Christmas

Christmas has been a blur of flu, infections and work. When I've not been ill I've been working. I'm still not fully recovered and I'm still working. Much looking forward to getting back into some graphics work though, as I have an elusive day off tomorrow and so far as I can see no terrible illness to strike!

Work

I was sent home from work the other day because I was ill. But on the up side I have handed in my digital art work (Thursday) I was quite pleased with the finished product.

I also finished my typography/illustration poster, which has been improved many times but I am happy with the finished product.

I think my work has improved in the little time that I have been on this course, I still think there is lots of room for improvement, I am really enjoying my work.

Mac

I am writing this from my very own brand new Mac. Exciting times.

Up to date

I have just completed as far as possible my digital art. I have also completed my final typography poster all ready to get it printed off. This weekend I went down south, more specifically Canterbury, Folkestone and London. I went to vist old friends from The University of Kent and went to go for a day out round London. The main place I visited in London was the Design Museum - I did intend to visit a few more places then I did but because I had spent so much time in the Design Museum there was little time left for anything else. I was fascinated by the exhibition on Terence Conran - who founded the Design Museum where it started out in the boiler house (The basement in The V&A) and is helping take it right though to its new location - The former Commonwealth Institute, which is three times bigger then its current location. He has done a large variety of projects from starting the chain stores Habitat to opening restaurants and Publishing books. After seeing this exhibition I decided to use Conran as the subject for my essay for FD102.

Live music

Just been watching some live music. Feel much better about things, it always lifts my mood. Won't be able to speak tomorrow though. Off to bed because it's been a long day. Will reflect upon my southern trip tomorrow, and the experience of the gig - electrifying.

No Sleep

I've been away since friday - a lot of travelling and a little sleep. I've been to Canterbury visiting friends and picking up old work, and I've been to London visiting the Design Museum, The Natural history Museum and The V&A. I would of liked to visit more places but alas I spent so long in the Design Museum that there was little time for much else - I even had to be picky with what I looked at in The Natural History Museum and The V&A, choosing only a few exhibitions to look at. It was all very amazing and each deserves its own post. However my sleepless brain would not yet do them justice as I have little ability to look back yet as I am catching up on work I would of done in the past few days so my mind is set firmly in the present. Tomorrow I shall look back on the experiences and document them here, which I very much look forward to, at this point I can say I very much enjoyed it and gained a lot of inspiration and the highlight of the past few days was The Design Museum. More to follow.

Old friends

Spoke to a friend yesterday - someone from my old course - Architecture. I asked how finding her placement year was going (she's in her final year now - of the part 1 - and needs to find a year placement to do part 2). She told me she doesn't want to do Architecture, it's funny how things turn out. I'm glad I'm on the course I'm on now I couldn't of done 3 years of the subject and find I didn't want to do it. At least she wants to stay within the field though (a property developer) there's some that have decided to do different things all together.

Reading really does pay

I received my feedback for my second review. I was very pleased. I felt like reading reviews has really helped - not only for the way I write and the structure, but also for inspiration on what to write next. If I read a review I find interesting and it inspires me I know that's a good subject to look at. Looking towards my next review - I'm off to London! Tickets booked - just! Very excited!

Reflection

Reflection on the week - can do better. I guess this will never change. I supose I can always do better. I wish I could improve faster I'm not sure I'm up to the same standard as everyone else. I always feel a little behind. Not enough to produce major problems but enough to make me feel as though I'm always playing catch up. I don't know if I feel this way because I am behind or because it's in my head. I know for certain I have not yet managed to plan correctly nor have I managed to document my actions correctly. I'm still not 100% on how to go about it.

Presenting

Ok, I've left it a while after the presentation because, well, I wasn't in the right mood afterwards. My hands where still shaking when I got home. I'm still not sure I'm confident with presentations. I knew a lot about the movement however I forgot some things with my nerves. I struggled to answer one of the questions which related to writings at the time and I wasn't sure what was being asked then on my way home I remembered that they where referring to the writings of Freud that the Abstract Expressionists based their ideas of getting to a higher state though doing work straight from the unconscious mind. Well safe to say I felt a little silly when I realised that I'd answered it in completely the wrong way talking about a manifesto that Rothko had written. I am not looking forward to receiving my mark, I can not even be completely sure that there was any improvement from my last presentation.

Abstract expressionism

Presentation - done. Now just to see how it goes.

I am an artist and I don't use a paint brush

Well artist is debatable, I have however taken some pictures of my attempt of very hand made backgrounds.

My hand after creating my backgrounds - after i had washed it! Maybe I should keep washing it.

Waiting for them to dry. I think I really ran with this whole hand made idea.

