It's almost over.

It's been a while since my last update because everything has been so hectic with thinking of my final idea for my FINAL MAJOR PROJECT, and I've at last finished it.

I took forward to idea of Remains and painting onto masking tape as well as other aspects from my project, so here it is, My complete final paintings, which are of my deceased grandparents.

                                        

Show evil the upmost respect

I've stepped my game up and have started producing a body of work that I'm finally happy with... And as I'm sat on this bus remembering how much I hate public transport I though I'd share with you how I've developed my previous painting and what sketchbook work I've done over the week! I've mainly been focussing on monoprint and paint on canvas.

Remains, traces and a hell of a lot of masking tape!

After realising my work hasn't made sense I've been frantically scribbling in my sketchbook to make it work! And finally I've started to feel motivated again. So I've spent the day painting this portrait to pull the masking tape off of it to leave a blank negative space behind. Here's the results of today's work:

The nose needs work with the bridge being far too strange.. and the eyes aren't great but this is just a starting point so  can develop the idea and work with it to create something really interesting! I'll let you know how it goes.

Alistair

Life drawing meets cabaret

I needed a kick in the backside to get me working again, I've been slacking the past few days, so I went to Dr. Sketchy's cabaret life drawing for the second time this year at the Glee club, Nottingham. It's absolutely fantastic and everyone who loves life drawing should go because it's a really fun afternoon!

I've posted some of my drawings from the afternoon, however, I've done it on my phone so not a clue what it'll look like! I'm looking forward to refining these drawings and possibly turning them into architectural sculptures.
Alistair

Uni here I come!

This is shaping up to be, perhaps, the best week of the year so far.  After purchasing a lovely bright red VW Polo yesterday and a cheeky pint this afternoon, I received an email from UCAS notifying me that something had changed on my application! Lucky me I was greeted to an Unconditional from Leeds College of Art!

So I've finally made a decision and accepted University of Leeds as my Firm choice with Leeds College of Art as my insurance! Wow I can't wait for September.

When I get my car I will post some lovely pictures up of her for you, and maybe I'll post some work up to? I seem to have been neglecting that as of late.

All work and no play makes Alistair a dull boy.

It is with a heavy heart, and a steamin' hangover, that I have to say I physically can not do any amount of work.   My skin is burning and my eyes feel like bags of wet sand.

HOWEVER,


What an awesome night at Foam Party, which I have never been to before, but would definitely do it again. Although I wouldn't recommend wearing a denim jacket like I foolishly did. In fact it's still sodden from the copious amounts of foam that was fired onto me.  Normally I'd hate a night out in Mansfield, Nottingham has much more variety, but it was a pretty decent night at Wonderland, previously known as Liquid.  Clearly downing a bottle of wine worked out for the best! Although for some reason it doesn't feel like it right now, I wonder why?

http://www.facebook.com/wonderlandmansfield

Just realised that this post has absolutely nothing to do with my Final Major Project whatsoever! Ah well, I suppose All work and no play makes Alistair a dull boy.

Alistair

We only said goodbye with words, I died a hundred times.

A better outcome from traditional drawing.

After yesterday's terrible attempt at traditional drawing,  just couldn't leave it.  I needed to be successful at it.  So this morning I grabbed the nearest sketchbook and my trust graphite and etched away to create this portrait of someone I'm sure we're all familiar with. Can you guess who it is?

Some bits need to be touched up/made darker.  But it was just a quick half an hour drawing. Although that's pretty long for me at the minute. I'm far too used to 30 second blind drawings! However, I'm much happier with this outcome as opposed to yesterdays.  However, I suppose I should attempt to tackle the huge amounts of work I have to do before I go back to college.

And I just thought I'd share with you all that after months and months of telling myself that I would, I FINALLY got my tragus pierced in a spur of the moment.  The only problem is that as soon as I came out of Bodycraft Nottingham I immediately wanted to back in to get something else pierced. Damn my addictive personality!

Alistair

P.S. Would love to hear what you think about all my work and your opinions!

I might be proud, but at least I'm proud of something. You've taken pride in becoming nothing

Attempting to draw properly again. FAIL.

I probably haven't drawn 'properly' since I finished my Art A level back in June 2011.  Nine months later I've attempted to do some portraiture with a graphite stick, however, it didn't exactly go to plan. I find it looks boring and uninteresting as opposed to my line drawings that I have done to the left.

