26 DAYS OF TYPE - GIF

7x7 Image #1

REFLECTION #1 - Extended Practice Group Crit

FEEDBACK

Is the proposal viable?

-Think of an exhibition as end goal to drive a varied and extensive practice

-To push possibilities focus on scale > THINK BIG

-Gap in the industry for heritage and history focussed work

-Proposal is narrative focussed so practical possibilities are wide and varied

What next?

-Explore heritage

-Continue to be research driven

-Wooden characters and shapes to drive scale and tactility

-Work towards exhibition

-Explore working with different materials to push practice forward; wood etc

-Start with zines and mini/quick projects to drive momentum

Recommendations for research tasks:

-Harewood House brief > broaden heritage context and research; LIVE BRIEF

-Consider places to hold workshops & exhibitions e.g. Armley/ Community venue

-Remain appealing to children > making history inclusive and accessible

Other feedback:

-Think of 7x7 image as a symbol of current narrative concerns > message/ type?

-consider small quick/ day briefs to push momentum; a series of mini zines on aspects of heritage

REFLECTION #1

At this stage in my extended practice I feel its difficult to really identify any clear development points, I'm still certainly finding my feet with COP and haven't quite figured out the duality of my practice. I see extended practice as an opportunity to run with ideas explored in my COP research that I am passionate about developing. That being said, I feel a bit stunted by the parallel running of the modules as I'm conscious of leaving myself with enough relevant projects and briefs to submit substantial responses to the modules, without spreading myself too thinly trying to carry a dialogue across the two modules. 

Speaking with my peers, I feel I have solidified a bit more of an idea of the distinction between 601 & 603 in terms of my personal thematic and practical development. Moving forward, I do wish to investigate the relationship that heritage and social history has to my project, but rather that focussing on specific topics and briefs, I will run extended practice as an extended research project under which I will be able to focus on meaning making and acquirement of knowledge across several subject areas and processes. 

With the end goal to carry out post-graduate study, it is most relevant for me to apply my academic concerns to this module, with a view to building a research led portfolio, in place of a commercial one. Book-binding and printmaking will still be pivotal to this but perhaps serving more as presentation formats than commercial outcomes.

I think I have some more clarifying to do before I can commit to a practical direction as I feel too focussed on the thematic concerns of my COP work and do not wish to sacrifice the quality of this by over-stretching it into 603. I can, however, see a maintenance of typographic explorations underpinning this development.

STATEMENT OF INTENT - Extended Practice Project Proposal

PROPOSAL

INTENT/ TONE OF VOICE

My intent for my wider practice, developing across my final year and after graduation, will be a development of areas of interest and successes identified across the last 2 years of development.

Heritage and socio-historical knowledge has become key but this will continue to be applied through the following intentions:

- To channel a playful and mischievous tone of voice through comical character and type

- To apply a playful aesthetic to educational purposes and narratives

- To shed light light on social traditions and promote pride in heritage

THEMES/ SUBJECT MATTER

The general thematic purpose of my work will be to celebrate pride in fading industries and communities.
- Cultural and social topics
- Heritage and British visual culture
- Craft and folk-art traditions
- Community processes
- Language and storytelling

AUDIENCE & CONTEXT

I will operate a generally inclusive audience direction but may find that my work organically appeals to people with family history or knowledge in these areas. 
- Illustration and publications that function as educational tools
- Social history for children/ inclusive audience
- Inclusivity – accessible to community groups/ social class
- Tools to promote holistic identity and pride

GOALS & AMBITIONS
- Intent to use illustration to bridge the gap between fun, aesthetics and learning
- Champion a positive promotion of holistic/ community identity
- I intend to apply myself to the module for the benefit of my post-graduate development so will focus primarily on topics of heritage and social history to contribute towards post-grad research
- To continue to lead a research focussed practice

PRACTICAL SKILLS/ MEDIA/ FORMAT
- Heavily driven by crafted/ staged processes
- Traditional print and letterpress
- Heritage/ Industrial/ Mechanical processes
- Use of text and typography to enhance narrative and persuasive message
- Book binding as a craft and presentation approach

Additional Information

My extended practice will be driven by a responsive approach to cultural sources and experiences.

