So guys, sorry to disappoint, I have pretty much......done nothing this month. I haven't really gotten around to designing anything. I have just been adjusting to my new job and chilling out really. I have gone to a few things at a local festival. Our open house festival. I saw the Foghorn string band all the way from Portland Oregon. I also went to see Punk in the Park, where some local punk bands played. I even got my face in the paper.... TWICE! 

On the Left here is the foghorn string band. (worst photo ever) It was a really good gig, a little bit of a different genera than what I would usually listen to but they were so good to see live and really chilled people. 

On the right it'a few photos from punk in the park. I went with my brother and our dogs Louis and Sophie. It was again a really good gig. the turn out was awesome and the bands were great!

And the picture that got put in my local paper.... not once.... but twice!

Other than going to the local gigs in my area I also have been doing a bit of harvesting. As well as possibly...... becoming an alcoholic 

This year the birds actually got bored with plums, so we were able to harvest them. So much so that we are making our own plum cider and plum brandy. 

Here is the cider doing it's thing! I will however be designing the labels for these when they are ready to be bottled and hopefully not killing anyone with alcohol poisoning.

I've also been celebrating 5 years with my partner. Ill save you all the lovey dovey stuff.So yea, this is pretty much what I've been doing this month, Also hoping to get back into the workshop to finish things off.

Heres some random cars and cats I made for my partner. and below and random cat that genuinely keeps breaking into his house.

.....we call him stevie.

Today I got a hell of a lot done, everything for the end of year show that I wanted to put up is now up. I had to re-cut some new vinyl for my wall. And now everything is beautiful! 

I now get to just concentrate on finishing off my sketch books and writing everything up that needs to be done before hand in. I feel like I'm in a very good position, I even feel that I could hand in all of my stuff on Monday. Everyone else in my class is currently panicking and therefore this makes me also panick a little more due to myself feeling calm. Don't you just hate that.

Although speaking of things that you hate most coming up to hand in, one of my class mates mentioned to me today was he "can't wait for this to be over, so he can stop feeling guilty about wasting time" Shit just got real!
Deadlines can be really good for people or you can crash and burn, I do have that feeling of panic and worry, trying to get things done. It is a little weird when you stop just to breathe and then feel guilty. 

So anyways on to a more productive and positive note. I have done what feels like a million different magazine covers:

As you can see I have been experimenting with a variety of different colours as well as text. I also went a step further with this I knew I wanted  to have a bit of colour within the black and white image. However I think the lips actually make it more sexulised. This could however be a poster or even a magazine cover for human trafficking or something within that sort of topic.

I however want a more generalized kind of image. So, I took the image from the above, went through all my photos I had taken from  this project, and photoshopped eyes in from a different photograph. This was unbelievably weird I can tell you that, straight off.   

I have to admit this I think worked out pretty well, I however think that this looks like me, but a little different..... I know it sounds weird but, yea a different version of me. Although when it really comes down to it, as long as it looks like a person, and gets the point across. That is the whole point. 

So my idea here is a little more self explanatory. I want the eyes to try and look into your soul!, no I just want to eyes to grab peoples attention, although I still want them to look along the lines as realistic, however the more I photoshop this the more and more unrealistic it looks. especially as the eyes are very much a small part of the image, the colour doesn't really pierce through very well, even with the lines of the bar code coming down the face. I however really like the 1st image on the 2nd row, as I think this does grab your attention. I am just currently a little unsure on how to take it further. I am also really unsure on what colours to have my text and I seem to be continuing the same argument with myself on which fonts look the best. I am continuing to work on this even as I write this blog, I have a feeling however I may need to sleep on things and see how I feel about it tomorrow. So yea, that's it from me today.

