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