stencils attempt 1

As i said before i would upload some of the stencil images i had produced. These are the first few I've done, I plan on developing this idea further experimenting more with different media.

west indian poems/poets

Today ive mainly been looking into west indian poetry in a lot more detail, picking apart the poems I had found and researching into the poets background. I found poems from such well known west indian poets as Kamau Brathwaite, Derek Walcott and Kendel Hippolyte.

At first a I found it a struggle trying to find poetry by west indians that related to carnival but I managed to find a few in the end that i can work with for the time being. I also found a book on amazon called The Heinemann Book of Caribbean Poetry that i am looking to invest in for my fmp.

Finally motivation...

Ive been a bit distant from the blogging and the FMP lately as I had a retake to do from last year but thats all done, dusted and handed in. Am actually quite proud of myself I worked much harder then I have on any other projects in the last 3 years off uni. lets just hope I pass and this routine of work keeps up for my final major project.

I had done some sketches and a bit more research into carnival, the characters, folklore and a photo shoot whilst producing my other project but I hadn't really spent much of my time producing proper artwork. So after handing that project in, instead of having a rest which I would love to do I stuck at in and got on my kitchen table working through the evening again. I even went to town at the weekend just gone and filled up on paints, sequins, glitter and paper.

Ive done quite a few pencil sketches at this point but i was worried if I kept up with this style I would get bored as I normally do. So I thought to myself what do I enjoy with art?

Getting messy was one thing that came to mind so straight away I started splodging paint, glitter and and little bits I could find to paper expressing the bright colours of the carnival I had researched.
In my time working on my other project I spent a few very boring days at work on the computer and found myself looking into graffiti and stencils a lot.

Ive always loved Banksy but instead of looking at through his work for inspiration I looked just into the style of using stencils and focusing on the female form. So on my first proper night back to my fmp I decided I wanted to try something like this myself , stocking up on black paper i drew a basic outline for a women wearing carnival costume and I slowly cut my way through.

As this was my first attempt I wanted to see what else I could get from the remaining paper so put my imagination to use working with both positive and negative. I need to sort out a memory card for my camera but as soon as I do I will upload some pictures of my experimenting so far.

Below are some images i found that had inspired me.

thinking about my own photo shoot

For a while now Ive wanted to produce my own photo shoot and a portfolio of images and i now feel this is the right time.

Ive spent a lot of time this week researching into what I would have to undergo and routes i can take. After talking to friends on Make up and photography courses at solent Ive started planning my shoot step by step. I will also use these images to incorporate my sketches and final images.

I plan to take the photos and touch them up on photoshop my self but for the make up and to help with the whole experience i have got the help from 3rd year hair and make up student Sarah Louise Parkes who has numerous past experience in this area.
A link to her website and previous work can be found below;

 www.sarahlouiseparkes-mua.biz

FMP Meeting no1 with Peter

I really needed this meeting my mind and ideas are so much clearer in my head now. I was so unsure about what my final outcome would be.

Firstly we talked about my last project "options" and the potential their was in my collages with drawings over the top, we came to the conclusion that reinforcing this into my next project would be a great style and technique to use as i enjoyed this experimenting with different materials. I also need to make sure that i produce alot more design and evelopment back up work as that was my main downfall in the options project.

secondly we spoke about my fmp and the ideas i had at the moment, peter suggested in creating a series of images for a book you find free in a newspaper or magazine for example a tourism guide. i liked this idea and i also spoke to him about the poets and poems i had found from the Caribbean which he is keen to see and help me fit these into my work.

Peter has scheduled another appointment for me to see him 10am Thursday with a finished research proposal, timetable of the coming weeks and examples of the West Indian poems i had found, he has said that i am to make more contact this year seeing a tutor at least once a week and finding me a work space in the studio. This is one aspect i am very aware that i am slacking in so time to improve..

Researching Carnival

I find the outfits and vibrant colours of carnival outfits and tradition so invigorating and amazing to look at. During carnival everyone taking part looks as if they are enjoying them selves, dancing, singing just generally celebrating life. Im hoping during my FMP that i can transfer this vibrance and sense of excitement into my work.

where to start...

At first i was a bit lost for ideas for my FMP i new roughly that i wanted to relate my work to the female body and try to relate to fashion illustration as best as i could but the only idea i could think of was to relate my work to sexuality and the burlesque scene.

After some research i discovered the vibrant, outrageous colours and women that would take part in carnivals. I am already interested into different cultures in my life in particular the caribbean one as it being a part of my family. looking into this subject with more details the beautiful designs and styles got my imagination flowing.

Once i had my theme i started to look more into detail of caribbean artists, poetry and folklore.

Below is an image that belongs to a west indian artist; Alison Chapman-Andrews. I found myself very drawn to the colours and technique of her art.

Image taken from her website;  http://www.alisonchapmanandrews.net/index.htm