So I have completely finished the monsters deck:

TAAAAA DAAAAA!!!!! Ok, so these go in the order of Clubs, Diamonds, Spades, and Hearts. I also went back and fixed a few things I wasn't too happy about within my original, or should I say first design. I am not too sure about continuing on with a 4th and final design for the end of year show. I will plan to, I am just unsure of my time left. Tomorrow I will be focusing on my photography and using the projector. I feel like I am at a really good stage with all of my projects. I am more or less finishing off all of my projects and fixing things that need fixed. In truth, I am actually starting to shit myself. This is go time and time suddenly feels like something I don't have much of.

I got my video finished today!!! YAY although I am rather pissed off the music for my video has cut out at the very end. I am currently uploading it to uni. I don't even know if it's going to work, but it is currently 61% uploaded and I still have another 122 minutes remaining...... whhhhhhhaaaatttttt!!!!! 

So we had a class meeting today, the fear is definitely been struck into everyone of us poor students. I have been told I basically I have 3 weeks if not less to get all my pieces I want to put up for the show done. As the people we go into within uni are basically gone for summer from 29th of this month.... AAAAAHHHHHH!!!! so that's pretty mental, have to pull the finger out and get some work done big time! 

There was also talk of having a shop at the show, so I'm contemplating getting my cupcake cards printed to sell at the show, I have even also created a patter to possibly go on the box of the cards. My flat mates also gave me a really good idea that because I am obviously a student, we are idiots and play drinking games such as "Ring Of Fire" or "Kings" (there are the same card game people!) So I think I will create a very quick one, this may just be words on the cards themselves. I am unsure if ill do illustrations for it.
Anyways! here's my patterns:

I am also to design the backs and the jokers, which I will do tomorrow, along with the redesign of my end of show space. I will hopefully also have my video to show for tomorrow, however the music is a little screwed on it so hopfully I might be able to fix this tomorrow also. 

Also I have tweaked my photography piece for the ViewBug challenge. I am still not too sure about it as my hair in the image is still really annoying me. 

I feel pretty done though to be honest, i may go back in and give the hair a proper look tomorrow when i get a chance. 
That's all from me today. 

Today I pretty much wasted it by going from website to website, trying to find a company that would print my cupcake deck of cards, for cheap. It was unbelievably tedious  as I had to make very quick designs of just the numbered symbols for each suit, Most websites were very slow with the uploads, they wouldn't let me edit the images to the way I wanted them displayed on the cards, Some websites stopped uploading my designs after a particular number. I was pretty much like 4 hrs of trying to get the right company to print these. I finally got it sorted. Although for one pack of cards it'll cost me roughly £15. Which sucks, although I think it will be worth it. 

I also have been trying to write my blurb, which will be the little bit of information that will go beside my work at the end of year show. To be honest, this week has been a complete nightmare. Just so much stuff to do and next thing I know a week has past, and the work I have done is not as much as I had hoped to have done. 

I have been looking at the whole planner for the end of year show, even looking at people from the past years, and I hate this feeling I have. I honestly don't feel like any of my work is good enough, the work I have done in my side projects I feel more confident to show than my main project. Even looking through it all, I can see exactly where I have gotten lost. I had originally wanted to do really mad, in your face posters showing consumerism. I am now doing student financial advice. Making a video, I honestly don't feel that comfortable about. I just really really lost.

So looking at the wall planners and everyone else's displays from the past years, I have decided to continue on with the video, and see how it is at the end, maybe Ill surprise myself and it'll be the most amazing thing. Although I have also decided to create posters, which was my original idea in the first place, many tutors have more or less talked me out of it. Saying in the usual nicest possible way, that they didn't think that it was the best Idea. I just feel like I'm drowning. So screw this, I am going to do what I want to do. If it ends up looking shit, at least it'll be my colourful shit and stuff I feel comfortable showing.

I also went back and re-edited my Coca-Cola portrait. I am actually really happy with it and have decided it will be my piece for submitted to the ViewBug unique portrait challenge. 

