Sketchbook – Metamorphosis

May 29, 2013
Sketchbook
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sketchbook

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It’s been a while! Now that everything is handed in in time for submission and Show Thirteen, it’s time to share some projects — long overdue, but better late than never!

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These sketches are part of my work for the Metamorphosis project (in which I cut 40+ intricate pages into an old book – but more on that another time!). Each design is based around a quote from Kafka’s Metamorphosis, using type to communicate Gregor’s transformation.

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There was lots of sharpening of pencils, tracing endless shapes, achy fingers from cutting and I used about 20 scalpel blades, but I’m happy with the outcome. After drawing and cutting, I traced the designs up digitally and gave them some texture.

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Hop over here in a few days and see more of the final designs, and photos of the cut pages from the book. I’m steadily updating everything over the next week or so (including a big overhaul of my site), so stay tuned for more!

Sketchbook – Alphabet Practice

April 9, 2013
Sketchbook
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sketchbook

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This weekend I was practising some hand-inked lettering in preparation for some competition work. I’m a believer that practice is always important when learning new skills, and one of my favourite ways to try out calligraphy is to copy exotic place names from an atlas – a little weird but it’s fun!

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I used grey ink instead of black, which I think helped in getting different tones in each brushstroke. It’s nice to take a break from project work sometimes and just make some mess on paper, plus I have my fingers crossed for the competition!

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Sketchbook is a regular feature that documents what I’m currently working on. For more, select Sketchbook from the Categories bar.

A to Z – The Royal Tenenbaums

April 6, 2013
A to Z
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One of my favourite films in the world is The Royal Tenenbaums. Directed by the brilliant Wes Anderson, the colours and styling are just everything. I am always so inspired by the creative direction Wes takes in his films – also see Moonrise Kingdom! – and these screen captures from the movie don’t do it justice at all, everyone should see it!

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(I’m pretty sure Margot Tenenbaum is my spirit animal.)

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I’m a firm believer that you should look for inspiration everywhere, not just in your creative field. Sometimes people get too close to design work that they’re inspired by, and their own work just becomes a replica of the original – even though I’m not a photographer or a filmmaker I’ve definitely picked up on the subtle stylings in movies and used their themes in my design work.

Images from here, here and here.

A to Z is a regular feature that documents great inspirations from the world of art, design, fashion and culture. For more, select A to Z from the Categories bar.

Sketchbook – c’est la vie

April 2, 2013
Sketchbook
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sketchbook

So a while ago I shared the ‘making of’ of this hand-drawn calligraphy piece on my Instagram. It was a really fun thing to work on whilst I was practising my handwriting technique, and it’s actually inspired some more of my work which I’m sure I’ll get round to posting a bit later. Here are some process shots:

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You can see this work on my site, plus lots of other stuff! jackslater.co.uk

Back to Business

April 1, 2013
Life
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Wow, I’ve really neglected this space since last July!? That fact to me is crazy, so much has happened in the last year and it seems like no time has passed at all.

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Last summer was great, I did lots of relaxing and gearing up for the third and final year at Lincoln (which is now almost over!!!), and polished off some personal projects. I stayed a week in the woods with friends and it was awesome.

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I moved back to Lincoln and helped make a magazine. I spent Christmas in snowy Berlin and drank 600 litres of hot mulled wine. I designed and made a 50 page cookbook. I got inspired in the London galleries and museums. I wrote and handed in my dissertation. I turned 21 and celebrated with some balloons. I drew a lot of things and took thousands of photos. And now I’m working on the final project of my degree.

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So I’m here again (hopefully) and I’m going to stick to posting a couple of times a week (supposedly). Back to business!

Snapshots – 3rd July

July 3, 2012
Life, Snapshots
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There is just something about film cameras that make them so much more cool than digital! I’m a bit addicted to using my Holga, and I got this black and white film I shot back from the lab the other day. Here are a few of my favourites!

Very moody clouds (and this was on the sunniest day of the year!). Black and white can do some crazy things to photos.

Me and a few good friends went to see Drake when he was in Nottingham a few weeks back, and it was amazing! Really great lights and staging – unfortunately this was the only photo that came out in development – one of the drawbacks of film photography!

Lastly, a little peek of a project I have been meaning to upload to jackslater.co.uk for a while, data visualisation! Look out for it over the next few days, it involves some pretty messy and unorthodox printing methods!

A to Z – Deer Decor

June 21, 2012
A to Z
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1. Deer Trophy from Cardboard Safari
2. Antlers by Alexander Taylor from Theo
3. Kissing Stags Cushion from Anorak
4. Deer Hook from Dwell
5. Kissing Stags Melamine Plate from Anorak
6. Deer iPhone Skin from Society 6
7. Moonbeam Tapestry from Urban Outfitters

There’s just something cool about Deer, right?! Inspired by the plate I bought the other day, I decided to put together a few of my favorite antler themed objects for the home! I already own the Cardboard Safari trophy and it’s great, as well as the Anorak stuff (there are tonnes more stuff with this pattern in the online shop), and I have the tapestry on back-order from Urban Outfitters. Let me know if there’s any other stuff I should be looking out for, seeing as I really do have deer-fever!

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