Growth: Allotments 2: a step up



Night Vision, inspired by Sarah's. Quite a challenge to draw without seeing the end of your tools.



Failing to capture a previous bonfire, I was delighted to find this one as I stepped into my drawing day.

Wall of smoke eating up the middle ground in acrylic ink.





October 31st, in the middle of the bushes with the perfect angle for this, in the semi-dark, and I still managed to get interrupted.



Two further attempts at the same technical approach, but both times failed to get on with the dip pen, with a less successful outcome on the top one with that universal treatment: saying too much, not really saying anything.

Reminder to focus.

 

Breakthrough at the left.  After the previous picture it started raining and I took refuge on a greenhouse. The previous picture had been very intense and I was a bit fed up with obeying what I saw, so I just scribbled the shapes of this background with the water brush wash, and worked forwards with dip pens.

Time devouring exercise with great feedback.



I felt so incompetent after my last review, that I had to put all that self directed anger to good use. 

Pam said she wished she'd drawn this one, well, she certainly drew it out of me.





















Growth: Allotments 1

A selection of some of the first drawings of the module. Most recent pictures first:

I tried to follow the suggestion of a broader tip for the format and to get more context.  At early afternoon the sun was casting this amazing shade under the apple and pear orchard, and while trying to get the perspective I got a bit lost and ended up disregarding the initial idea. Major dressing down by Pam, about the failure to convey the "feeling of the place". She was right of course, but my eyesight was on the orange range. 

Jane managed to see some good points on this one and suggested trying a water brush wash, as the blue marker had been too loud for the purpose intended.



Observation and Experimentation: Long, Medium, Short, None

     On the first week we introduced ourselves to each other with a 10 minute PowerPoint presentation.  We were all slightly terrified. Probably none of us slept very well the night before, putting together our snapshots of work and life, condensing out past into 10 images.   I was on the afternoon batch and sat through a lot of presentations of people who clearly deserved to be there far more than myself.  I felt privileged to be amongst such a talented, diverse and friendly group, for which I have high hopes.


     The second challenge of the MA after surviving this ordeal, was to choose a subject of study for the module. Even given some examples of last year's themes, I was very anxious, because I did not have a subject.  Generally in my work this is the core, and it comes naturally. After a long period of leave due to both maternity and bereavement, I was completely empty, and was beginning to get into a panic, about what to pursue.  I ended up going for what was practical, what I had access to, rather than "a subject close to my heart".  And since there had to be a strong element of humanity in it, I chose to study the G. Allotments, which are located next door to my garden, and Hair Dressing.  My logic was that the weather would turn and I would not want my entire project to be based outdoors; and that a hair salon would always have people in it, at close range. Alexis asked me to find the common theme between these very different environments, so through the next week it took form as "Growth Management".

     The third challenge (for me) was to write the project brief on an A4. Condensing down the ideas into a coherent form took several goes.  At the end of this module we must write a review of the outcome and a 1500word essay based on some given questions.  This is going to require some major dusting off of brain crevices.

Summer School 2010

     This summer I took an introductory course on Illustrating Picture Books.  A very diverse crowd with the same brief (just comming up with a story, creating storyboards, roughs and a dummy book, in one week, mind) produced an amazing array of funny, moving, beautiful, exciting books.  Guided by Pam and Paula, two very talented, humorous, and inspired tutors, we all had a great week. However for me, this was confirmation that Children's Illustration is the new avenue in my creative career. 

The week's output.

     All that I had to overcome was the little administrative issue of the interview, the last minute application processs, and erm, o yes, the fee.