Next Year

I think next year i want to defer from textile design... hopefully! I feel physically and mentally exhausted from 14 years of learning in a classroom environment. I want to get out of a room and learn anything and everything. I can't wait to go travelling and be able to not think about due dates and do some of my own design that has meaning rather than a design brief for a score of students. Going to Brighton Bay was definitely my best option this year. At first i was hesitant but now i am certain it was best. Even though i feel like i have no inspiration left i have so much to show for it. I have learn so many new skills and techniques and made new friends.
Being in a classroom of people who actually want to be there has really given me a new perspective on education. for all of high school i had classmates just not wanting to be in design classes and they only chose them because they were a 'bludge.' this really annoyed me that they weren't thinking of what they were interested in but rather how they could spend the least time learning. There were points that i hated learning as well because i felt it was unnecessary but this was always overcome by the thought of i have to be here, i should make the most of it!
Next year i want to learn with other people who want to learn, i want to design for the fun of it and try and create something of worth and beauty. I want to work to save to go overseas. I want to enjoy the environment around me and to create more of a community vibe with the people around me!

Cubes and Package

My cubes and package brief final is the perfect example of what i get in a habit of doing. I want to finish a brief as soon as possible but still make it look good, when i rush it the latter rarely prevails. Lucky i've had great teachers slowing me down and making me draw out the design process (no pun intended)
Tonight i have finally cut out and constructed the final. It is no where near a uni folio standard piece of work, but for some reason i got lazy and still went along with it. I think i have come along way since the start of the year and have learnt a lot about the way to attack a design brief, i still procrastinate but i think in a slightly different way. I procrastinate by doing other work i like. If the work i am putting off doing isn't urgent i feel this is some what pliable and 'legal!'

Positive Posters

This year i entered positive posters for the first time. Positive Posters is a competition that is based around bring positive ideas forward through the format of an A3 Poster. When i was thinking about what type of poster i wanted to do i thought about the posters that i love to see and the issues that have been presented to me the best. There was an infographic in a magazine a few months ago that really caught my eye. It was a series of blocks of colour with some writing in each box. each box (all different sizes) represented proportionally the amount of money that is spent on all these different things and some show what it would cost to provide clean water to everyone who doesnt have it and so on. To me this was one of the best i've seen so i decided to make it simpler and more to one point. I decided to do mine in black and white and only have one comparison.

I loved doing this little side project that took my mind away from busy Brighton Bay. It let me choose a topic i was interested in and made me portray a message as best i could. I hope to do many more of these posters and one day win a competition. I think it is necessary to be able to bring a strong issue to the world.

Cacophony: Art of Conflict

'Cacophony: Art of Conflict' is a light show that is on at the moment in between the art centre and Hamer Hall and also on the other side of Hamer Hall that is viewwed from princess bridge. The main show that is on in between the two buildings goes for 12 minutes with one and a half minutes break in between each loop.
It has been designed on using 3D projection technology and works seamlessly with the two buildings. Each building has been worked out as a grid from each projection point (Hamer hall having one and the Art Center with two.) By doing this they can then make the facades of the building look like they are moving with special effects.
At one point during the show the buildings facades look like armoured machines. The art center pulls back its panel and flings paint at Hamer Hall. Hamer Hall then retaliates by opening its armour and revealing canons that then shoots paint back. This is easily the best and most clever part. As i have been working there 2 or three nights a week doing crowd marshaling i know that this bit is the part that everyone laughs at!

X

My sister Hannah was an actor in a play called X that contained puppets. It was a ' pirates! puppets! Adventure!' My sister was the head female pirate 'White Lace' and her arch enemy was 'Steak Heart.'
Steaky put on a very strong piratey accent where as White Lace's was a little more conservative which gave a great contrast but suited both characters wonderfully.
At first i struggled with the puppeteers being dressed in outfits rather than full black clothes, i was easily distracted because i would look at their mouth rather than the puppets. I think this was due to the expression they were putting on their own face rather than being subtle.
I loved the idea of the collaboration of puppets and actors and thought they mingled quite well together. Also the theater was very small making the connection between the audience and the actors very strong and intimate. You were able to see the expression so much clearer and the eyes of the actors sometimes caught yours. Also the set design was very simple but effective, there were two ships but they came from the same prop. The only difference was a pirate looking bag was placed over the mermaid on the front of the other ship. Very simple yet effective.

