Journey - Submission Progression and Final Work

Not long after the previous Ampersand deadline, the second risograph zine (Journey) also comes to a close. I decided to keep with the previous ideas of an illustrative "mash-up", I began to draw the elements of the images out in higher quality, then begin to photoshop them together into a montage of my journey to Kidderminster. Here are some examples: 

Journey To The Midlands: 

The work is simply a visual pin up of various elements that made an important journey, to see an important person in my life recently. The trains, music, video gaming, and the converted hotel/mill, are all key elements that made the trip important to me. 

I've enjoyed this work the most (so far) in terms of creation, since it's comic aesthetic is something that not only appeals to both of us, but creates a connection between the art and us personally. It shows how a journey can bloom into other areas of life. 

Ampersand - Final Dev and Submission

First deadline draws near. 

The tension kicks in as we all work hard to submit what we can, as we craft our zine work. 

Progression: 

I now have a solid and complete work for the Ampersand Zine, which conveys a small message through simple visual means. 

Using the cobbled street from the drifter/playscape work, and the hand photo i used earlier, i decided to combine the two with lettering, making a "black spot" style murder work. 

Using further editing, and some type manipulation I created the final work, using a mix of digital collage, and hand drawn elements, with added photography. 

I'm pleased with the result. It doesn't go overboard on any excessive intricate linework, and tributes the old punk style collage of the 70s zines, discussed awhile ago. 

Symbolica Mortem - (symbolic death) 

with the general public never truly understanding the origins of the symbol they always recognize and see, the ampersand gets it's revenge, in a forensic style pun collage. 

After handing the work to chloe, she asked me to make a lighter version, so the risograph would detect the image better, which may mean a colour change. The tones should work well hopefully... 

Drifter - Responses 2

This zine focuses more of the natural form side of the trip. 

I decided to explore possibilities regarding the 800+ year old trees and their forms around the area, since I don't normally draw trees or natural forms in general and thought it to be a cool response, in terms of intricacy. 

Responses: 

- The first two images relate to the silhouetted arms of the trees, and how they constantly loomed over me while I was there. 

- The cracked tree seen in the next one down actually began to break around me, when the wind picked up. Another incident of nature I can record. 

- The final two relate to two possible images, involving the hollowed tree trunks, and the endless path, another two important events in the flow of the trip. 

My responses above are the final pencil stage sketches for Drifter. I decided to dive in and sketch these, mainly due to wanting to keep the images very "developmental" and almost giving off the "half process" vibe. 

I'm pleased with how they look overall, and could do with some digital editing to enhance them. 

This particular zine will stick to black and red, with my work sticking to a crisp black and white. 

Playscape - Responses 1

After discussion, we decided to keep the Playscape zine in the teal and orange colours, and that we would risograph the work for both zines. 

I completely agree this was the right choice for the group, since the risograph can offer a unique outlook for the publication, and also is rather cost effective.  

The playscape Zine deals with more physical, literal elements to the experiences. I've decided to pick a few to focus on: 

- My interaction with the nature
- The flightpath of the planes, and the planes as "objects" 
- the bricks I found scattered around some of the plant life 
- The "Horses" sign, i randomly found near an old path (items no longer in use)

Development: 

Using a range of photographs taken (as seen on my report into the trip on the previous posts), I began to mash together photographs, to make a "pin up" of digitally collaged scenes, almost like a summary, of sorts. The pictures below were a vital experiment into forming an image that I wanted to use in the zine. 

In descending order from the first image: 

- The lake, representing an enlarged plane shot, showing how the thick, manmade dark object intruded into my wander, and dominated the immediate moment. 

- A mixture of barks, textures and branches, showing my personal interacting with the trip. 

- The collapsed old tree next to a sign, shows how the area is constantly changing, and how my trip moved from one event to another. 

- A mix of trees with a protruding brick. The overall point of this was pun towards the man made objects in the area being "grown over". 

When I produce these, I want to think of my planning not just a sketchbook body of work, but the trip itself to be a "plan", and these particular photo collages to play a big part in this also. 

I also feel that over complicating the image in terms of accurate drawing shouldn't be done, since a more ambiguous approach, (like our zine rules state) would be more beneficial. 

