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Bruno Munari's faces

2022-10-15

3 minute read

High of 18, partly clowdy, chance of a shower.

I woke up feeling hungover, despite having a sober night in my room trying to make a zine. The cost of artistic production is heavy on the body.

My plans around the weather yesterday were mostly right. I spent far to long shopping, looking for farofa at the asian supermarket and choosing paper stock for a zine.

a zine about bees

I set my heart on making this zine about bees, and bought yellow paper to put it on. 3 or 4 hours last night of painstaking 3D production had me ready to give up, it seemed absolutely hopeless. I remembered how I felt with the pig zine (apples for the pit), sat with the feeling, and continued. I was very tired, but finished about 12:30am with a direction I'm happy with. It's easy to forget the sinking feeling I hit, almost without fail, with any new creative project. I reach a point where I look at what I've done and I think "this is the worst thing that's ever been created, and I'm the fool for putting so much time into something so shallow, talentless and derivative." The trick is to keep making it anyway.

I felt a little silly having already bought the yellow stock, hitting a point in the night where I thought "maybe this wont be about bees after all" and I'd already spent a whopping $3.50 on 25 sheets of yellow paper.

black and white cartoon image of bees black and white cartoon image of bees black and white cartoon image of bees

After these ones I stopped and felt that oppressive self doubt I mentioned before.

black and white cartoon image of bees black and white cartoon image of bees black and white cartoon image of bees

I'm happy with the look of the bees in these last ones, and I like the line sketch foliage as the primary environment. I took a note as I was going to sleep - "scribble actual flowers". I realised the scribbles will more charming if I draw actual flowers that exist, and are frequented by bees. As for actual content, well that's a way off yet. I need to read through bumblebee.org again, maybe some others. I feel as I felt in Uni, when I would start to write an essay and realise I needed to research first. We grow older, and stay the same.

Another note I didn't write down but I remember thinking as I was drifting off: Bruno Munaris faces from Design as Art. The bee's could have more interesting faces (though we will see, I do love a dot-eyed blank face)

Here's a spread, from this behance feature an array of different styles to render what could be a face, by Bruno Munari

I'm also going to think about composition more, having Paul Klee's voice still ringing in my mind.

deep water free solo

The title of this section is taking from Johnny, a friendly guy at burnley wall, who openly confessed "I stole that joke from someone else". If it's worth telling once etc.

My plans around the weather were mostly right because I arrived at the wall and while it wasn't raining, it was wet. Everything is connected, and what happens upstream flows downstream.

Burnley bouldering walls being flooded by the Yarra river Burnley bouldering walls being flooded by the Yarra river Burnley bouldering walls being flooded by the Yarra river Burnley bouldering walls being flooded by the Yarra river

Johnny is one of the people I meet at the wall who are extremely friendly, and easy to talk to. It's always a joy to see him. It's the kind of energy I want to bring to the wall, too often I show up shy and quiet.

listening to

Another in the purchased bandcamp haul:
Plegarias 2021 from Amēn Discos - a compilation album of the various artists on the label

questions