Lucy Player

2012

2012-01-03T20:46:00.000Z

Happy new year! So, last year's motto was Work Hard, Play Hard. I think I just about achieved that. It was quite a year, what with starting my first full-time job as a designer in January (and my second in November - going well so far, if you're wondering!) and moving to London and everything. Combine that with a good dose of freelance work on the side, and I think that equates to a year of working hard and playing hard(ish).

So for 2012, I intend to "make the most of it". Just about settled in to this London life now, and got my bearings much more - so now it's time to make the most of everything it has to offer.

Fa la la la la, la la la la etc.

2011-12-05T19:53:00.000Z

Made by Mortimer

2011-12-05T19:19:00.001Z

So, my lovely flatmate Nicola and I have started a new little venture called Made by Mortimer. It currently exists as a Folksy shop (madebymortimer.folksy.com), selling bits and pieces made by the pair of us.

However, I can't take any of the credit yet (well, apart from the logo). All jewellery listed is made by Nicola. Her grandfather was a watchmaker, and each ring, necklace and brooch uses a vintage watch face from his collection.

We're soon to expand in to other goodies such as screenprinted tote bags and illustrated things (which is where I come in), so keep an eye out.

SHOWFLAT

2011-11-25T17:33:00.001Z

Prepare yourself for a photo-heavy post, folks. Last night was the launch of SHOWFLAT, a publication designed for Metal to document a series of exhibitions by Southend-based artists. The artists temporarily transformed their private living spaces in to public exhibition spaces during autumn 2010.

I started designing the book in the spring, liaising with all the artists involved to try and capture the atmosphere of their exhibitions through their ten allocated pages. Anyway, the launch last night was the first time I'd seen the book printed! The limited edition of 100 books are individually stamped, numbered and signed by the artists. Really pleased with how it all came together.

The bunnies are back.

2011-11-21T14:46:00.001Z

I've been a bit quiet on here again haven't I? There's a couple of things I've been working on that I'm excited to show you. HOWEVER, I can't. One of them is back from a printers but I'm yet be receive my copy. And the other is in development and is a bit hush hush until its release...

In the mean time, I've given my website a bit of a refresh, so have a look at www.lucyplayer.com if you like.

Also, remember Hoppy Bunnies, the project I launched last year then neglected a bit? Well, www.hoppybunnies.com has also had a bit of a facelift, and this year's Hoppy Christmas cards and next year's calendar are now in the Folksy shop.

Picture frames

2011-10-12T10:23:00.000+01:00

Lettering

2011-10-12T10:22:00.000+01:00

A bit obsessed with adding shadows to my lettering at the moment...

What the hell is Cloud Computing?

2011-10-12T10:20:00.000+01:00

What the hell is cloud computing? I worked on this diagram a while ago to try and help explain (and to be honest, I hadn't a clue what it was until I researched it for this!)...

A couple of shiny new websites

2011-09-28T23:49:00.000+01:00

I've given my website a little bit of an update (not a redesign just yet... just give me time!). A couple of website's I've been working on have recently gone live, so thought I'd share.

Firstly, a portfolio site designed at Matt&George for film director Matthias Hoene: www.matthiashoene.com

And secondly, a site which combined both my love of illustration and web - Tamesis Dock, a floating pub moored on the Thames. Now, there's still a few things that need fixing with the build, but here's the design anyway:

Home sweet home

2011-09-10T21:45:00.001+01:00

Long time no blog! I haven't updated since I moved to London. So far so good. All settled in and loving it. I've had to leave my lovely massive desk with my mum in Essex, but I'm pretty happy with my new setup on a smaller scale:

The novelty of being in a place where there's interesting things to do on your doorstep is yet to wear off. Bizarrely, on my first weekend in London, the southbank was dedicated to Southend (there's no escaping Essex!). I popped down to see the guys from The White Bus and picked up a few postcards I'd designed for them. Went to the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy a few weeks back too, and last weekend we went to The Museum of Brands and The Museum of Childhood. Alas, this weekend I have a cold and I've stayed in this evening drawing ampersands, feeling sorry for myself (geekily enjoyable, though...).

Fifty

2011-07-30T15:39:00.000+01:00

It was my mum's 50th birthday on Wednesday. Things you need to know about my mum: she's an infant school teacher and she's a little obsessed with salsa dancing.

Do you know the children's poem We're Going On A Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen? Well, Mum loves doing that poem with her class. And her infinitely imaginative friend Helen decided to re-write the poem in honour of tonight's birthday party (which, needless to say, will involve a salsa band and lots of dancing...). Anyway, Helen asked if I'd mind turning it in to some sort of illustrated book. This is the result:

I also made a card...

Anyway, I best go get my dancing shoes at the ready. Should be a good night.

Two weeks to go...

2011-07-17T10:22:00.000+01:00

A little interview

2011-06-21T22:04:00.000+01:00

I answered some questions for The Trend Boutique the other day.
Click here if you fancy a read.

The flat.

2011-06-19T15:25:00.000+01:00

I mentioned a while back that my friend Nicola & I had decided to move to London together. Well, we've found a flat! It's all very exciting/scary. The flat's above a corner shop, and I'm slightly in love with the old Wall's ice cream sign outside the lounge window...

We bought ice creams from the shop and sat in what is soon to be our local park after we signed the contracts. Can't wait to get up there now.

A few days away

2011-06-19T15:11:00.000+01:00

I spent a few days in the south of France last week. My grandparents spend a fortnight out there every summer, and this year I gatecrashed. It was lovely! A lazy few days spent sitting, reading, wandering, swimming... Took a boat across to St Tropez one day, which was all very swish. Back home, back to reality, back to work tomorrow, and back to the ever-growing To Do list.