Georges Antoni

Georges Antoni really inspired me at AGIdeas this year. His story how he accidently became a photographer amazed me. After talking about how he pretended to be his friend while his friend was away. He had bought a camera and done a mock photo shoot of his girlfriend as a joke. His girlfriend was a model overseas and was picking up the photos before she went to a fashion magazine office. She had the photos with her when a lady at the agency noticed and instantly hired him. At the end of this he said it's all about confidence. I strongly believe this. If you act confident people will believe you and even when you get caught out they will most likely be positive about your confidence and keep you on.

His work is also quite amazing, the lighting and the colours are phenomonal. Photography is going to be in my top three preferences and i think if i get into the industry it will be doing fashion photography or possibly documentry photography.

I feel fashion photography would be my main choice because i love portraiture and quite interested in fashion mainly due to my sister having studied fashion.

La Mama - The Great Journey

For my sisters 23rd birthday my family and I went to see a Commedia dell'arte play called 'The Great Journey.' Having never been witness to a play in this style i was very excited on the way to La Mama theatre on Drummond St Carlton. I have only briefly studied Commedia dell'arte in year 4 Italian so i did not know what to expect other than it being physical and loud. Right from the start it was loud and in your face, the only thing was i could barely understand the main man speaking and i was very worried it would go on like this and i wouldn't enjoy it. Luckily as the play went on they spoke clearer and slowed down a touch.

One scene involved the three men grabbing one man each from the crowd, they then made them where there masks and hold certain props and even sing. Surprisingly the play flowed and the things the participants were made to do were simple but effective. It lasted for about ten minutes before they were seamlessly ushered back to there seats.

There was a little bit of improvisation of which i loved. A couple who were kissing were caught by the three actors and it was soon involved into the play. They seemed shocked that the couple were kissing in the front row and one of them walked very close to them and announced to the audience what he'd seen. They then started talking about the royal wedding which fitted in with there british disguise. It was easily the funniest part of the play and everyone seemed to love the off the bat form of comedy.

One disappointment was the man and woman behind us who laughed obnoxiously loud, at inappropriate times and ruined the play for the whole audience, it was as if they were employed by La Mama to get everyone to laugh. I also think the play could have been a little more refined and maybe if they had an english speaking italian to rework the script!

Overall my first experience of Commedia dell'arte was quite wonderful and i can't wait to see more in that style.

Colour Harmonies

Studying at Brighton Bay College we have started with the basics in all of our subjects. In 2D Design our second brief was named colour harmonies. At first working with gouache and magic tape i wanted to leave, it was enough for me.

Once we started to see some of the firs

t people pulling back their magic tape we could all see that it would look really good even though it would take hours and hours.

When discussing how it would be presented i wanted to have it slightly sculpture and fine art based. I think i achieved that with the angular

folds creating shadows and highlights on certain

areas. I can s

ee it being on a larger scale creating a wind barrier with people being able to walk around it but not being able to see past it!

I wanted to express the movement and happiness of hands through the bright stripy colours. Originally the hands were smooth edged and rounded but i decided to use sharp corners to aid in the magic tape process and to complement the stripes.

Bubble Wrap

Recently I ran a bubble wrap party for a club that I promote for. I new how fun bubble wrap was but never new what people would do with it when asked to dress up in it. Personally i made a suit jacket with hood and pockets and my mate made one also. Other people came out with top hats, dresses, pants and one sumo wrestling outfit.
I was very impressed by some peoples creations.
Secondly we made all the envelopes out of bubble wrap and had the invite inside, it did cost a little more to post but so worth it. We figured that the easiest way to connect and work with bubble wrap was to use staples.

Factory Girl

I watched Factory Girl a couple of weeks ago and i really enjoyed it. I am fascinated by the art world and the people within it. The movie is based on the rise and fall of Edie Sedgwick. She moves to New York to kick start her art career in the 60's but when she meets Andy Warhol she puts her art aside for her new lavish life. She does many different movies for Warhol and becomes famous in the media. She then meets Tommy Quinn,(a folk singer at the time) who also seems to love her. Edie loves the attention but really struggles when she has no one to turn to when she finds her self in trouble with relationships or her downfall with drugs!

