Final Presentation Work

I now have a large collection of cups and glasses which I have transferred my images and text onto. They represent a form of diary entry of the everyday experiences of being in social places such as cafes, pubs and bars. Each glass and cup represents a different person or group of people, there is nothing spectacular or extraordinary about them as my aim was to capture the beauty of banal situations. Although the images and techniques used are different with each glass and cup, it is the idea that the constant in the project is the action of drinking and the cup or glass being used. Each person is unique in looks, personality, vocation, race, gender etc. yet they are all linked by the single thought of wanting a drink.

Getting up to date.

My project now has progressed to documenting social situations through observational drawings of the people and what they are doing. So, as well as looking at the cafe culture, I am also taking images from people in pubs and bars, drinking, playing darts, pool, watching the football etc. Similarly to what I was doing with the cups, I am transferring my observational drawings onto the glasses people drink from in pubs ie. pint glasses, wine glasses, tall glasses etc.
To do this I have been using glass etching tools and glass paint, which means the glasses can be washed and re-used without losing the image. I also tried Image Maker but the glue failed to adhere to the surface of the glass.
I am also continuing with the cup designs, working on my already existing designs, adding short narratives, layering images etc.

Possible Project Idea No.2

Teabags

Whilst doing my "Cup" project I had taken to drying out my used teabags. One idea would be to do illustrative drawing of the teabags as each one is unique in shape and size due to how they have dried. This would also fit in with my drawing/ illustration practice. I could also use different drawing materials to create images of the teabags such as acrylic paint, pencil, pen and ink, even tea.
Another idea would be to incorporate the teabags into my "Cup" project as part of the the final presentation.

Possible Project Idea No.1

Childrens Book Illustrations

An increasing interest in illustration gave me an idea of producing a childrens book based on my own childhood made up stories about a little girl called Pebbles. I wanted to combine the styles and techniques of traditional illustrations with more contemporary works. I have been looking at the work of Beatrix Potter, Quentin Blake, Maurice Sendak, Dave McKean and Rachel Goodyear. I also went to see the Treasures collection at Manchester Central Library. This contained a small collection of classical illustrations of religious scenes, flowers, Christmas scenes etc. I particularly liked the decorative lettering of these prints and created my own decorative alphabet which could be used in my designs.

Post Presentation Review

After the presentation on the 26th of January I realised that I had stopped working on my "Cup" project too early. The feedback I recieved helped me to think of fresh ideas and develop the project further. I decided to return to my "Cup" project, producing more designs, using different techniques and materials and making the collection larger, forming a sort of narrative with each individual cup.

What I actually did after the Christmas holiday.

For Christmas i recieved a book about altered imagery (photographs, books, magazines etc.) This gave me an idea for my new year project; to create altered books in a kind of diary form, using personal images, thoughts, memories and so on. I planned it to be a very experimwntal project as it was something new to me and I had to learn how to work my materials in different ways from which i am used to.
However, after trying very hard to be creative and get started on my altered book I was finding it very difficult to produce any work I was happy with. After a tutorial, it was decided that I was going about my work in the wrong way; instead of progressing with an idea, I was trying to create a finished item and creating an overwhelming amount of work for myself. This resulted in me not getting any further than the front cover.