AuriolB | Ravensbourne Access \ Design

This week I explored emotion through colour, expression, and thought about ways to bring comfort through a simple story. Responding to a brief that focused on design for two rooms in a ‘museum of emotion’, I transposed the directive to think about physical spaces to my own practice of illustration and storytelling. Rather than thinking about moving from an area of negative to an area of positive emotions, I want to create a picture book that helps the reader move from a state of anxiety to a state of calm. I began my research with focus on the technical skills I would need to approach the brief. I investigated Grid theory and Colour theory via brilliant resources at https://readymag.com/almanac/grid/practice/ and watched Youtube tutorials to further my skills in Procreate https://youtu.be/Vn8bj0YpZg4 . I also revisited detailed research I’ve done in the past, into techniques for managing anxiety and to support teens on the autistic spectrum and/or with ADHD who may experience emoti

This week I wrote an essay on Cubism/Orphism, Abstract Expressionism and the work of Sonia Delaunay and Lee Krasner. The greatest challenge was deciding what to leave out . . . I found excellent primary sources that gave me fascinating insight into the lives, philosophy and practice of the two women. Although I wasn’t able to track down a copy of Sonia Delaunay’s autobiography, I found a site with extensive extracts and had access to a wealth of research from Tate Publishing’s Exhibition catalogue. There are mesmerising interviews with Lee Krasner available to watch online and the transcript from her conversations with Dorothy Seckler, reviewing the body of her work for the Archive of American Art, are packed with insights. In my first draft I covered the history of the two art movements, at the expense of exploring the impact made by the work of the artists themselves . . . Like Lee Krasner cutting up her old work to make something new, I started from scratch, revisited my gallery no

This week I learned about two seminal female artists, Sonia Delaunay and Lee Krasner. Tate holds just one piece by Lee Krasner and only one is currently on display by Sonia Delaunay. I noticed paint spatters on the floor and was reminded of photographs of Krasner’s studio, the barn where she painted after her husband Jackson Pollock’s death, the floor that was removed to reveal his signature paint spatters. These were mere traces, of course, but a reminder that the act of painting is very different from the serene gallery atmosphere where the work has ended up. I thought about how much these two women had in common, and noticed that although at first sight the work seems very different ― Krasner’s wild gestural oils on canvas, Delaunay’s considered, delicate watercolour and print on paper ― they share an organic fluidity in movement, a response to landscape, a capturing of mood; even the colour palettes are more similar than first glance would suggest (although the much more vibrant i

This week we delivered finished materials, built and presented our Launch! Project expo The Brief: work in small interdisciplinary group to concept, plan, design and present a new product, idea, event or service that solves an identified problem. The Concept: ShameTree Fest gives the opportunity to young film- and music-makers and writers who aren’t given a platform in mainstream media. The aim is to encourage young men in particular to express themselves in an open way that counters the culture of toxic masculinity. Our expo display showcased animation, short film, illustration and graphic design How successful was the outcome in relation to the brief? We identified the problem of communication barriers between generations, and between ‘the authorities’ ― teachers, social workers, police ― and the young people they are trying to influence or discipline. We responded with an event which could help show a different, human side to subvert the prejudice and judgement that young men c