The digital drawing continues...

I'm still considering the large scale (possibly A1) prints of my drawings to be displayed on the wall of my exhibition space. As a result I have been very busy creating digital illustrations from my original drawings of the hoardings of objects in my life. I want these digital illustrations to still have all the 'quirks' and imperfections of my original drawings so have been playing around with suitable ways to do this. I've been using Illustrator as it gives me control over the thickness of line I am using to create my illustrations and so this more closely resembles my drawing style.

I love the simplicity and the diagrammatical quality of the illustrations. They feel like a diagram of my life! They also look quite like the images you may find in a child's colouring in book. I like that! I actually have an urge to colour them in myself. I have to admit though that I would be very particular about staying in the lines. There's also something quite refreshing about having the ability to reproduce these images as much as I choose, unlike the majority of my other work that are 'one offs!'

I came across a designer called Tim Boelaars whilst I was perusing the usual websites for inspiration and I was quite taken with the simplicity of his work. It reminded me of the digtal illustrations I have been creating.

Although they are more simplistic than my illustrations I love the grouping of them in to little collections of related objects. This is what my initial drawings were all about. Perhaps I should consider a more uniform approach to my presentation but would that suggest a more rigidly organised person created them? Don't get me wrong I am super organised but there is a little inner chaos going on and I feel the arrangement of my objects on the page hints at that. 

A sudden realisation...

I have realised, after many meetings at University, many conversations with friends and a considerable amount of time, that it may appear like I am producing very little work! I am hiding my thoughts, feelings and the bulk of my work in my sketchbooks, which can be shut again after the recording has taken place and then look no different than if no recording had taken place! Am I doing myself a disservice by hiding my exhaustive recording away? I am working in my sketchbooks most evenings and on opening them this is clear but what if nobody opens my sketchbooks at the exhibition? It may appear that I have very little work because the majority of it is not large or bulky or three dimensional. However, if I were to remove my sketchbooks then the remaining work would not make sense. My work means nothing without those little books. I only hope people take the time to open them and have a peek (but not for too long or read them in too much detail because that thought terrifies me and would open up my world to far too many people. No strangers allowed!) All I need to consider now is how these books will be displayed in the exhibition. I've been thinking about making some wooden cabinets for them or perhaps find an old antique/vintage one to create my own cabinet of curiosities, then I can include my three dimensional fabric objects aswell. Clearly this will need more thought...

This is not sketchbook...

This is not really a sketchbook, if it is it's the smallest one I have created. I wanted to document it here as it combines my love of many things, drawing, the mundane, negative space, minimal colour and text. I feel like these are the main themes in my work. I also quite like the idea of producing one long continuous drawing/sketchbook.

Here I am giving myself more ideas when I haven't even completed the ideas that are already in my head. There really isn't enough time!

Sketchbook progress...

This was where it all began. Sketchbooks 1,2,3 and 4 are A5 exercise books similar to those used in school. As soon as I saw them they needed to be filled with scrawlings and scribblings about my life and the joy of the mundane. I guess this was a slippery slope as now I can't stop documenting...everything!

(I'm not convinced the floral quilt added to the overall look of the photograph but you get the idea.)

Negative space has always been an important part of my work. I feel that you can reveal a lot about something by the information you actually miss out and I like to think of my work continuing over the edge of the pages and on to a life of it's own somewhere. Sketchbooks 5,6,7 and 8 took on a slightly different format and explored this negative space further.

For your information...I broke the mould when creating sketchbook 7 and even used felt tips! I remember the joy of being young and getting a brand, spanking new packet of felt tips and being desperate to open them and colour over pages and pages of paper. Felt tips were always banned in school when I was young so I guess it's just the rebel in me that wants to use them now. I also think they're great tools because of their rubbish-ness. As you know by now I'm quite inspired by the everyday and this includes everyday tools, such as biros and felt tips. It makes me want to draw with them right now just writing about it! Oh, and tipp ex, don't forget tipp ex!

The natural thing for me to do was to take my drawings in to computer packages and work over the top of them. This is something I would ask my students to do. I like the slick look of computer generated imagery but it really wouldn't work with my imperfect drawing style so I thought about creating lines directly over the lines I had drawn so the computer generated versions would still feel slightly imperfect and flat. This is where sketchbooks 9 and 10 came in.

