Categories: artwork, and-another-thing, general-stuff
Tags: iPad artwork, Royal Academy, London Mac User Group, Artwork
Date: 14 February 2012 10:29:46
Depending on what the plan was, yesterday went to plan.
I say that because at the moment I'm taking things as they come, because I don't know where things are going. I know where I want to be in a year, and I've got a couple of things I'm working towards, but for the most part I'm allowing things to move as a river flows.
Which has worked well, in ways. Yesterday being one of those lovely unplanned but successful stops on the journey.
First off, once I'd got everything packed for the day (and there was a lot) was a book meeting with Mr Moloney at a cafe opp the Royal Academy. Very nice it was, we had coffee and pastries :) and we discussed where the industry is as a whole, past projects, digital distribution, what comes after that and so on. When the pitch process started we quickly agreed to refresh a book I'd suggested to him a good year or so ago and two other pitches went well enough for sample materials to be requested. I've been itching to get back into writing for a while and these projects would be a welcome return for me as they're not the big project I've got in mind but mini-steps on that path. The other nice thing about both projects is that they'll have a good space for illustration within and that means I'll have another reason to load up the art apps :)
Stepped straight from that meeting into the learning department of the Royal Academy, via a lovely impromptu meeting with friends on the way who'd been to see the Hockney exhibition. The q was massive and I felt a small amount of guilt that I was at the RA to teach rather than view the exhibition but would likely get to see more of Hockney's exhibition as a result. It was a lovely time, a good number of department members wanted to see Brushes app demoed, the variety of styli that I'd brought with me and so on. I didn't get to take a picture (completely forgot DOH) but it was just a lot of fun and they were an excellent class (bar the trouble makers at the back who were taking pictures of themselves and defacing them ;) but that was all part of the experimentation of the session). Later that night the learning team were hosting a group of young people and I wish I could have stayed but I had another thing to dash off to at 6.
Once I finished showing the app it was a half hour back in the Hockney exhibition. I'd already been on the teacher day and had thoroughly enjoyed the larger percentage of what was on show. What I hadn't got to see as much as I wanted to were the videos and it was an odd feeling to walk past everyone else viewing the images on display with the mind to get to one of the final rooms. When I'd been there last time a number of teachers had been asking me about iPad art (I had been drawing off and on through the exhib) so I only caught part of the video room. This time I sat there for as long as I had and it is just the most interesting wall of imagery I can imagine. Fabulous stuff.
After that it was back to Waterloo to pick up a friend who was joining me for the next talk and back on the Bakerloo line to Marylebone for the London Mac User Group. Fab stuff. I've been a few times now and get on very well with the audience anyway but to stand in front and talk away - I was nervous and as always I forget the planned notes I have and afterwards have forgotten everything I said during the time on stage. Everyone seemed happy with the demo and it got a good round of applause so my inner Egozilla slept well that night, all cities conquered or at least laid to a good deal of destruction.
What's next? Today it's holiday club for 25 10 year olds doing artwork, shrink plastic and mini-books. After that? Holiday club on Weds. After that? All sorts of interesting stuff, I just don't know what that is yet...