Paper Cutting Technique

 

The process of paper cutting simply involves removing a portion of the image, within the first example I created this removal was based on the tone, as I removed area of darkness. I have then overlaid the cut-out against various tones and textures, as pictured; this has given the image a very ‘Pop Art’ and graphic look. I wish to progress this further through means of various cut-outs of each main tone within the photograph, and then reassemble the tones by means of painting through the stencils.

 

The second image I created involved a completely different process, most similar to collage as I combined the original image, for which I used for my first paper cut, with an image page from an aged book. In combining these two photographic images I have recontextualised each of them and their pairing gives a new meaning to the image as a whole, I based it upon a split/varying personality within a person, represented by placement of an image in the head, displaying the mind, of an argument between two distinct characters. The scholar representing his drive and desire to achieve, against a tramp, representing his inherent laziness and the lack of effort he wishes to put into a task, both wrestling with his yet undecided results.  

Art Exhibition Review

A student takes time to reflect upon the exhibits.

 

 I believe this piece to be very effective and the strongest of the three by the artist, he is seemingly poor at capturing accurate proportions, perhaps intentionally or due to the nature of the process of his other pieces; however this works to his advantage with this particular piece as, combined with the use of oversaturated colours and the development of the form through the addition of oval shapes of varying tones to fill what would be areas of block colour gives an aged look reminiscent of popular art of the early 1970s. Although in some areas the clarity of colour is lost through overlaying of different paints that I believe makes the image look dirty and lessens the impactful effect, the piece is definitely a novel idea but I do not believe it has yet been executed to its full potential.

The largest of the three pieces is effective in the use of colour but fails to have the desired impact due to the rather bulbous and inaccurate proportions of the subject, from a distance the image is strong and refinement of these elements would produce a strong painting. The contrast between the background and the face of the subject in colour with the use of opposites draws the attention into the centre and the black of the edge of the face and surrounding hair helps frame the face as a separate image.

The use of colour and form is very effective within this piece, with the use of cold and warm tones contrasting within the piece, and the eyes drawn into the centre of the piece by the use of a light area below centre. I believe the piece is well balanced by the placement of detail on the right side and vast block colours on the left side and the light warm colours dominating the upper area of the image and the darker blues and colder tones weighting the image in the lower proportion. The style is reminiscent of French impressionism. There is also contrast of forms with the sharp angular yet simplistic shapes of the buildings against the softer forms of the blotches that make up the colours. The style is somewhat inconsistent within the piece, with the lower proportion seeming less delicate with stronger brush marks and less well blended colours.

 

 

The three pieces above are those I created for the exhibition, sadly two of which are unfinished due to me not having yet fully planned the direction I wanted to take with the images and the background that would best suit them. I have attempted to create the images in a style of realism with influences drawn from the styles of Art Deco, seen in the more angulated shapes and block tones, most noticeably in the smallest portrait, but with elements in all pieces. The images have since been framed more appropriately, singularly with a thin bordered background. Oil painting is a skill I wish to continue and refine as I progress as I think it would make a suitable medium for a final piece, I wish to also complete the above pieces to a higher and finished standard.

Artist Research - Nel Ten Wolde

Calzada Romana, Australia, Collage, Size: 22 H W x 29.9 x 0 in.

Nel Ten Wolde creates pieces through a process of initial photography of the subject, which are printed, then reconstructed on a separate page through tearing the photograph and placing down at angle to the other pieces, then redrawing the lost parts, or extension of the image. In some images parts of a structure are firstly overlaid onto a separate landscape photograph before rearranging.

Photography Workshop

Compositional Techniques
Composition is obviously something relevant to both Photography and Fine Art so most of the skills learned and repeated here are transferable between the two art-forms. Photography also provides a far quicker and easier method of capturing something, even if only to be properly composed later, it also allows for capturing very momentary occurrences that would not even be seen by the eye without assistance. Next mentioned are some basic compositional techniques and rules which instantly improve the quality of images when applied.  
 
Dramatic perspective – Utilising an obscure angle to emphasise the subject, often close to it in order to create a stronger and more impactful image.

