500 word evaluation arts and crafts

500 Word Evaluation Arts and Crafts

For my secondary research, I decided that it would be best for me to collect a series of books relating to the art movement tied into our project, arts and crafts. Therefore, I worked from a book centred around Art Nouveau. Featuring artists such as Mackintosh.

I could not decide between either only Mackintosh or Morris to focus on solely because I found different aspects of both of their works appealing, such as the varying methods that they both use to depict flowers. For example; Mackintosh uses a very similar method to the one that I use to draw roses, which shares the simplistic look that I am familiar with. Whereas, Morris tends to draw different types of flowers to Mackintosh (instead of continuously creating varying sizes and patterned roses) also preferring to draw them with much more intricate detailing.

I put my moodboards together by choosing which of both artist's works are my favourite and would also fit in best with the theme of arts and crafts and choosing 3-4 different pieces, either replicating the whole piece or a specific section. Then, adding colour to them by completing them in different media or on different coloured paper, making the pieces more interesting.

I decided to use Katrina Pallon as my contemporary artist because she uses flowers as well as the female form as a common theme as well as Mackintosh. I find her use of watercolours interesting as well as also linking into Morris' consistent use of watercolours in his work.

As for experimentation, we went down to the textiles workshop to create a piece using Batik to recreate a piece by Mackintosh shown on the board, then use coloured inks to make them look more interesting, next we used puff binder to create an image by using a paint brush covered in puff binder to paint an image on the paper, then use a heat gun to raise the binder, revealing the pattern that had been lightly painted on. Lastly, we used various tools such as forks to create patterns in acrylic paint that looked similar to Mackintosh's works.

Later on, we added to our Batik piece by sewing into the patterns that we had created down in the workshop. 

As for health and safety concerns, whilst in the textiles workshop creating out experimental pieces, we were told to sign in first (to avoid people being un accounted for in the event of a fire), then to put on a plastic apron to avoid damage to clothing/ making a mess. Also, to tie long hair back which is common practice in the workshops as a number of things can become dangerous if it is not out of the way. 

After recieveing the peer assessment, I did take into account what they had to say and applied it to my work. From that point, I took all unfinished work or sheets that needed to be worked into further and completed the pieces that clearly were incomplete and could be brought up to a higher grade by putting more time into adding detail. 

I feel that the strength in my designs are that I can accurately recreate them as they were drawn originally, but that I also have the ability to see room for improvement/subtle changes within the designs to guide them more toward fitting in with the guidelines for the assignment/arts and crafts movement. For example, on my artist research sheet focusing on Katrina Pallon, she had used floral patterns often in various works, so I decided to add more interesting features to the piece that I would include flowers in a Mackintosh inspired style. 

If I was to start this project again, I would write down a clear time table for me to effectively manage my time at home to work on any pieces that may not be completed at college, as opposed to leaving it until another sheet is started, no longer focusing on the incomplete work, this method repeating until there was more work to be completed than there should have been. 

I would also have asked more questions about the projects, instead of worrying that the ideas for the project that I had created were incorrect, meaning that I would put off work until I thought I understood, leading up to an ever growing load of work. 

We mainly used new mark making processes throughout the project such as the main techniques learnt from the textiles experimentation work shop (Batik, Puff binder) but also we have had experience using weaving and sewing also, to add new kinds of depth and intircacy to our work. I do see the point in using these techniques in our work, it seperates our work showing clear differences in how we wish to execute the ideas that we had. 

I feel that the artists I chose were good choices, Mackintosh (historical artist) fit into the arts and crafts movement as well as having created work that appeals to me and that I enjoyed working from as well as Katrina Pallon for the contemporary side and I am also happy with the results that I created as a result of studying these artists and their works. As mentioned before, what could have gone better is my time management as well as being more willing to ask more questions about the tasks that I am being set. 
 

Observational Drawing & Mark-Making Eval

Observational Drawing & Mark-Making Project Evaluation

During this project, I have learnt of different and interesting techniques, each giving the end project a different and unique look. Examples of these techniques; cross hatching, dotting and creating an image without removing the pen/pencil from the paper. (The last, being the technique that I found the most difficult due to attempting to make sure the end product resembled the original object closely enough was not something that I found to be easy.)

However, I did enjoy using cross hatching and even developed my own almost abstract method of crosshatching.

I also found that this method of mark-making makes good results. If done well, the individual lines are hard to make out and it makes it easier to control the gradient of the shading that I use, giving my pieces the end look that I want.  

Whilst learning how to execute these methods correctly and effectively, I took inspiration from other artists I found online, although mostly amateur I was able to get an idea of where to use cross hatching to shade on certain objects from cups to faces, and where to end the cross hatching (where the shadow fades to light on said object.) I also used the help I gained from online examples in my homework piece:

I find that my 4 studies using brusho inks, colour pencil, white acrylic and parcel and newspaper have been an effective practice.

I’ve never had the chance to use brusho inks before, so these pieces of work were necessary in my progress in creating art on different surfaces, using different tools/ styles. However, in my opinion I think that my piece drawn onto newspaper and parcel paper was my favorite because it was so different to the other 3, texture and quality wise. Each surface of the materials used were unique, making the pencil strokes and colours used stand out more vibrantly against each material on the piece.

