New York

In November I was able to go to New York for just under a week. I found this to be an irreplaceable experience and I wish I had drawn more while I was there as I found inspiration there but didn't have the time or resources to linger somewhere drawing. In the future I  would love to go back and find places to sit and draw everything from real people living their lives to completely made up characters inspired by the place. 

While there I managed to go to MoMA, unfortunately this is pretty much the only photo I got as the rest were of the name of artists and pieces I liked (so I do further research later). However it did remind me about how the environment a piece of work is placed in can add great importance, If that wallpaper was just up in a shop it would either be for humour or would be considered offensive. While in a gallery it seems to question what is taboo or perhaps its not even that but within the gallery space it is appreciated more than it ever would anywhere else.

I also wanted to say about how I went to the natural history museum as well, The photo is of a christmas tree inside the natural history museum that was decorated with origami natural history (largely dinosaurs), which I thought was ingenious. While MoMA was interesting and enjoyable I actually found the natural history museum much more inspiring. I found being interested in the subject I was looking at whether it was plants, animals or space inspiring. Finding out new and interesting facts would make me want to share those with people and to do that through drawing. This is something I would be really interested in doing in the future. One of the rooms in the museum was dedicated to sea life (something I am very interested in), I doubt I will ever forget that room as it gave me the most peaceful feeling I have ever felt. In that room I could easily draw all day and not get restless. The room had two levels in a large open space, above was a giant blue whale replica and on the glass ceiling the reflection of the ocean was projected. The room was kept dim and ocean noises and whale song played while you would walk along the walls looking at the exhibits. I aim to go back there one day and sit a draw the entire time.

As I went in November the entire city was decked for Christmas, You would casually walk past giant baubles and fairy lights as you went to the subway but by far the most impressive were the window displays. All of them were beautiful and impressive but the ones above from the Macy's window impressed me the most. They weren't necessarily the most skilful or the most beautiful (though they were both of those) it was that you could see the design. When I looked at it I could see how someone had drawn these out and planned the narrative story for each window, on top of this there was also an animation to show the story progressing. The animation was beautifully done and you could look at the character on the screen and see how perfectly he was made into a 3D moving object. It really shows me how illustration can be used in the real world and how important the space you are working to is.