My plan is still to document the objects that I fill my house with and then redraw them using Illustrator like the above image. I have always imaged there being 3 large scale pieces (maybe A1?) filled with such drawings as a back drop for my exhibition. I've done it again haven't I! I've already grouped them in to threes...safety in numbers! I like the idea of these pieces having various degrees of negative space, similarly to the sketchbooks I have previously mentioned.

Sketchbook 11 is a whole different story. As I also teach Photography and collect old cameras I wanted to be able to explore this aspect of my life without simply drawing them. I am particularly interested in old cameras that use film or polaroids and so what better way to document my life and surroundings than by photographing them. As I am interested in the mundane and the ordinary I wanted my images to be exploring the beauty in these. I must confess that sketchbook 11 is an ongoing project and is likely to remain so for a long time.

I think I have come in to my element in sketchbooks 12, 13 and 14. These sketchbooks are A6 in size and have opened up a whole new world to me. They are small enough to take everywhere...and I have. I cannot imagine working in a sketchbook of any other size, in fact the thought repulses me! I have had some trouble finding suitable sketchbooks but my quest continues and I shall only use A6 sketchbooks from now on. I have no idea why but the size is absolutely perfect.

I even feel happy just writing about these sketchbooks!

So, this is where I'm up to. Half way through sketchbook 14, already with thoughts of sketchbook 15. It has been very useful for me to recap in this way. There seems to be a theme to all these sketchbooks when I thought they were actually random. There I go again, trying to find patterns. I guess patterns and groups are a way of organising my life. If I categorise and organise then all is well and I can handle life! No problems at all!

A little recap...

I thought, with it being a new year, it would be an ideal time to have a quick recap of where I'm up to. I'll start with the sketchbooks.

So far I have nearly completed 14 sketchbooks. For some reason I envisaged there being 15 in total by the time of my exhibition. I wonder what my obsession with numbers, groups and sets means? I seem to be working towards 15 and this has been my goal for some time. Being 15 was an important age for me as it was when I lost my brother and had to grow up quickly. So far I have lived for another 15 years without him. Perhaps this could explain my preoccupation with the number 15. On the other hand, maybe I'm just looking for patterns to explain things in life. Whatever the reason I'll still feel much happier if I have completed 15 sketchbooks come exhibition day...nearly there!

All is revealed...

So, now Christmas is over I can reveal what all the secrecy has been about. (I realise that sentence just made me sound like a bit of a scrooge but I'm honestly not! I love Christmas!) One of the presents I made as a gift was a stitched and painted doll of a vintage tattooed gentleman. I liked it so much that I actually thought it could be a great inclusion to my exhibition in April. Not this exact doll you understand but other dolls that I have made that reveal a little bit more about me. I was impressed with the final size when he was completed. He's 27 1/2 inches tall, which was not intentional but just sort of happened. I think dolls such as these would be an exciting addition to my exhibition and would give me the opportunity to work in fabrics.

I am drawn to the number three again when thinking of these dolls. Maybe there could be an Emma, Judy and Terry Baker doll? I was actually thinking about my obsession with collections and groups of objects and where this may have come from. To tell you the truth I was lying in bed and instead of sleeping was giving it some serious thought. I think there is safety in numbers. I like to fill my home with numerous collections of found, vintage treasures, perhaps to keep me safe. This could be why I like to group things together, so they themselves are safe. I also realised in the same early hours of this morning that I like to group things in threes or multiples of threes. The work I did for the first MA exhibition was all in groups of nine. Since the death of my brother there are only three Bakers left. Could this be where the three comes in to it? Maybe I need to keep reminding myself that there are just the three of us now and so what better way than to create three dolls of me, Mum and Dad.

I have probably just raised more questions than I have answers but I feel they are important ones that I will continue to ponder. Whilst I'm thinking I shall do some drawing work. That's a promise.

Just a quick update as the journey continues...

I have been diligently keeping my sketchbooks recently, not least because I've been sharing them with the Foundation students and today was our show and tell. Isn't it funny how you always want to be able to create the things you haven't! There were elements of the students sketchbooks that I thought 'I wish I'd made that.' You always seem to want to create the things that you haven't or couldn't!
I've actually found some more sketchbooks but they're even smaller than the A6 variety I have been using recently. I wonder if I'm just taking it too far now?
Anyway, there are still a few things that I'm quite excited about and keeping tightly under wraps until I'm ready for the big reveal...I hope it'll be worth it!