This final semester has been a real challenge. Although with this independent study, I could do everything in my own time, I also had a hard time finding sufficient time to go into the studio for hours at a time. Sports and other class obligations tended to get in the way. Additionally, I was almost never able to make an appearance in class, which means I did not get that many critiques and I also missed out on information shared in class; I would only receive that info after the fact, in my weekly meetings. In a way, I never really felt like I was a part of the class.
Another challenge was a very frustrating experience for an artist like me. If I had to describe my mentality as an artist, it would be more in line with a "commercial" artist. I love the artistic process, it brings my joy and serenity. I do it because I want to. I pour all my heart and time into pieces but I don't really become too attached to them. I don't need to have some grand reason for making art. Compared to an artist who wants to say something and express their opinions through their work, my work is very shallow, I don't have so many layers to it. I have the greatest respect for those who can think like that, who are able to leave a lasting impact with their artistic message. But my mind doesn't delve that deeply, which made this class much harder. I was forced to think deeper about things and how my artwork is read by others. Although, this really pushed my buttons, I understand the importance of putting more thought into what you're making. When I go on to make artwork for companies or to sell, I will need to keep this in mind. The imagery I present will be seen by an audience, and how well it is received will greatly impact my clients/companies' success.
Despite the rigors and frustrations, this class has been a positive influence on my artistic ability. Not only have I learned several new techniques of printmaking, but I have also been pushed to grow as an artist, to expand my thought process and increase my awareness of my impact on others. I will take these lessons to heart and carry them with me as I enter the cutthroat commercial art world.
Thank you to professors and my classmates who helped my get this far. I feel prepared to take on whats' next!
Thursday, May 9, 2019
Project 5: Socially Engaged Art
This final project took the longest to come up with. Not only had I never done a socially engaged artwork, but I was under the impression that I had to use a completely new concept. But my Professor, inspired me to use my previous project A Look in Your Mirror as a part of my socially engaged piece.
From this, my concept would spring board into creating a bunch of copies of the mirror project. Instead of making more mirrors, I used silver foil card paper. This is very reflective, and simulates a mirror. I then would ask a dozen or so participants to fill in the blanks on the design with adjectives about themselves, the person who they see in the mirror. They did so anonymously, to ensure honest answers. I also sent a follow up survey to gather intelligence on how the project affected them.
By the end, I had a collection of identities on a board for people to enjoy and reflect upon their own identity. How would they answer?
This is a continuation, or rather the application of A Look in Your Mirror in the real world with other people. A Look in Someone Else’s Mirror is the collection of answers from a small sample of people who will remain anonymous. I made copies of the previous project on silver foil card paper to mimic the reflectivity of the mirror. I left the final pane blank to ask the viewer if they too would fill in the blanks. I asked the participants to fill out their answers, in secret and also, to fill out a follow up questionnaire. I wanted to ensure the purest answers possible, so everything is anonymous, I’m blind to how people answered until they were all mixed up, and others will not know that it was them. This way people are less inclined to put down what is expected and more of how they actually feel. The results were rather unexpected, but in a good way. From the follow up questionnaire, I gained insight into how my participants felt during the process. And most of them, saw this piece as a kind of reminder to think positively about themselves, to not get so hung up on their faults. I made them feel “vulnerable but creative and happy”, I prompted them to think more deeply about themselves. Although I had aimed to gather both negative and positive responses it still feels great knowing that I prompted a small change in people. In addition, you also gain insight into the personalities of these people, some of them are really funny and creative.
From this, my concept would spring board into creating a bunch of copies of the mirror project. Instead of making more mirrors, I used silver foil card paper. This is very reflective, and simulates a mirror. I then would ask a dozen or so participants to fill in the blanks on the design with adjectives about themselves, the person who they see in the mirror. They did so anonymously, to ensure honest answers. I also sent a follow up survey to gather intelligence on how the project affected them.
By the end, I had a collection of identities on a board for people to enjoy and reflect upon their own identity. How would they answer?
