Dressmaking pins and thread...

A pattern found on the dream catcher I had previously drew

 

All of these quick samples were about testing how to draw using the unique method of dressmaking pins and black thread. I decided to use black thread instead of all the other colours because in my drawings most of them were drew with black ink, black thread also made the patterns stand out better on the white foam board background. All of my chosen patterns were snippets taken from my summer project, they differ in what they are but are all connected through structure and refined form. I decided to use these materials as I’ve seen people create amazing results using them, however, this was my first attempt at using these materials so some of the patterns wasn’t 100% accurate and symmetrical which is disappointing. I found using this method of materials difficult because they was so intricate but this could have been due to the fact that my samples were really small, on a larger scale I predict that the thread won’t be that hard to maintain. I enjoyed experimenting with these new materials and would use them more in my experimental work.

 A tetrahedral prism that I had seen in an exhibition at the Tate Gallery in Liverpool

 Symbols found on a hand-made leather chair that I had seen whilst on holiday in Lanzarote

A 5 petal origami flower drew using dressmaking pins and black thread

Coloured match sticks-Experiment 3...

 

This was my last experiment of the 3 and honestly it should have been the first as it is the most basic out of the 3. This experiment was originally supposed to be able to be twisted, folded and manipulative; instead it became a flat wall piece. The elements I wanted this experiment to contain were inspired by Shuna Rendel’s piece I saw in the Holden Gallery, the way Shuna Rendel manipulates a material is what I wanted to experiment with in this piece but the material I has chosen was too stiff and using a hot glue gun and the glue drying hard made it impossible for this piece to bend let alone twist. I found this experiment to be very disappointing as I didn’t achieve what I set out to, however the end result is basic but still collective and repetitive, the matches were lined up but the colours were randomly placed but I did make sure that the same coloured matches were not placed directly next to each other.  

Coloured match sticks-Experiment 2...

 

This experiment was thought of through the first one, it involved placing the match sticks synchronized in a circular position with the match sticks creating an almost clock like pattern. This experiment involved 8 match sticks per piece, they were laid in a repetitive motion and the colour matches used were laid in the same order, doing this created an on-going pattern. Pattern has been one of my main themes for my summer project so this fitted in well with the rest of work. These pieces were held together by glue to so there just as fragile as the first experiment. Even though these pieces are 3-dimensionsal, they would be nailed to a wall making them flatly stuck, this aspect puts me off this piece as I am more interested in creating installations or something that could be seen as completely 3-d.

Coloured match sticks-experiment 1...

 

Creating these 3 experiments was about using an unlikely material and seeing what could be created. My first experiment involved lining up 10 different coloured match sticks, leaving space next to each other so that they would create a snowflake look from a bird’s eye view and attaching them altogether using a hot glue gun. Keeping each match stick straight proved difficult by each layer but the outcome was small and decorative pieces that would come together to create a small installation. I made 20 pieces, they all had the same amount of sticks but the colours varied. I presented these pieces floating in mid-air; I got the presentation influence from the ‘Peace’ installation I had seen in a Manchester Museum. I also wanted these pieces to be light so that the air and wind could slowly move them, gliding side to side, sometimes spinning, I got this influence from the ‘Obsessions’, ‘We Face Forward’ pieces. I am very pleased with the outcome, given more time I would have created a lot more pieces and made this installation a lot bigger. Even though the match sticks were bold colours they didn’t make this piece look tacky which always impresses me, because the pieces are so small and are only attached by glue they are very fragile and delicate and could easily be broken.

Susie Macmurray-Widow

A gown made from Napa leather and approximately 10,000 dressmaker pins is absolutely stunning. This garment couldn’t be worn at all, it holds all elements off loss and incredible pain that is unbearable, like wearing this dress would be. On first glance the gown looks made from soft fur further from the actual truth of material used, the pins are sharp and edgy which could do some real damage. It is said that the pins represent a women’s identity: “Look if you will, but touch at your own peril”. A dress made out of sharp pins is an insight to how Susie Macmurray sees things, she is inventive and her choice in materials is thoughtful and curious.

Aboubakar Fofana-Obsessions, 2012

 
Obsessions were exhibited and made purposely for the ‘We Face Forward’ exhibit. Suspending from the ceiling are 35 pieces of transparent linen panels that were made a decorated using Mud dye on the linen. The decorative pattern inscribed on the linen is unrecognisable language; it reminds me of a random pattern that could have been made from a sewing machine stitch. The pattern is a constant rhythm that continues to each piece of linen, the pieces of linen gently move with air and the movement of people viewing the pieces.

Painting of my dog...

Bubbles...

I bought bubbles for my dog really, I had seen my friend use them to play with their dog and he loved it so I tried it out to see whether my dog was the same with them. As you can tell from my pictures Rio really enjoyed playing with them, he would jump up to pop them with his mouth, playing this gave me the idea to blow bubbles that are also made with inks to see the patterns that would be created, however after experimenting with this idea the bubbles never fully popped on the paper so all it left was faded ink marks. After this bit failed I decided to blow bubbles again but these times catching them with the stick and placing them on the paper and watching them pop. This creates deliberate and predicted marks, what I didn’t want. I predicted random marks.

My niece Kara-Louise...

