3D Illustration - Taking the Photo

What went well?

• I think that taking the photo outside worked really well in terms of lighting. The harsh morning light adds a really nice drama to the image which complements the subject matter really well.
•  I also think that  my eye peeling through the shrubbery in the first image works well. It gives a character to the hand grabbing the man (Jerry). I also love the way that it is lit, which happened totally by chance. I tried to re-inact it but I couldn't.

What Challenges did I face?

• I really struggled with the fact that I had to be in the photo because it meant that I couldn't take it myself. I got my brother to take it but I found that all of his photos were totally not what I envisioned. He kept photographing me and the man from the wrong angle. Fortunately, the fact that it was quite a close up photo meant that I was able to take it my self in the end although this was slightly awkward.
• I also really struggled to make the man stand up because his one foot was not enough to support him. In my original images I had him balancing on a silver screw driver, which looked messy. I definitely think that the small tree was a perfect solution and I think that the shrubbery also works well to create a more interesting setting.

What could I have done differently and how am I going to move forward?

• I prefer the whole composition of the top image but the man looks so much better in the bottom one and I like how you can see his whole body. I was suck between them and tried o take another but I couldn't get the light right. However, my whole family preferred the top one because they thought that the photo was better as a whole, so I'm going to present that.
• Although most of my time was spent making the man, I learned that he was only one element of my composition (something I hadn't thought about until after I had made him). If I were to repeat this brief I would have considered this at the start and planned the whole image rather than just one element of it.
• I really enjoyed making my man out of plasticine. It was interesting that I found designing my character three-dimensionally easier than I did two-dimensionally. This is a valuable thing to know for future briefs and three dimensional illustration is something I'd like to do more of. 

Tell an Untold Story: Liminal Space Research

There are many different uses of the phrase ‘liminal space’ (liminal meaning threshold, which is generally a broad word).

It refers to a literal threshold between two places, which serves no real function (like the border on the canal between Leeds and the countryside or where the abandoned factories exist on the outskirts of Leeds at the dock). However, it can also refer to the threshold between life and death, a vale between our world and the next or even a turning point in life. For example, when you lose your everything any you are at a point when you don’t know where to go next. You have left your old comfort zone but cannot find any new answers. 

All of the definitions to me refer to something which doesn’t really serve a function and is lost. This makes me associate a sort of negativity with the word. When exploring the liminal space on the canal between the city and the countryside I font that it did have quite an eerie nature to it. I felt very alone sitting there, in a space filled with remnants of what has been i.e. litter, things hanging from trees and old clothing left by people passing through. Even in the middle of the day the space sent a shiver through my spine.

Here are some texts, which I found on Reddit that speak about liminal space (I know it’s not a very reliable source but they sum it up beautifully):

Tell an Untold Story: Canal History Research

 

Research Summary:

Canal construction took 46 years and it was completed in 1816 (127 miles long WITH 91 locks):

• Trade and industry was flourishing during the Industrial Revolution
• Needed a waterway as a transport link between the East and West (joins both coasts together with Aire and Calder Navigation)
• Passed through lots of limestone and coal mining areas - Most important cargo was coal followed by merchandise 

Why was the canal such a success?

• Very broad locks (62ft x 14 ft) to support short boats (broad vessels capable of carrying cargo of up to 45 tonnes)
• Such a good mode of transport it even competed with railways, still used to transport coal into the 20th century (until 1950s)

How was it utilised in WWII?

• Used as a transport link
• Lots of pubs and barns along the canal were fortified in addition to pillboxes and blockhouses

Why did commercial traffic decline?

• Natural gas was introduced so cole no longer needed to be transported from canal side collieries
• Only a couple of things were transported using the canal in the 1970s, such as timber, grain and herring metal

Maintaining the Canal today - ’the second age of canals':

• As the canal no longer works commercially as a transport line canal enthusiasts have been working to keep it open since the 1950s/60s by trying to bring boats onto it so that it is still used
• It is now used mainly for leisure by boaters
• However, it is one of the quietest canals for leisure and boating in the UK
• This year we celebrated the 200 years that the canal has been open by recreating the first trans-Pennine journey made by merchants on a boat called Kennet. This celebrated and reminded people of the canal's rich history.

I am really interested in this shift in the canal from something which historically served a really important function to something with no real function at all other than perhaps its beauty. But even so, as I have discovered it is not all beautiful. I also enjoyed this folk tale that I read about a cow falling in the canal an being revived with whisky.

References:
https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/enjoy-the-waterways/canal-and-river-network/leeds-and-liverpool-canal
http://www.canaljunction.com/canal/leeds_liverpool.htm
http://www.towpathtreks.co.uk/llc/canal_map.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leeds_and_Liverpool_Canal
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-37671372

Tell an Untold Story: Group Tutorial

In my tutorial, I presented the group with my findings quite unsure of what direction I wanted to go in in the hope that thy might give me some ideas and point me in the right direction. The group did give me some ideas but none of them really resonated with me or made me feel excited, so I am still feeling quite lost at the minute. My group all had a common interest in the objects that I collected and the remnants of people that are left behind i.e. my ripped up scratch cards and bag of bracelets. They suggested that I look at these and maybe do some drawings from them. I agree with my group that this is a really interesting concept but I just really hate drawing objects (and particularly things so complex), which is why it isn’t sparking anything in me. I wish that I had shown them my sketchbook, to maybe push ideas in a slightly different direction.  