This is a continuation, or rather the application of A Look in Your Mirror in the real world with other people. A Look in Someone Else’s Mirror is the collection of answers from a small sample of people who will remain anonymous. I made copies of the previous project on silver foil card paper to mimic the reflectivity of the mirror. I left the final pane blank to ask the viewer if they too would fill in the blanks. I asked the participants to fill out their answers, in secret and also, to fill out a follow up questionnaire. I wanted to ensure the purest answers possible, so everything is anonymous, I’m blind to how people answered until they were all mixed up, and others will not know that it was them. This way people are less inclined to put down what is expected and more of how they actually feel. The results were rather unexpected, but in a good way. From the follow up questionnaire, I gained insight into how my participants felt during the process. And most of them, saw this piece as a kind of reminder to think positively about themselves, to not get so hung up on their faults. I made them feel “vulnerable but creative and happy”, I prompted them to think more deeply about themselves. Although I had aimed to gather both negative and positive responses it still feels great knowing that I prompted a small change in people. In addition, you also gain insight into the personalities of these people, some of them are really funny and creative.
Project 4: Found object
I had the hardest time with the concepts with both this one and Project 5. I truly did not know how to connect a found object with the theme of Introspection.
Initially, I got hung up on the idea that since I had to use a found object, then I might as well use something nostalgic. And from there just explore the feeling of nostalgia and how it affects our identities. I had thought of screen printing on my old Nintendo DS. And illustrating how when we are nostalgic toward an object, we kind of repaint it in our minds, to us they are just as pristine as the day we first held them. My sketch is to the right. But this would be far too difficult to print on given it's size, and also I would've essentially been decorating my DS. My concept wasn't deep enough.
It was then that I had the idea to print on a mirror and explore self-reflection and identity. How we view ourselves, greatly affects who we are and consequentially how we interact with the world. What better object than a mirror to do this? My first mirror did not go as planned. I chose a larger barber's mirror; it had a white rim and handle, emphasizing that this is a personal mirror for one person. When it came time for the screen printing, the rim caused a problem: I couldn't get the entire design on the mirror. So I tried to pop out the mirror from the rim, and it broke...😞 . I had to go search for another mirror, one with a completely flat surface for me to print on. Ultimately I had to go to Home Depot to get mirror panes, and possibly get it cut there. Much to my surprise, they don't have glass cutting services anymore, which means I had to purchase my own glass cutting kit and do it myself. I took all the safety precautions, and after one messed up pane, and some painters tape to protect the edges. I had my mirror. and the result was this:
Initially, I got hung up on the idea that since I had to use a found object, then I might as well use something nostalgic. And from there just explore the feeling of nostalgia and how it affects our identities. I had thought of screen printing on my old Nintendo DS. And illustrating how when we are nostalgic toward an object, we kind of repaint it in our minds, to us they are just as pristine as the day we first held them. My sketch is to the right. But this would be far too difficult to print on given it's size, and also I would've essentially been decorating my DS. My concept wasn't deep enough.It was then that I had the idea to print on a mirror and explore self-reflection and identity. How we view ourselves, greatly affects who we are and consequentially how we interact with the world. What better object than a mirror to do this? My first mirror did not go as planned. I chose a larger barber's mirror; it had a white rim and handle, emphasizing that this is a personal mirror for one person. When it came time for the screen printing, the rim caused a problem: I couldn't get the entire design on the mirror. So I tried to pop out the mirror from the rim, and it broke...😞 . I had to go search for another mirror, one with a completely flat surface for me to print on. Ultimately I had to go to Home Depot to get mirror panes, and possibly get it cut there. Much to my surprise, they don't have glass cutting services anymore, which means I had to purchase my own glass cutting kit and do it myself. I took all the safety precautions, and after one messed up pane, and some painters tape to protect the edges. I had my mirror. and the result was this:
When you look in your mirror, who do you see? What do you
think of them? What do you want to see? These are the questions that A Look in Your Mirror is asking. It is
quite literally asking the viewer to fill in the blanks about the person they
see in their reflection. The text ,“I see a _____person who is ______, as well
as _________, __________, and _________. I am ___________.”, is screen printed
on a mirrors surface, blocking the viewers vison of themselves. Or rather it is
blocking their true reflection. This is a commentary on how people’s self-image
does not always match with reality. People often “fill in the blanks” with what
they want to see from themselves. Additionally, there is the open silhouette of
a person in the center of the mirror, which will prompt the viewer to try to
fit themselves into the general shape of a person, altering themselves to fit
what they want to see, as opposed to who they actually are.
