A topic close to my heart, my father is an alcoholic. I've heard it and drug addiction described as many things such as "a demon" but when people describe it as an 'illness' it angers me. Firstly I'd like you to understand that I'm not so close minded to the fact that alcoholics and drug addicts can be mentally ill, that such dependencies can cause metal illness over a certain amount of abuse and time, or that such mental illnesses can drive people to such addictions.
To further understand my views, a healthy woman who has been diagnosed with breast cancer, never temped such a horrid thing to happen, compared to someone that knows the risks but continues to do so with no regards to themselves nor others around them. I maybe strongly opinionated but it is nothing more than selfish, there is help out there - the addict needs to be the one who wants it. I'd like nothing more than for such selfish people to look at the bigger picture here, they don't have an illness, they have an addiction.
I guess its fair to say that I have no more respect for such people than they do for themselves, if they choose to be selfish, they are the only one's that can help themselves. You reap what you sew.
Wednesday, 23 November 2011
My connection to this project
This subject is strongly important to me, to understand why I'll explain my past history of health. I best start at the beginning I'm a burn "victim" (I use inverted commas because I don't feel victimized nor do I need the sympathy that follows the word)
Anyway when I was one and a half I pulled the wire of a kettle over myself. I have 3rd degree burns to my left arm, face and right leg as the freshly boiled kettle poured over me I turned cause it to splash/fall on said areas. After months in hospital I left with more scars than I entered with- which was all down to saving my life through the use of skin graphs.
The following 18 years of my life were spent in and out of hospital, to this day I still get minor operations to help movement and to help stretch my skin.
Despite such a harsh beginning I'm so grateful to be here, I've had so many nurses doctors and surgeons dedicate time and care to me and my health.
As you might imagine school life wasn't easy for me, looking so different (my scars were much more noticeable when I was younger, they have faded over time almost all are a normal skin colour. When the scars were fresher, they were bright red pink and purple) I experienced my first dose (that I can remember) of bulling in primary 1, from what I remember it wasn't extreme, just older kids (5 years older then me) spinning me round in the lunch hall to laugh and point at the scars on my face and left ear. Life from then onwards wasn't that easy. As imagined it's broken my mothers heart seeing me getting treated different to other children, it never made me resent anyone, my need to be accepted was much more important.
My first two years of high school were spent trying not to draw attention to myself, this was around the time my depression became clear and now that I think about it, it was probably the root of my anxiety problems. I'd break down if I knew I had to talk in front of peers, and to this day I still hold my breath when walking past people when I'm on my own. I've always been thin, but its only been in recent years I've hit and stayed on my target weight. I was so incredibly thin and pale when I was younger, but I cant ever remember having an issue with food. My childhood memory is gappy, no doubt for a reason. My theory on this is why dig up upsetting thoughts/memories if I'm happy with my life as it is now.
In my third year I think I snapped and took on the 'no bullsh*t' part of my personality, from then onwards were normal problem, dealing with idiot neds. School wasn't plain sailing, and it definitely wasn't the 'best time of my life' that people keep making it out to be. Because the balance of neds overweighted the amount of kids that actually wanted to learn/ took interest in the class, the majority of the teachers were so overwhelmed they'd rather give in to the neds/problem children than deal with the problem itself, making average kid's school life hell.
I have depression but consider myself in remission, because I'm fine as it stands today and have been the past year but it's an illness and you never know what could happen in the future. Later in my school life I suffered from hypersomma (excessive sleep) no matter how much sleep I got I'd still feel tired and after my school/college day I'd have to go back to sleep for an hour or two. The friends I made in both school and college are still my friends today, they make the hard times bearable.
Who I am today- I consider myself optimistic, I feel happy and ambitious. In my opinion dealing with life's many stresses should always be considered when anyone's connection with such a serious project topic. Dealing with an alcoholic parent brings me to my next argument, alcohol and addiction.
Overall I've learned from my past but I feel theses issues have to be addressed. Hopefully this will help towards your understanding to why this project is so important to me.
Anyway when I was one and a half I pulled the wire of a kettle over myself. I have 3rd degree burns to my left arm, face and right leg as the freshly boiled kettle poured over me I turned cause it to splash/fall on said areas. After months in hospital I left with more scars than I entered with- which was all down to saving my life through the use of skin graphs.
