Summer Project: Part two, Inspirations

During the summer holiday, I have looked at a few different artists for inspirations, in order to help me to develop new ideas. Such as Picasso and the idea of using colours to represent the mood. E.g. The Old Guitarist, 1903- 1904.

For the experiment, I have used black papers, instead of my usual choice white paper. I tried to use colours express how I felt toward this person in the painting. However, I felt like I am still trying to paint photographically, so I had a second attempt.  

 

Figure 1: First attempt




Figure 2: Second attempt

I feel good about the second attempt, because I have gained better control of using colours to representing the mood and border movement within the stroke.





Figure 3: Sketchbook

In order to help with the creativity, I have purchased Wreck This Journal, 2007 by Keri Smith. In the book, there are tasks and one of them is ‘collect outdoors objects only’, I have combined this with another task ‘collect circle objects only from outdoors’.

I not only collect, I have also created. Using daisy chains to create circles.





Figure 4: Magpie painting

To improve and bring the found objects to another improvement, I have used found object as the background for me to paint on. Out of interest, I have painted a magpie, I like the textures of the found object on the paper, and instead of using paint only, I have found a nail vanish that match the feather colours of a magpie. Therefore, when looking at the painting in different angles, the colours changes on the wings.

Also, I have involved text work within the painting for composition, ‘One for Sorrow’. Bringing the context of the magpie rhythm.

 

 

 

 



Figure 5: Kelly Chun, 2014



Figure 6: Kelly Chun, 2014

 

 

In the summer, I was working in a nightclub in Blackpool, called Domain. The expectation of the job brief is very different from Manchester, (For in the past I have worked at a few events in Manchester.)

For Domain, the focus point are the laser lights. Therefore, I need to capture the lights on camera shots and to make it look more interesting, I have used a fisheye lens and learnt how to use long explosion in the process.

 

During summer, I started painting the environments around me, such as people that I know, see figures 1 and 2. 

I had a moment of working indoor only. When ‘Wreck this Journal’ is all about outdoor experiment, I used that to help me combines my strength in painting and working with found objects.

I had an opportunity to collaborative with Domain, which I have learnt not only working independently, but to fit my clients need and what they ask for.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Adobe Illustrator Motifs Design

I have been using Adobe Illustrator to create at least one motif design, I was resisting using any Photoshop to design, because I am rather a handmade person, but it is unavoidable, because nowadays it is an advantage to know how to use Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator. When I was at the digital workshop session, I was losing my temper over the learning process, but I have decided to book a one to one support session and continue to work on my technology skills.

My Adobe Illustrator motif design’s inspiration came from a book called The Secret Code by Priya Hemenway (2008).  This talks about ‘the mysterious formula that rules art, nature and science’, which in other words means the proportion of measurements. I thought it would be a good idea to use Adobe Illustrator to create some of the motif designs, because they are difficult to draw by hand, because precise measurement is needed. 

I have experimented with different shapes and positions on the Adobe Illustrator, the more I use it, the more I explore what I can do using this software, for example, changing the line design from thick to thin to create  movement, like a brushstroke effect.

With motif designs it is not about making a picture, but to have different combinations in order to create designs in the future. Therefore, I am using these shapes that I have created through the computer to link my hand made design together, because my handmade designs were more drawing based, where I think these computer designs would fit nicely in the background or maybe overlapping.

Motifs Designs - Drawings (Part 2)

Sketchbook Drawing - Pigeon



I thought of using blocks of colour as a background, because I tend to work on white sheets of paper, with black fine liners, therefore, it always ended up black and white. I thought of adopting Egon Schiele’s drawing style, having unfinished pieces. In this drawing I thought of using different colours that I have developed in my colour palette and painting them into blocks, however, while I was trying to create the white wash effect, the paint bled and overlapped with the other colour, it was rather accidental in the process. I have a collection of found objects and I used the cork to create mark making.

 

Sketchbook Drawing - Tiger

 

I adopted a tiger through WWF, it is named Kamrita. Therefore, I been receiving letters about tigers, inside those letters are photographs of tigers, bookmarks and information about tigers.

I thought of how I can relate these letters to my project, so I started drawing them by using the photographs I received as a research base and I am planning to draw a series of tigers, by studying their movements.

 

I thought of using paper cut outs for my motif designs. However, after a conversation with teaching staff, some suggestions were made. When I use paper cut outs, I lose the quality of my drawings, because most of my drawings contain movement. Therefore, I will be more experimental with my use of media. Another suggestion was that I have a habit of working from the corner and this means that my drawings/ designs have been cut off. In motif designs, it is best to have a drawing or design with a shape of its own. For example, the bird skeleton has a shape of its own and is not limited by the paper. I will be more considered with my future work and think about the scale that I will be working on.

Over the holiday, I have been collecting found natural objects, and I developed an interest in their shapes. I started to use line drawings to create a design.

I plan to work on black material, such as black paper, use white paint and a paint brush to work with in my next drawing, because this way I can work out the negative and positive, and it would be clearer while working on screen-printing. In screen printing, if I were to design a drawing on to white paper with black pen, the black area is where the colour would be transferred to while printing.

