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.

Friday Favouites - End of exams

Today I had my last AS exam for the summer, which means exam season is over for me. After the busy time of exams and revising it is good to relax. I'm trying not to think about results day. I tried my best and hope I do okay. I don't get to relax for long though as I start work for my next A2 exams on Monday.

Now exams are finished I have more free time to dedicate to this blog. This is the first in my Friday Favourites series, I have wanted to do for a while, where I will talk about anything. This series will make sure I am dedicated to making new posts each week.

Although it is important to revise, it is also important to take a break. For me my break from revision usually consists of drawing, Tumblr/Instagram and watching YouTube videos.
What do you do as a break from revision?

If you are still taking exams I wish you good luck and hope you do well

One year of blogging

On this date last year I made my first blog post. A year ago I was still at high school and a lot has changed since then. Since starting this blog I have left High School, had my prom, had an amazing summer, started A-Levels, met new people and made strong friendships. As always the year has had it's ups and downs but I want to focus on the positives.

Within the last year I have made a range of posts. I have talked about my interests in art, started a Tumblr Favourites series and more personal stories about my life and the observations I have made. For me I find this blog as a place to share my thoughts and interests. My posts have recently become less focused on my personal life and more on other things. But a year on I still have more ideas for blog posts which I look forward to sharing.

Most importantly by starting my own blog I have discovered new blogs I like to read and have received some lovely comments from people who have taken the time to read a post. I am grateful that there are people who have enjoyed reading my blog.

Whether you have just found my blog or have been there since the beginning, thank you so much for taking notice of my little blog. I really appreciate it.xx

Here is a picture of me when I first started blogging. It was inspired by a photo I had seen on Zoella's blog.