Reprise Centre

Hey guys!

I managed to find a few minutes to post up some of the WIP work from my current project, everyone chose their own brief and I decided to create a music therapy centre for dementia patients...as you do.

The more I researched into music therapy the more I knew that it scientifically *works* and I decided the project had some sort of potential for promoting the benefits.

One of my final products is going to be an info pack, a twist on the kind you may get from a doctor or care home etc. when a loved one has a serious illness. I researched into packs aimed at kids and they were virtually non-existent, the one I did find was uber patronising, so I realised I needed to make a kids pack too.

So, this info pack is going to include a bigger booklet for the content primarily aimed at adults (although it can still be read as a family), and then smaller card-shaped booklets that fold out for the extra kids part, which will include more illustrations.

Here is the initial design for the front of the info pack at the moment - it's going to be printed on heavy duty stock and open up to reveal a pocket where the booklets are kept, along with any other important documents you want to keep altogether.

 

and here are some of the illustrations for the kid's pack so far,

the first set are all about some of the changes that dementia brings on like becoming lost or confused more easily:

The next foldout is about little things the child can do with their grandma/dad that make a big positive impact to them, there's still one more I need to finish about scrap books but here's the completed two so far:

I'm also designing the look for the website for the centre, here's a screenshot of what the homepage looks like so far:

Ok, I don't want to give everything away...you'll have to come to our degree show if you want to see the rest ;)

I might put up a progress pic of the headphones packaging but the rest is a surprise!

Also before I forget, PICK ME UP the amazing graphic arts festival is currently running in London from yesterday until the 28th. I am going to try my damndest to get down there this year (because I still haven't managed to catch it yet thanks to yearly uni deadlines) and highly recommend you try too so we can both soak up the awesomeness/feel self-loathing at how good everyone is!

I will definitely report back with a lil' review of the show here if I do,

will also put up pics of the UEA work soon, busybusybusy just how I like it.

Sarah

I can't write no, dissertation

The title of the blog comes from THIS great youtube vid I found when I was at a low point searching for things like 'HATE DISSERTATION' 'die dissertation die' and 'how not to freak out during your dissertation'. 

luckily the added panic of my ever-looming deadline was enough to make me finish it.

HUZZAH!

so, despite the title I am now FREE, and sadly since it was more writing than visual (8,000 words more) the only thing I can really show you that's slightly interesting is the cover:

and this is how it looked once I printed it all out...about 30 pages of (hopefully good) content :s

It was pretty hellish but still not as bad as I thought it could've been, I did enjoy my topic and some of the research, but I still wouldn't write another one if you paid me :P
once and never again.

The topic I chose to look at was picture books, but in particular picture books that people have for whatever reason branded as scary or frightening over the years.
'Where the Wild things are' had a lot of influence (as seen in the cover) and so did older illustrators like Edward Gorey and Charles Addams. I also discovered the work of Bob Staake, who still uses an ancient version of photoshop that doesn't use layers, MADNESS.

Now the dissertation is over, I can get back on with my big final graphics project which is the branding/promotion/literature of a Music therapy centre for people with dementia, trying to make the idea of a care home into a place that people WANT to be in is a pretty big challenge.

but I like a challenge.
and I've seen what dementia does.. so any way I can bring about some positivity through this is my biggest aim.

I will blog lots of WIP things for that brief in the coming weeks,
as well as a new project for CSV Action East - this time for posters & postcards for the UEA, all about uni stress which is easy to relate to haha.
but for now, have this brown bear in the woods :)

p.s. I've been updating my pinterest with lots of designers and illustrators that do amazing work, I don't tend to post other people's art on here out of respect for copyright but I do look at a LOT every day.
Recently these two illustrators have caught my attention:
Amazing colour schemes & lots of progress posts - Christina Ung
I love her rough style (and she draws dragons) - Catherine Rayner

More soon!

Sarah

Almost-march madness

Hey guys, 

here's one of those not at all regular updates I was talking about,
I've only really had time to post any new illos up on my facebook group page right now

but here they are for the blog:

V day is gone (thank god) but I did whip up some better versions of the 'honest valentines card' ideas,

you can either go for sexy-time or insulting version, whatever you feel like on the day!

sexy-time:

insulting:

or just as insulting but with slighty more typography!

can't say fairer than that.

this is what my page full of sketches looked like before I scanned it in, gotta love the massive block type in the bottom right.


also, here is darth vader trying to tempt you all with stoner rock..

that's all for now folks *goes off to procrastinate from writing more of dissertation* 
(more updates at some point soonish!)

February!

Goodbye January, I'm glad to see you go.

Hey guys, I've started my new (big big) final uni project so updates will happen just not sure how regularly, also trying (and mostly failing) to write my dissertation, so busy business as usual.

