Goal Met!

Dear all,

I thought you all would be dying with anticipation, so I decided to post asap to let you know the results of our fund raising efforts. In total, the class raised a grand total of e522.92 (not including the float). So well done to all of you who participated and worked hard - it's nice know your efforts can pay off!

The first class of the second term (7th January), we will wrap things up. All remaining inventory is being stored in Mag's office. Make sure you pick up what's left, document the total remaining stock, and what you should have made in profit. We will go over this in class, as well as take a look at the inventory lists to make sure everything adds up.

As we agreed in class, those who made above the target profit (e24) will have the option to pool this money in the class fund in the bank, or request to be reimbursed for material costs. If the class kitty holds more than the cost of your exhibition, that money can be used for framing purposes.

As always, any questions can be submitted via the comment box below.

And finally: Happy Christmas, everyone!

Schedule for Monday

Hi all,

Remember that your 1st Term submission is due on Monday as well. You can drop them in to the resource room, in a box I will have labelled with your class, before or after your shift.

So here's the schedule for Monday:


                         Art Building                                      Main Building

10-11                  Lorna T                                             Robert V
                           Jade C                                                Ray W
                           Victoria J                                           Fiona M

11-12                 Ria K                                                 Justinas A
                          Sam K                                                Anthony B
                          Dierdre C                                            Mary W
                       

12-1                   Sean G                                               David E                                                                
                          Fionnuala B                                       Annie Q
                          Rebecca                                             Doireann C
                          Adrian D                                            Debbie M

1-2                    Ciara M                                              Vrindavna
                         Ed D                                                   Michelle C
                         Inam                                                    Emma H

2-3                    Tom C                                                Fiona G
                         Michelle S                                           Bianca K
                         Lisa Marie                                           Robert N
                         Sarah E                                               John D

Please be punctual - notice that you are all on for one hour, and that both classes are mixed, and divided between the two buildings. Divide and conquer! I have put up the excellent posters that Sean designed and printed, and I've also sent a mass email to all the teachers and admin of both buildings, so we are sure to be quite busy. See you then, and best of good fortune with your continued fund raising efforts!

Post Mingle Market

Hi all,

I have received confirmation from Maureen Conway to go ahead with our in house sale on Monday, 17th of December. Louise has given her permission for you to work your sales technique rather than your life drawing technique. I'm sure she would appreciate a thank you.

We will begin setting up at 10am, and begin packing up at 3:00pm. We'll split our stock in half so we can set up at both buildings. This is an event that people in the college look forward to, so we should do well. Having said that, if you were considering a reduction in your pricing, now would be the time to do it - as we all know, students are on a budget.

I'll post a schedule on the blog, which Emma can forward to Facebook. She's very good at looking after you all! As per usual, any questions can be sent via the blog comments box below.

SEAN: can you modify and print 20 new posters? I'll follow up via txt if I don't hear from you by the end of the day Wednesday. I have shown samples to some of the staff, and they are looking forward to seeing the rest! Even a pre-order for you, Leon.....

Ready......Set.....Mingle!

Hi all,

Tomorrow we see how all our hard work paid off.......so remember to dress fancy, if you feel so inclined, and bring your cameras!

See you all there!

P.S. Just looking through what you guys gave me, and I see a couple of details that could use some attention before we sell our wares, and put ourselves and our reputations out there:

Robert N - the cards turned out great, but where are the envelopes? Inventory? Prices?

Sam - you did not include pricing. Also, are your tags all hand made, or are they photocopies? It's important we know.

Sean - how much for the wrapping paper, and, how will we package these to go - to keep it clean, what if it rains, etc.

Vrin, John Leon - have you made arrangements for someone to bring your cards? Included inventory list and price list?

Victoria - hoping you are all right, haven't seen you in weeks.

Anthony?

Remember, everything involved with this project is a large part of your grade, so follow through, presentation, and participation are all important!

Mingle Ferociously....in one Week!

