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.   

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.

 

 

Mapping the City

I have decided to document my journey from Manchester to Breadbury.
In order to get to Breadbury, I will need to walk to Piccadilly train station then get the train to Breadbury.

People mention that I describe a lot, so I descibe what I saw, heard and sensed.

As a starting point, I have written down a list of items I carried with me.

I have also used photography to record my surroundings.

 

 

Instead of taking photographs from usual angles, I started to think about seeing things differently, for example, taking photographs from below, because I took Fiona, my dog with me on the journey, I thought it would be interesting to adopt her point of view, therefore, I have used black and white images.

 

Later on, I have used my images as a template and worked on them with black ink, I drew a list of objects, in the order that I walked past them, and I have placed them on a piece of paper, thinking about the composition to represent my journey.

 

 

 

I have also tried to draw straight lines while on the train to recreate the movement changes on the train.

 

Thrying to push the idea of mapping the city further, I plan to collect found objects to create a collage, so I can relate this idea to collecting data.

 

I can also use the found objects as a drawing tool and use it to record my movements on a piece of paper.

 

I plan to look at related artist, Candy Jernigan for inspirations of found object in order to push my ideas further.