Anyway, I saw Django recently and really want to design a poster for it (once I have a few free days 'off') but for now here's a quick speed painting/sketch of the man with the silent D *click to embiggen*

To be honest I don't always like Tarantino's films..but this one is all kinds of amazing and you should watch it. Stop reading this blog. and go watch it. Then come back.

Enjoy it? Ok good! back to the illos

The second is an idea I got stuck in my head a few days ago, and since my new uni project is also about music it made a lot of sense :) here's a songbird for you.

More soon!
x

Sketchy post

Hey guys, I have the January blues atm so here are some older sketches I found when trawling through my old hard drive...

this came from a joke my friend Jenny made when this song first came out, because you can barely understand what Drake is singing/rapping half the time :P

Rebecca Black singing Friday on Sesame Street, the horror.

a sketch for the film witchboard to see if I could get the fancy lettering right

Amy pond, at the time I didn't think she looked right, but now I look back a bit less harshly. Might finish this pic off with colour some day....

and finally here are some character designs for some Adam Ants I created for a uni project last year, sadly can't find a file with the pirate-ant coloured in

the heads were all separated from the bodies so each could be animated to dance individually.

I also added a page where you could choose your own icecream, with optional flakes and star topping etc. which appear as you click :)

Ok, that's some older stuff out of the way, make way for the new things!

Also, quote of the day from Neil Gaiman, his New year's resolution:
'bravery and joy'

I think that sums it up nicely.

More soon!

NYE resolutions and wacoming

Hey guys, well ever since the official christmassy part of the holidays came to an end (which was pretty damn quick) I have had post-pudding depression and don't feel like doing much or feel very inspired...

BUT

I was very very lucky to get a new tablet as my christmas/birthday present this year, up until now I've been working with an old A5 wacom CTE-430 and although it was a nice little tablet I found the size of it difficult and pen pressure sensitivity was non-existent. 

Now I have a medium sized intuos5 and I'm enjoying pressing all the buttons to find out what shortcuts they use (instruction manual? what instruction manual?) and generally loving the fact it almost feels like you're drawing with a virtual pen or pencil. 

Here are a few sketches I wacomed (it's a verb now) during christmas, still trying to get the hang of it:

 because dragons pulling sleighs would be as awesome as reindeer imo. (click to embiggen)

quick lifestudy of my nan sitting with her dog

and another quick lifestudy of my dad typing away on the laptop, in matching day glo orange jumper & party hat.

As for the resolutions...I've only made one for next year so far...if I think of any more I shall sketch a quick pic and blog it, but for now it's to

Even though I'll be doing even more for my dissertation in the coming months, this is more of a 'read the pile of books you got for christmas last year, then start reading the pile of books you got this year' resolution. One of the books I've been wanting to read for ages and just got is Bill Bryson's 'A Short History of Nearly Everything' so I might tackle that first.

Hope you all had a great holiday, and here's to an even better 2013!!

Sarah x

APOCALYPSE NO(W)

Or 'How I managed to sleep through the apocalypse and love the lay-ins'
Woops.
Woke up at 11.30 (first lay-in in FOREVER) and I'm really glad the world is still here.

Went to the docs on wednesday and found out I have bronchitis, which is why this post is a few days late and explains my hot-mess feeling. But I should be ok again soon, hopefully in time to celebrate christmas, birthday and new years in style next week!

I also bought myself an xmas jumper/cardigan yesterday because I've been wanting one for AGES, it has skulls on it instead of reindeer but you can't win 'em all. Here's the illustrated version:

Now for the exciting catch up!
You might've seen me on twitter a few weeks ago *linking* to our International Design & Illustration auction myself and fellow final year uni students hosted on the 13th, I'm happy to say it was a massive success! We had over 30 lots of signed and limited edition work including posters and prints from renowned people like Gerald Scarfe, Pentagram USA, Jonathan Barnbrook, Primo Angeli, Brian Grimwood, George Underwood, James Jean, Alexandra Ball, Philip Bannister, Russell Walker, Nigel Ball, Anke Weckmann etc. etc. and managed to raise a whopping £1,800+ to put towards our degree show!
You may see us exhibiting in London if things turn out right! I am mega excited and proud.

Here are a few pics from the night, plus this one of our promotional set up in the waterfront building:

A selection of the Brian Grimwood pieces on offer: 

the table full of biddable goodies:

setting up the screen and microphone before everyone arrived

Hosting an art auction turned out to be a really rewarding process, I'd love to host more illustration themed events in the future!


Onwards and backwards -
Here are my TCM posters in progress, the brief was to choose 5 films from a list of 200 or so and use them create a new film season, then design two posters advertising the season either as a whole or concentrating on the featured films separately. I chose the latter (although I want to create an example of the former option if I can find time), these are for Moulin Rouge! and From Hell:

and here are some shots of almost everyone's posters in progress on the wall together: 

The penguin bookmarks and Churchill stationery set still need to be worked on a little before I put them up here, but should be very soon :)

I should be posting again before NYE, but either way I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!