Hi all,

The market sale is in one week's time, and I imagine you're all as excited as I am! As promised, I am including the roster below. Remember to bring everything in on Monday for our practice set-up: your products, packaging, decorations, tape and scissors, cash box, displays, inventory lists. I am aware you still need some production time, so we will spend half the class on making. 

10:30 - 12:30,   Set - Up  

• Emma - cash box, fairy lights
• Sean
• Anthony
• Victoria

12:30 - 2:30

• John
• Ed
• Ciara
• Robert

2:30 - 4:30

• Vrindavana
• Justinas
• Leon

4:30 - 6:30     Wrap - Up

• Annie
• Tom
• David

I spoke with Rainey today, and she has logged our places near the coffee bar in her book. There is limited wall space here, as there are banners and an art installation. Tables are approx 6'x3'. Remember that I will be bringing blue tack, Roses, wrapping paper, and an electric heater should we need it. Does anyone have a small folding table we could use to wrap items?

Now is the time to promote the event, so create an event on Facebook, and get the word out! I look forward to seeing the promotional poster on Monday - would it be possible to include the Fibre Art students on the poster as well? Post comments in the box below.

And finally, a clip to wrap up - note Rainey's love of Fancy Dress, inspired by Victoriana and Steam Punk:

Market Booked!

Hi all,

I'm pleased to announce that I have secured our booking for the Ferocious Mingle Marcade for the 8th of December, despite the fact we are still shy of the booking fee. If you have not yet contributed, please see me or Emma.

By now, you should be well on your way to finalizing your design selection, sourcing and costing your supplies, and finding comparable items for analysis. Remember to bring your supplies to class on Monday, as we will be making, as well as planning.

A good place to go for inspiration and comparison is etsy:

Etsy: online Handmade Marketplace

Remember to document items, including materials, processes used, and price. Items you have sourced for comparison analysis purposes will be part of your submission.

See you all on Monday!

Mid Term

Hi all,

I hope you all have enjoyed the Mid-Term break as much as I have. Now that the weekend is here, my thoughts are moving forward towards Monday....and I can't wait to see what you all have come up with for our class sale! Remember to bring in your proposals (see handout), which we will critique together. I'll also be bringing a few books for inspiration, which may help some of you to refine your ideas. We will be planning and making in class for the next 4 weeks coming up to the date of the event, on the 8th  of December.

Now, I have not as yet secured our place at the 'Mingle', as we are still short of funds. Make sure you see me about this issue, so we can book asap!


I saw a few of you at the Illustrated Beatles opening at the Grand Social, featuring work from our very own Margaret Ann Suggs - great art, great night.

With Design Week starting the 5th, you should be able to find some more inspiration around and about town. The Brainbelt Illustration Collective looks particularly interesting, with disciplines varying from sculpture, print, and multimedia. At Filmbase, Curved Street, Temple Bar, 5th-11th.

See you all Monday.

Ferocious Mingle!

Hi all,

I have an exciting announcement for you. I spoke with Rainey Gibney of Ferocious Mingle, and she has confirmed that she would welcome us as vendors at her uber-cool market. If you haven't been there, you will find it across the street from NCAD at 72 Thomas Street. To get you started, have a look at their website:

http://theferociousminglemarcade.com/

The market operates from 11-6, Thursday through Sunday, and benefits from footfall of both NCAD students, and tourists en route to the Guinness Store. I have been to visit on a Saturday, and it was busy. Added bonuses for us: it's indoors, and they serve really good coffee and sweets at reasonable rates. We can rent a space for a day for 30 euro.

To secure our place, we will need to pay up front, which we should do asap. I'm grateful to Louise for covering for me yesterday, and that you discussed practical matters related to the sale, such as time management, establishing your reputation, and up-front funding. We have several options here, but if everyone is willing to pitch in e1.50, I can pay for and secure our place at the market. I suggest that the class rep collect money from everyone, and leave it in Marita's office for me to collect tomorrow if possible, if not - Thursday. Please contact me via the comments below, or through Mags to confirm you wish to proceed.