Starting a business, Designing a website

Over the past two months i have been creating a website as a way to kick start a career. I want to be a designer and an artist and i feel this is the way to get started. I registered the domain johncamilleri.com.au and spoke to a web designer about how to run and install all the necessary programs to maintain a website.
After making the site live I have since added many photos and have done a couple of blog posts. I haven't told many people about it because i want to have it fully complete before doing an advertisement to about 12000 people through social media sites like facebook.com and twitter.com. Also a company i work for called Love That Music have been giving me full support with access to there IT guy. They have also offered me a launch party which i would love to have.
When i first started out i wanted to have the site up and running with advertisements out within a fortnight, a week in i set myself a realistic timeline, including photo-shoots and advertising dates. I have now set the launch date for the 28th of July. Looking back now i was just so excited to be having my own website, i am glad i have waited to have everything sorted for releasing it.
In the last week i have added a new site apparel1.johncamilleri.com.au to the main website. This lets viewers have a separate site when they click on the word Apparel. The first reason i had a separate site for my apparel was so i could have a standard layout of a clothing store with a checkout and payment option. Once again being realistic. i realised how an online store was unnecessary for a new business with no where near enough traffic if any at all. Secondly i think i want to have all my apparel as custom clothes and each piece a design brief in itself.
Getting closer to the date i feel i am more prepared and i have definitely learnt a lot from this process, i can't wait to do the photo shoot and see the site finally be advertised!

Vienna Exhibition

I went to the vienna exhibition for my dad and I's birthday. I went in not knowing what to expect because i hadn't really heard much about it other than i must go and see it. When i got inside i loved it. Then again it's like most exhibitions i go to. It is always a thrill to go and see an exhibition because they are just rooms of inspiration. You get to see what other people are thinking and how in the many ways they are expressing themselves, in the past in present!

The main works that stood out for me were the orange and magenta pattern works. I had never really seen these two colours work so well together but when i saw this i immediately had ideas running through my head. There were two that had used these colours but the one that worked the best used a lot more orange than magenta.

Since seeing this exhibition i have been working on a half drop repeat pattern brief in class, i have chosen to use orange and magenta and i feel it is again quite successful!

Here i have worked this oranges to create certain shapes, after repeating them and layering them up i came up with this! The pattern was quite flat before i added in the background comprised of layered up leaves. The diagonally orientated orange segments are counter balanced by the grid placed halved oranges. I have chosen to use numerous grey tones to really bring forward these two colours i now love.

Brighton Bay Diary Jacket

My diary jacket in 2D was one of my favourite briefs because i love poster design. It was the first chance i could really use my skills on illustrator to their limits to produce a simple looking artwork. I wanted the shapes to be hexagons because i was just discovering the wonder that they produce. They are the largest number sided shape that fits perfectly together and this is why i love them. I decided to base my work around Finette Mellier. He work really inspired me at AGideas and so i chose to work it into my poster.

Letter Writing

I want you all to write a letter to someone who you are friends with; don’t make it something you have to do rather something you want to do. Tell them something that you would like to talk about via letters, something you both enjoy something that is between you and them.

I feel it is a process that I was never brought up with that I have rediscovered for myself. I’ve rarely been written a letter and since this year can’t think of when I have sent one. I have always seen English as a subject which I have to do, a subject where I already know the language fluently, why bother practising it when I can be painting or doing something I could be improving on.

There are many ways to make your letter unique and to let the person you are sending it to feel it hasn’t just been typed up and put in a generic envelope. Maybe use a typewriter and enjoy the more hands on process that goes with physically typing out a piece of writing. You may also like to make your own envelope or seal it with a wax stamp with your initials pressed in.

Just start writing to the people around you and start enjoying sending and receiving letters. You will learn about the people around you and start to express yourself in a new found way.

Good Luck:)

NGV 150th_2

When i was actually working in the truck i was told about the rhino that was walking around. I was informed of how it was a depection by an artist named Albrecht Durer In 1513 a rhinoceros named Ganda arrived in Lisbon having survived the trip from India. It was the first rhino in Europe since the Roman Empire. While the Belém Tower was being built, it was decided to make the Gargoyles around the tower that looked like rhinos. King Manuel I of Portugal decided to send the rhino on to Pope Leo X as a gift. Unfortunately, there was a sudden storm arose off the coast of Italy and the ship sank. Poor Ganda was chained and secured on deck, so he went down with the ship. The story goes that the body was recovered and stuffed with straw. However, that may have been beyond 16th century taxidermy skills. Regardless, a description of the rhino and a brief sketch made its way to Germany. Albrecht Durer used this information to make his world famous wood carving of a rhino, even though he'd actually never seen one. The next rhino didn't make it to Europe until 1579. who had never seen a rhino but wanted to create a wood carving from what he thought one looked like. He had heard limited information due to there not being any in europe. Remarkably his drawings and then wood carving resembled a rhino similarly to what one actually looks like. Durer had this idea that the rhino was covered in armour and w
Anyway the for the 150th a life size puppet of the carving was created, it was controlled by one puppeteer from the back and in my eyes it was one of the best puppets i have ever seen. Not only was the puppeteer so creative and constantly amazing the crowd but the crowd and foot traffic were so engrossed and in amazement that kids and even adults were getting scared. When the Rhino turned on them. It would be walking along and suddenly start sniffing someone, then it would start to lie down sometimes squishing people against a fence and even wiggling its tail.

