The famous analogies of Tony Peart

So I've decided to start writing down all of my Tutor's (Tony) analogies, mainly because half the time they confuse the hell out of me but also I just wonder where he gets all of these from.
As as starter to this ever continuing string of posts I will spoil you with 4 of his most recent ones, or at least the ones I could remember.

Don't throw the baby out the bathtub
You've put the cart in-front of the horse
Try to be less Phil Collins and more Sex Pistols
How about being The Shakespeare Production group rather than Mrs. Smith's reception pantomime.

3rd 1st for the 1st Semester

Although the title is majorly confusing, I can tell you it's much more simple than it seems.

I'VE JUST GOTTEN MY THIRD GRADE AT 1ST LEVEL FOR THIS SEMESTER! WOOOOOO!

Right now back to seriousness; I was set the task to design an info-graphic 'ISSUU' publication on a certain topic with a group member of your choice. Naturally I chose a good friend (Sophie) and we were randonly selected the question "How did Roman's build their roads straight?".

Firstly we looked into styles that we might want to follow and on deciding that using our strong points would be the best idea we made a pastiche document of comics and an Ikea manual. It sounds a little odd but the design for Ikea is very obvious and well structured so I could easily work with making it stylish and suiting whilst using strong typography and paragraph text.

Sophie on the other hand is very dab-handed with character design and it a total nerd for comics, which really helped up decide that a comic style for this publication would be the best option (also because the terrible person she is managed to get me hooked on them also).

We researched the basics; How, why, when, where and who and began to sketch storyboard and mock-up designs. Not to bore you all to death we ended up with a lovely final piece, which may I add the tutors also liked and graded highly.

So here you are, Enjoy and learn something you uncultured swines.

P.s Sophie isn't a terrible person really.
P.p.s You aren't an uncultured swine!

Hairy Business

The other night, I was rather tired, unable to sleep and lost with what I should do; so as every normal person with Photoshop would do, I edited my friend's hair.

I decided that I wanted to capture everything that made up James in words re-creating his hair, as his hair is a very important and significant part of James. If you look closely you will be able to see the largest word is "Tea?" as the most commonly thrown word between him and myself is either "Tea?" or "Cuppa?" of which the response is never ever ever a no.

I quite like these for the humour rather than the actual aesthetics as it was a 15 minute job and it was more to create the style and personality of James than a pretty image; either way, I love it and so does he.
Without further re-due I present James Reay.

Look at the excitement in those eyes.

I'm not sure if this does the hair justice.

The happiest of happy accidents

Whilst working away in a lesson with the infamous Maureen, I created what looks like a nice little logo for a fictional swimming pool or something, I have no idea where the style I made came from and the name is only an awkward way of spelling 'Sophie' because I was trying to annoy a friend; but this pretty little thing was made.

How do things work?

Today I was issued with the task to develop an ISSUU digital magazine on how something works or was made that the tutors don't understand. Myself and Sophie have been assigned the task of displaying 'How the Romans built straight roads'; I think the main task is to develop a range of info-graphics to not just inform the knowledgeable tutors of mine but people that are completely un-knowledgeable of the subject.

I have looked into the history of the Romans and how they would create their roads, using surveying tools such as a Groma they would map out direct straight lines by equalising four weights (horizontally) hung from a cross shape of wood and suspended on string; when the weights would even out they would know that anything in-line with two vertical stands of the four, would be a straight line even at a long distance.

The only problem was that it relied on the surveyors eye sight and accuracy of reading the verticals on how accurate it was.

I have also looked at designers which produce info-graphics and how they go about them, although they have similar styles I really like how they look and find it a much better way of showing facts and voicing opinions to a wider audience with the graphics being simple, easy to read aesthetically pleasing.

I have looked at Peter Grundy, Volume One and Andrew Janik for inspiration.

Peter Grundy

Volume One

Andrew Janik

 p.s. if you are on my course and I see you stealing my ideas, I might slightly kill you. love Vincent.

Lè Finale

Just finished my final pieces for my perspective brief, you may notice there is no colour (as usual). God I'm a dull soul.

I was set the task to design na exhibition space in perspective from two angles, one low and another high up.

So I decided to use one point perspective and two point, using tonal shading and perspective for people using grids and different heights.

I'm rather happy with these and once again please excuse the low picture quality, posting from my phone.

I'm really quite happy with the amount I've learnt on perspective and I feel it'll really help with future work.

A head start on Illustration

So I will stop with the terrible puns soon but I haven't quite had all the fun possible yet.

So recently as you may have seen I have been doing perspective drawings, and now we were set the task of doing figures in perspective.