When I finished my sgraffito ‘scratch’ drawing, I found that the most effective part of the method followed to create it was the oil pastel background underneath the black paint. Without the vibrant mix of coloured patterns showing through the contrasting black paint, there would be something obviously lacking. The colour adds a unique quality to each piece, meaning that even if two people scratched the same design into the paint, both pictures would be different to each other, depending on the choice of colours and patterns.

I feel that I could have produced better quality homework studies, now that I can manage my time better and have had practice familiarizing myself with the different methods of mark-making. I know that if I were to have the opportunity to re create the pieces, they would be of a better quality and with a more professional feel, as it would be more evident that I have had more time to practice the techniques required to successfully create these images.

As I have become more familiar with how to execute these methods, I do feel that I have improved in my observational drawing skills, especially compared to when I created my first piece at college. Using cross hatching and dotting was barely familiar to me, as I knew what these techniques were, I just had not frequently used them in any of my previous work, making me unsure of how much confidence I had in using these methods to create a piece of art.

Time wise, as mentioned before, I feel that since the beginning of the project I have improved in managing my time. During earlier pieces of work, I rushed to finish them during class time because if I had to complete them at home, I was not confident that I would be able to produce work at the standard that I wanted without some form of help from a teacher, or know what to do/ how to correct and error without having to completely re start. Whereas now, I am far more confident in myself and happy to complete any incomplete assignments at home by myself.

I would not say that I have produced the best drawing and mark- making outcomes possible during the time frame because I can always see room for improvement within my own work. What I created last week could easily be upstaged by what I can create this week due to what I learn throughout the college week and multiple workshop/ regular fine art classes.

The one mark-making technique that I would like to explore is the method of creating a piece without the pen/pencil leaving the paper because I think that it is the most unique technique of the ones I have learnt an also because I find myself struggling to use this method easily. I would prefer to push myself my using this method more frequently in order to make it easier for myself to use in the future as well as to say/ be confident that I could, if asked, create more pieces using this method with less difficulty.

My overall thoughts on this project would be that I have enjoyed it, I particularly liked my lessons in the fine art workshop, re creating artists’ works in their own style; e.g. using thick brush strokes like Monet.

It was refreshing to be able to change around our usual style of painting from using the paint brush like a pencil and finely and carefully filling each detail in, to being able to use larger brushes, creating messier lines, using abstract colours and mixing them together whilst still wet on the paper, also creating works straight from paint without starting off with a pencil outline to work from, which although challenging was fun and surprisingly easy.

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Moodboards: Fine Metal

For our next moodboards, we had the task of filling them with items used/found around the workshops that we had been working in for the past 4 weeks. So for me, the theme was Fine Metals.

Fine Art Workshop: Week 2

This week, we were each given a printed image of another artist's work, all in the same style; visibly thick paint with clear brush strokes.

My image was of three gumball machines in a row, the background; thick, white acrylic paint that had clearly visible brushstrokes, easy to see which directions the artist was painting.

Fine Art Workshop: Week 1

For our first project in the Fine Art workshop, we were focusing on colours; Primary colours, Secondary colours etc.

We created as a class, our own colour wheel showing which colours were our primarys and what colours came inbetween, helping us to clearly decide which colours had to be mixed together to create what, as well as what shade of varying colour we would end up creating if we mised the wrong ratios of the wrong colours.

Later on, we stretched our boards and devided our sheets of white A3 paper into squares, choosing which variations of combinations to use (Red and Green, Orange and Yellow and Blue and Purple), creating as many combinations with these colours as we could on our pallets and painting each square with whatever colour we managed to creat from the two colours we had chosen, eventually filling the sheet with different shades of different colour variations.

Pencil Studies: Mannequin

This week was different, as for this piece of work the whole class would be drawing the same object(s).

The room was set up so that there was a mannequin draped in various scarves and belts to one side of the elevated table with machinery on the other.
Having previously the task of sketching varying pieces of machinery, I decided that I would prefer to draw out something that I found more interesting. So I chose the mannequin.

Our main task was to capture how/what we saw of the object(s) from where we sat, as well as the shadows being cast by/onto said objects. We had to re-create what we could see as accurately as possible. 

Shading Studies: Cabinet Contents

For our first homework assignment, we had been asked to take a photograph of any of our cupboards at home, and it's contents;

Recreating the image that we had taken using different shading techniques, black or white perhaps some colour to adjust the atmosphere of the piece; 

Fine Metals: Complete Project

We were asked to take home a small piece of MDF in order to draw our own designs (similar to the ones created on our mood boards) containing the items we had been using around the Fine Metals workshop in black and white in order to create a unique background layer for each piece of work.

Once the backgrounds were complete, we began soldering stands to our pieces of etched metal, giving different heights to every ornament to make each piece look more unique and interesting.

The final lesson was more about finishing the smaller deatils off and drilling the holes into the MDF, that we would then be gluing our pieces of jewellery into, as well as gluing any tiny pieces together and making sure our final pieces were presentable and complete to the standard that we wanted them to be at.

