It's been a while...

I can't believe how long it's been since I've posted on here. A ridiculously long time to the point that I doubt anyone will actually read this!

But just incase you are reading (and thank you very kindly for doing so!) I thought I would show you what I've done lately.

College has been the main thing really. Been busy with a few projects particularly one that I've just completed the other week. This was a pretty nice project as we were allowed to create whatever we liked. As I'm into animation, I thought I would give it a whirl.

So writing and performing my own song, I then animated a cut out paper animation to it:

Hope you enjoy watching it. Consisting of 1,989 frames, it took about a week to film. Not bad going at all when you consider that Aardman film about 4 seconds a week!

I definitely enjoyed the whole process and it's something that excites me to want to explore in the future. Next year is going to be a particularly interesting time as I'll be beginning to work out what I want to study at University. Wow, even just saying that reminds just how much my life has changed since starting this blog!

The other thing that I've just started to do is I've set up a proper Youtube channel for all of my singing and guitar playing videos. Quite a few people over the months have asked me to do this and I thought it would be a nice way of doing another area of my life that I love to do as well as helping me to improve at the same time.

You can have nosy if you want!:

My youtube channel

My plan is do continue writing my songs as well as doing covers. Should all be fun.

Well, considering that I last posted around the Christmas, I'm now going to do a big jump from that and wish you all a lovely Easter!

Oh, once last thing before I go, you're more than welcome to have a look around my college blog. As you'll see, I post A LOT on there involving all things art and designy you can find the link here or go to the side bar on the left of this post below the profile tab to follow the link there.

Recent print works

Well as I said I would, here's a little look into what I've been up to in the past few weeks. I'm currently doing a print and photography unit at college. It's all hotting up too as we're entering into our second final piece of the year. For this I've got to create a couple of prints and a couple of photographs. My plan is to interact these art forms together in one big theme. I'm literally just starting on this final piece now so if you want to follow my progress on this then just follow the link:

http://funningr12.tumblr.com

This tribal owl is a design that I created first in Adobe Illustrator (Top) and then transferred it into a linocut where I cut out the design. The results of printing turned out quite well!

These prints of my drawing of a chinese dragon were created using a print process called intaglio etching.

This Intaglio drypoint print is something that I've created only today! It links quite nicely into my final piece. A little clue for you there!

This printed collage of an exotic bird was created by first making lots of different textures of monoprints. By then ripping them all up, I then assembled them together to form a resemblance to the original photograph.

So yeah, that kind of what I've been up to on the printing side of things. Watch out for another post that highlights the photography side of my project!

Hello December!

Wow, I can't believe that we're into December already! When I was younger I always remember December going so slowly (probably because of all the anticipation!) but already, it's the 5th! Have you got Christmas sorted yet? Nope, neither have I!!

The beginning of December as it always does marks my Mamma's birthday. So the other day, my sister and I were frantically making her a birthday cake. We gave Mum strict instructions that she wasn't allowed in the kitchen as 'we were 'making' something. I have no doubt that Mum knew it was of course a cake we were making. I can't think why... maybe it was the wafting smell of cake coming through the house and the clattering and whirring of baking utensils that gave it away.

Seeing a Keep Calm cake in the shops (something that my Mum quite likes) we decided that we could probably do a good enough job and so after a few hours in the kitchen produced this:

Not bad I don't think. This is the second cake that my sister and I have made together now. There seems to be an agreement that I make the cake and she decorates it as she's pretty handy with an old icing bag!

Handing it to her in the morning adorned with candles, I think it was a success that she enjoyed! Making a cake is always better than buying one I think!

Well hopefully, I'll be on here a bit more in the next few days. I've been quite busy at college and there's a couple of things that I'd rather like to show you all. See you soon!

New Song!

As well as being busy with college work and all that jazz, I've also been strumming away on the old geetar written some new songs. Here's my most recent one that has now been put on the church website. Oh, and you can download it for free if you want to!!

I Lift My Heart

The song as shown in the link above is based around Philippians 6:4-6 and is a verse that has been really encouraging to me in these past few months. Thanks Elly Belly for sending it my way! 

Anyway, hope you enjoy it! 

Result!

Well, I thought that I would just quickly let you know how I've been getting on these past couple of days as lots been happening!

My maths exam went so so really. I wasn't really expecting it to go brilliantly but still, whatever the result, I can just put it down to experience and try again!

I've just come back from my assessment for my art course...after being fairly worried with what the outcome would be it turns out that I've come out with full marks, double distinction!

