Knitting

As part of my elective, Recycling & Sustainability I am teaching myself to knit. I found I needed to do something a bit more hand-crafted, after months of sitting behind a computer screen.

I went to The Wool Shop in Armley, which I recommend, really lovely and very helpful owners. Took about 30 mins to walk from Cardigan Road. 

I made a sort of boat out of the first attempt, by splitting the thread and it grew outwards, so I started again by making a skinny boy scarf with 18 knots, muchh easier.

Heres the tutorial I taught myself with:

Fun

Do it.

Typeddy Type

By Eve Duhamel. I think.. 

From The Front Room

Type Trumps. 

No prizes for guessing top trump. First a film, and universal use, now what? Global domination??

Available at the Design Museum shop.

Haven't been there since art foundation, when Matthew Williamson was exhibiting. Was really good, and the shop could bleed you dry with its pretty art books. 

Now its Hussein Chalayan, oh my, I'd love to see that. 

My Type

Well, I did it wrongg. But it still looks quite pretty and took lots of faffing about on Photoshop (to join the images) so up it goes.

Turns out you were meant to find letter forms within architectural structures, rather than manipulating them into the letter form.

Type

2 day type workshop

Bits & bobs of type from art foundation visual diary.

Books I would liiike.

Elective: Recycling & Sustainability

Aims as a practitioner:

• To be well informed - understand the affect I have on the environment; through my practice, use of materials, and processes.
• To make well informed decisions based upon the environmental impact.
• Recycle more prolifically.
• Create less waste and use less paper.
• Design with a conscience - where possible, for clients with similar principles in terms of environmental and social impact.

Self-Initiated Brief:

Primarily, I want to raise awareness. Secondary, I want to provoke thought and encourage debate to lead to new thinking, attitudes, and ultimately, decisions, within the public in relation to the environment. 

The process I want to use is Communication. This is something I have been looking at recently in the 'Designing For Audiences' brief, where I have produced posters to encourage students to budget better. Feedback from 2nd years suggested Shock Advertising, in particular facts and figures as to why they should budget. I think this is something which could be affective with relation to the environment.

At this point, I'm looking into producing screen-printed posters. Having researched the best means of doing this (water based inks) I have found the most widely used brand is Permaset. Online retailers of Permaset include:

• eBay, at about £8 for the cheapest inc delivery
• artifolk - a UK company, £7.10 not inc. delivery
  
• Fred Aldous - a Manchester based Arts & Crafts supplier, via the internet or in store, £6.00 (not inc. delivery)

It would be quite expensive to print using three or more colours, therefore either the poster could be designed for two colours or I could find someone to collaborate on to buy inks with.

My search also led me to I Dress Myself, an eco-friendly screen printers, who I heard about through finding Nicholas Saunders website. He has some incredible screen prints and his illustrations are on the cover of the current Howies catalogue. Howies are well worth a look for their approach to environmental issues. Currently, they are measuring their footprint and moving manufacturing to lessen airmiles, as well as introducing Hand-me Down clothes intended to last at least 10 years.

This is something I'm also interested in, throw away fashion culture vs. regenerating old clothes into something new. I think this has been done as part of an event in Hyde Park, whereby you could take your unwanted clothes and receive a voucher to use to swap for revamped clothes. 

                                                                                              Nicholas Saunders

Other helpful websites:

Mantis Graphics for why you should use water based inks

Newell Graphics for pretty designs

Debt

Semi-procrastination, ok, full on procrastination can bring the goods!

Whilst perusing some online portfolios (found you can embed blogspot blogs really nicely into some) came across this by Tony-ng a Central St Martins graduate highlighted in Character Creative.

Relates to the current brief, Designing for Audiences, in which I am looking at student spending habits. Although a different communication process to what I am hoping to achieve (persuasion) it is interesting, and certainly striking. I am hoping to get some Illustrator skills in this brief, and want to produce some polished graphics for once.

At a lose end with buying a DSLR, had planned on buying the Nikon D40 this weekend, but now am looking at a Sony Alpha 200, though I'm more inclined towards a Canon or Nikon for lens compatibility. Ideally, would like a 10 megapixel camera with good lens compatibility and relatively cheap, but then, wouldn't we all!

Any help welcomed!