Research will be pivotal throughout my practice and practical responses will be a by-product of sustained sociohistorical and theoretical investigation.

PRACTICAL CONTENT/ OUTCOMES

Content:
- Identify a fading tradition or social group and apply crafted processes to socio-historical research to establish a resurgence of identification and pride within local/ social or geographical tradition.
- Develop on practical projects from levels 4 and 5, considering a more research-led and contextually informed approach to British social tradition, such as morris dancing and brass bands, in line with my current and developing visual language.

Outcomes:
- Propose a community focussed exhibition for ‘The Mill Space’ exhibition space at Armley Industrial Museum
- Consider proposal and development of outcome for Sunny Bank Mills ‘Ones to Watch’ prize, applying relevant contextual concerns such as textiles heritage and weaving to relevant practical processes
- Funding complications may require a community engagement to receive approval so I could establish a workshop plan for a local school group to explore the notion of ‘pride’ > public engagement

603 - WHO AM I? PITCH

SB3 - PRESENTATION BOARDS - Studio Brief 2 Individual Practice

SB3 PRESENTATION BOARDS - Studio Brief 1 Live Brief

SUMMATIVE PROJECT REPORT

JOURNEY

Having reached the end of the module, I feel that my practice has been challenged but my development has been nurtured through investment in processes and contexts that are relevant and important to me. The start of the module felt quite daunting as I was uncertain about making work for a brief that was not personal to my practice, however, this encouraged me to be far more experimental that I would operating within my comfort zone, and as such, my work and approach to visual investigation has benefitted from it. Studio brief 1 encouraged me to work experimentally and exhaustively with composition and type, developing 2 areas that are not always the focus of my practice. Studio brief 2 offered a more personal exploration in where my practice can sit and how it can translate beyond my own needs or intentions. The research led nature of this brief drove my conceptual awareness and resolved to me generating work that was well supported but also had a very personal investment.

LEARNING

The most transformative learning took place in studio brief 1 as I had to really deconstruct the tone and function of the brief and identify how this sat with my visual language. Working to such a different context to my commonly placed work, I feel I have developed a much more wholesome observation of my work. I think the context of producing work for a clients needs rather than my own taught me to see past my own visual requirements and start to really understand how others view and absorb my work. 

SUCCESSES

Bookbinding has proven to be a highly effective medium to extend my practice. My work often sits within quite a tangible and tactile context, mainly through my use of collage, but translating flat images into a a very structural form enabled me to realise the potential of my drawings and more appropriately, the commercial or educational function that my work can assume. I did however, find that I became quite engrossed in the production and process of it all and may have sacrificed some visual development as a result.

DIFFICULTIES

Difficulties impacting this module were mainly connected my engagement with my own practice. There were times in this module where I felt that my work was empty, or the process of me making work felt empty. A loss of engagement meant that time management got the better of me and I had to work very hard towards the final stages of the module. In some ways this actually benefitted my final outcomes as I was working with a new found engagement that drove the generation of outcomes in a way that maintained fluidity and perhaps even supported the development of my work.

APPLYING MY LEARNING

The very personalised nature of the module has been exhausting as I have been constantly questioning my own practice, but this only encourages me to engage more in self-directed briefs, as well as live briefs, as I feel I have learnt so much about how I want my practice to operate and have solidified the ethos and concerns that are important to me. Technically I have gained a better understanding of the production and construction of my own work, something that will support the initial stages of future projects.

STUDIO BRIEF 2 - INDIVIDUAL PRACTICE - REFLECTIVE REPORT

TURNING POINTS/ REALISATIONS

Proposing an independent brief seemed a challenge as I was unsure whether I had proposed something viable, something that was going to challenge me enough, or even something that was relevant to the module. The context of the brief, to drive my individual practice and application of my work, encouraged me to really personalise the brief to my wider intent for practice. The brief actually helped to solidify my professional ambitions as I considered multiple contexts and applications before commencing my explorations. I was much more experimental and free in my initial drawings as I really just wanted to capture the absolute joy I felt for the subject on the page. 

WHAT WENT WELL?

I feel my outcomes achieve a conclusion that is developed and appropriate to the brief. Considering my work within the context of a museum exhibition or workshop has driven me to take a much more educational approach to the generation of narrative, something which is discernible in my final book. I feel the narrative is informative and teaches my audience of the heritage and tradition of the brass band, but in a way that is both honest and joyously playful. 