Sketches: 

I decided to make a few shorthand ink sketches, to get a rough idea of the general "feel" to the image. 

the balance of line and texture in the image is something I want to particularly "rebel" with in terms of that image really shows, and what is really representing. 

The final sketches for my portfolio, and for further zine development are finally done. These represent the playscape mashup and my personal idea / response in a way that isn't too ambiguous but not too literal, which I believe is a strongpoint. 

I'm eager to see how the digital phase goes. Will it effect the work too much?

The Tatton Park Visit - Tatton Hall and Surroundings

After an extremely long walk down the pathway, I eventually found myself coming towards an exit for vehicles on the other side of the park, leading to an area where I used to play, back when I was a kid. I completely forgot about this area until now, and it brought back memories of being here years ago.

I decided however to head towards the house, and walked towards an enclosed area, full of shrubbery. I ended up going through a small hedge, and appearing in the old sevrants quaters, where the cobbled streets and old stable area was now riddled with gift shops and the back entrance to the house.

This particular area brought back memories of the family outings, and it hadn't changed a bit  They were not too keen on me taking photos here, so I began head back the way I came (since you had to pay a crazy amount to enter the house grounds). I took various shots of the cobbled street for textures, and and the old brickwork too.

I wanted to try and capture the more natural side of the trip, so I headed right back the way I came, but this time, decided to head alongside the exterior of the fence around the garden, and head across the park to the far side, and head back that way round.

The deer were grazing nearby and got some more good shots. the hills around this particular area were also more interesting , since the majority of the wooded area is on this side of the park, and I thought it interesting to follow the incredibly long pathway back. From what i've gathered, the natural side of the trip so far has been the biggest influence, and holds many interesting points to draw upon, such as textures, wildlife, and the trees. After making my way across the park once again, I came upon a seemingly endless stretch of forest pathway. As I walked back, I continued to take pictures of it, trying to capture the colour change and the light changes along the way. 

Eventually my trip came to an end, and I returned where I began. 

After exploring, I have decided to focus on several areas for my quickfire zine ideas for the two main publications: 

- Colour 

- The complication of natural forms I encountered and how I became lost in them 

- The separate "areas" of the park, and how I reacted to each of them 

- The old trees, and their knotted patterns 

Wandering by myself was a drawback, but also gave me a complete detachment from any distraction, and gave me full ability to take control of my wander, which I don't think would've been as productive, if we were all together. 

I do wonder what the outcome would be, if that was the case. 

Now for the sketching...

The Tatton Park Visit - Lost Wanderer

After a lengthy walk across to the other side of the park, I began to stop and see some of surrounding natural scenes. The way the area opens up, and then closes as you walk into the more wooded areas is one of the best aspects of the park itself. I encountered very little in the way of anything man made, and saw some interesting formations made from collapsed trees. It had clearly been there for an incredibly long time judging by the hole it had left in the ground. Some had attempted to carve their initials into the woodwork.

Crossing more open hills, I area reminded me of the Lord of the Rings filming sets, with it's array similarities to the hills of New Zealand.

I encountered more deer, and eventually came across a small ford over an annex from the lake, which had spawned another smaller lake across onto the other side of the park. This was the only side of the lake that actually contained those traditional pond reeds. So far I'm being intrigued mostly by the colours and naturally grown elements of the area, which seem to strike at me the most. These are the incidents I feel like I want to draw upon from this visit so far.

I couldn't remember fully where I was going, and at this point, I was completely alone in a massive, expansive park. I decided that I'd follow the forest route towards Tatton Hall, hidden away in the distance, and see what I could see along the way.

Passing through a small wooded area, I came across more marked and listed trees, that looked even older than that the ones I previously encountered. One particular tree, (as seen above) actually began to crack and snap in the wind, showing it was becoming slowly damaged. I took a few pictures, since it seemed slightly inspiring. The massive crack down the center was another sign.

I also noticed various dens made from the fallen bark and branches, which were probably made by scouts. (I doubt the deer had anything to do with them to be honest...).

I was initially lost in this area, since a herd of deer were nearby, and I was advised on entry to the park not to get too close, so I went back the way I came, and decided to follow the road through the park. I carried on, taking a few more photographs along the way.