Molly fairhurst statement of intent

Leeds College of Art BA (Hons) ILLUSTRATION OUIL603 Extended Practice

Level

06

Credits 60

STUDIO PRACTICE Statement of Intent Name

Molly Fairhurst

Date

08/02/17

Blog Address http://m-fairhurst1417-sp.blogspot.co.uk

Rationale Over the coming months I want to establish the beginning setting for my artistic career, investigating the tone of voice I want to project, and the spaces that it can inhabit. I will investigate traditional and less-so forms of illustration- where it may appear conventionally i.e. editiorial and publishing, and where it can sit beyond these. I want to span across formats, but maintain something that is consistent in a way- if not visually, in the voice.

Themes / Subjects Personal stories, opinion pieces Education Tones:  Sincerity, fun, sensitive Products / Methods of Distribution

     

Editorial (magazines, newspapers and online formats) Publishing (book covers, inside illustration) Children’s Publishing (children’s illustration, books and education) Small Press (books, art objects) Self-published (zines) Exhibition/ Site-Based Work (galleries, museums)

Practical Skills / Media / Formats

      

Painting Digital Layout Lettering Type Self-publishing Composition

Brief 1: Editorials

Deadline

ongoing

Rationale: Images based on existing texts, from newspapers, magazines and journals. Explore a variety of approaches, in regards to style, tone and media usage. Consider the duality of print and online formats. Atmosphere, and sensitivity must be carefully considered.

Once aimed to create an editorial image every week, but due to other academic and work commitments it did not work out. Nor did it make sense to rush a piece for the sake of a fake deadline when more time could be invested into something more portfolio worthy.

Brief 2: Carmelite Prize: Free Range Freddy

Deadline

13/04/17

Rationale: I have an interest in children’s illustration that I would like to revisit, for personal and portfolio reasons, but at this point do not have the time to construct a story or a full picture book’s worth of images. Approaching a brief written by someone else also provides a more real-life experience of the work.

Brief 3: Penguin Random House Design Award 2017

Deadline

07/03/17

Rationale: Live brief of 3 book covers. Competition brief provides a real-world understanding of catering to someone else, and the covers create a beginning of a portfolio that can be easily identified as for publishing.

Brief 4: Shortbox “art object”

Deadline

28/03/17

Rationale: So far mostly unconfirmed as to the direction of the project. Open brief, I must propose a piece for the next Shortbox’s collection. This work is commissioned, and will potentially reach an international audience- particularly one with stakes and interest in the illustration/ design community.

A great opportunity if I use it well, but regardless, a project I am flattered to be a part of and is much more than an opportunity to “just get my work out there”.

Brief 5: FINAL MAJOR PROJECT (???)

Deadline

15/05/17

Rationale: This is an opportunity to consider less traditional means of illustration/ my work. The other briefs provide a basis of more typical portfolio pieces, so there is room here to do something that, whilst applied to real life contexts, is maybe free-er, or more ambitious, or a little different. Consider the idea of “situated illustration” (a term borrowed from the RCA programme).

Themes/ topics/ formats are undecided at this point.

Additional Project Proposals

Currently also working on:  Album cover for local band, Green Gardens  Out of Order exhibition print  Barcelona travel diary COMPLETED PROJECTS:   

Zine for Thoughtbubble Forge Art Magazine feature illustration MK Press Fundraiser riso-print design

Contextual References Artists practicing in contexts that go *beyond* traditional means of illustration, or notably span different fields:          

Laura Carlin Misaki Kawai Rachel Lillie Tim Lahan Hannah Waldron Jack Sachs Mogu Takahashi Miroco Machiko Jillian Tamaki Leah Fusco

Landfill Editions Nieves.ch Kuš Natives The Bothy Project The Lighthouse Works

RESEARCH ACTIVITY: Galleries in Barcelona

Deadline

26/01/17

Details

Mostly bigger names in fine art but all art is relevant… There is and should be interest in historical contexts of art. Particularly interested in Miró and his approach to art, making, and context/ lack of context.

RESEARCH ACTIVITY: Visit to Fatbottom Books (Barcelona)

Deadline

26/01/17

Details

Specialist shop selling international and local small press publications. A chance to experience the “indie illustration and comics” scene from another culture/ location.