In terms of research, It was suggested that I look into the history of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and at how it was used in the past as a transport way, then at how this function has changed over time so that it has become an almost functionless liminal space (particularly the area where the countryside meets the city). People don’t live here and it isn’t a beautiful countryside waterway it is simply a space that people pass through. 

I think that although I am not overly excited by the visual elements of my project at the minute, I am going to go ahead and conduct this research, to see where it takes me. I do find this idea of liminal spaces quite intriguing. I also think that this contrast between the expectation of a beautiful waterway and the reality of it quite interesting. Maybe I could play around with contrasting images of it (this would give me the scope to make images of what i want, while still retaining an interesting concept)?

Photoshop Induction: Edited Plants

Having not really used photoshop before, I struggled to think of different ways of editing my plant because I was unfamiliar with the tools and where they could take me. I think that the most interesting plant is the third one, which I did by accident when trying to alter the colour of the plant. I really love simplicity of it and the depth that it has given the plant's leaves. I also think that using a background texture in the fourth image works well to just add another level of visual interest to a simple image. I would definitely like to start building up my textures album on photoshop.

Tell an Untold Story: Interview Transcripts

I think that the fact that it is a man made waterway, originally built simply for travel is being maintained and protected by man as if it were a natural waterway is quite interesting i.e. trying to enrich its wildlife etc. I also think the clash between the lengths that the Canal Trust are going to to maintain the canal in contrast to the ways in which it is slowly being destroyed by the billowing city that surrounds it and passers by is interesting also.

What the fisherman said about the ‘strange and wonderful people’ was interesting as I did come across a number of interesting characters on my journey. I could even make a book solely about this. I also found what he said about the paint factory burning down and polluting the river really interesting and I would like to research into this further. 

I am really interested in what the taxi driver said about economy of the Leeds Dock area as it is a place I knew nothing abut prior to my trip. I am intrigued by all of the abandoned shops and factories, which still exist untouched since they were shut down. 

Tell an Untold Story: Photographic Findings

I was shocked by the sheer amount of litter down the canal - not the idilic canal I pictured

I was surprised by how space the river boats were (only saw two before I reached the dock) - is the canal no longer really used?

 There was graffiti everywhere - is this because the lack of access to the canal so people don't get caught? Definitely a key visual element

I have lots of photos, which look like the classic idilic watercolours you see of the canal - that is when you crop out all the graffiti and litter

Lots of small areas of natural beauty - where nature is creeping into the cityscape (could I look at this clash?) - also interesting river reflections

Tones of missing person signs which gave me shivers because the canal was quite vast and empty - I felt like they had gone missing on the canal

Interesting man made forms - particularly when you look up at building facades lining canal

I took a walk down the river, which felt very untouched because there was no path. I wondered how long the fabric had been hanging from this tree and who put it there and why? what came before?

I sat and watched the two geese who always sit in the same spot attacking passersby. It was interesting to see different peoples reactions. One guy gave his cigarette as an offering

There were lots of areas which looked as if they had been inhabited by people. They had a strange presence to them

Who hung these photos and why? Is it to remember a girl who has passed?

Abandoned functionless factories line the canal on the outskirts go the city 

Met this interesting character (interview 1)

Took a river boat to Leeds Dock (interview 3). Why and how do they run for free?

Is it the arms museum that is keeping Leeds Dock afloat? Loved the weird presence of the creepy masks. Some had very human features

So many abandoned factories and hops in Leeds Dock - smashed windows, litter, why did this happen? Why has no one done anything about it?

You can wonder through the factories. I felt like someone was watching me

Tell an Untold Story: My Journey

I think that all of the objects that I collected represent my journey quite well.

• The leaf encapsulates of all of the different colours on the canal in addition to the ‘natural’ side of it.
• The Glen's bottle represent the young people who hang out on the canal at night drinking, who both the Canal Trust guy and the Fisherman spoke about.
• The pile of ripped up scratch cards reflect the many piles of rubbish that I found along the canal bank outside the city.
• The bag of hand made bracelets reflect all of the remnants of people living there that I found on the banks (like a tent and a den full of photographs).
• The wheel was something that I took out of a pile of old stuff from one of the many abandoned shops and factories in Leeds Dock.
• The flyer was from the Arms Museum at Liberty Dock (the only tourist destination there).

What went well?

• I am really happy with my interviews. Initially I don't think that I was going to have the courage to approach one person, let alone record three 5 minute interviews. I found that once I had approached a person the conversation flowed well and I discovered much more interesting things than I did from my own observation of the canal.
• I also think that the collected ephemera sum up my journey perfectly and are perhaps the most interesting thing that I recorded. Collecting objects was just a secondary thing but having brought them back I think that they really create a sense of the place as well as triggering my own memories of the journey. 

