More Than A Photo

If the next three sheets are not proof of why artistic skill is much more successful than portrait photography could ever be, then I do not know what is. John L (S5, Gleniffer) is an ex-pupil and he kindly sent me some pics of his final sheets of expressive portraiture work. I’m so glad he did, so I can share them with you.

His first investigation sheet show a real skill for observation, I love the colours used in the bottom eye drawing, it shows that John can not only mix analytical skill, but he can also experiment with style and colour. It looks like it’s been attacked with a multitude of Photoshop filters… really great work.

This is where John shows that he is a very confident artist, his use of media, the oil pastel, the pen, the chalks, the paints, each piece as successful as the last. I really love the painting in the bottom right corner, the daubs on the hands is such a fine piece of work. Truly staggering.

You thought it couldn’t get better, didn’t you? Look at this final piece… honestly… just look at it… the pose… the staring eyes… the greens and blues used on the skin, the variety of textures and colours to form a surface that has more life than skin itself… honestly… just look at it. I’m speechless… it’s just great. It’s just great…

Jackie Zom-B

WARNING! : THOSE THAT ARE A LITTLE FRIGHTENED OF HORROR IMAGERY MAY WANT TO HIDE BEHIND THEIR SOFA NOW.

Jackie B (S3 from Lochgilphead) is full of surprises. One of her most extreme surprises are these little gems below. She gets together with a few friends in her spare time and makes short zombie films. The use of special effects are really impressive for something that is essentially shot on a mobile phone.

The town of Lochgilphead and its surrounding areas is small and quiet, so it’s perfect to shoot something like this. Zombie shots need desolation and emptiness. These are by no means Jackie’s attempt to be really hard hitting and professional, for her, they’re something to do, a little mess around. Have a little fun and do something creative. What better way to spend your day?

Those regular readers or people who know me out there will know that this very much, ‘my cup of tea’. I love horror films and dressing up for Halloween. It’s quite hard to pull off a good zombie, but the use of contacts, the lack of care for clothes and skin when it comes to adding blood and getting a believable walk are the three main keys to perfecting a zombie. Jackie looks absolutely fantastic.

I have also had the chance to see some short clips that Jackie has produced with a friend and I hope that she will get a chance to make them into a short film or a show reel, because they really were very scary. With the right music and sound effects, she could make Romero or the Shaun of the Dead crew tremble.

Jackie is currently working on more youtube videos and will probably be scaring the skeleton out of you soon. Carefully watch this space…

Qic Time

Connor M from Oban High School is very busy indeed. Busy creating websites, busy making packages, busy taking photographs… busy, busy, busy. You would think with all this ‘quantity’ that the quality simply wouldn’t be there, but you’d be very wrong.

He is creating industry standard work while still currently studying in S5, not only is this amazing, but it’s also very annoying, he’s so young, talented and brimming with ideas. It could make you angry, he’s so good.

Spending a little time browsing through Connor’s work you’ll soon see that he has a very distinctive design style. He likes clean lines that are usually juxtaposed with a little messiness or something unexpected. It’s this combination that makes his sharp design ideas even more dynamic.

Not limited to software and design, Connor also takes a huge range of photographs, each image lingers in the viewers mind as either something a little humorous, tongue in cheek or provoking.

I am incredibly impressed by his photographs, though it’s Connor’s design work on Illustrator and Photoshop that bowls me over. His ideas and ability to design diverse and varied shapes, from dirty, grimey illustrations to simple and clean logos, is just staggering. Keep an eye on this pupil. You’re sure to see him again very soon.

To see more visit:

http://www.qic.deviantart.com

http://www.connor-macdonald.deviantart.com

Drop Dead Gorgeous

Helen S (S5, Oban High School) created one of my favourite pieces (above, definitely in my top ten) for the Young Brits at Art competition, it’s bluntly honest, the typography is great and the image is fragile and colourfully unhappy. I happened to come across her photographs after she twittered me. I didn’t know that she was the same Helen S from Oban and was in the middle of writing her a tweet to feature her, when she emailed and asked me would I have a look at her pics?! Spooky.

Helen’s photos are extremely thoughtful. Usually super macro shots of nature or something around us that we would probably take for granted if she hadn’t focused our attentions on its beauty.

