Tumblr Favourites - June 2014

Here are some of my favourite posts from my Tumblr this month. You can look at my favourites from last month here.

This month I have had the usual inspirational quotes, humorous gifs and pictures of Benedict Cumberbatch. I usually share any gif from F.R.I.E.N.D.S and any funny play on words, such as the first two images below.
However this month I have mainly been blogging about artists and landscapes. On Tumblr you can find artwork by some amazing artists who have created some stunning pieces.
The landscapes I reblog are usually of iconic buildings or streets in cities, such as New York or London. But I also like to reblog photographs of skylines. I have always liked looking at the sky during different times of day to see the change in lighting and the cloud formations. I have noticed them even more since my art exam when I focused on painting clouds. This is probably why they have featured a lot on my Tumblr this month.

 

 

 

Friday Favourites - My NCS Experience

Last year I took part in NCS (National Citizenship Service) which was a scheme that allowed people from schools across areas to join together in team activities and charity work. At the start of Sixth Form I was and still am very quiet. I wanted to improve my confidence and decided to join the scheme. A good coincidence is that some of my friends also joined the scheme, which is good as at least I knew some people. The scheme took place during half-term which gave us a break after the start of A-Levels. I thought I would share some of the memories with you.

We went on a residential and were put into groups. At first I only knew one person in the group, but by the end we all knew each other. We took part in a range of activities, such as team trust, archery, rifle shooting, raft building and quad biking. I was also lucky to have a good group of people in my room, who I can call friends. There were eight girls in a room sharing one small bathroom... bit of a problem at times but we coped. We called ourselves the Narnians as we were in the 'Narnia room'. Each night we all sat in our room play card games and sharing sweets. Once we all laughed so much that we were heard by the rest of the group. It was a great way to spend the evening and most of us didn't miss having internet or phone signal.

One of my favourite memories was when we had no electricity for over twenty four hours. We spent our final night surrounded by the light of candles and torches. The caters at the camp even started a bbq as there was no other way to cook. We all started to sing spontaneously and very loudly, which started by one table singing 'We will rock you' by Queen.



An edit made by another member of the group

After the week had ended we started work on our charity projects. Our group met up once a week to discuss and organise our event. As a group we organised a fun run at a football ground which took place in December. Unfortunately the British weather was not on our side and it rained most of the evening. But that didn't dampen our spirits. A group of us were outside all evening motivating the people who were kind enough to run in the rain. We still enjoyed the event, even if some thought it could have gone better. We still managed to raise over £300. Not bad for six weeks work.

In January everyone was invited to a graduation where we received our certificates and watched videos from the scheme. It was good to meet up with people again, although some didn't attend graduation.

Overall I am glad I took part in the scheme as there are a lot of funny memories and private jokes that we still laugh about. Since taking part in the scheme my social skills have improved and my family noticed a good change in my confidence.

Most of the group at graduation

Friday Favourites - Disney Concept Art

I have enjoyed watching Disney films from a young age. Some of my favourites are Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and Mulan. I like watching the more recent Disney princess films and each Disney Pixar film.

Although I enjoy watching the films, I find it interesting to learn about the process of creating the films. I have a particular interest in the art aspect of the animation and find it fascinating looking at concept art used to help make the final scenes and characters within the films. It's good to look at the different illustration styles of the artists who work on the concept art. The examples below look at both character representation and the staging of important scenes in the films.

What is your favourite Disney film?

The Fault in our Stars Advanced Screening

Last Thursday I was lucky enough to go to The Fault in our Stars Advanced Screening. I can honestly say the film is amazing and I have never seen a film that is so close to the book. The film stayed true to the book, which was helped by the author John Green being on set for filming, and the actors had considered the importance of the characters and their relationships.

Although I have read the book and know the storyline, I still managed to cry. The acting and setting kept the audience engaged and some people were crying within the first five minutes. I know that this may seem like a strange selling point, but I think people cried because you become attached to the characters and the story of growing romance. Then you become sad when you realise the story is taking a sad and upsetting path. But the film and book handle the situation beautifully and is sensitive to the circumstance.

When we arrived at the cinema we were given a special The Fault in our Stars poster and lanyard. I have included photos of the items and the special screen inside the cinema. This is a film that myself and my friends enjoyed. The book is slowly being pasted around our group of friends and has been a huge topic of conversation.

If you are also in the UK there isn't long to wait. The film opens on tomorrow and you will not be disappointed, just be prepared to cry though.

Friday Favourites - Put your own stamp on something

Last week I was asked by my Nanny to decorate my Great Nanny's walking frame with daises. This was to help make my Nanny's frame recognisable amongst the other residents' frames. I hand painted daises on to each side of the frame, one side is pictured below. I was happy to do this and even happier when I saw how happy my Great Nanny was.

Since finishing the painting I have been thinking about how we put our own stamp on things. This could be through something big as decorating a room to something small, such as personalising luggage labels or phone cases. In our house we've been known to decorate items such as watch straps and bookmarks.

Have you ever personalised items or created something new from recycled items?

Making the most of the sunshine

Here in Britain we've had a change in the weather. Recently it's been a lot warmer which is lovely as I've been able to spend more time in the garden. Instead of staying inside doing school work or staring at a computer screen, I've been encouraged to venture outside in the sunshine and read a book. This weekend I've already read two books and wore on five blog posts. Seems like the good weather has actually made me more productive.

This is an ideal way to relax and start the summer. I don't know how much longer the good weather is going to stay here though. Hope you are having a good weekend.

What I'm currently reading

Classic movies

Today I thought I would have a quiet day of staying in bed with food and some classic movies. Sometimes you just need a day of watching TV and films. Today I chose to watch Breakfast at Tiffany's, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, My Fair Lady and Roman Holiday. Thinking about it I had a bit of an Audrey Hepburn day, with the exception of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.