Samples for Final Piece

I have genuinely been at dire straits throughout this project and the final outcome idea is just the tip of the ice berg. I suppose there are many reasons for this. One, being that the brief of the project did not ask for a certain item/piece/product to be designed and made, but to be thought up completely by the artist. I have been through all sorts of ideas. My main three were; a form of tapestry, a large sculptural face of a bog body and a 3-D multimedia wall hanging. These were not to my liking at all, i felt them being under cooked as ideas and could have been thought of better. But i ended up creating these samples which i believe is a legitimate idea for a final piece; a collection of body parts such as finger, toes, hands etc either strung up by plaited cords of left in a arrangement. 

 I created these samples through stuffing and manipulating materials such as bin liners, tights and a unraveled mesh like fabric found in a scouring pad. It created these abstract, almost morbid looking forms that i think is a new concept from the origin of the project. 

I hope to get my designs done and get to work on making the forms.   

Remnant Progress

The deadline for this project is not far away so i am getting into the swing of relentlessly working in my sketchbook and creating samples in an attempt to reach a final outcome. I am really finding this difficult; this is the only time in College where it has been so close to the deadline and i still do not have a solid idea for the projects final outcome.

Admittedly, this piece above has given me a rough idea for the final outcome; be it very vague, but something to work on. I really like the headpiece of this outfit as it looks like a hangmans hood, which relates to my theme in the sense that a lot of the bog bodies were part of some sacrifice (such as the Tollund man) and were murdered in some way. I am going to build on this idea through the processes i have picked up in this project, so what i need to do is sample.

This is one of my samples for the Remnant project, i have modeled this hand from a reference photo of a bog body's hand. I used a structure of craft straws and masking tape to create a frame, the i used a material like hessian to add bulk. Then to create a rotting skin look i used a layer of tissue paper with a PVA glue mixture. Really happy with the outcome of this, looks really convincing and a life like quality to it.

Sample Page from 'Remnant'

This is one of the samples i have made for the new project i am doing called 'Remnant'. This is project that is about objects, places, people that leave behind something; either it be a memory that is personal to you/others or something that leaves behind something that is physical. I have chosen mummies or mummification. I love how the mummified remains of an individual is the remnant of their former self; a shell of a person that once was walking, talking and breathing. I have narrowed this concept in  my project to the mummified remains that are Bog Bodies. What i find interesting about bog bodies is that usually the reason why they are found in the acidic bogs that mummify them is the outcome of a murderers attempt to conceal the body or a sacrificial rite made by the ancient peoples of the land.

Wall Design Progress

Here is the half finished wall design that i have drawn onto my bedroom wall. This was achieved through drawing the design onto a flattened out poly-pocket and the by using a projector, display the image onto the wall. I then simply drew around the projected image and then went over it again in a large (ish) permanent marker pen. I am really happy with the results so far.

Summer sketchbook: Highlights

This summer I have filled a small A5 sketchbook with watercolour, pencil and pen drawings that I have been updating everyday by going on journeys around various parts of my village, Ashover. I tried to emphasise on the use of colour and the way light reflects upon landscapes to create a impressionistic effect to the sketchbook. Over time I started to learn new things about field studies. Such as sometimes it is best to be quick about what you are doing and not to worry about fine detail. I believe this sketchbook represents a journey and a insight into my summer. I started on one side of the valley in the Fabrick woods, then slowly working my way down to where my house is, then to the bottom of the valley where the amber river is and the working my way up the other side of the valley into Hate woods. There is of course certain anomalies such as the time I spent in Tupton and the Cost cross area. But this shows my summer in great detail. Overall I am very proud of this sketchbook as it acts a diary and a account of my summer through art.

Ashover Caves- Watercolour 

Woods at Tupton-Watercolou

Studio Ghibli Wall Design

This is a final design for the piece that i am going to draw onto a wall in my bedroom. I have taken influence from the prestigious anime film company, Studio Ghibli as i find their style of films and art really beautiful. I started this piece by simply sketching out the design in pencil, to get a idea of what i am going to go over in ink. What was difficult for this piece was finding stills from the films that will fit into the composition of the work. There were times where i had to step back a thoroughly think about what should be drawn where. I had to think about using the still images that i was using as reference for the drawing to my advantage and think where it can fit in the composition.

Close up on detail

Once the initial drawing of the piece was done the inking of the piece was easy to do. It added a real professional look to the piece and it showed to me what it would look like when drawn on the wall. I am thinking to use a thick black marker pen to create the lines in need to capture the same effect of the design composition.

I really enjoyed drawing this piece as it was a part of me captured onto the page. These films are but one of the reasons i wish to be a artist because the amount of effort into the animation of these films are truly staggering. I will definitely update this when i have started work on the wall in my bedroom, but it may be a couple of months until i get started. Hopefully, it will be a joint effort between me and fellow artist Belinda Ayres. I am hoping it will suit the room beautifully.

Studio Ghibli finished design~(fine line on cartridge paper)