This is the final stages of my blue/sorrow painting. I added extra layers of light blue oil paint over the top of the layer - the ones I had covered in sand grains - so the levels showed up and the CD fragments that were attached to my piece. I also carved a few fragments of my creative writing into the piece, only a few bits though because it was already a busy - plus I didn't think there was much to say about it. It was self-explanatory, at least to me. It has an element of winter about it, it is appropriate as it reflects moments of sadness in my unconscious mind and memory but also in a rather beautiful way I think. Meloncholy but quite peaceful somehow. I always feel silenced after I have been very upset and I think this piece reflects that. 

 

 

 

 

Projecting Images

I managed to get hold of a projector today so I decided to see how my acetate images would look when projected over my paintings. I tried out my images on my red painting first, using images I thought would look best then I tried them on the blue one. Some of them worked very well and the colours/lines were very defined yet other did not stand out as clearly. I was really pleased with the result of the butterfly images and some of the landscape pieces when projected on the painting - also the figure image was interesting too as it added to the theme of being within the unconscious. The use of colours in my paintings and the writing carved into them worked well when combined with projected images - they looked like a collection of thoughts/images and depths of the unconscious. The works were used to show elements of my unconscious as I wanted the project to be personal as a way of expressing myself yet I think that all the aspects of the installation I was trying out, create an atmosphere of the unconscious, or thoughts/images from the brain. I think because of the projection of images, the audience can connect with the work better as it takes something personsal to me and creates an atmospheric area with the use of lighting, inviting the audience to step into the work, step into the mind. I am hoping some of this is relatable. Even if it is not then I will work on so my pieces can be connected with. The projected images also show an element of memory and fading images...? I want to express the idea of the fragility of the mind, the delicate element of images and fading moments - nothing is completely containable but some elements can leave imprints. - words/images/colours etc.
I did try layering the images as well but it didn't work very well as the images were not defined and didn't show up as individual or combined images like they did when I layered the acetate - I had an idea, if I wanted to use layering, I could layer up the acetate and spotlight the pieces so that the layers would show up or even use a light-box that I could probably get some Argos or Hobbycraft. I like the use of layering and it was unfortunate that the acetate layers didn't show up when projecting - but the use of the projections on the paintings works as layering in itself and I want to show levels of the unconscious using this technique.
Quite pleased today :) :)

Tomorrow

I plan to go to gosta green to get some more tracing paper prints - images I previously editted. I want to get some more acetate prints too, I want some in A4 and A5. The A4 pieces I will use to paste down over mirrors I have to see how the images will look over reflective surfaces. I am quite excited to see how the pieces will look over mirrors and over paintings I've done.
Hopefully it will all go good.

Last few days

I had tutorial which, although I was dreading it, turned out very useful. Despite the fact the comments confused me some what, I feel some of the suggestions helped me think about my work in different ways. When looking at my work people questioned why I had used photography - I didn't bother saying that it had been previously suggested to me - and I said that it was to create different illusionistic effects to portray the theme of images/thoughts of the mind. That was actually the reason and not just made up to sound good in the tutorial, it was also to try out something different. I felt last year I wanted to explore photography a little more but I was too shy or worried or something because I was concerned the images were inadequate.

Anyway, the group made suggestions such as trying to paint onto acetate as, although I am mix-media, I have always been drawn to painting. They were saying that I would need to find a way to make my painting and photography link together - they suggested projecting the images onto the work (which was one of my earlier ideas), they suggested I could try and print images onto my work. I had an idea of using mirrors/reflective surfaces - I thought about reflecting one of my paintings in a giant mirror(s) that could be placed in certain places around a space. I am excited about that idea as then my work could become more of an installation :)


IDEAS:
I need to think of ways my painting and photography can connect -

Projecting images
Acetate over paintings
Tracing paper over paintings
Hanging images infront of paintings
Collages
Reflecting paintings/images

I'll add to the list when I can think of more.

10/12

Today I am doing some editting of the images I want to print onto acetate/tracing paper and ones I want to project onto the walls/floor.

I want the images to be more defined and the colours to be brighter - it is important that the images are clear enough to create a successsful transfer onto the acetate or the tracing paper.

07/12

This time I am not writing at 1 in the morning.

Today I went back to gosta to print off some more images on acetate - some of them worked really well but some of them were less successful. I think the images of figures did not work so well, landscape seems to work better as it expresses a dream-like quality and an unknown location which is intriguing. Also the more abstract and organic the image, the more interesting as these pictures can be layered on top of each other to create new images - layering acetate on acetate.
I will work on editting some more images over the weekend to get the colours and sharpness just right so that when I print again on acetate or tracing paper the images will be more successful.

