Day 37

'Thinking Differently' Pen on Paper

I have been thinking a lot about the drawings that I've been making thus far, more particularly whether or not I am approaching the drawing process in a restrictive way. What I mean by this is that so far the drawings have tended to be of a fairly analytical nature on the most part with some illustration providing a few breaks and some much needed comic relief. So far there have been no major diversions from basic drawing styles, no real experimentation or attempt to do something a little off centre... in many ways I've been playing things safe. Have I been doing this then as I'm worried about how some people will view the work, could it be that if the drawing doesn't take up a considerable amount of time that it may not have the some value, could it even be that the thought of doing something more experimental could be seen as taking the easy option making the work less viable? If you think about it though, Drawing is essentially the process of making a mark or series of marks that map out an image or an idea. In it's definition then is there the possibility of reading between the lines to tease out new ways of thinking about drawing over the course of the project?

The drawing then is one of a series of sketches about me thinking of the other possibilities of how I can take a more experimental approach and explore and question what it is exactly that constitutes a drawing. Some of the ideas a ones that I have explored in the past but have never really taken as far as I think they could go. They stem from my drawing at the moment being something that is normally very controlled, purposeful and deliberate as such it tends to be more representative than expressive. The Sketches then in the post think about the notion of eliminating this element of control to create a more organic drawing whereby I have less control over the outcome, by either restricting the range of movement possible or using unorthodox methods of making marks.  If I do decide to take these ideas further there are quite a lot of things to consider that may impact on the outcomes and below are a few of the things that I will need to consider:

- The relationship between myself, the drawing apparatus and the drawing surface.
- Using less conventional movements to create and make marks e.g. twisting, rotating, etc.
- Using drawing as an indicator or measure of a motion from one point to another a way of mapping and recording that motion in various forms.
- The importance of the drawing medium in relation to the image being created.
- If thinking about drawing then as an active process of leaving a trace or making a mark could other activities then be classed as a means to do this, such as walking between points or simply positioning objects in a space.

The implications then for me at this moment in time are firstly how would this type of drawing fit with the project so far and if it is a logical step, is it then too early to do this or should I exhaust the other possibilities before moving on. Secondly and this seems to be where most of my concerns have come from previously, how will it be viewed by the current and the future audience. Would creating these types of drawing be considered as canon by everyone or is it drawing that is too far removed to be considered as viable.

Day 36

'Conor' Pencil on Paper

Portraiture is something that I aim to make more prevalent over the coming weeks and months mostly as I see it as a way to highlight something that has had a great affect on me personally and also the actual work that I'm making... that being the people around me. There is something I've often consider when looking at the art work of other people or even the general creative things that people do, that being that you can tell a lot about a person by the way they express themselves creatively. A lot of the traits that make a person who they are can be seen in the style, tone, aesthetic and execution, on the back of this it is also important to consider that a lot of what makes a person the way they are is in response to a series of almost immeasurable moments, encounters, opportunities and stimuli that we come in contact with each day. I see then the people in my life all the close family, life long friends, casual acquaintances or those that are now only vague memories that interrupt my train of thought from time to time as a major influence in the work that I'm doing... or possibly haven't even begun to plan to do yet as that influence hasn't taken hold yet? don't want to dwell on that too long as I think the notion of time paradoxes may be a bit much for now.

If you think in the context of yourself and if ever you plan to do something that you see as important, something that you really want to accomplish or even something you have just done the first thing you do is tell someone. As you need reassurance that it was the right choice, you look for that pat on the back the acknowledgement that you have done a good job or in some cases that little bit of criticism you need to ensure that next time you do it better. We rely on the people around us to keep us give us that little bit of extra support especially when something backfires leaving us with that feeling that our get up and go, has just got up and gone. It is the people around me that make me want to ensure that I do carry through with this project, each time I bump into someone and they tell me they've been following the blog it gives that extra little bit of motivation I need to maintain focus. as a result I want to integrate these people into the blog as my way of showing that they are a major contributing factor to it's successes.
     

Day 35

'Reassuringly Pensive', Pen and Watercolour on Paper

The reason for today's 'draw' is probably fairly obvious... it's the weekend a time to partake in the odd caper, a little shenanigans topped off with a smidgen of buffoonery. It is a time to help us leave behind our weekly woes and to either recover from the stresses and exhaustion caused by the week we have just endured, or exacerbate the exhaustion by continuing to burn the candle at both ends, pausing only to gnaw at it's waxy mid riff and attempt to set that alight as well. Either way I want to keep things short for now and maybe add a little more to this tomorrow as I attempt to recover from over exerting myself on this fine evening, all that's left for me to say now is... have a good one and make the most of you weekend as it's the only real time we have for the aforementioned shenanigans.

Day 34

'Elephant in the Room'. Pen and Watercolour on Paper

Something I said I was hoping to do more of was to incorporate colour and also introduce an element of painting  as it gives me a further avenue of experimentation. This is exactly what I've decided to do with today's 'draw' a study of the skeletal remains of an elephants foot, something that I came across whilst in the Ulster Museum a few weeks back.

