ve also started to write a children’s book and I’m using my illustrations for it. I hope to finish writing soon but each time I think I have finished I find more to put in and more to edit out. I think I have too many quotes and I need to put more in my own words.

Black and White

Posted on March 25, 2022 Posted in Fine Art, UncategorizedTagged Art, Aubery Beardsley, blocks of black and white, Design, Drawing, Illustration, Lines, The Yellow BookLeave a comment

Image from an edition of The Yellow Book by Aubrey Beardsley. I’m drawing images with strong black and white areas for my report and portfolio. I admire Beardsleys skill with lines and curves. Everything is slightly exaggerated. The blocks of black and white are so strong. But there is a delicacy with the details. It’s so neat and precise. I can’t remember if this is art nouveau?

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Illustration