FMP: Project Evaluation

FINAL MAJOR PROJECT EVALUATION

Ultimately, I think my FMP was overall a success. I am extremely pleased with all my final pieces and I feel my final table-set up for the show is an accurate reflection of my project as a whole and everything I had primarily aimed to produce. I feel this success was due to my very strong and well developed research, and all the inspiration and ideas I took from such research. I think all the vast amounts of artists, publishing companies and comics I looked into were additionally extremely helpful to my work and ultimate product – by providing me with never-ending amounts of inspiration and constant ideas as what I could do next, what I could improve or include, etc. For example, the work of artist Jane Mai in particular proved to be vastly helpful to my project, by giving my perhaps the most amount of ideas and inspiration from the artists’ work. Jane Mai proved to be a source of aspiration for my final project and to me as a creative individual, and I feel there is a strong sense of her work within my own.

Though, I am very pleased with my final outcome, I can evaluate my FMP process overall by saying that I generally was not on target or meeting my weekly goals. This was not by any means due to the nature of the goals I had set for myself – they were very much achievable; though I feel I often spent far too much time on elements that perhaps did not need so much dedication – such as the primary research, Though I have a lot of research and it all proved to be helpful and ultimately needed for my FMP, I do think I could have completed my research much sooner and moved onto physical creating and making at an earlier stage. Again, though I am pleased with my final outcome, I do feel there are slight aspects that I could potentially improve upon, given more time. For example, I may have looked into producing a couple of books rather than the one and multiple zines to accompany; that said I am in no way disappointed with what I did manage to produce.

If I was to do my FMP again, I would certainly collect my research in a more improved way and spend far more time on the actual creation; and additionally try to have more fun with what I was creating.

FMP: Week Seven

FINAL WEEK

This final week of the project has been a hectic week of tying up loose ends to my project, finishing needed work, as well as beginning to create the table set-up for my work in the final show. Overall, I feel fairly behind with my work and not at all up to date with my targets, but thankfully, I am sure of what needs to be done, what I want and need to produce and how long it'll take me to do such.

At this point, I feel fairly positive, that I will have most of my project at completion by the end of the week, but time will tell. At the moment, I currently have to book I am submitting as my final piece physically completed, though the internal drawings of such need to be finalized and added - something I am certain will not take me long, as I have a very strong idea of what I want to include, as well as the layout of my book overall.

As for the additional products I am including within my final piece, these have been fully completed, prints have been printed nicely and sized correctly for my table space, but I am currently still planning on buying the frames I will need for these prints - but the is straight forward and not at all a set back. Additionally, the personal zine I am included has also been finished, and I am simply waiting to print these in a way that will look accompanying to be final products in my individual table space.

Though I am honestly, slightly stressed at this point in the project and fairly worried about the time I have left and very close deadline, I am aiming to stay positive, and am currently pleased with where I am. I simply need to be pushed harder on with my sketchbook work and finish up research, but honestly I am trying to focus on the actual creative which previously, I feel I certainly did not give enough attention to. I am hopeful that all will be completed in time and I will have a successful project overall as well as an interesting and exciting final piece.

All work and imagery: authors own

FMP: Week Six

BOOKBINDING

DEFINITION: "Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book from a number of folded or unfolded sheets of paper or other material."

This week I focused on binding my final book that I will ultimately present for my FMP. To begin, I looked up various tutorials on general bookbinding, and from there moved onto different types of binding and book making.  

Initially, I had planned on using a standard method of bookbinding - which includes creating signatures and either gluing or threading them together. 

Example:

Though through more research I decided that a different type of binding technique would be aesthetically interesting and make for a more interactive book. Ultimately, I went for the traditional 'Japanese binding' with thread, as I thought it looked most interesting.

Example:

When it came to making the final product, I chose simple cartridge paper - though I had previously thought about including different paper textures and colours, I decided on a more simple look, because I did not want to deter away from the content I was aiming to produce. Though so the aesthetic didn't come across as boring, I wen for colour card as the front and back covers - then using thick white thread to contrast such. 

Ultimately, the actual creation of my book proved more difficult than I had anticipated, the binding of the thread proved difficult when it came to weaving through fairly thick paper, and I was primarily at a loss as to how to overcome such. But by using a thick needle (and providing more force!) I was able to overcome such and produce a final product I am quite content with.

In conclusion, as the final book I made was a 'trial' of such, I am considering making another that will ultimately be the final piece, and taking on board most of the issues I had to work through in order to make my next process much easier for myself.

