The Broken Biscuit: More Biscuit Factory!!!

More adventures of what I found in the Biscuit Factory!

I'm slightly obsessed with birds at the moment - I love that they can just be so free and limitless, something which I aspire to be. They have such grace and beauty; I find them beautiful yet so mysterious. My favorite bird is the hummingbird as they come in such a array of colours and are small fragile creatures, like me! I think I could do a whole catwalk collection on hummingbirds!

However, currently I am fascinated by crows, ravens and rooks. They are normally associated with death or bad omens but I see them as art in motion, like unwanted inkblots on the brilliantly blue painted sky. I think its their rough and messy look that attracts me too them because my work and illustration style is messy and unfinished. Also I love the colour black haha!

Here are some bird related art that I discovered at the Biscuit Factory:

Box Book
by Sarah Morpeth

Torquils Book
by Sarah Morpeth

I am in love with artist Sarah Morpeth's box paper creations! Hopefully my photos do her art justice, as they were visually stunning to look at, with all the paper covered in typography in a variety of sizes and font. I adore how the black and brown colours bleed into each other on the trees featured in the 'Torquils Book' piece.

Although there was a lack of information at the exhibit, I assume that the pop up books are created by hand cutting the shapes as well as using a laser cutter machine. Sarah Morpeth's work reminds me of internationally known paper cut out artist Rob Ryan - both have exceptional talent and a beautiful design aesthetic. 

http://www.sarahmorpeth.com/

Nest detail cut out
by Rob Ryan

Birds always remind of the story 'Skellig' by David Almond, which I read as a child as part of our reading requirement in secondary school, and I also performed the play version in an amateur theatre group. The story is exceptionally written with dark undertones, as a young boy finds a disturbing creature like man in his shed who likes to eat Chinese food. It is never revealed if man is indeed human, a bird, a fairy tale creature, or in fact a fallen angel; I love the obscurity! 

Skellig by David Almond

Here is another find from the Biscuit Factory; two beautifully haunting crow/man sculptures that captured my imagination and artistic eye. Again, they remind me of 'Skellig' or something sinister you would find at the bottom of your garden where fairies live.

Crowman
by Zoe Robinson
made of Wire

Their rough, wired, and skeletal appearance and somewhat chilling aura, makes me think of the recent film "Black Swan". The love of dark and twisted things that resides in me, connects deeply with the messages and story in Black Swan. I know many people have had a marmite experience with this film because of its dark content and disturbing approach to Swan Lake, but to me, this is what acting and life is all about. Life isn't always peaches and cream, the world can often be a mysterious and dangerous place. I try to include elements of this belief in my own artwork; I like to take dark and macabre subjects and find the beauty within them.

Von Rothbart
main antagonist in Swan Lake
Image from film Black Swan

From a fashion outlook, the costumes in the Black Swan made me want to go back into acting! Or start designing my own bird inspired outfits, which would help towards that bird catwalk show dream of mine haha. 

I love the style of illustration used below, as it is very simplistic yet heavily focused on the detail in both costumes. It also makes me happy that both drawings have very long thin legs! Although fashion drawings are meant to have overly long legs, I am often criticized about how thin I make the legs on my own illustrations - if a costume designer can draw them this thin, why can't I?

Costume Design drawings from Black Swan

And finally I leave you with a picture of the stunning Natalie Portman in her gorgeous Odile costume; a superb actress, whose performance I could never take my eyes off.

What are feelings about the film "Black Swan"?

What is your favorite bird?

love Doll xXx

p.s. I also love magpies, as I am a self proclaimed fashion magpie myself! Next week I'll start my jewelry posts called Magpie Land - look out for them :)