Drink 'n draw

 

States of Mind by Ann Veronica Janssens Exhibition

Photograph: Thomas SG Farnetti/Wellcome Images

This exhibition really wasn't what i was expecting, when i walked in. I could just about see my hands and feet, but only coloured mist in front of me. It was some what kind of calming walking around, but also it felt like you were also tripping a bit. Its a weird concept for the mind and body to get used to because you are in a room where you can't see whats in front of you or behind you and you have to try not to lose you friend otherwise you will just be wondering around walking in to walls trying to find them again.

I really liked the experience of not knowing where i was walking, i walked into a few people now and again but it felt like i was in the coloured misted room all by myself and that i was experiencing it alone and i liked that thought more than sharing it with other people. But I'm glad it was a shared experience because in reality, i wouldn't have been able to find my way out, and after 15 minutes of being amongst the coloured mist, i really had enough and wanted to get out. 

Video: Maxene Brown

I thought this experience was like walking into a coloured cloud, nothing felt real, it was a new and scary experience of not knowing whats in front of you (for example a wall that i walked into a lot of times). But it was calming, i didn't feel heavy, it made me feel light as i was amongst the clouds. It was a very weird and unexplainable feeling!

Also another funny thing was everyone (including me) wanted to record and take photos of the experience but the photos came out as either pure solid colour or some had an outline of a person in front. But it shows how literally you couldn't see anything in front of you. 

The colours changed from pink to blue to green to yellow, gold, white. It was one of the best experiences i have had and i definitely recommend it to everyone!

 

Photographs: Maxene Brown

Documentary project

I chose to document Waitrose for 9 weeks at the beginning of term. It isn't the typical place to draw for a documentary project, but i liked because that art student drawing in a supermarket. I got to draw people buying food, wondering around with their screaming children and also i got to explore the shop in more depth than i normally would have.

Its a weird experience drawing in a supermarket when its normal everyday use is for shopping in and buy food. But i took my sketchbook and a fold away stool so i could get my drawing done, sat somewhere not in the way of the costumers and slowly forgotten, but now and again someone would come up to me and see want to see my drawing.

I really liked drawing in the fridge section of the supermarket, but it wasn't ideal to sit and draw there for long periods of time because of the cold! I liked drawing in that section because it was still, there was a fish and meat counter that never moved, it was an easy starting point, i could sit opposite in a little tucked away corner of the refrigerated shelves and draw. Also, it was a good place to get a basic drawing of the counter and then i could draw in the workers in behind and the customers in front.

The finished book was printed on cream sugar paper with a yellow card wrap around cover. Maybe I should have thought about the waitrose green for the wrap around cover, it would have tied in with the project much more than the yellow, but either way i'm really happy with my outcome!

Thought the book, my drawings have been drawn with a range of pencils from 3B -9B and also some charcoal drawings make an appearance. I added the spot colour digitally but used a brush to make it look like pencil to add to the aesthetic. 

The last page is one of my favourites because when it came to the final stage in photoshop i didn't know what i could put on the last page. Then i remembered that at the time the 5p and 10p charge came in for plastic bags in supermarkets, also the plastic bag is needed at the end of the shop, i thought it would make a great last page to end the book!

D.I.Y Lino printing in the name of Christmas!

As its getting pretty close to Christmas, my mom was expecting me to make something artistic for the family for christmas presents. Being incredibly busy this term, i only had time to make some simple christmas cards.

I wanted to make a simple print, so i chose to use lino printing as my medium. I really enjoy making lino prints, and they always turn out looking lovely!!

I understand that black isn't exactly the colour we associate Christmas with, but I'm thinking of printing it on colourful paper (maybe a pastel coloured card).

My final prints worked out really nicely! I had a bunch of paper that i've been hoarding since the art of university (so for a whole year at this point). I used those colourful papers, to print my lovely stag on and I'm really happy with the outcome!

Once you have the right tools and supplies for Lino printing, doing it at home is so much easier than hunting down a printing press, if its just for something little like making personalised cards, or even your own prints then there isn't a point to use a printing press. - I used the back of my hair brush.

I like the prints by themselves, I'm not sure if i need to add anything more to it. Maybe it could do with some type of 'Merry Christmas' on the front but I'm not really sure if it needs it.

But I'm really happy with how they turned out and i hope my family love them!