This week I have been continuing to prepare my canvas boards for screen printing onto next week. I have painted them “light portrait rose” which I would describe as baby pink. One comment I had today is that they were “fleshy pink” which I think is very relevant considering what will be printed onto them. I hadn’t really considered the fact that I was using a paint designed for portraits and painting skin tones to create a base for my outline drawings of girls who are naked or in just underwear. This added an element to the work that I hadn’t been able to see for myself and had originally chosen on the fact that it was that cliche pastel pink that every girl is categorised with when they are first born (and forever more if you ask people off the top of their head what colour do they associate with females).
The boards are having their final coat of primer painted onto them this week and I am trying to figure out how to cut my lace to print the net curtain. I have a few initial drawings done for the girls that will be printed behind but cutting the stencils up for that will be even harder as the picture will be split between boards – bringing up the problem of whether I keep the drawing whole and simply cut it into the 60×60 squares or whether I take the window frame idea into this and say well the gaps between the boards represent a window frame so you can’t see through it, meaning that there would be pieces of the drawing lost behind the “frame” which is the gaps between the boards. It is something that needs a lot of thought before I am able to start printing.
I still have to create a pallete of colours that I want to use, getting the perfect tones so that every detail is visible yet still subtle will be challenging. Then starting to test print on Monday. I can’t wait to get into the screen print workshop again and get some pattern down on these plain pieces of canvas!
My aim from doing an art degree is to eventually become an art teacher, I have a passion for the subject that I want to share with others, inspiring them and helping nurture the passion and love of art in others. Last week I was at an interview for a teaching course, one of the things that they asked us to do was to talk about how our own practice could influence a lesson. I decided to talk about technology’s influence on art.
I hadn’t really realised before but my art is incredibly reliant on modern technology and computers. I source my material from the internet before printing them out and creating drawings using these photographs. I will then scan the drawings and edit them in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to make them absolutely perfect – I like to make the lines crisp and smooth, taking away that hand drawn feel. I then have these printed bigger onto acetate and drafting film before putting them onto silk screens for printing. I then photograph the work and edit the images to put onto the internet.
This struck me as being actually incredibly reliant on technology and learning technical skills to be able to make my work in this way. So how has technology influenced art over the last few decades? Even in the last 5 years the programs have come a long way, Photoshop is now a predominant program that is used even in schools. When I was doing digital photography in 6th form my teachers didn’t know how to use Photoshop, me & a friend taught ourselves, I can’t imagine not treaching children how to use this now, it has beome so important and everybody expects you to know how to use at least the basics.
Artists use a web presence like this blog site as well as Tumblr, Facebook and personal websites to promote their work which involves not only photographing the work but being able to manage online content. Another skill that children are picking up younger and younger and I believe is going to be a key part of their learning in schools the further along they get. I want to look at the way technology is influencing children’s perception on art and the work that they are making; this stemming from my own work. Printmaking is such a traditional skill and technique going back to Albrecht Durer and his prints, yet now we are able to add a modern twist.
My own work would not be possible without the aid of technology to create my designs, I wonder how my work would differ if I wasn’t able to use Photoshop and whether I have become overly reliant on this as a tool for making my work? I am very interested to know how other students feel their work is influenced by technology, more so with people using traditional techniques such as drawing or painting. I think that people would be surprised at the amount of computer work that is involved in making a lot of art work.
Installing exhibitions guide:
We were linked to this great guide on how to install exhibitions today, I’ve found it really useful and very clear (even for the non-DIY crowd out there!)
Installation Guide: http://process.arts.ac.uk/sites/default/files/A_Practical_Guide_for_Installation_of_Art_Exhibitions.pdf
The preparation for my degree show piece has begun!
Here’s a few snaps from the studio today, sizing up my boards ready to cover with canvas and then just getting a quick look at a hint for the final thing – laying it out and seeing it for the first time has made me realise actually how big it is! (I’d only drawn it out on the wall before!)
I’m taking a trip to London on Wednesday with a friend to go and buy my canvas, it’s all very exciting now it’s starting to come together. I’m hoping to find some interesting exhibitions to go and see as well. On Thursday I’ll be covering the boards and priming them ready to start printing!
On this day in 1970: John Lennon’s Erotic Art is confiscated by Scotland Yard
This very appropriate article is currently in the Time Out blog today, the questions of what makes art erotic and is it acceptable to be shown even in an art gallery was as strong as ever. But have our views changed now? This is one of my main questions of debate with my own work, is it acceptable to use women from pornography if I am showing them through an artistic medium (the women are drawn and then screen printed) and is it ok to show it in an exhibition held in an art gallery (my degree show will be held at the university and open to the public, but should the public be in open to all imagery because of the social construction of a gallery envrionment?).
The article can be found here: http://now-here-this.timeout.com/2012/01/16/on-this-day-in-1970-john-lennons-erotic-art-is-banged-up/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
