Additional Easter Research

These are a few things I came across at home over easter that I thought were relevant to my project.

Easter Nest Eggs Article

This was an editorial illustration for an article about finances, I like how the illustrations take over the whole page and the imagery isn't just constrained to a rectangular space. It made me think about how you can become absorbed by something and it engrosses you for a while, like a small escape. 

Glass Bottle Vase

This was something I cut out of a magazine to help with the glass jar idea which I have now moved away from. In hindsight, it might have been a bit off topic.

24/7 Ease Your Mind

I keep coming across methods to relax in magazines which is promising for my product range as this is a theme that a lot of people are interested in at the moment. The challenge for me is to make my designs different to the rest in some way so they stand out.

Turn Down The Volume

Again, this is similar to the previous cut out about how to create calm in your life. I will refer back to these for ideas later on. 

Prescribing Nature Online Article

Unfortunately I can't find the exact article I came across before but it was along the same lines at this one... http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-33368691.

It's about doctors potentially prescribing exposure to nature as a treatment for patients in the future because of the effect it has on health and wellbeing. To me, this shows that the idea that nature should play a big part in our lives is not just a passing fad, it is being taken seriously. 

Natural History Museum, London

I went to London for a few days and kept an eye open for other things existing in nature that I could use. In the Natural History Museum I came across so many interesting shapes and patterns that were all created by nature, including bone formations, antlers and horns and a petrified tree trunk for example. 

I also visited an exhibition about scientific illustration, the work was really impressive and it was really interesting to look around. I can't say this is having much of an impact on my project but it did make me think about how I choose to draw and how this has changed from my older work. I used to be very controlled and precise with my drawings and it shows how my way of working has changed since then. 

Later on I came across a number of interesting rocks and fossils. It thought these were stunning and it amazes me how these were made by the earth, I found it so easy to jus become lost in the naturally occurring patterns in them. I found it quite therapeutic to just look and appreciate them, maybe this is something I can bring into my own designs, something people can become engrossed in, kind of like a little break from real life. 

Anthropologie, London

This has been one of my favourite shops for a long time, I love everything about it, the product range, the retail displays and the atmosphere of the shop. I found these tree cross section prints and thought it was a really nice idea. Similar to my previous thought about the rocks, it is possible that I might want to reproduce some of these naturally occurring patterns in a new way. 

Independent Shop, North Wales

Being in this shop made me think about product range, this was a shop in a village by the sea and it sold a lot of beach related products. Obviously it was appropriate for its location but I wondered whether it would feel the same if it was in a place far away from the sea. Would it still have the same impact? I was thinking about my natural themed product range and if this was located in a city, it could be seen as little natural haven away from the hustle and bustle of the city.