This is very simple, although I find it very effective and I think it really stands out. I am happy to upload this for the ViewBug Challenge, I plan to do a few more tweaks to this image, such as having a fact about Coca-Cola on the image, and even fixing the hair a little bit. I also finally got round to testing my line drawing skills, to make a ghost in Illustrator:

I am actually so happy with this, I want to fix the eyes a little more. But minus that I am really happy with this. One down, 11 more to go. 

That's all from me today, I am going to do a few sketches for posters for students on financial advice. But the way that I want them to be. I am even slightly playing with 

So, I missed a day yesterday. I took the day off from doing my work, I needed to shower my head and just chill out. Pressure is properly building and I'm not going to lie, I am getting so stressed out with work and I'm started to firmly believe that I may not even get my degree...  I have been working on my blurb for my end of year show, I have to admit I am actually not even too sure on what work I will be showing. So I have found the whole process of writing about my work incredibly difficult. I have also been doing a bit of photoshopping today, and re-took my Coca-Cola portrait images. 

So the above are my original images from today, I then took them into photoshop and began to experiment with them. I firstly started to clone tool out all the un-needed shadows, I then went on to actually take off all the  calorie counts and bar-codes off it. Mainly so the viewer doesn't get distanced by all things Coca-Cola put on their labels. I wasn't really satisfied with just that, so I decided to actually colour my skin, red. Just like Coca-Cola. However. I don't have any face paint, so I have been experimenting through photoshop. Although I may invest in some face paints and experiment further. Here is what I have come up with so far:

I'm still not too overly sure about it, although I plan to continue to experiment.  

While I was experimenting I ended up doing this, I am starting to think that this might look even better if I drew it. Although I have to admit I have a lot of things I need to start getting on with within Illustrator. Like my monster deck of cards. Speaking of cards, I got my business cards ordered!! whoop!, I ended up going with my original idea of having just the logo on the front and the text on the back. and going with the old school rectanglenessnessness look. 

The pressure is majorly on! Everyone is beginning to run round like headless chickens. I have been super productive today in the hope that my head won't explode. So I have been re-designing yet another story board and started to design all of the elements for that so here is a few small things I did today for the video:

So the first image, I thought would be funny to have, as he was designed to look like he is struggling to hold up a title within my video, I did however draw him with no reference and was more or less just messing about. The second image I used a reference for. I am still not too sure I like him, I think it is probably the structure of him as himself, as well as me being very picky. The third image is just to be a background image, I am however very tempted to give the queen a Mohawk, and a pint and maybe a cigarette. Although I don't want to over complicate the image, I may do this anyway though for a bit of fun and also, just to see how it would actually look.

I wanted to get more of this done, although I realized I sill hadn't fully finished my cupcake cards. So I went back and made a little design for the middle of all my cards, then went in and added the suit symbols and the letters for each card, now officially finished. I am hoping to get started on the next theme which is monsters for my deck of cards. Here are all 12 of the cards:

Going back through my research on the monster theme of cupcakes I can't help but think about my tea towel portrait I did of myself and how that might look for this theme. I will hopefully have sketches up of it tomorrow. As well as more images to show within my main project. I also have a ViewBug competition I am still to take images for. It is all rather chaotic at the moment. I have also been talking to tutors about the development of my small video for my main project. As it have been well over a year since I last used the program, so a wee refresher on the program would be amazing. I mainly need help with how I will export the video and how I will render it so it is small enough to go on the likes of You Tube etc. aaahhhh so many things. I'm going to leave it here for tonight, more info and more colourful things hopefully to show tomorrow

Today has been a pretty productive day. I have bought this domain name! Yay! I have an actual real website. Very happy! I have also been working more my main project with creating the website, I haven't gone back to the video since I last worked on it as I thought it would be smarter to make all the scenes and elements before diving in, and then just add what I need when I need it. I have been adding more elements to my website, such as information and my survey info graphics:

Not terribly impressive, It has been a rather slow job and if I am honest. I am hoping the video will look better than the website. However it is early days still. That is it from me today, I am currently trying to get new characters drawn for the video, my graphics tablet is however being funny with me, which is a bit of a worry. But i am hoping it will sort it self out.

