FMP #3

Before I start this post I want to apologise for my less than consistent attempts at blogging over the last few weeks. Hopefully this post will go some way to explaining that but the short version is that I've been crazily running around trying to get my final exhibition together for the foundation/degree show at Manchester School of Art. My final deadline is Monday 1st June so I'm really looking forward to having more time to dedicate to blogging soon. For now though, since my life is revolving around my final major project and completing my exhibition, I thought it'd be good to do a little update. If you haven't seen my previous two FMP posts I will link them here and here so you can take a look at 'the story so far'. 

The final countdown for my FMP is well and truly in full swing now. This week I've been getting my hands dirty preparing my exhibition space, getting it cleaned, sanded and repainted as well as measuring everything out to within an inch of my life. I'll tell you now, if measuring burnt significant calories, I'd be a very skinny girl by now! It's no secret to people that know me that I'm a huge perfectionist and so everything's taking a fair bit of time to get right, but I'm really happy with how it has gone so far *touches every item of wood in sight*. I have been allocated a wall space in a corner so I've had quite a few obstacles to overcome including a big red fire alarm which has played havoc with my need for clean white surfaces! Preparing the exhibition space has been a fun experience though and it's been lovely to make some last memories and spend time with some really great friends I've made on the course. 

To a certain extent I thought it would be nice to keep my actual exhibition as a bit of a surprise for when it's fully complete, so I won't be sharing too many photos of it today. I will say that I'm still continuing with the theme of experimental typography which has evolved into using techniques such as crochet and knitting to make letterforms. Over the last 2 weeks I've been locked away creating what must be hundreds of little wooly letters - but I don't want to give too much away! All will be revealed very soon and I'm working my fingers to the bone to get it finished by next week. 

I realise this has been a very quick insight into what I've been doing with myself these past few weeks but I hope you all understand! There isn't too much completed new work to share but I still want to document the process of this project and I think the exhibition preparation is a big part of that. I can't wait to share the finished results of the show as well as photographs from the private view later on in June. One last final push!

*Sneaky preview!*

Final Major Project #2

Last month, I shared some work which formed the beginning of my Final Major Project at university. I had such a lovely response from that post and I think it's about time a did a little update. As well as the fact that I love sharing my work on my blog, it'll be so nice for me to be able to look back and see how things have improved over time. My project has come such a long way since the original post and it's kind of scary/exciting to think that in just a few weeks time I'll be putting up my exhibition, and soon after that it will be open for the public to view.

While my FMP subject is still 'Experimental Typography', I have now become much more focused within this subject. Textiles has begun to play a major role and I can't wait to share that part of my project once it becomes more developed and final. For now though I thought I'd share some images from various things that I have done within my work since my last post.

Above is an image which I created within the time constraints of one day while I was on holiday in Devon. I decided to make use of the seaside environment and went on the hunt for naturally formed letters on rocks and pebbles. It was surprising how easy it was to find letterforms once I'd started looking! I've always loved beach combing so it was a really fun little thing to break up my main project.

This next image is another 'mini-project' which I based around phrases and idioms. I wanted to illustrate the saying 'humble pie' in a literal way using typography and this is what I came up with. It was a nice, easy, quick image to make and was great fun - plus I got to eat the apple pie afterwards.

I was so overwhelmed and happy with the positive response I received from my first FMP post and so I hope these updates are something you enjoy seeing. I can't wait to share more of my work soon as my Final Major Project comes into it's final stages and ultimately post photographs of my complete exhibition in June!

The Sisterhood Tag

Yesterday I was tagged by the very talented Tash of This & That to do the 'Sisterhood Of The World Tag'. Having never done a blogging tag before I'm pretty excited to share my answers to her questions and pass along the sisterhood tag! Hopefully it'll be a great chance to tell you all a little bit more about myself too. Enjoy!

1. What made you first start blogging?

While I loved reading many great blogs, I had always wished that there were more art and design blogs about for people like me - so I started one!

2. Who are your top 3 bloggers?
I'm loving so many amazing blogs at the moment so it's really hard to choose just three but I'll narrow it down to: A Little Opulent, Sweet Electric and Autumn Leaves.

3. What is your favourite genre of blogging? Lifestyle? Fashion? Design etc?

It's a tough call between art/design blogs and lifestyle blogs. Perhaps because of the popularity of fashion and beauty blogs, really great design blogs are often harder to come by, so when I find one that I love I get such a buzz! Plus art and design is my passion so it's great to connect with other likeminded people. Having said all of that though, you just can't beat curling up in bed and reading a lovely lifestyle blog.

4. Where do you get your blogging inspiration?

All over the place! I'm very fortunate that because I go to art school, I get to be around creative people pretty much 24/7. Because of this I've usually got bags of inspiration surrounding me and I'm constantly noting down ideas for my blog.

5. What is your dream job?

I am currently doing an art foundation and come September I will be studying Graphic Design at degree level. My absolute dream would be to work as a graphic designer but also be able to showcase my work as art in it's own right. Designers like Stefan Sagmeister are a huge inspiration to me because of their ability to blend these two things, becoming a sort of graphic design-fine art hybrid. I'd also like to own my own business some day.

6. If you were on death row, what would be your last chosen meal?

I'm a lover of Italian food so I'd have to start off with a giant cheesy garlic pizza bread. For main I would have my all time favourite dish - spaghetti carbonara, and to finish it all off I'd have slice of chocolate fudge cake. To drink I'd order lots of champagne and cocktails - might as well go out in style!

7. What's your favourite thing to watch on Netflix?

I cancelled my Netflix subscription about six months ago *cries* but when I did have it, I was an Orange Is The New Black addict. I'm so gutted I'll be missing out on season 3 this summer!

8. If you were stuck on a desert island and could only listen to one album for the rest of your time there what album would it be?

This is an easy one! It would have to be The Stone Roses by... The Stone Roses. It's my favourite album of all time and there isn't a single bad song on it. Plus, I can just see myself sunning myself on a desert island listening to 'She Bangs The Drums'.

9. What do you think is the most important thing to do after you hit publish?

Pat yourself on the back and tell the world how great your post is!

10. What resources make your blogging life easier?

My top three blogging resources are definitely my Macbook, my DSLR (a Nikon D3000) and Photoshop Creative Cloud. Those are the things that I use to create every post on my blog without fail. Aside from these I also love the app Any.DO which is a really useful way of organising my tasks for the week and prioritising.

Ok, those are my answers to Tash of This & That's questions, time to pass the Sisterhood Of The World tag along!

I tag Bethan Likes and OhHay!. My questions to you guys are:

1. If somebody was new in your town/city, what is the one place you would recommend they visit?
2. What is once piece of advice you would give to your younger self?
3. If you could be better at one skill, what would it be?
4. Who do you admire most in the world?
5. If money were no object and there was nothing holding you back, what would be the first thing you'd do tomorrow?
6. Burgers or pizza?
7. What is you favourite part of creating a new blog post (e.g. taking the photographs, writing the content etc.)?
8. Describe your blog in three words.
9. What are you grateful for?
10. What is your ultimate blogging goal?

Enjoy girls!