Obviously this is good news and I've been told to go away and have a well deserved evening off. Hmm...what to do?! The possibilities are endless! I might chill with a movie and do some crocheting or something crafty I think! It's been an age since I done any at all.

Final pieces

Well, I'm sure you'll have noticed my absence from my blog! Basically, I've been completely lost in college work, working like made trying to get completed before the deadline. Well, I've now finished and being at a complete loss for what to do now that I'm actually free for once, I thought I'd spend a bit of time on here sharing my work!

For the final piece, we were pretty much given free reins to draw anything we wanted as long as it was including the requirements of drawing from observation. Well, I decided that I would do an intense study of an old camera. For this, I drew the camera itself and then proceeded to take it apart-as you do! My idea in this was that I would be creating a mock journey of the creation of the camera from its concept form in a blueprint to then the actually reality of the subject itself. My theory as well was that by drawing two pieces in a very modern way using digital software and then the other using the more traditional techniques of pencil and charcoal, this would also make a subtle statement about the progression of technology itself.

Ok, so you can tell I'm still in college work mode can't you! Spilling out all that art ramble above! I could keep going but instead I'll just show you the pieces for you to see what you think!

Et Voila! For hours and hours of work, that was very quick to post!

I'm quite happy with what I've produced. The only huge gripe I have is that the lens on the camera didn't really turn out that great but hey, I'm learning! 

So yes, that is why I've been missing! Busy like I'm sure you all are too. Next stop, Maths GCSE exam first thing tomorrow morning...yeah, I'm not going to talk about that!

Going all digital

Ok so just a quick little blog post as I should really be working on my college work. I can't believe it but I'm in the throws of creating a final piece as part of my end of project already! How time flies when you're having fun. I do feel guilty though as it's meant that I've neglected this blog a bit.

I thought though that I would show you some of the work that I've been creating on a software called Adobe Illustrator. I'm quite pleased with how these have turned out so here they are exclusively for your oogling:

This was my first creation on Illustrator. We had to create an animal in the style of North American tribal art. 

 A self Portrait in the style of Julian Opie.

Me Sister the style of Julian Opie!

My twin breaking her down into shades of white, grey and black. (Sounds painful!)

I'm hoping to create my final piece using some form of this digital artwork. It's certainly a lot of fun!

College times ahead

Well I'm now properly into my new year at college hence the absence from this blog for now. It's been a good couple of weeks with lots of challenges as we're currently doing an intensive section in drawing; something that I've always struggled with.

We've been covering lots of different areas in drawing including starting up our fortnightly life drawing sessions.

A new year of college means a new set of blogs so if you do want to have a nosey at them, you can find them here:

http://funningr12.tumblr.com

http://funningr12-t.tumblr.com

On top of this college work, we've also been asked to complete an induction assignment for Friday. This consists of four minimum size A3 drawings along with two artist researches of which two of my pieces need to be based on. 

All in all, this makes me a very busy person so I probably won't be on here for a little while. Still, I'll try and prove this wrong!

Another puppy comes to play

Well last week we had another little visitor come to see us! 

Mary Poppins who was once called Tilly, came with her family and together we all went for a lovely walk around the Kendal Castle. 

As you can see from the photos, the weather was so lovely! We really couldn't have asked for a better day.

It was so great to meet up with the family. Together we all walked around the castle and then walked to the bottom again for some ice cream! 

Mary Poppins and Jenna are so similar as you can see. Sometimes I even got confused from far away about who was who. But in their personality is where they are so like each other! Anyone who knows Jenna will know what a funny dog she is. It sounds a cliché but I think it's so lovely that we've been able to give the family such a character like Mary Poppins. 

Jenna certainly enjoyed meeting up with her too. I even don't think that Peppa minded that much either!

The Big Reveal!

So this seems quite funny that I'm posting about this on my first day back at college when I actually finished this in the first week of my holidays. It seems odd too that it's taken me this long to take some photos of it but I wanted to take some photogenic shots of it so you could see it at it's best! As we have finally had a nice day here, I thought that I would make the most of that and capture my lovely new cushion outside.

So without further ado, here it is:

As I've said, it's been finished for a while now and so it's become a regular part of my bed. I'm so pleased with how it turned out. I've always admired these style cushions whenever I see them so I'm happy that I finally have one of my own!

So yes, sorry it's taken so long for you to finally see it but I wanted to show and tell it properly. Hope you love it as much as I do!