Reflection

I've had huge mental and physical block with this project which prevented me from really wanting to get started. While my tutors were incredibly helpful with helping me select my texts from the library at the beginning of the module in October, I had trouble accessing them for many weeks while waiting on a sighted PA. Time was lost when the PA arrived as her reading comprehension wasn't suited to the material, she wasn't used to assisting university students (only young school children) and I received a number of strange comments from her, making me feel even further estranged from my work. With no friends in Leeds or on the course I had no one to ask and only had access to my books, finally, over the Christmas period when I met with a good friend (an impartial source who is a Masters student in London with no interest in illustration or fairytales, he is very much a postmodern conceptualist!) who very kindly spent some time with me to record some key quotes from my texts. Even with other sources that were provided to me, my motivation and my mood was low with what happened with my PA and COP felt like such an impossible mountain that I couldn't even begin to climb. The Christmas period was difficult with having a chest infection for a month and eventually needing antibiotics and having to face home where I'm a carer for my mum.

I am happy with my project proposal, essay outline, bibliography, breadth of research resources that I will explore in more detail in my own time as I am sure I will be resubmitting this module when need be (potentially June?), and the contextual research I have composed so far. The deadline has pushed me to get started properly and acquainted with my work again and I feel I have made some good progress to the start of this year - especially with my illustrations. Using strong symbols of the wolf, the moon and running Red, with the concept of her running away at the start of the zine to then be running toward the wolf, coupled with strong colours of black, red and white give this project a visual identity and some kind of end product. I will, of course, be composing my essay and will seek academic support though student welfare for additional support, comfort and some inspiration to get started and that it's okay that this has happened. I don't fear writing or COP but just lost my steam and had many barriers.

I will now continue the uphill climb in my own time!

Zine Work: Digital Illustrations and Experiments

Playing with images and symbols of the running Little Red Riding Hood, the hungry wolf, a moon, and highlighting his carnal nature and beast qualities through sharp points on his mouth and eye. I'd like to start the zine this way, Red running from the wolf in the way as we know... 

Showing next a series of, what I referring to when creating them, "sexy wolves" - the desirable wolves that women often find themselves running towards - especially seen in Angela Carter's story where the wolves are more desirable than the men, the men being the beasts and the animals! The experiments will be whittled down to the ones I find most successful for the final zine.

Ending with, Little Red did end up in the Wolf's bed after all - but of her own free will and attraction to him. Is this more successful with a wolf's head or without? I will need to draw sexy wolf's head for this to work.

I will place my essay throughout the zine between these illustrations showing the metamorphosis of the Little Red Riding Hood Story as a cautionary tale to children to then becoming that of a desirable story for feminist women, choosing the wolf over the man and making her own decisions. It is my vision to have the zine look like a story book but it depends on how much time I have.