Sketchbooks update...

I am happy to describe the bulk of my body of work as sketchbooks.
A little update...at the last count I had 11 sketchbooks each documenting life through my eyes. They are at varying stages but most of them are actually complete, each one containing different themes and sometimes working methods. They are not books to be developed from. They are my outpourings, to be closed again once read. Completing sketchbooks for me is a necessity. I see them all as final, completed pieces of work to be displayed in my exhibition space at the end of the course. Without them nothing else in my body of work would make sense. I'm not yet sure how they will be displayed but that'll become clear later down the line.
For now I shall just continue as I mean to go on...sketchbook 12 on the go!

Illustrations become more digital...

As always I've been enjoying my drawing but I felt like I wanted to continue to develop it in more of a digital manner. I played around with Photoshop in a similar way to how I ask my students to explore it and added colour to my work.

I feel like my drawings have started to become something else without losing their hand rendered, imperfect feel. I very much like the flat quality of the colour that you are able to apply when working digitally. This may be the next step in the evolution of my drawings. I now envisage some of them to be large scale and not the small drawings hidden away in my sketchbook. This is not somewhere I thought I would be!

I have even thought about combining images on the same canvas and subtracting any background that appears.  I am still happy with the idea of working with 'families' of objects and grouping things together. Eventually the combination of objects may be quite mixed, perhaps a form of self portrait that describes me through objects around me on a daily basis. This again constantly links back to my initial theme of documenting the world around me and looking for beauty in the ordinary.

Thinking about talking...

Last week we had to present our recent work to the rest of the group. As usual I became mute-like whilst everyone was able to articulate about their work and ideas. I realised I may be selling myself short by not discussing my work in depth with others. How are they expected to understand it if I am unable to lead them in to it?
I'm sure many people think I'm just the girl who draws objects and there's nothing more to it than that! Should I be concerned about that? I actually quite like the idea that some people may look no further than face value. After all, what's wrong with simply enjoying drawing? However, maybe I should talk about the many levels to my work, my fear of being left all alone and the accumulation of 'stuff' that I surround myself with to feel safe and make me temporarliy happy...Then again, if people want to look deeper, they can do.
I'll only let people in to my world if they really want to enter it!

Reflections following university last week...

We had the opportunity to look at some reflective journals from Year 3 students. I'm not sure how they'd have felt about that. I found it strange that many were able to comment on their influences and the work they created that linked to this. I thought about influences on me and the work I produce. I guess I find it difficult to identify many sources of inspiration because I'm inspired by everything around me, everyday. I look at blogs, websites, magazines, posters, books, shops, old knitting patterns, packaging, found objects. Basically anything and everything inspires me to work in the way I do.

Conscious stream of thought

I have been thinking quite a lot recently about how best to describe the work I create. I feel the most appropriate terms to use referring to my sketchbooks in particular is that they are a conscious stream of thought.

Although my work does have many layers I feel it is not necessary to understand them all and it may be taken at face value for exactly what it is, the everyday looked at in a different light.  

The role of stitch

Stitch has always played an important part in my work. I like working in a tactile manner and stitch fits within this. I enjoy the whole process of stitching and feel that this is an important part of the creation of the piece. However, I have been absorbed by my drawings recently and haven't used stitch as extensively as I have previously. I'm quite sure I'll come back to it at a later date. I have thought about taking some of my drawings of everyday objects and recreating them in stitch or even continuing the badge theme I used in my swimming based work.

Knitting as art

I started knitting a number of years ago for fun. I did knit as a small child but mainly scarves for teddy bears and things of that nature. I like to think I'm slightly more ambitious now! I started knitting hats, scarves, mittens and socks and then moved on to clothes. I have well and truly been bitten by the knitting bug and saw the potential of using it within my art work.

Obviously there was the knitted swimming costume I created but I also designed these knitted lungs. I'd like to continue to use knitting within my work but I'll be honest, I'm not entirely sure what form it will take or how it will fit in with the rest of my work. I like the idea of many knitted organs but also knitting the objects that I draw would be great. The only draw back with knitting is that it does take a long time! Watch this space!