Artist Research - Kyle Cooper.

Last Monday we were looking at title sequences for films, we started by looking at the title sequence for 'To Kill A Mockingbird' - which is noted as one of Kyle Cooper's influences and then we moved onto his title sequence for the film Se7en - a film I've never seen before! Watching this sequence I thought it looked a lot like one of my favourite TV shows opening sequences - American Horror Story - and low and behold, a quick google search later, Kyle Cooper is the creator of the opening sequences for AHS too! I thought I'd share the three from each season as they're all different, as is the scenario of each season.

Have you seen AHS?

Stop Motion Throwbacks

In one of my current modules, we're looking at stop motion. This isn't the first time I've played about with animation, or specifically this type of animation, so I thought I'd share the two animation pieces I've done before. My first crack at animation was on my art foundation in my photography/film module. Unfortunately at the time I thought only saving it through the tumblr account I used for the entire project was a good idea - nevertheless here it is - I explain more about the piece on the post. The second piece of animation I have created was last year at my previous university. With that piece we were given an obscure word which we had to explain the meaning via the method of stop motion animation, only using the letters in that word. I won't tell you the answer as (hopefully) you can guess what it is.

Golopshusly Forswunk - Alice Thomas - GD4 002 from Alice Thomas on Vimeo.

In regards to my current project, we're actually doing something similar. Over the Christmas break we had to buy a second hand hobby book and only using the letters of the title of the book, visually represent what the book is about. I'm currently going through and editing around 500 images to create three separate outcomes. Although the editing itself is fairly straight forward, I'm peaking at 1-2 a minute so thus very time consuming - stay tuned for those pieces!

Is this thing on?

Why hello!! Since I last wrote on this blog I've moved cities and universities and been rather busy over on my beauty blog. After a semester off, I'm back in university and back with my nose against the grindstone, and with a piece I have present being a website - I thought instead of starting afresh I would return to the familiar waters and write on here again. This week we have a non-teaching week which gives me the perfect opportunity to catch this blog up to speed with what I've been doing and spruce it up a little too. After a much needed catch up I plan to update every Thursday with content regarding what I'm up to in the studio and an ad hoc basis with other bits I'd like to share. In the mean time, here's my course's website - typenowhere - to give you a taste as to what I'll be up to!

High.

For my FMP we were given the word 'high' and were let loose. After juggling with a few ideas, I ended up on exploring 'higher being' - which fitted perfectly with my trip to Pisa and the cathedral there. I'm submitting four black and white digital photographs, they're all set and ready to go, just need to get them to print, and get critiqued on Friday, eek!! Here's a sneak peek for you...

Terrible Upkeep.

Hello old friend, I know I always forget to update this thing, so here we are. An update. I've been super busy with uni (I shall be putting up some of my work from this term this week to prove it, promise.) along with trying to post regularly on my new little venture with my friend Emma whilst trying to get back into using Tumblr and you know, sleeping, eating, all that fun stuff. A few fun little tidbits, my accommodation for my Pisa trip is booked, I'm all ready for that Tuscan gem come May. I've booked my ticket for IMATS with Emma which we plan to vlog which is very exciting. I also managed to get Beyonce tickets for April so that'll be amaaaaazing. I'm slowly but surely getting my travelling plans for the summer in order and looking into housing for next year so I'll be a real grown up which terrifies me a little/a lot. Right, ramble out of the way, here's a few black and white snaps I took of the gritty city for a project I have abandoned!

Spending time and money

As the final submit for my research into my first self initiated piece, I thought I'd share with you my first research sheet (which is probably the most interesting). My project is about creatives optimising their time and money to make the best of what they've got, which I think will be really useful for a Queen of procrastinating, I am really interested in self-handicapping - a really interesting theory on the root of procrastination! Anyway, here's the piece and I hope you learn a thing or two, stay tuned for my final piece in a few weeks!!

Bruxelles

After a lovely week at home, I shot back up to London to catch the eurostar to Brussels, Belgium. I went to Brussels when I was seven so the art. architecture and copious amounts of beer were somewhat lost on me. I bought train tickets for my best friend's 21st and only spent a short 52 hours in the European capital. With time not on our side, we hit the Magritte museum, Christmas markets, and visited the touristy places like Grand Place and Mannekin Pis! Here's some snaps from my wee visit:

Beautiful Blogging!