The following 18 years of my life were spent in and out of hospital, to this day I still get minor operations to help movement and to help stretch my skin.
Despite such a harsh beginning I'm so grateful to be here, I've had so many nurses doctors and surgeons dedicate time and care to me and my health.
As you might imagine school life wasn't easy for me, looking so different (my scars were much more noticeable when I was younger, they have faded over time almost all are a normal skin colour. When the scars were fresher, they were bright red pink and purple) I experienced my first dose (that I can remember) of bulling in primary 1, from what I remember it wasn't extreme, just older kids (5 years older then me) spinning me round in the lunch hall to laugh and point at the scars on my face and left ear. Life from then onwards wasn't that easy. As imagined it's broken my mothers heart seeing me getting treated different to other children, it never made me resent anyone, my need to be accepted was much more important.
My first two years of high school were spent trying not to draw attention to myself, this was around the time my depression became clear and now that I think about it, it was probably the root of my anxiety problems. I'd break down if I knew I had to talk in front of peers, and to this day I still hold my breath when walking past people when I'm on my own. I've always been thin, but its only been in recent years I've hit and stayed on my target weight. I was so incredibly thin and pale when I was younger, but I cant ever remember having an issue with food. My childhood memory is gappy, no doubt for a reason. My theory on this is why dig up upsetting thoughts/memories if I'm happy with my life as it is now.
In my third year I think I snapped and took on the 'no bullsh*t' part of my personality, from then onwards were normal problem, dealing with idiot neds. School wasn't plain sailing, and it definitely wasn't the 'best time of my life' that people keep making it out to be. Because the balance of neds overweighted the amount of kids that actually wanted to learn/ took interest in the class, the majority of the teachers were so overwhelmed they'd rather give in to the neds/problem children than deal with the problem itself, making average kid's school life hell.
I have depression but consider myself in remission, because I'm fine as it stands today and have been the past year but it's an illness and you never know what could happen in the future. Later in my school life I suffered from hypersomma (excessive sleep) no matter how much sleep I got I'd still feel tired and after my school/college day I'd have to go back to sleep for an hour or two. The friends I made in both school and college are still my friends today, they make the hard times bearable.
Who I am today- I consider myself optimistic, I feel happy and ambitious. In my opinion dealing with life's many stresses should always be considered when anyone's connection with such a serious project topic. Dealing with an alcoholic parent brings me to my next argument, alcohol and addiction.
Overall I've learned from my past but I feel theses issues have to be addressed. Hopefully this will help towards your understanding to why this project is so important to me.
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
Findings of the NHS report
1001 young people completed the questionnaire, the findings in this report are based on a total of 994 responses.
Mental Health
• An overwhelming majority of young people (85%) responded that they were feeling either 'good' or
'fantastic' at the time of completing the questionnaire.1 in 8 young people reported feeling either ‘not
good’ or 'terrible' on the day.
• Almost half of the respondents (49%) reported feeling good, happy or fantastic/brilliant during the
month preceding the Consultation. 21% reported feelings of stress or depression during the same
period.
• Respondents highlighted family issues (parental pressure, bereavement, divorce, fighting and
arguments) as having the biggest effect on young people’s mental health and wellbeing – closely
followed by School/Exams/Teachers and Bullying.
• When asked who respondents would go to for help and support if they were unhappy, 8.4% of
responses cited ‘someone who provides health services’. This compared to 34% of responses for a
‘family member’ or ‘friends’, which was the most commonly reported combination.
• The vast majority (85%) of those who responded said they had not used mental health services.
• Of those who had used a mental health service, 82% reported a positive experience (rated Excellent
or Good).
• 53% of respondents confirmed that they had received education at school about feelings and
emotions and how to deal with them. 83% of them rated the education given as either ‘Excellent’ or
‘Good’. However, a significant minority (35.4%) directly commented that there was a need for more
information and education around mental health and wellbeing.
CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND
In today's political and economic climate, service providers of all descriptions are listening to and acting upon
the views of their communities - not through duty, but through necessity. The need for such consultation takes
on renewed impetus where the NHS is concerned and with young people as service users of today and
(crucially) tomorrow, NHS Tayside has recognised it must listen to its young people. The Youth Talkin’ Health
group has been the face and facilitator to begin this dialogue.
