Longing……For……For……For……

What is the Photoshop Process like?

Well… its like this… If people have not had the experience to use photoshop like I have its probably best if people start using it now! Its a very good way to edit things like photographs for art work, cropping and distorting images and even using this software for building the layers for the printing process.

How will Photoshop help me in this printing process?

I always think about photoshop as being one of the best god saving systems when it come to trying to complete a degree, it had well and truly benefiting me so much more every time i use this software. These layers have been carefully cutout of my original Heinze Can of Tomato Sauce and visually it has enabled me to see my process a lot more.

Seeing the process this way clearly indicates exactly how much time I will have to complete this task and also it enables me to see how much work was involved in making my image.

Why have these layers been marked out in black colours?

Now… this is the biggest magical surprise within the printing world because this method of blocking out layers in black actually acts as a barrier towards light but is the negative side rather than the positive. Photo Emulsion is the solution that I will use for this process because as this is going to be a silk screen print. It would be very wise to use the photo emulsion for this process.

Whatever has blocked or whatever is in front of the Photo Emulsion would be the image that will come out on the silkscreen and this is why I need to block out the layers in black so that light cannot travel through to the Photo Emulsion.

What is the next process of action?

The next process would be to try and print all of these layers out onto Acetate plastic which is a type of very thin plastic card that is widely used in the photo emulsion process. The Acetate is see through so therefore nothing else but my image will be printed onto the silkscreen using the emulsion and the result seen on their should be the good result on paper.

Once Glen ‘The Technician’ comes in the arts building, I should be able to get him to print these layers out for me on the inkjet printer and this will be the next process before doing anything else. Hopefully I can start this process this Friday 11/09/2015 so that the layers are prepared ready for printing next week, if not then I can try get the layers done next week at the latest, fingers crossed!

Why choose to print a Heinz can of tomato sauce?

Well… I know Its abit Andy Warhol Ish although his was ‘Campbells Tomato Soup‘ but for me, there is rather a very important element to doing this type of print. This can of Heinz Tomato Sauce is in Chinese and English together! When I found this in China as part of my China research I was amazed to see it in both languages.

I tend to look for a lot of this kind of objects that could go in as my artwork and this is the type of thing that really sends a message out about my artwork. What is my work all about? why print this kind of work? why the tin can of tomato sauce? This example explains almost all question to what my artwork is really about.

How will I be able to prepare the image for printing?

I have had to change the original image for the preparations of printing so I edited this image in photoshop so that I can play around with it and see what I can investigate into how to change it. I manage to split all the different sections of the image up to make them all separate from each other as each of the different sections will be in different colours. The main reason for doing this exercise in Photoshop, is because this is the only way possible to printing this image and also is a very good way to cutting out minute detail, making sure the finished printed image is looking good and crisp.

Next steps into making this image in printing?

Well… the next step into printing this nice image was to try use the printer in the printing room to print the different layers onto acetate ready for projecting onto the silkscreens but seems is at a standstill right now… I did go into the university on 28/08/2015 to see if I could use the printing facilities but could I use it? Not at all! Could i see anyone there to help me? Not at all! I did know that for the summer time the workshops will be closed for renovation but could I see much had changed since the last two months being away? Not at all!

When will this arts building ever get it right? ‘A PRINTING ROOM DISASTER’

To me, it looked like they were just using the rooms just for space to store things in so they can renovate the other rooms next to this one instead. I hated how the workmen people just dump a lot of thing on those printing machines which could ideally effect the printing process for future printers like myself! I could not see one bit of that printing room change since those two months of being away and this has made me abit angry when other students like me could have used it to start the processes early and to generate some interesting good work!

I wanted to just come in ‘not even one month early’ and try to start my printing but I couldn’t so I will wait until Tuesday now and see what happens by then. By the looks of things I do not think the printing room will be cleared in good time as there is a lot of ceiling materials and wood there… Its a waste of people’s precious time and right Friggin mess if you ask me.

What ideas did I gather from my China research this summer?

I could say that I have come up with many great new art ideas and only a fraction of them are shown above. these are my most earliest of printing ideas that I would love to get started in although the screening process for making these different coloured layers can be a time consuming and pricey sum. I have managed to come up with some more technical printing ideas which is based around english and china differences along with memory traces.

I have managed to also come up with quite a few sculptural ideas which is mostly based around memory traces of my illness in China and the differences between English and Chinese culture.

How will I be doing this next step?

I will try and make a new appearance this Thursday and Friday to see what has changed and to see if it would be possible to start some new exciting printing early. Hopefully they would have finished the renovation for the printing room and other studios by that time. I am looking the up most excited to starting these new printing concepts and methods and just look forward to see the final outcome of these prints!

