Last class!

Hi gang,

Tomorrow will be our last class together, and as promised, we will spend our time working on our promotional package for Barking Dog. It's likely that we will not have the postcards back from the printer, so I'll bring the tracing paper, and we can spend our time cutting it to size.

Last week, Sam came up with a design for the sticker, scanned it, and Tom came up with a few variations. We voted on the silhouette without the eyes, to be printed on an aqua or light blue ground. Dave was to source sticker paper, and Anthony volunteered to format for print. Bring rulers and sharp blades, cutting mats if you have them. See you then!

Promotional Project

Hi all,

After class today, I was mulling over your decision to use twine as a binding device, and had a chat with Mags. We both want to make sure that you test out your idea as a prototype to see how it behaves - will it look as you envisioned; will it look polished (something you were concerned about as a class); will it add unnecessary bulk?

She had some great suggestions about how to use the band/sticker idea to it's best advantage:
Why not use semi-transparent paper (Cathy has a big roll of trace in the shop), with the info about the exhibition printed on it, and a sticker closure, printed with the section of your design that the band is partially obscuring? I don't know about you, but I love the idea. Discuss, get back to me.

Gwen

Ziiiiine!!!!

Hi all,

I hope you have all been enjoying your Easter Break, and recharging your batteries for the final hurdle before the finish line, so to speak. I'm sure you're excited that your exhibition Barking Dog is now in sight! To help you make the most of this valuable promotional event, you will be working as a team to design and publish a class 'zine. This independently published piece will include two of your best black and white illustrations, making 34 pages of design work from 17 students. We will be assisted in this project by Caroline, who will be returning from maternity leave to relieve Clare. Caroline has been designing the student handbooks for the past several years, and has lots of experience with this type of design and layout, so we are very fortunate that she has agreed to work this project in conjunction with us!

I will bring samples from previous years to show you on Monday, the 8th of April. All you need to bring on your first day back, are samples of your black and white illustrations, and your notebooks.  Artwork can be from either first or second year, from any class or project; typically work tends to be from Comics and Sequential Art and Representational Illustration, but does not necessarily need to be. Any black and white illustrations will do. Double check that your name is on each piece, and I'll help you make the final selections. Caroline will help you with layout, formatting, and printing, and we will assemble the print copies in my class. And before you ask, YES! I do have a long - arm stapler, for those of you who have an aversion to sewing!

NY Times: Zines Have a Resurgence Among the Web Savvy

Remember to keep on top of your work! Many of you have still not contributed to the Banksy debate - remember, this makes up part of your grade! I will accept no excuses! Check in on Moodle periodically, as I've some new links and instructions posted there. See you all next week!

Centra Student Design Initiative

Hi all,

This just in: Centra Student Design Initiative. See details by clicking on link:

http://www.centra.ie/

The winner receives a state-of-the-art MacBook, and Centra produces your design on a shopping bag. The proceeds of sales go to fund breast cancer research. Your design gets exposure, and looks great on your CV. The deadline is tight - 15th March, but if you have something you could easily scan and alter, it could be a great opportunity!

Good luck!

Banksy

Hi all,

There seems to be some confusion about the Banksy assignment. Please read the instructions in the last post carefully - you are meant to engage in a discussion as a class, not email me your answers. It is also important that you include some sort of support for your comment - from the news, from Linda Scales' lecture, from your own research, etc.

The 'Stolen' Banksy

You may be aware of the recent relocation of a Banksy original, 'Slave Labour', created last year in response to several social and political issues: the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, slave labour, and the Olympics. For anyone unfamiliar with his work, Banksy is an internationally recognized, albeit anonymous, graffiti artist and social commentator. The removal of his 2012 piece raises real questions about ownership, socio economic status, ethics, and copyright. Click on the link below to watch a short youetube video. Apply what you learned from Linda Scales' lecture or your own research, and briefly answer one of the following questions in the comment section below:

1. Who owns the artwork?
2. Does 'public art' apply to graffiti? Why, or why not?
3. Who owns the copyright? Do you agree; why, or why not?
4. Who makes the profit from the sale? Do you think this is fair?
5. How does the community feel about this, and how does it make you feel as an artist?
6. How have legal issues, such as the illegality of graffiti, affected the ownership of the art work?
7. How have legal issues such as the illegality of graffiti affected the identity of the artist Banksy?
8. Do you think Banksy's work is art?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0s6rt5touA

You may approach this assignment in the form of a dialogue, where you respond to a previous comment. I expect your response by next week. Be sure to include your own opinion, diplomatically expressed, and a reference to Linda's lecture, or your own research.

Linda's Power Point presentation can be found on our Moodle page. While we get ourselves familiar with the format (including log in issues), We will discuss here. 

Usernames

Hi all,

I see only two of you have logged onto Moodle, and whilst checking the statistics, I noticed that the usernames appear different to my previous instructions. Please try:

first.last@bcfe.ie

I think this may fix the log in problems.

I will be posting a new assignment on Monday, so be sure you check it out.

Make sure you're staying on top of your assignments, and if you missed any deadlines such as the 25 interview answers, or your CV and Artist Statement, send them to my bcfe email address. There are plenty of resources to help you on Moodle.

As always, any questions or comments can be sent to me via the comments section below.