The group's young volunteers quickly agreed that the issues of sexual health and mental health were the most
difficult, important and pressing health concerns facing young people.Initial research confirmed our view that
sexual health in Scotland is poor. Sexually transmitted infections, such as Chlamydia, are widespread and
increasing, while teenage conceptions are amongst the highest in Western Europe.
1
Youth Talkin’ Health members are well aware that mental health problems affect children and young people’s
behaviour, learning, physical health and relationships. A little research in this area confirmed the extent of the
problem - around 10% of children and young people in Scotland have mental health problems so significant
that they interfere with their lives on a day to day basis.
2
This equates to roughly 7500 to 8000 young people
in Tayside – or around 3 children from each school class.
This report describes the detailed findings of the Mental Health and Sexual Health Consultation planned and
carried out by Youth Talkin’ Health. Responses were gathered during August and September 2010. Where
respondents’ comments are quoted, these are verbatim.
LIMITATIONS
• Self Reporting - All of the responses reported here are based on the young people who took part
self-reporting. While there is no baseline data against which to measure many of the findings, several
conclusions are in line with what is already known, or has been previously shown. Where this is the
case, the reference is given in the text.
• Spoiled returns – 1001 young people responded to this questionnaire. Seven completed
questionnaires were judged to be ‘spoiled’ and have not been included in this analysis.
• Questionnaire layout – It was noted that, in a number of cases, respondents did not always follow
the instructions contained within the questionnaire to navigate progress through the document. In
particular, depending on their answer to a specific question, respondents would sometimes ignore (or
misunderstand) the instructions to move to a specifically numbered question. To mitigate the effect of
this, the eligible population for each question has been identified through cross-analysis, and only
those relevant responses analysed.
• Interpretation – There is a suggestion, for some questions, that young people’s interpretation and
understanding of what is being asked, differed. The Questionnaire was piloted at an early stage in the
design process and these differences did not present themselves as an issue at that stage. Where it
is suspected that this may be the case, this is reflected in the narrative of the specific questions.
• Geographical analysis – Specific instructions relating to how respondents should complete the
questionnaire were not always followed. Respondents did not always complete the Postcode box
(Question 6) as requested. Differences were noted, also, in interpretation of young people’s
perception and description of their local ‘area’. Consistent data on these two questions has therefore
not been collected and geographical analysis based on this has not been possible. Since almost 90%
of the young people who completed the questionnaire recorded their status as ‘at school’, an
alternative analysis of which school respondents attend(ed) has been included, with schools being
mapped to local authority areas.
• Responses by area - Response rates from Dundee and P & K are broadly similar (24.3% and
25.3%) – with almost double the number responding from Angus (48%). 60% of the total responses
came from the schools nominated by the Directors of Education in the three local authority areas. The
other 40% of responses were spread across the three areas – with Angus providing by far the largest
contribution - 253 (65%). This was because the Consultation was made available to all schools across
Angus through the schools’ website, while the other two areas restricted school website availability to
the nominated schools.
1
Respect and Responsibility – Strategy and Action Plan for Improving Sexual Health, The Scottish Executive (2005)
2
Needs Assessment Report on Child & Adolescent Mental Health, Public Health Institute of Scotland, May 2003
Discussion and Conclusion
MENTAL HEALTH
The 2003 Public Health Institute of Scotland report “Needs Assessment Report on Child & Adolescent Mental
Health” warned that around 10% of children and young people in Scotland have mental health problems so
significant that they interfere with their lives on a day to day basis. These statistics were reflected in the
findings from our survey.
On the day that they filled in the questionnaire, 12% of young people reported feeling either not good or
terrible. And, in the month before that, over 20% of them recorded feelings of stress or depression. The most
commonly reported reason for these feeling was family issues, closely followed by school/teachers/exams.
When asked about experiences of existing mental health services, the vast majority (83%) of young people
who had used any of these, reported a positive response. Comments on the quality of services included
issues around opening hours and staff availability, demeaning or patronising questions, bias in relation to
sexuality and the friendliness (or otherwise) of staff. Of those who had not used a service, many were unable
to name a specific service, commenting simply that they knew services were available.
