Project: FMP Ideas

So, it's come round very quickly but I am now doing my final major project at uni! It's all going too fast.

I had an original idea of doing my project about symbology throughout culture and religion (this idea has since changed and I will write about it another time!!) and was struggling to think of anything to draw...

So I drew some sadhus instead!

Sadhus are Hindu men or women who live a life away from the rest of society to focus on their path to enlightenment through faith. They usually have painted faces and long dreadlocks, making them incredibly interesting to draw.

Even though I won't be using these images for my final project, I would love to produce some more paintings/drawings like these.

Practical: Williams Handmade Workshop and Gallery

I have done a couple more days in the leatherwear workshop over the past couple of weeks and have learnt a few more skills to do with leather making. Sarah is very lovely (and very busy!) so isn't in the workshop when I am  there, so she leaves me a pile of things to do and a little note explaining what needs to be done! It's nice being able to discover the skills for yourself and create your own way of working. I have never worked with leather before so everything is brand new to me!

 The past two days I have spent in the gallery workshop, I have been given a painting task to complete. Using Acrylic Dye suitable for leather, I have had to 'edge paint' cut out pieces of leather as a final detail. The paint also helps seal the edges.

 

 

The paint marks the leather (and your clothes!) permanently if you put it anywhere you don't want it. You have to act fast and wipe it off quickly if it ends up on any parts of the leather you don't want it on. It took a while to get use to but I'm much quicker at doing it now!

Another job I had been given was to apply poppers and studs to already cut glasses cases to create a final product. This was a bit terrifying at first as I'd only been given a brief demonstration on how to use the stud press however, after having a rummage and working out which attachments went where, I managed to start pressing studs!

 

 

 

Once I got into the swing of things I managed to get quite a lot done!

And voila! A handmade leather glasses case!



Personal: Challenging Myself

Whilst writing my dissertation, I considered just knuckling down and focusing solely on writing and reading until it was completely done to allow myself to focus more, however I don't like restricting myself or denying myself of something! So I thought I'd go completely the other way and challenge myself!

I decided that, during the breaks from my dissertation work, I would draw something that would challenge my drawing style and skills. I thought this would be a good way to keep my mind active and keep me motivated whilst also having fun! Whereas writing can sometimes be stressful, I find drawing isn't. It can be tricky at times but I find solving the problems you face very satisfying and with a considerable lack of frustration!!

I decided to do a figure drawing in pencil. I struggle both with drawing people anyway and pencil is not usually my first media of choice. I thought the process of drawing would take my mind off the stress of writing and, maybe, give me some hope when I was feeling a bit defeated by word counts!

Here is the progress so far...



Personal: Sketchbook

So far...



Shop: Anti - Valentine's

I'm not a particularly soppy person and I'm pretty bitter for my age so, like many others, when Valentine's rolls around every year I tend to get filled more with bubbling rage then any of that romantic gushy crap. Therefore, I have dedicated a corner of my Etsy Shop  to people who maybe do want to say I love you, but without all the sentimental bull that comes along with it!

A few months back I drew up a selection of drawings of my favourite film heroines with quotes along side them... these seem to have works well for Valentine's cards, especially for people who are fans of these films!

 

The Rebecca & Enid Ghost World card I think could be suitable for good friend's that send eachother cards on Valentine's as an alternative!

I also had some cards left over from last year. One of them suggests that cake is more important than your loved one... to which I must strongly agree!

 

Front                                                             Inside



Research: Dissertation

Today I did some work on my dissertation. It's slowly getting there! It's so interesting reading up about Land Girls and their experiences during their time helping the war effort. Some of the accounts are actually pretty emotional and overwhelming. Basically my dissertation is just an excuse to say THANKYOU to them for being so awesome and help path the way to equality for women.

Today I was specifically looking at WWI recruitment posters and how they portrayed the Women's Land Army in an idyllic and, almost, glamorised manner, using patriotic sayings and suggestions to encourage women to sign up.



Personal: Doilies

I love patterns and I really love drawing mandalas. I've had the idea to draw on doilies for a while now after seeing someone draw a portrait on one. I thought the pattern from the doily would make a nice frame for the hand drawn pattern.

I'm going to make a little series and frame them. I would also love to embroider fabric doilies in a similar way.