I want to be an all-round design and illustrator, so I'm loving this.

With a mild knowledge already I jumped straight in, loved it. After trying to draw things too realistically Tony (tutor) suggested to draw very simplistically, much like the work of a Graphic Novelist, by just exaggerating shadows to define structure.

I really liked this style and found that I liked my drawing quite a lot in this style, so I wanted to share it. 

Please excuse the grainy low quality photo. 

Hope this puts it into perspective for you

So earlier this week I was set a brief which is all about perspective, and as anyone who has ever dabbled in it before will know; as helpful as it is, it's a bloody pain in the arse.
Personally I am rather enjoying it so far, looking at 1, 2 and 3 point perspective and multiple techniques you can use with those.

Her are some of my layout sheets to give y'all a basic idea of what I've been doing recently.

LADIES AND GENTLEMALES!

I have just reached 1,400 views on this blog; 50 posts strong!
This might not be an amazing achievement to most blogs but I am pleased as punch and it makes it the tad bit sweeter that the infamous James Reay was my 1400th viewer of my blog.

More design to follow shortly, stay tuned!

Got an Issuu, Have a tissue

So I have just finished my first ever publication in a project working with Alex. I'm pretty pleased with it as we based it around possibly my favourite shop in Carlisle; as owned by Dave.

Here ye' go!

Daniel Eatock

During a lecture with Tony he introduced me to communal idea of unrestricted and satirical photography, with people sending in submissions making a huge collection of otherwise dull images to create a strong composition and collection

After taking some images in my area for continual study (Strawberry Fields Forever) as owned by 'Dave', I was finding all these signs telling me what not to do; and this one of not taking images due to a fine being issued upon taking one was very fitting to the project Eatock was doing.

I sent an email and got one back today and to my amazement my image has been featured on the site; I feel my tutors would be proud.

http://eatock.com/participate/no-photo/

First project in University

Took a bloody lovely photo today; took like 40 with my DSLR and then just as I'm going home I get this beauty with my phone. I think it's more his expression that makes this.

I love how much madness this photo has but then there are two people calmly sat there; with 'Dave' staring directly into the lens.

Even though there is no real focus point and the colours aren't really sharp; but this has a lot of emotion and it's brilliant.

Part one of the Super Friday Photo Challenge

So as a group we were sent in two sets of 2's to take 12 images of landmarks and miscellaneous items around Carlisle town. The task was set to take a photo of the landmark or item with one member of our group in the image; but this was far too simple.

So we decided using the magic of self-timers we would take images and have innocent civilians take photo's of us (excluding two because the area looked a bit rough, cameras aren't cheap guys.)

So we laughed all day and got terribly sore feet, but the out come was definitely worth it.

The secret entrance to Imagination Station comic book store (but obviously we had to have the shop owner take a photo of us with the glorious comics)

 The Sands Centre - Bronze Cormorant on Plinth (with 'highfive' added for cinematic effect)

 Bitts Park - with the statue of Britain's longest reigning monarch (with added leap frog)

 Fisher Street - The exterior of Carlisle's premier independent live music venue (with added drunken fighting)

 Fun2Do - In one of the upstairs 'rooms of glitter wonder'

 Will Nixon & Sons - Exterior with the name of the resident cat written on a piece of paper.
But that is boring, so we held the cat; he is called William.

 Carlisle City Library - Holding the vocal score for 'The Pirates of Penzance';

but clearly some pirates had reached it before us and taken it for their booty, so we pestered this kind lady.

 Club Concrete - Top of stairs looking down (but the stairs are a far enough distance for the camera to be halfway to cash converters here, so we took photos of each other instead)

 Dixon's Chimney - Base of, looking up (failed leaning tower of Carlisle)

 Sandwich Mill - Shop front (with added Gansta signs)

Denton Street - three large yellow letters.
So basically, it was to look like I had been beaten but we were photo-bombed by a discerning dog walker, making it look like I took a serious tumble.

First post for University

So the blog is to now become from a personal space for all my crap; it is not to become a serious storage area of magic and wonder that is my Design at UoC.

- Looking very terrified at the poor scaling in the "upload from webcam" option in this post.

Here on upwards.

Typography collagraph

I have only found around two examples of typography produced with the printing method of Collagraph, so I feel rather innovative 

Photo experimentation

I have been experimenting to produce photographs and photograms for my Final Major Project, these a few samples of which I am really happy with.

My topic is waste so I over-layered images of people from my course to show who can waste (as we all do) with photos of waste and rubbish to create multi exposures