Review and Reflection

As this is my first assignment and review of my work it’s hard to judge what standard I’m at as regards the assessment criteria.  I feel like I have progressed and learnt since initially receiving my course materials and am pleased with what I have achieved although am aware there is a lot of work yet to be done.

Demonstration of technical and visual skills –  I’m really pleased with my drawings and collection of items.  I have played around with different designs and compositions in my work to show differences and similarities in texture and pattern.  I also tried to capture the essence of the original pictures I took when I was on the beach of everything all tangled up by the sea.  Visually I have learnt much about paying attention to different layers of pattern and texture in objects and have tried to capture this in some of my drawings.  I have used basic materials for this project, and altered the background papers to see the effect it had on the composition.  As I have just begun I know there is much to improve in technique,  however I’m particularly pleased with my work in ink, I had never used it before as I was worried about going wrong (no rubbing out!).

Quality of Outcome – I feel I tried to communicate the idea of the ocean with the flowing nature of some of my drawings, and the tangled nets and seaweed surrounding everything.  I focused on the textures and patterns of different objects and the way they interact with each other.  Although I’m pleased with my collection and my drawings I would have liked to convey a message, initially when I was looking for objects on the beach I did see quite a few plastic bottles and rubbish.  I’m a little disappointed now that I didn’t pick some up to use in my collection, I was thinking about making it look pretty, which is obviously not a bad thing, but I would have liked to have created a point of discussion or dialogue in the work.

Demonstration of Creativity – Initially I found it difficult to get started and was stuck for ideas, what to draw next!  Once I got going though and using the words in my coursework for reference I felt quite comfortable and had different thoughts about changing the backgrounds using varied mediums.  I would like to develop the ideas further with perhaps prints from the patterns or some three-dimensional work.

Context – This is the most challenging aspect of the project for me. I’m aware that I have to make more of an effort to research other artists and need to set aside time to do this perhaps once a week.  I find it difficult to analyse and review my work and others, but I think through making time to research and become aware of other artists this will improve and get a little easier for me.  After all, when I did do the research, I did actually enjoy it!

Nature’s Larder

Having now completed my first assignment, my thoughts turn to how far I have come in such a short space of time.  My initial response to the work was excitement mixed with some trepidation.  I knew I would enjoy the content of the brief but what of my ability to do so?

I settled on my theme very quickly as it was the topic that seemed to generate the most ideas.  My first thoughts took the topic quite literally and I was focused on foods alone. When I actually started looking for objects however my focus changed, the starfish had such a beautiful and intricate texture and detail I knew that I wanted to use it, so I elected to portray the ocean as ‘Nature’s Larder’.  I went on to find other items that I thought would create a varied and dynamic collection, selecting objects for their different textures and shapes.

Through my research of other artists work and mark making I was inspired to give some different techniques a try.  I’m particularly pleased with my continuous line drawing in ink, inspired by Alison Carlier’s  ‘An Unknown Word’.  It took a while to get it right but I feel it flows well and gives movement to the collection as if in the ocean.  I tried to experiment with close up and distant textures in a variety of mediums, and also shape,silhouette and line.  Many of the items had repeating patterns that I could use different techniques to show, and I tried to vary the time I took on my drawings, some taking hours and others just a few minutes.  I found the results interesting, as those produced more quickly seemed to capture the movement and essence that I wanted to get across.

The researching of other artists was very helpful, this was the side of the project I was most concerned with.  As my learning tends to be based around doing, I was aware that reflecting on, and analysing both my own work and the work of others was going to be the most challenging aspect of the assignment for me.  I did however very much enjoy this part of the brief and it allowed me to understand how much of an important part of learning and progressing it is.

With all of these thoughts in mind I feel like I have learnt so much already, not just about research and using different techniques to capture ideas and objects, but also about my own learning journey and what I need to do to keep moving forward with my work.  My confidence has grown and I feel proud of my first collection of work, and based on this first project I would like to take time at some point to explore printmaking, or manipulating fabrics in further detail to recreate some of the shapes and textures in this collection.

Cuttlefish in Ink

Starfish in Ink

Silhouette of Starfish and Shell in Ink

Glass Float and Net Silhouette in Ink

Natures Larder, Chalk on Black Paper

Texture Rubbings, Oil Pastel on Blue Tissue Paper

Seaweed in Ink

Seaweed close up textures in pencil

Natures Larder, Charcoal on Paper

Starfish Oversized Pattern and Texture, Pencil on Paper

Shell, Ink on Paper

Continuous Line Drawing, Ink on Paper

Research Notes Assignment 1

Louise Bourgeois 1911 – 2010.

I spent quite a lot of time reading through the biography and looking at her work.  The way she repeated some of her sketches and paintings helped me to see the importance of exploring a subject or theme thoroughly.  Her breadth of work is so great it would be difficult to go through every single piece that inspired me in some way.  The way she uses line and shape to create movement and shape seems to be a theme through many pieces and has inspired me to try and achieve the same dynamic in my work.  Looking through her art works left me feeling a little melancholy, there seems to be a large focus on sex and motherhood in her art and although the women are always portrayed as strong there seems to be a solitude or sadness.  I thought that some work showed a youthfulness, freedom and joy but this was juxtaposed with ageing, solitude and a feeling of being trapped.  I would like to further research this artist at some point.

Alison Carlier.