Today or tomorrow, I will try to buy the Fabiani paper which would be the most suitable for printing on as the print will last alot longer than other papers. I feel already that this will be a big new turning point for me in my art career if I manage to produce these and may just kick me up a gear higher.

What did I feel after my BA in Fine Arts and starting my masters?

After finishing off my degree show and putting it to bed I have had the desire to take up a masters degree for one more year at UCS in Ipswich. After successfully completing my tough 3 years of my BA,… I had earned a 1st class Honours degree in fine art! which had made me shocked and very happy to have achieved it. Although I was very passionate and so absorbed into making art work and doing research I was planning on trying my best anyway hence why I had obtained a 1st class honours.

I did not achieve what I desired getting pissed every weekend, playing games or doing a 9-5 job Monday to Friday. I could say I was well into the stuff that I loved doing so well like artists research and essay work in the evening and making great art during the day sometimes until 7 or 8 at night time. yeah it was my fault for sometimes feeling a bit unwell and tired doing all of this work but I wanted to put the extra effort in. Instead of just playing with materials all the time I wanted to produce a more refined art work rather than just producing artwork for ideas or because I have to to show a lot of artwork.

A new person for a new start? or the same person?

The kind of person I normally am is a planning and seeing in advance person who likes to work out problems and ideas mostly in my head and try to refine my art work the first time round. But I also like to draw them in a sketchbook and working the situation out to see the insight of my problems so it will be something that I will try do more of is planning and sketching. but sometimes I cannot tell whether it will work or not, I have to gamble sometimes which could involve a lot of money in the projects that I do.

A new start in terms of thinking for my masters degree?

What people see on paper is what they will see in my mind and most times I really wanna just let it explode out through printing onto paper or sculpture. Now as an artist and soon to graduate, I have finished mostly with playing and trying to find out who I am as an artist. In my mind already, I want to keep producing great new prints and sculptures that are based on the differences between English and Chinese cultures along with Indexical traces. This will hopefully lead off to a great and interesting start to the new and final year studying my masters.

What was the result of my final degree show?

After some really painstaking work of finishing it off with the painting and mounting up, it was certainly a worthwhile investment to my exciting degree show. I look back and think of the hard work that I had put into it working 8 hours everyday non stop for two weeks, maybe 10 minutes to every hour of break that I got but still suffered for the tough two weeks.

My degree show was an image that was definately taken from my mind of planning and was the exact image that I wanted to see. It was everything that I wanted to create so eagerly and so ambitiously that I wanted to show off something that was unique and different towards the viewer. I wanted to make this impact of surprise for the viewer making a huge front entrance name for my degree show.

Then seeing my huge sculpture room which they can go through and make a journey themselves just like I do from England to China. They are like the agent being part of the show and is about making the connection and journey of the two cultures together. I can say it was very fun to see and everyone looked and felt excited about this experience of travelling through my show to see different cultural objects and projected chinese people on screens playing mahjong.

The problems that I faced

I would have started it sooner but other part-timer students wanted to use the same room to present their final works of the year. I did feel a bit frustrated with this as I only had two weeks to do this instead of hoping to get the 3-4 weeks that I had in mind, hence why I had to work longer hours. I really felt that their was a lack of organising to do in terms of sorting out spacing for degree shows and of course exhibitions.

Their are other facilities just outside of the arts building that do not get used which I find distressing to see as it can create more space for the separate year levels of The BA fine arts pupils.When a perfectly good building is not fit for a studio space or an exhibition, what should they do? pull it down and build a studio space out of the same materials? or should they maintain it, refurbish it and then can be used?

Every year us UCS students have the same problem and it should be sorted out quicker, I mean it does not take long to make a descision to refurbish an unused mobile hut that virtually looks almost brand new and was only 2 years ago it was last used. If however the examiners board expect high demands from us to achieve the best results surely they should take ‘space’ as a consideration into meeting better results right? But for now just have to let it brush past me until the next fight for space approaches.

Looking back on the whole year how did I feel?

To be honest I was feeling very excited and willing in creating something that has never been done before as far as I have seen art come and go. I had done a lot of research into other projection and sculpture artists doing similar things hence why I had to try make this as unique as possible. I thought of this as my own unique idea which I had already thought about doing near the end of my second year of my degree and has taken me a lot of planning and commitment to sticking with this same idea.

I gave this degree show project my all and everything that I could possibly pull out of my body and is why I suffered some bad illnesses from it which i am still getting over even now.