Taking these findings with the fact that 4 out of 10 respondents reported they had not received mental health
education at school and that around 9% responded ‘no-one’ when asked who they would go to for advice or
help when feeling unhappy, there is a pressing need for services to be much more widely promoted to
increase awareness among young people of what help is available and how to access this. And if, as seems
likely, increased promotion would result in a subsequent increase in demand for services, there is adequate
evidence to demonstrate the cost benefit of early intervention
Recommendations
MENTAL HEALTH
1. Schools should take into account the stress young people report as being associated with exams and
other assessment work. Pupils should know they have a safe and confidential place to go to for advice or
assistance where they can speak to an appropriately trained individual if they feel school-work is
overwhelming them, or are otherwise feeling overly stressed due to school or home life.
2. High quality and consistent mental health education should be given an equivalent priority to topics such
as sex education and career planning and provided to all school pupils as an essential life-skill.
3. All guidance teachers should receive training to assist them in identifying pupils who are urgently mentally
distressed or unhappy, and the appropriate action to take according to the circumstances.
4. All young people should have access to counselling should they feel they need it. A counselling drop-in
service should be provided in all schools.
5. There must be no bias against young LGBT people in the delivery of mental health service or education.
Young LGBT people face additional challenges growing up and may be among the most vulnerable. They
must know there is a safe place for them to go to speak to someone about issues regarding their
sexuality.
6. Existing mental health services should be much more widely promoted to increase awareness among
young people of what help is available and how to access this.
7. In promoting available mental health services and informing young people of how to access them, new
technologies should be used. There should be a clearly branded high profile website, such as Cool2talk,
where young people can easily access such information.*
8. All staff who have a duty of care or are providing information, support or education to young people need
to be properly trained in how to deal with young people who seek advice or disclose mental health
concerns to them. They should understand the importance of avoiding patronising or demeaning speech
and of making sure young people do not feel as though they are being judged in such situations.
9. The stigma around mental health must be combated. We believe the key to this is more open discussion
and education around mental health from a young age.
Mental Health
• An overwhelming majority of young people (85%) responded that they were feeling either 'good' or
'fantastic' at the time of completing the questionnaire.1 in 8 young people reported feeling either ‘not
good’ or 'terrible' on the day.
• Almost half of the respondents (49%) reported feeling good, happy or fantastic/brilliant during the
month preceding the Consultation. 21% reported feelings of stress or depression during the same
period.
• Respondents highlighted family issues (parental pressure, bereavement, divorce, fighting and
arguments) as having the biggest effect on young people’s mental health and wellbeing – closely
followed by School/Exams/Teachers and Bullying.
• When asked who respondents would go to for help and support if they were unhappy, 8.4% of
responses cited ‘someone who provides health services’. This compared to 34% of responses for a
‘family member’ or ‘friends’, which was the most commonly reported combination.
• The vast majority (85%) of those who responded said they had not used mental health services.
• Of those who had used a mental health service, 82% reported a positive experience (rated Excellent
or Good).
• 53% of respondents confirmed that they had received education at school about feelings and
emotions and how to deal with them. 83% of them rated the education given as either ‘Excellent’ or
‘Good’. However, a significant minority (35.4%) directly commented that there was a need for more
information and education around mental health and wellbeing.
CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND
In today's political and economic climate, service providers of all descriptions are listening to and acting upon
the views of their communities - not through duty, but through necessity. The need for such consultation takes
on renewed impetus where the NHS is concerned and with young people as service users of today and
(crucially) tomorrow, NHS Tayside has recognised it must listen to its young people. The Youth Talkin’ Health
group has been the face and facilitator to begin this dialogue.
The group's young volunteers quickly agreed that the issues of sexual health and mental health were the most
difficult, important and pressing health concerns facing young people.Initial research confirmed our view that
sexual health in Scotland is poor. Sexually transmitted infections, such as Chlamydia, are widespread and
increasing, while teenage conceptions are amongst the highest in Western Europe.
1
Youth Talkin’ Health members are well aware that mental health problems affect children and young people’s
behaviour, learning, physical health and relationships. A little research in this area confirmed the extent of the
problem - around 10% of children and young people in Scotland have mental health problems so significant
that they interfere with their lives on a day to day basis.
