Part Two: Project 4 - Stage2: Exercise 1 & 2

Looking for Shapes and Drawing 

I have read Project 4 through so many times, I have had to work really hard to break down the instructions, and mainly just not to worry - follow blindly and see what happens. (this has worked for me before)

In the first part of Stage 2 I had to isolate areas of a picture that were visually interesting.

Exercise 1 takes these images and develops them further in terms of 

• surface texture
• colour
• shape

Exercise 2 then goes on to study an image in further detail, working on a personal response to one of the images.
I have decided to include all the work for both exercises in one post as it was hard to separate the results.

Image 1: railway station

Line drawing - railway station

I added colours using felt pens (Lyra Aquabrush)

With colour and shape

I wasn't sure that I really liked the result that the pens produced.
I didn't like the colours.
With this in mind I worked on the next image.


Image 2: railway station II

Line drawing: railway station

I added colours using felt pens - this time I chose a quieter colourway

With colour and shape

I still didn't really like the effect of the pens.
I liked the colourway, and felt the area of this image was less cluttered and more interesting than the previous image.


I then tried the same image in brighter colours, this time using watercolour dyes.

Watercolour dyes and black marker pen

I like the effect of the paint, it has a nicer quality than the pens.
Adding the marker pen details improved the quality and interest of the image.

Using the first colour sketch of image 2 as inspiration, I created two pieces using watercolour dye and bleach.

Piece 1: watercolour dyes and bleach

I liked the effect of the bleach on the dye, but felt that by turning the curved lines into leaf shapes I had lost sight of the source picture.

Piece 2: watercolour dye and bleach

I liked the outcome of this experiment with bleach better.
The bleach worked really nicely and freely when the dye was wet. 
It didn't flow as well once the dye had dried.
 
Image 3: Vase of flowers

Line drawing: Vase of flowers

I painted sheets of paper with poster colour and cut out collage shapes to represent the image.

Collage shapes: poster paints

I liked the colours and the flat, matt effect of the paints, but I felt the image produced was visually uninteresting.


Image 4: Ink and bleach page from my sketchbook.

Line drawing: ink and bleach sketch

I added cool colours in watercolour paint.

Colour sketch in watercolour

This image hasn't lost any interest by adding colour.
It has started to look like a seascape, as if a seagull is flying across the ocean on a calm evening.

I produced a sketch concentrating on the textures of the image.
I used a mapping pen and black ink

Texture sketch: mapping pen and ink

I really like the mapping pen sketch. 
I had to concentrate on making the marks darker and larger in the foreground to create a sense of perspective.


I then went back to the watercolour sketch and worked on a paper cutout of the image.
I used painted sheets of paper and created a silhouette.

Silhouette

This has changed the image - the shapes are suddenly more important.


I tried changing the colourway and cut out a repeat pattern of the image;

Repeat pattern in a new colourway

Having tried this, I knew I preferred the original colourway.
I also knew I couldn't cut out any more intricate shapes with a scalpel.


I used the computer (PowerPoint) to create the following repeat pattern.

Repeat pattern using the computer

I really like the pattern that was created from this design. 
I also like the accidental gaps that appear in the pattern from where the pieces didn't quite fit together.


This exercise had asked to look at shape, texture and colour.
I felt that I had not included an image with which I could make a separate study of the colours.
I decided to introduce a new image.

I love the image on the carrier bag, the colours are really calm.
The composition is very peaceful and static.

Paper carrier bag

Image 5: close up of the tree trunk.

Close up of the tree trunk

I produced a colour sketch:

Colour sketch of the tree trunk

I liked the colours and the paint used to create the colour sketch, but felt the image was uninspiring.


Image 6: a simple colour sketch of the image from the carrier bag.

Colour sketch of a tree

Using this image as visual information, I created a simple collage of the picture using shapes cut out of painted sheets of paper.

Collage of the tree

I liked the very bright colours that I used in the collage.
It was a dynamic arrangement of colours and shapes.


From this image I produced the following repeat patterns.

Mirror image reflections of the tree

This changed the look of the piece. 
The arrangement of the shapes has the tree shape, but the small red squares on the green background are also now a significant part of the pattern.


I tried a different arrangement of the image.
I used a triangle to shape the tree and repeated the pattern until a circle was formed.

Seven triangle pieces of tree

I then repeated the shape and connected the pieces together.

Connected patterns

I liked the results of the patterns that were created, the way the shapes and colours worked when connected and arranged together.

I then went on to mask off another area from the image on the paper carrier bag.

Image 7: Lavender field and tree

Area showing lavender and trees

I thought I would try to work with a peaceful and static composition

I produced a quick colour sketch in watercolour

Watercolour sketch of the lavender and trees

I then produced a texture sketch of the image using a mapping pen and black ink.

Texture sketch: mapping pen and black ink

 Using the colour sketch as inspiration, I produced a simple collage of the image

Simple paper collage

Finally I looked at the colours contained within the masked area and recorded them.

The colours of the tree and lavender field.

In conclusion:
I feel I have designed and developed the images.

Some of the images lent themselves to being developed further, for instance, the last lavender sketch and the one using bleach and ink as a source.

Some of the images did not inspire me to develop them further, for instance, the close up of the tree trunk and the image inspired by the vase of flowers.


Although I have not included exercise 2 as a separate entry, I feel that the work was covered in this section.
Each design that was developed was simplified and worked on using a personal response to that particular image.


Exercise 3 continues the theme of design and development of a chosen image from this exercise.
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