This is probably the first time I've fully appreciated what I've learnt on my Foundation course, although I may have felt like a complete and utter fool drawing sheep with a pen in my mouth at the time, it's paid off and I've found a better approach to drawing which has opened my mind and gave my drawing a personal and gestural quality which it lacked before.

I don't think I'll be reverting back to traditional methods any time soon.

Alistair

It's only once we've lost EVERYTHING, that we're free to do ANYTHING.

Documenting Fight Club, Directed by David Fincher.

As Part of my Final Major Project I've watched 'Fight Club' by David Fincher, as the Narrator and Tyler live in buildings very similar to these derelict warehouses that I have visited. Not to mention the fact that I LOVE this film! It's gripping, intense and has a blooming good storyline, so if you haven't seen it get yourself down to Blockbuster (If they still exist) or better yet, buy it!

Anyway, back on topic, I found huge amounts of interesting quotes that I could use for my project particularly Tyler's insight on material possessions: 'It's only once we've lost everything that we're free to do anything'. It's very powerful and very true at the same time, similar to Marla's view on this generation: 'The condom is the glass slipper of our generation. You meet a stranger. Put one on and go dancing, and then you throw it away.. The condom I mean not the stranger of course'.  There are key points in here, and I'm going to incorporate them into my practice. We'll just have to see how it all pans out.

Alistair

GNR Derelict Warehouse Nottingham

Furthering the project idea of Remains I paid a visit to the derelict GNR Warehouse near Sneinton in Nottingham.  Firstly, I advise anyone and everyone to go there! However, definitely take somebody with you because you never know who else will be there, especially with the copious amounts of needles on the floor.

Here are a few photographs from my visit, I' going to be using these as a starting point to experiment with unusual materials such as varnish, wax and latex to create some abstract interpretations of the building.

Alistair

You're not an artist unless you've sold something.

'Skelter' Drypoint print £17 and £15

'Stillness' Drypoint print £11

'Eroded Landscape' Colour Collagraph print £14

Finally, I can call myself an artist after selling some of my work! This evening my college hosted a print auction      in order to sell the print work of the students on our Foundation course. Lucky for me I had three prints in the auction which gave me £42! However, somebody liked 'Skelter' so much that they want me to reprint it for £15! BARGAIN.

As much I want to spend this £57 on a decent night out, I cant help but think I should put it as side and save up for going abroad to create some more art.  Hey, who knows maybe I can add a few zeros onto the end of that £57 next time.

Alistair

If affection could have saved you, you would still have lived.

Figurative drawings of elderly people in John Lewis

Figurative colour study on a napkin

Small studies of elderly faces

Normally I'd use a 'visual research day' as an opportunity to catch up on much needed sleep rather than actually venturing out of the house to draw! However, as it's a gloriously sunny day I've decided to be productive.

I started my day in the doctors surgery drawing patients waiting for their appointments, although, it resulted in many, many drawings of backs of peoples' heads- not quite as intriguing as I wanted.  So my next stop was the cafe in John Lewis, the perfect hot spot to find the elderly generation! After spending and hour and a half drawing my unsuspecting victims I left with a nice selection of gestural drawings, without even buying a drink.

Close up of my colour study on a napkin

Without a doubt my favourite drawing from the couple of hours was this figurative colour study on a napkin of the customers in John Lewis.  I love the use of gestural line and bold colour. Also, as the drawing was on a napkin the colour has bled onto the page behind it creating an interesting impression of the original drawing.

My last stop from the day was Church Rock Cemetery (Cheery, I know) where I planned to get rubbings in wax crayon from the interesting grave stones. However, I didn't even make it past the General Cemetery, nevermind the main Rock Cemetery.  It was unbelievably interesting to see all the ages and messages on each grave, the words were sweet yet depressing and poetic at the same time.  Out of all the ones I saw, the words that have stayed with me were 'If affection could have saved you, you would have still lived'. 

Wax crayon rubbing from a gravestone.

New Sunglasses :)

And after a hard days work what better way to treat myself than to a pair of new Sunny G's!  Plus they're getting me all excited for summer and it was cheaper than getting my tragus pierced!  HOWEVER! I shall get pierced one day.

I'll keep you updated on how things pan out, and I will be adding photos of my film photos and recent glass making workshop in the coming days. Enjoy Summer :)

Alistair

Winning isn't everything, but wanting to win is.

Prepared to hit the ground running... Let's see how long this will last.

After what I deemed as an unsuccessful interview at University of Leeds, it turns out they've offered me a place.  However, the only condition is that I need to achieve a Merit/Distinction for my Final Major Project (FMP).

