Part One: Project 1 - Stage 3: Exercise 2

Wednesday 8th September - Using marks to create surface textures: Working from Objects.

Again, I have to create a series of marks to create a surface texture - the last exercise was to work from a photo. This time it's from an object. Right now I am thinking this has to be easier - you can see, feel and touch the object - you don't have to rely on a memory.

But, I am sitting in my kitchen looking at the 4 walls, the surfaces, the implements...... regretting not taking a sketchbook, camera, scrap of paper with me when I went out.
I had seen lots of interesting textures....but recorded none.
A habit I must change.

Coming back in - it seems uninspiring - I am just going to choose an object and see what happens!

Fridge: A large white object in my kitchen, the surface has an interesting texture. It seems to be made up of lines 'pressed' into it.

Close up of the surface texture of my fridge

Using white acrylic paint (1): I brushed thick acrylic paint onto the paper and then pressed a woven fibre sheet into it.
The marks showed up, but were not clear.
Maybe the paint should have been thicker, applied with a roller?

Surface texture of fridge 1

Using white acrylic paint (2): This time after brushing the paint on, I pressed a piece of hessian into the surface. Once this had dried I washed a thin coat of waterpaint over the top.
This allowed the texture to be seen more clearly.

Surface texture of fridge 2

Printing with acrylic paint: This time I used a piece of the woven fibre sheet, painted it with purple acylic paint, and then printed with it.
This was the best effect so far - I did it twice - the left side of the picture below is when the sheet was pressed onto the surface once. The right side is when the sheet was pressed onto the surface twice.
This technique created random lines and patterns, a texture that could be used in many ways - possibly to create hedgerows or grass in a painting.


Surface texture of the fridge 3 

I put the work together on a sheet:



Final sheet for the fridge textures.



Part One: Project 1 - Stage 3: Exercise 1

Tuesday 7th September - Using marks to create surface texture

The final picture I decided to concentrate on was of an unusual tree trunk with coins embedded in it.


Tree trunk with coins

I created textural sketches using a range of pencils, watercolour with ink and finally charcoal. Again I used an aperture to focus in on a small area of the photograph.

Pencil: I used an HB pencil to represent hard edges and a softer 8B pencil to represent background and the soft mosses.
Although I created some interesting directional lines with the pencil, I didn't feel inspired with the result. Maybe with more work, mixing different media or adding colour would liven up the picture.




pencil sketch of tree trunk

 Watercolour and ink: A light wash of brown/black watercolour paint nicely represented the shiny, weather-worn top of the tree trunk.
Whilst the paint was still damp, Quink ink was used with a mapping pen - the lines became blurry and soft edged.
A green/blue background was added with ink lines added to create the muddle of the undergrowth.
I really enjoyed this - the texture took on a life of its own.


tree trunk in watercolour and ink

 Charcoal: This created soft smudgy lines against hard, dark lines. Texture easily created by the different ways of applying the charcoal, smudging or flicking, blending or applying layers.
The grain of the paper helped to recreate the look of grain in the wood.

study in charcoal

This was my favourite technique used for sketching the tree trunk. Charcoal was quick, effective and fun to use.

The complete page showing all the textures used to create the tree trunk.


page of textures for the tree trunk.

I enjoyed creating these textures from the photographs. A different atmosphere was created each time depending on the media used, and how the media was applied to the paper.
Each sketch grew spontaneously - you were never quite sure how each would turn out.
Another learning curve for me with this exercise, was that the more you experimented, the looser and more fun the sketches became.

Part One: Project 1 - Stage 3: Exercise 1

Monday 6th September 2010 - Using marks to create surface textures

The next photo is of a tree - the trunk is old and weathered, it has layers of soft, peeling bark.


Old Tree, Portmeirion, N. Wales

 Using an aperture to focus on just a part of the photograph, I created textural sketches using pen and ink, wax crayon and watercolour wash.

Quink ink 1: I used a wide bamboo pen - this created unexpected 'white spaces' in the work. I then worked over the area with a narrower pen - this created the feeling of layers of bark.
This is quite a nice technique - you have no control over where the ink will stay and where the spaces appear.



Sketch using wide bamboo pen

 Quink ink 2: Using a narrower pen created nice, flowing lines. I was able to work over areas, change direction of the lines - in order to create the feeling of the bark 'wrapping' itself in layers around the trunk.



Sketch using narrow reed pen

 Wax crayon and watercolour wash: 'Broken' lines were created by rolling the edge of the crayon onto the surface of the paper.
Heavy layers of dark coloured wax crayon were applied on the darker side of the trunk.
Less intense colours of crayon were applied sparingly on the lighter side of the trunk.
White crayon was used to mask the area where the sun was shining through the branches.
Watercolour paint was then washed over the top of the crayon - this also created some interesting textures, leaving 'blobs' of paint on top of the wax.
Out of the 3 techniques - this was my favourite to create.


Sketch using wax crayon and watercolour wash.

 This is finished page of textural studies of the old tree.


