Wrexham in Bloom - Week Twelve

“Today we were given yet another project. I believe this culmination of projects and commissions is going to destroy me.” Me, three months ago.

Everyone has completed the Wrexham in Bloom brief. EVERYONE!

And I’m stuck on my own, a loser, like last year’s Critical Studies group project, for which I had no stinking group.

I thought I was doing so well this year. I have many of the projects started, unfinished, but started… but this Wrexham in Bloom brief? It’s just unnecessary hassle.

I’m on a comics course for crying out loud. We did two comics at the beginning of the year, and I really got into them, and now we’re stuck doing posters and packaging. If I wanted to do stuff like this I would’ve gone on the graphics course. But I’ve already done a graphics course in college and I didn’t enjoy it.

So anyway, where am I?

The deadline is passed and I have nothing. My theory is to just submit something, anything, for the assessments. Plus I have this blog I suppose. But seriously, this is the one brief that is really bringing me down because despite stacks of research I have no interest in it. It’s leaflets, posters, packaging about bees and batteries. It’s boring.

I mean I could make it fun, but all the fun has gone out of me this year. I’m fed up of doing posters about toys and cycling. It’s tedious.

I knew in the first year that Graphic Novels is not the right direction for me. I mean I’d like to publish one someday, but it’s a long hard process and I’m impatient. Instead I am now dedicating myself to working with Tattoos, designing them for people, as a Tattooist must work with their client in much the same way a graphic designer must work with his/hers. And with Tattoo designs, and all other client-related work I have never had a problem, because they trust me to deliver.

I didn’t come on this course to learn how to work for people. I KNOW how to work for people. BBC Wales just paid me an impressive wage for some illustrations for their Mabinogi website, and I’ve been working with them successfully for months, I KNOW how to work for a client. And when I asked if that commission could replace this darn thing I was told no. I still need to know how to work for the council.

So now, I have nothing. I will do the poster, but I am leaving this module to the Gods, because it is my lowest priority. I’ve already missed the deadline, I don’t see the point in missing the deadline for my other more interesting projects, ie: Music as Product, which I am working myself silly for because it means I can get some snazzy album artwork done for my boyfriend’s Metal band, Taste the Blood.

Now that’s more like it.

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!)

Photoshoot with Tess Beatty

I'm a funny looking thing, I think. At least I was in high school, one of the reasons I wasn't very popular. It sounds shallow but I'm always trying to make myself look better, whether it's by buying the latest Max Factor foundation, wearing a corset that takes my waist down to 22 inches, or dieting like a maniac in time for summer.

So I jumped at the chance to model for a photographer whose pictures seemed flawless and dreamy. I came across Tess's Photography on Facebook, as you do, and I was impressed by what I saw. She works in colour, but converts to black and white and mixes in small elements of colour for some striking portrait photos. I love the smokey edging effect she uses, and the way she is able to express so much about her models through the poses, outfits and environments they are in. So I got in touch with her about working with me on a mini-project for my parent's wedding anniversary (shh! It's a secret!)

When she advertised for models to help with her university work I was only too happy to help her out, secretly hoping for a confidence boost too.

Well, for obvious copyright reasons I can't reproduce the photos, but you can see the results for yourself here.

For the shoot I was told to just be myself and bring a few items of clothing I would feel comfortable it. Of course, I had to wear my Iron Fist hoodie and mermaid vest because they just scream "I'm a struggling, dopey art student dammit!"

But I also decided I wanted to try out a more elegant, sexy look, so I took along a silver top I'd just bought from USC. It's very tight-fitting and pirate-esque, but with a pair of heels it made me look sophisticated as well as saucy.

We did the shoot at St. Giles' Church in Wrexham at my suggestion.


I love that place. Beautiful, gothic and most of all, peaceful. It was my sanctuary during college (I know, sounds emo doesn't it?)

When I saw the photos I was so pleased, found them very flattering and felt my self-esteem jump up a few notches. She's made me look, dare I say, very pretty. Whether that's a filter on the camera, airbrushing or just the way we worked together, it doesn't matter to me. I bought £42-worth and will be working with her again.

Seriously, check out her stuff. Very friendly, funny and open to suggestions. She brought along her partner, Matt, to help, also a photographer and fellow Glyndwr student. Both of them were just so nice and they made me feel very calm and good about myself during the shoot.

So thanks guys!

Wrexham in Bloom - Week One

Today we were given yet another project. I believe this culmination of projects and commissions is going to destroy me.

The first thing I noticed was that half the group already had the brief, and half of the group didn't. I was in the half that didn't, which means I have missed a meeting somewhere that I didn't know about. Lack of communication strikes again.

A woman called Claire came to visit us from the local council to ask us to come up with a promotional concept to aid this year's Wrexham in Bloom campaign, an annual competition that encourages the community to look after our environment. So far Wrexham has won the Silver gilt, but this year they hope that with our help we can win the Gold gilt.

It's all very exciting, even if it is unpaid and added pressure. But I'm going to endeavor to give it a go, starting with this blog (ta da! In order to pass we have to keep an up-to-date journal).

Claire explained to us that the two themes for this year's campaign are centered "around the Pontcysyllte (no I don't know how it's pronounced either) World Heritage site and the industrial archaeology of the Dee Valley". Along the route are going to be battery collection points, as the Government is now trying to organise the recycling process more by giving us seperate crates for batteries. Also, the campaign hopes to encourage the communities to start planting Bee-friendly plants, in order to attract our fat, fuzzy friends back. So we have been asked to link these two themes and create something along the lines of Battery Bees, or Bee Battery (sounds like bug abuse).

The idea, to me, sounds very cute, and I love recycling (see previous post) so I'm all for it. The first point I want to make about the council is their need for a new "Michael" character. I like the whole "Recycle with Michael" slogan, it's catchy. But as Claire pointed out, kids love the character, teenagers hate him. I think he needs a makeover to make him more accessable to a wider range of people. Teenagers and young adults are a tough audience, and I'm afraid "Michael", to me, looks too 90's with his baseball cap, baggy pants and freckles (ironically I think he was invented in the 00's).

Funnily enough, there's another recycler called Michael. I think his style is much more age-friendly. Still kind of aimed at children, but the art-style is far more interesting, and the fact that he is a superhero who uses recycled items as his armour is an intriguing little quirk.



The colour scheme of the WCBC recycling posters/leaflets etc. also needs retouching in my opinion. Green is very typical of environmental posters and, unless it's combined with an equally or more catchy colour, it can be very droll and unattractive. I think the advertising pieces need redesigning.

As well as those two issues I am also going to aim to come up with something original of my own! So it's research time.

Before I go I need to make a point though. I think the reason (especially in my area) that people aren't so thrilled about recycling is the fact that the bin-men are so careless and useless. Countless times they have not turned up, left rubbish behind or broken our boxes by just chucking them back onto the pavement. When you live in a house as full of people and packaging as mine, we need regularly de-binning! Or better yet, a local recycling point. Having to drive all the way to Tesco in Wrexham is such an inconvenience. Thanks to our rubbish bin-men (see what I did there?) we often end up burning most of our paper, card, fabrics, etc, which otherwise could be recycled!

Do you recycle? How do you feel about the facilities in your area? And if you don't recycle, why not?

Think about it.

Until next time, peace and love!