The story of Alcock and Brown

This week i have been assistant designing for a designer called Helen Davies, I have been developing her original idea and making the scale model of the set.

The play tells the story of 'Alcock and Brown', the first men to complete the continuous transatlantic flight in 1919.

The design is complicated as everything i have made transforms into something else throughout the play. The design is based around the central cockpit, which evolves from a truck carrying all the props and set pieces for the performance, to a stage, to the interior of the plane. The wings are fabric and roll up so sit inside the base of the truck.
The different scenes and set are all achieved using props.

More Alfie..

More images of Alfie..water colour and computer coloured

Water colour and ink Alfie

Here is an image of Alfie, drawn using ink and coloured with water colour

Alfie the Aye Aye...initial idea

After recently watching 'Last chance to see" I discovered the.. 'Aye aye".
One of the most interesting animals I have ever seen. They are particularly interesting to me as they are considered (unfairly) one of natures ugliest creatures.

They have a really long spindly finger that they use to tap on tree branches whilst listening with their enormous ears for grubs and beetles. Once detected they use their long finger to claw into the holes and pull out their tasty prize.

Ancient Malagasy legend said that the Aye-aye was a symbol of death.



I starting thinking about an Aye aye character and thought it would be a really great story for a childrens book. Today i started sketching my Aye aye..now named Alfie, and these are the first images i came up with.

Perfitt's Sandwich Shop

Xmas cards, Me, Mum, Martin and Fluke..

Kelly's Monkellys!

This is the start of my new range of 'Monkelly' soft toys! Each comes with its own name and short description of its character!

Jess, and Katie with some unfinished friend..

Ideas for some new xmas cards

These are some initial ideas for a set/range of lighthouse themed Xmas cards

Illustrated cards with backgrounds

Here are some finished Xmas Cards that will make up a set

Xmas cards commission final design

Here is the final illustration for a set of Xmas cards.

Commissioned Xmas card illustration

Here are my first designed for a set of illustrated Xmas cards

Fascinator

I also made this today, using pattern paper and fabric, this is also available to purchase from Kathleen and Lily. Price £25

More items for Kathleen and Lilys

Here are some of the latest customised, decoupage and handmade items I have made, they can be purchased from Kathleen and Lily's, Mansfield Road Notingham.

illustrations..

Here are the original illustrations for the cards.

Card illustration..

Here is a set of greetings cards, stickers and writing paper I have illustrated for some friends, featuring them and their dogs, in different locations around Saltdean (where they live).

Giraffe's can't dance scenic painting

During the last week at Blunderbus I worked on Gerald the giraffe, re painting him to match the illustration from the book.

Blunderbus week Six..

This week I have been continuing with scenic painting. I have been working on the dragon for Dragon's daughter, and the ribs and a magic mirror for Pinocchio.

Insect Play performance

Insect Play set continued...

I have 6 bags of chipped bark of varying shades and colours that will be added to the floor once it has been dried out in the sun. This will blend the set into its surrounding environment and also add another sensory element to the performance.

The Insect Play set and Thoresby

On Saturday Set One delivered the set to Thoresby, here we are arranging all the set pieces.

Insect play "the Pile" continued..

Today I continued with the pile, I added open weave hessian, bunting, string, fabric scraps, pearl beads, and other props.

I also intend to add some of these fabrics into the costumes for the beetle characters.

Blunder bus week four continued..

Today I started painting the style, i decided to use 3 main base colours, all shades of brown, then spray into the base with high and low lights, I then painted more detail into the wood. I then added the flowers and grasses, more sprayed layers and glazes.

The style has two sides to it, it is the boundary between the village and the dragon world, n 'Dragon's daughter. One side is bright and inviting, the other is decayed and dead. As the puppet enters the dragon's world over the style it is revolved to reveal the blackened back.

Blunder bus week four continued..

Today I finished the tortoise and the Anteater, and sprayed more into the donkeys.

Insect play Model and Set

Here are some images of the scale model, and the full size set.

Blunderbus week four

Today I started painting the two poly carved donkeys, for Pinocchio, and finished painting the tortoise.

Insect play "the Pile" continued..

Today I added more to the beetle's "Pile", eventually there will be layers of open weave hessian, more raffia, string, props, e.g books and coins, layers of hand painted and sprayed paint.

Insect play set

Last Thursday I drove to Derby to visit 'Set One' who are building the set for the insect play.
All the set pieces are complete, and being painted, I covered the bases with hessian.
I also scrimmed the first layer of hessian on the 1m diameter polystyrene ball.

Blunderbus week three continued..

I started painting the two chimps for 'Giraffe's can't dance' and had to make and older chimp puppet match the newer ones. This week I also painted a 'Playland' sign for Pinocchio.

Blunderbus week three

In week three I continued painting the puppets, here are the first stages of the Ant eater and the tortoise.
My sea horse from the Rainbow fish was also finally completed this week!

Blunderbus week two

This week I started work on painting the Pinocchio set. It consists of a wooden shed that revolves and turns into many locations including the workshop at the beginning. The set pieces were all primed with white before i started the painting.



We also started to develop about the design for the new show 'Dragon's daughter' Dean and I did some visual research at home to get inspiration for the shape of the hill layers and castle. We carved a simple 1:10 scale model out of polystyrene to help us work out the shape and size of each section, then we scaled this up and drew it out on the floor, so the rest of the team could transfer these shapes onto wood and begin the build.

Blunderbus week one

I started back at Blunderbus last week, the first task was to complete the finishing paint touches to some of the rainbow fish characters.

Shop at Shop

I have a selecion of record bowls and decoupage super hero plates, available to purchase from "SHOP" at Canning circus, and soon to be available online at http://www.viewtheshop.co.uk/

"Shop is a different type of creative agency; it also houses a retail and gallery space which is used to exhibit and sell works by its members and collaborators. It will soon be possible to browse and purchase our products from anywhere in the world.
We also hold regular Open Shop events and launch parties, in which the public can see our work."

Insect play model continued..

Development for army ant scene.

Illustrated plates

Today I bought some amazing pens that allow you to draw onto porcelain, then bake the item in the oven, leaving the design on it permanently. Here are my first attempts!

Insect play initial scale model..

I have started working on the set design for the insect play, this is the initial stage of model making, working out what works and what doesn't in the space.

May 2009

I am currently in the initial design stage for two plays. 'The Insect Play' with the Arts support service Theatre Company in Nottingham and 'Looking For The Rainbow' with Big Window Theatre Company.

'Looking for a Rainbow' is currently at the initial script writing stage, it is really great to have involvement with a play from such an early stage as it is possible to feed ideas into the script, that will work effectively with the eventual style of the design.

The Insect play opens in the first week of July at the Thorsbury Riding hall in Newark.
Looking for the Rainbow will open next year and have a national tour in theatres and some schools.

SJT The Heights Video

The Heights at SJT

Last week myself and the The television workshop cast took 'The Heights' to the Steven Joseph Theatre in Scarburough, the Mc Carthy theatre space. We had one performance as part of the National Theatre Connections festival.

More pericles....