Etching Techniques

These two dry-point plates were made using different etching techniques. The one on the left has been given a contemporary, hard-edged look where as the one on the right was made by forcing stronger lines into the plate with the tool. This was to give this plate a rougher feel to it compared to the other one and now the two plates will hopefully produce differnt quality prints.

Experimenting with Ink

'Babingly - Sepia Variation' - Screenprint 1984

Upon seeing this print of John Piper's, I immediately thought it would be good to recreate using drawing ink. The original look of this piece didn't turn out how I intended so I used a combination of other materials to enhance the drawing and give it more depth. Watercolours were ideal for working back into this as it helped with the tonal qualities and highlight certain areas. I then used acrylics for lighter areas before refining the detail with a fineliner. The light wash of brown watercolour was then added to the drawing to create the same feel as the 'sepia' look intended by Piper in his original print.

 

The photo below shows the first stages of a drawing created in a similar style as the one above. The same materials have been used although the content is from one of my own photographs.

Working from Artist Research

One of my main weakness from previous projects was working from artist research and developing ideas from them so for FMP, I intend for my contextual references to have a big impact on the work I produce. Below is an example of my intention, an acrylic and collage combination (in it's early stages) from one of my photographs, based on the work of Mitzie Green.

Pitch Feedback

In the pitch, both Jamie and Kim said that my sketchbook pages developed well and that I'd made a good start to the project. I explained the reason behind the theme and they understood my reasons for basing it on this and agreed my past work on the urban environment was successful. Kim was positive about the intended look of my photographs and thought the contrast and perspective in them worked well. She immediately was drawn to the one below, which is infact one of my favourites.

They were also pleased with my choice of contextual references and said I absorbed the information and responded to it well by creating work using their style and techniques. Jamie said that as the pages went on, they got stronger and my intention to explore new materials was a great idea. He was pleased with the brave leap I had made in my painting techniques as it showed I wasn't afraid to step out my comfort zone which is something I hoped to achieve in this project.

Something that Kim said really stood out to me: ''Scale is important. You don't have to produce a massive canvas to get your work noticed. Some of the best work I've seen at exhibitions are the small pieces that you have to wait ages to see because they can work just as well, if not better, as a giant painting hanging on a wall". 

She then mentioned that some of my work would look great as prints and that experimenting with new printing methods could be interesting (continuous prints, overlaying plates). She gave me contextual references to look into, whose work has a similar quality to mine and as prints from last year worked so well, I plan to produce some for this project in the near future.

Overall, I'm pleased with how the pitch went. I'm grateful for Jamie and Kim's comments

and I now feel more confident about how the project's progressing. I've tried to take everything on board and plan to act upon the advice given to me to make my work the best it can be.

Artist Reference: Mitzie Green

Contemporary artist Mitzie Green specialises in a variety of topics: Flowers, Figures, Landscapes and Seascapes but it's her Townscape work that appeals to me. I particularly like her use of colour and the way she chooses to use bright, vibrant colours to highlight the fact that her paintings are modern. I also like how she uses similar colours in each of her paintings as a way to link them together. Although her style is different to my usual work, I do find her work visually interesting and wanted to experiment with it myself.

'Piazza, Rome I' Acrylic on Canvas

'Piazza, Rome III' Acrylic on Canvas

"I am a neat and tidy person and rather than fighting this, I felt I might as well make use of it and therefore began to look at towns and architecture with renewed interest. I pay particular attention to the horizon line of buildings with their strong verticals, horizontals, diagonals and trapeze shapes."
Mitzie Green

'San Giminiano' Acrylic 72x63cm

After looking at some of her work on her website, I came to like Mitzie Green's pieces more and more. I wanted to try and recreate one of her paintings in a similar style using the same techniques as she does in her own work. I am pleased with the end result and I think the combination of paint and collage works well and plan to experiment with this further throughout the project. The images above show the original painting by Mitzie Green and the different stages my own painting went through to get to the final outcome.

Mitzie Green Official Website: http://www.mitziegreen.co.uk/

Expressive Painting

I am using this project as a chance to step out of my comfort zone and explore new techniques that I wouldn't normally be brave enough to attempt. These expressive paintings are quite different from the work I usually produce but I have grown to like them and think they look better than I imagined they would. I do try to avoid using acrylic paint as it's not a material I enjoy working with but I wanted to try using it in different ways to see what techniques works well.

This first painting is loosely based on one of John Piper's prints. The background for his original print was messy and limited in colour so I've tried to create a similar effect using acrylic paint. To produce a rough-like texture, I dragged the paint across the page using a ruler instead of a brush because it gives it a much more intersting look. For the added detail, I used a black handwriting pen and included very few lines so the pen wasn't too distracting from the piece as a whole.

With this painting, I wanted to create a slighty different effect than what I did with the first one. Before applying the paint, I covered the page in pieces of newspaper to add a new texture and look to this particular piece. Just like the first painting, I have limited my use of colour because I think it makes it more visually interesting. I then quickly applied layers of paint with a thick brush and refined areas of detail using a handwriting pen.

Artist Reference: John Piper

When flicking through some exhibition brochures at college, I came across some of John Piper's work and instantly recognised it. I did a little research on Piper and his work for a project last year and thought his prints were suitable references for the work I intend to produce in the near future. Although his prints are realistic, there is an expressive quality to them which is something I intend to explore throughout this project.

Take a look at more of Piper's work here:
http://www.johnpiperprints.com/art.php?min=0&max=1000000&sold=0

This piece is slightly based on some of Piper's most well-known work but using one of my own photographs. I have used loose brushstrokes and handled the brush with less care for the watercolour and worked on detailed areas with a simple handwriting pen as a replacement for the printing aspect visible in Piper's creations. I intended for this piece to be noticeable as something I would produce but using materials and techniques I wouldn't normally experiment with. I think working back in to the painting with the pen helped refine the detail usually visible within my work and overall, I'm pleased with how the final outcome looks.

Primary Research: Photographs

Photographs on display in my sketchbook.

With the theme in mind, I took numerous photographs of local areas that had a solid, structural, grid-like quality to them. Most are recent images but I did have some, which were taken a while ago, that I thought would be ideal to use for this project. The content of my photos differ - some feature clean, modernised buildings giving them a fresh, hard-edged look while others focus on old, derelict structures which are equally, if not more, visually interesting.