Recently I have been making more mood boards to inspire myself for projects. Everyone knows, that tumblr is an endless visual inspiration source, so here is my inspiration page, i reblog everything that's made me interested or gave me a certain feeling. 

http://beliychay.tumblr.com/ 

follow me if you like my blog!

My first year on FdA Design for Graphic Communication course in LCC is almost finished. Sitting in the library and working on my one hundred outcomes I was self-evaluating myself, trying to find good and bad sides and kind of understand who am I really. Not just for this blog post, but for my own understanding as well.

HATO Press final outcome(Term II)

The year started roughly for me – I had some problems with enrolment and missed first week of studying. Essential first week with all introductions, first lessons. Meeting teachers and classmates for the first time.  Obviously I felt a bit confused and stuff, but thanks God I have taken Foundation course in Camberwell and caught up quite quickly.

Our first assignment was this blog. Blogs itself are not new for me: I had a blog about my life since I was 14. Blogger is also my favourite platform so far, I read a lot of talented professionals here. We were asked to update the blog twice a week, oh well… It was quite hard. I don’t have a lot of posts here but I have worked on each piece of information I post here.

Mapping project(Term II)

In my opinion, I have improved quite a lot in all areas this year. I like my blog and recently think much more about collecting information for the blog, what kind of photos I should post, how to arrange the information and what deserves to be put here and what is better to leave for myself on a hard drive. I also started to write a personal reflective journal. I put all my sudden ideas, plans, thoughts in there. It helps me a lot to create material for blog and improves my idea generation processes, makes me go deeper on the topic, makes evaluate myself in each point. Now I always have what to say, my personal opinion on loads of new topics.

Also I have started making mood boards, as I used to do it on Foundation course. I have no idea why I stopped doing it at one point- perfect way to get your ideas flowing, get the right mood and see new ways to develop the topic. Besides that personally I find it very hard to keep everything on computer(which made me a bit stuck with PDF assignments at first), but when all the information is on the wall you kind of let your mind in a free space, you will not forget or loose anything.

Last page of my first PDF: not so successful final outcome( Term I)

Talking about design process: I have finally got an almost clear idea of how it should be. Yes, maybe I am slow but I actually had to go through a couple of big projects to realise the scheme for myself. One of my favourite projects helped me the most here: HATO Press. We were working in a group with second-year’s students and I have learned a lot from them. Where to start, how to develop idea, how to use the feedback right. Also it was my first experience in professional printing and binding, in my previous works I used a printer I have at home. The greatest thing I picked up from these experienced student is – tada! – time management. I used to have a big problem with doing everything on time, It always felt like I have the whole life for the project so I just kept going on with my research till the last day before hand-in and all my final pieces were quite weak, as my favourite tutor from Camberwell Jen stated. The problem kept occurring in first two terms of this year too, which was noticeable for my new tutors too. In the end, that was the greatest side of group work- you cannot ditch your group and not come, you have to finish your part right on time or you will fail not only yourself, but the whole group too. This project kicked me hard!

Working on the VCT article:Rianna and Kezia

This year I had my first experience in working with industry partners. I was excited and a bit scared at first, but everyone was very nice and friendly. One easy formula for all the designers – be nice, open-minded, enthusiastic and work hard. I read somewhere this quote a long time ago: “Talented people are talented in everything, because talent is 60% of your ability to work hard on what you were given”. So damn true, and HATO Press project proved it right, we worked hard and evaluated each feedback we were given. We were able to create a work which makes us feel proud. Proud we were able to go so far.

Solar Plate workshop

This year I learnt how to use letterpress, screen-printing and solar plate etching. I was truly inspired and amused with all the techniques, I like making things with hands. Unfortunately each workshop takes quite a long time, so I couldn’t come there often, but next year I am going to explore these methods deeper and use it more often for my final outcomes.

First Exhibition with industry partners HATO Press(Term II)

From the very beginning of my artistic life the thing I was most interested in was fashion and theatre costume design, but last year I made a choice to go deeper into area I don’t know well to learn something new and see things from another point of view. At first it was hard, but now I don’t regret a minute spent here. LCC is an amazing place for those who are ready to work their hardest. If you lack enthusiasm its really easy to leave with nothing beside your back, but if you put enough in what you do and lead yourself you can become really great. In college we are given so many opportunities: thousands of materials, unique workshops, old and new machines which will be very hard to find when we leave. We are taught by people who show us how to free our creative minds. We meet famous designers and given a chance to see how they work and can even take part in their working process. We learn how to explain and show ourselves, how to make conclusions on our mistakes and explorations. We are on the way of finding ourselves.

Also, totally forgot to share some photos I have take on workshops from previous couple of weeks.

Each workshop was very interesting and inspiring,also helped a lot to understand the right way in making 100 outcomes on "The City" topic.Here are some outcomes I got on the workshops I liked the most.

Visualisation of sounds workshop. We were asked to come to the location and collect different sounds around us,remembering to mention how loud,how far and what kind of sound it was.Then in pairs we were visualising the map.

Rhymes workshop with Ben. Love this workshop, really gives you big space to think and express.I also like the topic of sounds so I have found the workshop engaging and fun. Second picture - "Invisible cities" workshop. All of us were given a piece of text about a city and asked to create a typeface for it.