Ice Cream & Ice Lolly Identification

2011-05-22T14:17:00.000+01:00

Tuesday 24th May is "This Is The Start of Summer" - an exhibition, print sale and music night at Sixty Million Postcards in Bournemouth. My submission, which will be on display and up for sale, is all about ice creams. Because let's face it, summer isn't summer without ice cream. It looks a little small here, but imagine it at A2...

Pocket watches

2011-05-15T17:22:00.001+01:00

Today I was at a bit of a loose end so drew some pocket watches. They're part of my friend's ever-growing collection of old clocks and watches. I may have to raid the collection again to draw some more...

Southend Film Festival 2011

2011-04-30T13:59:00.001+01:00

For the past couple of months I've been working on print-based bits and pieces for this year's Southend Film Festival. Having designed the programme last year, I got more involved with the festival team this year and provided them with the programme, tickets, posters, flyers, bookmarks, certificates... all sorts. It was a lovely project to work on, and the opening gala screening of The Long Good Friday last week was fantastic! www.southendfilmfestival.com

Plans

2011-04-04T21:53:00.002+01:00

Things have been quite nice lately. Been working on some good projects and doing some nice things. My friend and I (owner of the heart-covered shoes!) have decided we're going to attempt to get a flat together in London in the autumn. The weekend before last we went to Pick Me Up at Somerset House (excellent!) and confirmed our decision it by making out first purchase together:

We fell slightly in love with these calculator prints by Tom Rowe, part of the Evening Tweed collective.

Went to a fantastic typography exhibition afterwards - Roger That! at Kemistry Gallery. Got slightly carried away and bought some more art (I think we need to get our things-for-the-flat buying priorities straight, soon...). U for Uniform. The orange is practically neon 'in real life'. Love it.

Thinking about other bits and pieces we'd want in the future flat, I dug out this Rob Ryan tile I was given a couple of Christmases ago. Never got round to getting it framed, and I'd forgotten what phrase was written on it. Couldn't believe how apt it was when I unwrapped it.

So yes, nice times and future plans. Exciting stuff.

p.s I haven't just been swanning about buying art, I have been working hard too. We put this site live at work last week.

Monkeys

2011-03-26T09:08:00.001Z

So, a couple of weeks ago I had a slightly bizarre request: Monkey typography for a wedding. A lovely lady named Uma wanted her and her fiance's name spelled out in monkeys. So, I gave it a go... (you might want to click to enlarge)...

In other news...

2011-03-20T17:10:00.000Z

In other news, it's my birthday today, and over the past three days I've been spoilt with food, presents, cider, and cake. Not bad, not bad at all.

No posts in a month and then three in the space of an hour. Whoops.

Prague (in drawings)

2011-03-20T16:02:00.002Z

I didn't have time to draw when we were actually in Prague (too busy, y'know, being cultural and, er...drinking Pina Coladas in Tiki bars and such...). But I've been doing a bit of drawing from the photos I took. So many beautiful old buildings and bits of typography about the place.

Prague (in photos)

2011-03-20T15:55:00.000Z

Long time no blog. Things have been pretty manic lately, but the weekend before last I spent four days in Prague with a few friends. It was lovely, it really was.

Sneak peek.

2011-02-15T21:46:00.001Z

Purely to break my blogging-silence, here's a sneak peek at a few bits I've been up to at work.

A little re-design

2011-01-23T20:30:00.002Z

A little bit of a re-design over at lucyplayer.com.

Hello, I'm still alive

2011-01-22T14:02:00.002Z

Hello. I've been a bit quiet here lately. I am still alive, just settling in to the life of full-time work (so far so good, if you're wondering!). No new personal work to update about I'm afraid (other than some new Hoppy Bunnies bits), but I'm thinking about giving myself a little project to work on. This will probably be based around commuting - may as well create something worthwhile out of my train-rage! So, watch this commute-based-design-project shaped space...

2011: The resolution

2010-12-30T13:00:00.003Z

2009: Go mental

2010: Don't panic

2011: Work hard, play hard

I think I managed to stick to my 2010 resolution fairly well. But that was more due to they way things happened to turn out, rather than through a conscious effort. The dissertation, the final major project, the exhibitions, the placements, having to find a job... all justifiable cause for panic, but everything seemed to work out ok, one way or another.

So, to 2011. Next week I start my job as a junior designer. Sounds scarily like becoming an adult and entering the real world. Exciting/daunting. I resolve to work hard and play hard. Bring it on!

2010: Top 5 albums

2010-12-30T12:58:00.000Z

My top 5 albums of 2010, in no particular order. I'm not even going to attempt to say profound and intellectual things about them in a music-reviewer kind of way. These are just some CDs that made my ears happy over the past twelve months:

Foals - Total Life Forever

LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

Los Campesinos! - Romance Is Boring

Mystery Jets - Serotonin

Vampire Weekend - Contra

2010: A recap

2010-12-30T12:56:00.002Z

So, 2010. It's been a busy, but quite exciting year. I met some lovely people and was given some fantastic opportunities. Here's a little recap (I tried to find one thing for every month, but June had more than one highlight!)...

JANUARY

Finished up the college brief set by Why Not Associates.

FEBRUARY

Handed in the dissertation.

MARCH

The A4 Draw and Forcing Chance exhibition at the RK Burt gallery.

APRIL

Brochure design for the Southend Film Festival.

MAY

Badges for Deathgob.

JUNE

Graduate exhibition. End of college.

D&AD New Blood exhibition.

Commendation at the D&AD Student Awards.

JULY

New Designers exhibition.

AUGUST

Finished work placement at Hudson Fuggle.

SEPTEMBER

Started placement at Matt&George.

OCTOBER

Graduation.

NOVEMBER

Launch of Hoppy Bunnies.

DECEMBER

Snowed in. Working in London when the snow allowed.

Some things I would quite like for Christmas, please.