Right now I am working on my sketchbook and journals as I want my documentation up to date - but as usual the printer is playing up a little.

07/12

I finally managed to get some prints done! It was a real effort to run around trying to find people to help me at gosta but finally I got it done :)
I did several large prints (A1) onto tracing paper and two smaller prints (A3) onto acetate.

I used these images for my prints - I am really pleased with how they came out, especially the ones on acetate. The final image out of the images above really worked very well because of the depth of perspective as the image seems to look 3D at some angles. I am also interested in layering the image together as the transparency of the levels will create mixtures of images and a sense of depth through the layers (levels of the unconscious through imagery - is the intention of the work).

When printing the images onto tracing paper, the technician offered me a lot of advice regarding the editting of the images as well as different types of paper and techniques to use. He suggested that I obtain a roll of tracing paper rather than using separate sheets - this would be really interesting and useful as I can then create really long prints that could stretch up the entirity of a wall space in my studio. I could create giant layered pieces! :)  He also told me the best tracing paper to use for large prints would be the thicker density stuff, preferably 160 in density - much less than that would cause the paper to ripple with the amount of ink used.
The technician helped me with the ink levels used - we first tried less ink so that the paper would not ripple or curl up but the image was rather faint so we then used the recommended amount of ink to see how it would turn out - it was all a lot of experimentation. The image was a lot clearer and worked much better when held up to the light as the colours did not fade as much - the sheets of tracing paper I used were of 160 density so it was fine to use more colours, even if some of the images did curl up it was easy enough to flatten them out.

He also suggested ways I could sharpen the images - as the images will come out fainter on tracing paper as it is grey-coloured - methods such as altering the noise distortion on the images. The noise distortion is basically what makes the image less clear, he told me that often JPEG images are fainter than raw images as the program document merges similar colours together, therefore "blanding" the colours. The main colour to try and reduce is yellow as it creates a blur - he suggested looking at "unsharp mask," "smart blur" and general noise distortion on Photoshop - of course focusing on reducing the yellow. The most subtle changes often produce the best results so I will be doing some experimentation to make the images sharper and more defined. I will check out online tutorials and youtube instructual videos for using photoshop and altering distortion.
By the time all the images were printed that I wanted I was exhausted - after rushing around and waiting in so many queues I was ready to die! But I wanted to get the prints done on the acetate I had with me. I was told to go to the Student Guild where I found out I could print on acetate there - thank god! The acetate I had, however, was not suitable for the printers there as I was told that it can only be used by ink jet printers but fortunately they provided acetate for me. I got two images printed off in A3 - the top image and the bottom image of the ones above. I was thrilled by the result, it looked so proffessional and really beautiful with the transparency of the colours - exactly what I wanted. The top image worked the most effectively because of the organic elements to the image/also it looked very dream like and mysterious. I think I will need to edit some of the butterfly images I have to make the images more defined so they show more contrast on acetate.

I plan to go to the Student Guild tomorrow to print off a few more images on acetate - as it took me all week to figure out where to go, I want to make the most of it! Also the more images, the more experimentation! I also want to find out if I can print on a larger scale - I could only print up to A3 from a USB file but I wonder if I had a printed image then I might be able to get a bigger image. I will find out tomorrow...
Despite the fact I feel awfully drained I am very happy that I managed to get some of the work printed - running around like an insane person does pay off!

Vanessa Marsh

http://beautifuldecay.com/2012/11/06/vanessa-marshs-multi-layered-silhouette-photographs/

This artist has created works using layers - drawings onto clear acetate. She creates landscapes using layers of images making the pieces look 3D and as if you looking deeper into the pieces to see things revealed. This work has a sense of narrative which I find really intriging - I create narratives with my work, my writing in particular, so I wish to draw inspiration from these works to find different ways I can make my narrative pieces all the more interesting and expressive.

“Within the series I am exploring not only the working of memory and imagination but also our contemporary relationship to the landscape, where we might find ourselves in the future and how our feelings towards the landscape often center around ideas of dislocation, need and yearning.”


I am interested in layering more of my images - I have tried writing onto some of the images and then adding layers on top so only some of the writing is readable. I always work with the idea of a veil - things only partially seen - but maybe I could try and provide something clearer. The clarity of these pieces is very elegant and inticing - maybe I can experiement with distortion and clear images.

Clair Rossiter

http://clairrossiter.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/pretty-acetate-prints.html

 

Photographs printed onto acetate.