2
This equates to roughly 7500 to 8000 young people
in Tayside – or around 3 children from each school class.
This report describes the detailed findings of the Mental Health and Sexual Health Consultation planned and
carried out by Youth Talkin’ Health. Responses were gathered during August and September 2010. Where
respondents’ comments are quoted, these are verbatim.
LIMITATIONS
• Self Reporting - All of the responses reported here are based on the young people who took part
self-reporting. While there is no baseline data against which to measure many of the findings, several
conclusions are in line with what is already known, or has been previously shown. Where this is the
case, the reference is given in the text.
• Spoiled returns – 1001 young people responded to this questionnaire. Seven completed
questionnaires were judged to be ‘spoiled’ and have not been included in this analysis.
• Questionnaire layout – It was noted that, in a number of cases, respondents did not always follow
the instructions contained within the questionnaire to navigate progress through the document. In
particular, depending on their answer to a specific question, respondents would sometimes ignore (or
misunderstand) the instructions to move to a specifically numbered question. To mitigate the effect of
this, the eligible population for each question has been identified through cross-analysis, and only
those relevant responses analysed.
• Interpretation – There is a suggestion, for some questions, that young people’s interpretation and
understanding of what is being asked, differed. The Questionnaire was piloted at an early stage in the
design process and these differences did not present themselves as an issue at that stage. Where it
is suspected that this may be the case, this is reflected in the narrative of the specific questions.
• Geographical analysis – Specific instructions relating to how respondents should complete the
questionnaire were not always followed. Respondents did not always complete the Postcode box
(Question 6) as requested. Differences were noted, also, in interpretation of young people’s
perception and description of their local ‘area’. Consistent data on these two questions has therefore
not been collected and geographical analysis based on this has not been possible. Since almost 90%
of the young people who completed the questionnaire recorded their status as ‘at school’, an
alternative analysis of which school respondents attend(ed) has been included, with schools being
mapped to local authority areas.
• Responses by area - Response rates from Dundee and P & K are broadly similar (24.3% and
25.3%) – with almost double the number responding from Angus (48%). 60% of the total responses
came from the schools nominated by the Directors of Education in the three local authority areas. The
other 40% of responses were spread across the three areas – with Angus providing by far the largest
contribution - 253 (65%). This was because the Consultation was made available to all schools across
Angus through the schools’ website, while the other two areas restricted school website availability to
the nominated schools.
1
Respect and Responsibility – Strategy and Action Plan for Improving Sexual Health, The Scottish Executive (2005)
2
Needs Assessment Report on Child & Adolescent Mental Health, Public Health Institute of Scotland, May 2003
Discussion and Conclusion
MENTAL HEALTH
The 2003 Public Health Institute of Scotland report “Needs Assessment Report on Child & Adolescent Mental
Health” warned that around 10% of children and young people in Scotland have mental health problems so
significant that they interfere with their lives on a day to day basis. These statistics were reflected in the
findings from our survey.
On the day that they filled in the questionnaire, 12% of young people reported feeling either not good or
terrible. And, in the month before that, over 20% of them recorded feelings of stress or depression. The most
commonly reported reason for these feeling was family issues, closely followed by school/teachers/exams.
When asked about experiences of existing mental health services, the vast majority (83%) of young people
who had used any of these, reported a positive response. Comments on the quality of services included
issues around opening hours and staff availability, demeaning or patronising questions, bias in relation to
sexuality and the friendliness (or otherwise) of staff. Of those who had not used a service, many were unable
to name a specific service, commenting simply that they knew services were available.
Taking these findings with the fact that 4 out of 10 respondents reported they had not received mental health
education at school and that around 9% responded ‘no-one’ when asked who they would go to for advice or
help when feeling unhappy, there is a pressing need for services to be much more widely promoted to
increase awareness among young people of what help is available and how to access this. And if, as seems
likely, increased promotion would result in a subsequent increase in demand for services, there is adequate
evidence to demonstrate the cost benefit of early intervention
Recommendations
MENTAL HEALTH
1. Schools should take into account the stress young people report as being associated with exams and
other assessment work. Pupils should know they have a safe and confidential place to go to for advice or
assistance where they can speak to an appropriately trained individual if they feel school-work is
overwhelming them, or are otherwise feeling overly stressed due to school or home life.
