Visual Forms: Sketchbook #2 (Madness)

Rethink.

I have been thinking a lot my subject, as I am not really interested in war at all. It was suggested to me that I could study Romans which is a great idea being as I am currently in Cardiff. They also had a lot of culture and art themselves which would be good to replicate and again there is a lot of Roman history in my hometown so I am never too far way from it.
One thing that really interested me with Romans was mosaics, I remember when I first learnt about them in primary school and I thought it was that best thing ever and had a go at making a few out of cut up bits of paper, I really wish I had taken it further in secondary school when I did pottery. Nevermind. Also my Nan really likes Roman history so I have a beacon of knowledge too.

Roman Mosaic

Alas, although Romans are awesome, they don't really interest me as much as .. pirates. (I, given this gift of knowledge and practically instead choose pirates.. I am a child).

I have a back up of Romans but in fairness my head is all over the place for this project. I have always been bad at sketchbooks I don't know if they should be presentable or just like I usually do them "everything everywhere all in one maybe a napkin or two, oh I drew on this receipt and half  my work is in my note book and there is a bit in another sketchbook -somewhere-" my sketchbooks are currently a mess and I hate ripping pages out to scan them in. I just can help thinking something and putting it in... maybe I can do Roman pirates ? Help.

I am going home soon and I will be going to Liverpool to have a look at the Maritime Museum and a few others in the area as well as aquariums for underwater references. I will be looking at Roman things in my town (they are pretty hard to miss anyway). On my return I will be looking in Museums in Cardiff and Newport which i know have some nautical/pirate-y things and perhaps some roman stuff too. I will look at both and see which I take too better.

Visual Forms: Sketch book.

My ongoing project is my visual studies sketch book which is due in May. To a re-cap I have to study either; processions, market places or ruined civilisation. In previous blog posts I mentioned that the most interesting topic seemed to be ruined civilisations, but it is a visual study - it has to be first hand, making it quite tricky.

Originally I wanted my work to be game based, as the project game about around the time of the release of Fallout 4 it seemed obvious that was going to be my main inspiration, but - it can't, as it is not visually first hand.

My plan has now evolved in to looking at war time technology,  being as we have advanced an awful lot since then due to how much we rely on it now. (Maybe we're the ruined civilisation- joke).

My study will begin with second hand observation, probably off the internet just to do some sketches and perhaps have a read up from some books on typewriters and code machines. My main part of the project will be visiting war museums however being located in Cardiff it is very difficult to get anything war time related at all. My best bet is my visiting home: Manchester.

Here are a few places I plan to visit for my studies, probably over a break or when I can on a free weekend:
I am planning to go to visit a war time museum in Manchester http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/iwm-north as well as
http://www.carewcheritoncontroltower.co.uk/
http://www.watchetmuseum.co.uk/maritime/
being as there are no museums or history of ww1/2 in the museum in wales

I have an internal conflict too, as much as the game interests me, war and pretty much everything to do with it in real life is uninteresting to me. But that is bring my personal beliefs into the matter, so we'll not go there.

Another thought; I could scrap the war idea altogether and just use what I have on my doorstep, it is very much a history based topic after all and there is a beautiful museum here in Cardiff.
Although ruined civilisation seems the most interesting, it is also the one that requires the most travel/work; for processions I could use the traffic outside my window, or my footage of the carnival from my home town I got over summer. For market places, there is a very decent market place here in Cardiff and another close by in Newport, however this topic I am not interested in as I find it boring and restrictive (probably because I can see literally no excitement or variation in it - at all)
I would really like to study something that I am interested in, and am able to accomplish (and not be financially strangled).


My previous blog posts:
Oct 8th 2015
Nov 1st 2015
Dec 15th 2015

Visual Forms: Repreposal

Repreposal

Just a reminder there are many layers to this module the main part is a research diary and a presentation on a specific topic and the second part is an unrelated sketchbook on a chosen topic from: Ruined civilisation, Market Places or Processions.