Oh I am also getting my business cards designed. I just have to figure out the exact information I want to put on them, here is a little sneak peek into what I may be getting printed:

OK, So I again forgot to blog yesterday, I have to admit I had done a lot of work yesterday I just completely forgot. Today was no different, although I have gone back to my cards project making cupcakes and researching cupcake designs. So below is some of my research, I hope it makes you as hungry as I am!

So first of all what I really like is that, most of these cupcakes are unbelievable looking, I don't have to worry too much about the design being believable looking or not, as the things people can create with cakes and cupcakes is pretty brilliant to be honest. Here is one cupcake I made last night, I have to admit I'm very happy with this: 

There is still a lot of things I would like to add and change about this, I also have a slight problem with making cupcakes looking masculine and feminine.  So I have saved this image as my Queen of Hearts, but I may end up changing this to possibly being the Jack of Hearts. 

On a separate note, I have been doing more research into my main project. I have previously looked into the most expensive cities in the UK. However, I was concerned that I didn't see my own university city showing up, as it is incredibly expensive to live here in Aberdeen. So I looked up one of the main private student accommodation companies prices. I went through every city writing down the new prices for 2015-2016. I have previous lived with this company, looking at the price that I paid per week when I was there in 2012, to the prices for next years students. The price has gone up a clear £30 a week, that's pretty much an extra tenner per year that the rent goes up. This was also at the time the cheapest student accommodation available, what is scarier, is that this still seems to be the case, even though the prices are going up. 

Within the list of cities the student accommodation has housing. I looked at the prices of the cheapest accommodation within ever city, out of the 20 cities I looked into Aberdeen was #14 in the cheapest, Sheffield was the top for cheapest student accommodation offered with this company.

What my research is showing me is that, although the government says that higher education isn't just for the rich. The reality is that it truly is going back to those old ways, this may not be due to just tuition fees. But companies like private student accommodation, are exploiting students. This makes it harder for students who are not as well off as others to study away from home.  My project is to help students, by giving advise on how to save the pennies and still have a full university experience.  The advise I am giving is all from my surveys from past students and current students from all over the UK. 


I am still looking into my own research and have even looked at cheapest cities to live in judging by the price of pints. Not an exact science, but still good to know.


That's all from me today.

Well it has been forever since I last blogged. I have been  a busy bee as well as going home for the Easter holidays.  I have been designing a logo for  this website so I can get my business cards printed and what not. There will be even more work added to the website. I am now into my final 2 months of university, which is a very scary thought.  Here is some of my characters for my student help guide, these are not finished yet, but they are a work in progress:

from the top left, we have the hungover student, Hipster student, Sport student, Geeky student, Protester student, and Ghost student.

I have also been researching the most expensive cities to be a student, in within the UK. I have already gotten 125 responses to my survey. Which is fantastic! I have a lot of information from current and past students. A lot of students have found to have the same problems and have solved them in the same ways.  I have a lot more research to do, but I don't want to get so caught up with research that I am not really doing a lot of work. Which to be honest, is pretty much why I haven't blogged in a really long time, no pretty pictures to show and what not.

On another notes with my logo project I have  been experimenting with different colours for my logo. See below logos:

I also really like the idea of having my logo be a gif that goes through all of these different colours. I am not too sure if I should continue with that idea, but I think Ill do it anyways and see how it looks.  I have also been thinking about how to have this website. As I do love the amount of colours within it, I may keep this, but I would like to change the layout a little more, so the plan is to hopefully do Code Academy. I will also be able to create a website for my main project also.

I haven't managed to get much of my playing card project done, however I plan to get really stuck into all of my projects and knuckle down in  my last few weeks of being a student. That's all from me today