My post from Ralf's place

Last Sunday I showed Ralf the difference in blogging tools. I can't wait for him to start as he's going to detail the process of how he creates his paintings. Some of Ralf's work can be seen here. Ralf and his art work is quite well known in Melbourne, particularly Fitzroy.

Excursion to Melbourne & NGV

On Friday 6 students and one of the teachers went on excursion to Melbourne. We visited the Ian Potter Gallery.
There we saw several exhibitions while there.

1. Katie Pye - Clothes for Modern Lovers
2. Kitty Kantilla - retrospective

Next we went to NGV International.

1. Sneakers - Classics to customs
   
2. Imaginery Prisons - G B Piranesi & Vik Muniz
   
3. Great Exhibitions - The world fairs 1851 - 1937

Then off to the State Library to see the exhibition I was very keen to see. Yep printmaking & artists books. Artists prints & books created by many of Australia's leading artists curated by Dianne Fogwell.

1. Collaborative works from the ANU Edition + Artist Book Studio

Some of the works in the exhibition can be found here (prints) and here (books).

And lastly a couple of the girls and I went to a fabulous Japanese fabric & quilting shop called Kimono Hous

And finally home on the train.

Printing at home on Mother's Day

It was quiet and calm on Mother's Day at my house and I spent most of the afternoon experimenting with my AquaLina printing inks. I have discovered that they aren't ideal for creating "Artists books" using the rollings method. I think they may need the pressure of a press to be particularly good. However I did spend some time playing with colours etc and not having the distraction and stress of trying to share space with other people.

This is a print using my AquaLine inks. This is the best print so far, in my opinion. Printed 2 days after the previous prints, you can see how the black oil based ink has come through, even though the block was washed fairly throughly. With the marks from the simple barren I have used, and a colour I mixed up and on a very lightweight Japanese paper, I am very pleased with this print.





I went on to do some rolling using various items such as this lino block a couple of collographs and some leaves and even oats.


This is a rolling of the above lino block (obviously). What many of these rollings made apparent for me was the need for a bigger roller. I only have the basic 6" soft speedball roller. My son, who turned 16 this week really likes this particular print however. He creates a lot of his own artwork with stencils. I think he likes the stencil like quality of this.
This print has given me an idea for a major painting work, probably using stencils. I need to get him to pose in the same way.





A simple rolling of leaves on a stem.


The same leaves with oats scattered around.


The collograph was rolled 1st and then I removed the collograph & went over it with the oats.








The following prints were made from two collographs I created as backgrounds. I was hoping to use the press at Helen's to experiment with them but it simply wasn't possible. I did a quick drawing of some tree shapes and then peeled away the tree shapes from the cardboard. I used the tree shapes and glued them on to some other cardboard and coated them both with shellac.


This print in two colours is from the block that was carved, obviously. I did the same block only moved very slightly.


This print in two colours if from both blocks. The first block was printed in the blue and the raised block in purple.


In this print I reversed the colours and which block was printed first. I like that I am learning all sorts of things by experimenting like this. It is giving me ideas that I would like to visit in the not too distant future. I am thinking of doing printmaking with Curtin through OUA in the next SP.

My experiments aren't great art but I am learning and thats what I'm enjoying.

And now that I've caught up on my printmaking I need to start on some of my other subjects like Sculpture - assemblage. Bleurg!

Printing at Helen's cont.

As part of another subject focusing on "the design process" we were required to create a portrait for a lino block. In a previous entry I showed some ideas, as well as stages in carving the lino block. Well here is the finished piece.

This is the very first quick print to give me an idea of how the carving was going. It's printed on some old cartridge paper.
Many people liked the marks on the face but personally I didn't, and so decided to clean up the face a little.


This is the next print, after looking at some of the carving marks on the checks etc. This time I ensured that the lino was properly inked. It was printed on the same type of cartridge paper.


This was quickly printed on some Ikea wrapping paper. You can see both leaves and flower petals. I like the colour and texture that it provides.

Printing in Helen's studio

Well most of us turned up at Helen's studio among the trees, which is just beautiful. It's an old mud brick studio with lovely arched lead light windows.

I was almost an hour late and several students were well and truly into some intaglio printing on waxed milk cartoon and perspex. One of the other students did a lovely little design using the top part of the carton utilising the folds where the spout is. Very clever and it produced a lovely print. Later on one of the girls did a dry point etching, of a flower, on the perspex. It produced a lovely print as well.

After carving the tree below I has a scrap of lino left over. So I decided to just do a quick little line carving of quilting and patchwork style images. This is the very first print and so far the only print.

This is a print of the tree that I did last week. (see entry below) The only difference is this went through the press, producing a crisp, black and white print in the traditional manner. I'm quite happy with it, but would like to opportunity to play with it in other colours. I may have a go doing some rollings with it later today.

The same print, with a ghost, over top. I very much like that effect and once again I would very much like to play with this image more than I have so far been able to.

