Support Module - FashionTwista

I've decided to look at fashion illustration for my playing card designs and i think i've come up with a way to work from existing designs/photographs without copying them exactly, thus 'making them my own' (for want of a better phrase!) 
I've been making collages from fashion magazines, using body parts from different photographs to make up one figure, then photocopying them down to a4 size, then tracing them and 'fixing' the linework, ensuring everything joins up properly and looks as 'normal' as possible.

Here are my first three designs, i printed one yesterday and have got the other two drypoints to work on over the weekend.

 I've named my series FashionTwista (instead of fashionista) which relates to the strange 'twist' of body parts and the idea of mixing up what you'd expect to see normally. After a few more experiments of this technique, i'd like to use less tracing and more of my own illustrations, perhaps combining the two. I don't like tracing very much because it feels like i'm 'cheating' but at this stage i see it all as good practise for body shapes and features.

How do you follow people??

Can anyone tell me how you 'follow' / 'add' people on here please... I don't know how to... *hangs head in shame*

Thanks in advance! =)

Becky's Quote(s) of the day...

"I almost swallowed my apple"
"My pee smells like sugar puffs in the morning.." (it was a joke, Becky's not actually that gross but it made me laugh anyway!)
"Mike have you got any more ink, everyone's outside."
"There's me earlier talking about kidnapping and i've just asked emma for a knife, that's not good is it!?"
"Aerodenimanic"
"In a whiles crocodiles"

Oh Becky, you really do brighten my day!! =)

Change of direction for America project

I was intending to look at the Size 0 phenomenon for my project but in all seriousness i don't think i have the emotional stability to spend months researching and working on such a project. I'd probably use that idea for something else because it's still an issue that affects me and so many other people but for this particular module i am going to change my idea...
I want to look at American TV/movies and moviestars, perhaps narrowing it down to one particular genre as i go along and my initial idea is to use my attraction to comic books to make a sort of collection of responses to the shows in that format. This will allow me to demonstrate and experiment with as many different illustrative styles as i like, as well as taking influence from subjects that interest me.
In my head at this stage, i see a book with short narratives on each of my favourite scenes/TV shows in a comic-book format, a metaphorical collage of existing characters and storylines. If it turns out that this is plagurism or not an 'original enough' idea, i can just use the same characters and make up my own storylines- there is plenty of room here to change certain elements and make it 'my own'.
I feel confident that this new idea will provide me with enough variety of research and experimental work to create an extensive response to the brief.

Any thoughts/responses to this mini proposal would be greatly appreciated! =)

Very Nearly Almost 12

I bought one of these magazines at last year's fair and so it seemed only right to buy another one yesterday! It's full of street art and interviews and is great for flicking through aswell as reading. Again, my photo quality is appaling but i wanted to show my favourite piece in the book, of Cheryl Cole and Kate Moss with their 'i've been arrested' signs, if i get my actual camera to work, i'll put up a better image.

If anyone knows where i can get hold of this magazine more often, please let me know...

McBess book with vinyl (yes im obsessed ok..)

This book is a story about a song that Mcbess wrote and the accompanying vinyl is the song itself. (I haven't listened to it yet so i'll let you know what it's like!) The illustrations are amazing (naff word i know) and i've looked through it at least 10 times already. I'm pretty anal when it comes to my books - no bending the spine, no sticky fingers etc etc (yes i know that's sad) and so i haven't scanned it in but here are a few photos of it and there's a link at the bottom to a video flick through on McBess's site if you want a better look...

http://mcstore.mcbess.com/ - it's a pretty naff video actually, he obviously doesn't want to give much away! But again, if you want to have a look at the real thing just let me know and i'll bring it in =)

A bit of Mr Bingo? Yesh please!

I saw Mr Bingo's illustrations at Pick Me Up last year and he was my favourite exhibitor so when i saw this book of postcards yesterday i got geek-ish-ly excited and had to have it! Mr Bingo is amazing with a pen, i assumed he computer edited his work but when you look at his pieces closely, it's not, it's just pen and so i am even more in awe with him now!

Hildafolk - Luke Pearson

I've found myself being attracted to comic-books lately, not your usual superman, spiderman, batman, something-else-man copies but other illustrators who use the comic-book format to tell their stories. This one by Luke Pearson is a random little srory about a girl who lives in the mountains, befriends a log-man, has a pet fox and brings to life a troll made of rock.... It's not as confusing as it sounds(!) but i really like the illustrations and the original idea of the story and so thus is now another addition to my collection!

The rubbish quality of my camera doesn't do the illustrations justice but never mind!... It came in this bag aswell, 2 pieces of design for the price of one. Bargain!

Wooden Toy Quarterly - music edition 7

 

sorry it's upside down...

I bought this yesterday, it's a beautifully produced magazine which combines graphic design, illustration and music and is great for inspiration and a wonderful piece of work to have around. It came in a specially designed 'vinyl sleeve' box with a letter of authentication (it's 1 of 5000) and an additional book of typographic responses to lyrics. I could be here all day waffling on and using 'gooey' words about how much i like it but lets face it, who wants to read that.... If anyone can find out online how to get hold of future copies i seriously recommend it, you won't be dissapointed!!

Random Observation...

This is the first electric car i've ever seen, it was 'plugged in' (which seems really odd to say) opposite the Lyceum Theatre, i wasn't the only fascinated by it though, quite a few passers-by gave it an intrigued sort of look!

Jules Julien

Julien often works with defaced figures that question reality and i really like this approach of distorting what we'd expect to see. Close up, the texture and the patterns created within it is very interesting and i'm intrigued by how it was created. Any ideas....???

Mcbess

These pieces are McBrilliant McBess, i think it's better to just leave this as an 'image splurge' otherwise it will be another Beth Essay (!) so i'll leave all the writing to my PDP!