Wek 9

Final week of unit BA1a

my Primary concern this week was to focus on my 1000 word text, and research file, however I was able to develop some studio work. Below I've documented my process used to produce an a1 ink drawing influenced by my drawing machine.

Below is the finished drawing, I wanted to create a drawing in a far looser manor after having made the detailed a3 pencil drawing of the wolf/omen head. therefore I used acrylic inks which blew over the page using card, this gave me less control, and therefore gave the ink more freedom to create its own image. I used a quill to work back into the drawing to add details such as teeth.

 I've titled the image below, "At our core", as this is a visual representation of man's inner violence erupting from the core.

below I have used Edit workshop, in Photoshop to collage the drawing I made of the wolf/omen head with the digital omen head that I had previously made.

Again I see this more as another starting point than an actual outcome.

 As I previously said this week my main concern was to get the 1000 word text finished for the deadline on 13/11/2015, in the text I compared two pieces of contemporary artwork with my own practice; the two that I chose were Unknown 1 from Clara Lieu's series wading, and Folkert  de Jong's The Shooting...At Watou. Both pieces focus on similar ideas tomy own practice, whereas Lieu's work is based on the theme fear of loneliness, de Jong's work is mainly focused on conflict both of which have link to a larger theme of the human condition.

 

Week 8

This week was the fourth and final rotation through the workshops, this time I was based in the print making workshop focused on a project titled copy. This was primarily an introduction to screen printing. Below is the image I made to be printed, all the members of the group had to produce a small drawing which would then be combined. I chose to draw the omen head that I'd developed the week before.

The only printmaking I have previously done, is mono printing and lino cut, which in hind sight  prefer as I believe the matrix which you create to print from is just as if not as valuable as the print. However I was surprised to find out just how involved screen printing is, furthermore I consider it very effective, and I can appreciate it's value however I personally prefer to work using lino cut. below I have used photos to document the stages of the workshop.



We each printed two copies of the collection of images, one we would keep as it was the second we were instructed to take away and work into in any way we wished. I therefore chose to use sculpture, as I felt it was the most effective medium to convey the idea I had had when looking at the work, which was that these are collection of random images and thoughts from a collection of people, therefor this is an attempt to gather and manage our thoughts; and so I wanted to produce a piece of work which showed a visual representation of managing thoughts.

Therefore I firstly made a mud rock cast of a friends arm taking care to leave the underside open as a crevasse, (below).

 

 

Next I ripped the print up into individual images, before screwing each one up whilst leaving as much of the image visible as possible. (below)

I then stuffed these inside of the cast, below.

Below, Final piece "Managing the mind".

I have also developed the work from the previous week using both digital edit and collage from the image workshop. Below, using Photoshop I have edited a collage of two images, the edited white pencil drawing of the omen's head from last week with a photo of a snarling wolf, I chose a wolf as the clay figure I made bared great resemblance to a large canine. I really like this image as the ripples in the wolf's flesh as it snarls merge with the folds in the warped head. however I also see this collage as yet another starting point to be developed from. I find it intriguing how the beast is becoming more prominent than the man.

I'm starting to recognise that my practice is taking a different direction, I've found that whereas I originally began focused on the idea of distorted figures I'm now looking more into the darker characteristics of the human condition.

Below I have documented the process of drawing the refined version of the above image.

Below, I have developed the collage into a detailed a3 pencil drawing, this image incorporates all the themes I have so far studied and embodies them in a single form, however, to viewers who don't know what to look for these themes are not clear. 

 

 

Week 7

This week was the third workshop rotation, this time I was working on the project titled Image, which consists of painting and collage. We began by priming four a4 wooden boards, before using an unprimed a3 wooden board as a canvas for a painted study of an image we had to bring in. therefore I focused on the details of the left eye of a porcelain doll, the painting was made using only an inch thick, paint brush and black and white acrylic paint without water. I found that this made painting far more difficult, it also changed how I used the brush, I had to use it far more dramatically with bolder strokes and thicker paint. Below ive documented the process of painting my a3 monotype study.

Below is the finished painting which I was surprisingly pleased with, I don't enjoy painting as much as drawing therefore I approach most paintings and use numbers 0-8 round tip brushes, this means I can treat the rushes a if I were drawing. Therefore in this image I was expecting to struggle with the larger brush.

Below I have taken a photo of the finished painting and returned to the edit workshop, using Photoshop I have enhanced both the contrast and vibrancy, sharpening some areas and blurring others exposing the subtle colours within and expressing them dramatically.

 

next I produced a collage from a series of several coloured images that I'd gathered for the workshop from which I had to select a specific area of interest to make a second painting again with the inch wide brush and no water yet this time I could use colour and an a4 primed canvas. Below I have documented the process.

Above is the finished collage from which I have (below) selected the area of interest which I am going to base my painting on.

Above is the finished painting. from this workshop I have gathered that I don't like working with a single inch wide brush, the limitations to the work are both annoying and limiting to my own practice. furthermore I preferred working on the unprimed wooden board as it was a smoother and more appealing work surface.

Below I made a biro study in my sketchbook of the second clay figure that I made without looking. I like this new figure as it resembles  existing creatures like wolves or hounds, yet its so distorted that it actually resembles something entirely different. This is something that I find really interesting as now I have a visual representation of the human condition, a sinister unknown beast.

Below Ive combined the human and beast figures in a simple biro drawing, In this image I really liked the head, as it is distorted but the viewer still has a sense that it is a head. I therefore chose to develop the figures head further to do so I made a new drawing using fine liner which is below.

 Below is the head which I have developed, which is weird as it resembles in my eyes either a goat or a rabbit, however when considering that his head has been developed from a sinister them (human condition/violence/destruction) its interesting that this has began resembling a goat due to the visual links between the devil and goats. I want to avoid pursuing this idea as i'm more interested in human characteristics.

Above I made a second drawing of he head using white pencil on black card, I have made a drawing from highlights allowing the card to become the low lights. from this I took the image back to the edit workshop and began enhancing the contrast, and exposure, before using a low opacity airbrush with white paint selected to add these orbs as the facial features, sticking to the idea that the character has no facial features but still has the ability to see the viewer.