Saturday 20 February 2010

Favourite advert today is the new Robinsons Juice add with the little bird bobbing about in a very swish fully furnished bird house! It's so cute :) Will there be a family next, I wonder ?




With my final major project under way I thought I'd post a couple of images of my drawings. I've found a style of drawing I feel really comfortable with and have been exited about taking them into repeat print designs for fashion. My concept combines influences from nature, afternoon tea, seaside landscapes and Ghanaian wax prints. These drawing were from my visual language research trips to museums which is another element of my concept, a Victorianism looking at how Victorians spent their pasttimes, seaside trips, collecting things and taking tea. The Ghanaian influence comes from my dissertation and the colonial influences in wax print designs found in Ghana's wax print history. Colour is a major element to, from the rainbow we saw on the beach at Aromanche, France to the beautiful use of colour in the Ghanaian printed cloths. A very big thank you to John Kingsnorth http://www.jk-digital.com/ for taking these photos from my sketchbook for me, they look so crisp!

Friday 5 February 2010

Final Major Project!

Well this is it the Final Major Project has arrived! I've spent the last two weeks visiting galleries and museum sketching.

Hancock Museum, Newcastle, www.twmuseums.org.uk/greatnorthmuseum
York Art Gallery,www.yorkartgallery.org.uk
Harris Museum, Preston, www.harrismuseum.org.uk
Hartlepool Museum, www.thisishartlepool.co.uk/attractions/museum.asp
Dorman Museum, Middlesbroughwww.dormanmuseum.co.uk as well as
Mima www.visitmima.com ... phew!

I've thoroughly enjoyed being out and about sketching. There was just so much to take in.
My favourites were the Harris Museum, Preston where they have an exhibition called Embellished, "the art of fabulous fabrics" a lovely collection of dresses from Horrackses and a design for Liberties by Grayson Perry and York Art Gallery exhibiting Eve Bennett, "bird in the hand" ceramic work and drawings. Her drawing style was just wonderful and the small quirky exhibition was oozing personality! Not taking anything away from the other museums & galleries they were just the jewels in the crown, so to speak. I was really excited by the Hancock Museum in Newcastle as I remembered a very dark dingy typically Victorian space but the display area has been given a revamp, I don't know when, but the light and space allows the birds and animals to be displayed beautifully and easily young and old alike. They are all well worth a visit! So why so many well my concept for my final major is a British take on Ghanaian wax/fancy prints so the represent Victorianisms such as collecting, and a thirst for knowledge and enlightenment I'm going to combine this with afternoon tea another pastime and social reflection of British traits. I hope my concept will echo the characteristics of Ghanaian wax/fancy prints known for their social, political and religious messages.