Regarding the date of the sale, that depends on timing in relation to printing, but we should definitely select a Saturday or Sunday. As most of the class will be producing illustrations for stationery items like cards and labels, earlier in December is better than later. However, if we need a bit more time, consider designs that are not seasonal. People will be looking for presents for Christmas, or for themselves.

If you haven't yet been to the market, pop in to help you prepare. Make a few notes about the space, and what you think you will need on the day. We'll go over everything in class. Look at what the other vendors are selling, what their pricing is like, and how they're set up. Take a few photos (with permission).

I hope you are all as excited as I am about this opportunity for your class - both to raise funds, and as practical experience in selling your designs. With proper planning, the day should be very enjoyable. I will, of course, be there to help and guide you all (and maybe help hawk your wares).....

Schedule Change

Hi all,

I'm sure you've heard of the schedule change via Facebook; just reinforcing. New details for Visual arts Practice are as follows:

Monday 10-12, Studio 22

Remember to bring your PEST and SWOT handouts from last week.

See you tomorrow.

Copper House

Hi all,

I thought I'd let you know that I've been to the Copper House Gallery, and had a wee advanced peek at Una Gildea's work. I highly recommend a viewing, but in particular I would encourage you to attend the opening, tomorrow evening from 6-8. The artist will be in attendance to answer questions, as well as industry professionals. And the space is impressive, especially when you venture past the front gallery. Copper House has an impressive set-up of high-quality, large-scale scanners and printers. They specialize in limited edition photography and fine art print. The interior architecture is inspired. Here's a link to the event:

http://www.culturefox.ie/event/tales-of-seduction-an-exhibition-by-una-gildea/13732.aspx

Final Year!

Hi all and welcome to the aih2 Blog!


You are all very welcome to your second and final year here at BCFE. There is not doubt that you will find this year even more challenging than the last, with the exciting finale of an exhibition of your work.

Within the context of this unit, we address the practical side of your illustration practice, and this will include building an online presence. Take a few minutes to orient yourself to the blog: you will notice that posts from last years' class can be viewed below, and a list of links can be seen to the right of the posts. Tip: if you bookmark this page, it will be easier to return.  Please feel free to leave comments in the comment box below.  Once you do, I will receive an e mail notice, and will respond within a day or so.

I found the results of the survey very interesting, particularly in regard to progression aims.  Half of you are uncertain whether you'll be applying to third level, and 25% divided equally between a positive and a negative intention. Over half of you expressed an interest in starting your own business, so we will look at the steps you will need to take in order to do so. Surprisingly, only one of you indicated that you did not want to start a business. A bit of uncertainty is indicated in the class response to the question of whether or not you would like to take commissions and/or apply for exhibitions and/or residencies. We will discuss these issues in due course. I'm delighted to see that all of you have computer access, and seem comfortable with social media. We will look into and clarify a few related issues.


We will all start and maintain our own blogs, experimenting with both the expected and the unexpected potential of this format. Through your blog, you will be able to document your journey as a student in your final year of the Illustration HND.  You will also be able to upload digital files and video which will support your writing.

Why blog?

• Personal development - writing, communicating, commitment
• Global exposure - people will find you
• Make connections - from like minded people to business opportunities
• Show your true personality
• Cost effectiveness - free to set up and run with earning potential
• Link your blog to your Etsy page, email address or mobile device
• Stand out from the crowd
 

To begin, look at some blogs related to your area of interest.  For example, google 'art student blogs', comics, illustrators &etc.  Visit 5 blog pages and document them.  Write a list, and then jot down what you found helpful, which styles you responded to, which included interesting and relevant links, which were regularly updated.

Next, set yourself up with a gmail account if you don't already have one. Simply click on the 'More' drop down menu at the top of your (new) gmail page, and start to set up your blog by selecting 'Templates'. Experiment. Play around. Get to know the format. Any questions, write them down and we will discuss next week in class.