2. High quality and consistent mental health education should be given an equivalent priority to topics such
as sex education and career planning and provided to all school pupils as an essential life-skill.
3. All guidance teachers should receive training to assist them in identifying pupils who are urgently mentally
distressed or unhappy, and the appropriate action to take according to the circumstances.
4. All young people should have access to counselling should they feel they need it. A counselling drop-in
service should be provided in all schools.
5. There must be no bias against young LGBT people in the delivery of mental health service or education.
Young LGBT people face additional challenges growing up and may be among the most vulnerable. They
must know there is a safe place for them to go to speak to someone about issues regarding their
sexuality.
6. Existing mental health services should be much more widely promoted to increase awareness among
young people of what help is available and how to access this.
7. In promoting available mental health services and informing young people of how to access them, new
technologies should be used. There should be a clearly branded high profile website, such as Cool2talk,
where young people can easily access such information.*
8. All staff who have a duty of care or are providing information, support or education to young people need
to be properly trained in how to deal with young people who seek advice or disclose mental health
concerns to them. They should understand the importance of avoiding patronising or demeaning speech
and of making sure young people do not feel as though they are being judged in such situations.
9. The stigma around mental health must be combated. We believe the key to this is more open discussion
and education around mental health from a young age.
Success with contacts
Thanks to a friend who is a member of the NHS Tayside youth health forum (it's publicised as "Youth Talking Health" though) I've had access to a mental and sexual health consultation, the sexual health isn't relevant to my topic, the consultation will be of great help gathering my argument.
They have past on my details so that I can be provided with some resources and suggestions. I'll hopefully be able to see both sides, not just the public view on such a non-publicised topic. I'm about to read the report and post my summary of it on here.
They have past on my details so that I can be provided with some resources and suggestions. I'll hopefully be able to see both sides, not just the public view on such a non-publicised topic. I'm about to read the report and post my summary of it on here.
Thursday, 3 November 2011
Personal Statement 2nd draft
I'll need to think about this some more, but here is the second draft without the proposed project aim
Personal Statement 2nd draft
Mairi Kirkpatrick 0903209 VCMD
Inspiration and Interests
I’m inspired daily by the friends, people and emotions that surround me. I have a strong interest for shocking art and gore-ish illustration; this extends to an engrossment within a variation of public viewed media (including comedy) and subjects such as propaganda and psychology. Art which inspires me is on a massive scale, from Dali to street art to album art and advertisement. I’m open minded to inspiration believing that it can come from anywhere/anything and if it’s not too vague to say that -everything inspires me.
I’ve always had strong enthusiasm for a huge variety of music which shouldn’t be missed on this topic because it’s every important to me. I think my stubbornness drives me when times of inspiration are low, I’ve began more and more ambitious as the years go by.
Career and creative aims
I have no dead set career aim. I would like to do a few things with my life such as teach art classes/possibly lecture at a college level, travel and work in an art team such as concept art, perhaps being in the right finance become a freelancer illustrator/designer running my own studio or art team. I don’t stop dreaming, I’m grounded in the sense that I know I won’t do all of these or that some might not suit me, after all you only know once you’ve tired. I feel I’ll go far as for my dedication and drive.
As for creativity I have a long way to go, I want to push forward and grow as an illustrator (and possibly a business woman)
Current skills and abilities
Life drawing skills
Mixed media illustration skills
Painting with a variety of paint
Stencil making skills (spray painting)
Tattooing (drawing/free handing on a live-and willing canvas)
Fair photography skills
Graphic design skills + programmes (such as indesign)
Digital illustration skills
Skill gaps
further knowledge of programmes mentioned above- I’d like to improve at things such as digital painting and editing
Photography skills- knowledge of a working studio and equipment to be improved
Illustration skills –such as adding the right detail to create a finished piece.
