Summer project sketchpad reflection - 29/09/2022

 Summer project sketchpad reflection 

29/09/2022 - Daisy Jackson

Over the summer we were assigned a project to fill a sketchpad with anything we wanted. When given this criteria, I could have gone out of my comfort zone in the sense of trying new approaches. However, this time I wanted to focus on my creativity as this is something that often negatively fluctuates. Artist block is awful to go through and wanted to give my brain a challenge throughout the summer.

I ended up finishing a full A4 sketchpad which features roughly 50+ drawings. I used copic markers to complete these illustrations.

On this blog post, I will be selecting my favourite illustrations and reflecting on them.

Illustration 1:

I chose this drawing as one of my favourites as it has a realistic style too it but at the same time, it is illustrative. The concept of a cat wearing a waffle on it's head is also quite comical. I did not blend the colours as I like how harsh the contrast is.

Illustration 2:

This piece was inspired by 'Homunculus loxodontus' which is a statue created by Dutch artist Margriet Van Breevoort. I rememeber having a stuffed toy version of this as it was so weird and unique to me, at the time I had no idea it was an actual art piece in Russia. I saw a photo of it and decided to draw it followed by a witty comment that perfectly described the stance of the statue. 

Illustration 3:

In comparison to my other pieces, the added text onto this illustration is quite effortless. But in all honesty, I just love ducks and wanted to include them in whatever way I could in my sketchpad.

Illustration 4:

During this summer project, I often found myself drawing about my own emotions or life events. This illustration is a perfect example of how I felt at the time. It is still one of my favourite pieces. So simple, yet so effective. 

Illustration 5:

This illustration is a drawing of my cat Larry. The photo used, Larry has quite dark eyes which I of course coloured in for this piece. When it came to adding text to the work, I decided to carry on a theme from his eyes and made a joke about the 'dark side' as it felt quite fitting. 

Illustration 6:

When I first started illustration as L4, I created this character for my summer project and wanted to revisit it in a more traditional way rather than digital. It was nice to bring this character to life again as I had not drawn him for quite some time! I also love the contrast in the writing and the facial expression.

Illustration 7:

As I was drawing a lot of my emotions, I wanted to end the sketchpad on a more positive note. I loved using two pages to tell a story and that is exactly what I did for these illustrations. I also love how interactive these drawings are as it feels as though they are actually communicating with the reader and making them feel less alone.

Illustration 8:

Often throughout this summer project, I went through my camera roll on my phone and decided to draw random photos from it. This was one of them photos. I love how comical fish are in drawings as anything they do is so strange.

Illustration 9:

Within a lot of my work, I often include cigarettes so it was fun to approach a drawing with this element. A lot of my work consists of animals doing things they aren't supposed to as I find this more fun and bizarre. That is perfectly examplified in this illustration. 

Illustration 10:

This is another interactive piece as the characters are communicating with each other. It makes the reader feel as though they are ease dropping on a conversation that they are not involved in which I love! Despite this illustration being so simple, I feel like it is quite effective in the way it is presented. 

Illustration 11:

When  I was first assigned the summer project I really struggled to fill the pages. It didn't get exactly easier towards the end either but I definitely had more emotions to vent with. This drawing is a perfect example of how I felt as at first I did feel like I was not going to finish the sketchpad as soon as I did. 

Illustration 12:

My favourite musical artist is 'The Weeknd' and really wanted to include some kind of drawing of him in my sketchpad. This piece contrasts largely to my other illustrations as it has more realism to it as well as different techniques. I definitely experimented more in this piece especially with the difference in colour. I have found that often the looser I am with my pen, the more fun I have and the better the end result is. 

Illustration 13: 

With this illustration I just really love how the text lines nicely with the drawing. I think it explains very well how this creature is feeling and makes me laugh everytime I see it. With this summer project, it is evident to me that simple is often 'key'.

Overall thoughts:

As annoying as the summer project was, I really did enjoy it in the end as it allowed my brain to still think creatively in preperation for my second year. I am much more confident in idea generating and cannot wait to put it to the test for the first project back.