Textural studies of the tree



Part One: Project 1 - Stage 3: Exercise 1

Saturday 4th September - Using marks to create surface textures

This exercise is all about creating surface textures from a visual source.

Fortunately I received the course materials during my stay in the UK this summer. With their wise words in my ear, I attempted to bring home many textural photos. In particular - a day out in Portmeirion, North Wales, proved to be a good source for my requirements for this exercise.

Having looked through my pictures, I chose a selection: an old tree, a toadstool, undergrowth, slate wall, stump of a tree with coins.

The slate wall had a hard surface, but it had eroded over time creating a feeling of being delicate - as if it would eventually flake away. Using an aperture, I focussed in on an interesting area. Having my materials to hand, I am going to try several techniques to achieve the surface shown.

Pencil: Using different grades of pencil, I managed to create some nice dark and light tones. I was able to create both dramatic and delicate marks and rhythms.
The shades produced using pencil were very 'stonelike' in colour and texture.
I created a dramatic landscape in pencil although I should have used a smaller area to develop as it was very labour intensive.



study in pencil


Ink applied with reed and mapping pens: I really liked using these, especially the mapping pen. I was able to achieve graduations in colour and texture where the lines overlapped.
An atmospheric landscape appeared from the marks made.
The work built up more quickly than the pencil as you were able to build up a rhythm with the marks.

study in pen and ink

Newspaper collage with soft pastel and charcoal: I spent some time preparing the newspaper - I inked, dyed, painted, bleached and splattered the pages. I created different shades of the colours that I wanted to use.
I used both english and arabic papers to create a different effect.
I layered and glued down the torn papers - the torn edges of the papers adding to the rhythmic lines in the piece.
Charcoal was added to darken some areas, soft pastel to lighten areas.
This was my favourite technique, it created a very dramatic piece.



study in collage


 This page is a collection of the different media used for textural sketches of the slate wall.

Page showing surface textures created 



Part One: Project 1 - Stage 3

Wednesday 1st September - Using marks to create surface textures

Cleared my work area and grabbed my computer for research into van Gogh, Klee and Picasso, artists who use mark making within their work.

I remember seeing a drawing by van Gogh a few years ago in the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, having never seen his drawings before I was amazed by the pen marks and rhythms he created within the picture. I was inspired at the time to buy some reed pens to use in my own work - will have to dig them out to use in this section!

I used google images, the downside was having to access not only the picture, but also the article in order to check if the work was really by the artist, or whether the artist was just mentioned in the article accompanying the picture. A good source though with thousands of images in one place.

Paul Klee's quote 'taking a line for a walk' really did sum up his drawings, it was as if the pen hit the paper and wasn't lifted until an image was produced. A good sentence to accompany this module.

Whilst looking into Klee's drawings I came across this beautiful image by Gertrude Goldschmidt

Again google images, from a site http://www.johnkannenberg.com/

I love the simplicity, the clean lines and the unexpected patterns created when one line crosses another.

I liked Paul Klee's paintings also, I looked at Fish Magic - almost a wax resist technique, like a batik.
The painting Parnassum could almost have been created by sticking squares of paper down and paint applied over the top of them.

From the taking a line for a walk approach, I went on to look at more of van Goghs work, both his drawing and his painting.

Starry night: I liked the pen drawing more than the painting - movement and rhythm were created by using directional lines; brush strokes in the case of the painting. Perspective was very simply created by altering the thickness of the lines he drew - thicker and darker lines in the foreground, lighter thinner lines in the background.

From all the movement in van Gogh's work to the simplicity of Picasso.

The Horse by Pablo Picasso http://www.art.com/

No movement, no busy lines, no colour - but a very beautiful image of a horse, sometimes simple and uncomplicated can produce powerful results.

Mark making, it seems, has been going on for a long time. Marks can evoke emotions, provide movement and create rhythm in a picture.
I created textures and marks over the past few exercises, but looking at these great works of art, has inspired me to continue to work in this way.

Conclusion, I feel that the time spent researching the artists work has been well spent.
Looking at how they have used mark-making in their work helps to make sense of all the mark making exercises I have worked through, and will hopefully prepare me for the next few exercises in this stage.

Part One: Project 1 - Stage 2: Exercise 4

Wednesday 1st September cont - making marks........... other ways to make marks,

Having worked my way through the 'words', I have all the things I need in front of me for this exercise on creating marks using even more techniques.

This exercise seems a little easier than the last one, all the instructions are there to follow - just a little imagination and some time to play with all the materials is all that will be required.

Although with this much help from my cat.....it may be more difficult!

My cat drinking the painting water

I worked my way through the list of 10 activities, making notes on what was produced and how it was produced - again a good visual diary.

Work in progress

Rubbings: Put a textured surface under the paper and rub over it with a coloured crayon.

Rubbings 1: wax crayon rubbed over the coarse side of a grater.

Rubbings 1

Rubbings 2: Wax crayon rubbed over the fine side of a grater

Rubbings 2

Rubbings 3: Wax crayon rubbed over a sieve.

Rubbing 3

I like the rubbings. I used newsprint paper so that the texture would show up well.

