Diploma Module 1 Chapter 2 – Use of Sketchbook - revisited

Following very helpful feedback from Sian, I am going to linger a little on this chapter to look at birds in flight.  Using the YouTube video Seagulls in flight, as Sian suggested, I paused it when I saw an interesting shape.  Then using monoprint and monotype techniques, which necessitate quick drawings, I made some prints.  Some were more successful than others!  I was hoping the initial, together with the ghost prints, might give me something useful for shadows. As this is normally an oil-based printing ink technique, there was some trial and lots of error, but it began to work with acrylic paint when I used retarder.  To slow the drying of acrylics while working I normally use a couple of drops of clear washing up liquid but either the stove was making the acrylics dry too quickly, or I was working too slowly, I had to resort to retarder.

Now I also have to admit, when I came to write up my blog, I wasn't sure how I made one of the prints (Images 135)...and I only did them yesterday! Senior moment!  Let's just hope I don't have to repeat it.  This brings the realisation of how important it is to write things down as you work, particularly on these quick print sessions, as speed is of the essence before the media dry out...and one does forget.

Image 122 - Drawing with Intense Blocks on clear Polyprop print sheet and given fine spray of water.

Image 123 - I tried to get a print of this...unsuccessfully!  The tissue disintegrated and two pieces of photocopy paper lifted nothing except a swirly black mess.  In hindsight, rather than spray the drawing I might have been better trying to lift the image onto a damp piece of heavy sketchbook paper as I seem guilty of over-watering. Decided to try another approach.

Image 124 - Using a home-made gelli plate about A5 size - gelli plate recipe - I inked the plate with Payne's Grey acrylic with Golden Retarder.  The drawing into the acrylic was done with a cotton bud and a print lifted on photocopy paper.

Image 125 - Transfer Drawing Monotype overlay sketch in biro (this was used again for tracing in Images 128 and 129).  The glass plate underneath was inked with Payne's Grey acrylic, rather too thickly as it turned out.

Image 126 - first print from above.

Image 127 - second print

Image 128 - using the sketch produced in Image 125 another series of prints was made, again inking the plate with Payne's Grey acrylic and this time adding Golden Retarder to slow down the drying time whilst spreading the paint thinner on the plate.

Image 129 - second print from above

Image 130 - Transfer Drawing Monotype overlay sketch in biro, on glass plate inked with Payne's Grey acrylic but without retarder.  Paint drying before print produced.  Also forgot to put another piece of paper under the paper I was drawing on with the biro so the printed image is on the reverse of the biro sketch.  Whoops!

Image 131 - Print from above.

Image 132 - Ghost print from above.

Image 133 - Plate from above after images taken.

Image 134 - Transfer Drawing Monotype overlay sketch in biro on glass plate inked with Payne's Grey acrylic without retarder.

Image 135 - Print from above.  Again paint drying out before image could be produced on paper beneath.

Image 136 - Gelli print.  Plate inked with Payne's Grey acrylic plus Golden Retarder.  Image drawn with cotton bud.

Image 137 - Ghost print from Image 136.

Image 138 - Gelli print.  Plate inked with Golden Open Acrylic (blue) and Golden Retarder.  Image drawn with pointed rubber tipped tool.  Converted to black and white in Photoshop.

Image 139 - Ghost print from Image 138.  Spooky!

Diploma Module 1 Chapter 4 - Shape and Pattern Study...contd

Though there are many more paths these design exercises could take me down, those completed so far have helped me to focus on what I might pursue further.  So far, these are the areas that are of interest:

• layers of pattern and shape (Image 104)
• non-symmetrical designs (all except Image 99 and 100)
• less rigid edges - ripped rather than cut, or a mixture of both - rather than just cut
• more distortion of shape (by accident or design) as this made the the designs more interesting (abstract Image 51 and stretched Image 112)
• colour - a neutral palette with little splashes of colour (Image 104 and 116)
• movement in design - achieved by mark-making (Image 106) and overlayed lines in many of the designs

Still ToDos

• use different sizes of shape to achieve some perspective

PS Image 120 - one more design in string that combines shape, pattern and texture, an extension of Images 68 and 71

and Image 121, a pencil rubbing taken from this.

Diploma Module 1 Chapter 4 - Shape and Pattern Study...contd

Image 98 - diagonal linear pattern in black and white.  Lost some of the impact of Image 94 due lack of counterchange in colouring. For my theme though, it does look a little bit shadowy.

Image 99 - four shapes with same part of shape turned under, arranged in rotating pattern.

Image 100 - Image 99 reduced and traced.  Border and counterchange with Inktense colour added. Pretty contrived. Not sure symmetry works for me. By losing shape of gull, have lost beauty of shape of design and its feel altogether.  Don't think this will be pursued further.

Image 101 - page subdivided into overlapping rectangles.  Coloured with Koh-i-noor dyes.

Image 102 - window, including part of collaged shape, cut from page and replaced on same page.

