Initial Thoughts
• In this new module I will be working towards the outcome of making my own picture book telling an untold story. This intrigues and excites me very much as it is my goal to one day become a children's book illustrator - so familiarising myself with the process of designing layouts in InDesign, ensuring printing is of the highest quality, roughing, refining, considering composition and framing, and a foundation of good thorough research will all provide good practice for the future. During the briefing I was feeling very inspired; while I am enjoying all of my work on my course so far, I think this module is going to be a sure favourite.
Themes
• From a choice of themes that included water, silence and hobbies; hobbies interested me the most and presented the most possibility to me. From Wikipedia - "A hobby is an activity, interest, enthusiasm, or pastime that is undertaken for pleasure or relaxation, typically done during one's own time."
• In my mind map I identified hobbies that could potentially provide areas of interest - including knitting, crocheting, needlecraft, swimming, lego, horse riding, calligraphy, origami, pottery, scrapbooking, woodwork, stamp collecting, figure collecting... leading towards an offshoot area of collecting. We collect coins, toys, memorabilia, stones, ticket stubs, insects, cards, comic books, postcards, seashells, buttons...
• Buttons interest me the most out of collected paraphernalia, as there are so many different kinds and it's a lot more unusual than something like comic book collecting or stamp collecting - which are very popular and mainstream. There is a fear of buttons which I find intriguing too. This pastime presents many questions that I may want to explore further when researching:
- Why do we collect things?
- Why do we present them as trophies and totems?
- What gives them personal value - memories belonging to a loved one?
- Is it about organisation?
- Completing or competing?
- When does collecting turn into hoarding?
- Why do people collect buttons?
- Why and how does button phobia (koumpounophobia) develop?
- What types of buttons are collected and for what reason? (Military buttons, livery, antique, victorian clothing buttons, buttons belonging to family members, buttons from toys, buttons of certain colours and shapes...)
Peer Feedback
• Initially speaking with my peer tutor, she was very enthusiastic about the sound of my project and the questions I wanted to look into regarding collecting objects and giving them personal value, passing down heirlooms and keepsakes and creating a sense of community among other collectors.
• Specific words kept popping up in the conversations I had with other peers and my tutor Matt - heirloom, memories, antique, token, trophy, memories, valuable, moments, keepsake, artefact, expression, representation, symbol, emblem, souvenir, totem, relic.
• It was really beneficial to have some feedback right at the birth of this project - the quotes provided by my group have already begun to steer the direction of my research into a place where I may not have gone on my own...
Hot Dog Book
• I created a Hot Dog book based on the conversations I had with my peers and some of their thoughts and feelings on the subject I have chosen. I used a bold black marker, freehand, to quickly outline visual representations of the phrases and quotes I found most interesting. I would like to create further Hot Dog books and zines as my research progresses; experimenting with other ways of communicating ideas and pictures, using different media and materials. I would like to play more with gouache and collage in this module.
Research Ideas
• Library - Button books; history of the button, different types of buttons, etc.
• Internet - Button Societies, Pinterest, Wikipedia, button history.
• Social Media - Look at people's collections, what compels them to collect
• Statistics - How many buttons are there in the world? Where is the largest button collection? Average buttons on a t-shirt?
• Trips - Button shops, haberdashery, museums
• Social Media - Look at people's collections, what compels them to collect
• Statistics - How many buttons are there in the world? Where is the largest button collection? Average buttons on a t-shirt?
• Trips - Button shops, haberdashery, museums
Trip Ideas
• Victoria and Albert Museum in London
• Button shops or fairs; Duttons for Buttons was recommended to me as well as a button shop in Afflecks Palace, Manchester.
• Booking a trip to Ilkley . Also a shop in Harrogate and York but I have been to both places before so it won't be new territory! There is also a Betty's Tearoom close by in Ilkley which may be worth a visit afterwards so I can do some sketching.
• Button shops or fairs; Duttons for Buttons was recommended to me as well as a button shop in Afflecks Palace, Manchester.
• Booking a trip to Ilkley . Also a shop in Harrogate and York but I have been to both places before so it won't be new territory! There is also a Betty's Tearoom close by in Ilkley which may be worth a visit afterwards so I can do some sketching.
• Possible interviews: owner of the shop - why do they work there? Do they have an interest in buttons? Collecting? Crafting? Do they have any special buttons from family members? Customer at the shop - why are you here? Do you collect buttons? Is there a certain type of button you like? Perhaps a random person for their opinions on button collecting to compare and contrast and add a different perspective.
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