Wolfpaper.

I like wolves (especially the two-headed kind), i like William Morris, i like screen-printing...so why not combine them all and make a new breed of wolfpaper?! That's exactly what I'm in the process of doing. It took me a week to perfect my wolfy character, 6 hours to draw up the singular background pattern and repeated second layer onto tracing paper with my new opaque pens, and a frustrating 2 days to screenprint the whole thing onto a roll of wallpaper.

I'm very happy with the overall look of the initial test prints although the screens are pretty much the same size as me and the squeegee, as long as my forearm, which makes the actual process more difficult than I'd anticipated. I think the colours could do with adjusting, or a third colour adding to act as a bridge between the black and red as they're both strong, dominant colours. If I have time before the deadline I might try my hand at Flock and Foil to see whether that would enhance my wallpaper as an alternative to a totally new third layer.

For now I need to concentrate on the execution of my screen-print, loss of concentration or accidentally eliminating the registration marks usually means that the secong and third re-print on the roll don't match up or end up smudged whilst trying to re-align the screen. I'm sure that practice and a little more care will help to rectify this issue, it'd be a shame to have one weak section on the wallpaper length.

Below are a few images taken from the studio showing the mixing preparation of colours, drying rack for the screens (and an indication of how huge they are for such a small person!) and the begins of print.

The following image is used just as a reference of what can go wrong. The first print (far right section) is as close to perfect as possible, whereas the second print (3rd section, far left) wasn't properly aligned and ended up being smudged and patchy.

LDN > NYRK

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't jealous of everybody getting on a flight to New York in a couple of weeks, but if I want to feed myself for the rest of the year I sadly can't afford to be one of those people. But instead of sitting on my backside for a week, I decided that i should go on a trip of my own and maybe try and contact a few people in the industry whilst i'm there. So thanks to the Megabus and it's almsot unbelievabley low prices, me and Dan (who is also unfortunately poor) are visiting old Landan Taaaaarn.

One of three days will be spent in the company of the lovely Scott Move, an artist that both me and Dan take great inspiration from. After plucking up the courage a few weeks ago, I emailed him asking wether it would be possible to take half an hour of his time for an interview and a day or so later I got the answer i'd been praying for, which means on November the 3rd I will have some real-time answers from not only one of my greatest influences but a truly amazing illustrator. Some of his smaller fineline drawings and an example of his latest endeavour into the world of tattoo are posted below.

 

 

For the remainder of our time there, i've started formulating a battle plan so we can see as many galleries, exhibitons, landmarks and interesting places as possible. First on the list is the Hunterian Museum. Full of weird and wonderful creatures and plenty of skeletal deformations on show there's enough raw material in that place to fuel my creepy imagination for the rest of the year.

 

 

 

Next addition to our satchel-sized adventure may or may not include beer... Our Black Heart bar in the midst of creatively quirky Camden boats an unusual experience for alcohol lovers. Sawdust covered floorboards, not a window in sight, extraordinarily gloomy music...not everyone's cup of tea I must admit but other than that, the range of prints, beautifully hand-rendered images and detailed drawings adorn the walls in equally beautiful frames.



You.

"You are the books you read, the films you watch, the music you listen to, the people you meet, the dreams you have, the conversations you engage in. You are what you take from these. You are the sound of the ocean, the breath of fresh air, the brightest light and the darkest corner. You are a collective of every experience you have had in your life. You are every single day. So drown yourself in a sea of knowledge and existence. Let the words run through your veins and let the colours fill your mind."

- Anon.

Love Is A Dog From Hell

Throughout this project i've been obsessing over Bukowski, in particular his book 'Love Is A Dog From Hell'. This morning it dawned on me that my creature is infact a two headed dog who's ultimate purpose in life is to guard the gates of hell...coincidental? Probably, but i've made the connection and decided to adapt one of Bukowski's poems and integrate it into my work. The sketchbook I handmade and bound for Applied Design 2 is now aptly named 'Love Is A Two Headed Dog From Hell', containing all the preliminary sketches for my two headed dog Cerberus, patterns and designs for the plush toy product and layouts for the wallpaper based on the topic of the character and its habitat. Running parrallel to my Bukowski addiction i've started looking through the miniature William Morris book I borrowed, religiously. So I can almost definitely assure you that my the finished article of wallpaper will reflect Morris in reguards to the background design and repeat pattern.

Cleanse The Palette

When I start to feel like i'm getting trapped within a project I like to look through all my old research files and compilations for extra inspiration, failing that I've found re-visiting my 6 year old self helps enormously. By this I mean by looking at all the things that caught my creative side as a child. Maurice Sendak and Andre Amstutz were two of my absolute favourites but recently i've been enthralled with the artwork of the 1961 Walt Disney animation, 101 Dalmatians.

The two images above are two scenes from the film and much apart from the beautifully intricate and style of the drawings, the atmosphere captured is unmatched in any other Disney film, in my opinion of course. Walt Peregoy is best known as the colour stylist for this film and the slightly earlier, Sleeping Beauty. I think the colour palette used throughout to emphasis the weather, throughout 101 Dalmatians manages to clear my mind and open my mind to the use of subtle contrast and the importance of background'