Minimalism

Last week I took this outfit post inside as it was raining really heavily as usual. I stupidly started taking these images at 8 o'clock at night, so by the time I had finished, like sun had pretty much set, thus the lighting is completely messed up all these images. However, I went with my usual motto of waste not, want not, and thus tried to make something out of it by editing the pictures as I liked the colour palette of the shoddy images.

Last night, as my GCSE music exam is only 2 days away (eeek!), I was revising minimalism in music and it inspired me to apply some of the characteristics of minimalistic music to my editing. I found it really interesting how you can just slightly alter a simple idea with a systematic, mathematical process to create something new with an almost hypnotic and entrancing feel to it, as it is with minimalistic music. Also, made me kid myself that I was actually doing revision when I was wasting time on this blog.

• Repeating ostinati/cell
• I have expressed this by using the same photograph over and over again.
• Layered textures
• I put layers of the same image on top of each other to create a new texture.
• Metric displacement 
• This is basically you start the same idea, but slightly after the first occurrence, so you achieve a canon effect.
• Static harmony
• Since I have used the same colour palette in all my piece, so the harmonic feel of the images are all constant.
• Retrograde
• Okay, this isn't a feature of minimalism, but I have inverted the images by turning them upside down to form mirror images.

Top - Primark, fishy looking leggings - Primark, boots- Doc Martens

I edited these images in probably with the dumbest method there is. The first image was easy enough - I simply pasted the picture into Microsoft PowerPoint, duplicated then flipped the images. However, the ones that are layered were done using a very idiotic method. When you click and drag an image, a preview of what the image is going to look like appears, but it is translucent. Thus, what I would do is click and drag the image on top of itself, and then press print screen to capture what it looked like. I think this is hinting to me that I should really download some actual photo editing software and learn how to use it. Anyone have any suggestions?

Some other minimalistic methods I would really like to try out if I actually learnt how to edit properly:

• Phase shifting
• This is basically when something starts together, but becomes increasingly out of sync, before going back into sync again. To work out when something will synchronise you use lowest common multiple - I find it quite interesting applying mathematics to physical situations.
• Metamorphosis
• This is when something gradually changes into something else, one step at a time. 
• Note addition/subtraction
•  Adding or taking away one note at a time so a melodic part fades in/out.
• Note augmentation/diminution
• Slowly getting longer/shorter in note value.

My smiley face necklace is actually a trolley token.

My violin music teacher was telling me about how I should think about what colours I am trying to produce with my violin in the pieces that I play, and I think I finally understand what she means. It's really quite interesting how different mediums of art are all pretty much linked and can be intertwined.

Wow, this has been quite an abstract post, but oh well. I hope you guys understand my logic behind what I'm saying. If you don't I hope you enjoy the images.

Rebecca x

P.S. Thank you to the lovely Maria for putting my blog on this UK blogger map, which I think is a great idea.
P.P.S. Argh, study leave has started but it means endless exams are looming - PANIC.
P.P.P.S If I had to chose a song that reflected on the overal aura I'm trying to convey with these images, I would chose Oblivion by Grimes.

Stop Clownin' Around

WARNING: NOT SUITABLE FOR THOSE EASILY FRIGHTENED 

Party-pooper

Obligatory Camera Shot

~ BONUS NUGGET OF KNOWLEDGE ~

Did you know the fear of clowns is know as coulrophobia, as coulro- means stilt walker. In 2006, the British arts and music festival "Bestival" cancelled its planned clown theme, after many ticket holders contacted the organisers expressing their dismay. 

Two posts in one day - I'm on fire!

Adieu

Rebecca x

P.S Sorry for the rubbish pictures, still haven't worked out a method of taking pictures of myself.
P.P.S Sorry if I have scared any young children. Clowns have always been creepy.

Arty Farty

Since I didn't take Art GCSE, there aren't that many chances to express my own creativity. The good thing about half term, is that I have more time to do things that I normally wouldn't have to do - being creative is one of these things. It is quite a time consuming activity, so usually end up starting something and never finishing it. Today, however, I thought it was time I changed this and actually finished some of the "projects" that I have started in the past.

