More drypoints

Tuesday in the second week of print has probably been my favourite day in the studios. This could be down to the fact that I was itching to get back in after a weekend out or the fact that I was able to experiment and have alot of fun whilst producing some nice prints.

So basically the aim for the day was to try and improve on the idea of deconstructing an image to make it barely recognisable. I tried to achieve this using masking tape to block out some parts of the acetate and inking up whats left. On the whole I believed I produced a good array of imagery.

To be honest I can't (be bothered to) explain the intricacies so i'll let the images talk:

Another (successful?) day of printing

So yesterday was another day we had in the etching studio and I decided that my aim for the day was to begin a new series of prints. The sole focus of this was another image I had of a fire hydrant sign and I had hoped that I would be able to create the gritty feel of the wall using drypoint.

I also wanted to be able to keep the actual sign clean and pure amongst the surroundings.

However this did not go entirely to plan and out of a series of 7/8 prints I only like one or two myself.

Though this is not say I wasted a day and infact it was quite rewarding in regards to my project as I have deveolped a new train of thought looking at the abstracion of signage. What this means is that I am aiming for people who view my work to look and say "what is that?"...afterall isn't that what art is meant to do.

So, here are the products of the day:

This is where my thinking changed. Even though I knew myself that It wasn't really going anywhere with what I was doing ( to be honest I had no certified plan on where I was going), I decided to consult one of the print tutors who offered me the idea of changing the edge of an image to make a viewer question what I was actually presenting to them. I found this suggestion really useful and the thought of changing a sign to a point where it is barely recognizable is a real direction for me to take my project to.

 

In the next week I will focus more on this and using block printing aswell as drypoint and monoprint

My new studio space

Yeah unfortunately I had to part with my old space but already I think I like this more one although it only has one days worth of material on it. 

Hopefully tomorrow it shall be flooded with prints.

Print!

Thanks to the first semester I have developed a healthy appetite for printmaking. Now, print i must admit was certainly not top of my list of modules when I first began here and some may even have heard me call it 'Boring' or 'a waste of time' but trust me, i'm wrong. Infact print is a path I am seriously considering especially if the next two weeks continue to be as enjoyable as the first couple of days.

So what have I actually done?

Well starting off, this project focuses on our urban environment. From this I have chosen to look at the idea of  signage which literally floods our urban areas.

So, starting off I chose a sign posted on a fence along from the college. I chose this because I like the contrasts and gritty elements of the photo I took especially when its in black and white. 

Next was the decision to use dry point as the medium for which to replicate (to a certain extent) this image.

Dry point involves scratching into acetate to leave a line image. Of course there are many ways to play around and add effects to this.

 The line drawings

Experimentation with shading:

Use of colour:

( my persona; favourite image)

Here's to another one and a half weeks...