NGV 150th

On sunday i worked at the NGV's 150th anniversary celebration. Even though i was working for Beatbox kitchen i arrived early so i could check out what was going on. Directly in front of the truck was a couple who were completing a sand carving. It was of a sculpture that the NGV own but i didn't know the name of. I spoke to the couple who seemed to be of foreign decent, they were such an excited pair of artists, they loved there work and were very fun to listen to while they worked. He spoke of how the sand was compacted to a certain level to let them work to a certain level of detail. He used the terms soft packed and hard packed. Hard packed was how the sand arrived on the site and what they worked from where as soft packed was what would be used when a repair was needed on mistake when he may have over carved or something fell off or cracked. He spoke of a job where by he was working on a project that included wings. These wings kept slightly breaking so he kept having to add soft packed sand to keep them a like, this stopped working so the wings each day they were repaired got smaller and smaller until the last day it was on show at this festival they were a third of the original size! The couple used many different tools to create different lines and to make it accurate in comparison to the drawing they were working from. It seemed as if they were paving and building at the same time. They used paving tools to smooth surfaces, for example a trailer and the pointy trailer. Then they were using spirit levels to make sure that the block of sand that the sculpture was carved out of was square so it didn't take away from the sculpture.
This was the first time i had seen sand sculptures in action and i can't wait to see more. It was very exciting to witness a form of art that isn't permanent. For me i feel that if i am going to produce some art and/or design i would like it to be permanent. I feel that all the effort i have put into the work i would like it to be appreciated long into the future rather than just for that day. Even though their work was phenomenal i personally couldn't work in that field not only due to the longevity of their art but also having your body constantly covered in sand. I hate sand on my body!

My First Pattern

Yesterday i learnt how to create patterns on illustrator. I feel this is an essential skill to learn because it can come in handy for so many projects that i could possibly involve myself in, within illustrator.

To the left is how i want to display each pattern that i design and maybe create a book out of about 100 when i get a collection together. Even though i am not that pleased with this pattern i am so excited to have completed my first one.

It is simple and simple is what i am all about, the process is simple and so is the output. I think this could work as a design for a piece of clothing but i would have to test the size of the circles in relation to the size of the shorts. Also I think this design may work better with a mid grey incorporated somewhere within.

In the next week or so i want to complete a small series of patterns based on african animals. Most likely in black and white, i would like to have 4 or 5 that may be printed on fabrics.

The Finders Keepers

Even though i worked at The Finders Keepers Festival in the Taco Truck(also run by Raph Rashid,) I had a quick walk around just in the vacinity of the truck and the layout of the floor plan was very inviting.

The floor plan outside the food stalls was set up very informally with many wooden crates stacked at different heights with little paper pyramids on the crates. The majority of the crates were at sitting height and it set up a great environment for the patrons to discuss the work while eating some great food and listening to the stage music. This simple idea really set up the festival and gave it a completely different vibe compared to if it was tables and chairs.

This much thought needs to go into more festivals and day long events, especially because this was a very cheap option but one of the best i've seen. Festivals are all about atmosphere and having people leave with a smile on there face. This is exactly what they achieved. Kudos.

Andy Warhol

Since starting printmaking at Brighton Bay College i am starting to love it. Of course at the moment we are doing brief that are quite guided so we can learn some essential skills but i can't wait to do my first portrait in which ever style i favour.

In this print by Andy Warhol of John Lennon i think there is 4 colours, yellow, blue, magenta and pink. These 4 colours seem to wor

k together and really complete the print.

Personally i like to work in bright colours to really intrigue and make

the viewer happy. In the image below Warhol's i have inserted my

oil painting of my sister which i

painted last year on an old glass window. I made it into a 6 colour vector and painted it with only the three primary and three secondary colours with some blending of the colours. I hope to be able to do this but by using screen printing or maybe a multi layered lino print. I may have to use less colours but if i were to overlap three layers(Primary colours) slightly i may be able to achieve 6 colours.

Daryl Feril

In my eyes this design by Daryl Feril is amazing. I love portraiture and this is no exception. The lines that make up this face are located to perfection. There are different thicknesses and different shades. I like these designs done on the computer because there is a lot of skill behind this rather than just clicking a filter on Photoshop.

I think he would have gone through many colours for the background but settled on yellow, he may have been fond of this because of the general aesthetics or maybe because it symbolised something to do with the subject.

I don't like the way his head seems to be floating especially to the left of the work. I think white needed to be added to the shoulders and/or the neck region.

He has captured this man as someone who is in deep thought and is quite content with his surroundings, he seems so peaceful and happy even though he has no distinct expression. Also the sharp lines make it look like he has been through a lot in his life and even though they aren't likely to be scars it gives you the impression that the contours are sharp and permanent.

Golden Plains

On the weekend i went to Golden Plains festival which is in Meredith (Victoria.) Even though i went there to work (Beatbox Kitchen) I still saw a lot to do with design and had many ideas about the way a festival is run. The culture at Golden Plains compared to Falls Festival is completely different. Falls in my eyes have it all wrong, they have the wrong attitude towards running a successful festival, of course there is a need for OH&S and control over punters but there needs to be culture about the event. Golden plains allows couches, has better food and has less people. These three things in my mind sets it so far apart from Falls. At Falls people are doing hard drugs getting angry and the vibe is quite negative, not saying people at golden plains arent on drugs but they are so much happier and the culture around the event makes the 2 night stay so much more enjoyable. Basically Falls works on the basis of profit and profit only, Golden Plains which is a sister festival to Meredith started out as a couple of mates who invited 40 of their friends to have a weekend away.
Also the design of the falls poster explains perfectly what they are all about, there is sun, hills, plants and two people hugging. Compared to The Falls logo (2009 example) which is more sharp edge and dark negative colours.

Beci Orpin

The first work of Beci Orpin I saw was the beatbox kitchen. I see the truck every time i go to work. The vector design which was most likely designed on illustrator is based on a boombox. The design of the mobile kitchen sets it apart from other kitchens because so much thought has gone into it. Most vans are solely about the food, this kitchen is about the amazing food quality, the vibe/ culture and the design of the truck. It is so appealing for a food truck compared to all the souvlaki vans which have been designed by someone with no qualifications or idea about design.














Some of her other graphic design work that i have now looked at after talking to her about the beatbox kitchen has really inspired me to study graphic design. I think it is a smart path for me to choose because i love to use illustrator and i enjoy the satisfaction i get from completing a design from a brief for a company or individual. Here in her seven seeds logo the sharpness of the design which i'm assuming was completed on illustrator gives it a nice finished look but the colours she has chosen makes it look a little down to earth. Also all 5 designs in the image complement each other without taking away from the overall impact.













In this design for simple energy these basic posters are very affective not only because of the hilarity which is ensued but because of the simple colours and vector images. Also the colour which is apart of the logo is used again on the characters to make harmonious.

Archibald

This year i am entering the Archibald, i have been looking at previous entrants and winners to gauge an idea of what is loved and what is hated. Last year Craig Ruddy won the Peoples Choice award with his painting of Warick Thornton.
I absolutely love this work, he has captured the colours of what i associate with aboriginals, very earthy and radiant. I feel his left eye has been painted slightly wrong, his right eye captures your eye and draws you in where as his left eye the detail is a bit blurred because of the light. I feel the iris should have been darker even if the photo he took showed it as very light. I think portraits should predominantly have there focal point on the eyes because when in looking and talking to someone that is where ones eyes are drawn to. So much emotion is able to be seen in another person eyes and all the muscles around them.

Melbourne

I love Melbourne.
I have only been to a few other cities but i know that Melbourne is one of the best in the world.
I see Melbourne as very clean and welcoming.
I am comfortable when walking in nearly every suburb and the weather is somewhat unique.
I feel very fortunate to have been brought up in city full of opportunities.
I love the wide range of food that is available, the majority of the worlds population wouldn't be given the chance to try something new.

With all the great things must come some bad.

I think our transport industry needs to improve.
I think we could be less polluting.
I think we can be more efficient in the way we live.

Melbourne needs to be redesigned.
Even though this would costs trillions it needs to be done.
For example the city of Chandigarh in India was designed by one man and then completed by another by the name of Le Corbusier (the crow.)
Melbourne could benefit by redesigning to become the first pollution free city.
For this to be possible the city would need to be broken up into small hubs.
Travel would only be by foot or pedal power.
Buildings would be so well designed that they would be cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
The majority of our population would leave Melbourne due to it's new standard of living but the people who were living in this new city of efficiency would be the best ones to be surrounded by!