Choosing Colours

The other day I had an interesting conversation with Paul about design, specifically about how I start a new design. It was interesting because it was something I'd never put real thought into before, just something that I do.

When I start a design the first thing I do is think about what colours it should be and how those colours will work together to convey the feelings of the design. Only then do I think about the shapes and actual layout of a piece. I can't even see a composition properly until there's colour in it, everything just seems flat and the same.

Working in layers of card limits the amount of colours you can introduce to a piece, making it important that all the colours work together for the overall design. If a colour is there just for one tiny dot, then is it required for the design? Can that dot be the same colour as another layer? Does it then help bring depth to the piece?

I've learned a lot in the last year, about colours, composition, cutting and sticking. There's still a lot to learn. Maybe starting with colours isn't the most sensible working order but it's what works for me. Without them life is boring and everything becomes harder to distinguish. Maybe that's why I've always written with colourful pens, much to the annoyance of my teachers. My maths teacher probably had the hardest job, maths was orange.

Some useful colour resources:

http://www.colourlovers.com/ - make a palette for each of your projects, search through existing palettes, great for inspiration gathering.

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/colours-in-cultures/ - everything on Information is Beautiful is worth your time and attention. This is a wonderful diagram of what different colours mean within different cultures, notice how much it differs? It's always worth checking this out, specially if you're doing work for use in a culture you're not familiar with. Check out meanings for your own culture, it might surprise you.

Adventures with Mushrooms

Vaguely based on the character from Not Mushroom for Thought, my 24 hour comic. Wondering what she would be like in future adventures within the forest. Her mushroom buddy on her shoulder.

Paper Jam Exhibition at MiN

What have I been up to? Lots.
Recently with the Paper Jam Comics Collective I've been busy exhibiting my illustration work at Made in Newcastle. I did one brand new piece for the exhibition as well as showing my page from Art and That, the rather blurry photo courtesy of my phone.

The theme for the exhibition was loosely based around History and That anthology which we first unveiled at Thought Bubble. There was a rather delayed launch party of said anthology on the Friday which doubled as the closing party for the exhibition. Many were in attendance and there was much fun had.

We also left some blank comic panels and a box of words on the table in the gallery for the week so that people could take part in our "famous" 24 minute comic challenge. Two words, one comic, 24 minutes. I have managed to rescue all the ones that we left for us to see and will be scanning them and uploading them to the Paper Jam Comic Jams blog very soon.

What else have we got. Ah yes... view the exhibition closing/History launch party in photographic glory. It's like being there... only without sound, movement or the majority of the senses.

 

Oh, for art's sake!

It's a test.

I am off to Barcelona. I will return with many photos of curious buildings. It will be fun. In the meantime look at the strange art I sometimes do. I've been really into swirling shapes at the moment. I draw them on everything. Semi-organic looking swirling shapes. It's fun.

I shall return from Barcelona middle of next week. Maybe I'll have drawn while out there too. Is there anywhere I have to visit that isn't obvious?

Durham EGO - A Celebration of Differences (27th June)

First off I must say sorry that it's taken me so long to update with something other than reviews. Content go!

The Durham EGO Festival was the first of the events I've been to recently with the Paper Jam Comics Collective. It was held in the Head of Steam in Durham, a lovely event, with a great atmosphere. I had a lot of fun at this, there were a lot of interesting people and a lot of children who really wanted a go at making their own comics.





As you can see it was an absolutely wonderful day, the sun was shining and the birds were singing, as were the bands. I have to say a huge thanks to the organisers of this event, we had so much fun. Here are a couple more of the photos I took at EGO.



Our table, an expertly set out sales point, I'm sure you will agree.


Paul and Daniel!


Jack and Daniel of Jack and Daniels Comic Book Workshops who were kind enough to bring along some comic book worksheets, they went down great with everyone!

Updates to follow soon:

1. Sunderland Friendship Festival
2. Made in Newcastle opening etc.
3. Art...And That launch event (including a sneak preview of my work for it)
4. History...And That sneak preview
5. Project Z sneak preview

Stay tuned!

Heroes.

We all know the TV show Heroes, I am sure. Some of us have never watched it, some of us have watched the first two series and got bored with it, some of us stick with it in the hope that it will deliver shocks as well as it used to and maybe clear up some loose ends. Though I wonder how many of us have realised that Heroes is simply a retelling of a rather old and famous story, one seen in theatres across the country every panto season. Peter Pan.

Okay, I can feel you moving your mouse, preparing your fingers to type in the address bar to hastily retreat from this mad womans blog but just bear with me a moment. Let me explain my thoughts, I was sat in my room and with glorious inner monologue fail I said: "Tick tock, tick tock." to which my mother replied from the other room: "Oh no! It's the crocodile." however by this point the fact that Sylar's entire musical accompaniment is littered with ticking noises had leaked into my mind and so the idea was born, lets see how many Heroes characters we can link to Peter Pan. So, Sylar is the crocodile in this rather, twisted and different retelling, surely he should be Captain Hook? Well maybe he is both, after all when he is Gabriel he tends not to have this timely soundtrack behind him and to some extent he is his own worst enemy.

Alright, so that's one of the characters but Heroes has quite a big cast, does it not? Claire Bennet, well she's obviously Wendy, the young girl thrust into this strange and unusual world full of strange people and strange powers, always with a want to help people. Mr Muggles is the dog sidekick of the children, Nanna, though nowhere near the size or same breed, it is the only dog in the show and by default gets this role. Then there is the boy who can fly, the self appointed leader of the lost boys, Peter Pan, I believe this role has been split between the Petrelli brothers quite easily. A lot of the other characters are Lost Boys, mermaids, pirates, Indians and the parents back home.

The story of Peter Pan is only so long, so after series one they needed to invent some new plot, add more characters but the initial thread is still there, it's still a story of a group of kids (or adults who never really grew up) trying to escape the responsibilities that life and overbearing parents have thrust upon them.
And no green tights or curly moustaches in sight.

Flower For You

Something I scribbled on the edge of the Project Z script. I'm sure a select few will find this hilarious.

Snow, just snow. 6/365

Snow, just snow. 6/365, originally uploaded by Britt7094.

Trying to appease the snow gods. Maybe I'll not have a snow filled photo for tomorrow? Maybe it will be nothing but snow for the next month? Who knows.

For those of you not keeping track I have been taking a photo every day this year. Please take a look at the full set.