2010-11-28T19:50:00.000Z

Some things I would quite like for Christmas, please...

100 Series watch // Uniform Wares

Congeries // Verity Keniger

The Great Bear // Lucy Gough - Super Superficial

Mini Sketchbooks // Ugmonk

Draw Your Mind journal // Poketo

When Life Hands You Lemons // Dear Colleen

Type Trumps // Face37

The Illustrator mug // Designers Anonymous

Hoppy Bunnies

2010-11-18T18:29:00.002Z

I've been a little quiet on here lately, but that's because I've been working on a new project which today went live. I give you...(drum roll, please)... hoppybunnies.com!

You've probably noticed various bunny-related projects cropping up on here over the past year or so, starting with the Bunny Rabbit Alphabet. I thought it might be worth pushing it in a new direction, and develop it in to a completely separate venture (which I promise to keep separate and not clog up this blog with!).

So, enjoy!

Hop 2, 3, 4

2010-11-05T10:20:00.000Z

Hop 2, 3, 4: a bunny alphabet and counting book
This project has been a little while in the making. It started summer 2009. My mum's an infant school teacher, and she had this brilliant idea of combining my bunny alphabet and numbers in the form of a book. She came up with the text: 1 bunny all alone, 2 bunnies balancing etc. Simple! And then it's over to me to start drawing the bunnies. And if my calculations are correct, that's 351 rabbits. I got to O then gave up.

A few weeks back I was sorting through some stuff in my room and came across the bunnies. With a bit of time of my hands after finishing my placement, I got stuck in. And here it is! I got a sample copy printed, but as it currently stands I can't sell copies - just not viable with the printing costs. So, I'm not really sure what to do with it now. It'd be nice to look in to getting it published... but I don't really know where to begin with that! So for the time being, I thought I'd just stick it on here, so as not to waste the efforts of drawing 300-odd bunnies...

The Bunny Calendar

2010-10-30T13:47:00.001+01:00

The latest addition to the ever-growing range of bunny rabbit related things - the 2011 Bunny Rabbit Calendar. Now available for £8 / $13 on Folksy and Etsy.

A Mini goodbye

2010-10-26T22:14:00.000+01:00

Today is a sad day. I put my little old Mini on eBay. The time has come to be sensible, practical (and yes, also a little boring) and move on. Thank you little Mini, it's been fun.

It's that time of year again...

2010-10-22T15:22:00.000+01:00

Oh yes, it's that time of year again - I've put together this year's christmas card! The bunnies have returned, but in a new form (breaking out of their alphabet letter forms and donning festive costumes...).

While I was at it, I printed some Hoppy Birthdays, too - despite sending them to friends and family for the past year or so, I've never actually listed them online. So now, should you desire, you too can wish someone a Hoppy Birthday!

All available on Folksy and Etsy.
I've also been working on some other bunny-related ideas. So watch this space...

Tandems.

2010-10-13T12:21:00.003+01:00

The other day I saw a man riding a tandem bicycle on his own, and it made me a little bit sad. True story.

Time.

2010-10-13T12:17:00.003+01:00

Good things.

2010-10-12T12:07:00.003+01:00

It's been a while since I blogged, and I only really have two things to update about. Two good things, though.

Graduation! I am now an official graduate of the University of Essex with a 1st class honours degree in graphic design. I hadn't really been too fussed about the ceremony, but it actually turned out to be a really lovely day - and so nice to see everyone. And now it's all over.

I've come to the end of my placement at Matt&George (whipped up another batch of 'thank you' cakes!). The past six weeks with them has been fantastic, and I was quite sad to leave on Friday! But it's all good, as it may not be the last I see of them...

A Saturday night in with the photocopier.

2010-09-19T13:06:00.005+01:00

I spent my Saturday night playing with the photocopier, paper trimmer and double sided tape.

I've made this little book. It's kind of like a mini illustration portfolio. I guess I consider drawing as a hobby more than anything. And although illustration has crept in to a few of my design projects, my main portfolio doesn't show much of it.

But next week I'm taking my portfolio in to somewhere which is more illustration-focused, so I thought putting something like this together might be a good idea (plus, I just like mucking about with paper and photocopiers and making books and had nothing to do on a Saturday night).

Escape to the country.

2010-09-18T17:25:00.004+01:00

I spent last weekend on my dad's farm in Norfolk. Having an iPhone is still a bit of a novelty for me, and I got a bit snap-happy. Always nice to have a change of scenery to draw and photograph.

In other news, I'm now half way through my current work placement. Enjoying it! Here's a snippet of what I've been up to:

It dont mean a thing if it ain't got that swing

2010-09-05T16:05:00.002+01:00

I started watching a lovely documentary on BBC iPlayer about Swing music yesterday (The Swing Thing). I got to the above point and had to do a screengrab. Got to love a bit of vintage typography. Sadly iPlayer isn't letting me watch it today for some reason, so instead I did a bit of drawing from it, whilst listening to some 20s jazz on Spotify. Nice.

In other news, I've just completed the first week of my new work placement. So far so good! Think I'll be pretty happy there for the next five weeks.

Bad Music tote bags

2010-08-26T15:09:00.004+01:00

Ok, so I've shamelessly regurgitated the Bad Music design - this time in the form of screenprinted tote bags.

I never thought the bag of old records that a bus driver randomly gave me a few years ago would come in handy, but I thought they were pretty appropriate as a background for this bag...

Available on Folksy and Etsy.

Bilbao in drawings

2010-08-21T11:39:00.001+01:00

Three days in Bilbao.

Bilbao in photos

2010-08-21T11:30:00.007+01:00

Three days in Bilbao. Lovely! The Guggenheim Museum was fantastic, the food was delicious, the sun was shining, the beer was cheap, the beach was beautiful, the hotel was fabulous. Good times were had.