Project 3: Letter Press and Pressure Print
This project was interesting to figure out because the pressure print brought a whole new element to play. The pressure print works a lot getting an etching from a tree, the parts closer to paper will appear darker when printed. That being said I had to create a plate with a layered paper doll to make create different values in my piece. The result was this:
The last thing to do was to add text to it using the letter press, which involves lining letters up on metal plate and securing them so that they don't move during printing. Works the best with horizontal lettering. However, my vision involved free flowing lettering, and this would be impossible with the normal letter press technique. So, I wound up printing by hand, taping up the words that I would need in the shapes I desired.
And Finally you have my piece, "Self-Loathing" below:
One odd thing about humans that is contradictory to any normal instinct of survival is self-loathing. In my observations, at some point or another, most people experience some form of self-loathing; no matter how mild or intense. There always seems to be something that people dislike about themselves. The letter press/mono/pressure print, Self-Loathing, is about capturing the essence and feeling of self-loathing and the depression that comes with it. You surround yourself with harsh, demeaning words, you feel like you are slowly fading away into the background, into insignificance. And it might be strange to say, but there is a kind of comfort in it. It’s almost like a heavy blanket of depression and lethargy that you wrap around yourself, then you drift into a sleep. From my experience, it’s something that you cling to when things get tough. Because it’s much easier to sit it the shadows, paralyzed than it is to face problems in your life. This too speaks to your character as a person, if you rise above or fall below, and how you react to that.
The last thing to do was to add text to it using the letter press, which involves lining letters up on metal plate and securing them so that they don't move during printing. Works the best with horizontal lettering. However, my vision involved free flowing lettering, and this would be impossible with the normal letter press technique. So, I wound up printing by hand, taping up the words that I would need in the shapes I desired.
And Finally you have my piece, "Self-Loathing" below:
One odd thing about humans that is contradictory to any normal instinct of survival is self-loathing. In my observations, at some point or another, most people experience some form of self-loathing; no matter how mild or intense. There always seems to be something that people dislike about themselves. The letter press/mono/pressure print, Self-Loathing, is about capturing the essence and feeling of self-loathing and the depression that comes with it. You surround yourself with harsh, demeaning words, you feel like you are slowly fading away into the background, into insignificance. And it might be strange to say, but there is a kind of comfort in it. It’s almost like a heavy blanket of depression and lethargy that you wrap around yourself, then you drift into a sleep. From my experience, it’s something that you cling to when things get tough. Because it’s much easier to sit it the shadows, paralyzed than it is to face problems in your life. This too speaks to your character as a person, if you rise above or fall below, and how you react to that.
Project 2: Digital and Screen Print
This project is the one I had most trouble in. Mostly because my first edition fell flat as a pancake. I intentions and message were not conveyed very well.
For this project, we could use any method we wanted, but we had to include something printed digitally(with a printer) and a screen printed element plus an extra technique called "flocking" which is applying some sort of grainy substance to a sticky surface, much like putting glitter on glue. With this is mind it is wise to print digitally before anything else.
Originally, my intention with this piece was about the contradiction between what people say and what they do. I wanted to use mouths and hands do give the clue into their meanings. I split the sides of the page with red-orange and blue and I tried to make a two-face faced figure. My original idea is to the right. However, I had unknowingly triggered thoughts of gender in viewers. The lips are feminine, and the hands are more manly. This also tricked the viewers into seeing different genders on the faces of the figure. and the white streaks were purposeless. So I had to go a different route.