Therefore, what better way to spend a gloriously sunny Sunday afternoon than inside dressed like a slob planning the next eight weeks of my life? I'm hoping that this blog will give me the motivation I need to hit the ground running to win. I need to win, not only to get into University of Leeds, but for myself too. I hope you enjoy reading my blog and find the inspiration and motivation that you need to win as well.

Alistiar

12 Images for Leeds University

'I long to escape my boring life' 

Creating Controversy in Sheffield

As a part of a previous topic, Absence and Presence, I went on a journey which lead me to dressing eccentrically around Sheffield in order to provoke a reaction from the public.

My inspiration for this experiment was a newspaper article with the title 'I long to escape my boring life'. As well as looking at how Grayson Perry and Lady Gaga use their dress and appearance in order to create reactions.

Masking my identity 

A series of photographs of myself masking myself
with smears of paint.

These photographs also formed part of my Absence and Presence work, with them representing feelings of suppression and being lost.  Using the seduction of colour to portray my intense emotion, and using it to mask myself, essentially taking the focus off of myself.  My main inspiration for this were Yinka Shonibare's patterned costumes which use explosive colour and delicate pattern to mask the subtle, yet dark undertones.

'Artists can colour the sky red because they know it's blue'

Red life drawing for the British Heart Foundation

Part of my Foundation course consisted of weekly life drawing classes, which were my favourite part of this year. Here is one of my paintings from 'Red Week' as the main point was to create beautiful Red paintings for the British Heart Foundation.  My painting is currently being exhibited as a part of the British Heart Foundation Exhibition in the college gallery.

Creating Prints

Drypoint print of Chairs

Colour Collagraph of Ilam Landscape

 Another key aspect of my Foundation course has been the Print making qualification where I have learnt a variety of techniques that I wish to use in the future.  Here are two of my prints that are going to be reprinted for an auction and exhibition in March. I will also be reprinting two more for the same auction. I love the different effects you can get from print, it offers an interesting take on these drawings and colour studies that I had done previously whilst on trips to Calke Abbey and Ilam. 

What the Water gave me

One of my water photographs

My working process

Experimental painting using bleach, ink
and fine liner

My most recent project was based on the four elements, after visiting Magna and researching the different elements, I wanted to focus on water. Therefore I immersed myself in water and began taking photographs. This lead to a series of photographs which I then created as a series of paintings using experimental methods, continuously working on top of the image to create an interesting effect that portrayed the effects of water.  The process was documented in my sketchbook with my thought process and grids of attempting to create this on a smaller scale before committing to producing large pieces of work. Furthering this idea, and conceputalising it to represent being trapped in our bodies, and looking at how we compare to models; I have then created a Fine Art film, which improves upon the original images.

Venice in the Rain

A watercolour study of  St Marks Sq in Venice

Novemeber 2011 I took a trip to Venice to see the spectacular Biennale, which was very inspiring and lead me to fill my hand made sketchbook full of water colour paintings of Venice in the rain and drawings of the exhibitions which I found particularly interesting. My visit to Venice has propelled me to create more art whilst travelling in different countries, perhaps Amsterdam and South America. 


Producing Art whilst travelling

A selection of gestural drawings of passengers and customers

Furthering the idea of producing art on the go, I began creating gestural drawings of passengers on bus journeys that I was on, as well as customers in coffee shops, in order to capture their expression and perhaps their thoughts.  I want to do more of this in the future, as I find human form fascinating and the idea that it could be possible to capture their thoughts in my drawings and paintings.  I'm visiting London on the 9th February in order to see the galleries and to find inspiration for my next self directed project, therefore, I will definitely be looking at people in London, hopefully creating drawings and using my film camera to capture them.

Experimenting with Photograms

Photogram of a dolls body

Perhaps one of the best parts of my Foundation course is the  use of unusual methods and techniques which add different elements to your artwork.  Here is one of my photograms, which used a dolls body and a semi transparent scarf to create unusual images.  What makes these fascinating is the fact that the plastic lets light through, leaving an X-ray type image.

Revisiting the past

Drawings of childhood photographs

Leaving conventional drawing techniques behind, I've adapted a more gestural  method of drawing; consisting of layering different materials and using a variety of techniques to produce visually stimulating images. Here  I have used my childhood photographs as a stimulus.  I find that I have grown as an artist since starting my Foundation course, it has lead me to experiment and find unusual ways to express my ideas.