The end of placement number 1.

2010-08-15T17:05:00.002+01:00

My placement at Hudson Fuggle has come to an end. I had a fantastic five weeks, and I think I'll miss it! Worked on some interesting projects with some lovely people. I also made 'thank you' cakes to take in on Friday (which were pretty tasty, even if I do say so myself...).

I now have two weeks off before my next placement - it's been pretty non-stop since finishing uni, so I'm looking forward to the break. Especially as the next four days will be spent in Bilbao! Expect an image-heavy post of photos and drawings on my return!

Without rain...

2010-07-25T11:40:00.003+01:00

Above is my entry for this year's Positive Posters brief. The focus of the brief is "Glass half full", and I thought the saying "without rain there can be no rainbows" summed up optimism fairly well.

In other news, the lovely band Bordeauxxx are using some of my drawings for their artwork/t-shirts etc. You can listen to them here, and buy a t-shirt here!

Busy

2010-07-19T11:43:00.003+01:00

Sums things up, really! The day after packing up at New Designers (which was great, by the way), I started my 4-week work placement in London. The first week went pretty well, but this week's not off to a great start, thanks to some sickness bug. Eurgh. So am at home today, but hopefully I'll be back in tomorrow to get stuck in to this week's projects.

I've not really had much time for anything else, so I'll probably be a bit quiet on here for the next few weeks. It's been pretty non-stop, but good to keep the momentum up I reckon.

New Designers

2010-07-08T15:15:00.005+01:00

New Designers is upon us! Monday & Tuesday was spent setting up our stand at the Business Design Center in Islington - we've got a great space! Then yesterday was the awards judging, press preview, and private view. It was a very long but very nice day. Only had a quick wander round, but there's so much great work on show. Exciting to be a part of it!

If you fancy going, it's on until Sunday 11th July, and all the details are on the website. Head to South Essex College, stand VC24. I'll be there Friday and Sunday, so come say hello!

We ended up with more space than we'd anticipated, so put up a display of the screenprinted posters from our Why Not Associates project. Also did a bit of hand lettering on the walls!

P.S Our degree results went online today. I got a 1st. Eek!

D&AD Student Awards 2010

2010-07-01T14:29:00.004+01:00

Right, I sorted the photos out from Tuesday's D&AD Student Awards, so thought I'd share a few of them. Excluded are the cheesy ones of me standing next to my work and pointing at it, and one I found on the D&AD Flickr which makes me look like an alcoholic.

I'm still on a bit of a buzz from the ceremony. It really was a great day. Need to decided what to do with my Commendation certificate now...subtly slip it in the portfolio, perhaps.

Commended

2010-06-30T09:24:00.002+01:00

Yesterday was fantastic. It was the D&AD Student Awards, and I'd been nominated for my response to the Metro brief. It was a day of celebrating with lovely people, lovely food, lovely drink, and a lovely certificate for a commendation!

I'll do a big photo-heavy post later when I grab the photos off my mum, who came along to do the 'proud mum' bit!

Bags!

2010-06-28T21:30:00.003+01:00

I had a bit of a play around at the weekend with some blank cotton tote bags I bought. And here are the results, now listed on Folksy! I discovered today that they're the perfect size to fit an A3 portfolio in when going to an interview, too!

The Hello design is screenprinted from hand-cut stencils, whilst the others are hand drawn directly on to the bags (which is why they're a tad more expensive).

Hello screenprinted tote bag: £9

Cassette Tape tote bag: £14

Telephone tote bag: £14

New Blood (again)!

2010-06-28T11:49:00.003+01:00

D&AD New Blood has been pretty good! I spent some time up there Friday to man the stand for a bit and to have a Portfolio Surgery, and I was back up there yesterday. Loads of great work on show, nice atmosphere, but SO HOT!

Yesterday afternoon was pretty quiet, unsurprisingly, what with the sunshine and the football. But good old D&AD supplied a tv screen and some free beer, so we were happy! Well, happy as can be with a 4-1 defeat. The echoes of cheers and groans flowing around London was crazy!

So yes, it's been a nice few days. Taking down New Blood this evening, but then it'll all be coming back out again next week for New Designers! Exciting times.

New Blood!

2010-06-24T15:51:00.002+01:00

This morning a few of us headed to the Old Truman Brewery to set up our stand at D&AD New Blood. Its looking lovely! If you're in London over the next few days, check it out. It's free, all you need to do is register HERE before you go.

I'm up there again tomorrow for a Portfolio Surgery, which is quite exciting. I'll possibly be there Saturday, and definitely Sunday - so head to South Essex College, stand 32, and say hello!

In limbo.

2010-06-20T17:28:00.004+01:00

It kind of feels like I'm in limbo at the moment. University has finished, but we've still got New Blood and New Designers to go, so really we're not quite finished yet. The past week or so has been nice, though. I've had a couple of interviews in London for potential work placements (first one starts on 12th July!), had a meeting at college about the next exhibitions, and spent a bit of time ticking a few bits and pieces off the To Do list.

I re-photographed my work for my portfolio, and changed my website a bit (lucyplayer.com). I've even, shock horror, listed some new things on Folksy and Etsy! I've seriously neglected the shops for, well...the past year, really. But now uni's finished I'm determined to start making again.

Tea and Biscuits - pack of 3 note cards

Say What You Think...

Hello - pack of 4 note cards

Bad Music - black t-shirt

Degree show!

2010-06-11T11:01:00.002+01:00

Wednesday evening was our degree show private view at South Essex College. It was great! There was a really good turn out, positive feedback, and a generally nice atmosphere. Everyone's work looked fantastic, and, y'know, I reckon we should all be pretty proud of ourselves.

