COLLECTION
My first idea for the collection project was to create a series of illustrations throughout a week, taken at specific hours of the day. This quickly evolved into the concept of drawing EVERY HOUR of the day over a 24 hour period. My issues with the first idea was that I had already become to confined by my own limitations, i.e. planning specific days to draw in the morning, and others at night.
I thought this project would work better if my work felt more spontaneous, so decided to go with the 24 drawings over 24 hours instead. To make the project as interesting as possible, I did cheat slightly and plan to produce the drawings on a day where I knew I was going fun places to draw, rather than having 6 almost exact replicas of my bedroom, (which could be a separate project in itself, possibly exploring different mediums and styles).
I thought this project would work better if my work felt more spontaneous, so decided to go with the 24 drawings over 24 hours instead. To make the project as interesting as possible, I did cheat slightly and plan to produce the drawings on a day where I knew I was going fun places to draw, rather than having 6 almost exact replicas of my bedroom, (which could be a separate project in itself, possibly exploring different mediums and styles).
I decided to chose the 2nd of December as my date, a day where I would be at Uni, visiting Edinburgh, back home, then at a Christmas tree farm the next day.
I knew at the beginning of the project I would have to accept that my initial sketches wouldn't be as in depth and detailed as I would maybe like, due to only having short periods to draw, or not being in the best environment for drawing (the middle of Edinburgh whilst snowing). To combat this, I decided to aim for the project to have a lo-fi type of charm to it, not all sketches would be fully completed, and others may have slightly odd shadows/highlights, or areas of perspective, with more detail being added at a later date.
Looking back, I think this project may have been a bit too ambitious for me at my current skill level. I think some of the pieces would work a lot better if they had more of an unfinished feel to them, which would work perfectly if I could sketch and shade at a faster speed, while still maintaining a good sense of perspective and structure. At my current skill, I was spending almost all of my time on site trying to get the underlying sketch down. This meant that I was having to add most of the depth and detailing afterwards, something that was easily possible for places in my home or the university studio, but much harder for the Edinburgh sketches.
So in hindsight, whilst choosing a hectic day meant I had a more interesting scope for the project, it actually just made the entire thing that much more complicated.
I knew at the beginning of the project I would have to accept that my initial sketches wouldn't be as in depth and detailed as I would maybe like, due to only having short periods to draw, or not being in the best environment for drawing (the middle of Edinburgh whilst snowing). To combat this, I decided to aim for the project to have a lo-fi type of charm to it, not all sketches would be fully completed, and others may have slightly odd shadows/highlights, or areas of perspective, with more detail being added at a later date.
Looking back, I think this project may have been a bit too ambitious for me at my current skill level. I think some of the pieces would work a lot better if they had more of an unfinished feel to them, which would work perfectly if I could sketch and shade at a faster speed, while still maintaining a good sense of perspective and structure. At my current skill, I was spending almost all of my time on site trying to get the underlying sketch down. This meant that I was having to add most of the depth and detailing afterwards, something that was easily possible for places in my home or the university studio, but much harder for the Edinburgh sketches.
So in hindsight, whilst choosing a hectic day meant I had a more interesting scope for the project, it actually just made the entire thing that much more complicated.
FINAL BOOK
FINAL THOUGHTS
Overall, I'm disappointed with my outcome of the drawing project. I think I was unrealistic with the amount I would be able to create, and the standard which it would be to when beginning the project. Whilst I did want quite a lo-fi feel to the finished book, the ISSUU document is clumsy and things aren't placed correctly. This comes down to poor time management on my behalf. I had planned on using the last week of the project to do digital mock ups and produce a "finished" display, but was ill for the majority of this time. While this is frustrating to me, it has taught me a lesson. When planning a schedule and timeframe to work towards, I need to allow time for if I have any personal emergencies that mean I am unable to work at the original planned rate.
Ideally, each piece would be formatted landscape, with the portrait pieces folding out of the book as an extra element. While it won't be included in the final project, over the winter break I plan on creating a physical version of the book. This means I can settle my own issues with the book being unfinished, and explore the bookmaking process, AND result in a finished project that I think does my work some justice, rather than the ISSUU document above.
I've learnt a lot throughout this project, and even though I'm not completely happy with the finished piece, it has showed me exactly what to avoid in the future, AND that I need to begin giving myself a stricter schedule, including extra time at the end to fix any mishaps.
Ideally, each piece would be formatted landscape, with the portrait pieces folding out of the book as an extra element. While it won't be included in the final project, over the winter break I plan on creating a physical version of the book. This means I can settle my own issues with the book being unfinished, and explore the bookmaking process, AND result in a finished project that I think does my work some justice, rather than the ISSUU document above.
I've learnt a lot throughout this project, and even though I'm not completely happy with the finished piece, it has showed me exactly what to avoid in the future, AND that I need to begin giving myself a stricter schedule, including extra time at the end to fix any mishaps.