Motifs Designs - Drawings

I have always been interested in animals, but I have started to look at them from another perspective. For example, I started looking at the dead pigeons, because this subject was overlooked and I thought of how I can transfer the image into print design.

Sketchbook Drawing - Dead Pigeon

I like to work with fine-liner pens; because it creates a sketching effect, I do not enjoy drawing with pencils, because I hate the idea that it can be corrected by rubbing it off the paper. With a pen, once the mark is made, it cannot be undone. I start off by using continuous line drawing to roughly mark down the proportion with a pencil or a graphite stick, but I never use a rubber.

One issue that I have found with the 0.5mm fine-liner pen is that the line it creates is too fine, which makes it hard or even impossible for the print to be produced. I discovered that the safest way is to use 2.0mm or a bigger number.

I then started to look into pigeons’ skeletons and be experimental with my drawings.

 

Sketchbook Drawing - Pigeon Skeletons

Also, being experimental I have used straight lines only to draw a skeleton of a pigeon.

 

I have used the feathers that I have collected to create mark making on the paper and tea stains and Indian ink to draw them. I thought of developing this kind of work by looking into mark making and combining it with found objects.

Things I might explore: I have liked Jackson Pollock’s work, because it is full of energy.  I have also started to develop an interest in working with hair. Therefore, I plan to experiment with this direction. 

100 meter line

I admire Candy Jernigan's work, she is known as a found object artist.
 

My first idea to represent 100 meter line was to go to Whitworth park and use a 100 meter long string to tie two trees together and fill the space in between with the lines.

However, I know there is no such thing as original, because there's always some artist somewhere who has done similar things, but still, I would like something that came from my own idea and to know that I wasn't just adopting another artist's approach without being interested in their work.  

 

I used found objects, I collected twigs, and later I selected 3 out of a bunch, and I hammered one on the wall, and used a roll of thread to tie the 2 together, to create a sense of flowing, the shadows reflected the threads and the twigs, I know the thread did not create 100 meter length, but I was looking at how the light and shadow, positive and negative space multiplied the line. 

           


 

 

 

 

Later on, I was looking at Candy Jernigan's work and I like how she uses different ways to represent her found objects, through collage and drawings.

I have taken this idea from her on board, it happened accidentally. My dog chewed up the twigs I found at the park, and she also chewed up my Embroidery wooden hoop in to many pieces. I used those wooden pieces and placed them in five orderly lines, and another piece at the other side of the paper. I then started to draw them, drawing the found objects, within the found objects themselves.

 

Sampling - Print

The task was to peel off the vinyl and use it to draw a continuous line drawing, in the process the vinyl might snap, it might stick togther taking two lines or more.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=726415747368699&l=4095143104314127170

(See the link for video of the process)

Working in a team of six, we decided to give one another a role to do. So, someone filmed the process and someone did the peeling and we all did something. Working in a team, showed that we all have different ways of thinking. I jumped in and went ahead and started peeling. Thinking about it afterward, I realised I acted without discussion with my team members, which might have made them feel left out. Having roles worked well, once we decided what we were doing. I felt like I learnt how to communicate a bit more clearly with others and to compromise.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=726418410701766&l=489980301429716867

(See the link for video of the process)

For example, I suggested to use the positive space and negative space of the vinyl and wall, then another member of the team was more interested in 3D, and at the end, our ideas combined togther.

 

 

Friday drawing day

Using kinder egg's toy to create mark-making. 

Shoes Drawing

 

I have always been a big fan of Egon Schiele, because of his style, how he uses paint to highlight tone, create depth and his way of addressing twisted body shapes by using expressive lines.

 

In my work I was trying to response to that style, by using different shades of blue paint for blue shoes only, different shades of red for red shoes and so on. In each pair of shoes drawing, I was also experimenting different drawing style. On the left, (blue shoes) I have first used continuous line drawing, then working with different shades of blue to fill in the form. However, I have left it unfinished, because some of Egon Schiele's work was left part coloured in.
In the middle, I have used white paint to highlight the light area on the shoes, but on the right side I have started thinking about using the background itself as the positive space.

 

For example, Russian prisoner of war, 1916.

I thought this way of working draw more attention to the work itself and also showing having the skills of photographic drawing, but having thought about the compostion in another level of working.

Open blanket stitch

The colour on the background are accidental, I have been using this piece of fabric for ironing my ink-up receipts, therefore, the ink stain got onto the fabric.
Then I have started cut out coloured fabric and place them on top in a collage way and used chain stitch, french knots and open button hole to creates the petals of the flower, on each flower, I was trying to creates more details by creating smaller loops.

French knots sample

On the chose of fabric, I have chosen to use already dyed, because I do not enjoy working with white background, I have started to develop my own colour palette. However, I still sometimes photoshop my work into black and white, just to give it a dramatic effect.
On the fabic, it already has machine stitch as the background and I have worked onto it with french knots to bring out the textures, I have focused on the foldes of the fabric and used french knots to hold the folds together.

