New print/drawing project

My first drawing project of 2014 is based on the them of the streets. I want to look at what's happening around us, whats going on in the UK and the people living in different circumstances and situations. I walk a lot and look around and I want to use what I look at to create different images all relating to the same theme.
I've been researching different print methods and print artists and am becoming really interested in the look that can be achieved through the use of different techniques. There's so many to be explored but I wanted to start with woodcutting as it's a real hands-on method of printing.
A walk through the town centre lead me towards this first print.
"Little Red riding Hoodlum" combines drawing, screen-printing and wood block carving.
Through experimenting in the printshop I want to find processes to add to my drawing project that enhance the finished images.

I started with a large piece of MDF and drew the image onto the surface using a marker. 

The next stage involved 5 hours of wood cutting which I found really satisfying to do, even though the tool I had was completely crap. I left quite a lot of detail to try and suggest textures in the face and hood. I use the gouger as a drawing tool, creating more of the image as I progress.

Using a small cutting tool seems to give more detail in the overall print and renders really fine lines, especially on a big cut like this one and its this detail that builds itself as the craving goes on. 

Once the cutting was finished I painted a few coats of shellac onto the wood to seal it then the ink is applied with a large roller. I experimented with different thicknesses of ink and a really thick coating gives a good solid black print. 

This is my first woodcut print and its interesting to see the difference in print quality and detail when the print is made with different techniques. After experimenting with the various print beds I found my favourite method is to lay the paper on top of the woodcut and rub it with the wooden block. This is a really laborious job as constant heavy pressure needs to be applied as the block slides across the paper. This technique gives complete control over the thickness of the print and I like the idea of the print being made by hand rather than through a press.

This was the first test print made with no press, just rubbing with the block. The detail made by the small cutting tool really stands out in the print and I'm sure this would have been lost if a larger tool was used. 

This image shows the difference in print thickness that can be achieved through different pressures. The darker print was made with the wooden block on thick paper and the lighter image was made on newsprint with just the pressure of my hands. Both have individual qualities of their own but I really like the softness of the newsprint and the way its built up from several separate bits of paper giving it a whole new look.

The newsprint image. 

I decided to go further with the print and add some colour using a screen print set up. I made a separate screen and painted out the non print areas with red filler. I then built a jig to register the print for each colour and a separate jig for the wooden block to fit into. Because the block is laid face down onto the paper its hard to register the print and get it in the right place. 

firstly I printed an all over grey then red fillered the face area and printed the red of the hood. 

The final stage is to lay the wooden block onto the print and rub the image on. 

The finished print looks good but I took it further by adding a second grey area around the nose. 

"Little Red Riding Hoodlum", Ink on Thick Paper, 65 x 75cm, jan 2014. 

By adding this extra subtle grey area the eyes are strengthened as the whites are highlighted. 

This has been an interesting image to create using drawing, carving and printing in one finished piece.  

portfolio

'Skyline', 

Acetate, reclaimed wood, acrylic, pen, 30cm x 90cm. March 2014.

'Bunker', 

Watercolour, pen on Fabriano paper, 100cm x 75cm, March 2014.

'Wrath', 

Charcoal on Fabriano paper, 100cm x 80cm, Jan 2014.

'E-state',

Watercolour, pen and ink drawing on Fabriano paper, 75cm x 75cm, March 2014. 

'Exo', 

Woodcut print, ink, marker pen on Card, 90cm x 75cm. Feb 2014.

Untitled, 

Photographic Print, size variable, Feb 2014. 

'Escape Route',

Screenprint, pen, ink on Fabriano paper,  90cm x 75cm, Feb 2014.

'The Complexities of We', 

Pencil Drawing on sketch paper, 30cm x 18cm, feb 2014

'Lust', 

Charcoal on Fabriano Paper, 100cm x 80cm, Feb 2014. 

Untitled,

Wall paint and pen on Fabriano paper, 80cm x 70cm, March 2014. 

'Life of Exo', 

Screen print, ink, pen on Fabriano paper, 90cm x 75cm, Feb 2014.

Untitled,

Wall paint and pen on Fabriano paper, 80cm x 80cm, March 2014. 

'148', 

Photographic Print, Size Variable, March 2014. 

Untitled, 

wall paint and gloss paint on Fabriano paper, 80cm x 60cm, March 2014. 

Untitled,

 Pages from my book 'Wander, Record', mixed media, 30cm x 42cm, March, 2014. 

'Destruction, Renewal'

Corrugated plastic sheet, wooden frame, acetate, pen, nails, cement, bulb, cable, 100cm x 90cm, 

March 2014. 

'Alley'

Emulsion paint on reclaimed board, 120cm x 90cm, March, 2014. 

'Envy',

Charcoal on Fabriano Paper, 100cm x 80cm, Feb 2014. 

Untitled,

Ink, Acetate, Fabriano Paper, size variable, Feb 2014. 

The pieces below are from projects carried out in the first term. 