 

I am intrigued by these pieces by Clair Rossiter. She has printed photographs onto acetate - and even the blurred images work really well, possibly better when creating a sense of illusion.

The pieces almost seem to be made up of lots of different images, as if the photographs are created by leveling images. This is a technique I have been using with tracing paper, but if the acetate printing goes well then I can use images on acetate and layer them to create a bizarre picture - made up of different elements of each photography piece.

I also like the tones of the photography - it gives me an idea of getting different coloured acetate or even painting over/drawing on the acetate once it has been printed on...It would be interesting to write on the acetate, also there is the idea of projection still.

If I could create really interesting design/words on acetate/plastic then it would make a really interesting projection - either onto the floor, wall or ceiling...ceiling is interesting? It would direction the audiences' gaze around my work/different directions/cause disruption/distraction etc. I will work on the designs/sketches I can create on sheets of material - especially if I still cannot get any of my work printed off...

RESEARCH: Vivien Blackburn

http://vivienb.blogspot.co.uk/2007/12/digital-images-artists-books-fine-art.html

I have been looking at using acetate and see-through material - I wanted to see how other artists used these materials. I found an artist that uses acetate in a book which I found very interesting as I have been working on my own book of collected images and creative writing. I wondered if I could write or print words onto the acetate to make into pages - or even have images printed onto the acetate that I put over writing in the book.
The artist used a lot of her personal life to create the work, she photocopied her hands and used photoshop to edit the images to create the desired effect. It seems that she wanted to express her own experiences in her book, she felt overwhelmed by family life and uni work so she decided to produce work that expressed that hectic life.

"I used acetate for some pages, to layer lists of words and images so that images changed as you turned the pages, starting with 3 or 4 layers of printed acetate over a paper page, giving multiple versions as you move through the book."


The artist also used some poems and words from Shakespeare to express how she was feeling - I have used a few lyrics in my work but it is mainly important for me to write my own work as I need to feel I am truly releasing the emotions into my work - using the Freudian technique of the Stream of Conscsiousness (or Free association writing) to unload feelings and stresses I have or have had and are stored in my mind. The work is used as almost a therapy to rid myself of unwanted feelings or images but it also works to express hopes and dreams I have and visions for the future. I realise that, as this is very personal, some audience connection can be lost which is why I am using reflective surfaces and intriging imagery to help the audience communicate with the work - see themselves and their own inner feelings within sort-of-speak. I want to show a sense of layers of the mind, how images/thoughts/memories/dreams are piled on top of each other in the mind - the division between the hidden unconscious and the revealed consciousness.

I am thinking I may need more photographs in my work to express what I want - the artist used images that represented how she felt, e.g. "...the windowblinds like prison bars with the looming tower block nearby blocking the sky."

I often use images that mean something to me or represent somewhere I have been, for example an important memory etc. I like the artist's idea of using the blind and clock references to show time ticking away for her, but I do think some of the images are too obvious - she uses lots of clear texts over the top of the images to narrate it which is good but I find it too blatant. I like using texts that suggests feelings and memories rather than creating a sense of a title. Having said that, I have titled some of my creative writing - I use titles when I feel it is appropriate to create a collective of writing, in particular to express a certain memory or situation, when it isn't just about general feelings.

I like the combination of images/patterns/writing. It is inspiration for both my creative collective book and my work onto acetate and mirrors. The transparency of the layers is something I want to capture - I want the audience to be able to peer through the layers to see different levels of writing or images. I have used glass paint on mirrors but I want to use paint or other mediums on acetate or tracing paper and other platics. Maybe thinking of sealing in materials under plastics?

Printing

I am attempting to get some printing done...waiting...

4/12

Holy hell. Okay, well my plan didn't quite work out. First of all I had to buy the materials in which to print on and by the time I had done that and organised everything that needed to be done it was too late to travel to gosta and get them printed before the lecture began...at least I obtained some printable acetate :) I will use it tomorrow when I attempt AGAIN to print off at gosta green!
Also I gained some useful information about where I can buy large amounts of printable acetate - a website or actually going to a shop in Digbeth. And I also found out that I can do some prints on tracing paper and on other kinds of semi see-through materials that I can buy from Margaret street.
Man...I need to just one thing at a time though - it's killing me.
I don't think I will bother making a plan for tomorrow, no point. I'll just see what happens and hopefully I will produce some interesting pieces.

