One months been and gone already since I m in university. If first weeks was a bit confusing and frustrating, but I am now feeling more confident and happier. They main reason is that I am more or less up to date, with all required work, sketchbooks etc. and believe me it is not an easy task for me, I had to go to work also, sacrifice some time with my children and completely give up house work.
The possible struggle with studies I am expecting from next year as I taking over a small gallery and will have to be there full time, but I will think about it in January.
SO THIS WEEK VISUAL STUDIES I meant to be screen-printing, but my images been put on different screens with other student work and they was using it. I end up not having this practical workshop - all hopes for next week.
Left without screen I been asked to look at CUT UP TYPOGRAPHY and find out as much possible about it. Good part of the morning was spend researching and looking into this subject. I found some grate examples and also made some of my own. Still need to do wright up and fill my sketchbook.
There are some good links to get an idea /mainly pin interest/:
Next week we going digital and its sets panic in me as I`m rubbish at it, but will see. Hopefully I end up screen printing instead. :)
STUDY SKILLS: I am so proud with myself, my article been marked and I got a good feedback, it was readable and this is the main thing. Also this weeks topic was REFLECTING STUDIES. As I already been warned before - reflection is important part of creative process and studies itself, so to have Reflective Journal is essential for every student and creative person. All students on my course from now on have to have sort of Reflecting diary, it could be a notepad, sketchbook, word document etc. Being organized I already started this blog as part of my reflection from week one, so really I am caught up with everything so far, which makes me happy. There is nothing worse than stressing out about your studies close to the deadline.
FINE ART - I was set to try out some experiments with oils and how to create a texture with it. I been reading lots of materials and watching quite a bit of tutorials regarding texture. I brought my oils and brushes with me but I was in for surprise. Really good surprise. Rowena was holding workshops an we all were welcome to attend.
First part of the morning was watercolours, how to create a washes and paint beautiful sky's. I love watercolours and feel so unskilled. No matter how hard I try I struggle to come even close to satisfying image. I think my problem is that I am to harsh to handle such media, I expect something that watercolours don't do. It was so amazing to watch Rowena and she's light brush strokes and the easy style - I am not sure if I ever going to produce something worth looking at in watercolours, but I so want to. I been practising at home, watching tutorials. I invested in some good paper and colours, but nothing ~ in the end result is the same. To prove my point I have an image I took of my watercolour creation I did during this workshop. :(
Its sort of level on pre school I shall say. Rowena was so nice and said its not my fault ~ paper is crap, but well its hardly believable, I have much better paper at home and results are the same. It just not meant to be for me.
Where is acrylics or oils are different story. Our second part of Fine art was to sort of create same washes but using oils and it went much better.
Rowena even prepared specially textured board keeping me in mind, so I really, really enjoyed this workshop.
I haven't finished as oils is not just one days job, but there is sort of idea. I went for turquoise and yellow and its end up looking like scene from Iceland ~
Rowena suggest to try and flip image around and surprisingly it worked and maybe even better!
I still will come back to it next week and update you with the progress.
That was my busy enjoyable morning, I love practical stuff and being back to our second floor studio was also a delight. Hate the room we are in currently, dark and small. I don't understand why we HE students cant get better room. People who doing digital stuff have much better rooms and they don't really depend on light as all done on computers. We artists who live by light are placed in the cupboard.
That's my moan for a week :).
Anyway I looking forward to next weeks workshops and also my independent studies at home. I am still thinking of doing abstract oil painting, so I need to start finalize an idea of it.
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ILLUSTRATION. My challenge. As I was doodling at home, trying to come to more easer solution for my problematic task I had an idea. Few years back I finished 2 year photography course with distinction and my final project was images I created inspired by one of my favourite horror movies (I `m a BIG movie Fan, but its not art related :)), ~ RING : supernatural story about troubled soul named Samara. Back then I used my daughter as model to recreate the story in photographs. So what if I will draw my daughter this time instead. It could be emotionally enough I would say, but on other side it feels like "deja vu" as I sort of done it before. 
Looking trough my images I really liked one, where my both kids are on the seaside in Cornwall. I still can recall that day, the wind, the waves, their excitement, but shoving this image to Paul didn't go down well as it said its not much facial expressions here :( So I confronted him and say if I cant do the one I want I will be doing one I can. /He agreed on the Cornwall after seeing my second choice :)/So what you think.?!! My problem is I struggle with faces, if I draw or paint face it has to look like the person, if its not its so frustrates me. I did like one where all my family on holiday, but that is a lot of faces there. In these images you can still clearly see the emotions what subjects represents and it makes my life easier by drawing it.
I don't know...I will practise and see what looks better. Knowing me I could end up with two works in the end.
