Ancient Tree Homes

I recently had a very vivid dream and woke with the urge to draw what I saw so I would never forget it! This is one of the scenes.

An enormous, ancient, shell of a tree where people once made their homes stands now abandoned in favor of a modern alternative-the semi-detached brick houses-built around it. The crows feel the structure is still good enough however and so still roost in its bare branches.

There was a few different types in the dream but the two i drew were the most memorable.

 

"British Firsts" Postage Stamps: Award winning Vegetables!

Brief: Celebrate the idea of 'firsts' and create stamps that inspire the nation whilst instilling national pride.

I chose to focus on British first-prize winners, and from this I chose to further narrow it down to award winning vegetables. I set out making various studies on vegetables that are frequently entered into competitions based on weight, length, best in show etc.

"Get Wired" Part 2

Brief Part 2:
You need to find a piece of text, a brief quotation, from any source, which you are going to visualise using your new type. Consider carefully the qualities of the type you have created and how connections could be made with the content/meaning of your text.

I began to use my wire font creations as objects of which to illustrate. I started by drawing them as I saw them and from there developed my drawings into letterforms. I chose to focus on the wire nest and ultimately a bird's nest typeface evolved.

I took inspiration from my local area for the quote and the idea that a nest is a home which has been designed and built for the purpose of raising a family:

"The Traditional Lake District Home-

An established, substantial structure bursting with

rustic charm; ideal for a growing young family."

 Initial colour sketches:

Final typeface illustrations: 

 

Full Font Name: 

 Final Poster complete with quote: 

   

Alternative Design; in the style of the old Victorian botanical illustrations complete with "annotation": 

 

"Get Wired"

The current project; the first of year three.

Brief: (Part One)
Choose an existing familiar typeface as the visual starting point for your experiments. Using various kinds of wire, create versions of the letterforms which explore and develop a new font with a very different personality. Finally, name your new typeface appropriately and visualise/photograph the name using your newly constructed letterforms.

I began by focusing immediately on colour, and how to show that through the wire itself and together with the background. I also turned my attention towards more organic forms, becuase to me, wire has always had a very natural appearance similar to vines... despite the fact it is something that is actually very man-made.

Bird Nests!

The summer holidays are the perfect opportunity to further develop illustration skills as well as work on something I am truly interested in at the same time. I needed a subject that could be viewed first-hand in which I could properly investigate and really get to know. Luckily when I arrived home from Carlisle I found that there was two(!) abandoned chaffinch nests in the garden, and so, I set myself a personal project to study bird's nests. I set out to explore these lovely creations and as many ways possible. 

Initial pencil studies

Acrylic study of light on dark

white on brown

I began to become influenced by the art nouveau movement in this one: 

Painting with twigs and using leaves for stencil effect:

 Bringing techniques together; watercolours on top of an initial pencil drawing:

 Ink pen studies 

 More watercolour on pencil with fine liners and gel pens to add detail:

 

Ink with watercolour and pen for up-view studies:

 

Blended watercolours for a more abstract approach:

Pencil and pencil crayons with watercolours: I found this created a softer, much more natural look.

 

 More white on brown:

 A few sketchbook spread scans to show how they are in the flesh: