The summer project is underway!

So I've officially finished school! Woop! But I've already started feeling the "loose end" feeling of not doing anything constructive...
So I have decided that I want to put some effort into making money, but in a less conventional way ... I wouldn't want to be predictable! So not only with my summer project of making my own art work and getting people involved in it, I would like to try an create my own app. This again will be very ambitious, but I will have all the time to make it.

Trying to keep myself busy, and I will keep you up to date!

Ellie.

Just a sprinkling of inspiration.

I've been wanting to do more artwork, but I think I have creative-block going on. I think about a piece I really want to set my mind on, and within three seconds I have changed my mind and have no idea what I really want to do! So I thought I would try and get myself more inspired, and show some talented artists, and what really caught my eyes.

Louise Saxton

I loved this style- and this specific piece the best out of all her work. She used left over materials to then make a piece  of art. I love the use of recycling, and feeling like this art work is just a smaller piece of the bigger picture- because the other parts of the material are still out there- making their own art. 

Pat Perry

I love Pat Perry's work, it just shows everything that makes a piece eye catching. The intricate details, distinct proportions, contrasting and complimentary colours. But the subject matter also makes such interesting piece- they all show realistic things, but then twist them to the un-natural eye catching (and pondering- thought provoking) ways.  

Stina Perssons

I really love this style- using watercolours to show the simplist forms of the face, and yet still have quite a lot of detail.  The fading of the complimentry colours just sets the whole piece off, making it 

Summer project update.

So I finally looked at how ambitious this idea of selling things I have made is. 

I worked out that even selling the friendship bracelets at a low price possible I would still make such a loss. Each set of decent threads you need just for those very simple friendships bracelets are about £3 each, I know I got the high end quality stuff, but if you don't all the threads on that string spread apart and become really frayed, especially on something that is made by tight knots. Each piece of string has to be 30 inches long which is probably a tenth of the whole yarn I get. So each piece of string is worth about 30p, and I have about 5 strings in one bracelet, making that at least worth (in raw materials) £1.50. So add on shipping/travelling cost, and my work labour I would have to less them at £3 each. And I know just from looking on Ebay and other sites already you can get them so so cheaply, so you would have to be a big manufacturer to make any profit by getting all these materials cheaper... Which is just stupidly ambitious and not really worth your time.

So I carried on with my other ideas as a trial run, I found that quite a few people were actually interested in buying some of my artwork. Although this was part of my original plan, I really doubted anyone was interested! So now I have to let people honestly judge my work- which is a whole new experience for me, I've never really had that before! So I'll see how that goes, not sure how well it's really going to work, but at least it was nice knowing that some people are genuinely interested! I think it's just given me a little confidence boost I needed to do more adventures and experimental work- and hopefully show you on my here and instagram as well!

Ellie. 

My wish list for summer.

This list seems to have got a lot longer, even though I have been out shopping just to actually have some summer clothes to wear... Which seems a bit ironic because the weather is like mid-winter. But oh-well! Here are just some of the random/useful things I really want to buy over the summer.

I want to get a journal/ sketch book, something that I can take with me on holidays and have pages that work with watercolours and inks. I have always had sketch books and notepads, but I never really finish them, or stick to the same ideas. So it would be nice to finally get to finish one with the spare time I have - and a fresh start, by getting rid of all the old notebooks I have had with sketches in (recycling some pieces if I like them) so I can fully focus on just one, rather than random pieces scattered everywhere!

I want to get some sort of canvas rucksack, just because I want to have a new bag for sixth form- mines slowly breaking.  And I think it will be nice to finally move on with the stuff I originally had in secondary and go for a completely fresh start!

Yes, I know I must look like a seven year old. But these roller skates are just amazing.  For part of my bucket list I wanted to learn how to ice skate, and because it just takes so much effort going all the way to an ice skating rink, hiring crappy skates to then only be bashed around by little kids with no balance (slightly hypercritical, seeing as I have no balance myself) and only be given an hour of this. Is really hard to learn if you only go once in a blue moon, so I thought that these would teach me in the spare time I have, as well as having fun - clearly the pink aspect of them- and actually getting outside and doing something productive; I've got way too lazy! 

I never stick my original plans when shopping- but maybe this year is going to be different! Curious to see what other people want on their wish list this summer; mine isn't that summery because of the lack of sun, maybe someone who has a more positive outlook on the weather would like to share their shopping lists! 

Ellie. 

The first attempts at my summer project.

I couldn't stop thinking about how I have forgotten how much  have loved to make things. Art used to be my way of letting out stress, or keeping my mind occupied on that rather than on other things, so getting back into making-even little things-is a lot more satisfying than I had thought it would have been.

I started just playing around with ideas, but ended up making a little friendship bracelet and a watercolour and pencil drawing of some penguins. Everyone has to start somewhere! and I thought it would just bring some more ideas and parts of my project to do. These were just first little attempts- basically just trying to keep my boredom away, but I think both look okay as quick little pieces that I just did randomly.

It was about time before I started uploading more artwork and more interesting things, so hopefully be back to my normal ways soon! So enjoy, and tell me what you think!

Ellie.- Have to start somewhere!