In the end, to prevent any confusion, I had to literally spell it out for people, because this kind of topic is hard to display visually. My final piece below Walls takes a different approach and builds on my previous intention, which was too shallow. I printed digitally, then screen printed, then I used flocking with black glitter.
There
are many walls in life, not just physical and mental walls, but the walls that people
don’t even notice. I am talking about the walls put up, between what people
think and what they do. Some people have strong barriers where almost nothing
gets by, other have no wall at all and do whatever they think about doing. This
wall is the line in the sand that we dare not cross; how we draw it says
something about our character. In the digital and screen print, Walls, there are two silhouettes on
opposite sides of a wall. One is holding it up, representing the conscience
telling the person not to do something; while the other, the primal instinct to
fulfill desires, is trying to break through. They are accompanied by the text
in the background “DON’T” and “DO IT” to further visualize the mental battle
taking place. The figure representing the conscience is holding up the wall,
but very nonchalantly, as though at any moment, they could let that wall fall
down or they could hold true. What situations you let that wall down for, the
decisions you make, show a little about who you are as a person.
For this project, we could use any method we wanted, but we had to include something printed digitally(with a printer) and a screen printed element plus an extra technique called "flocking" which is applying some sort of grainy substance to a sticky surface, much like putting glitter on glue. With this is mind it is wise to print digitally before anything else.
Originally, my intention with this piece was about the contradiction between what people say and what they do. I wanted to use mouths and hands do give the clue into their meanings. I split the sides of the page with red-orange and blue and I tried to make a two-face faced figure. My original idea is to the right. However, I had unknowingly triggered thoughts of gender in viewers. The lips are feminine, and the hands are more manly. This also tricked the viewers into seeing different genders on the faces of the figure. and the white streaks were purposeless. So I had to go a different route.In the end, to prevent any confusion, I had to literally spell it out for people, because this kind of topic is hard to display visually. My final piece below Walls takes a different approach and builds on my previous intention, which was too shallow. I printed digitally, then screen printed, then I used flocking with black glitter.
There
are many walls in life, not just physical and mental walls, but the walls that people
don’t even notice. I am talking about the walls put up, between what people
think and what they do. Some people have strong barriers where almost nothing
gets by, other have no wall at all and do whatever they think about doing. This
wall is the line in the sand that we dare not cross; how we draw it says
something about our character. In the digital and screen print, Walls, there are two silhouettes on
opposite sides of a wall. One is holding it up, representing the conscience
telling the person not to do something; while the other, the primal instinct to
fulfill desires, is trying to break through. They are accompanied by the text
in the background “DON’T” and “DO IT” to further visualize the mental battle
taking place. The figure representing the conscience is holding up the wall,
but very nonchalantly, as though at any moment, they could let that wall fall
down or they could hold true. What situations you let that wall down for, the
decisions you make, show a little about who you are as a person.Tuesday, May 7, 2019
Project 1: Absurdism
This project was a very cool introduction to printmaking. I had done something similar in my RCC course( our introductory course at Rollins) with a digital transfer, but never something to this scale.
Our class actually partnered up with a similar class from a different school, Lawrence University in Wisconsin. Through the video chat app, Marco Polo, we exchanged our processes and our techniques, eventually at the end of the year we shared our prints with each other. And all of them turned out really awesome. Now I have a collection of art from many talented artists.
The overall theme of this project was absurdist thought, using random, and strange imagery to spark interest or meaning. We were given vector images to choose from to make screen prints. And there were some really weird ones, but I had settled on a silhouette of a woman with circles orbiting her, as well as a screw. At first I chose them because the circles around her matched well with the screw, it gave it a sense of movement that was interesting. But it was only until I layered them that it was given meaning.
Below I am going to explain my entire process, it is very lengthy and a bit boring, but if you are interesting in knowing how these things work, continue reading.
MonoPrinting
My process began with mixing ink, which did take a majority of my time. I didn't want my colors to be dark, but I didn't want them to be pastel. So I decided on the 3 primary colors, Red, Yellow, and Blue. But I also wanted the colors to look like they belong together, not 3 separate colors, so, I wound up mixing a little bit of each color in each red, yellow, and blue. This way the colors would become more muted and they blended more seamlessly. I would then take these inks to use for a first monoprint.