I found her drawing work interesting.  A plant in a pot that appeared as if it had been drawn with one continous line, thought I might give that a try.  Drawing pictures to represent spoken word and adding an aural dimension was something I hadn’t considered before, and I liked the idea that handwriting could be portrayed as drawing or producing art.

Alex James Chalmers.

Very intricate use of geometric shapes and lines to create form and texture, particularly liked “Untitled 2014”  http://www.alexjameschalmers.com/Blue-Drawings .  He uses tiny triangles wit dots on the corners in a variety of sizes, it gives the image the look of fabric and has movement and drape.

Hilary Ellis.

Looking at her work makes me think about layering whilst mark making, perhaps using mixed media or just altering techniques, pressure or style of marks on top of others to create texture.  It also makes me realise that I have to study objects more thoroughly to pick up the different layers of texture and tiny details.  I loved her work, it had a peaceful quality.

Michael Griffiths

I like the mix of Charcoal and Oil Pastels, may give this a try!

Debbie Smyth

I love the way she uses thread and pins to add texture and depth to her work.  The backgrounds of thread in her shaded works really make the subject image stand out.

Katie Sollohub

The piece that stood out for me in her work was the Charcoal and Chalk on Cardboard installation.  Makes me think about using a variety of surfaces and sizes to be more creative. http://www.katiesollohub.co.uk/gallery/other/drawings/

Roanna Wells

I like the use of negative image shading to create positive images that really stand out.

Thoughts after research.

Use of negative space – creating depth and three dimensional images.

Pay attention to layers of textures and use different media/shading techniques to represent these.

What do I want the image to say? How can I represent this? Layout and Dynamics of mark making – free and fluid, slow and considered, hard, soft? etc.

Consider what media and background type/paper is going to best represent the object or idea.

Mark Making

Before getting stuck into my drawing and mark making I thought I would do some research.  I started by watching the short videos on mark making by Jane Lazenby in Resources on the OCA Student site.  I found these videos really useful and full of ideas to try, things that may initially seem obvious, like using fingers to blend and soften edges, the use of a putty rubber and how to use a dip pen, which I hadn’t before.  After watching these I felt inspired to have a go myself.

Mark Making with Charcoal on Cartridge Paper

Mark Making with Pencil on Cartridge Paper

Mark Making with Ink (dip pen, paint brush, drawing pen, stick) on Cartridge Paper

I really enjoyed experimenting with the different media.  Initially I found it difficult to get going,  I found that I was overthinking what I wanted to put down on the paper, perhaps when I come to actually start my drawings I need to allow myself some warm up time so I’m relaxed enough.  My favourite to use was the ink, for some reason I felt I could be messier with it, and it still had a nice finish, and I liked that I could produce a nice background wash with a brush and water.  This was also the last medium I used so perhaps I just felt more comfortable by the time I got to use it and not so nervous about the large blank sheet in front of me.  I also enjoyed using charcoal but found it more difficult to get contrasts in shading with it.  The pencils were something I was more familiar with using although as this was the first sheet I found it difficult to almost “doodle” on demand.

Overall I’m glad I took the time to have a go as I’ve learnt a lot about using media that was quite new to me.  With this in mind my next task is to research the links to other artists we’ve been given on Mark Making.

I feel really pleased with my collection of items.  Having reflected on the images of different backgrounds, I think that the white background really brings out the best in the objects.  The wooden backgrounds blend in and add a natural quality, but the bright white in contrast, makes the textures and subtle colours really stand out.  I liked the three dimensional quality provided when using the box but on reflection it would benefit from perhaps a contrasting background and could be positioned in landscape to create a more proportioned image before I go onto my sketching.

I have watched the videos of Jane Lazenby in Resources for Mark Making on the OCA Student Website, I found these very infromative so am going to experiment with a selection of drawing items before I start the next stage, and get some research reading done from the suggested links.

Stage 1: Gathering Materials

These are the objects I have decided on for my collection. This was my initial photograph taken with a wooden table as a background. I wanted to use a plain background so as not to detract from the surface textures of the items, however I think the colour of the wood doesn’t really make the colours stand out.

This white gloss background really shows the subtle differences in colour and texture

I tried to display the items in an astetic way but also still have an element of all being tangled up together by the ocean currents.

I loved using this wooden box to display my collection. I felt that it framed it well and seemed to bring it all together. Displaying the collection vertically instead of just on a flat surface gave more depth . I think the colours sit well together but perhaps if the box was bright white it would bring out the colours of the objects more, as did the gloss white background.

Inspiration

  I took a trip to the beach today as the tide was going out for a bit of a scavenger hunt / research trip. I managed to find quite a few bits and pieces that will really give the effect I want.  The photo below is of a big ball of netting and rope, obviously discarded by local fishermen, trapped and wrapped around the rocks.

  I love the way everything is all knotted together, ropes are frayed and the wood is battered and beaten by the strong currents in the sea and against the rocks.  I think there is a lot of depth to this picture and I want to try and recreate this with the objects I have collected.

Topic

I decided to choose the title Nature’s Larder for my first introductory assignment, it seemed to bring up the most thoughts and ideas.  My initial response was quite narrow and focused just on food, then I began to think about wild plants and natural fabrics, and questioned what was around me that I could use.  I started to look for objects around the house and found a lovely starfish shell that I have and started thinking about basing my theme around the Ocean.  I’ve managed to gather a few items from around the house but I’m planning to go to the beach and find some more bits and pieces before I put my collection together.

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