New years resolutions and Interning

Happy new year!!

This time of year is always great for reflecting on all the things you have or haven't achieved since last new year, which can be either very depressing or very encouraging. I definately didn't achieve the yearly 'lose a few pounds' order, but I'm glad to say that I did achieve all the less menial goals I set for myself - to get a good grade for my degree and get myself an internship. Well, I got a great mark for my degree and now I'm on my second internship!

Right now I'm interning at Sharkius Games which is really cool and right at the heart of the so called Silicon roundabout in London. I'm having an awesome time making artwork, mostly for their Facebook game Me to You: My Place (you can play it here also!) Better still, everybody is super cool and very talented and I've been learning a lot from the whole experience.

Here's everybody doing the Fonz!



Eyyyyy!

By this time next year I think I'd like to have a job that I'm happy with and generally have much improved palette of art skills. But that's only 365 days away so let's just see how it goes!

xLouisax

[EDIT]

Recently we had 30 seconds of fame in this TV report!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16387725

The Three Muskateers - all for one and 10/10!!

Last night my boyfriend had the pleasure of being dragged to the cinema, by me to watch the film I've been raving about since first I saw its trailer.

This movie is really cool! I am someone who is easily impressed, but sugar coat this with a great story, great characters, great music, great background scenery, great comedic moments, and not to mention TONS of beautiful period costume, and you're onto a winner. The Three Muskateers is a GREAT film in both style and substance, and in fact I'd probably go as far as to say that it's the most visually stunning film I have ever seen - possibly better than the film Avatar, and that's saying something because I love that film!

The amount of visual detail put into this film takes my breath away. Their costumes were awesome, especially the girls in the film, I couldn't stop looking at their hair!!








All these photos are from IMBD.com

Please see this film, if for nothing else atleast for for hard-work and art's sake!

xLouisax

Gilbert & Sullivan characters = Period Costume!

I recently went to a car boot sale selling an almost complete set of Player's Cigarette cards, featuring Gilbert & Sullivan characters!

Coming from a very musical family, I've grown up to seeing my parents performing in the majority of the Gilbert & Sullivan operas, which is actually how they both first met. Although I didn't really understand or appreciate the shows as a child, now that I am older I have grown to appreciate them for their light-hearted and ageless comedy, as well as the beautiful range of costume eras they offer to period costume geeks like me!

My favourite shows are probably The Pirates of Penzance, Gondoliers and The Mikado, the latter perhaps being one of the most famous. Here is a few of my collection of the exquisitely drawn characters.

And aren't there here two very significant characters for me! Below is the sweet Rose Maybud from Ruddigore, whom I was named after! (Louisa Rose Brooks)

And here is the character Robin Oakapple, the first role my Dad ever played on stage, and one he has played again countless times since. He actually looks a little like this drawing too, wooOOOOOoooo!

These cards have been added to my ever growing collection of objects related period costume, and remain upright on my desk for at least a full working year! :)

Hope your all good,

xLouisax

Graduating & Interning!

Earlier this month I finally graduated! You may now refer to me as Louisa Rose Brooks BA, with a first honours degree! It was a beautiful ceremony and we all looked awesome in our robes! I'm so proud of myself and all of my classmates who did so well, I wish the best of luck to everybody!

Me with one of my favourite tutors Mike Nicholson and my best friend Michelle Siddall.

I've also spend the last month interning at a company called Naked Penguin Boy doing my absolute dream project. I can't say much about it (that would give it away now wouldn't it! :p) but I'm pretty much being a mini-games artist, concept artist, level & puzzle designer and I'm even doing a little animation! It's made me realise that this is what I want to do for my career and I'm really looking forward to my future. Best of all I've been challenging myself everyday, and have faced some of my biggest (drawing) fears, such as rock faces and foliage!! AAAAAH! :D

I've been enjoying myself tremendously at Naked Penguin Boy; it's a wonderful place to work in one of the nicest areas in London, and I will be sad to say goodbye to everyone there! :(

Also they've just recently released a new game for the Blackberry Playbook. It's called Dunky Dough Ball and it's a pretty cool and addictive little game so If you have a Playbook check it out!

xLouisax

Glastonbury Festival 2011 - Robyn

Moments after the finishing my final degree show, me and my chums took off to spend a long weekend at the world famous, Glastonbury Festival!

None of us had been to Glastonbury before, and after spending a very wet weekend at Reading festival last year, I felt confident that I'd be able to handle any weather Glastonbury could dish out - but oh how wrong could I be?

The weather was TERRIBLE, it took 8 hours to get into the campsite in the pissing rain, and to make things worse the last two days were SCORCHING hot.

Aside from the heat and rain however, the festival was actually pretty good, cos there's SO much to do, besides listen to music. Avalon was a hippy area resembling much of the towns in the Fable games; Shangri-la and the other after hours areas lived up to their reputation as being FREAKIN WIERD; not to mention the large array of the shops boasting collections of friendship bracelets for you and your friends to get excited over.

Robyn


Image Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/festivals/glastonbury/2011/artists/robyn/

The artists I particularly enjoyed were Tinie Tempah, Beardyman, Chemical Brothers, Hurts & Robyn. Robyn was probably one of the most memorable because I hadn't realised how much I liked her before I saw her live, and also, she freaked out on stage and threw her microphone over because her earphones weren't working. It was quite exciting. Nonetheless, she still sang spot on when her ears weren't working, it was a great energetic performance and nobody was in the slightest bit bothered about the technological problems. Good on you Robyn <3

xLouisax

UCA Final Degree show 2011, Graphic Design - Long Live the Art School.

Me with my newly professional bras, on the way to our successful futures!



My final degree show went quite well, I enjoyed the private views! Here's the image I exhibited in a tiny A3 frame, next to a billion other A3 pieces. It's promotional artwork for my game Maidens, Pirates, Steampunks & Zombies.



Que the embarrassing photo by my Dad- I can't even reach my picture! lol



The hustle and bustle of the private view (me talking to Rian Hughes in the bottom right corner!).



To be perfectly honest, the only thing that I was disappointed with about the show was that I felt like one of the few students that were ushered into a corner and hidden, like I was something to be ashamed of. But you know, so what?! I LOVE the work I do, and without sounding like too much of a pompous arse, there are plenty of other people in the world who like my work too! So there, I will have an awesomely successful career dang nabbit! XD

xLouisax

Old 'Beauties' Photos

Check out these old photos I picked up at a car boot sale recently.





These two beautiful photos really stood out for me and I just had to buy them! Anyone who knows me well knows that I am potty about period features, so turn of the century photographs are probably something to be expected within my weird collections, but another reason why they really jumped out at me was because they all look so happy, which is very comforting to me :).

Look at their awesome clothes!

xLouisax