Use of lines e.g. leading lines or converging lines – Having strong straight, naturally occurring lines within the image, often to draw attention to a specific part of the image.

Framing – Using naturally occurring frames within the image, often to emphasise the scene within.

The rule of thirds – Placing an important part of the image on a third line as these are the parts of the image the eyes initially scan.

Moving in close – Taking the photograph within a close proximity to the subject in order to capture the maximum amount of detail.

Balance/symmetry – Having such in your image can be appeasing to the eye and gives a more structured image.

 
Focus

Focus is also an important part of composition within Photography, with the cameras used there is the ability to focus manually or automatically, there are benefits to each and the choice is really down to personal preference and the situation. Automatic bases its focus on the most prominent depth of field, which is often what is required, and is very useful as it does not require the time to focus which can be hindering when shots are taken quickly, although it does has impracticalities such as if you wished to have a small subject, affront a large background, in focus then manual focusing would have to be used. Manual is though, of course based upon the photographer’s eyesight and attention to detail, of which in the case of myself are perfect and full.

Aperture
Aperture is also a key part of composition within Photography, but because of the nature of the capturing, is not relevant to Art as such. Controlling the aperture also control of the depth of field of focus in the photograph, which can help to emphasise the main subject by blurring or crazing the background, it also removes any forms and only retains the tones or colours of what resides there.

Here is an example of a low aperture image on a standard lens, note the circular patterns created by the circular shape of the lens when blurred in the background. Here it helps the delicate plant, that with all in focus would otherwise be lost, become the main focus of the image and the only part to stand out.

Here is another example of a low aperture image, this using such a low aperture that it does not even require a large distance to the background for it to be crazed completely, in this photograph I wished to not only contrast the two hair colours, but also to contrast forms by keeping the foreground subject sharp, whilst softening and blurring the further subject.

Photoshop

We also utilised Photoshop by looking at the ways photographs could be edited in order to re-contextualise and re-form them, this was something I had not used before, so the images featured below are first attempts with a limited knowledge of the software. I drew reference from the work of Jerry Uelsmann whose photography holds a surreal feeling as he combines images of natural forms with man-made objects, although he creates such images using an analogue method of physically masking negatives before shooting onto photographic paper. I wanted to retain this analogue feel to the images so I used only simple tool, and processes that are possible in real life.

An original by Jerry Uelsmann

An image I created from two photographs I’ve taken, in the style of Jerry Uelsmann.

An image I created from two photographs I’ve taken, combining layering and double exposure.

Preliminary Sketches

Below are photographs of sketches I have begun, these two in a style similar to that of Rossetti, in a realistic manner, and to be filled with soft colours, my intent is also for the images to be dark and striking, in a similar manner to his. I also plan to complete sketches of figures in a similar style to that of Lempicka, redefining features and forms to allow them to conform to a more stylised and Art Deco aesthetic.  

Artist Studies - Metropolis

Here are images created using chalk under a strict time limit of 30 seconds, the medium was effective for creating large areas of tone in the very short amount of time given, it also allowed for creating great tonal variation and soft shade. One dislikeable element of the images is the texture of the paper which creates a rough patternation. An idea that has arisen from this practice is to utilise masking tape to create the outside lines of the building

Tamara De Lempicka

Tamara De Lempicka was a famed Art Deco portrait painter throughout the early 20^th century, she worked under commissions to create some of the most stylised, contemporary and popular painting of the 1920s and 30s. The individuality of the images due to the emphasised and often sharpened form of the subjects, coupled with the simple and usually monotone background creates strong, bold images with a stance of importance and integrity.