Overall, I like the worn out textures.  

Transferring chance cards drawing in textile work (part 2)

This is a photocopy of what I have done in overall, on the left hand side is my textile work inspired by a mushroom, in the middle is some ribbons I have found and I have started to loop them together, because I have been taugh to do the open blanket stitch, but I have found it difficult to remember which way I should put my needle, therefore, I have thought of recreating this hand stitch technique without having to use the needle.

This is my without needle open blanket stitch, or looping.

Transferring chance card drawing into textiles work

This is a photograph of a mushroom that I have found in Withworth Park, I have taken this as my inspiration and starting point.

This is a photograph of my samplings, I have picked out one of the chance cards: draw with 20 lines. I have first drew a mushroom, then adding my own instruction to, which was: draw with 20 lines, after that use a rubber to rub out the drawing and repeat as many times as needed. Therefore, the drawing would ended up with rubbed out lines as well as the new ones. 

Then I have transformed that into textile work, first I have studied the colour of the mushroom and decided to use a rather light weighted fabric to represent that, however, I have later on added threads onto it ,but leaving the middle empty, because in the picture above, all the lines based around and leaving the middle part empty. 

French Knots Sample

This is a task of using French Knots only. I have decided not to work on fabric but to work on a plastic wallet. Therefore, it shows the back of my needle work as well as the front.
I was trying to transfer a henna design my friend have done on my upper arm into textile.

This was a birthday present that was given to me by my friend. I was inspired by the complicated lines, I have tried to use different types of threads to repersent the line quality, such as using machine threads as well as hand-stitch threads.

However, I thought continue to work on this piece.

Cornely Manchine Sample 3

I have used the Cornely Machine as a drawing tool in order to draw a continuous line drawing, after I have gained more control and experience over it. Again, this is from one of my still drawing in my sketchbook and I have transfered it into textiles.

This is a still life drawing that I have done, I have overlapped different types of drawing styles together, such as continuous line drawing, using straight lines only, both hands drawing together, left handed drawing and standing up and looking over my drawing gives me an over view and better movement of the way I draw, for I have not only used my hands but my arms.

Cornely Machine Sample 2

After I have gained more experience at the Cornely Machine, I have more control over it. I have used my drawings as a starting point and transfered that into textiles.

This is the drawing that I have worked from, this drawing was done in using non-drawing tools. I have studied at a red leaf that I have found, I was looking at the way it folding it self after it has been dried out and how the colours changes. Then I have used different types of Cornely machine to repersent that, I have used moss stitch and chain stitch to address the vains on the leaf.

Cornely Machine Stitch, Sample

This is just a sample of using the Cornely Machine.
At first I have found it hard to control, for the Cornely Machine design is really different from a sewing machine, on a sewing machine I would have my hands on the fabic, foot on the paddle, in order to control the directions. Where on a Cornely Machine I have my foot on the paddle, but there is a handle under the table, even though I have step on the paddle, but the needle won't move unless I pull down the handle. Also the handle is where I have the control over the directions, like driving a car.

Shoes

This drawing is from one of the chance card task- Draw a drawing for 5 minutes for 60 minutes.
I have planned to draw both shoes, however, I have realised I have not spend my time evenly on both shoes drawing. Therefore, I thought of having one detailed drawing and one continue line blind drawing. I thought this way it makes the drawing look more intresting.

Non- Drawing tools

This is a drawing that I have done with non-drawing tools. I have chosen to work on A1 size and I have stick the paper on to the wall and working standing up, so I get an overview of my drawing.
I have used blind drawing technique to get the outline of the leaf. Then I have started to add more deatils of the leaf vains by using the paint straight from the paint tube and a very thin stick.
I have also used a sponge to create tone and let the paint drip down on to the page.
At the end, I have picked up my dog and used her claws to create mark making onto my drawing.

Using Indian Ink with different sized brushes

This is one of the drawing task from the chance cards - use Indian ink with different sized brushes.
I have taken a picture of the Manchester art gallery from the inside, because I thought the building was built with glass roofs and the natural sun light can shine through. I thought that was rather interesting to draw that. I mainly used line drawing to draw the stairwell. Also, watered down the ink to show the see thoroughness of the glass.

This is the actual photograph that I have worked from, it was taken in Manchester Art Gallery.

Drawing from Dust

This is one of the drawing tasks from chance cards - draw from dust.
I have found this task very interesting, because dust, no one ever bother to look at it, never mind touch it.
When I read the chance card, I thought about how I am going to present it.
However, I could not find and dust, therefore, I have used ashes instead. I have first used glue and throw ashes on top. Then I used my glue stick as a paint bush and went over it again.
I thought of this task as using unusually materials. Such as dust. Therefore I kept away from using the usual drawing tools, such as paint brushes.
After I made sure the ashes is staying on the page, I have used a stick to create mark making.
I like this drawing of mine, because it has movement, like the ashes is blowing in the wind.