When I saw this it automatically brought to mind that old adage about there being 'an elephant in the room' and in this case almost quite literally. As I'm sure you're aware the idiom it self relates to there being an issue that is particularly obvious to all those present, yet no one wants to discuss it, mostly as it may be deemed inappropriate or cause discomfort. It's like having an actually elephant in a room, impossible to overlook... but for those that concern themselves with trivialities and irrelevance, for those too afraid to face the issue head on it's quite easy to ignore. It is one of those things that we have all experienced at some point whether directly of indirectly, we know that the issue exists but to refer to another well known idiom we bury our head in the sand rather than deal with it. It can be something that affects us personally and singularly, or it can be something that affects the dynamic of a group of people... in any case though what is it then that causes us to ignore the glaring obvious circumstances before us. I think for the most part it's our preoccupation of what other people will think of us that inhibits us from actually bringing the issue to light in the first place. This is also further exacerbated by that feeling that we are all guilty of falling foul to, that being that it will sort itself out or I'll deal with it later. If we are completely honest though this is rarely the case instead it just gets to a stage where the issue reaches its tipping point, it is then that it either transitions into some sort of resolution or it implodes... collapsing around the gravity of the situation that was created. Some of us are lucky enough to be able to acknowledge these 'elephants in the room' early enough that they can be dealt with fairly swiftly, on the other hand though there are definitely those of us that tend to end up with more 'elephants' than they have actual room. These types of circumstances are going to be unavoidable, there are always going to be times when there is an obvious problem that we just don't feel we can deal with in that instance. However this is by no means a bad thing it is how we deal with these circumstances either when we are first confronted with them or at a later time that helps us to grow and develop. We are all going to make mistakes, a faux pas or two and it is with this in mind I think it's important to consider the following... you don't learn from getting things right, instead you learn from making a complete and utter balls of things, picking yourself up and trying again.

Day 33

'Robin Hoodie', Pen, Pencil and Marker on Paper

This is something that came from some of the rough sketches and brainstorming of the last few days, the whole 'literally visual design' idea that I mentioned. It's basically a hoodie design concept that again uses my fondness for wordplay as the inspiration, there's something about this use of wordplay that gives any of the proposed designs a kitschness or novelty factor. If we look around us in most stores and outlets this is something that has become increasingly more fashionable, it would seem that the novelty aspect of an object highlights its daftness whilst also creating the conditions as to why we love it in the first place... I guess in many ways its that old cliché of something being 'so bad its good'.

Bonus Sketches

Here are some Bonus Sketches and rough drafts of ideas that should go some way as to indicating some of the thought process behind the work thus far. The reason being due to something I alluded to in an earlier post about how the process is just as important as the outcome, it's sometimes more interesting to see where an idea began and how it got there rather than just seeing the completed article on its own. Again I also see this as an important part of documenting the work as well, by doing this I create a more permanent record of  the process and the concepts behind the work as normally sketchbooks become damaged, loose scraps of paper are misplaced and things can easily be forgotten... this then should go some way as to ensuring that those initial ideas and thoughts are preserved along with any ideas that weren't used in favour of pursuing something different at the time.

Day 32

'The Pink Panther, The Pink Panther Strikes Again, Curse of The Pink Panther', Pen and Coloured Pencil on Paper.

Carrying on yesterday's theme of thinking of using a play on words to create a literal, visual representation of that which it depicts. If I was to expand the idea even further I also find that's possibly the umbrella term I would use to encompass the designs 'Literally Visual Designs'... The above idea came just from a few sketches and doodles I made whilst sitting at work and as you will see I plan to incorporated some of these rough drafts and sketches in the blog soon to give an overview of the thought process that's led me to come up with those ideas. As I mentioned before I'm a big fan of film in general, what the above image references then is the whole notion of films spawning 'sequels' and how that it sometimes leads to 'sequelitis' wherein as the franchise progresses it becomes much more contrived with every entry. The 'Pink Panther' films were some of my favourite comedies as a child and to some effect still are today, however looking back you can see clearly were studios tried everything possible to milk ever last drop of possible revenue from the franchise and by the end the films paled in comparison to their earlier counterparts. It was only after reading up quickly on the films today I realised that there are actually 9 Pink Panther films... well 11 if you must count the 2 remakes featuring Steve Martin, which I refuse to fully acknowledge.  It seems that this is the main reason a film gets made, is to make money, which is something I can completely understand but it often leads to a slew of lower calibre sequels that are essential a repetition of the first film but a little louder, a little cruder and a little less likeable. Cinema today is rife with reboots, remakes, sequels and updates as studios latch unto whatever is 'trending' at the time... and time is something that they apparently don't see as a factor as they rapidly crap out movie after movie of mostly vapid, inconsequential tat. There are obviously some exceptions to the rule but even then it's always a case of teetering on the verge of being one film too far. 

This notion of repetition is something that I myself am constantly weary of when making work, it's easy to get comfortable with one particular style or theme as that seems to be popular or worthwhile. The risk is then that by sticking with this you then create the circumstances where your unable to let ideas evolve or grow naturally in the way that they should, as instead you keep yourself contained with in that comfort zone you've conceived. You  end up making fundamentally the same work again and again only a little gaudier, a little clumsier and a little less meaningful. It is important then to constantly push yourself beyond this comfort zone if you wish to continue to flourish and avoid becoming more and more contrived with every completed piece of work. If you then find that the place you originally where in was the better option these ideas can always be re-visited. With this in mind I look forward to what they new month holds and see this as a good time to begin experimenting with some more ideas and thrusting things in a new direction from time to time.