     'Thanks for the crap mate' 

     mixed media on Fabriano paper    120cm x 60cm 2014

'Barn Finds' 

Metal, dust, cobwebs. 36cm x 12cm. 2014

    Untitled, 

Charcoal, watercolour on Fabriano paper. 70cm x 180cm, 2013

'Bottle Rope', 

medicine bottle, rope, wooden crate, candle. 22cm x 33cm x 12cm. 2013.

'Wander Accumulation', 

Mixed media on Fabriano paper, 83cm x 120cm, 2013. 

Exp. Phone Photog. Images.

Experimental images made with my phone....

Street photography...

I've always liked the way images can sometimes present themselves to you if you just keep your eyes open and look for interesting images from everyday situations in the real world.
The urge to make photographs always make me head in a different direction. Sometimes I'll change my route and head a different way. If an alleyway looks interesting or dirty or an open door presents itself or a building looks derelict, I'll be drawn towards it.
This kind of work, Street photography, has been around as long as camera's have been available and just a simple walk can throw up endless possibilities for the photographer.
I like the grittiness of the phone images and the way it adds definition and grain and the over-saturation of the colours.
Its a project that I've just started and I want to carry on with it, grabbing interesting images with my phone as I walk past them in the street. Its a simple project as far as carrying it out goes, the only thing holding back a street photographer is the fear of actually taking the shots,
"If your photo's aren't good enough, your not close enough" Robert Capa.
I need to narrow it down and choose a subject matter to concentrate on as the project builds and aim towards a set rather than a random selection.
The colours, textures, people, situations and environment of the city of Leicester need to be explored, recorded and documented for my own satisfaction.

William Kentridge "Try not to fail, Then work with the failure".

After completing my drawing project I was interested in researching other charcoal artists and discovered the work of the artist William Kentridge.
Inspired by his home country of South Africa he looks at the social aspects of life in the country and how it affects the people who live there.

William Kentridge, Drawings for "Other Faces" animation. 

His drawings are the foundations for his animation works and he photographs each image at different stages of drawing then imports them as stills into the films. As he does this he alters each drawing, rubbing bits out, smudging areas, highlighting, darkening and adding new areas. This technique makes the drawings shadowy as they are filmed and the charcoal leaves a ghostly image even when rubbed out which adds a layer of history to the films. 

This is kentridge's style and it appealed to me because it relates to the work I produced for my drawing project where I made charcoal drawings of my local area but with a look of darkness, suspicion and chaos.

His images are dramatic and tell stories even before they become part of his films and they all have a certain dark mood to them. 

In his film "Felix in Exile" we see the artists own style in full force. Things he's witnessed first hand or looked at in newspaper reports inspire the dead people bleeding from different areas of the body, harsh landscapes and expressionless faces which fill the screen. His films are full of shock as well. In "Pain and Sympathy"we witness several acts of violence with people being beaten up, axed, stabbed and kicked in the head but its the way he then shows the battered skull as an x-ray with red crosses marking the points where the booted foot was kicking him that makes the film brilliant. As the car travels along the road we see ghostly figures trying to escape from something until finally the car hits someone and their terrifying head smashes through the windscreen and wakes the dying man in his hospital bed. An excellent piece of inspirational and technically brilliant art.
The accompanying soft, confused music and sounds gives a feeling of reliving a dream, or nightmare. The films are all about emotions, thoughts, death, violence and the acts of humans affected by apartheid.

In his drawings and prints Kentridge uses white highlights which serve the purpose of darkening the black within the scene and these dark areas then draw our eyes into the important areas of the drawing. I use the same technique in my images and use white paint to give the drawings added depth and perspective. 

Willaim Kentridge, Drawing for the opera the magic flute, 2005. 

The works appear to be statements of social happenings in the history of South Africa and how the artist sees it himself.  

His use of strong, direct lines and constant re-drawing of each picture creates unique films which relate the idea of stories in a gritty, ghostly way. 

His personal history tied in with the history of his home have given him the tools he needed to create these great pieces of art. 

Kentridge says of his drawing "It isn't a decision, Its a need" and I think what he's trying to say is he needs to draw. He needs to make artworks in the way an alcoholic needs to drink alcohol. Reading his interviews he definitely comes across as someone addicted to making marks on paper. 

Lens Based Assessment.

Clifton said;
"An overall good, researched and well thought out set of projects that work well. The content is clear and research and reference supports the pictures well. Do keep pushing the experimental works and the blog is good and very well presented".

Grade A.

My statement:
"My photography is very broad based and I try to make images that tell a story or project a feeling to the viewer. I like the idea of them looking like stills from movie sets.  I’m interested in everything that presents itself to me including the streets I walk along, the people I see and the environment that we inhabit.

My range of Inspiration is as wide as my subjects.  The quirky portraits of Annie Liebovitz, the fashion inspired sexy style of Albert Watson, the dark grittiness of Don McCullin and the sheer beauty and grace of Jean Loup Sieff all push me to make new photographs and experiment in different subjects and styles.

I’m inspired by anyone that uses photography as a means to produce interesting images or movies. I’ve recently started to integrate black and white photographs into my paintings and drawings and want to carry on with this idea in future projects".