My fish stencil, with ghost, on some Ikea wrapping paper. When we printed the "Artist books" many of the students brought in some fabulous papers. One of them brought in some paper she got at Ikea several years ago. Next time I was in Melbourne at Ikea I headed to their gift wrapping section and grabbed a couple of rolls of paper. This paper has leaves and flower petals in it.

Looking for a digital camera

I spent part of the day looking at digital cameras. Below is what I fancy for my price range.

The Fuji Finepix S5700 7 megapixel digital camera is coming home soon.

Below is a piccy of it off the Fugi site.

Painting -> Drawing -> Printmaking

I skipped painting today and only briefly dropped in to drawing to hear a talk by a painter turned printmaker. Very interesting.

I spent the day working on my lino print for tomorrow's printmaking session. we go to Helen's studio, where we'll be able to use her press.

Stage 1. transferring the image onto the lino. I photocopied a mirror image so that I could see exactly what I needed to. I also used a pink ink pen so that I could clearly see where I had traced to image.

After taking off the carbon the was the result.

Half way to the completed block. And the right shoulder is killing me, it's so sore. I find carving the lino quite addictive.
I have trouble stopping, particularly when a deadline is approaching.

I've also created to more block to use as backgrounds. One is a collograph and the other a carving in cardboard.

Printmaking

I wasn't very productive in the actual producing of prints this week. However, I did start some lino cutting practice for my portrait piece that I have to do for the other subject. The tools that Beverley bought are quite nice.


This is my practice lino cut that I quickly did in class. I haven't done any lino cutting for about 25 years.

I you have a closer look at the block you will see various cuts or gouges. I stopped cutting originally because I was going to put leaves on the tops of the branches as well but decided to do a quick print to see what it looked like.


I decided I liked the style of cuts in the corners of the tree branches and wished I had done less on some of the other areas. I might try to tidy up the block and make some of those areas look a little sharper.

Painting & Drawing this week

Last week Pi & Andrew said we'd all be going up to the Gaol this week, which is on a hill overlooking town, for some "En plein air" painting. Well last week we all knew it was going to bucket down raining, which it did! After Pi fluttered around for at least three quarters of an hour saying "Well I don't know what we're going to do" I walked out and went home.

I didn't go back for the afternoon session of drawing which was apparently very similiar. On a positive note, I see alot the yards looking very green, which a is nice change from the brown dust bowls masquerading as lawns.

Studies with OUA

Previously I have been studying a Internet Studies degree through Curtin. Having had the last study period off, I now need to do at least 2 units this study period. Consequently, I have enrolled in VIS-15 Photography: an introduction, for SP2. This unit is through RMIT, and I've heard it is a great unit to do. Below is the blurb for it on the Open Universities Australia site.

This unit approaches photography firstly as a unique approach to human communication, secondly as an art form, and thirdly as a medium, which requires the acquisition of a unique set of technical skills. You will be introduced to basic mechanical principles of the camera. You will see how photography has been influenced by a growing understanding of the principles of human perception and communication. You will be provided with techniques for responding to the content and structure of photographs. You will need to have a basic understanding of photography and have access to either a compact - 'point and shoot' camera, a SLR 35mm camera or a digital camera.

I'm also enrolled in NED12, which is another, more advanced unit of CSS & XHTML. I'm sure I'll enjoy it.

Art Theory & Practice - Lino cut portrait

I started fiddling with an old photo in Photoshop and came up with something that I will use as the basis of the design for the required Lino cut portrait. We were required to do a proper process, however I haven't been as exact as I should have been.

I have decided to do several projects for VACC on Michael, my eldest son. He turns 16 soon and he has always taken up more attention than his little brother. I expect it is because he is the first and the eldest. I think I need to express some of my feelings, emotions regarding Michael and doing it through several art projects isn't a bad way to do so. The photo that I'm using for this lino cut design is of him at approx 2 1/2. It was at this age I started to notice some of his more unusual behaviours. This is where I will start my projects.

Printmaking with Helen - Artists books

The previous week Helen told us that we would be making "Artist Books". I don't think any of us really understood what she meant, tho. Below is the printing for mine and the end result should follow soon.


As you can see I used my relief block "Waves", my collograph "Blossoms" some string and a leaf. This will be the cover.

This is the pages of the book.
The greens are created using Faust AquaLine Inks and Yellow Ochre Oil based ink.





These will be used for the covers. The lighter print for the outside cover and the deeper toned print for the inside cover. I used some torn cardboard to create the bird shapes and my collograph block "Knit".

Oil based Heidelberg inks of Ultramarine, black, red and Yellow ochre were used.



The paper for the covers was simply some mottled inkjet printing paper. The paper used for the pages was a very light Japanese paper.

All this meant that I've just gone off and bought some really nice paper from Neil's in Fitzroy and some wrapping paper from Ikea which has some interesting paper.

Drawing with Andrew - Something

I'm coming to enjoy Andrew's classes. I don't know if he has taught before, but he is certainly warming to the task.


This is a enlarged photocopy of a quick ink drawing I did and then coloured with watercolours. The photocopy paper was very shiny and the paint beaded on the hatching which gave it a good effect.

In this class I did some contour drawing in oil crayon.