I can't believe this is the end, though! Well, not quite... The degree show's on until Monday, then there's D&AD New Blood and New Designers. So I guess this was the beginning of the end. Or if you want to be cheesy and contemplative, you might say it's the beginning of the beginning. Either way, it's exciting times.

Row 1: Rob Brown, Chantelle Watkins, Rich Smith. Row 2: Nicola Green, Joe Lumley, Chrissy Murnane. Row 3: Sophie Evans, Carly Mathews, Lucy Player. Row 4: Anna Knight, Ben Stanbury, Steve Wood.

The degree show is up!

2010-06-08T19:21:00.004+01:00

The past two days have been spent setting up the degree show at college. Quite exciting (now that the work's up, anyway!). So nice to see everyone's finished pieces on display, it all looks pretty fantastic.

So, tomorrow night (Wednesday 9th June) is the private view - 6-9pm, South Essex College, Southend, SS1 1ND. The exhibition is on until Monday 14th. Come along if you can!

One & A Dozen

2010-06-04T18:54:00.006+01:00

So, despite having finished and handed in the Final Major Project on Tuesday, the hard work is far from over just yet! We've got three big exhibitions coming up, and lots to prepare as a class.

Our class are One & A Dozen. We're a small but diverse group of 13 students and are working under the name of One & A Dozen for the exhibitions, and hopefully for future pursuits as well.

South Essex College Degree Show

Luker Road, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS1 1ND

Private View: Wednesday 9th June

Public View: Thursday 10th - Monday 14th June

D&AD New Blood

Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, London, E1 6QR

Private View: Thursday 24th June

Public View: Friday 25th - Monday 28th June

New Designers

Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, Islington, London

Press Preview: Wednesday 7th July

Public View: Thursday 8th - Sunday 11th July

Screenprinting / Organisation of collaborative piece / Exhibition space set up / Postcards:

The Final Major Project

2010-06-03T12:28:00.009+01:00

So this is what the last few months have been working towards: the finished Final Major Project. Each year finishes with a FMP, but this Final Project really is the very Final Project of my degree. An odd feeling!

The book is an accumulation of the different experiments I worked on within my chosen subject of Mythology. It covers three areas of interest: Mythology & Science, Ancient Mythology and Mythology & Modern Culture. The poster features all the spreads from the book, with the 'Thank Gods' slogan screenprinted in gold over the top. It's a relief to see it all together in its finished state, it really is! Below are a selection of the spreads.

Next step: The exhibitions! Just need to finalise how I'm going to display the work, and finish all the prep work with the rest of the class... Will blog about our progress later!

Exciting times!

2010-05-19T10:40:00.000+01:00

So...I've been nominated for a D&AD Student Award for my response to the Metro brief. Amazing! I won't know the results until the awards ceremony in June, but just being nominated is pretty exciting, to say the least.

Badges & Biscuits

2010-05-14T12:44:00.004+01:00

The lovely people over at DeathGob asked if they could use a few of my drawings on some badges. Look nice, don't they? But I now have biscuit cravings.

You can find the badges here.

Alabama Kitchen

2010-05-13T19:09:00.001+01:00

I received some exciting post this morning.

A few months back, I got an e-mail from Annie Herlocker, a graduate student at The University of Alabama. For her Book Arts MFA Annie's been learning letterpress printing, hand papermaking, bookbinding and book repair.

For her thesis project, Annie developed a cookbook, showcasing recipes from three local Alabama farms, to be hand-bound and printed on handmade paper. She approached me to supply some illustrations for the book, and this morning a couple of copies arrived in the post! It looks fab - well done Annie!

In other book-related news, I went to visit a bookbinders this morning. If all goes according to plan, I should be back there next week to leave my printed Final Major Project in their capable hands..!

Self promotion

2010-05-07T11:39:00.003+01:00

A couple of self promotion bits I picked up from the printers yesterday. My CV is going to be slipped inside the poster and posted out to a few places. They say flattery gets you nowhere, but I'm sure there's no harm in telling a few people they're wonderful...

If you're wondering how the mythology project is going, it's...getting there. Hoping to print it next week then I can get it bound. Exciting!

Procrastination

2010-04-24T15:09:00.001+01:00

389
Originally uploaded by lucy rose

I got a bit distracted from my Mythology project this afternoon and ended up drawing my collection of rings.

If you go to the Flickr link, there's notes on a few of them...

The Mythological Guide To Nature

2010-04-24T12:44:00.003+01:00

I put together a mock-up of the Guide To Nature. One side is the Mythological Guide, and you turn it upside down for the Scientific Guide. I'm quite pleased with how it's looking.

HOWEVER...

I've decided on something slightly different (and I'm going to stick to it this time). Rather than just producing the Guide To Nature as my final piece, I'm going to combine it in one book with all the other various pieces I've done over the course of this project. So it's going to be one big book of mythology. I think it'll be a more successful piece, showcasing a whole selection of approaches to the subject.

So I've started experimenting with the content, trying to get an order worked out, and playing around with different paper stocks and such. I've got about three weeks to develop it. I'm quite excited about it, actually! Need to start looking in to some local bookbinders, too...

Film Festival

2010-04-21T16:37:00.009+01:00

There's a very satisfying feeling that comes from seeing something you worked hard on in all its printed glory. Much of last month was spent developing the programme for the Southend on Sea Film Festival, and I've just got my hands on a few copies of it - really pleased with how it's come together!

Image making No.2

2010-04-17T20:25:00.001+01:00

Although I was reasonably pleased with the watercolour illustrations for the Mythology book, I wanted to try a different approach. Cardboard cutouts have been arranged and photographed to depict the forces of nature. I think they create a stronger set of visuals than the previous illustrations - by making something 3D they also lean towards the sculpture/monument aspect of mythology, in a way.

They were also pretty fun to make. A little messy, mind...

