Weekly Update and Beginning a New Project

This week was my first back in university. It was great to get back to some kind of normality! As it was an induction day, timetables and projects were discussed and I got a chance to see what we'd be working on for the next year. The course will be half online and half in the studio so there's plenty of time to study independently which I found to be beneficial last year. The new project is called, 'Processes and Practice', focusing on all methods of print and relating them to a chosen theme. I've chosen to focus on Portuguese Architecture as its somewhere I visit often, therefore, have knowledge and a lot of photos that will benefit the project. I've always been interested in the door designs and old town architecture, it's so recognisable with blue and yellow tile designs and cobbled streets; all features I feel will be well-reciprocated in printing processes. 

During the first day, we had an ink workshop, looking at how monochromatic artwork follows the Gestalt Theory. This theory combines different principals relating to how we visualise things, whether an image is made up of shapes for example. These principals are: Closure, proximity, continuation, similarity and figure and ground. It was interesting to put these principals into practice during the workshop where I experimented with ink, tracing paper and washi tape to represent the form of a tram. I enjoyed this process and it made me think differently about monochromatic art. This project is very 'practice' orientated meaning the final piece will be a continuation of processes learnt throughout the project and combine a range of skills, rather than the final piece being the sole purpose of the project. I love experimenting with print methods s am looking forward to using the Risograph Printer, etching, lino printing and embossing to see which process represents my themes most effectively. 

I also had a tutorial with my tutor to discuss the summer project and my aims for the coming weeks. He liked my theme and made me think more about how to combine a narrative. For example, I want to create a pattern using the Portuguese door designs, each door telling a story. Catflaps, overflowing letters in the postbox, doors with different facades leading to courtyards, derelict houses and window cleaners- all adding more personality to the illustration. This could work in two layers with the door frames being flaps on the top layer, possibly an idea for the Riso printer. Since I want to go into children's book illustration, this idea would transfer well into a story concept, with repeating patterns used for the endpapers and flyleaf. 

Over the next few weeks, I want to continue experimenting with printing methods, produce a detailed door etching which would highlight the beauty of each design and the characteristics each door has. In the studio I tried out a new technique called Dendritic Monoprint (see photos) where acrylic paint is spread between two plastic plates then when released, the air bubbled escaping form a coral-like structure. Hard to explain but I tried to relate it to my project and made a few extra for collage work later. Since studio time is limited I wanted to make the most of using the facilities to create practical work.