Me

This will probably, eventually end up in some about me section - but for now I will just have it as a post and condense it later. At the moment I'm thinking for developments sake I should say a little about myself and start to post some work up. Looking at the blog so far I'm not sure it says as much about me as it should, so I am hopefully going to fix this. So far there is a little about what I have done, a bit about my opinions and mostly stuff about my current work, which is all well and good but I suppose I should say something about why I am where I am. So I shall start at the beginning and try to stick to what is relevant (as I often go off track). My name is Jemma Overend, and I love to design. I have always been a creative person - I do not recall a time when I have not been doing a subject that is creative. Even when I was younger I preferred colouring to toys. All through my school years I was partaking in art and design related subjects. I studied Architecture for a year at The University of Kent. I still enjoy looking at architecture and it will always be apart of me, but I have never enjoyed the work I'm doing as much as I do now I am doing Graphic Design. I am glad I did architecture - I don't see it as a wasted year - even though I've moved on. I see it as experience which will help me in what I'm doing now and in the future. When I first started this course I had very little experience with Graphic Design except for what I had done myself to have a little portfolio, and to gain basic skills. I am not proud of this work, it is not the best work that will ever been seen - but everyone has to start somewhere and this was where it began for me. So I guess all thats left to do is post some of it. Cringe. So here is my work from the very beginning (July this year).

  

Please keep in mind this is my first ever work before I even started a course, so I decided to leave room to improve. I hope. Well I guess we shall see. The Rainbow hat was not used as a piece of work. I just decided to scan a hat into a computer one day and make it into a rainbow, because I seemingly have no life.
There are only two recent pieces of work I have yet to show. One is my logo - which will change - I have not uploaded it so far because I suppose I didn't feel it was me. However as we are currently creating a base on which to develop it seems only right to throw my first and current logo out there for all to see. I would say don't judge me on it - but then what would be the point in having a logo?

So yeah thats it. It will change don't you worry. I also made a poster for Momentum the dance show. So here it is.

I handed it in like this, it was a quick brief and it could definitely improve. I wanted to do something different so I hand drew it. It is meant to look like quick drawings because to capture movement in dancing you have to draw quick. I couldn't just leave it like this so even though I had already handed it in, I decided to play around with it and see what else I could do. So this is what I came up with. 

I prefer this one, it's more dramatic, possibly because it is simple. It also reminds me of a chalk board. I very much like the contrast too. I shall hopefully be able to post more work soon and hopefully show improvement. Then I can look back and see where it all started. 

Backgrounds

Making a mess with paint to create some backgrounds. Just to see what effect I can get. Hopefully I will be able to use them in my poster.

Work so far

I am really enjoying creating my surreal digital art work an I can't wait to see the finished product. Even if it will take a lot of time to make. I know it will be worth it. I think my work for my presentation is going well - less then a week to go. Though the more I look at the work of the abstract expressionists the little less I see in talent. I have tried my best to understand - even partaking in producing a piece inspired by the movement with an artist I know who does that kind of thing. I do have to admit it was fun to do, however I can't help feeling it's selfish of the artist to say it's all about the process when that's not what the viewer sees, it's not the final product. It does not show skill, it is art for arts sake. Meaningless with meaning. A monotone personality. Let's face it what I just said makes no sense - probably because neither does the subject matter under discussion. These are not my views on everything that came from the movement there are good points too. But if I was to write everything that I thought about the subject this would become a novel not a blog - a mostly negative one at that. So I shall move on. I handed in my second review yesterday, it's a review of the new iPhone 4S, I personally think it is much improved from the last one, but I am not the judge - so we shall have to wait and see. I know there will be something I missed or did wrong, that's part of learning. I am quite looking forward to my feedback though. A chance to improve.

Peter Blake

Yesterday I went to the Walker Art Gallery liverpool to see the work of Peter Blake. He made some silkscreen pieces that show of typography. There are 26 separate pieces, one for each letter, which incorporate typography and imagery. Which is perfect for my typography and illustration poster. I think that although they are 26 separate pieces they all come together as a whole piece. I found all the different typefaces really interesting, the way the same letter could look completely different. I also enjoyed looking at the images that went with each letter. It was very child like, as the images evoked memories of learning the alphabet as a child and relating it to certain images. What was also very child-like was the collection of work by Henri Matisse (1869-1954), the Walker Art Gallery currently have some pieces of work from his art books. They are very child-like and colourful, they are also very collage like and interesting. This also links in with my typography and illustration poster, as the work I am currently working on myself is going in a child-like and colourful direction.

Review two

I'm having trouble writing review two, I think it will be hard not to improve on my first one I've been reading a lot more reviews I'm just struggling with content at the moment. I don't want to do anything too close to the first one I did. I don't want to do another painting. Hopefully I'll get some ideas soon.

So far

I've handed in the first part of the first brief and now got the second, so it's back to research, lots and lots of research.

Nearly there

Just about to hand in my work. Fingers crossed everything is there.