Image making No. 1

2010-04-17T20:24:00.000+01:00

Right. From my slight dilemma as to which direction to take my mythology project, I've made some decisions and started working towards my final piece. I decided to go with the Mythological Guide to Nature - a book which will double up with the Scientific Guide To Nature to show the contrast between the explanations.

With the concept decided, I've spent a bit of time experimenting with imagery. The above examples combine watercolour backgrounds with line drawings to represent various natural phenomena.

Thinking out loud.

2010-04-06T09:53:00.004+01:00

I can be a bit indecisive. Two weeks out of college for Easter at a fairly vital point in my project is not ideal, as I don't have tutors and friends to bounce ideas off of. So I'm going to do a bit of thinking out loud here, and if you have any thoughts or suggestions that might help me make my mind up, they'd be very welcome!

Right. My mythology project. Six weeks remain to put together a final piece to exhibit in the graduate shows. I've been re-assessing all the pieces I've worked on in the project so far, and have decided there's two possible routes to go down.

1. Mythology and Science. Remember I did those It's Ok posters? Well I think there's some potential in the idea that mythology was used to explain the forces of nature when there was no science to turn to. So I'm thinking of maybe making a publication - "The Mythological Guide to Nature". It could then be turned up the other way (or maybe just a separate book), and you've got "The Scientific Guide to Nature". One presents the gods and goddesses in some way, whilst the other presents the science with the complex diagrams etc.

2. Preserving Mythology. You know how I archived the contents of Pandora's Box in an old frame? Well, I thought I could combine that idea with the empty jars concept, and have a series of empty frames. I'd make a book to go with it (like an exhibition catalogue), explaining what is supposedly in the frames (e.g Nemesis' wheel of fortune, or the discus that killed Hyacinthus). But the frames are empty to highlight the fact that mythology is not tangible, myths are just made up stories, yet we still try to preserve them.

Rambling over.

I might just try out both options, anyway...

Pandora's Box

2010-04-02T11:17:00.004+01:00

The myth of Pandora's Box is all about feminine curiosity. Pandora was desperate to know what was inside the box, and as she opened it out flew all the evils of the world. Hope, however, remained trapped in the bottom of the box. In one version of the story I read that the spirits were in the form of little moth-like creatures that flew out and started stinging everyone, ruining the bliss that had previously existed.

So, I cut some moth shapes out of card. I suspended them in a jar, but being able to see in to the jar defeats the point of Pandora's Box... So I moved on.

I went to a charity shop and found an old decoupage box frame. I figured a different way of approaching the idea was not to re-create Pandora's Box but instead present its contents like artifacts in a museum. When I went to The British Museum there were so many monuments and statues documenting figures from mythology (Which is all a bit bizarre really, seeing as it's all fictitious) so I think this approach is quite appropriate.

Packaging mythology

2010-04-02T11:06:00.003+01:00

The mythology project is gradually progressing, and last week I decided to package mythology. The idea is this: Myths are not real or tangible in any way, yet we still try to preserve them. Hence the empty jars. I tried packaging specific gods (shown above), then the concept of a myth (shown below):

Re-design!

2010-03-25T10:33:00.004Z

I've re-designed my identity and website. The old one had been kicking around for about a year and I wanted a bit of a freshen up. And last night I (eventually, after a long evening of Dreamweaver, fueled by beer, tea and left-over birthday cake) got the website online and in working order! Quite pleased.

www.lucyplayer.com

Next up: business card/CV/letterheads to match!

Stray Monkey

2010-03-23T16:39:00.003Z

I did this a few weeks back but forgot to post about it. Logo design for production company Stray Monkey. They've got a show coming up in London soon which looks to be a laugh: www.transferdeadlineday.net!

The calendar

2010-03-22T17:39:00.003Z

The next (brief) focus of the Mythology project has been the calendar. I was interested in the origins of the day and month names, as the majority of them have links to mythology (January/Janus, March/Mars, June/Juno etc.). If I were to spend more time on this idea I'd really push the design and format of it. But, if I want to keep to my time plan I've got to move on for now! Next focus involves some lovely glass jars...

While I'm here, I'll show you what you can do on a Sunday afternoon with BluTack, cocktail sticks and a lamp.:

Thank Gods...

2010-03-17T09:33:00.002Z

Following on from the presence of mythology in the English language, I've looked in to brands and products whose names stem from mythology. Mars Bars / Nike / Ambrosia / Olympus. So basically, Thank Gods for Mars Bars...

Gaps

2010-03-17T09:20:00.003Z

The next focus of my Final Major Project has been with Mythology & modern culture. I wanted to look at the gaps that would be present today had mythology not existed. Mythology has had a big impact on language - I wasn't aware of the mythological origins of words such as panic, cereal, morphine etc. (I'm loving how I'm actually learning things with this project!).

So I constructed a modern context to try and fit as many words from mythology in as possible. It resulted in a bizarre personal ad. As you go through the book, the gaps and filled in and the origins of the words explained.

Mythology & Science

2010-03-17T08:57:00.004Z

Amongst all the fun of the exhibition, A4 Draw, comedy night fundraiser and such, I've also been trying to get stuck in to the Final Major Project. I chose Mythology as my subject.

I began by looking in to the relationship between mythology and science, and how myths were used as a form of reassurance when there was no science to turn to. I came to the conclusion that, actually, believing that gods have power over nature is much simpler than trying to understand the scientific explanations. Believing that a rainbow is created when the messenger goddess Iris speeds through the sky at such a rate that all you can see is the trail of her colourful robes, is easier than trying to grasp the principles of reflection and refraction...

So I made some posters. Folded up you're presented with the complexity of science, which opens out to the simplicity of the mythology.

It's all over!

2010-03-17T08:42:00.007Z

So, The A4 Draw is all over! Last Friday we did the prize draw at our exhibition at the RK Burt Gallery. We've been so, so pleased with the response it all received, so thank you everyone for your support! It's been fun.

