For the Research Methodology project I chose to look at bears. To begin the project I did some research into all eight species of bears, before focusing more specifically on the two species I was particularly interested in - the grizzly bear and the moon bear. I was interested in the bear's habitat and did some research on Yellowstone National Park, which involved reading articles and watching documentaries to familiarise myself with the visuals of the landscape and the way in which bears move and behave, as well as visiting the Natural History Museum in London to gather some first-hand research.
My findings from my research into Yellowstone led me to explore further the relationship between bears and humans. I looked at the long history of bear cruelty, learning about dancing bears within the Romani culture and how, in some parts of the world, the practice of training bears for circuses and the capturing of bears for bile farms is ongoing. I thought about how I could portray the stories of these captured bears and an initial idea I had was to write and illustrate a book for children.
During the process of developing my idea I thought about how some children's books illustrators expand their product further by creating merchandise along side their book. My idea was to create a brand, inspired by the name 'Moon Bear', which had appealed to me visually, particularly for a brand targeted at children. I went on to develop ideas for products I could make for a nursery collection - cushions, babygrows, wallpapers and framed prints. I realised this idea through fabric printing for the cushions and babygrow, and using photoshop to develop designs for the print and wallpaper samples.
Towards the end of the project my focus became much more visual than contextual. I was interested in the aesthetics of the products I was making - the lines and colours as well as the media and materials. Although the story book was not my final outcome, it was an important part of the process in developing the 'Moon Bear' collection. I would not have been able to do this as successfully without thoroughly researching the subject of bears.
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