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Wax resist: Make marks with wax crayons and wash over them with watercolour or ink.

Wax resist 1: Using black crayon over white paper. Yellow ink wash applied over the top.
The black crayon 'resisted' the ink.

Wax resist 1

Wax resist 2: Yellow ink applied to paper, candle wax scribbled on top, finally orange ink washed over the top. This may have been more dramatic if I had used a red ink to wash over the top. Although I like the effect this one made.

Wax resist 2

 Wax resist 3: White paper, white crayon - green ink washed over the top. This one shows up the technique well.

Wax resist 3

There is lots of scope for using this technique - especially if using clear candle wax over different coloured layers of paint.
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Bleach: Use undiluted bleach on coloured tissue paper - try ink and felt tips as well.

Bleach 1: Bleach applied to blue tissue paper. This left traces of a yellow colour where the bleach was used.

Bleach 1

Bleach 2: Calligraphy ink on blue tissue paper - bleach sprayed over the top.
Grey and yellow areas were left where the bleach was sprayed.

Bleach 2

Bleach 3: Bleach applied to calligraphy ink. This left a sepia colour behind.

Bleach 3

Bleach 4: Bleach applied to black felt tip pen.
This was the best result - areas of white were left when alot of bleach was used. Areas of purple where less bleach was used.

Bleach 4

The bleach removed colour from ink, paint and paper. New colours appeared where the old one was removed. A nice technique.
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Block printing: Experiment with combs, bottle tops, etc. Brush paints or inks on their surfaces and print on the paper.

Block printing 1: Brown acrylic paint applied to the edge of a bottle top. The printing produced a nice repeat pattern of circles - as the paint dried out the print got fainter.

Block printing 1

Block printing 2: Brown acrylic paint applied to the side of a bottle top. Again, the print got fainter as the paint dried out. But the print resembled tree trunks - unexpected result.

Block printing 2

Block printing 3: Brown acrylic paint applied to the lid of the paint tube. This produced an interesting pattern.

Block printing 3

I liked the unexpected results from this technique - it seems to be a more spontaneous way to recreate a texture.
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Fixative transfer: Fixative was sprayed onto a newspaper image, it was then placed face down on a white paper, then rubbed on the back with a pencil. I had limited success with this technique - although it could make an interesting background.

Fixative transfer

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Stencils: Cut out simple shapes in card and experiment with different marks - stippling, spraying, sponging.

Stencil 1: Watercolour paint sponged over the stencil. The colours build-up and change where they overlap.

Stencil 1

Stencil 2: Red gouache paint splattered over the stencil. The colour became darker where the stencil overlapped.

Stencil 2

 This was a good technique. Could be used to make repeat images and interesting patterns.                                                        -------------------------------------

Crayon scratch: Build up different colour layers with crayons. Scratch through the layers with a sharp tool to reveal underlying colours.

Crayon scratch 1: Multi colours of crayon layered on top of each other. This was then scratched into. This didn't really work.

Crayon scratch 1

Crayon scratch 2: Black crayon coloured over purple crayon and scratched into. Again, this had a limited success.

Crayon scratch 2

This might have worked better with better quality crayons. It did create interesting textures though.
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Combing: Paint on a layer of gouache quickly and try scratching marks or shapes into it while it is still wet.
A thick layer of blue paint was scratched into with the back of a paint brush. This created an interesting texture.

Combing

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Rubbing away: Using a soft pencil, scribble freely over the page. Lift out marks and shapes with a rubber.
I used a 9B pencil and after covering the area of paper - I used a stencil and an eraser.

Rubbing away

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Collage: Making marks by using scraps of torn or cut papers glued on to a surface.

Collage 1: Using torn strips of lining paper. A nice base to draw on.

Collage 1

Collage 2: Using torn strips of envelope. Nice surface, words appear at random.

Collage 2

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I enjoyed the creativity and freedom of this exercise, and also enjoyed the results in most cases.

My least favourite activities were the fixative transfer and scratching through the layers of crayon. I felt I didn't really achieve the full potential of these methods. Maybe the crayons weren't of high enough quality? Maybe I didn't rub the newsprint at the right time? I will try and use these methods within a future exercise and give them a second chance.

I enjoyed the others much more, and consequently enjoyed their results.
I liked the wax resist technique, next time I may use wax rubbings as the resist to discover new textures.
I had also forgotten how much I enjoy printing - for this exercise I only produced results from a bottle top with acrylic paint - already I could see textures for producing interesting tree bark using this method.

I'm now looking at the creative mess infront of me - I moved into the kitchen to complete this exercise. The table is full, the floor is full and the cats are being 'helpful'. Time to clear away for Stage 3.

'Help' - when you least need it!

Conclusion for today, it's alot easier to create all the mess in one session, less clearing up to do and you don't have to keep getting out ALL the equipment. I think it lead to a much more creative and enjoyable session.

The finished pages:

Stencil, fixative transfer and crayon scratch.

Collage and wax resist

Block printing, combing and rubbing away

Bleach and rubbings