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.

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?

Made in Newcastle

The opening...

Made in Newcastle, an Empty Shop Project baby that we found out about from the lovely Craft Mafia people at the Sunderland Friendship Festival (see last post). The aim is to bring together a community of local crafters, makers and artists into a space where they can display, sell and help others. It's an excellent opportunity that I have been very lucky to be a part of. The Paper Jam Comics Collective have our comics and stock and ready for the lovely customers to buy.

Many of the gang were present for the opening and much glorious fun was had by all, as can be seen in the photos below.

Oh yes, as you can see here, we had a doodle wall, it was amazing!

The things we've done...

Made in Newcastle has provided a home for over 30 creatives in the North East, helping them in all kinds of ways, this is a photo of the shop a few days after opening, it has changed a lot since then, it's hard to believe it was only a few months ago.

The end...

In some ways this blog post is bad timing. We have just recently received news that we will need to leave 22 Nun Street (our current home), as is the nature of Empty Shops, they get filled. We have until the 10th of October to make the most out of what we have in our current home! If you haven't been along to say hi yet, please do, and purchase some of our wonderful crafty items.

The beginning...

As is the nature of enthusiastic creatives, you can't keep them down for long. Like a phoenix from the flames we shall rise from the ashes (metaphorically, we don't want to be done for arson) of 22 Nun Street with a new name, a new home and a wonderful new outlook on life! The group of strong minded individuals who have met through this project refuse to see it stop so easily, we will continue until the mythic day when there are no longer any empty shops left in the whole of Newcastle city centre!

To that effect, this is where you can help! If you, my lovely blog readers have any contacts at the council, any help you can offer with funding sources and applications or any well wishes, please pass them on. Made in Newcastle started as a community project and whatever it may be in the future it will continue to be for the community, for people to contribute to and benefit from. We welcome any help, whether it be that you have a premises you want us to fill or a spare sack of money lying around that you wish to donate.

Wish us luck!

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.

Bad Shoulder

Something.

Super

I present to you some thoughts.