RESEARCH ACTIVITY: FMP visual researching

Deadline

First series, 10/02/17- 13/02/17

Details

Beginning to record from life the environments that inspired these movements and ideologies, examining their impacts on others and myself.

This will be continuous, with small periods of time dedicated more intensely to this. The focus will change and narrow (in regards to locations and subject matter) as the research becomes more focused.

RESEARCH ACTIVITY: Gallery visits

Deadline

31/03/17

Details Gallery visits, to exhibitions and artists who are influenced by the land.

I.e., Hockney, Hepworth, Moore. Can also reflect on visit to Miró, and his interest in his surrounding enviroments.

That said, these visits need not be only specific to FMP. RESEARCH ACTIVITY: Practioner contacts

Deadline

30/04/17

Details

There are a few practioners I would like to get in contact with. Rob Lowe, for example, has done work on the Kibbo Kift himself, and I would like to ask him his feelings on them, and how they influenced his work. I’d also like to contact others, such as Leah Fusco, with a few small questions on the functionality of their practices that extend into “situated illustration” and “less-applied” work.

These also does not need to be just specific to FMP. Whilst non-practitioner contacts are perhaps the most valuable, and certainly more tied into PPP, I would like to contact people working in these ways to gain an understanding of how I can also apply it to my own work, with hope their experiences and advice will be useful.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

BOOKS / TEXTS - (Harvard Referenced)  100 Artists' Manifestos: From the Futurists to the Stuckists  The Diaries of Paul Klee, 1898-1918  Pedagogical Sketchbook by Paul Klee  William Morris- Useful Work vs Useless Toil (and his other essays) MAGAZINES / JOURNALS / ARTICLES – (include publication date and details)

Limner Journal Varoom ON LINE REFERENCES / WEBSITES / ARTICLES (include specific urls)

It’s Nice That Nieves.ch OTHER REFERENCE MATERIAL (Films, events, exhibitions, conferences)

 

Leeds Comic Fair Jim Pluk @ Fat Bottom Books (Barcelona)

(post-degree but research doesn’t stop!!)  ELCAF, Thoughtbubble  Tove Jansson painting exhibition @ Dulwich Picture Gallery

ACTION PLAN – use this section to identify specific tasks that you need to complete in order to resolve the brief.

Brief

What do you need to do?

1

Editorials    

Establish a more routine way of approaching the editorials Aim for a total of 6-7 good portfolio worthy pieces Choose articles relevant to my interest as an illustrator Do them!

Deadline 15/05/17 But hopefully more like the end of March 07/03/17

2

Penguin Student Design Award  Propose and complete the Adrian Mole cover to finish the set

3

Carmelite Prize  Establish a visual style for the book  Design characters  Design spreads  Choose four spreads to complete to a high standard

4

Shortbox  The idea has been proposed  Storyboard the book (16 pages)  Complete the images  Put together on InDesign

5

Out of Order Exhibition print  Propose an idea and way of approaching it visually  Complete  Print

13/04/17

28/03/17

24/02/17

14/02/17 6

Green Gardens album art  Work has been completed, it now needs to be approved by the client who will choose which image is best.  Final tweaks to layout if needed, and then sent.

28/02/17

7

Barcelona Travel Diary  Visual work and written elements have been completed, needs to be scanned, and arranged into a book through InDesign  Publish digitally, perhaps with a printed edition

8

New Statesman Editorial Brief  Also part of my larger editorial briefs  Sketch ideas by 16/02/17  Complete by 20/02/17  Print high-quality (print drop-off) before the crit

9

Final Major Project  Research research research  Establish establish establish

22/02/17

15/05/17

BA (Hons) Illustration - Level 06 OUIL603 Extended Practice

STUDIO PRACTICE

Project Proposals 10 steps to producing persuasive project proposals

1. Set clear aims and objectives 2. Be SMART (Specific , Measurable , Achievable , Realistic , Time Conscious) 3. Use words from your brief 4. Justify the need for your proposal 5. Describe your audience 6. Describe your motivations 7. Consider the reader 8. Eliminate vagueness 9. Visualise the ending 10. Assume nothing