My goal was to get 3 vertical stripes of color on a 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper, so I had to evenly apply each color separately with small brayers. I had attempted before hand to use a squeegee, and one fell motion I could apply it all at once, but this used way too much ink and was unreliable. I could not replicate this method for over 20 prints. So I resulted to the method of rolling color on to the plate separately. Once all the ink was on, I placed my plate on the press with my paper on top. I cranked the machine until the piece went through and out came my first layer. Rinse, Repeat for 20 more prints, and once all of them were dry it would be time to screen print.
Screen Printing
It would take a day or so for the oil-based ink on my monoprints to dry, so I prepared to screen print. First I would need to prepare the screen by covering it in emulsion. You have to make sure not to coat it too thin or too thick, so it takes a bit of practice getting it just right. Then you set it in the dryer rack. While the emulsion dries, you can create the stencils that are needed for exposure. Stencils are black and white images like the ones above, when exposed on the screen, the areas in black will be imprinted and paint can pass through the shape. I made 3 stencils: the woman you see above, the screw as seen above, and the screw inverted( switched the white and black areas). Once those have been printed out, we have to ensure that light can pass through the copy paper completely. So you lather the stencils in baby oil, which makes the paper transparent like tracing paper. With all this done, you can either wait a day or so, or a couple of hours, just until the emulsion dries.
Once the emulsion is dry, it is time to expose. So you get your stencils place them face up on the glass of the exposure machine, lining them up with where they should be on the screen. Then you place the screen on top, flat side down. Close and lock the machine and press "Start". in about a minute or so the screen will be ready to be taken out. Then you take the screen to the sink to rise off the extra emulsion and reveal the imprints completely. The screen needs to dry for a while before use.
After that lengthy process, it is finally time to print. Secure one side of the screen, face down, with rotating clamps so that you can lift the screen up. I lined up the now dry monoprints how I needed and dropped some screen printing ink on the screen. With the screen lifted up slightly, use a squeegee to semi- lightly push paint over the the imprint. This fills or "floods" the lighter areas with paint. Then I put the screen down, and pull the paint back the other way, applying ample pressure. This pushes the paint out of the screen and on to the paper. Once again, rinse, repeat, and clean the screen after your done. I ended up doing 3 layers of screen printing one for each stencil. And my final piece is below.
Screw
Artist Statement:
Our class actually partnered up with a similar class from a different school, Lawrence University in Wisconsin. Through the video chat app, Marco Polo, we exchanged our processes and our techniques, eventually at the end of the year we shared our prints with each other. And all of them turned out really awesome. Now I have a collection of art from many talented artists.
The overall theme of this project was absurdist thought, using random, and strange imagery to spark interest or meaning. We were given vector images to choose from to make screen prints. And there were some really weird ones, but I had settled on a silhouette of a woman with circles orbiting her, as well as a screw. At first I chose them because the circles around her matched well with the screw, it gave it a sense of movement that was interesting. But it was only until I layered them that it was given meaning.Below I am going to explain my entire process, it is very lengthy and a bit boring, but if you are interesting in knowing how these things work, continue reading.
MonoPrinting
My process began with mixing ink, which did take a majority of my time. I didn't want my colors to be dark, but I didn't want them to be pastel. So I decided on the 3 primary colors, Red, Yellow, and Blue. But I also wanted the colors to look like they belong together, not 3 separate colors, so, I wound up mixing a little bit of each color in each red, yellow, and blue. This way the colors would become more muted and they blended more seamlessly. I would then take these inks to use for a first monoprint.
My goal was to get 3 vertical stripes of color on a 8.5 x 11 sheet of paper, so I had to evenly apply each color separately with small brayers. I had attempted before hand to use a squeegee, and one fell motion I could apply it all at once, but this used way too much ink and was unreliable. I could not replicate this method for over 20 prints. So I resulted to the method of rolling color on to the plate separately. Once all the ink was on, I placed my plate on the press with my paper on top. I cranked the machine until the piece went through and out came my first layer. Rinse, Repeat for 20 more prints, and once all of them were dry it would be time to screen print.
