Thursday, March 18, 2010

Weekly Update March 18

This week I spent about 10-12 hours on my book.  Hannah encouraged me to work on paper, so I sketched out every spread on a mini book before I went to the computer.  




I then went to the computer and designed my first mock-up book.  I thought for awhile about how I want to tell this story visually.   I want this book to be image-dominant, as the photos themselves depict a natural narrative (images of tent city, using tarps to protect the tent city from snow, seeing the snow storm, etc.).  I am also incorporating quotes from my interviews with Joe.  





My meeting on Tuesday with Hannah went well; we talked about how I can improve the textual/compositional elements of my book by giving stronger emphasis to some images over others.  We also talked about using sentence breaks for the quotes.

We talked about the covers and felt that using the whole image on the cover is the most successful, as it sets the overall tone for the book.  

I made a second iteration of the book for today's class.  There are several pages so I will post a few spreads throughout this week.  

Critique was helpful, and everyone provided helpful feedback about type, placement, imagery, etc.  I asked my group about the book titles.  I am set on the subtitle:  One man's journey through homelessness.  But I am not so sure about the main title.  It is either "With a camera, without a home" or "Inside my tent looking out."  The first option is my voice, the second option comes from a caption Jay wrote for one of his photos.  We also talked about using his handwriting for the title, since it is his voice.  A few people liked the first title better, as it is most direct.  I am torn.

Here are a few layouts of the covers.




For my "Home" studio class, instead of working on a final project, Adrianne is allowing us to work on our IP during the rest of the semester.  I am very appreciative of this.  She is also going to work with me on the introduction/conclusion of the book.  We had a meeting on Wednesday and she pointed out that my introduction is somewhat lacking.  I haven't worked much on the intro. as I have been so focused on the imagery/text; this week I will really work on those elements of the book.

Overall I am really happy that I am making the book as it allows me to tell the story to the world, as well as document this project for myself.  

This week was exciting- it was so cool to see my article on AnnArbor.com.  I also learned that the volunteers presented my article to a town board meeting a few days ago.  They said it was very effective and it resulted in great conversation at the meeting.  

Joe gave me a call on Monday and I was really nervous as to how he would respond to the article- but he loved it.  He said he was almost crying while reading.  He thanked me for writing in a respectful way.  I told him about the book I was making and he was thrilled.  I told him I would of course give him a copy.

My goal is to finish this book by Monday, March 29.  That way I can send it out and get it printed in time for the show.  That means I need to be super productive.  I need to work on editing the images; I have 10 out of 25 done as of now.  

I also need to figure out which sound clips I want to present in the gallery.  


Yes this is a very overwhelming time but it's also exciting!  I need to work work work and enjoy it!



1 comment:

  1. This is really neat--you've chosen such a meaningful project. Keep it up, I know these last weeks pushing towards the end of the term are overwhelming!! [I found your blog via the Art & Design website]

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