Tattooing- I know the basics but would like to improve on techniques and different styles such as old school and new school, mixing of ink etc
organising skills (exhibition and future shows/gallery nights)
Personal Statement 2nd draft
Mairi Kirkpatrick 0903209 VCMD
Inspiration and Interests
I’m inspired daily by the friends, people and emotions that surround me. I have a strong interest for shocking art and gore-ish illustration; this extends to an engrossment within a variation of public viewed media (including comedy) and subjects such as propaganda and psychology. Art which inspires me is on a massive scale, from Dali to street art to album art and advertisement. I’m open minded to inspiration believing that it can come from anywhere/anything and if it’s not too vague to say that -everything inspires me.
I’ve always had strong enthusiasm for a huge variety of music which shouldn’t be missed on this topic because it’s every important to me. I think my stubbornness drives me when times of inspiration are low, I’ve began more and more ambitious as the years go by.
Career and creative aims
I have no dead set career aim. I would like to do a few things with my life such as teach art classes/possibly lecture at a college level, travel and work in an art team such as concept art, perhaps being in the right finance become a freelancer illustrator/designer running my own studio or art team. I don’t stop dreaming, I’m grounded in the sense that I know I won’t do all of these or that some might not suit me, after all you only know once you’ve tired. I feel I’ll go far as for my dedication and drive.
As for creativity I have a long way to go, I want to push forward and grow as an illustrator (and possibly a business woman)
Current skills and abilities
Life drawing skills
Mixed media illustration skills
Painting with a variety of paint
Stencil making skills (spray painting)
Tattooing (drawing/free handing on a live-and willing canvas)
Fair photography skills
Graphic design skills + programmes (such as indesign)
Digital illustration skills
Skill gaps
further knowledge of programmes mentioned above- I’d like to improve at things such as digital painting and editing
Photography skills- knowledge of a working studio and equipment to be improved
Illustration skills –such as adding the right detail to create a finished piece.
Tattooing- I know the basics but would like to improve on techniques and different styles such as old school and new school, mixing of ink etc
organising skills (exhibition and future shows/gallery nights)
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Photography light experiment 1
All pictures taken with white background, 14 f stops, 200 ISO and 1/125 shutter speed (unless stated otherwise)
The aim is to simply see what effects are caused by light change, to make for a more interesting portrait.
The aim is to simply see what effects are caused by light change, to make for a more interesting portrait.
 |
| Soft box to right of model |
 |
| Blue gel over barn door light |
 |
| Barn Door light |
 |
| barn doors closer to subject |
 |
| Barn doors closed over |
 |
| Barn doors fully open |
 |
| Blue barn doors full power and soft box |
 |
| Same again half power |
 |
| and again with low power |
 |
| Elaine with the blue gel and the blacked out gel we made |
 |
| our hand made black out gel, F stops7, ISO 120, shutter speed 1/125 |
All the photos are unedited and in a raw state, the next stage of this experiment would be to move on to editing, and work with the saturation and contrast control etc.
This exercise has gave me more confidence to work with different, possibly unusual lighting techniques. More experiments to follow.
This exercise has gave me more confidence to work with different, possibly unusual lighting techniques. More experiments to follow.
Tuesday, 1 November 2011
Idea for model 1 (Ryan)
I'm going to redraw this monster and see what detail I can add.
Studio Time
Heading down to the studio to experiment with the lighting tonight, I'm going to try different combinations of gels to see what effects would best for my aims.
Until I leave I'm carrying on with my sketches, there's not a lot I can do digitally until my loan comes in -then I can buy the programmes I need to function!
Some sketches...
As a point of interest I wanted to learn more about how we reserve visual information, this is a little sketch I made from a bio-psychology textbook. Its not extremely relevant but I draw eyes a great amount and it's beneficial if I understand more about what I'm drawing.
double iris
A sketch hiding the true face of the monster, some illnesses come disguised.
Classic monsters linking to illness
Until I leave I'm carrying on with my sketches, there's not a lot I can do digitally until my loan comes in -then I can buy the programmes I need to function!
Some sketches...
As a point of interest I wanted to learn more about how we reserve visual information, this is a little sketch I made from a bio-psychology textbook. Its not extremely relevant but I draw eyes a great amount and it's beneficial if I understand more about what I'm drawing.
double iris
A sketch hiding the true face of the monster, some illnesses come disguised.
Classic monsters linking to illness
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