Journal Day 42

I have missed a few days of writing for my Journal mainly because I have had self directed days where I have simply been creating and getting work up to scratch for the assessment next week. I haven't felt I have had anything to say or evaluate on here (as minor evaluations and adjustments happen in my drawing book or head) so have just left it. We are supposed to be producing and writing every day, but some days there just isn't anything worth saying.

But today I had the illustration workshop; a chance to create an identity. We started by looking at a long list of illustrators and how they have shown or represented an identity and then chose a name for our character. From there we had to create the basics behind a story for our character; where they live, what they do and like.

So, I would like to introduce you to Noah. Noah is 10, he has a younger brother Eric who is 5 and a baby sister Elsie who is 16 months old. He lives in Bath with his parents, plays rugby, skateboards and is going to learn the guitar once he has left Bath County Primary School for their Secondary School.

His family is happy. He has young parents who take them out to do things often. They cycle to their favourite restaurants for burgers and chips and they often take trips together. His parents are still progressing through their careers but are smart stylish and have enough money to live happily and comfortably with 3 children.

Noah's best friend is Toby, together they go to the park to skateboard and eat melons or they listen to music. Their lives are the simple lives of happy children.

Therefore my representation of him would/will be with happy colours, in a simple setting. I may use photographs rather than drawings. I may illustrate his likes and dislikes through simple drawings on his parents interlocked hands, or in a joint circle diagram of his parents.  (You know, when two coloured circles join to make another colour). I would focus on the key, basic ideas, small parts of the character. As that's all there is; he is a child, small and basic himself.

So far it is idilic. It is based on ideologies of life; of what I would like my life to be one day as a parent. It is rosy and sweet. It is not real.

I struggle with the idea of drawing this character mainly because I struggle with the idea of drawing. I'm not good at drawing. It makes me close up and feel weird. I know I'm no good at it. I don't have the ideas (or at the moment the time) to develop a drawing long enough to create a great piece of work. I don't have the talent to just produce it in one go. Nor the ideas. I need the time to develop ideas. (something I am only just coming to realise)

However in the same way that I enjoyed packaging, I enjoy the aspect of representationalism in illustration. The small elements that you see that actually say something about your subject. How everything has something to say about your subject. These kind of things can easily be analysed on viewing and discovered through learning more about the subject in focus. I find this interesting, and think it is one of the key traits that interests me in analysing work in art history. The story and information you can gain from it. The personal touches.

So far I am beginning to be able to see links in things that I like, and am good at doing. Common reasons as to why I like those things. Which is good :) It will help me to be able to identify similar traits in other fields and things that I like; hopefully enabling me to select something based on that trait rather than liking it and then discovering that is has that trait about it. (I know that last sentence doesn't really make any sense but it does in my head!)

Abiento x