What challenges did I face?

• I really struggled to approach strangers to interview them. It took me two hours of walking up the canal before I plucked up the courage to approach anyone at all. I think that I could have maybe made this easier for myself by writing a list of questions to ask beforehand, rather than making it up as I went along. 
• I also don't think that I did enough drawing on location because it was too cold. I think that I discovered more about my location drawing directly from it, rather than from photos. i.e. I would be drawing one thing and I'd be distracted by something more interesting or I was able to document noises as well as visuals. 

What could I have done differently and how am I going to move forward?

• I am really happy with the people that I interviewed, they were all really interesting characters. I just wish that I had asked them if they had any stories about the Canal. I think that this would sprung some more interesting ideas than simply getting factual information from them. 
• At the minute I have lots of information about lots of different elements of my journey. What I need to do now is to hone in on one idea to research further. I am therefore going to do some brainstorming before my tutorial on Monday. At the moment the themes that I am considering are - the clash between the natural and the man made, the simple beauty of the canal, the people I meet along the canal and the remnants they leave or the declining economy of Leeds Dock.

My journey:

Tell an Untold Story: Planning my Journey

 

I decided to go with the theme of water because I think that it would be really fun to just follow the canal and see where it takes me. I find this idea of the city shaping the path of the waterway really interesting as well as this meeting of the man made and nature. Somebody also suggested talking to the boat drivers on the water taxi about their experience. I  am hoping that I can do this all in one journey. I am super nervous about having to interview strangers but I think that if I write out a set of questions first, this should be reassuring.

Collage Session and Circus

This was the first Visual Language workshop brief that I have really got intend enjoyed. I love using collage as a medium and having used it a lot last year it was really nice to come back to.

What went well?

• I think that using a repeat motif worked well because it created a sort of narrative, which runs through the whole book. 
• I also think that working really simply, each time just making a tiny change to my image worked really well rather than filling my pages with lots of interacting forms. This is because it created a focus to my book and showed how easy it can be to create simple and effective illusions with collage. 
• I also think that using a black and white motif worked well because it allowed me to animate it with a bit of colour if I chose as wall as casting the focus onto the alteration rather than the man himself.

What challenges did I face?

• I enjoyed using the same repeated motif for the first two pages, after which I found it quite limiting. I kept coming up with cool ideas for interesting landscapes and things that I could do with the whole figure (which couldn’t be applied to my man). However, I think that keeping with my motif really forced me to push my ideas and to do things that I wouldn’t have done had I had the freedom to do whatever I wanted. I.e. ripping up the face (which turned out to be one of my most interesting ideas).

• I also found that even though my collages were so simple, it was a very time consuming media to work with. I also tend to work things out while I draw rather than before. However, with collage I found that you can’t do this. You need an idea of what you want to achieve or test out before you start working. I struggled with this at the start but towards the end of my book I found that it started to work well for me. 

What could I have done differently and how am I going to move forward?

• I think that maybe I could have been more experimental in the way that I worked rather than so neat and precise. However, I personally was really drawn to the simplicity of my more graphic pieces. 
• Even though the man that I used on my motif is from the circus, I don’t think that there is a very circusy feel to my book. I think that maybe I could have worked harder to bring in this element.
• Having enjoyed this workshop so much I want to start bringing elements of collage into my Visual Narratives module. It could be interesting to have small elements of collage in my illustrations for my book (particularly as it is a project based on documenting and recording real world events).

One Week Map: Screen-printing our Map

 

What went well?

• I am really happy with how the screens exposed. all of the detail came out perfectly. The only thing that I would have liked was if the pomegranate had more of a texture to it.

• I am really happy with how the design printed. Something that surprised me was that I almost preferred the design when the screens were't lined up, even though they weren't designed like this. I think that this is because the design is so simple and so not lining up adds an interesting level of ambiguity to the design.

• I also think that the red and blue work really well together. They really animate the design and as well as making it look sleek. I definitely think that these colours work way better than when we were more experimental with colour (looks too complex). However, painting the screen does create an interesting effect.

What challenges did we face?

• We found that we were really pushed for time when we were printing. This meant that we didn't have time to print a perfectly aligned design if we wanted time to experiment with colour. This was a shame as we designed our positives to match up perfectly. (Maybe this was a mistake as this was more of an experimental printing project?)

• We also found that we spent a lot of time sitting around because the two group members printing the red screen were a lot slower than us. This meant that we didn't get a chance to print on top of one of the red designs. Trying to line up the designs would have been a good learning curb and it would have been interesting to see if it made a difference printing the blue on red rather than the red on blue. 

• I also found flushing back the ink, while holding the screen away from the table really difficult. If you didn't do it totally evenly then the next two or three deigns would print badly. 

How am I going to move forward?

• Having learnt how to screen print I definitely want to use it again in my own practice. I love the slick very finished looking results that it gives and the way it really allows you to experiment with colour (and composition to an extent) because it is such a quick process. I also think that it will work well to help me simplify my work. I definitely want to do this soon before I forget everything that we learnt in the induction.