Jo LB - Ghost Birds Meeting Friday 2nd March

Ghost Bird Meeting 02/03/12

EMMY LOU

Been to Plymouth Museum to look at how they display them to look as if they are flying.

Done text and put it in a dummy book, going to use a type font to simulate a filed diary similar to the one in the Scott exhibition (Edward Wilsons Diary)

Also been to Exeter Museum to draw other birds and has started work on flat plans.

Has got a white board set up especially for this project to timetable what needs to be done and when.  Is finding that really useful.

Target for next week – Going to finish flat plan for 2nd book and going to put 1^st booklet together for next week.

AMY

Typed up Dummy book and settled on lay out.  Using this method she has been able to come up with more ideas for pop ups and is trying out some new forms.

Has made several versions of bird wings to try and get the winds to move in the right way.  Has also made a nest in a termite mound which grows upwards as you pull it.

 Has been in the print room creating further monotype textures which she has been adapting in photoshop.

Made a photoshop collaged bird using her feather monotypes.

Target for next week – is starting in pop up finals which will then be inserted into final spreads.

BRANDON

Been drawing birds at the museum.  This has helped him understand how birds are put together. 

Target for next week – Has noticed that his portrayals of the birds are taking on a more realistic form and wants to finish the pages in his sketchbook over the next week and then use these sketches to get good poses from the birds for his final images.

MEG

Has made transfer prints onto a bag and onto some shrinkies paper from which she has made pendant necklaces to sell at the RSPB fundraiser.

The shapes were discussed as to how they should be presented, cut close to bird shapes, white round the edge or into an oval or circle etc.  Everyone had a different opinion – Meg is going to discuss this with Tom B.

Target for next week – going to burn birds onto wood scraps to make more jewellery pendants and develop images and methods for screen prints onto totebags and T shirts.

JORDAN

Trying to resolve the Norfolk Pigeon images.

He is continuing with the Maori theme.  He is looking to develop the theme without loosing the identity of the bird so does not want to stylise too far.

Has done (an epic) pencil design using trompel’oile effects to echo carved wood.

Target for next week – He is going to develop this image and decide on a palette for this by next week.

JO

Has made progress on layouts for lithograph prints in pencil.

Vivvienne Scwartz has suggested using ring binding to allow the pages to lie flat.  The group agree that this would be a good idea

Target for next week – to start printing and to finish pugs, fish and frogs to go with prints,

JOSIE

Has been experimenting in the dark room using images drawn onto acetate and then developing these onto photographs both in negative and positive looking at the effects of the various combinations. This has helped her see how she could develop this technique further.

Has done flat plan but may revisit this and develop the order of the imagery further.  Jo suggested that Laura Rosser had a very good book about folded paper books and that she might get some different shape ideas from that. 

Target for next week – Josie was going to go and see Laura Book and go back to the dark room to perfect her images she had started this week.

END OF MEETING

black or white line? opinions!! - Josie

So I inverted the sharper images in photoshop as that seems to be an easy way to make the line black and handle the exposure yourself! Think they look pretty ghosty scanned in which is appropriate :D    Can i have your opinions pleeease on which works better! cheeers

Meeting Minutes 6th Feb - Josie

    Apologies this took a couple of days I was in Exeter alll day yesterday! Just a note, I was at the Royal Albert memorial Museum in Exeter and they have some amazing paintings and natural history exhibitions going on. There is also a section of stuffed animals including about 6 different species of EXTINCT BIRDS! So if you fancy doing some drawing from life it is quite an inspiring place!




Notes from Monday 6th February:


Meg


Still working on drawings, no focus as yet. Jo LB suggested drawing birds from other angles thinking about their characters.
Research-researching decorative jewellery.
Target-Start drawing 3 different birds from different angles and in different positions. Post to blog-done!


JO LB


Written words completed, we all listened to them read out loud and concluded the second version is easier to read and has better rhythm. Starting to develop the characters and plan the design of the book.
Target-Background visuals by friday, research and look at reeds, Meg suggested Beatrix Potters pond drawings.


Jordan


Lots of drawing (yay) Currently choosing 3 birds to develop into poster designs and focusing more on development. Meg suggested researching Frans Masereel. 
Target-Clear concept of a theme and more research of bird superstitions.


EVERYONE-Jord had the good idea to research the habitat, eating habits etc. more about the birds so you have a clearer idea of their character. 


Andjela


Has changed brief to move more into merchandise. Lots of experimentation, going into woodcut and lino cut.
Target-More experiments, narrow down focus to one type of merchandise ie. tshirts, badges etc. Post to blog!!


Josie


Experimenting lots with scribbler drawings etc. Meg suggested using textures in work. Had brainwave in meeting about using sewing to replicate the scribbler drawings so it is more tactile.
Target-Experiment with sewing and thermographic ink. 
Research-Rework research question to make it more relevant to project. Possibly looking at tactile work using 3d media in print and whether this makes work more appealing. 


Meeting at... i think we said around 3.30 friday! will check and put on facebook!

