Crit

I found the feedback I received from my peers today very helpful. I was looking primarily for things I could improve on and the suggestions I got were all things I agree with completely. It was a nice change for people to give advice on how to improve and I also felt more useful giving constructive criticism. Overall, people liked my zine and I feel like if I had more time I could have tweaked it a bit. I am happy with what I produced in a few days and would like to try setting myself shorter projects in the future - I think I get more work done when I have a deadline in my mind.

Front & Back Covers

I added the texture to both front and back covers. The quote on the back I thought worked well alongside the subject matter I chose to focus on. I wanted a powerful image for the front cover of an actor/performer and the stance I chose to draw highlights the drama within Shakespeare's plays. I am not sure how well the image is read I think it might be a bit too busy, if I did it again I would have included negative space in the crowd and maybe a title.

Double Page Spreads

Including double page spreads worked well, I think it was easier for me to describe a sense of space and the landscape format reflecting that of a theatre stage. I also chose to add a little bit of a tone with watercolour to certain elements which helped to distinguish things from the background - this hopefully made the images easier to understand.

Texture & Type

Type

Type was something I thought about quite last minute and looking back I probably should have used the same pen I drew with, I am not sure it matches well enough.

Texture

I added textures to a couple of images after I scanned them in on Photoshop. I really enjoyed the process of making texture, definitely want to start doing this more (mark making) in future project. I think it makes the simple drawings a lot more interesting. If I had more time I would have experimented more with these.

About the Author - Study Task 1

Brief

To make an A5 12 page zine using image and text as a visual response to your author.

I enjoyed making the zine as a first task back to Uni! I decided to draw the entire thing as I have missed just drawing rather than using other methods. Focusing on performance and the theatrical side of Shakespeare is a conscious decision I made as this is what fascinates me about Shakespeare, his works have lasted the test of time and people are still entertained by his stories on the stage.

I used roughs to work out how I would lay out the zine, so helpful! I found that I work a lot better when I can visualise how the end product will look.

Costume

Looking at costume and the actual theatrical performances may be a nice direction to take my research/this project. I found out that Shakespeare acted in his own plays which I didn't realise, this could be an interesting fact to focus on. This is also something that I find very engaging as a subject matter for me to look at in more depth as I am a huge fan of theatre and performance in general.

Crowd/Performance Drawing

Location

It has been such nice weather so I have been sat outside thinking about different ways that the stage (the Globe) could be perceived, not just from the audience - but from the performing actors and people working behind the scenes. This was just more of a fun thing for me to draw and experiment with the idea of.

V&A Shakespeare London

Had such a fantastic day looking about the theatre and performance section of the V&A in London. Looking at the tiny set designs has made me think about where I could take my project once we get started properly. I am very happy with my choice to focus on Shakespeare as I feel this will hold my interest. I love all things theatrical and I also like making with my hands, so maybe doing something from set designs or paper work will work for where I want to take this brief.

Character Drawing

 

I am really enjoying the process of just sitting and drawing characters I have been reading about. So far I have focused on characters which I find the most interesting visually, however I would like to delve in a bit deeper and look at some that are lesser known.

Focus

All the characters I have looked at are from Shakespeare's plays, I may start looking at more people from his actual life - not just his work. This may be a bit more difficult but I think its worth doing to get to know who Shakespeare was more as a person and not just an author.

Paper Shakespeare - Motifs

Paper

I have continued to work with paper as a medium I really enjoy and find extremely adaptable. Colour and pattern are evident throughout the imagery described in Shakespeare's work and to produce motifs I find this works well.

Motif Imagery

Thinking about what I could use to produce some motifs I found objects/characters/etc that keep popping up within the texts I have been reading. Sometimes it is a bit difficult to pinpoint which elements to use due to such a wealth of potential imagery. I prefer to look through a large amount of information to find things so I am happy to do so, even if it is a tad overwhelming. I may start to look at just two or three plays at once to make the task less daunting.

Selfridges Shakespeare ReFashioned

http://www.selfridges.com/GB/en/content/article/shakespeare

In London I came across a window display in Selfridges titled 'Shakespeare ReFashioned' which marks the 400 year anniversary of Shakespeare's death. This inspired me to start looking at costume and the actual garments which are such an important part of bringing his work to life, especially on stage. Characters are created and recognised by what they wear and the notion of this recognition is something I want to explore.

Shakespeare's Globe London

I went to London for my birthday so I thought I may as well stop by the Globe Theatre whilst I was on the south bank. The exterior of the building was exactly how I imagined and structure of these buildings (era) is something I would like to explore within my work. I wasn't able to go inside as a play had already started but I had a route around in the gift shop. It was worth the trip but I definitely want to go the theatre in Stratford to get more of a feel for the actual theatre size/etc. 

I may even consider going to see a play at the Globe, the man I spoke to said that I can get a standing ticket for a fiver, so this could be a great experience for me to work from.

Why Shakespeare?

I thought I would delve more into the life of Shakespeare and his works mainly due to my interest in theatre and performance. As this project is going to last for a lot longer than I am used to, I want something that can keep me engaged and content I won't get bored of easily. There are so many different stories/themes to work with.

The Man who mistook his Wife for a Hat

On the whole I really enjoyed this book. The insights of Sacks are really fascinating and so different to anything I have heard before, especially in a non-fiction novel. I was surprised at how easy it was to understand, obviously some of the terms were completely alien to me but things are explained on a very human level.