Hayao Miyazaki

Hayao Miyazaki is a manga artist and animator from Japan. He is the co-founder of Studio Ghibli, a major animation studio and company that creates some of the leading anime films to date.

My personal favourite being Spirited Away, which one numerous awards and topped Titanic sales in Japan.

I love the colours shades he uses as well as the simple, clean lines to create such believable characters. You don't question that the characters aren't who they are meant to be, even though in real life they would never work.

I love the world he creates with the images.

Yuriy Norstein

Yuriy Norstein is an award winning animator best known for his shorts, Hedgehog in the Fog, Tale of Tales and The Overcoat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW0jvJC2rvM 

I really like his style of animation. i find the messy lines give energy and good movement to his animations, even as stills the images are beauiful. I love the colours and darkness he uses.

Aubrey Beardsley - The Peacock Skirt



I love this image. The Lines are so delicate and intricate and collectively give strength and definition to the image. I like the use of the full black in the skirt in composition with the white. 

Gustav Klimt - Forest Of Beeches



This image is a combination of lines and points, the lines, even though made up of points have a very strong place and create an image that could easily be seen as something else. I like the strength in colour and the softness of the marks.

Giacometti - Giorgio Soavi

Looking at this image, I am immediately drawn to the bold lines overlaying the softer washed out background. I think this is a brilliant way to illustrate. It shows the intensity of the lines that define the man and it portrayed perfectly in the image.  

Albrecht Durer - Wing Of A Roller

When you look at this you don't see obvious simple lines straight away, but as you look closer and break it apart a little, you see the soft, delicate lines used to create a full, colourful and three dimensional image. 

I love the use of colour in this piece. I like the softness of the lines and colour but the harshness of a birdless wing. 

Peter Saville - Joy Division Unknown Pleasures

I really like this. It looks like threads all lines up then shaped in the center. I also like how these look like they should just be straight lines but they are shaped in the middle to create movement and depth. 

it looks quite complicated from a distance but when you look close you see the simplicity and good dynamics of it. 

Bridget Riley - Blazed Again

I dont really like this work. I find it too harsh and strong on the eyes. I think Riley deserves credit for the boldness and strength of her lines and how the repeats work together in such strength. I just don't think it is something i would reuse or incorporate with any of my own work.

Patrick Caufield - Crying To The Walls

Im not a massive fan of Caufield's work really. I find it too simple and blunt. I can see how it would be good in a graphic novel or animation. his use of colour is quite good, again for graphics or illustration/animation and i would consider looking back at his work when doing graphics.

Tracey Emin - Self Portrait As A Small Bird

I really like Tracey Emin's use of line. I like that they are soft and delicate and she doesn't over work her lines or try to perfect them. I like that her lines and style are sort of contradicting to the harshness and scandal of some of her images. I also appreciate her composition and the colours of the paper she uses. 

Keith Haring - Heart

Keith Haring uses simple lines with saturated colour to create child-like images of adult situations.
This image, as I see it, is an expression of love between two homosexual men who are celebrating their love for each other. I actually quite like Haring's work, at first i thought it was really childish and simple but i have grown a bit of appreciation towards now.

Power Of Making

Where - Victoria and Albert Museum, London
When - 13th of August 2011

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/power-of-making/

I loved the Power Of Making exhibition at the V&A. I thought it was one of the most interesting and light-hearted shows I have been to.
There was a variety of items made by a variety of designers and craftsmen all most which were made with great skill and precision showcasing the importance of being skilled.
I really felt excited and inspired coming away from this exhibition and suggest everyone go to see this!

Below is a list of some of the pieces I liked.

Christien Meindertsma - Aran Rug 
This is a hand knitted rug created using custom-made needles and the wool of 18 merino sheep.
This is part of the designers attempt at trying to make the process of design and production as intimate as possible.