Plan for the next few days

I have discovered that if I use fixative on the reflective sheets (once they have been printed on) it seals the image better. Although the quality is still not completely smudge-free...I plan to work on that.
I want to bring a selection of materials to gosta green tomorrow that I will attempt to print onto. I will ask the advice of the technicians to see if there is a better way to make the ink stay on the surfaces. I will first go to Spectrum to find acetate, gloss paper and also any kind of see-through paper that might create interesting effects.

03/12

I managed to print on reflective card!! It worked really well, the images were very clear and detail as well as the colours being reflective...it worked perfectly! :) I cannot wait to try this on a larger scale, it will really look interesting and bizarre. I am thinking of perhaps writing things into the card before printing onto it and seeing how that looks. The levels of image and writing will create a sense of depth - as if you can look through the image into something else entirely - I will need to experiment more with layers and deciding which looks best. There is the fear of creating too many layers and distorting the orginal images so it will just be trial-and-error for now.


Unfortuantely, so far the reflective card printing has not dried yet and smears every time it is touched...hopefully it will dry but if not then I either cover the image in smoothed-out cling film or encase it in a picture frame or just put glass over it. The effect is really good and dazzling to look at so I would hate for it not to be used - I'm sure there is a solution somewhere!

Also I went to gosta to sort out large scale printing and was told that if I could provide the materials I wanted to print onto then they could do it :) I said I wanted to use tracing paper but also other forms of see-through/semi see-through materials. The IT guy suggested I check out materials such as screens that are used at bus stops...the possibilities are endless! I will look at different materials I can order online - some materials I can obtain locally so I can try them out then before using them on larger scales. I am really pleased with today, the information is very useful and makes me feel a little more at ease. At the moment I am working on layering images and combining them with hand-written prose. I want to develop the sense of layering and levels of the mind - fragments. I am doing all these on reflective and see-through surfaces, e.g. plastic sheets and small mirrors etc. I plan to work on small paintings perhaps this week to layer photography over the top of - I am using layers of photography at the moment printed onto tracing paper. My larger paintings will be useful when printing large see-through screens/sheets which can be attached to these expressive pieces. I feel better than before about my work.

Week 03/12/12

I have created some smaller pieces so far using my photography and reflective surfaces. I used small mirrors, some reflective card and photographs printed onto tracing paper. I used these materials to create a sense of layering - so that you can look through the photography into the reflective surfaces.
My next stage of development is printing onto large scale, e.g. A1 or A0, to create large photography pieces that I will layer over reflective surfaces or over the paintings I have already done. I want to do this to create levels of the unconscious, layers of the mind - looking at the depths of imagery, emotions, thoughts and dreams etc.

I will print off some more images onto tracing paper to work with - decide which pieces I want to use. I will select images that have things to do with my memories, certain things that I hold emotional value too but also images that have a great depth of detail as I want some interesting images that the audience can look through into the reflective mirrors or cards.

I plan to go to gosta green in the week to sort out different size images I can print off - I am hoping that it won't be too difficult to get images printed onto tracing paper/plotting paper or any type of paper that can be seen through. If gosta green doesn't offer the options I want then I will head over to Bourneville to see if they can help me out. :)
Hopefully it will work.

I am want to create different kinds of layering - maybe using objects...Funnily enough this was one of my original ideas when my project was on the very broad subject of dreams. I keep having this idea of using a type of wire or even brambles (possibly fake if it's easier) to create a layer over the top of a piece of photography. The idea of sealed-in thoughts, things hidden in the unconscious, things that sometimes I don't want to be seen by others...secrets and half-revealed dark thoughts. I like the idea of doing a personal project because, although on some level in can make my feelings vulnerable to critisim, I have come to realise that anything bad felt can be dispersed by using the technique of sublimation - taking bad feelings and making them into something creative. Positive transformation of unpleasant memories or thoughts :) Although not all my thoughts are of bad things, often the worst feelings come out if I just relax and let my unconscious release things I want to get rid of.

I do get worried that my tutor or other artists will not take my work seriously...think that it is something placid or just an "emo" idea...but I am determined to communicate with the audience using the imagery and the visual effects as well as put across my thoughts and images I have or have connection with. I do feel more positive about it than before - I was concerned about being too caught up in my mind, but having put things in perspective I believe I can create a connection and a level of mystery with my work that will intrigued an audience and open up the context a little better. It is just a case of experimentation and working out with surface I want to work on. The boards were too solid to represent layers really...mirrors and see-through surfaces show a level of depth, depth of the mind.

I mean, what the hell? I'll create something interesting in the end because I am putting so much effort into my work. :)