The title of this module was "Coming to America" and we were set the task to visually portray what America has given or means to us. I chose to look at music because I never leave the house without my iPod and music has been a constant aid in my life, whether to motivate me, pick me up on a down day or continue my happy mood with an upbeat playlist. The majority of my music choices are from American artists and so it seemed only right to follow this idea. I love the 80's music scene with boomboxes and mixtapes and breakdancing in the streets so I chose to use this format for my final piece.

I created a boombox carry case for a series of illustrated tapes to sit in. I use recycled corrugated card for the entire boombox as it is one of my favourite materials to work with. I love the aesthetics of it and the range of textures and tones you can get depending on how you rip it, whether you squash it, wrinkle it or disect it.

The structure is fairly strong, enough that you can carry the box with all of the cassette tapes inside without it bending or weakening.

Above: Hand-drawn paper and lyrics sheet

 

Below: Nike AF1 repeat pattern

Above: Neon green spraypaint

 

Below: Neon spraypaint splatters

Above & Below: (same tape) rap battle and crowd stencil

Above: Rough 'homemade' mixtape

 

Below: Neon orange with black splatters

Above: Hand-drawn type (Eminem song titles)

 

Below: Experimental hand-drawn type

Above: Hand-drawn tape parts

 

Below: Hand-drawn music paper and notes

Below is the tape I am most proud of. It features different elements from a recording studio set up, all hand-drawn in pencil.

I also completed a miniature concertina booklet to fit inside one of the tape cases, displaying some of my developmental sketchbook work.

Above: Rap battle image with lyrics in background

 

Below: Tape illustration experiments

Below: Headphone girl with experimental spray paint texture