Ron English

POPAGANDA

One of the most prolific and recognizable artists alive today, Ron English has bombed the global landscape with unforgettable images, on the street, in museums, in movies, books and television. English coined the term POPaganda to describe his signature mash-up of high and low cultural touchstones, from superhero mythology to totems of art history, populated with his vast and constantly growing arsenal of original characters, including MC Supersized, the obese fast-food mascot featured in the hit movie “Supersize Me,” and Abraham Obama, the fusion of America’s 16th and 44th Presidents, an image widely discussed in the media as directly impacting the 2008 election. Other characters carousing through English’s art, in paintings, billboards, and sculpture include three-eyed rabbits, udderly delicious cowgirls and grinning skulls, blending stunning visuals with the bitingly humorous undertones of America’s Premier Pop Iconoclast.

http://www.popaganda.com/blog1.php

anthony burrill at brussels design forum


http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/11657/anthony-burrill-at-brussels-design-forum.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47058419@N03/sets/72157625048068702/show/

Had the first lesson with the rest of level 3 today, made me realize i need to sort my portfolio out pretty sharpish. Also to maybe think about the format that i present my work.

Printers that are good: http://www.espritimaging.co.uk/

I also really need to sort out a website, preferably before thursday. I don't want to use the website i designed last year because it is shit. I didn't really realize the concept very well.

Today also kind os scared me with regards to the final project, especially due to how i coped last year at coming up with my own brief.

3x3:Air from Ross Taylor on Vimeo.

3x3

3x3
Originally uploaded by bendickason

3x3

3x3
Originally uploaded by bendickason

3x3

3x3
Originally uploaded by bendickason

the corridor

3x3

We have decided to base our project in a corridor, in the epicenter. I think this will give us enough scope to experiment with different aspects of the area, for example: the perspective looking down the corridor makes an interesting image. The colours represented in the area are quite interesting. the different light sources are interesting. the art work there could bring something to the project. quite a lot of people pass through that area so sound capturing may produce some interesting conversations. the use of the surrounding rooms could bring an twist to the project.

I guess its about time to start blogging again before starting uni again next week. Probably should of kept it up over the summer but theirs not much i can do about that now. Im not sure if im going to get away with just using this blog as my online presence. Probably not so i'll have to throw something together, but i cant remember the domain name i bought. Im a bit nervous about going to uwe because they're going to expect a lot more from us that at filton. I should be alright as long as i keep my head down but that isn't really my strong point. Im excited about the challenge though its sort of make of break this year for me and right now i think im going to smash it! Im going to go and figure out exactly what i need to have ready before next week now. hopefully not that much.

I am trying to get as much done today as possible in the hope of handing in tomorrow, however i am not sure i will be able to get everything done in time. I've printed all of my research and development work but have still got to sort it and put it into folders and flip files. I cant wait to have this finished.

i've written the majority of my evaluation, work experience, and some of the 5 designers which i wasn't going to do because i have researched loads but the file became corrupted. I started to design the flyer handout of my work for the exhibition today but i will do more work on that tomorrow. Tomorrow I'm going to put the final touches on my website and print it off ready for hand in. also Im going to cut out my posters and put them in my portfolio ready for friday. i still have to print all my development work and research and put it into folders. I need to put my bibliography together as well. blaahhh blahh bblahh

I managed to get my posters printed yesterday and they look better than i expected. There are some little tweaks to sort that are more visible now that they are full scale but they wont take long. Also I don't like the paper i used, I think a glossy paper would word better but that might involve coat the posters after printing and that might cost quite a bit. Im going to design a boklet to hand out for the exhibition, but i am going to concentrate on getting the written work done today.

My computer crashed yesterday and i lost half of my research so i need to quickly gather that again i guess. The folder says that its corrupted and has an error code 5??? So annoying because i cant remember exactly where i got everything from and exactly what i had. Oh well.

monday

I was supposed to be printing my posters this morning but haven't been able to get them to a suitable level over the weekend. I still have to design a new symbol for the pattern poster and finish it. I also have to finish the alan fletcher poster by deciding on which effect to use and whether it looks cheap or not. I have to add a with thanks comment to each. then i need to print them as thumbnails to make sure the colours are alright. I have to source the right paper also.

so to sum up:

-symbol

-fil in pattern

-pick the fletcher

-add with thanks

-check colour

-source paper

I've spoken to james about the final designs and he's given me feedback about them. I've changed the symbols one to a square and made it bigger so that the type is more legible. I have changed the typography at the bottom of each poster so that the kerning and leading is more aestheticly pleasing. I have also been experiment ing with the alan fletcher design to try and make the effect of the water more obvious. however i am not sure whether i like it or not as it just looks like a cheap photoshop effect rather that a real image. i also experimented with a brush effect over the top of the type rather than the water which is quite effective but has the same problem as before.

The most recent poster of a cross section of the skin is a little bit crude as some of the elements don't line up and i don't know how to make it better without a lot of time consuming trial and error work.

The poster do seem to be coming together now though which is a relief, the final outcomes aren't of as high a quality as i would have hoped but i have definitely learnt the necessity of practicing time management processes like a diary.

I feel that i have pretty much finished 5 posters now and have one left to do. I have been collecting loads of visual research for it and it has been helping. I think i am going to try and come up with something in a milton glaser/saul bass/paul rand/robert brownjohn. so basically no idea... or 50's witty design

I had a really productive day yesterday and managed to get some more good ideas with a bit of help from james. I have a time booked on monday for the studio so i can take some pictures for another poster which will fit wit my alan fletcher idea, using the quote 'the person you love is 72.3% water'. i am going to print that quote out and place it under some glass and pour water on it. then hopefully the water will distort part of the text but you will still be able to read what it says. that will give me 5 posters.

i still have to sort my research into a coherent form for hand in. i might try and make a booklet as well containing mu posters that would serve as a bit of marketing.

today got off to a bit of a rubbish start as i went to bower ashton for an induction a day early. however i still managed to make it to oli's lesson only 10 mins late and whilsti was at uwe i saw a sries of poster that inspired me. they represented different organs but consisted of inannitmate objects unrelated to organs in every sense except weight. i wold like to do something abstract like this for the alan fletcher poster because im supposed to be thinking like him not copying him, i've begun doing thing in a way that i'm normally good at avoiding which is doing things litterally rather than laterally. lateral witty thinking is for me what alan fletchers design is all about so i am going to try and design something now which includes a quote and some sort of imagery that represents anatomy and/or design.

HELP...

basically i have too much to do so i may just quit and go on a drug fueled rampage...

on the other hand i will probably just do what i can