COMICS AND ZINES

In addition to my bookbinding, this week I also looked at obviously, research and actual practical work for the ultimate content of the book; for which I continued my research into personal and comic books, especially ones hat had been independently published on small scales. As well as looking at other smaller pieces I want to include within my final product, I went back to the previous research of zines and began looking at tutorials on how to creating them - and the two ways I am currently working through are making one using one sheet of paper and using various pieces of paper. Though these are still things I am working through and trying to finish, I am confident in my research and my ultimate goals and feel prepared for the upcoming final deadline.

Image sources: Google image search

FMP: Week Five

WEBCOMICS AND COMIC BOOKS

As my final major project enters into the last few weeks, I feel like I need to move on from my research and into actual making and product of my final piece. Despite this goal that I have set, I still feel like I am lingering on to much with my research and not pushing forward move into the creating - something I am hoping and aiming to overcome very quickly and very soon.

Either way, my current research has become far more defined and I am currently looking at specfic artist more rather than artist work as a whole. In particular I am choosing to mostly look purely at artists who use a comic style in some form or another, and additionally produce art that is bother personal and engaging, as theses are elements I have strongly decided upon for my own work and I looking for inspiration within.

Particular artists begin mostly at this point, Gemma Correll.

image source: gemma correll

Having already been a large fan of Correll's work for a while now, and knowing a lot about her styling and work within comics and personal anecdotes, I am surprised it had taken me this long to remember her and use her work for stronger and further developed research. But now that I am, I am finding that my ideas and inspiration is flowing constantly, and I am able to produce beginnings of work that I like and want to continue developing. Though I am not at the point I want to be at with my own drawings and work, I am starting something, and aiming to be pleased with, but still strive to work faster and more efficiently to keep up with the targets and impending deadline.

WEBCOMICS

In addition to work into particular artists and such, I have been thorough in my reading of webcomics for inspiration to my FMP, and of course for personal entertainment!

I find the styling of webcomics to be far more relaxed and produced on a quicker scale, and artists are able to share them widely over the internet and engage far more with their audience. Though these are not necessarily elements that will be apart of my own project, it is a good research point, and general thing to look into, I fell.

FMP: Week Four

DESIGN MUSEUM AND CONTINUATION OF WORK

The fourth week of FMP began with a trip to the Design Museum to visit the 'Hello, My Name is Paul Smith' exhibition, and the Designs of the Year (2014).

Both exhibitions proved to be very interesting and visually exciting. The 'Hello, My Name is Paul Smith' was a lovely insight to the work and personal space and thoughts of the designer and his amazing journey of work - from his time of a student into the international successful designer he is today. The exhibition was great to view in terms of seeing how a working creative not only developed his own work, but viewing his own inspirations and collection of other artists' work - I find it is always nice to view that successful artists will always still have their own set of artists that inspire them and their work, much like smaller working artists and students alike. 

The second part of the trip - The Designs of the Year, for me, proved to be far more interesting and inspiring than the exhibition on Paul Smith (though I did certainty enjoy both). The Designs of the Year showcased a range of work from current students within degrees to working designers, architects and graphic designer - a wider range of work inducing a a wider range of ideas and inspiration, I find.

all imagery: authors own

FMP: Week Three

CREATIVE WEEK

Are You a Person?

The third (though technically second week of the FMP) was a surprise to me and my work. We were suddenly tasked with a creative brief of collaborating with another pathway in order to create something that was not only reflective of all individual members ideas and skills, but was creatively interesting and displayed and intellectual concept.

My graphics pathway collaborated with the students of Lens Based Media, and immediately I felt that my group from the beginning was successfully able to find creative ways of sharing and putting together ideas and skills - for example, one thing we primarily considered (and ultimately produced) was to use a merge of illustration - from mine and my graphics partners input - and the photographic skills of the LBM student we had a collab with.

When it came to the formulating ideas and concept for out project; after a group brainstorm and discussion, we immediately saw similarities within our individual projects that we could use to our advantage and produce something reflective of all ideas within the group. The element that was strong conscious throughout the group was the theme of people, personalities, human-ness and individual, personal aspects. Immediately our group had successful ideas of what we could produce, what it could mean/represent, etc. 

Using the group materials we had managed to bring together on short notice, we ended on the idea of creating varying dolls out of the material that would ultimately represent that difference withing human beings and human nature - a project which we accurately entitled 'Are You a Person?' considering it was safe to say this was a question we were definitely asking through out project work.