Part 1

I was looking at the aesthetics of the art David Mack and his link to the Netflix shows Daredevil and Jessica Jones. I do have a bit of research on these but far as my research has got me it is still not enough to fill my research diary, I have also been warned of not turning it in to a fan letter to Marvel comics and David Mack. I will keep it but i am widening my range to the colours used in setting and how they are comparable to the comic books and Lighting and touching a little bit on semiotics. This has been a bit of a set back for me, I still have the prior research I did but it is just need a re-word and it is due January.

Part 2 

My original proposal for my sketchbook was to look at ruined civilisation in games, mainly looking at backgrounds and setting to start off with then develop in the character design. However, chatting to my lecturer it is clear it is more about -actual- first hand visual studies. Not a research sketchbook in to already done concepts. I can link my research that i find into games and concepts towards the end but fundamentally the core of my sketchbook has to be first hand visual sketches and ideas.
So my new proposal is keeping in mind that I was going use Fallout as my main inspiration i am going to be studying war and as secondary; 50's culture.
My plan is to get into a war museum which would be perfect if i was at my home over the break for a while being as it is very close to a WW2 museum. I am going to have to look in to museums in the area.
I plan on starting off by looking at typewriters and technology that is rarely used nowadays, perhaps uniforms and weapons that are now modified and then the horrors of war and then perhaps some of my own concepts and then some research into artists that have studied this topic before.

Below are some shots from Fallout that were the main inspiration for my research.

Ruined Civilization, Market Places & Processions #1

Visual Forms

Everything on this blog will lead up to building my Visual Forms Sketchbook, Essay & Presentation.
So there will be a reoccurring blog posts well into next year.

What you can expect is research into some key themes i have been given to kickstart my project; Ruined civilisation, Market Places & Procession. I am allowed to interpret in anyway, as long as I have evidence backing up my argument.

Ruined Civilisation 

For this I will be mainly focusing on concept design of characters and landscapes in games & films. topic.
The games & films providing me with my concepts are things such as Destiny, Mad Max, Zombiecide, Matrix and Dishonoured and alike.

So all post-apocalyptic worlds this would be my argument that they are all ruined civilisations, civilisations that are not at their peak, but are now grumbling in the bowels of destruction clinging to that last piece of their civilised nature.
Firstly, the abundance of violence which is certainly not civil, is that is not our idea/ norm of what civil is. There is a threat to humanity as we when it in all of these texts; Darkness, machines and plague all an ominous threat to humanity's survival.

Also max max. I would like to take this excuse opportunity to look at things i am very interested in.
ZombieCide, i can talk on this about how you take part in you're own fate, it is a zombie survival base board game with beautiful concept

Looming extinction. a ruined civilisation (the last known point of the civilisation is before it breaks.)
A threat to cause one to be not so civil. thus ending civilisation.

Market Place Studies

I have been to my local market, I just wanted to portray a simple market place, no other interpretation. Just lazily simple.

Procession.

I will like to take a cultural route for this one, tapping into a bit of history no doubt a long the way. I will begin with local processions; my home town in England has a procession every year in the Summer. It has lots of fun and creativity involved, raising money for charities and awareness as well as advertising local (and now not so local) shops and businesses.
I am hoping that this will lead me on to other things such as fun fairs, circuses & festivals both local and around the world.

Visual Forms #1

This was more of a warm up project, to go out an look at the world around you becuse first hand reference is the best kind of reference, because you'll gain your own understanding and htere for have your own stamp on your work.

It was a pretty easy project and it was very peaceful, it let me try out a few things I wanted to try, for instance; tissue paper and coffee painting:

Here is a compilation of the six trees I did for the project:

Watercolours

Pencil Crayon

Brush Ink

Felt Pens

Fine liners, Charcoal and Silver Pens

Water Soluable fine liner, tissue and brown paper collage and coffee. 

I would recommend any artist to try this, just go out and draw six trees with different mediums, try and go out of your comfort zone and try new things!!