Marvel

I guess I would say I used to enjoy art a lot more but now it's just a chore being part of my A-Level but I wouldn't change the choices I made.

Now doing my final year of my A-Levels I have to up the game of my artwork from last year. My new theme for my A2 project is unusual angles but I'm exploring the influence of fashion particularly Alexander McQueen.

Alexander McQueen is my idol, someone I've looked up to since I was 14/15. His work is something I've never seen before. The time, detail and craftsmen ship he's taken to create magnificent and glorious pieces of art is beyond me. But with his work it isn't all beauty, McQueen tends to touch the darker side of it all and show vulnerability but grace too.

This is a piece of work I did not long ago. It's an artist copy of the artist Sandra Chevier. She made a collection of artwork of women covered in Marvel comics around their faces. I thought she captured the sense of demeaning of women, hiding away which I thought would work well in my own work, let her work influence and inspire mine.

To create this observational study I used soft strokes of water colour and coloured pencils to really capture the colours and the main parts such as the eyes to make it bold. It didn't take me too long to produce which I was surprised about but I'm proud of the outcome of this. It was pretty easy to do and it made me miss how much i love to draw and how tranquil it can be.

Innocence

 

 This is a past photoshoot I did a while back from my Nursury Rhyme theme from my AS project. This is the normal type of photography I'm used to but now I'm trying to broaden my horizon and test my self by attempting to do street photography but trying to make it professional and find myself further.

I named this photo-shoot Innocene. I had my friend Holly to model and dress in a child like innocent dress to give the illusion and capture how we may have acted when we were children. Building dens, wondering around and seeing what we could find in a forest.

Props included such as bright coloured ballons and pieces of lace to create the den. I didn't want to use many bright colours but keep it all simple and neatral colours.

Again I used  my Sony a390 SLR camera before editing it with VSCO cam and on Photoshop to brighten the image as well as to give a vintage kind of look.

I particularly like this shoot i did because it was very raw and simple, I didn't need to think too much about it and just let the background, props and models do the talking and bringing the image out.

You can find more of my photography on my Flickr account in the link below. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/93798544@N04/sets/72157633552487485/

Bike riding with Holy

So my latest theme for my photography project is capturing everyday day life and seeing the beauty of those unexpected moments. I'm also touching on areas such as black and white photography and street. In class I've been looking at different photographers such as Cindy Sherman and Gillian Wearing. Their photography is simple but very effective.

With Cindy Sherman she dresses up as different characters and photographs herself in different situations but still capture the images as if they're set, that particular shoot is called the Film Stills, that made her famous. 

Where as Gillian Wearing takes everyday people and captures them with a sign or question of anything that could be flowing in an individuals head.I think the way Gillian Wearing works is amazing and very unique. She captures just everyday people but with intriguing questions that make you wonder how just ordinary people can think sometimes.

But anyway I did some photography the other day with my friend Holly. It was wonderful weather so it was perfect for a day out and for what I had planned. I wanted to create a normal day out with a friend on a bike ride that was inspired by black and white photography from the past. I wanted to create a vintage, rustic look in the photographs as well as capturing moments that weren't staged, so they remained natural.

I used my phone to edit the images after I had taken them using the Sony A390 SLR digital camera that I own. I mainly edit my photographs using an app called VSCO cam that can be found on most smart phones. The app is really handy as I love the quirky effects that it gives which is exactly what I wanted to create.

Final piece Photography

Sometimes it's nice to just look back at your old work. Okay there may be times you'll look back and think "What was wrong with me? That piece of work looks awful" or times you'll look back and think "Oh that's not too bad, I'm happy with that".

Well I did exact that but I found this piece of work that I produced for my final piece AS photography. I can't even remember how many times I had to re-do this photo shoot due to the weather messing up my camera, it was effing stressful. But eventually I did and thought I should keep the snow scene as it looks quite angelic for a chaotic situation I was trying to create in the image.

This was part of my animal characteristic project I did. The image was put together by photographing the set image in the snow, edited with Photoshop and painted over the heads to include the influence of my photographers I used.

I was influenced by artists, Charlotte Caron and Florence and Machine's Rabbit Heart video.

With my photography I enjoy planning every detail of every shoot I do because it's just exciting to see something come together that was originally thought up in your head. It's wonderful to project your ideas and let everyone else see a little bit of yourself, let them see what you're all about. And people shouldn't be afraid to do so because that's what makes us individual, seeing ideas that is part of us. 

Birthday suit

Exactly a month since I turned 18. I'd say it was the best birthday I've had so far, usually it's just a moment of blowing out birthday candles and showered in cards for that very fifteen minutes. But instead you could say I was spoiled rotten. These were a few purchases I bought to treat myself just because I can and I felt like I deserved it saying it was the big 18, beginning to adulthood...

I spent the first part of the day in my PJs before eventually getting ready for a birthday meal int he evening. Before the meal I went for a few drinks with my friend who turned 18 the day before, I just felt so privileged.

Later in the evening we met up with a few more friends and went to my favourite restaurant, Le Bistrot Pierre.

I felt so happy for once and I appreciated every moment as I thought it's time for me to turn a new leaf being an adult now. I received a scarf that my sister bought, Dr Martens, more clothes and money off my grandparents and family friends which I'm very thankful for and a few other gifts from my friends which I'll put up later.

But overall the day was bliss and I couldn't be more happy of how it turned out, it was a day of being blessed and thankful. 

I plan to have a good 18th year of my life, looking more positive on things rather than dead and negative, it's time to change for the better.

Bargain Buy

Don't you just love it when you pick up a right bargain unexpectedly. Apologises for a late post, I've just incredibly busy and lacked inspiration to post anything. 

But the last Tuesday I went out shopping with my mother during the teacher strike. I wasn't planning to buy anything and if was I was it was going to be from Zara, as I'm incredibly in love with that shop. It sells everything I love and if I had all the money in the world everything I have would probably be spent in there. 

Anyway spontaneously I spotted this exquisite lace top. It's absolutly stunning, the detail of the individual little flowers and the time taken to make is beyond me. It's not too revealing either as underneath has a soft cami top to stop flashing. But the price of this baby blew me away. Just £19! From Marks & Spencers. (Although I did turn to my mum and said "I think I'm swimming in the wrong ocean"). I guess I shouldn't really say that as I did managed to pick up with beauty.

The amazing thing about this top is, it can be worn with anything, just a simple pair of cordory jeans or a pair of rugged shorts with a pair of Dr Martens or brogues would complete the outfit. 

It's very rare for me sometimes to be able to pick up something as wonderful, but when it does happen it makes me feel very satisfied.