The private view

2010-03-06T16:49:00.003Z

It was the private view of our Forcing Chance exhibition yesterday. It was nice! Can't go wrong, really, when there's wine and biscuits. Everyone's work looked fantastic, as did The A4 Draw display.

If you fancy a look for yourself, the exhibition is on Monday 8th - Friday 12th March, 10:30am - 5pm, at the RK Burt Gallery, 57 Union Street, London, SE1 1SG.

The exhibition

2010-03-02T17:25:00.006Z

Today we've been setting up the gallery space for the exhibition which starts this Friday!

All pieces contributed to The A4 Draw are on display, along side work produced by us BA (Hons) Graphic Design students from South Essex College. It's going to be a great way to celebrate The A4 Draw project, which was set up to raise money to fund our graduate shows this summer.

On the final day of the exhibition (Friday 12th March) we will draw the A4 Draw winners at random and find out which lucky people have won the artworks! Tickets are on sale until then, from the Folksy shop, and at the galler y.

FORCING CHANCE

Showcasing work in response to a brief set by Why Not Associates

The RK Burt Gallery

57 Union Street, London, SE1 1SG

Private view: Friday 5th March, 12pm - 4pm (come have wine and biscuits with us!)

Public opening: 8th - 12th March, 10:30am - 5pm

The A4 Draw, prize draw: Friday 12th March, 1pm

Forcing Chance

2010-02-26T12:05:00.003Z

Our BA (Hons) Graphic Design class will be holding an exhibition at the RK Burt Gallery in London from the 8th - 12th March. It will be showcasing the work produced in response to a brief set by Gustavo Fernandez of Why Not Associates (remember the poster I did about the busker? It's that brief, called Forcing Chance).

Private view: 5th March, 12pm - 4pm

Public opening: 8th - 12th March, 10:30am - 5pm

RK Burt Gallery

57 Union Street

London

SE1 1SG

The A4 Draw, prize draw: Friday 12th March, 1pm

We're hoping to be able to display the work contributed to The A4 Draw throughout the exhibition, and the prize draw will take place on the final day, the 12th March. Tickets will be available during the exhibition, too.

So, come along if you can!

Busy busy.

2010-02-25T11:10:00.004Z

I've neglected the blog a bit lately. Things have been pretty busy, but at the same time there hasn't been much to show, design-wise! Mainly because of what you see above: The Dissertation. In all its finished, printed and bound glory. It is now handed in and out of the way and I never have to think about it ever again. YES!

The rest of the time as been spent making a start on the Final Major Project. I've chosen Mythology for my subject. Research is going well - really getting in to it now. Just need some sort of inspiration as to where it's going to lead... I'm off to the British Museum this afternoon in search of ideas.

Aside from all that, things are pretty busy organising fundraising and exhibitions as a class.

Anyone in the Essex area, come to our comedy night!

Three comedians and a bar. Bound to be good.

11th March, 8pm - 11pm

Clarence Hall, Clarence Street, Southend-on-Sea, Essex

Tickets £10 on the door

For info call: 07932 557 417

Email: benstanbury@mac.com

(for updates on what we're up to as a class, we've now set up a blog that will track our progress through to our end of year exhibitions: One & A Dozen)

And finally, The A4 Draw. A few more pieces of work have been contributed, which can be found on the blog. Tickets are on sale until the 11th March, as the prize draw will be on the 12th - so buy your tickets while you still can!

The prize draw will take place at the RK Burt Gallery in London on Friday 12th March at 1pm. Our BA (Hons) Graphic Design class are exhibiting our work at the gallery from the 8th - 12th. Tickets for The A4 Draw can be bought throughout the exhibition, and we're hoping for the prizes to be on display, too.

Anyway, I think that's all for now. I'll stop rambling and head off to the British Museum...

Adagio

2010-02-03T19:44:00.004Z

So, when I did some work experience at Social last summer, I worked on an identity project for a new pizza place called Adagio. It's just opened in Greek Street in London, and my hand drawn type for the logo has been used! So nice to see something that started out as some lines on a page turn in to something physical. Might have to pop in for some pizza and take a look for myself...

By the way...

2010-02-01T16:22:00.002Z

This is my piece for The A4 Draw, by the way. So if you fancy a chance of winning it, you know what to do!

The A4 Draw

2010-02-01T10:13:00.000Z

I'm excited to announce the launch of The A4 Draw!

Organised by myself and my fellow BA (Hons) Graphic Design coursemates, The A4 Draw gives you the chance to win a piece of A4 work by established artists and designers, as well as us students from South Essex College.

Tickets can be bought for £4 from our Folksy shop, and winners will be drawn at random in early March. To see all work contributed to the A4 draw, visit our blog. Contributors include Rob Ryan, Gemma Correll, Emma Dibben, Alice Tait and many more...!

The A4 Draw aims to raise money for our graduate exhibitions this summer, at the South Essex College show, New Designers and D&AD New Blood. But it also celebrates the work of those who inspire us, and we're very grateful for their support!

So yes...please buy a ticket!

Say what you think...

2010-01-22T16:24:00.001Z

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Originally uploaded by lucy rose

My Mum's always telling me this. I should probably follow her advice at some point...

Lettering

2010-01-19T16:58:00.005Z

I'm in a book! How mental is that? 'Lettering' by Daniel Blanco (I know the cover and title are different on that link, but it is actually the same book...). It's a lovely book, too, and I must say I'm pretty flattered to be a part of it (even if I am credited as my Flickr name, hehe). Nice.