Image 103 - extension - section of shape added behind the window.

Image 104 - gelli printed brown paper inserted behind to build up layers.

This design is getting a little busy but the tones of colour are good and the layering successful. On a larger scale, I think multiple windows of different size and transparency would enable my shadow theme to be achieved.

Image 105 - shape cut from edge of page.  Extension - gelli negative shape outlines added and painted with Koh-i-noor dyes inside. (photo taken on black background)

Image 106 - (reverse of page in Image 105) - shape cut from edge of page, gelli printed paper parts of negative shape outlines added and marks made to give sense of movement. Part of design from Image 105 peeks through on left hand side. (photo taken on black background)

Image 107 - ripped strip gelli printed paper.  Shape coloured with dry Payne's Grey Inktense pencil and overpainted with matt vinyl emulsion. For something as simple as this its all in the placement and the bird should be lower and the strip less thick.  Think it was getting late and I didn't stand back and look at this design...it's only when displayed on the screen I really looked.

Image 108 - large G and shape.  Coloured with Koh-i-noor dyes.

Image 109 - line of writing with Koh-i-Noor Hardtmuth Triograph 4B.  Words taken from Joni Mitchell (my hero) Song to a Seagull.

Image 110 - biro figure.  Mmmm...you get the idea, though figure questionable.  Extended line of green on newspaper to keep your eyes from other things! Looking back to Image 95, the random figure that appeared by happy accident has better integration into the design.

Image 111 - eye in biro.  Coloured with Koh-i-noor dyes.

Images 110 and 111 might work better for me if the biro figure and eye were related to any of my design ideas, i.e. perhaps fish and chips (always ready for them!) - which would also, in past times, link with the newspaper - or maybe random items from landfill.

Image 112 - I had trouble with Exercise 13 as when you draw over the new surface, part of it is on the reverse of the page - or maybe this was the idea - so this is my interpretation.  The page originally had an elongated gull cut from gelli printed paper. Only part of the shape was on the page from Exercise 13 and then I merged this with Exercise 14 by pleating the page and drew additional shapes and painted.

Image 113 - outline cut shapes over original shape.  Coloured with Koh-i-noor dyes.

Image 114 - strips of gelli printed brown paper in vertical lines.

Image 115 - rough rectangles in gelli printed brown paper.

Image 116 - cut shapes in linear pattern.  Wash of matt vinyl emulsion coloured with dyes.

Image 117 - cut shapes densely placed with original shape produced by mark making in kantha pattern.

Image 118 - drawn shape and drawn cut shapes with selected dot filling.  Coloured with tea.

Image 119 - drawn shape, drawn cut shape and random shape plus colour and mark making. (Note, this is the reverse of the page in Image 104.)

Diploma Module 1 Chapter 4 - Shape and Pattern Study

Linear Outline - Referring to my sketchbooks and 'heap' I drew different shapes in outline (Images 90, 91 and 92).

These I drew on top of one another as it made me really concentrate on the outside edge of each one as I worked on it.  One shape in particular appealed to me, which I traced, and from this made a cardboard template and both a cardboard and polystyrene print block (Co-op still use this as a base for their pizzas, luckily).

Initially, I made a simple outline drawing of the shape which I filled with textured coatings of acrylic wax. This I gave a wash of blue-black Quink Ink (Image 93).

Using shapes cut from newspaper I started the design exploration.  The newspaper would absorb the colouring mediums used in a different manner to the sketchbook paper and give additional interest to my design, both from this characteristic and the random print/illustrations on the page.

Image 94 - diagonal linear pattern plus Koh-i-noor dyes.

Image 95 - diamond plus Koh-i-noor dyes.  This used the negative shape from the newspaper and I thought the figure that randomly appeared added to the design...in a good way.

Image 96 - circles and Inktense pencils.  Shape lost.  Could try again with better counterchange.  I lost it round the tail.

Image 97 - wavy lines, Koh-i-noor dyes and white vinyl acrylic.  Well, we all have mistakes!, though the acrylic markings on acrylic base on the shape were effective.

Diploma Module 1 Chapter 3 - Texture and Surface Relief Study...continued

Continuing with feathers, I took an image of a gull taken at Exeter Quay and enlarged a small area. After converting this to black and white, I posterised the enlargement to highlight the feather structure. Using cut raffia painted white with acrylic, I replicated the layered structure of the feathers (Image 87).

Observing feathers, as they overlay, they have a woven texture.  To obtain this effect, using wrapping ribbon as the warp and
firstly, the white paper handle (separated and split) from a paper carrier bag, and
secondly, the same ribbon
for the weft, I wove the two materials (Image 88).

One last sample, in my haste to open a parcel containing Art Textiles of the World: Great Britain, the outer brown paper, from the corrugated paper wrapping it, peeled off. After some selective peeling, scoring with a scalpel and a coat of vinyl emulsion I obtained Image 89, which seemed rather wing-like.  I was taken by its naivety.