The colours are so vivid with sharp definition of details and forms. It is hard to believe that these photos are taken by someone so young. Her subject matter varies widely too which helps hold a viewer interest. It is often disappointing when photographers get caught up in catching similar scenes and become a parody of themselves.

If you like what you see and would like to see more, visit Helen’s Deviant Art Profile:

DropDeadDream93

Katie’s Magic Eye

Katie H-M (S5) from Oban High School is a photographer and an expressive artist. When she isn’t painting large colourful paintings with stains and inks, she is photographing resources for those paintings.

I first witnessed her work when she had brought this collection of images along to a Young Brits at Art workshop, and although I liked the style of Katie’s paintings, it was her photographic resources that really blew me away.

Katie’s photos reminded me of the faked fairy pictures taken by two sisters many years ago. Not just because she wore fairy wings in some of the images, but more because of the feeling of the photos, the magic, the mystery.

There was also an air of Courtney Love about the pictures. They reminded me of the Hole cover artwork due to the sense of sadness and portraying a feeling of being lost inside your own bubble. I’m also reminded of the visual work of Amanda Palmer due to the exquisite face make-up and self-produced ethos.

Katie experiments with the use of light to cause blurring and obstruction within her photos. This forces the audience to look a bit longer and try a little harder to gain reward from the image. Some images are bleached with light, making them feel heavenly.

As you can see, Katie has a great eye for composition, even if she’s in front of the camera. A cottage industry within a single body, she’s the ideas girl, the lighting operator, the cameraperson and even the model. Inspiring images for anyone who’s interested in taking up photography. Fabulous.

Nothing Compares To Sleeping

I first met Narin (Narin300) a few years back when she was taking part in Notredame High School’s Animation Club. She had crazy but great ideas and was very focused and driven in materializing those ideas. Meeting her again recently, it is good to see that she is keeping the creativity going and has moved onto photography and photo manipulation.

Narin’s photographs are extremely well finished. As a ‘photoshopper’ myself, I often study images to see how they’ve been created, but Narin’s photos do not reveal their ingredients so easily. The images are so professionally composed and finished that I am confused to how they are put together, leading me to believe that the images must be the truth; they must be real.

Her images usually consist of a landscape or dreamscape, an unbelievably beautiful sky with an unbelievable element contained within it. It is a merging of the fantastical with science, they could almost be a set design for a science fiction film.

Though Narin is not limited to any single idea, she takes amazing natural shots, like this amazing close up of aphids on a beetle’s belly (above). Sure, it does help when you have a great piece of equipment to work with, but the most expensive camera in the world does not give you the eye for that perfect shot or the idea for one.

If you’re interested in seeing more of Narin’s work, you can visit her Deviant Art profile below:

Narin300

Da Bomb

Stephen M (P7 from St Paul’s) spent his morning completing this amazing collage of a bomber. It’s power and strength warns us about what can happen if we let hate and anger take over common sense.

He had to create a strong poster design to make people aware of the ‘folly of war’ working alongside teachers from Glasgow University.

I was really bowled over when I saw this image. The orange of the bomber contrasts the blue sky perfectly, the buildings are recognisable although they don’t need to look perfect. Stephen has drawn attention to the bombs by using a simple outlining technique. A successful and powerful collage. Great work.

It’s Alive!

Gemma C (S6) from Renfrew High has been working towards finishing the preparation for her stop animation ‘Frankenstein’s Monster With A Twist’ (working title). Spending her time building sets and props, figures and frames, she is now at the stage were the animation will begin. This will involve lighting the scene and moving the figures in tiny little steps (24 a second), to give the illusion of movement.

The detail in the walls, the organ and the floors is staggering. Made from painted cardboard and found items, Gemma has created a miniature lab in a miniature castle, though saying that, it is one of the biggest animation sets I’ve ever seen, a three foot by three foot floor with two walls that are three foot high.

The story centres around Dr Frankenstein and his monster, who when revived with electricity, is found to be gay. An idea that may hark back to parody film’s such as Mel Brooks’ ‘Young Frankenstein’ and Gerald Thomas’ ‘Carry On Screaming’.

