Flight

Perhaps some inspiration for you first years and your summer project. Flight is an anthology of sequential art based around the themes of...well, flight. Beautiful work - check out the publications in Page45 if you are nearby. http://www.flightcomics.com/

ilovedust

Graphics students may want to check out the slick, urban styles of ilovedust - visit there website www.ilovedust.com.

Introduce yourselves...

Come on, don't be shy...

Welcome

Welcome to the HND and FdA blogspot here at NCN. We hope that you will all use this little space on the tinterweb to post your thoughts, share ideas and more importantly get to know eachother before you start the course. This is your space, so feel free to comment amongst yourselves and keep an eye out for any updates throughout the year. Feel free to upload new links to websites, dates of exhibitions, scans and any further information you feel may be of use to your peers. Design is not a solitary discipline - help eachother, bounce ideas and discuss the areas of Art & Design that interest you the most. As tutors we will add as much information as we come across and hope to see you all from time to time develop your voice.

Why not try and all think of a cool name for the blog and we'll change it accordingly.

Richard.

Alan Moore Interview

Very inspiring interview for aspiring artists from the legend Alan Moore.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGq-9X3ho7U

He really does speak our language.

Year One Summer Project

The project is simple – Only using a black pen and the colour orange produce
10 drawings on 10 pieces paper measuring 10cm by 10cm.

Keep your eyes open - observe. You can draw anything you like from life, the limitation in format, size, colour and medium should restrict your drawings and force you to produce 10 graphical exercises. Look at weight of line as much as wit - you may play with adding quirky slogans and illustrate from them. Or, a diagramatic drawing of a house or interior.

They don't have to be works of art you have spent hours on - learn to 'symbolise and summarise.'

Why not upload your observations and chat about the project amongst yourselves before you start the course.

Year Two Summer Project

Hello all,

Over the summer period we have decided to give you a new project. We would like you to work on 50 Ideas…

…This should be as easy as Paris Hilton for second years, right? Just fill a sketchbook with as many ideas as possible – carry it around with you if you have to, you never know when an idea critter will strike. They can be as ‘off the wall’ as you like, but do have in mind that you may begin to pull from this sketchbook when developing your projects during the second year. It will be a very important foundation. All we need to see are sketches and annotations.

I would also like to remind you of the official Blogspot we have set up for you all, which has now been changed to – www.fdadesign.blogspot.com. We would like to encourage you more to use this area of the tinterweb throughout the year instead of hiding behind closed doors and being your normal, guarded selves. It is the perfect place to help each other out with research and even brainstorm ideas.

In the meantime, have a great summer and I look forward to seeing you all in September.

Regards,

Richard Johnson
Graphic Design Course Leader

Welcome Year One FdA

Hello all,

I’d like to welcome you to Year One of the FdA Design course and hope you are enjoying the weather so far. We’ve decided to send you a summer project to keep you company and hopefully give you a little something to discuss during induction week.

I would also like to introduce you to the official Blogspot we have set up for you – www.fdadesign.blogspot.com. We would like to encourage you to use this area of the tinterweb throughout the year. For now, it is the perfect place to introduce yourselves and hopefully help each other out with the project. Perhaps you’ll share ideas, research, or even some of the final pieces.

In the meantime, have a great summer and I look forward to meeting you all in September.

Richard Johnson
Year One Course Leader

Artists' Trading Cards

www.art-e-zine.co.uk/atcnov03.html

Possible summer project - give it a bash!

Branding Youth in the Totalitarian State

Interesting article about Hitler's youth and the influence of power over Germany's children of the future. Both a frightening and compelling read over at Design Observer.

www.designobserver.com/archives/entry.html?id=38772#more

Oliver Jeffers

Check out Oliver Jeffers new website which delivers an eclectic showcase of his beautiful illustrations and fine art.

www.oliverjeffers.com

Spoon Graphics

Resourceful blog -

www.blog.spoongraphics.co.uk

Top 50 Graphic Design Blogs

www.davidairey.com/top-50-graphic-design-blogs

Just add water...

www.ywater.us

Portrait of the Designer as Author

www.eyemagazine.com/critique.php?cid=417

Heralded as one of the most influential and sort after book cover designers around today, Chip Kidd is as much at home writing about his musings and adventures as a designer. His debut novel The Cheese Monkeys - a semi auto-biographical tale reminiscent of The Catcher in the Rye was an honest statement on the challenges we often face as individuals, more importantly creative individuals. His follow-up The Learners is out now.

Four Feet From a Rat

Comic book veteran Liam Sharp has banded together some cream of British talent for Mother London's advertising venture Four Feet From a Rat. Liam's award winning publishing label Mam Tor was given the task of bringing together Chris Weston, Dave Kendall and Kev Crossley to produce four tales based in and around London. FFRAR will be published quarterly in Time Out then brought together as a collection at the end of the year.

The first issue released last month has already appeared in Creative Review, Computer Arts and ImagineFX - and both Mam Tor and Mother hope this will become the start of something very special.

www.mamtor.com

Dangerous Beauty: The Art of the Shiv

'A shiv is a weapon crafted from the limited resources of a prisoner's closed world. Crudely constructed from such things as spoons, shoelaces and upholstery tacks, shivs lie somewhere between the graceful and the grotesque. They're primitive, too — like outsider art, but produced deep on the inside.'

A little pointer to an old article from Design Observer. I find it fascinating how beauty can be found in anything if you look hard enough, and that it's human nature that is often responsible for using such devices in ways that are truely unforgiveable.

www.designobserver.com/archives/016492.html

The Dark Knight

The whole marketing campaign behind this summer's sure fire hit has been more than just a joke. With mock elections and www.whysoserious.com having images added everyday of jokers all around the world. The latest international poster is yet another example of quality graphic design. Batman has never been more grounded.

Visit the site above or click on the image for a full size version.

The Design Observer Playlist

'I’ve never worked in a design studio where music wasn’t played pretty much constantly. Nor can I recall visiting a studio where music wasn’t being played, or where designers weren’t wired up to headphones and bobbing rhythmically to unheard sounds. What is it with graphic designers and music? Is there a symbiotic relationship between the two? Are there studios where music is considered a hindrance? Or does music aid creative thinking and make us better designers?'

Read the rest of the articles here - www.designobserver.com/archives/035704.html#more

Illustrators Lounge

www.illustratorslounge.com

Wonderful site showcasing the collectives' talents.

Excercises in Style

I've already mentioned Matt Madden's book 99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style - check the official website here www.exercisesinstyle.com

Many variations on what is the most mundane story you will ever read, from Monologue, Subjective and Personification to name a few.

Countdown has begun!

Entering Semester two can be a stressful time with multiple projects, less contact time with staff and the looming deadline of May 21st - the final date for all projects to be finished. By the following friday (23rd) all your work will be mounted for your Final Show. This leaves just 13 weeks - so Time Management has never been so relevant.

Final Dates

Wed 21st May - All work finished
Fri 23rd May - All work mounted
Tue 17th June - Final Show (Private View)
Wed 18th - Sat 21st June - Final Show
Wed 18th - External Verifier
Sun 22nd - Travel down to London
Mon 23rd - Wed 25th D&AD New Blood

American Splendor

A must see film - first years take note!

Artist Recommendation

Ashley Wood - www.ashleywood.com

Pencily.com

Very useful resource for illustrators - www.pencily.com

Scott McCloud

If you still haven't read Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art by Scott McCloud you can view his site here - www.scottmccloud.com

There are many useful sections, including Inventions which comprises of a number of lateral thinking exercises. www.scottmccloud.com/inventions/inventions.html#

Enjoy.