pp presentation

brief script

1. hello

2. what have i enjoyed / learnt / discovered. Discovered gouache for the first time. fell in love w it. considering colour and composition more. the value in making roughs. strength in testing out different ideas before committing

3. silence zine, one of my favourite projects. Stepped back and went out of my comfort zone by creating something more delicate and poignant / amibigious. Limited myself to certain media and colour palette. Also conquered Photoshop to edit the levels of my illustration and learnt how to use indesign. proud of myself. I think research was a strong point in this project, collaboration, instagram responses from strangers, using others voices and inputs to form a basis to my work, really enjoyed, will do more of.

4. this year ive learned to let go of the pressure of having or developing a style, let it come naturally. forcing a style will constrict me (see foundation work). had no fun or joy in creating the work i did for a levels. Now i enjoy making the work I make, more playful, interesting.

5. digital. had no idea how to use photoshop or even a Mac before this course. v proud of myself for finally giving it a go even if it was v late on in the year. pic on left = during the first photoshop workshop, tried to use a wacom, felt so strange! pic on right = first attempt at a digital drawing. put this off for ages but once I started I actually really enjoyed it. v relaxing and could create nice textures, was not as scary as i thought it would be. will use more digital next year !

6. gifs. learned how to make. time consuming but worth it. can bring to life illustrations with a simple animation of a small element of it. excited for the possibilities now i know how to do it

7. struggles and weaknesses. futurology - creative block, tried to do too much, got stressed, didn't like any of my work, only got out of the block with a week to go, stressful and didnt know what i was doing. was too broad in my approach, needed to narrow down quicker, did this in untold stories and it worked much better. weaknesses = time management, exhausting all my little ideas so I end up running out of time, learn to let go of ideas that aren't working

8. COP. took me a while to get going but once I did, really got into it. helped that i chose something I was already doing in my personal practice, meant I stayed motivated because I was engaged. learned lots about my way of working and myself. the joy in storytellig, reportage drawing and observational drawing. asking questions about my work. trying new approaches, challenging myself, drawing tasks like drawing at gigs or whilst walking. what role does film photography play in my work.

9. sketchbooks are so important in my creative practice. a personal space to play and experiment, noone has to see them, free spaces to do anything. always have multiple on the go. from 2015-2016 i did a self led project of completing one a6 journal every month, this was too stresssful, I would get frustrated at not completing the journal. ive matured and evolved since then, no self inflicted pressure just make sketchbooks until you want to start a fresh one. the joy of looking back through them, cringe is good, see how your tastes and work style have changed. im so used to working in sketchbooks i think i tend to keep my work restricted to being quite small, level 5 = GO BIGGER

10. illustrators i like and who have influenced me. talk about being opened up to many new practioners this year.

11. wider art history influence. talk about the library as a source for getting books about artists. speak about each in turn, why they impact me. eg matisse, simple forms and shape. basquiat, childlike, prolific, references art history, philosophy, science, etc, poetry. gauguin - richness of colour. henri cartier bresson - capturing a moment, candid, joy and natural.

12. a book im working on where i make famous art pieces my own. really fun personal project

13. talk about getting obsessed with things, certain things ive loved this year. talk about how kids have little obsession, they find something interesting and they exhaust it and get immersed in it, then move onto another thing. nurture this, what interests me and why is it important. extensively delve into it, passion projects. talk about being a hoarder and a magpie, always collecting things, sentimentality.

14. talk about wanting to tap into childhood animation and wonder at the world, being in awe of small things in life. the world is your playground. making work because i want to, kids dont care. talk about my paper hamster or some of the weird things I made as a kid

15. selling my work has been important to me for the past 4 years, really gotten into it this year, making work i like and im proud of. etsy - allows for worldwide audiences, the joy of people handling your work as a physical object, not just as a screen. talk about hyde park book club arts sale, beneficial and hugely motivating and confidence boosting. professionalism - trying to look more polished, this year ive got actual business cards made rather than making them myself on powerpoint

16. first exhibition at union coffee house. seeing work as a set, can see recurring colours and themes. v humbling. making your work exist in public spaces

17. what next? level 5 - keep nurturing childlike curiosity. the joy of shapes and simple forms. practice digital art, don't be scared of it. make more things - craft and making, 3d, induct myself into ceramics. this summer my plan is to make plush toys.

18. ive grown a lot this year and gained a lot of confidence both in myself and my work. right now im the happiest ive ever been n i want my work to show this, i want to make joyful and playful illustrations that make people smile, thats all really.