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Manel Torres - Fabrican 
Fabrican is a spray on fabric that comes in an aerosol can that can be sprayed on any surface and can be used  for many purposes.
I found this really interesting and thought it was a brilliant innovation. It also inspired me to use different materials in my designs.



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Elisa Strozyk - Wooden Textile 
Wooden Textiles were developed by a German designer Elisa Strozyk.
The wooden peices are cut either by hand or laser and are attached to a fabric base by hand to create a textile like surface.

It is quite weird to see it as a textile as it looks like it is very solid and like it wouldn't move.

Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970-1990

Where - Victoria and Albert Museum, London 
When - 27th September 2011 

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/postmodernism/

The Victoria and Albert museums exhibition on Postmodernism was quite bizarre to me.
I walked through a space which contained over 250 items that seemed to have little in common, just lots of colour and light.
As I pushed past hundreds of sketchbook clad students I thought I started to understand Postmodernism.

In my opinion, Postmodernism was a bright, loud rejection of structure and 'normality'. I think Postmodernism was the start of the realization that it wasn't easy to be  new or  keep generating new ideas, therefore designers took to cutting and pasting the old and created things that seemed like mockery.
The use of bright colour, dramatic shape and neon attract the consumer and captivate them to see and buy into things that were impractical and ridiculous. MTV is an example of this, flashing lights and jumping images that draw in the viewers attention yet has no relevance or depth.

I did enjoy the exhibition though, it made me laugh. I don't know if that is the intention of those behind Postmodernism or not. I don't know if i actually understand Postmodernism at all.

The Room

In January I did a project with Daniella Olds,  a graduate from London college of Fashion as some extra work experience and to learn directly from a graduate.
We worked together on some designs she did for a short film called The Room, which is written, produced and directed by Fabrice Puscas,
It is a horror film based on the psychological and emotional journey of a women who has made a crucial decision.

Daniella gave me so much freedom and pushed me to have an opinion on her designs and colour choices.She showed me how to pattern cut, drape, stitch, stuff and fasten.
I was left to my own devises in some areas to really get to grips with the designs and actual production of the garments.

It was two weeks of excitement for me, I loved every second of it. The best was seeing the final garments on the actresses with all their make up etc and knowing all that hard work had paid off.

I have been offered another opportunity with Daniella and Fabrice on the next short film which I really look forward to.

Since i can remember i have been making my own dress up clothes, dinner dresses, dance dresses and now, outfits i wear on a daily basis. So last year i decided i would like to see how professional tailors make clothes. 

I applied to almost every tailors on Saville Row and Anderson and Sheppard offered me the opportunity to come in and observe for the day. 

I got there filled with excitement and nerves (i probably had the least experience they had ever seen) which turned to comfort and excitement  as i started talking to the Pattern cutters and Mr Hitchcock himself. 

It was the most interesting day i think ive had in years, I literally stood for eight hours watching an  apprentice, Sunna make her jacket. I never felt a stitch of pain or boredom. I was so interested in how she worked and the things she showed me (i now follow her on the Anderson And Sheppard Notebook http://www.anderson-sheppard.co.uk/thenotebook/author/sunna/). 

 All the Self employed Tailors work in a studio under the rooms and whilst i was there they were telling me stories of the Late Lee Alexander McQueen and how he was when he was on his apprenticeship with them. 

Mr Hitchcock then took me up to have a chat and talk about what i wanted to do with my life and what my interests are. He showed me old McQueen images and docs from when he was there, photos of royalty wearing his suits and showed me a jacket he made for Kate Moss, which he let me try on (i’m not supposed to say). He gave me a piece of this amazing cashmere that is worth £1000 a meter, fabric he has used to make a suit for a VIP client. 

I have a small sketch book with all my notes and tricks that Sunna taught me stored carefully as i feel the information i received will always be beneficial to me and i may never get the opportunity to go back. And one day, when i have a fashion show, the whole of Anderson and Sheppard will be receiving tickets.