Printed posters

2010-01-19T16:49:00.003Z

Managed to screenprint my A1 posters in the end, to varying degrees of success. Got a few decent ones out of it all, thankfully, and they came out quite nicely on the news print. My class is off up to Why Not Associates tomorrow to present our projects (exciting stuff!), and then we can draw a line under this brief and start thinking about the Final Major Project...ackkk!

Work & Play

2010-01-13T18:18:00.002Z

Submitted this to the Lucy Brown Studio Work & Play project :)

Because people listen with their eyes

2010-01-10T15:07:00.001Z

I've come to the end of the brief set by Why Not Associates. It's been a nice one, and I'm pretty pleased with how it's turned out (after a few twists and turns). The task was to meet someone you didn't know, ask them questions, and turn the results in to a poster and publication of some description.

I spoke to Spleeny, a busker who lives opposite me but I'd never had a conversation with. He was fascinating. One thing he said that stuck out to me was that "people listen with their eyes". People judge on appearances before listening to his music or what he has to say, and it seemed that he felt a distinct separation between him and others. He said that his guitar becomes a shield against verbal abuse, and when he goes in the reverie of just playing his guitar, he feels in a different reality to those throwing abuse at him. From this and a number of other things he said, I felt that bubbles were an apt form of representation.

The poster and book both document the interview with Spleeny. Throughout the book, bubbles printed on tracing paper placed between my questions and Spleeny's answers gradually decrease, as I learn more about him and my preconceived ideas fade.

One thing left to do is create a screenprinted version of the poster, to fit the brief's specifications (been a few hiccups getting screens made up and getting in to the print room due to the snow!), and then it's ready to present to Why Not the week after next!

2010. Don't panic.

2010-01-02T16:24:00.004Z

Happy new year! I've made a resolution for 2010: Don't panic.

2010 is a bit of a scary year - I graduate and have to find a job, and before that I have to complete my dissertation, come up with an idea for my final major project, and get through the degree shows... All a bit daunting. So as long as I don't panic, it should all be ok...hopefully.

As for last year's resolution of going 'mental', I don't think it quite happened. I dyed my hair red, and that's about as mental as I went. Oh well.

Christmas and New Year's was nice. Pretty quiet, just spending time with the family, watching films and devouring too much food. Got some fantastic books, too.

Back to college on Monday. The project's going ok. Just need to get the screens made up ready to print my poster...and as long as that goes to plan, there shouldn't be any need to panic. Fingers crossed...

Christmas Crawl of Carnage!

2009-12-20T18:38:00.003Z

Friday night was the Christmas Crawl of Carnage! For the past couple of months my BA Graphic Design group have been organising a pub crawl to raise money for our degree shows, and screenprinting scarves to sell as tickets.

& Friday was the big day! Friday morning I seriously thought I wouldn't be able to get there or back because of the snow. But I made it there (albeit slowly, and only narrowly avoiding slipping over numerous times...)! Had to leave early so I didn't get stranded in Southend in the snow, but so glad quite a few people still braved the weather and came out. Was a really good night, and I reckon we managed to make a fair bit of money in the end! Well worth the effort, and a lovely end to the term.

Big update.

2009-12-15T21:44:00.000Z

Right... time for an update. Things have been a bit mental with the current project, but it's progressing now and I thought I'd just post a bit of the development.

The brief itself has been set for our college group by Gustavo Fernandes from Why Not Associates (I know, a pretty big deal!). The idea is to meet someone you don't know and ask them questions. The questions and answers then form the basis of a poster and publication.

I chose to speak to a busker. I live opposite a busker called Spleeny - I've lived here for two and a half years and never really spoken to him, and was interested to find out about his busking lifestyle. He was so lovely and helpful, and said some really really interesting stuff (gold dust in terms of this project).

It's taken a few twists and turns. The first route looked a bit like this (and folds down in to a square, so that as you open it you're breaking open the stereotype to discover the truth etc.):

But I've ditched that now. I briefly tried looking at the unraveling wool of Spleeny's old jumper:

But now I've settled on bubbles. Spleeny said a lot about defense, division, realities and everyone going around in their own little bubble. The poster's got to be an A1 2-colour screenprint, so it's hard to get the true impression from this tiny image:

It's all starting to gain momentum. Christmas is a bit inconvenient, to be honest...could do with access to the print room at college between now and January, but nevermind... (oh, and I'm not really moaning about Christmas, especially as our fundraising Christmas pub crawl is this Friday!):

In other news, a worked on a logo design over the summer for Mullion Cove, a company who create luxury Cornish hampers. The website is now online :)

And finally...The lovely Tea Potty over on Flickr asked me a while back if it would be ok to embroider my Tea Please design on a tea towel for a Christmas present. How nice is this?!

Ok, I think that's everything for now. Apologies for the epic entry.

White Christmas?

2009-11-29T17:32:00.003Z

New cards added to my Folksy shop, including some christmas cards (non-bunny-rabbit-related this time!).

White Christmas - pack of 4 cards - £4.50

Thankyou - pack of 3 screenprinted note cards - £4.50

Hello - pack of 3 screenprinted note cards - £4.50

Utensils - pack of 3 note cards - £3.50

hoorah!

2009-11-27T19:04:00.002Z

1000 words down. 6000 words to go.

a kick-start

2009-11-26T15:48:00.003Z

Face in the hole!

2009-11-20T19:29:00.004Z

Graduation is fast(ish) approaching, and in order to exhibit at the South East Essex College graduate exhibition, New Designers and D&AD next summer, we need to raise some money. So, we're organizing The Christmas Crawl of Carnage. Scarves screenprinted by ourselves will be sold as tickets, enabling free entry and deals on drinks in bars around Southend on the 18th December (come down if you can!).

Today was Face In The Hole day. We put together a little event at college to spread the word of the CCofC, and it went well! Loads of people were up for putting their face in the hole and getting their photo taken, and some of the photos will end up on the posters advertising the pub crawl.

Fun times!