Wrexham in Bloom – Week… Seven?

I think it’s safe to say I buggered this project from the beginning. Ok, so there was reading week, which doesn’t count, and two weeks of “mitigating circumstances”, but to be honest the main reason I fell behind on this one was my BBC project, which is now complete. So ahead with the focus, shall we!

Next week sees the return of Claire from the council, coming to see how we’ve gotten on with our Wrexham in Bloom/Bee Battery ideas. I know for a fact I’m not the only one struggling, but I don’t want to be one of those people.

Ideas-wise, I’ve had a few mundane ones pop into my head; poster designs, crappy little comics for kids. I’ve completely dropped the character re-design idea, because too many people are doing it, and I don’t think the council are that bothered about re-designing all their leaflets.

So I’ve come to a couple of conclusions for myself:

1. Do an illustration/poster: I have the experience, and the time to do something straightforward and simple, and I loved graphics and typography in collage.

2. Try out different media: I am really into trying out all kinds of media at the moment, from Photoshop to printmaking, to acrylic paints and 3D models (then again, thinking about it, if I could design a character I could produce it as a 3D armature…)

So far I have only come up with two very unimaginative ideas. The first one is inspired by ’60’s-era poster design. I love the hippie generation, all about free love, music and flower power. To me it speaks of celebrations, festivals, colours… and let’s face it, hippies are all about the environment.




So my friend Mark suggested a couple of catchy slogans I could use:

“It’s a bloomin’ good idea to recycle batteries!” – I love that one, very cute.

“Don’t plant a battery, plant a flower!” – This one was in reference to showing a landfill with a bright flower growing from the rubbish.

I could quite easily come up with some funky-fresh poster ideas for that. I’ve also recently been influenced by the Gorillaz “Plastic Beach” album, which refers to an island made up from the debris of mankind’s wasteful nature. Maybe there’s something there?


The second idea I had was in conjunction with the Natur Cymru competition. As an enthusiastic nature-lover and health freak I go walking almost every weekend with my partner. We’ve discovered Loggerheads, Betws-y-coed, Ty Mawr and our very own Alyn Waters where we live. I found out about the competition from a leaflet. For a £500 prize and a printed article in the magazine I have to write a thousand-words about a wildlife venture or environmental issue. I was thinking of tying this in with the Wrexham in Bloom campaign. The only problem is there is no guarantee I would win.

However, the competition states that I can include illustrations, so I had the idea to include some imaginative watercolour paintings of the different areas where Wrexham in Bloom takes place to accompany my entry. If I won the competition, then my article would be a great way to advertise Wrexham in Bloom. If not, I could use the illustrations as posters for the project.

After speaking to Adam I feel somewhat calmer, as he has insisted we don’t panic, there are many in my situation, and the final deadline is in fact NOT next Tuesday, as I thought. But it would be awesome if I could get an A3 concept done, because I hate falling behind (don’t want a repeat of last year’s fiasco!)

Recycle the Love!

Well, my assessment went better than I had expected! It was estimated that I could earn either a high 2.2 or a 2.1 for my work so far. Personally, I don’t think my work has been that good, but then I’m not the one marking it.

The Narrative brief received the most praise. Whilst “finished” for the assessments, there is actually more I would like to do with it, such as changing a few panels and adding a page or two to the story, as well as experimenting with media and using the “Rainbow Gradient” technique I had planned to use in the beginning.

The Stranger Than Fiction brief was less than perfect but it still earned me that high 2.2. It was unfinished and the artwork needs to be redone and drawn more freely (“the characters seem too wooden”) and I have been told to work on my body language, thus I have gotten myself a copy of Scott McCloud’s Making Comics.

But otherwise, Sue and Dan said they were pleased with my work, and they want me to come and chat with them more, to see how I’m getting on, give me hints, tips, etc: “If you’re doing this well on your own, imagine how much better you could be with our help” or something along those lines.

We’ve been given two new briefs as of this week. This morning we were given one called “Bookjacket”, which pretty much does what it says. We are to research aspects of British Wildlife through first and second-hand research (so drawings and photographs), my favourites from the list being Wild Flowers, Mushrooms and Toadstools, The Seashore, Life in Lakes and Rivers, The World of the Honey Bee and The World of Spiders. Then we are going to create a Bookjacket for a non-fiction book. Interestingly, we are limited to only four colours (three colours plus black) and three forms of printing: digital, lino and silkscreen.

So far we’re in the very, very early stages of this brief. This morning I have basically been doing online research to find places for my boyfriend and I to visit on the weekends, and myself on days off.

My top five places to scout are:

- The World Museum, Liverpool
- Ty Mawr Country Park
- Chester Zoo
- Llandudno and the Happy Valley Gardens
- Loggerheads Country Park

Other places I'd like to visit are Blue Planet, BugWorld, Snowdonia and any coastal town. For me, money and travel is an issue, so I’m limited, plus I've already visited Blue Planet and BugWorld in the last year. But it’s important to remember that Wildlife is all around us! I need only to go into my back garden to see a Harris Hawk.

The other brief, called “Toys”, asked us to choose a toy, ornament or decoration and research an aspect of Climate Change.

The object I chose is a “Nemesis Now” dark angel candleholder that has been sitting next to my bed for the last few years. And the environmental issue I chose was recycling, a subject that is dear to my heart.



Through my research I discovered this page, which sparked my idea to link the angel, recycling and the deadline (February). Valentine’s Day seems a perfect subject to try and tackle waste, as it consumes our money and churns out discarded cards, packaging and flowers every year. I have never been a fan of this day, even now when I have a boyfriend, but the idea of recycling/making your own V-Day products may just get me a little excited.

I want my image (the final piece is an A3 poster) to be made from completely recycled and environmentally-friendly media, and I want it to be interactive, with 3D origami flowers and cards that you can open to read, etc.





Some tips and links pour vous to help you have a healthy, happy Valentine’s, whether you have a partner or not!:

+ Make your own cards!
+ Instead of driving to the cinema to watch a film, thus polluting the environment, why not go for a romantic walk in the countryside?
+ Don’t buy packaged products – make your own!
+ Cook a meal for your loved one instead of going out to dinner.
+ Don’t pluck our flowers so they can die in a vase. Make your own Origami flowers. They look pretty and last for ages!
+ If you really have to buy something, why not try Lush? They specialise in making enviro-friendly products, and girls (and boys) just love 'em!

I hope you fellow (veggie and non-veggie) hippies can get on board with this. Let's make V-Day a little more fun, creative and personal.

Happy trails!