 

Portrait of a Man (Incomplete) (Portrait of Tadeusz de Lempicki), 1928

Oil on canvas, 126 x 82 cm

Andromeda, 1927/28

Oil on canvas, 99 x 65 cm

Autoportrait (Tamara in the Green Bugatti), 1925

Oil on wood, 35 x 26 cm

Portrait of Dr Boucard, 1929

Oil on canvas, 135 x 75 cm

Girl with Gloves, 1929

Oil on canvas, 53 x 39 cm

The Young Ladies, ca. 1927

Oil on wood, 41 x 33 cm

Techniques - Oil Pastel

Below are images taken of work completed during a workshop exploring the technique behind the use of oil pastels, a medium I though appropriate due to is close resemblance to the medium used by the artist Rossetti, although what differed and caused my decision to not use this medium for any further works, was the difficulty I found in creating detailed and correct shapes. The medium was effective for creating full and even tones with a smooth, texture-less surface.

Dante Gabriel Rossetti

Dante Gabriel Rossetti was a pioneering artist of the Pre Raphaelite art movement. The name Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood referred to the groups’ opposition to the Royal Academy’s promotion of the Renaissance master Raphael. They were also in revolt also against the triviality of the immensely popular ‘genre painting’ of time. The movement was also inspired by the theories of John Ruskin, who urged artists to ‘go to nature’; they believed in an art of serious subjects treated with maximum realism. Their original themes were initially religious, but they also used subjects from literature and poetry, specifically those dealing with love and death. Some also explored their modern social problems. After initially encountering heavy opposition, the Pre-Raphaelites became highly influential, with a second phase of the movement occurring around 1860, inspired particularly by the work of Rossetti whom was making a major contribution to symbolism.

 Rossetti’s ‘Proserpine’, dated 1874 on the picture, although he worked for seven years on eight separate paintings depicting the same subject. The subject was modelled for by Jane Morris, the wife of the famed artist William Morris, at the time off the painting Rossetti had a love, nearing on obsessive, for her, and she was torn between her husband and newly found lover. The symbolism in Rossetti's painting poignantly shows Proserpine's plight, and simultaneously Jane Morris', torn between her husband, and her lover. The pomegranate draws the viewer's eye, the colour of its flesh matching the colour of Proserpine's lips. The ivy behind her, as Rossetti stated, represents clinging memory and the passing of time; the shadow on the wall is her time in Hades, the patch of sunlight, her glimpse of earth. Her dress, like spilling water, suggests the turning of the tides, and the incense burner denotes the subject as an immortal. Proserpine's saddened eyes, which are the same cold blue colour as most of the painting, indirectly stare at the other realm. Overall, dark hues characterise the colour scheme of the piece giving it a very sombre theme.

Transference Techniques - 'Biro' and Hairspray

This technique entails drawing using a ballpoint pen and then spraying the drawing with hairspray. This can create various effects dependent on the length of time it is sprayed as well as the proximity to the image. I think the final image that I created was effective as it created a sense of movement which is something that the object is strongly associated with. It also transferred an image to the reverse side of the paper, formed in dots, similar to the style of pointillism, also an effective image.

 

 

Transference Techniques - Acrylic and Print

This technique involved spreading white acrylic paint upon the page and pressing a photographic print, face down, into it. Then, once dried, to rub away the paper, leaving a reverse image imprinted on the acrylic.

 

The above image displays my first attempt at this technique. I evenly and generously spread the acrylic upon the surface which created a full and mostly unbroken, very similar to the original but reversed and slightly discoloured, noticeably on the black areas.

With the second attempt I painted on the acrylic more sparingly, this created an aged effect, looking as if the image had been worn and ripped, or scratched away at, relating to our theme.

Transference Techniques - Sellotape

This technique utilises Sellotape which was layered upon a print (it is necessary to not use an ink jet print as the ink is embedded such that it will not transfer). From which the paper must be moistened and rubbed away leaving the ink transferred upon the Sellotape. Additionally, the process of removing the paper must be mildly gentle as not to remove the ink from the Sellotape.

 

With the image above, the transfer worked well due to me overlapping the Sellotape as to join the Sellotape pieces together to form a sheet. I overlaid this over an ink design although this became ineffective as the colour of the ink was too intense, detracting from the image itself. In order to amend this I would use a more textured background with softer hues of colour which I believe would create a better image.

 

A similar issue occurred with the second image that I created as the dark, intense colour detracted from the image.