The rest of the week was creatively active and I feel we were constantly producing things that were successful, as well as certainly being unique and interesting. In the end out group managed to produce a set of dolls that we used to convey the concept and questioning of human-ness and what aspect truly builds up and creates a 'person'; but the main final product was a small booklet of drawn anatomical imagery and photography of the actual human form, which overall visually displayed the contrast we were aiming for, as well as creating something that was not only visually interesting but well made and unique.

Above: Two of our dolls and our final booklet (minus the illustrations)

In conclusion, initially I found this Creative Week to be difficult and a slight drag on my creative consciousness and the work of my FMP. Though of course it is always interesting to engage with students of a differing pathway - I find such is always interesting as it is nice to see an alternative artist approach to a shared brief - I found it was not at all the best time to give such a creatively demanding brief. Although such was meant to be an addition to our own FMPs, and help continue a flow of ideas and creativity, I found I had to put my own project ideas on hold for such work, and was far more focused on creating something that made sense and reflected all individuals, rather than seeing it as some kind of continuation to my won work. 

FMP: Week Two

EXHIBITION VISITS AND COMICS

NoBrow Press (Visit)

My main aim for this week was to visit the NoBrow Press shop in Shoreditch as external research as well as the Cartoon Museum for further inspiration and project research. Beginning early with the trip to NoBrow, I very quickly and very happily became strongly absorbed within their vast amount of differing comics and illustrated books, their large range of artist work, as well as prints and different styles of printing - it was all extremely inspiring and very fun to view!

image sources: (both) nobrow.net

My visit to NoBrow was beyond eye-opening and introduced me to a world of comic books and comic styles I had not yet experienced. Each comic or illustrated book was different into style, concept and art, but they were all published wonderfully and artistically beautiful. In addition to developing inspiration and new ideas, I also definitely learnt a lot about self-publishing from the NoBrow store (and previously from research I'd done on their site). It was extremely intriguing to me to view different kind of self-published work and to view the extreme professionalism and polished look of all the work, despite most of it being produced on a small scale and through independent publication. It gave me even more ideas and tips on how I could potentially produce my own work both for my FMP and generally - something I aim to do hopefully within the near future and further career. In addition to the books and magazines that NoBrow offered, their memorabilia was exciting and engaging and further encouraged me to aim to produce something additional that viewers of my work could interact with more and gain another level of personal contact and more elements of fun and reliability.

Conclusively, I thought NoBrow was amazing and very helpful; not only to my final porject but to me as a creative individual and inspiraing comic artists and illustrator. The use of self-publication was refreshing and was helpful to view such defined and strongly developed pieces of work being produced wonderfully on a small and independent scale. Though anything I produce for my FMP obviously could not be as well developed as the work with NoBrow - due to obvious factors such as time scale, being a student, and funding - viewing was still helpful to me and I did not at all look at as work that was unattainable, just something that might not be possible within my seven week project and student life.

Sunday in the Park with Boys

Whilst searching and visiting the NoBrow store I aimed to find something to take home with me, not only as further resarch I could have first hand, but of course for my own enjoyment; and consequently I discovered the comic book 'Sunday in the Park with Boys'

 image source: koyamapress.com

I was initally drawn to Sunday in the Park with Boys (hereafter: SITPWB) from it's interesting style, and upon actually reading I was immediately engaged within the strongly personal and engaging story - or more so diary.

'With Sunday in the Park with Boys she has given us a poetic account of self-discovery and self-loathing. In this comic as emotional cartography, persona and person collide as Mai contends with loneliness, heartache and herself.'

(account from koyamapress.com)

SITPWB was very relatable to me, and I think is the reason I engaged and felt so strongly for it. It is a diary of sorts about Jane Mai (the author and illustrator) struggle with her identity, dark, bleak feelings and general emotional turmoil. It was an amazing read, I quickly found myself within Mai's character and could immediately see elements within her work that I had aimed for my own. In addition to the engaging story, Mai's art style is simple, yet artistically interesting and very unique. It ranges from a simple cartoonish style to a detailed and 'mature' drawn imagery; additionally including a range of pages consisting only of handwritten text to one page drawings and words. Again all elements I was considering for my project and now certain upon. I feel SITPWB had been the focal point of inspiration for my FMP and I feel, even unintentionally, will I be producing elements that ring very clearly of Jane Mai style and characteristics.