Typography has led the narrative aspect of this brief, whilst also developing my skills with integration of text and image. The application of hand lettering has made me more aware of the composition and flow of my images, and as such, I feel a greater sense of coherence and understanding when I look back at my work. 

WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED?

Although the tone of voice and context of my proposed brief seems to lend itself to a narrative focus, I am concerned that my final publication may be too text focused and possibly lacks the imagery that would make it most engaging. I do however, feel that I have achieved a balance between image and text which works coherently across the narrative.

My exploration of roughs and testing was exhaustive, but I would be interested to give greater consideration to the visual elements encompassed in these compositions as I think my planning and thinking processes were centred around layout and narrative.

REFLECTION

This brief has proved incredibly transformative in my awareness of my own practice and how I can identify my place within the wider illustration industry. As my practice focuses heavily on narrative and educational undertones, this project has served to really consolidate my relationship with research and the translation of knowledge to storytelling, an aspect that will remain pivotal to my emerging professional practice. Technically, I challenged myself with the construction of a very confusing book format. Interchanging paper types and working with cut outs established quite a complex process from what started as a simple pamphlet stitch, but bookbinding is central to my practice through my regard for tangibility. I feel my final outcomes have achieved a sensitivity to my research, and have balanced a very playful visual language with a poignant and valuable narrative.

SB2 - INDIVIDUAL PRACTICE - REFINED PROJECT PROPOSAL

SB2 - CONTEXTUAL RESEARCH - Art Invite Art Object

EXAMPLES OF PRIVATE VIEW INVITATIONS FOR YORKSHIRE SCULPTURE PARK ILLUSTRATION EXHIBITIONS

SB2 - CONTEXTUAL RESEARCH - Exhibition Advertisements

SB2 - REFINEMENT OF RATIONALE AND RESEARCH

SB2 - IDEA GENERATION - ZINE

INITIAL ZINE
I've used the zine format simply as a process to get some ideas going. Book binding and paper craft is central to my practice and so I am keen to develop my visual work through tangible and crafted processes. Making this zine has been really useful to driving my visual development as I have been able to practice the playful lettering and paper-cut that I hope to carry forward in more refined work. The zine as an object is important to my development in this brief as I have proposed to make something that works not only as an object, but as a narrative device, and this does indeed prompt a conversation around brass bands.

SB2 - PRIMARY RESEARCH - Brass Band Questionnaire

SB2 - STUDY TASK - INDUSTRY RESEARCH

Within the creative industries, I have placed my current practice within the children’s publishing industry. For the focus of 504, this strand will enable me to further my awareness of the socio-cultural issues surrounding children’s illustration practice and the contextual concerns raised by the industry. Carrying out research into the current publishing industry, I have identified the role of retailers, illustrators and cultural institutions in the creation and distribution of children’s books.

From this collaborative research task, I learnt of the financial and social status around the current children’s publishing industry and how these determine the success of illustrators and the trends they may adhere to. My contribution focused more on the value of children’s publishing beyond the physical book, researching retailers and studios that encourage workshops and more tangible and interactive activities stemming from children’s books. Anorak is particularly interesting to me as the business model not only encompasses a publication, but celebrates the work of its contributors and its readers through workshops and travelling bookshops. In my emerging practice, I am keen to push this idea of the book as a device or vehicle for further learning and play. Independent retailers such as Salts Mill, use murals and displays to extend characters and narrative beyond the pages of the books. This engagement with audience encourages the value of reading and the pleasure of books, much greater than on plain shelves organised in alphabetical order.

Further research identified that there appears to be a resurgence or prominence of handmade type in the current publishing climate. This resonates with the wider value of analogue media that is celebrated so highly at the moment. Handmade type within books seems to achieve a much more personal and human quality and I wonder whether hand lettering can encourage more imagination and creativity in children if they see the hand of the maker in the books they read.

SB2 - CONTEXTUAL RESEARCH - Book Illustration & Covers

SB2 - CONTEXTUAL RESEARCH - Jazz Posters

SB2 - INDIVIDUAL PRACTICE PRIMARY PROJECT PROPOSAL

SB2 - INDIVIDUAL PRACTICE - Brief Analysis

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?

