It's happening!

I was finishing up my project about Coventry's hidden gems just before leaving for Christmas. I chose a new style for illustrating the buildings, combining two of my favourite techniques: the colours and textures were watercolour, lines were digital. I cut and layered the colours on top of each other like a collage and put them underneath the digital lineart; I am absolutely in love with the look of it and will definitely do it again.

Moreover, I had to finish the last draft of my dissertation, which wasn't that big with its 4500 words, but still carries a decent amount of weight in this years grade. To help us understand the big world and most importantly the industries we would like to get into, the topic of the essay was an analysis of our chosen job field: what does it entail, who is established in the field, what do we have to do to get to their level. The writing process was actually very rewarding and enjoyable, as well as incredibly useful in teaching me more about the world of production design. Today, a few weeks after hand in, I can also gladly say that I got a first for my essay.

Christmas was also active and full of family concerts, but it also snowed. The opportunity to play piano, my mum's cooking and home atmosphere made the holidays very enjoyable.

I fell ill immediately upon my return to Britain's warmth (10° already make a difference), but soon returned to the hectic cycle of things. We handed in the project and the dissertation right at the beginning of January, but I kept myself busy during our two „weeks of rest“, since I was needed as a student ambassador for the university's January intake.

As the exam period was over, we also finally got our shooting hall back, so I could return to my routine of seeing my club and shooting and socializing three times a week. Some of my pupils also  started competing recently and they are doing a very good job, I am very proud of them.

Now to get to the most current topic and that is the final major project and the degree show. We launched the project not even a month ago and all three of the illustration courses are in full swing of preparations. For my project I decided to take on a script that my friend has written a while ago and make a production design for it if it was ever to become a movie. That includes prop design, set design, character sculptures etc. The story is set in Christmas time Prague and tells the story of a boy who magically enters the world of the city's statues.

To allow us to show off our projects and possibly attract future employers, the university holds a degree show every year. We are obviously included in the process and the class is now divided into four groups (construction, catering, marketing and design). With everyone's permission I took on the role of a project manager for the show. So far it's been a pretty smooth ride, but we'll see as we get closer to the deadline and as people start drowning in stress.

Furthermore, we got offered an educational trip to Berlin, the city of modern art and technology. Of course I got myself a place and cannot wait, I will be very close to home and we are planning a trip to the zoo as well as to all the art galleries. As well as for Berlin we also got ourselves tickets for the summer ball, which will serve as a reward right after our deadline, even though it's followed by degree show preparations.

Ok, now back to work!