Written review of initial ideas

1. What are your initial ideas? (Explain them and include visual examples - scan your drawings!)

For my first intial idea I have decided to change the scale throughout my zine. From the diagram at the top of the page I have used two A4 sheets of paper, one for the front and back, the other contributuing to the middle pages, in total there will be eight pages to fill. Each page is cut down to different sizes, the front page will be A5 sized and as the reader looks through the zine the pages will get smaller. I thought of starting small and then getting bigger, but this would reveal work before the reader gets to turn the page. This relates to the covert and obscure theme as the idea of sclae will only be revealed to them once they have turned the page, this is when they have acknowledged it. A range of my work could be placed in this as there is no theme running through it. A large collage could be made using lots of my experimentation put together. Model of possible outcome below:

For my second initial idea I would have a series of eight exquisite corpses, each cut up into three to make the head, body, legs and feet. These would then be placed in the zine, still seperated so that the reader could continue to distort the bodies themsleves. To make this I will use an A4 sheet of paper, halfed length ways and cut up into three equal sections to make six pieces. I will also add backgrounds using my corpses and other collage techniques so that it makes it look more interesting than just a plain white or coloured background. I think this relates to the theme of covert and obscure as I am concealing the natural body shape and focusing on certain bodily features. Model of possible outcome below:

2. What are you planning to do to create them? Think materials, equipment, techniques... 
 The main technique that I have been using throughout this project so far has been the use of illustration and collage to create portraits and bodies based on the shape of a person. I have now got to incorporate this into a zine. With the zine as part of my brief I am able to mess around with scale and add other bits of paper that obstruct, reveal and conceal certain bits of the work. Working on different papers like graph, coloured and tracing paper would mean different textures and effects when printing my collages on to it.

3. Who have you researched to develop your ideas?
A lot of the artists that I researched into have used women in their pieces and I feel I have transferred this into my own work but also experimenting using images of males to see if it still works this way. I looked at Ashkan Honavar, Geraldine Georges, Linder Sterling these were people who looked into woman in their pieces. I also looked at Rut Mackel who distorts the face in a way all these artists do that but in different ways.

4. How have you explored a range of ideas around your theme within your experiments? What are they? How have they informed your ideas?
I have used different materials when experimenting like Photoshop, illustration and collage and have mixed some of these processes together to create more interesting pieces. I have incorporated some of the work that I discovered on a trip to the photographers gallery by drawing it and embellishing it using glitter and beads, to make it into how I saw the piece in the first place. One of these pieces was to do with portraits and the other had shapes with the shapes one I was able to make it look like the box was exploding which is what I saw on the original piece. 

5. Have you refined/developed your ideas through experimentation? How?
I developed my ideas by taking them further for example the exquisite corpses I started with taking things out of magazines I then photocopied from previous pieces and for my second one I drew on top of the collage. This last collage then inspired me on a photograph I could take (also with the inspiration of Linder Sterling). I then changed the colours and distorted it so I could make it into a background.           

6. Have you annotated, in detail, your experiments and developments in your sketchbook/blog and used this information to help you improve? (include imagery if relevant!)
I have written and typed annotation on all of my experiments to help me develop them more. The illustrations are a current example of this starting with simple continuous line sketches with pen and pencil to then go on to using watercolour, ink and the mixing the bodies on the original photos. I am going to continue to develop these illustrations further by placing objects in front of the face and drawing that in the image. Annotating other artists work has helped me to realise ideas and develop my previous ideas further as well. Looking into to the techniques and the themes that they use like Linder Sterling helped me to realise the development on my photographs and illustration.

7. Which idea has been the most successful? Why?
I think my most successful idea is the exquisite corpses. The book using my exquisite corpses involves the reader which is something that a magazine should do as it needs to engage the audience. It sticks to theme of covert and obscure and takes it even further by allowing the reader to do the same. I can also create different background which take my designs and experimentation even further.

8. Which idea has been the least successful? Why?
I think my least successful idea is the first using different sized pages because it doesn't have a theme running through it like my second intial idea which uses the corpses.

9. Which idea do you think you will choose for your final outcome? Why?
I think I am going to chose my second intial idea as it seems more planned out than my first one and I think I will be able to achieve more with my second idea than my first as I have a focus point that I need to continue to develop, with the other I would just be putting a lot of different experimentation in it.

10. What else could you do to further develop this idea? Think techniques and experiments!
For this piece I need to start thinking about the materials I am going to collect to create my exquisite corpses, I know that I must use collage and illustration. My continuous line portrait drawings can be used in my exquisite corpses as I have focused on the head. I also need to think about the backgrounds that I am going to place the corpses on so this will include more experimentation. I have already started to look at backgrounds that would go with my corpses only digitally so far so need to come up with ore ideas.