People know less and less about the heritage and history of their communities

-----> In such a diverse society, it's important to uphold pride in our heritage
-----> Lack of understanding of brass bands
-----> Share these values and stories with other communities

HOW CAN I SOLVE THE PROBLEM?

Use accessible, playful visual language to spark a conversation

-----> Produce a book that celebrates all aspects of brass bands
-----> Use character and narrative to establish a fun and engaging tone around the topic
-----> Celebrate working class mining heritage through narrative of playful music

INTENT: Celebrate heritage and traditional practices through accessible visual language
AUDIENCE: Support cultural education in diverse modern world
PRACTICAL: Tangible objects that celebrate analogue processes through shape based imagery
PERSONAL: Encourage acquired knowledge and learning through images, support and celebrate working class cultures

STUDIO BRIEF 1 - LIVE BRIEF - REFLECTIVE REPORT

TURNING POINTS/ REALISATIONS

Responding to a live brief at first seemed really daunting as I was not in control of the content and subject matter, however this actually seemed to drive my progress as I experimented with a tone of voice, aesthetic and compositional approach that I am not entirely familiar with. The context of the brief pushed me out of my usual visual language and as such, I was much more experimental as I threw myself into play in order to generate a new visual language I could apply to the brief. Mono print played a key role in the project as I experimented with new tools, working textures into the plate before printing to reveal some very fuzzy and fluid shapes and textures which attained results that were much more visually rich than a straight positive/ negative block colour print.

WHAT WENT WELL?

I feel my final outcomes work cohesively as a series whilst composing different elements, a quality I have been able to achieve through exhaustive exploration and manipulation of shape and texture. I created a large body of components that could be manipulated individually whilst sustaining a consistent visual identity.

Typography was pivotal to this brief and whilst I have dabbled in hand lettering before, I didn’t really have a grasp of type and layout in a more formal sense. Working with such fluid and abstract imagery enabled me to further my interest in hand rendered type in a way that was appropriate to the brief and harmonious to the other visual elements. I did explore using hand lettering for all the information but for the event details I felt clarity was key and as such, I pushed myself to explore digital type on photoshop. The digital application of type taught me valuable considerations of layout and scale and I think my final outcomes were strengthened by the clarity and structure of this.

WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED?

Although the tone of voice and context of this brief was very different to my usual work, I think I could have invested more time in finding myself in the brief. I did maintain the commitment to play, shape and texture that I explore in all my work, but I think I lost the humour and character of my practice, a quality which I think is essential in a professional practice, being able to capture a brief within your own visual language.

My exploration of collage, type and composition was thorough and exhaustive, but I would be interested to see how the posters would have developed had I explored overlays and developments within my mono-prints. 

REFLECTION

This brief has proved really instrumental in my consideration of how I can extend my practice beyond my immediate visual language. As my practice focuses heavily on light-hearted, playful narratives, this brief has been valuable in encouraging me to consider manipulation of process to attain new outcomes and languages from my common practices. Technically, the brief has challenged my digital skills, enabling me to explore and practice type and layout and, complex overlays. I felt that I invested a great deal in exploring compositions through analogue collage, a success I feel is discernible in my final outcomes as they have achieved balance in a very fluid and abstract visual language.

SB1 - LIVE BRIEF - FINAL OUTCOMES

SB1 - LIVE BRIEF - CRIT FEEDBACK

COMMENT ON THE CONCEPT/IDEA/CONTENT OF THE WORK

-really broad, refined use of experimentation
-interesting use of typography
-really reflects the tone of the music
-'bouncy'
-use of mono print is relevant to the subject matter

COMMENT ON THE VISUAL QUALITY AND COMPOSITION OF THE WORK

-well balanced > good black to white ratio
-well crafted > attention to detail
-text is really well integrated, part of the artwork
-monoprint textures are very fitting with the bands wobbly, waves vibes

OTHER POINTS...
-use mono print further to explore overlays
-consider how these would translate to screen print positives