Jo LB - John Ruskin Prize - A New Look at Nature

Bittern in ink Jo LB

THE JOHN RUSKIN PRIZE

The Campaign for Drawing, in collaboration with the Guild of St George, announces a new art award: The John Ruskin Prize.

The prize will be awarded to the best wall mounted artwork on the theme A New Look at Nature, and is open to anyone over 18 working in painting, drawing, print-making or mixed media and resident or domiciled in the UK.

The Prize winner will receive £1000 and a specially commissioned pencil case. The winner’s artwork will be exhibited at Brantwood (John Ruskin’s Lake District home) and in the Millennium Gallery, Sheffield during the major autumn 2012 exhibition, Force of Nature: Picturing Ruskin’s Landscape.

Nine runners-up will be included in the exhibition of short-listed artists at Brantwood, and offered one night’s accommodation to attend the Private View, where the winner will be announced on 7 September.

Deadline for submissions: 1 June 2012         

 Use this lionk to take you to the competition page Campaign for Drawing

Josie-opinions on scribbler birds!

Hey everyone, heres some drawings i have been working on. I drew them on scribbler, painted over printouts and then layered them up on photoshop. Any comments on which work better than others, if colour line is better etc. Thanks!

Jo LB The Bittern Two sets of words - Which one?

 There are two versions of words for my key stage i book can you give me some feed back - thanks

Version 1

You may never see a bittern,

He is so secretive and shy.

You may never see a bittern

because he likes to hide

You may never see a bittern,

When he’s new and on his nest.

He has a wispy little crown

and soft and fluffy fuzzy down 

You may never see a bittern

When he is looking for his lunch.

He creeps among the stalky reeds

With eyes like yellow shiny beads

You may never see a bittern

When his eyes are on his prey

He likes a frog or vole or fish

and he darts to catch his dish

You may never see a bittern

He has many ways to hide.

He makes his body tall and thin

or straight and pointy like a pin.

You may never see a bittern

You could watch the reeds all day.

                      It could be there are so few

or he might be watching you

You may never see a bittern

But you might hear one ………. BURP

OR

Version 2

You may never see a bittern

He is so difficult to spot

He’s very shy and secretive

and he always hides a lot

You may never see a bittern,

When he’s new and on his nest.

With lovely soft and fluffy down

and a funny little crest

 

You may never see a bittern

When he’s looking all around.

He creeps among the stalky reeds

he never makes a sound

You may never see a bittern

When his eyes are on his prey

He likes a fish, a frog or vole

He wants one every day

You may never see a bittern

He has many ways to hide.

He makes his body tall and thin

or flattened down and wide.

You may never see a bittern

You could watch the reeds all day.

He might be standing watching you

It’s impossible to say

                     

You may never see a bittern

but if you ever heard

you would certainly remember

The day a Bittern Burped

josie-random inspiration

The back of a secret on the Postsecret website! Thought it was quite nice!

And a nice little article about Phil Pascuzzo redesigning the twitter bird logo! HERE

 If you scroll down theres some nice illustrations at the bottom! Good ideas if you are designing merchandise too :)

Jo for katie

paulmorstad

Hi Katie I saw this and thought of your recipe book idea!!!!!  and that made me laugh.

He seems to be quite a prolific illustrator I found him through ""Lost At E Minor"
he has done magazine and book illustrations.  I like his drawings for Life of Pi but he has also has also done some cool birds too.

Josie-bird artist research

Hi guys, this is a blog post I made last week with a few artists on, a wide range of media, all who use birds as a subject! Names under the artists link to their websites! 

CLICK HERE TO HAVE A LOOK :)

JoLB - Group Meeting Notes

Todays meeting

Josie, Jordan, Katie, Amy and Jo LB

1. Blog

Jordan has set up this blog and can give everyone the email address and password so they can post up.

When you do post up remember to add your name to the title and also to add the appropriate labels.

Please follow this blog and then we can add your blog or website link to the page (this increases your page rating in google)

2. Research questions

Josie - reconsidering her research question from looking at illustrators involved in charity work to covering illustrators and community projects.

Jo - Look at Visual aids used in Illustration aimed at young children learning to read and what makes an effective children's book illustrator

Amy - Wants to research educational pop ups but is not sure how broad this subject would be or where to start.  Now has a list of books to consider looking at from the bibliography of Core Curriculum Books and thinks she might look at an older age group than the macmillan brief.

Jordan - has looked into developing a minizine app for his images which were going to be a series of posters, something similar to Jack knife posters  and Josie suggested he contacted them for possible work experience.

He spoke to Tom (who was passing) about maybe using learning app code as his research and Tom said he could look into the influence of technology  and what makes a good/bad use of illustration in apps.

Katie - Is creating crests which will tell the story of how each bird has gone extinct.  Metaphors would be an avenue for her research but having just bought a book about designer makers it might be worth considering the role of the illustrator in this field.

We have a couple of useful contacts re apps

USTWO  who developed Whale Tail and the mouth app - Neil McFarland and ex student Ralph Manning who is n app developer.  There is a link to him on the course website.