Me and my best friend Emma made a blog for all things beauty related.

If that's your thing, I'd love you to check it out:

www.lionsandtigersandbeauty.blogspot.com

Rediscovery.

Creepin' on my harddrive and looking through my old work. Need to get my head in the game!

Webcams and Winter Break.

Since I have no more deadlines, I've become ever so productive. Soon I'll be comin' home for Christmas.

My first thanksgiving.

Tomorrow is thanksgiving, and although I'm a Brit I'm friends with a lovely bunch of Americans so we're all celebrating it! A total of fifteen people are sitting down to one hefty dinner tomorrow, so we made the majority of the puddings tonight. I get my hand to making two apples pies and two pumpkin pies which took a lot longer than imagined! I definitely feel like the pressure is on, I've never tasted a pumpkin pie, let alone made one! But alas, these are the two apple pies which smell delicious, hopefully they'll taste nice tomorrow!!

Navigating Paris.

JolieSoiree at Skin3

Last Monday I was invited to the lovely Skin3 Salon in North West London for a JoileBox (soon to be Birch Box here in the UK) event! There was champagne, eyebrow threading, nail painting and lots of beauty chat! Birch Box is an American company which has recently bought the European JB Brand, in the UK it's being re-branded in the new year, but it has not been confirmed for the Spanish and French markets as of yet. I managed to go along and meet one of the founders of BB, the very nice, very tall Katia Beauchamp (I'm sorry, how glamourous is that name?!) as well a bunch of JB staff. I was lucky enough to by eyebrows threaded and try out some of the Jane Iredale make-up which the salon sports! After all things beauty when me and Emily (my lovely housemate who accompanied me) decided to head back to the suburbs, we were presented with gift bags! I received some Jane Iredale samples, and Emily was given a whole Jolie Box! Needless to say we were rooting through it in the tube station and all the way home as it was jam packed with goodies! A lovely evening with lovely company!

A trip to Hoxton to get out of humdrum.

I miss my boyfriend when I'm not home.

Red Velvet.

One of my housemate's celebrated his nineteenth birthday a couple weeks back so me and another housemate decided to make him a cake! I wanted to try out joyofbaking.com's take on a red velvet cake, and we only left out the vinegar and bicarbonate of soda, and came out with this beauty! It went down very well indeed and even if I do say so myself, it was deeeeelicious!!

'So'

...is a way I like to start blog posts, apparently.

Halloweiner.

So for halloween I was a bit of a let down and didn't go crazy on my costume (I'm using the term costume very lightly indeed), I wore that Motel striped Zoe dress which is totally okay for everyone to have in their wardrobe, some Kate Moss lippy (in the shade 04) and one serious smoky eye. So a Beetlejuice's daughter approach to proceedings, but for a slightly spooky night in Cardiff, it suited just fine.

Typography.

So a few weeks back (I've been slacking, I know) I was given a project in a group to describe a typographic term. We were given 'overshoot' (which is the added bit to curved letters to make the illusion they're the same) and part of the brief was to create a black and white poster featuring only Arial. Here's one of the attempts, however I don't have the final product on my laptop ah!

Freak.

So the first project in my degree was entitled 'freak'. We were put into groups and had to 'visually communicate' the word 'freak'. So after a hair-tearing experience, and a hasty last minute game change my group came up with the idea of physically labelling people. As a group, we'd only got to know each other that week, so we wanted to focus on the first impressions you label people with when you meet them, so each of us labelled one another with how we originally perceived all of us. Also just before the critique, we wanted to label a few of our tutors (for this particular week it included the men behind 'Us') alas, with this technique it got a little out of hand, and everyone wanted to label everyone which just turned into inside jokes and polite compliments on everyone's backs which certainly wasn't what I wanted to happen. You live, you learn. Anyway! These are the labels which were on my back, and I'm unsure whether I agree or not...

Pastures New.

So I wanted to start a real blog to show the word what I do. I've been tumbling for a year or two now and will keep at it, but I think this little beauty will be a tad more about me, rather than the things I like. Fingers crossed I'll keep this ahhhh!