SB1 - LIVE BRIEF - HOOKWORMS DEVELOPMENT

SB1 - CONTEXTUAL RESEARCH - Gig Posters

SB1 - LIVE BRIEF - PROJECT PROPOSALS & SELECTION

REASONING
There were several briefs that appealed to me for this module, and so I deconstructed 2 in line with my intent for practice and goals for the module. The Manchester Art Gallery brief seemed like a perfect opportunity to work within a museum context and within my usual tone of voice, working to a family and particularly child orientated audience. However, this brief would ask me to produce something in a similar channel to that of my COP work, on the theme of accessible cultural collections. As such, I am moving forward with the Hookworms brief. This gives me the opportunity to work under a tone of voice very different to usual, and to drive my consideration and application of type. I am also interested to use this module to propel my placement within the art community and a project for a local band at a local venue is fitting, as well as the requirement to screen print and sell the final outcomes, offering an opportunity to be actively involved in the event itself. 

SB1 - STUDY TASK - GOALS FOR 504

ONE thing to take forward from 503:
My commitment to play and the application of craft is something I wish to carry forward in order to attain tangible and engaging outcomes. I will continue to push print making and book binding within my practice as these are pivotal to my work as a craft based practitioner.

ONE was I will push myself:
I am aiming to work on topics and briefs that challenge my usual tone of voice. This could be attained by focusing maw work at a different audience or purpose. I may avoid child orientated briefs or approach child orientated briefs with greater conceptual meaning and/ or educational purpose.

ONE thing I want to accomplish for myself:
Invest more time in the generation of narrative. Perhaps using creative writing or poetry to drive a more rhythmic and accessible narrative through rhyme and humour.

LAUIL503 SUMMATIVE PROJECT REPORT

STUDIO BRIEF 3 - MOVING PICTURES PROJECT PROPOSAL

STUDIO BRIEF 2 - PRINTED PICTURES PROJECT PROPOSAL

STUDIO BRIEF 3 MOVING PICTURES - FINAL OUTCOME

MOVING PICTURES FINAL OUTCOME - SHAKESPEARE from Abigail Mooney on Vimeo.

STUDIO BRIEF 2 - PRINTED PICTURES FINAL OUTCOMES

STUDIO BRIEF 1 - IDEAS PICTURES FINAL OUTCOMES

Studio Brief 3 MOVING PICTURES - REFLECTIVE REPORT

MOVING PICTURES FINAL OUTCOME - SHAKESPEARE from Abigail Mooney on Vimeo.

TURNING POINTS/ REALISATIONS
Translating my prints into a moving image seemed very challenging to get my head around at first. My immediate response was to create a fully animated scene with characters completing full actions but I quickly realised this was very complex and not necessarily necessary to meet the brief. The storyboard workshop with David Bunting was a turning point in my idea generation as I was then able to identify potential in more simple movements. Clarity of intention for the sting only really came when I had completed my prints as I then had a full body of elements to consider.

WHAT WENT WELL?
-My final sting works cohesively with my prints as an animated extension of the printed work, rather than an isolated outcome
-While focusing on just a small aspect of the action carried out in my sequential prints, the animation seems direct, yet communicative of a wider narrative, using visual clues which reveal more about the legacy of Shakespeare's comedies
-Blending modes enable the sting to foster an aesthetic almost identical to that of my screen prints, working consistently with the analogue, crafted aesthetic of my wider practice
-Audio and visual content are effectively synchronised to create a seamless activation of flat assets

WHAT COULD BE IMPROVED?
-Although simplicity works effectively, I would be interested to explore more tools and transformations to create a more sophisticated outcome
-The delay between sound effects is appropriate to the motion on screen but a more engaging outcome could have a continuous audio, or maybe layer separate pieces of audio to build a more dense and engaging sound
-Working with groups in photoshop meant that my files translated into nested compositions when dropped into after effects which made synchronisation of elements very difficult

REFLECTION
This brief has proved really instrumental in my consideration of how I can extend isolated images. As my practice focuses heavily on narrative, animation has worked powerfully to enhance my image making and achieve the message and tone of voice outlined in my intentions for the module. Technically, this brief has been very challenging, but these are skills I feel now I have practiced, I will be able to apply and develop across new and more complex projects. With regards to studentship, I didn't feel I had left myself enough time to execute this well but in committing so much time to the crafting of my prints, I felt much more informed about my sting and as such, the production of it was much easier than I anticipated.