Summer Project

For my first project of my second year, I was given the theme "Natural World" and was given a set brief explaining that we had all summer to complete a full sketchbook full on primary research. However, before starting the summer project I created a mind map of what I could include in my primary research, such as places to visit; Natural History Museum(New York), Yorkshire Wildlife park, Liverpool Museum and Wigfield Farm. To begin with I wasn't too sure on the brief we were given as I wasn't really hooked, but once I really thought about it and discovered that the theme was actually a really big topic, and didn't limit me.

Throughout the summer I created many sketchbook pages full of research, mainly photographs. To start my sketchbook off I decided to focus on the "Natural History Museum", and the animals that i had photographed. All of the photographs were taken from life, however when taking the photographs I had no method to It I simply pointed and shot due to I want to collect as many secondary photographs as possible for my research. I also went out of my comfort zone and decided to focus on one in particular photograph and stretch it by adding paints that blended in with the image itself.

My sketchbook then continues to show photographs from the National History Museum. Showing different types of animals on display, however some of the animals are now to this day extinct. Also because the animals are stuffed this allowed me to get an idea of how the animals would have looked like in their natural habitat. The positioning of the taxidermies animal's give an imitation of real life. As you get tell with most of my images, they are close ups this is because I wouldn't them to look as realistic as possible.

Moving on, I then visited Wigfield Farm. Where I got to see more animals up close and personal however this time they were actually alive. seeing the animals in their natural state of existence allowed me to capture a more personal sense of the animals as opposed to the lifeless stuffed corpses I had previously photographed. I took my best images and edited them in Photoshop so I could improve my editing skills.