Tracings

This week, we created a design on a sheet of A3 white paper that once again connected with the theme of the Art and Design workshops/ equipment.

Beginning with creating a design in pencil starting in the middle of the sheet, once it had been folded, landscape, down the middle.

I chose to re-create the image of the woman's portrait from my last moodboard. We then had to build up our designs, staying to the left side of the sheet and making sure that everything we drew that connected to both the top and the bottom touched, leaving no gaps.

Once we were happy with our designs, we used a black fine liner to outline only the left side of our designs, then cutting them out carefully with a pair of scissors.

We then used masking tape to accurately align the piece of cut out paper, with the outline of our designs on, and joined it to the right side of our pieces of paper, with our drawings on.
Once that was done correctly, we began filling the rest of the page with various images based on our previoys moodboards and pieces of equipment that we had seen around the workshop, and that we had used to create previous pieces of work.

Happy with our final designs, we went over every detail of our tracings in black fine liner, making sure to leave no gaps, and made annotations about what we had done that day as well as the steps we took to creating out tracings.

Colour Studies: Clothes

For this week's homework, our assignment was to create an A4 study in colour of either a pile of clothes or various items of clothing hung up or arranged in a specific way. The goal being; how well we can re-create the look and realistic style of creases and features of the different materials and how they appear when positioned in a specific way.

I chose to create my piece of work on a piece of A4 black paper, meaning that when it came to adding colour, the white outline of the actual items of clothing contrasted and highlighted each colour that I used, giving the image a sharper edge whilst simultaneously allowing each crease and fold in the clothing to stand out.

I decided to choose to draw a selection of wedding styled dresses hung on a rack.
I chose these items because of the difference between each item of clothing, both style and colour wise, deciding that challenging myself to some degree with a subject that I have rarely previously drawn would be an effective way of helping myself to develop some kind of technique if ever I am asked to create a similar image.

3D Sketches on Black A3

For this project, we were asked to choose an array of items from either around the room or from what we had in our bags to then draw on a piece of black A3 paper, in coloured pencil.

I decided to draw my glasses, due to the differentiating reflections in the glass of the lenses that I found both challenging and interesting to draw, which in the end I was proud of the result.
Next to the glasses, a tall glass bottle as well as a smaller, thinner glass vile of perfume with an interesting coloured liquid accompanied by a floral design decorating the outside of the container.

I chose these items specifically because I have never found drawing glass items or any items which reflected light since I have always found them difficult images to re-create accuratley, hence why I have avoided them until now.
But this week I have surprised myself by creating a piece that I am proud of, despite initially struggling to start off with.

Mood Boards

This week, we created mood boards based on what we could see/ find around the various workshops of the art department, taking photographs of certain objects that we found interesting and compiling a few that we had selected to draw. 

We then stretched a piece of A4 paper onto a board and proceeded to begin our first sketches of whatever various items that we had chosen to include on our mood board before adding colour. (Although we had the option to either begin with a coloured background or to add that in later.)

Once we felt our boards were filled to an appropriate extent and accurately recreated, we were given a variety of different choices in which to begin to add colour to our work, giving each board a unique look of their own.

One method was to use powdered ink paints, either mixed with water in a cup and manually painted on, creating thick brush strokes along the paper, or more interesting techniques such as spreading water over a certain area, then to lightly sprinkle the powdered ink on top of it, giving the ink space to spread itself out into interesting patterns on its own, or to sprinkle the ink on first, then dripping water carefully on top of it.

We then finished by writing annotations on the back of our pieces, consisting of what we could do to improve next time, techniques that we had used, equipment we had used, a step by step of how we had created our boards and what we liked about our pieces. 

Pencil Studies: Shoes

We were assigned to create a pencil study this week, based on a photograph that we must take of any pair of shoes from any angle, in any pose. 

For example; 

We then had to re create an image of our selected pair of shoes, but contrary to our last homework, this study must consist of only simple lines, perhaps few fine details, no shading;

Fine Metals: First Project

For our first project in Fine Metals (Jewelry), we created a series of personalized, small copper, silver and brass tiles.

We began by choosing from either copper, silver or brass, depending on the method of adding textures to each.

For example, when using silver it is easy to make a mistake, an expensive mistake. Therefore, we were advised to use copper when attempting to create a more intricate pattern, along with the fact that copper is more resilient and is almost impossible to melt which became useful information once we found that holding fire directly against our tiles within such a close proximity was a part of the routine.

Once the tiles had been held in cold water and returned to a safe temperature, we then selected our own texture (whether it be a leaf or heart patterned piece of material) and laid it upon our tile, and ran it through the rolling machine so that the texture successfully imprinted onto our tiles, clearly and successfully. 

Another method of impringting our own unique patterns/designs into the metals was by covering one side of the piece of metal with duct tape (to protect the plain side from corroding in the acid), then to paint the side of the tile not covered by duct tape with black paint specifically designed to create a layer between the metal and the acid it was about to be placed in. 

By using a scribe, we were able to personalize our tiles by inscribing them with patterns of our choice by using the scribe to scratch off the paint in certain areas, to form attractive looking, interesting patterns/details that made each one unique. 

-Bronte