"Utopia and Dystopia" workshop, as far as I noticed- the most popular one.At first we were making collages,to recreate the space and make it unusual.On the photo left city is mine and right is my classmate's Maria's.Next picture is landmark I have made in a group with Ingvar and Maria in Museum of London yard.It's meant to be a model of a big glass landmark with sightseeing balconies and flat escalators inside.

Had a really useful bookbinding workshop today,got a chance to try almost every way!One with bookbinding screws was new for me,also made a successful perfect binding notebook, might use it for sketches and notes.I wish we had this workshop time ago.

In process of working on my 10 pattern outcomes...Don't know if i'm doing it right,but oh well,could anything be wrong in this project?

I was thinking about city topic and found stalking topic quite interesting.Every day we are being recorded on thousands of cctv,seen from windows,through eyes;we can be located with our laptops and mobile phones.Pure topic of 1984 Big Brother ahah:) Well,in a couple of hours I managed to make only 4 of them,will see how it goes next...

A while ago I had a discussion with my friends about interesting music tracks.Whilst sharing our knowledge we came across to this song by Papoose. He is so old school, I love it, bit the thing is exactly this song and its second part(which goes from Z back to A).

"Aiyo it's DJ KaySlay the Drama King

And for those of y'all that don't know

I'm workin with a new artist, he goes by the name of Papoose

And for those of y'all that didn't finish school

Check this out, it's all good

I'ma run y'all through this little, Thug-A-Cation right now

And what we gon do, is we gon scream out the letters in the alphabet

And every letter you hear screamed out, from A to Z

My man Papoose gon break it down for you

So what you do, is get your pens, your pads, and take notes

Yo Papoose, let's go!"

I actually find this amazing, lyrical genious! One of the sickest rap joint of all time!

web: http://www.calverts.coop/

Recently our class was given an opportunity to visit some great design studios.My first visit was to Calverts studio which is located at Bethnal Green.

First thing that lifted up my mood on that rainy day was kind and friendly stuff,as soon as we arrived we were offered drinks and after that we arrived in the workshop room.

Room was small but cozy, table was full of different books, magazines and leaflets, which I instantly wanted to examine, so bright and pretty they looked.

Our lecturer was Arthur, one of the "Calverts" crew members.Our lecture started. First we were told about different kinds of paper, overview of print techniques and technical details. I learned a lot about coated and uncoated paper, shame on me, but on my previous works I dind't put enough consideration on paper choice. Arthur showed us different examples,made at the studio. After that we were showed different printers and were lucky enough to see the real printing process on litho printer. The end of the lecture was dedicated to possible bindings, cost, best ways to deliver your work to the studio and a lot of other interesting and useful topics. Also we were able to see examples of books printed at "Calverts", some of them were really nice and brought me some ideas for the City Project.

Overall, I really enjoyed my visit. Learned so much new, got to see the process and got inspired. Will definitely work with them in future! You can also take part in this creative presentation - the studio runs free workshops at the moment, don't hesistate and take the opportunity so you won't regret later!

Wow,just wow!

While I was researching on cities constructions and looking for some ideas after today's workshop with Karl at Museum of London I spotted Theo Jansen's crazy creations.

web: http://www.strandbeest.com/index.php

"Theo Jansen is a Dutch artist with a background in science. For the last 15 years, he has been evolving a series of wind-powered animals, made of plastic tubes. When these constructions are fed by wind, they set into motion and transmute into organic-looking creatures; or beach-animals as Jansen calls them.

Theo Jansen received the Jury's Special Price in the Interactive Art category at Ars Electronica Festival 2005."(from http://www.artificial.dk/articles/theojansen.htm )

I find his work really inspiring.He actually loves his "creatures" and puts so much effort in this.It also really great to watch artist(or should I say constructor here?) in progress,how he comes up with idea and from a scratch creates an amazing creature.These constructions remind me of kind of Postapocalyptic or Steampunk themes,with mechanic creations,battle between humans(who somehow managed to survive) and its creations.I would love to see this in real life,must be amusing.

I am a big fan of Margaret Mitchell's work "Gone with the Wind".While i was researching on it I found these amazing sketches.I am interested in costume myself and well happy with this finding!

Also,have found a nice book in Museum of London today,"Patterns of Fashion" by Janet Arnold.Book has pattern schemes for many dresses of 19-20 centuries,my favorite time in history!Might get it and start an exploration.

Getting ready for tomorrow's celebration and researching on Easter Style decorations,among interior advices found this.Spectacular!So much work on each egg,looks amazing!

"Volker Kraft of Saalfeld, Germany has an Easter egg tree with 10,000 colored eggs hanging from it! He and his wife Christa, with the help of their children, use real eggshells with the insides blown out, dyed and decorated and hung with care.

Kraft’s apple sapling sported just 18 eggs when he first decorated it for Easter in 1965. The number increased year by year; and by last year, the sturdy tree was festooned with 9,800 eggs, artfully decorated with everything from sequins to sea shells.
This time, Kraft has reached 10,000 — and he says he’s stopping there.
“There will be no increase because I do not have storage capacity anymore,” the 76-year-old retiree says. “I would have to sleep with the eggs otherwise.”

The tree has become a tourist attraction over the years" (c) Neatorama