The addition of colour?...

I have been toying with the idea of adding colour to the digital illustrations. To be honest...I still am! Part of me wants very minimal colour or even black and white imagery but part of me also wants to use full colour. I'm not yet sure which one I will opt for so I'm going to play for a little longer until I feel happy with the decision I have made. I wonder if it would be possible to have some images in colour and others black and white? I like the idea of the pieces feeling a little incomplete so some illustrations may be more finished than others and may not feature in full on the page. I love the idea of the illustrations continuing over the edge of the page, as if they have been captured in a moment and are not quite in frame. (Is that the photographer in me talking?)

It still stands that negative space is very important to me so the placement of the objects will be considered and all three pieces may not contain the same amount of imagery. I should really be getting busy drawing with all these ideas in my head. The question of colour still remains unanswered for now but I shall continue until I have one!

The safety of numbers...

The grouping of objects somehow pleases me. I like them to be nestled amongst other objects. It makes me feel safe and happy. I also believe the end result of these groupings is a form of self portrait. These objects that I collect and have spent two years recording in various formats are now being placed together to reveal to the viewer (whoever that may be) a little bit about myself and a small glimpse in to my world. I have to admit, I would only allow a small glimpse anyway!

Here I am in object format! I still envisage there being three large scale pieces similar to this one but hopefully with more objects. The real question is...To colour or not to colour?

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!