SILENT CRIT

Everything in black is feedback from peers (Amy, Siobhan, Josh, Charlotte, Kyle, Mary)/Hatthew Modgson. Everything in blue is Jaythoughts.

Idea/ Person/ Message:

OBVIOUSLY JIM HENSON. A connection between YOU & Jim. Personal to you. FEELING a connection. ALL OF US and Jim.

Carrying across what Jim was doing.

Pretty much what I intended to communicate! I worried that they wouldn't be able to identify the PERSON of note, but the quotes and signature did that very overtly. I feel like that was cheating a little and I shouldn't rely on text all the time.

My work was effective in communicating the connection between Jim Henson and myself, us, the audience. This is quite an abstract and personal concept to communicate so I wasn't sure how that might read, but my peers interpreted that well.

Mood/Atmosphere: 

Magical, fairytale-y, delicate, surreal. Don't know what's going on - feels like a new world.

Endearing, happy. Slightly muted? Not too joyful/ too in your face.

'Feels like a new world'! Yes!! Just what I wanted. I tried to talk about world-making.

I'd agree that it's a muted approach since I explored Jim's fantasy films rather than focussing on his comical and over the top Muppets.

They felt my fantasy, magical realm atmosphere!

Materials/Process:

Like the eyes - the characters have some familiarity. Well-made.

They were impressed with how much work I'd done and they hadn't seen a process like this before. I have used this process before, so I would have liked to do something different. My blog shows some exploration of alternatives.

Design/Crafting:

Like the font - fees appropriate for Jim and for the quotes. 

Good quality Photography. Poses, frame of camera, use of space for type in composition.

Considered hair and personalities for each puppet + costumes, spent lots of time on the puppets. 

Crafting is wonderful.

Elegance.

I don't think that the puppets are as well-made as they could be and I would really like to spend longer designing and fabricating their costumes but it is nice to get recognition for the work I've spent so long developing.

Ambition/Innovation:

Exciting as illustration. Cross-over between puppetry and illustration. Amount of work is impressive.

I'm glad that they didn't dismiss my work as NOT BEING ILLUSTRATION but I can't stop thinking that maybe what I'm doing isn't illustration. Maybe I'm not on the right course.

BUT yes it's an interesting area and I'm more excited than anxious about finding out where I'll take my work next. I don't know where I'm going or what I'm doing and that's pretty groovy. I'd say that's innovation.

They liked the stamps best. Close-ups, focussed. Colours are vivid. These snippets bring you deeper into that world.

I'd agree. Stamps are best… I particularly like the crystal in the hand because it's the most ambiguous and intriguing image - makes you think WHAT'S GOING ON? THAT'S NOT A REAL HAND? It's the most magical.

Poster - the puppet's jaw is distracting!!!! They couldn't work out what it was. Person and puppet. Jay is WITH the quote. What does it say about the human condition? 

I hadn't realised quite how distracting the puppet's jaw is and I'm a little disappointed that there's no print slots left so I can't re-shoot and re-print this poster. I hadn't thought about shooting the photo in portrait orientation rather than landscape. I think the poster is the least successful element of the set, but it's not awful. It's still okay, but I think I could invested more time and effort into that photo. It still communicates effectively, it just isn't as well-composed as it could be.

FOR FUTURE PROJECTS!

Media - foam latex

Use of photography

Animatronics

Collab with other students - fashion? Photography? Animation?

MAKE MORE ROUGHS/PROPOSALS

Have a look at Wilfred Wood Sculpture

Take-Aways from my Peers:

Amy - use of ambiguity is intriguing and enticing

Siobhan's use of motifs - symbols that we all recognise (dandelion seeds) that signify something else (wind - an abstract force that's hard to illustrate alone!)

Kyle's OLIVER POSTGATE. Absolutely loved what Kyle has made and I want to buy it all. He's managed to flatten all of Postgate's work into a poster that's crammed with THINGS - it's his workspace and studio in paper. Loved how the portrait was in the style of Postgate's flat cardboard characters.

Farewell, Jim

Goodnight Jim. I've loved this project so much and I'm really sad to hand it over. I will never stop chasing your legacy.

I've had a great time MAKING.

I've made an interesting set of prints that I'm happy with - they look exciting and unlike anything else in the studio, but I am unsure whether I've answered the brief as well as my peers. BUT MY PRINTS MAKE ME HAPPY. MY PUPPETS MAKE ME HAPPY. THE STORY MAKES ME HAPPY. It might not be quite what I was asked to do, but it's ALL come from JIM.

I've entered a competition - I've made puppets - I've done all that I set out to AND MORE. I've pushed myself so hard during this project so I'm ready for a rest.

THE BEST PART IS THAT MY PEERS 'READ' THE MESSAGE. THEY GOT THE MEMO. THEY UNDERSTOOD WHAT I WAS TRYIN' TO SAY.

I'M A HAPPY JAY. Thank you Lord for this uhhmazin' brief!