 

 I started drawing this on MS Paint on my laptop during a 14 hour plane journey to China last year, as I was honestly so bored. I just copied this model from my magazine very tediously using the touch pad. I never finished the rest of her body though, so I did that today. I made up the shoes, as I've lost the magazine I copied it from, but I think black and white brogues work quite well.

This is a pencil drawing of Daniel, which I started more than a year ago. It's of a photograph I took of him, but I have since then, lost it the image, so I just made up his clothes and half his hands.  I was going to do a background to it, but I got lazy and gave up. The more I look at it, the worse it is... I wasn't sure if I was going to even upload it, but oh well. I wish I was better at drawing.

So those are two things that I completed today. As I was searching them up, I came across these Tim Burton Mad Hatter inspired images that I did with MP. I'm actually happy with how they turned out, I really want to do something like that again - my face painting skills must be getting a bit rusty!

The Making Process

I forgot how epic the eyebrows were

Farewell!

Rebecca x

Jewellery

I love jewellery. There is no doubt about it. Here is my ethos when it comes to collecting jewellery.

1. I rarely spend more than £1 on each item of jewellery because...
1. Jewellery is generally quite cheap to produce, so I think it's absolutely ridiculous for some shops to sell a pair of earrings for £15. 
2. Most jewellery from high street shops are absolutely TERRIBLE quality. Very few items that I own haven't broken within a few weeks of purchase, so usually end up having to be soldered back together/ fixed with pliers/ super-glued back together by either me or my dad. 
3. I will probably lose it. Making this post has made me realise just how many of my favourite items are missing. They are just so small, and easy to lose, most of my items are probably sucked up in the vacuum, or in a field somewhere. 
2. I don't buy...
1. Really beady jewellery. It's just not my thing. I do like pearls and turquoise though.
2. Cheap, chained metallic necklaces, because I think that I'm probably allergic to it, since it can be really irritating on my skin. I only wear the ones that I currently own under a collar or something similar to provide a barrier between the metal and skin. 
3. Long, dangly earrings, mainly because I have a phobia of my earlobes stretching or ripping. I am being deadly serious, as I have honestly had recurring nightmares about this happening, and it is very traumatic. 

So yes, here are a few of my favourite items of jewellery, catagorised into themes (click the pictures to see them larger!) They are mostly from the Topshop sale or Accessorise sale, since you can get items for actually reasonable prices.

Tribal and Ethnic

Here is a real mish-mash of stuff from all around the place. Surprisingly, most of these items are from lots of different places that I/family members have traveled to. I absolutely love the yak skull necklace (which I got from I almost went to Tibet last year)and the large silver necklace, just need to think of a way to wear them out more! Not too sure why I have 3 turquoise earrings though.

Studs and Skulls 

This group of jewellery are the items I actually wear the most frequently, by far! Possibly my favourite item (ever!) is my brass pyramid earring (right hand bottom corner) but as you can see, there is only one, as I lost the other one at a party, leaving me distraught. I am ever on a search for a replacement, but I can't seem to find any as good. Loving the collar-esque necklaces at the moment.  

Girly and Kitsch 

These items are all quite old, but I don't really wear them much at all at the moment, as my style has changed.  I still love my Winnie the Pooh bracelet though (which I dad actually found on the floor - we aren't hobos, honest), but it is currently in need of a new battery. 

So there you go, just a peek inside my jewellery collection, as this literally isn't even half of it. I am still upset that I have lost my favourite fish bones dangly earrings and blue and gold earrings, since they are some of my favourite items. This is why in half term, I'm planning on making some sort of jewellery solution, to actually store these items. At the moment, I've got this make shift Ferrero Rocher box which I drilled holes in to store my earrings. 

At the moment, I have lots of items that I want to buy, such as some collar tips, body armour necklaces, evil eye rings, ear cuffs, more collars etc. But this is the only item that I'm really craving. 

Opal Studs by Regal Rose

Cool tings,

Rebecca x

P.S. Please excuse my terrible attempts at some arty-farty depth of field. I also didn't bother editing the colours/ cropping the images too, as my laptop is far too slow, so they are look really grey. Once I sort things out (such as the dimensions of this blog) I will have better clearer and larger images for you guys.

P.S.S I have been really liking this one song, need to check out some more of their songs!

It reminds me of Sleigh Bells - (who's new song "Comeback Kid" sucks.)