'Using Organic Shapes' Workshop💭

 For the workshop this week, we started off by looking at our research images, and words surrounding those. Mine was OCD - I collated a list of words but I chose 'Mania'. 

Our first task was to create a series of A4 illustrations based on this word. I could use any media, however it needed to be done fairly fast and very 'gestural', to get the thoughts and brains moving. I took the approach of looking at what I had around me and how could I communicate 'Mania' with this - this was an approach I took throughout the whole of the day. 

The white A4 page was the illustration I did in the first task.

I wanted someone to look at these and see that chaos - I feel I did this quite well. Majority of them are quite self-explanatory however, this last one, I used very crowded and chaotic sections within a magazine to show the word 'Mania', putting them anywhere without any rhyme or reason. This definitely links to this word as 'Mania' may seem to come across without any planning or a reason behind it, to a bystander watching. Quite opposite to the person experiencing it. The eyes in the middle possibly representing the person that who was affected by the disorder. 

After these, we then scaled up to A3. Using a long paintbrush, I used the previous pages and inspiration. 

These were the pages I created.

I used similar colours and used brushstrokes which really portrayed my original word. 

After these, the next task really was to 'develop'. To take an idea further and create a 3D outcome from this. 

I was very stuck at the beginning. How could I take a few pages of paint and turn it into something 3D, whilst linking it to a problem, the topic and word we chose?

Instead of overthinking it, I just went with whatever came into my head. I took the one of the A4 illustrations which I liked and projected it onto the wall using acetate and a thick black marker. I then took a larger piece of paper and drew these crazy, curvy lines onto it, using lots of colours to help show 'Mania'. 

I then came to another 'standstill'. I have this beautiful surface pattern but what do I do with this?

I decided to step away from this idea, start another one and see what arose from it. I chose another A4 illustration I liked and posterized it, through the printer. I then stuck this together and used the similar curvy lines to see where this would go.

As a piece, I didn't really like it as much as the other. It does show the word I started with, with the two patterns contrasting eachother but I felt the first one did this more. I had a thought.

I am really interested in interiors and how people use a space, how they style it, decorate. How someone looks at a space and figures out how to use it to their advantage. I started to look around the room. I like this idea of going down - see the image below - the curves going from one corner to another. Where in the room can I see this? This took me to a corner. I thought maybe I could create something with this, make an outcome swirling across. 

This then led me to another idea. I found a pole in the corner of the room, got some scissors, masking tape and my pages from earlier and got creative. Cutting strips, twisting and bending them, to really convey 'Mania'. 

I ended up with this!

I absolutely love it! 

I think it's crazy how from one word, I have created this huge outcome, just by developing an idea. 

It did take quite a long time to make this as I wanted to arrange all the pieces so I was happy with it. 

I really doubted myself at the start of this workshop. I have felt myself do this quite a lot since the start of my foundation. With my A-Levels, I have been used to a very 'teacher-led' approach to most tasks however since starting this, I have felt myself being really independent and doing the things I want to do. I think it had definitely increased my confidence within my own work! I thought I wouldn't create anything with a 'meaning' but I did the complete opposite!