Deadline

It's coming up to deadline day. I dont think I'm rushing as much as I should. I have a feeling I haven't done things right, which I always get. I know my work so far will need a lot of improvement but if it didn't I wouldn't be on this course would I? I just always get the feeling I've done everything wrong, the feeling which I currently have. I hope I haven't but we shall see.

Poster

I have spent quite a bit of time working on my poster today. I like doing the experimental work for this project I think its going quite well. It's a very hand made project so far and has a child-like style to it, but I'm just trying to think of different ways to create everything at the moment. Then I will think about what goes best together.

Catch up

Ok, I haven't been consistant with my blog which has to change now. I have never had a blog before so I'm just getting used to it, but from now on I MUST post 4 times a week. Other then my blog I think I'm keeping up with my work. I have times when I feel like I'm falling behind but then I keep on working and everything seems to come together. I'd say I'm still adjusting to the way of working, I really hope I get my head fully round it soon. I have been trying to get work outside of my course, I managed to get a logo for a company called Eight Photography. They wanted a 1950's pin up girl style but not girly. I made an initial idea which was not right but I didn't get much further as I got an e-mail saying the photographer had gone into business with someone one else and they had stipulated that they wished to design the logo. So I showed her my initial ideas, to at least get some feedback out of it, she said she liked it but would prefer something more simple. I think after showing her my initial ideas and getting feedback I had a better idea of what she wanted. So overall even though I didn't get to develop anything into a final idea it was a positive experience, I got to see what it would be like to work for someone else and I realised it's not as easy to get information out of someone yourself about what they want. I also had a presentation on a weird artist. I knew lots about the artist and I would say with the information I was well prepared but I was extremely nervous, it was the first time I had spoken in front of my class, most of which already knew each other, I was very shaky and after speaking to people afterwards it was obvious that it was noticeable. I knew at the time people could see me shaking but I decided to carry on as if I wasn't because I could not control it. I think I did ok. There is defiantly room for improvement, but I expected that. I think I'm doing ok with my illustration and typography poster, I'm just trying to enjoy the experimentation and try different things. It's going down the more hand made design route, I'm hoping to combine digital media in there too though, just a little bit though. I'm enjoying drawing weird things for my Digital tools module, at first it was a struggle trying think of what to do. It's much harder when there are less specifications. However once I got started I was pleased with what I managed to come up with and im still developing these drawings now trying to bring different elements together in different ways. I had another presentation on Pentagram, I enjoyed learning about them and although this time I wasn't shaking as much I'm not so sure about improvement, I felt I repeated things a lot. Again definite improvement to be made. I'm still working on my presentation for Lee. I think this one will go better, I hope. I think my group has come up with some good ideas and because of the experience of the first two I think the third one at least will show a little improvement. I also handed in my first review, I was quite worried about this, Writing is not my strong point. I think I could of done worse I could of done better. I will use this one to help me improve in the future, and the fact I have a lot to improve on means I can't do much worse, so there is a positive. Now I have to think about what to write in my next one... I also need to find some time to go to Salford University's library we have been to get our cards which we now have, and I think it would be a waste not to take advantage of their facilities to see what I can use. I have already looked round but I think it would be to my advantage to go on my own so I can take my time.

Ideas

I struggled today with some ideas for one of my projects. I managed to get started in the end though.

Work

I'm still finding it a little difficult to keep up with my work. I'm not used to juggling yet, I hope I get it quickly because I want to keep up with everything and not get left behind. I am not yet used to keeping a blog and I NEED to update on a regular basis. I have the final design for my logo and after a few tweaks I have a design I like, I'm still trying to find the right colours though. I have also found a small project outside of my course which I am very excited about. I am designing a logo for a photography company. I've done my research and some concept ideas I'm just trying to develop it now. Hopefully it will be successful. I am finding it difficult to keep up with the research but I know its an important stage. So I have spent quite a bit of the week researching. I really need to get my action plans sorted, I've done them but written out, I need to set them out so I can see clearly what I am doing and for when. I think until this is done I will find it difficult to keep on top of everything.

Logo

After visiting Salford uni I like the look of motion graphics. I also found from the talks work outside my course is very valuable so I should try to find projects to do. It's now just where to start looking. I was really stuck for a while with my logo, I thought I was going round in circles, I had done some research and put down some ideas but had no idea where to go with them but after a small group talk with one of the tutors I think everyone gave me ideas on which ones to develop and how I could do that. I'm looking forward to what my logo might look like.

New Course

I started a new course in Graphic Design which I am really enjoying I like the way it's taught it seems like the way I need to be taught. It has been taking me a while to soak in all the information seen as its the begining of the course and we've been given alot but I'm sure I'll manage to figure it all out soon. We all went on a trip to the Tate in Liverpool, I've been quite a few times but it was good to go with new people and to look at it from a different perspective also to go with a purpose and a specific painting to look at instead of just wondering around.