Screen Printing
It would take a day or so for the oil-based ink on my monoprints to dry, so I prepared to screen print. First I would need to prepare the screen by covering it in emulsion. You have to make sure not to coat it too thin or too thick, so it takes a bit of practice getting it just right. Then you set it in the dryer rack. While the emulsion dries, you can create the stencils that are needed for exposure. Stencils are black and white images like the ones above, when exposed on the screen, the areas in black will be imprinted and paint can pass through the shape. I made 3 stencils: the woman you see above, the screw as seen above, and the screw inverted( switched the white and black areas). Once those have been printed out, we have to ensure that light can pass through the copy paper completely. So you lather the stencils in baby oil, which makes the paper transparent like tracing paper. With all this done, you can either wait a day or so, or a couple of hours, just until the emulsion dries.
Once the emulsion is dry, it is time to expose. So you get your stencils place them face up on the glass of the exposure machine, lining them up with where they should be on the screen. Then you place the screen on top, flat side down. Close and lock the machine and press "Start". in about a minute or so the screen will be ready to be taken out. Then you take the screen to the sink to rise off the extra emulsion and reveal the imprints completely. The screen needs to dry for a while before use.
After that lengthy process, it is finally time to print. Secure one side of the screen, face down, with rotating clamps so that you can lift the screen up. I lined up the now dry monoprints how I needed and dropped some screen printing ink on the screen. With the screen lifted up slightly, use a squeegee to semi- lightly push paint over the the imprint. This fills or "floods" the lighter areas with paint. Then I put the screen down, and pull the paint back the other way, applying ample pressure. This pushes the paint out of the screen and on to the paper. Once again, rinse, repeat, and clean the screen after your done. I ended up doing 3 layers of screen printing one for each stencil. And my final piece is below.
Screw
Artist Statement:
In the monotype and screen print, Screw, I combined two unrelated visual elements, a woman and a
screw, to allude to sexuality and an individual’s perception of their sexuality.
She is being or has been “screwed”. The composition is arranged in a primary
color tryptic, representing the wide array of sexual experiences. Although the
imagery is straightforward, the ambiguity lies in the fact that the figure is a
silhouette. One cannot tell if this a good thing or a bad thing. Does she wear her
sexuality, or is it an unwanted tattoo that can’t be erased? You do not see a
facial expression, so it is left to the viewer to decide.
Friday, April 5, 2019
Welcome
Hello and welcome to this blog that I am making for one of my final classes in college. Due to time constraints caused by sports and my other classes, I am taking this class as an independent study. This first post is far overdue as I only have a week left before I graduate but I feel that now would be the time to recount my journey with this class throughout the year.
About the class:
Digital Mixed Media Printmaking is pretty self-explanatory, "Mixed media" and "printmaking". which mean that this class is very much so a free-for-all, there are no limits to what we can use to make our art pieces. However, we are required to use some printmaking techniques that we learn in class, like monoprint, screen print, letter press, and relief printing which are only a few. We then use our creative know-how to throw together some awesome artwork! In addition, we are required to study other artists and techniques through assigned readings and a research presentation. This is so that no only we are we rounded in art techniques but so that we can take inspiration from others, learn from professional artists and expand our boundaries of thought.
Now to recount my first project.
About the class:
Digital Mixed Media Printmaking is pretty self-explanatory, "Mixed media" and "printmaking". which mean that this class is very much so a free-for-all, there are no limits to what we can use to make our art pieces. However, we are required to use some printmaking techniques that we learn in class, like monoprint, screen print, letter press, and relief printing which are only a few. We then use our creative know-how to throw together some awesome artwork! In addition, we are required to study other artists and techniques through assigned readings and a research presentation. This is so that no only we are we rounded in art techniques but so that we can take inspiration from others, learn from professional artists and expand our boundaries of thought.
Now to recount my first project.
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