Daksha’s drawing workshop

27/1/14 I have signed up for Daksha’s drawing workshop.

Daksha Patel has a collection of different types of objects, including natural objects and manmade objects, she explained that the idea is to use imagination to make connections between these objects, unlike museum displays, that create exhibits and group objects together in categories.

I was interested in natural objects, how their value changes over history based on opinions, for example, a rock of crystal, its value is based on size, colours, etc.  If the crystals were common, they wouldn’t be so valuable anymore.

Rockhounding Arkansas is a website that explains how the value of crystals is judged.

RockhoundingAR.com Copyright © 2011.

http://www.rockhoundingar.com/worth.php       

  The display of the collection by Daksha.

I made the connection between a crab shell, a goat’s teeth and manmade wax and feathers, I like the idea of bones and shells that were once a living creature, but their remains could last for thousands of years if kept in good conditions. 

The idea that people would kill in order to collect is like a desire to own an object, simply because it is rare. 

Daksha suggested that maybe it is natural to collect for us, because I told her I collect objects to remember things by.

 

I think this workshop was very helpful in inspiring me to think of ways to relate to my project, I, myself have a collection of different things, and I am planning to put that in my project, because most of my collection are natural objects and these are related to data. It inspired me to think of ways of composing and representing my collections.

Drawing, Distort and Warp

On Friday (17/1/14)  ‘drawing, distort and warp’ really helped me to understand the process of print making, because the task was to develop an awareness of colour and composition by observing with no tonal drawing. I brought my seashell for still life drawing, because it related to data, the way a seashell grows in a spiral. I drew it from different perspectives. 

Then I used gouache paint to fill in the drawing. If I looked at my drawing from a printer point of view, black and white, I would be able to see where the colours transferred onto the fabric. I have been trying to do this.

Although at first it seems that I am still using paint to draw lines, as I go on, it becomes clearer where the negatives and where the positives are, the balance between black and white. Then I used photocopying to help create collages. 

I used this new process to help me to look back on my drawings that I have done for my motif designs, then I used sharpies to fill in any areas where colour would be. It is a bit like colouring, because I used a pencil as a guide line, then used a fine-liner to draw continuous line drawing on top. Overlapping these two I get the positive, then I use a sharpie to fill in any areas that I want to be negative. I think, in print, you have to be able to see where the balance is. On my first attempt there was too much positive and not enough negative. Also, I need to think ahead, to be able to transfer positive and negative space the other way round, because I think in print, everything is backward.

 

 

I had another go at the flat colours (the bottom image above), but I was having difficulty in getting the flat colours, using flat colours is a bit like pop art, no blending. I thought of using the photocopier to photocopy my painting then using a pen knife to cut out the flat colour bits and representing these in a collage way. I thought this would be another way of working around it, in a way that I am most comfortable with.   

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.

 

 

The making of my works.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=704698019540472&l=3135599664767579340

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.  

Series of work, transferring chance card drawing into textiles

I have decided to work with the environment around me, in this case, my plants. I have observed different parts of the plant and used hand stitch to creates line drawings on the found object, receipt. 

I have first wet the recipes then used indian ink and dripping it on top, let the ink soak in, put it under the water and soften the colours and let it dry. 

  

I like the feel of papers and the marks it left of where the needles has been, I think papers requires looking after while working with it. However, tears marks can be interesting too. Working with receipts, it gives an idea of mapping the city, creating a connection outside the studio and ''leaving a foot print of where I have been.''