Tuesday, 15 November 2011

Foil and Flock

Here are some of my outcomes from the flock and foil print workshop we had. Am a big fan of the flock on material piece below. Unfortunately some of the prints created using metallic binder and foil haven't been uploaded as I couldn't get a picture of them as the flash just reflected. I didn't get as crisp of an outcome as I would have liked, some parts of the foil didn't stick to the glue. I feel these imperfections wouldn't have bothered me if the original image wasn't so detail driven.

At the very bottom is an Illustration taken from a photo that I will be using for the etching and lino printing workshop. I wasn't hugely inspired by drawing the landscape, so I tried to focus on detail again, getting in every pipe and window i could see. I also altered the perception a little as well so it sat in with the style of my other printed pieces. Not sure whether to add more detail to it or whether this will over do it. 
Hope you enjoy.





Thursday, 10 November 2011

Long time, no blog.


A few experiments for our new project "Ghost Portraits". We were given a list of famous people who died in tragic or peculiar ways. We then have the hard task of illustrating that person as a ghost and communicating how they died. I chose Jeff Buckley as i am a huge fan of his, and squealed a little when I found him on the list. Some are better than others, but I am enjoying toying around witht eh idea of negative space, the lack of eyes gives that ghostly feel, and the darkness of the figure is quite foreboding.




Wednesday, 2 November 2011

Get a new style...


Finished my design for flock and floral, blacked out some areas and made the lines bolder to make it more striking once printed. I'm very happy with how this turned out but wish i had given a little more thought to how the image would look after the print process, I would have perhaps done something using a lot of negative space, or something more abstract.


Then I completed my ghost tag, we had to make up a ghost and the story behind it. Apologies for the blurry text on the back.
Very happy with the different textures and thickness of lines in this small piece. find myself getting a little obsessed with the lines that are in his mouth and in the background. Not sure where i got the inspiration for it actually.








I thought I'd answer another of the questions on the Work Based Learning Brief today, so here goes.

What skills do you already have?

In terms of personal skills I feel I am very confident when it comes to communicating with people and getting my ideas across. I can speak about my own work well in front of tutors and peers and show people easily how the design process worked for me, from initial ideas, research to the final outcome.
I am passionate about things that I am proud of. If i feel I have produced a good piece of work I will be able to clearly tell you why I feel it is effective.
When it comes to personal time management I find i can easily motivate myself, and like to finish things earlier before deadline so I can reflect and improve on these things. More so recently, I have also tried to go up and beyond with my work level, rather than just delivering what is required of me.
I feel I have a good attitude towards working, and also with giving advice and constructive criticism and receiving it myself.
I think I am good at negotiating also, especially when designing things for clients. This is helped by having a healthy level of assertiveness also.

Tuesday, 1 November 2011

50 words essays and how hard they are.

The Married Couple by Maaike Schoorel
Oil on canvas
dutchartevents.com








This painting is, sadly for you, impossible to gague from a mere picture. It truly is a testament to galleries and how they can expand your knowledge and mind, by having the raw, full piece as it was intended right in front of you, begging and imploring you to study it.


Most will ignore this as simply a black background with white shapes on, but for me there lies a story of a couple trapped in a marriage they can no longer escape, due to tradition, fragility, dependence and reputation.
If you can visit the British Art Show at Plymouth Museum and have a good look at this painting, and make out these figures full of life and stories, created with a few swift strokes of the brush.


We were asked in Contextual Studies to respond with a 50 word essay on this piece.
Here is my entirely bitter and cynical response...



The Married Couple by Maaike Schoorel is a haunting, devastatingly dark portrait of a wife gripping her husband. A harrowing reflection on the man-made prison of marriage, where love once bloomed there is now only contentment with mundanity and routine as they fade, trapped, into old age and eventually death.


Some light reading for you there.