This pic is one with wet on dry colouring.
I drew this one in different coloured crayons. I think the vase and blanket are better in this one.


This pic is wet on wet colouring. I prefer the thistles in this one, however the pillow, blanket and vase aren't as good.

Painting with Pi

Well this week was just a waste of time. I'm seriously thinking of giving up the painting subject.

Printmaking with Helen - Collographs

On the last day we had printmaking, Helen told us we would be expected to have two collographs ready for our next session of printmaking in several weeks time.

Well that day has arrived. Below are the collographs I created. Not all are exactly collographs, but are useful anyway.


This was printed waves first in Ultramarine Blue. Yuk! with the fish overprinted in black. After seeing the blue this lead me to creating a nice indigo blue to continue my printing. The following prints were in indigo.








"Waves"
A relief block carved from cardboard and sealed in shellac.


After the previous effort in the bright blue I started experimenting. This is the first indigo print. The resulting print on the left, which I think is far more pleasing.






"Fish"
I never made another relief print of the fish, however below is an example of some rollings that I did.


Rolling of the fish relief block in a nice murky green.










"Blossom"
This collograph, as with the one directly below, is a Japanese quilting pattern. It is constructed with 120g cardboard glue to a heavier base cardboard and then sealed with shellac.


The resulting print.


And another.











"Arches"

This could easily have been left as a stencil.

"Knit"
This collograph is threaded cardboard glued onto a base and sealed with shellac.

I later used this when making an Artist Book. See a later post.

Drawing with Andrew - Perspective

This week Andrew introduced perspective to the class. It was to bad for me, and covered old ground and so was a good refresher.

After explaining perspective and taking notes, Andrew took us up to the top floor of the building to do a perspective drawings.


I wasn't too displeased with the results. The cabinet on the right is off, but it wasn't flush with the wall either. The closest end was about an extra foot away from the wall, and that was what I was trying to show, but it just looks wrong.

Painting with Pi - week 4

Well this week Pi finally decided to show us some different techniques. She decided on pointillism and long strokes.

I hated pointillism when I studied it twenty odd years ago and I still hate it. After looking at my vase she dismissed it as a dot painting and didn't bother to add any constructive criticism on how I could improve my technique.

I later overheard her say, well she's never taught before and didn't really know what she was doing. That's been obvious to the students since the second class.


My pointillism vase. blurg




My pear.

Art Theory & Practice

I've missed several of Beverley's classes because of my new job.

My knowledge of what we're meant to do is a little scatty. We have been given a project to do. A design process for a lino portrait. I'll look at some photos of the boys. They are central to my life and have been, particularly since I became a single parent.

I think this will be a good starting point. All art is an expression of some sort. I need a theme to focus on. I think that is what she's been on about. I've struggled with sitting in class as I find this sort of thing annoying. It is a good discipline though, and I shouldn't be quite so surly as I have been at times. I must be channelling my inner teenager.

Creating collographs

On Thursday, a couple of the girls and I got together at school to create some collographs and practice a little printmaking.

I have concentrated on creating collographs in a stencil style for practice, as well as using some leaves if dried that morning in the oven. I dried them flat between 2 sheets of grease prove paper and weighted them with some baking tins. Ultimately I didn't use them for printing as they were to brittle to use even after coating them with shellac. On the left is a scan of one of them.

I recently bought some Faust Aqualine Inks, which are easily cleaned up in water, so we used them. We all forgot to bring any paper for printing.

Art pathways

I've missed at least two weeks of classes, but don't seem to be to far behind.

1. Sculpture - We're modelling a foot, which won't be fired, and are required to carve a base for it out of plaster. My foot is still in the boot of my car, where it's been since we started and I haven't even started a plaster base for it. What it has sparked is an idea to do a plaque and get a hebel block to do some carving.
2. Drawing - I'm not sure what I missed in drawing, however when I managed to get back to class just before the Easter break we did a class on perspective in drawing that brought a lot.
3. Painting - I still haven't done any practice in painting, I did however do my two colour studies, of pumpkins.
4. Art Theory & Practice - Schmoozle.
5. Printmaking - This friday we will be expected to have 2 collographs ready. One for a background and another for an overprint. Helen, our teacher, is great and we always get to roll up our sleeves and do something. Below is a scan of one I started in class.
   

Creative writing

I decided that creative writing is not for me at the moment. I really need to concentrate on academic style writing which will do me more good, particularly as I'm studying a BA in Internet studies.

I will continue to do my Art Pathways course which I'm enjoying. Unfortunately, some of the teachers seem disorganised, which is frustrating.

Printmaking - Stencils - Week 2

We covered stencils as well this week.

We used waxed milk cartoon to make the stencils. I quickly cut out this image, and placed the paper directly onto the table I was using. It is an old table, badly scarred, with flaking varnish etc. This showed up on the print. A happy accident.

The following are a few experiements using the stencil and cutout from it.

A red and yellow rainbow background with image printed over it.

A darker orange background with black image printed over. Another print with a little transparent gold would be nice.

A rough black background with red-orange image on top.