Gemma is now working towards passing her exam and a portfolio to continue her animation exploration in college. The Art Classroom wishes her well, and would love to see the finished product.

Wee Lolly Cupcake

Wee Lolly Cupcake is Laura C and she’s starting to attract attention across the net. I stumbled upon her when I was ego browsing Youtube and thought that it was marvelous that she was responding to various videos that had been posted. The internet is such a voyeuristic activity, we click and browse it without ever really reacting to it. I was glad to see that Wee Lolly Cupcake was not only viewing and digesting certain posts, but thought fit to respond and discuss some of the issues raised. Reviewing these issues in a room in her house through a web-cam, Wee Lolly Cupcake reminds me of Charlie Brooker (the famous Guardian writer and TV writer), her posts are raw, unscripted and often controversial. She’s not hesitant in discussing issues such as Homosexuality, Racism and Religion. Subjects that would flare up anyone’s emotions.

RE Gay Marriage – Is it right?

Although I disagree with some points raised, I think it is entirely admirable for Wee Lolly Cupcake to raise these issues for discussion. After all, what good are words if they’re not put towards delivering an important point or interesting thought now and again. Wee Lolly Cupcake shows that Youtube videos don’t necessarily have to be some pointless walk-through for a Playstation game or someone miming to a pop song. She shows that points can be raised on the network and judging by her feedback, it is obvious that people enjoy her views and are often inspired or driven to comment.

Avatar Movie Review

I really like her reviews, being an old cynical reviewer myself, I’m finding it increasingly tough to be excited by the arts, so her point of view is refreshing and allows an insight into what it’s like to not be desensitized by over exposure. Wee Lolly Cupcake’s reviews of the Twilight book and the new Avatar film remind me that young people live in an old person world. Although there are many products marketed towards them, they have to turn to the likes of Jonathan Ross and Mariella Frostrup for movie and book reviews. Why are young people not reviewing the products marketed towards them? How can Jonathan Ross possibly give an appropriate review towards a 12 or 13 year old on Ice Age 3 or Where the Wild Things Are? He can’t…

Laura C also makes art. She creates avatars and characters, focusing on fantasy and animal drawings. She also submitted a detailed piece for the Young Brits at Art competition this year. The piece was a clever idea around the insertion of hobbies, thoughts and personal items into the shape of the countries of the world. It was an ‘Atlas of her’ or as she put it ‘the World according to’ her.

Wee Lolly Cupcake’s Youtube Channel

Wee Lolly Cupcake’s Deviant Art

Emma’s Focus

The pupil spotlight focuses on the work of Emma F (now S3 from Glennifer). Emma’s work has always been extremely delicate and thoughtful. Her efforts are always pushed into finding detail and seeking perfection, though she somehow manages to speed through tasks.

Above Emma shows that she can get work done quickly and effectively with an expressive self portrait batik. This was early research for her ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ book cover. While below, Emma show’s her clean and intricate style for a Timorous Beasties inspired Dragonfly Wallpaper.

Emma is a very energetic artist. She has to be busy and really involved for the work to succeed. It can be incredibly tough to stay focused in a work and this type of intensity can lead to frustration or giving up when things don’t go as planned. Though usually she will step back, take some time out and then get straight back into meeting her own high expectations of herself.

I often say to pupils that drawing is very like swimming. When you put your head down and focus on your work you can often forget to breathe, an S1 pupil had mentioned this once in class and others in the class laughed. I totally understand what they mean though. When I focus on a piece of artwork, it’s like playing that game with the hoop around a piece of electrified long snaking wire, if the hoop touches the wire, it buzzes and you need to start all over again. The intense concentration you need to win that game is the same that you need to succeed at art.

Emma starts a drawing of a flower on artpad. Click to see a clear example of Emma’s focus and planning over at art.com’s artpad.

A lovely example of pattern that has been made with Mr Picassohead.

The Jekyll & Hyde book cover below was a favourite of mine. I really like the mixed fonts in the type, the expressive and surreal pastel and the fine graphic style of the pencil work.

These few S2 examples give an insight into the style and diversity of Emma’s talents. Unfortunately I am no longer teaching her, though I’m sure she is creating more artworks to a high standard for her Intermediate Qualification in S3.