 

I am really terrible at drawing faces and bodies so this summer I decided to give it a go at improving on my drawing skills involving these areas as well as improving on my painting skills. I tend to add over detail on areas that only require subtle colour. I decided to focus my paintings on my niece Kara-Louise as I spent a lot of time with her during my summer holidays; she is one of the most special people to me. I draw 3 different positions of my niece and even though I do see improvement in my drawing and painting skills, I still wasn’t completely satisfied with the results.

Danielle Kenyon-Untitled...

These 3 ink paintings are an amazing presentation of the human body in some of its forms. Danielle Kenyon looked at human manipulation through contortion and these 3 pieces delicately present that. Her gentle use of subtle colouring makes these pieces look real and strong, like the positions shown. The positions shown in these ink paintings must take a lot of hard work, time and practice in achieving the unusual stands. I like how Danielle Kenyon keeps her colour palette minimalistic, the drips of ink work well with the posers shown, she creates areas of depth and detail by adding highlights and shading to the body and not over-doing the shading. She limits the detail by not adding features to the faces which would work for me because I’m terrible at drawing faces.

Yoko Ono-Parts of Light House...

This piece contains 55 glass tetrahedral prisms and the results are just stunning and the way they react with the camera is glistening and stunning. I like how this stunning presentation is made from repeating the simplistic shape of 3-d prisms, the use of glass makes this piece look bigger and contain more detail than what is actually here. The structure of this piece is 3-d but fairly presented close to the ground, I wonder how these would look stacked up. Many buildings are made of glass and would hold the same structure but nothing that would come close to how reflective and 3-d this piece is.

Terence Koh-Untitled, 2006...

This installation consists of 8 stacked boxes that vary in sizes positioned on top of a golden leafed MDF base. In some of these glass rectangular containers is bronze shaped lumps that represent excrement, there are 3 of these rectangles that contain nothing. The biggest box contains the biggest bronze lump. The use of the bronze material means that the lumps can change over time. I actually liked this piece for it being understated and simple until I found out that the little bronze pieces were meant to be excrement.

Joan Mitchell-Chord 2, 1986...

The energy put into this painting must have been tiring, the brush strokes made by Joan Mitchell were unrestrained but none look out of place. This oil on canvas uses different shades of colour to create depth in certain areas, the drip marks of paint show the pace Joan Mitchell must have worked at, there was no being careful. As I couldn’t see the connection between this energetic painting and the title of the piece, I did some research which stated that Joan Mitchell’s brush strokes were deliberately placed to show the relationship between the musical notes and a chord. The colour palette is rather dull; the choice of colours used complement each other, the sky blue colour makes this painting look brighter.

 

Naum Gabo-Head No.2, 1966...

 

This is a 3-dimensional model that is made out of Cor-ten steel. This is a simplistic version of a woman’s head that was based on a charcoal drawing which did also include a hat and veil, even though this was left out of the sculpture. The head from the shoulders tilts slightly forward and at certain angles the neck is barely visible, the simple outline of this piece is edgy, straight and alert. There are 4 other versions of this piece, 2 of which Mrs Gabo still owns. At first it reminded me of Cubism as it contained all the elements of art: colour, line and shape. Cubism is a way of simplifying detail and can make many pieces look abstract. I like the use of geometric shapes being placed together to create something unique and simple, lacking over-use of detail.  

 

Liverpool Day Trip...

 
I visited Liverpool on a day trip to have a look at some of the Galleries there. I visited the Tate Gallery as well as a Titanic exhibition and a small gallery called ‘Bluecoat’. I went there with my friend as she’s more familiar with Liverpool at she lives nearby; we chose a good day to go as the weather was lovely and the sky was blue all day. I took a few images of the scenery and did 2 very quick small drawings of them using inks and watercolours. The drawing of the buildings worked out well because it contains a lot of detail, the other drawing involving the wheel lacks detail so it looks very basic and plain. The structure of buildings has always interested me.

Day Trip to Blackpool...

For a day trip out, I decided to go to Blackpool because when I was younger my Dad used to take me there all the time and I loved it. With what started out as a nice sunny day turned into a dark, dull and rainy afternoon as you can tell from the pictures I took. I did some quick drawings and print experiments from the pictures I took of Blackpool Tower. The prints turned out better than I thought, the paint colours I chose make the structure of the tower stand out.

Flower drawings...

 Flowers found in my Grandad's garden, drew in pencil.

 Flowers found in my Grandad's graden, painted using watercolours.

Flower found in my Grandad's garden, painted using thicker watercolour paints.

Different prints influenced by Lanzarote...

Above is a bird I had seen in Lanzarote at a bird show.

 Above is a fish I had seen in Lanzarote at an Aquarium.

 Above are decaying flowers that has lost it's original colour but gained others.

Above is a arrangement of Cactuses that I had seen also in Lanzarote.

Dream Catchers...

Dream Catchers are handmade objects that are traditionally decorated with feathers and beads. People believe that dream catchers are symbols used in which they protect people from bad dreams; these charms are traditionally placed above a bed. The symbol of a dream catcher has remained the same even though the original meaning has differed. Even though some people think that dream catchers change a person’s dream, I’ve had my dream catcher for a few months now and my bad dreams haven’t disappeared, I think it’s all down to a person belief in the object. The structure of the dream catcher is beautifully presented with the feathers lightly dangling and moving by wind and movement.  

Ann Goddard, 'Under Concrete'...

This installation was impressive by its presentation and how many pieces were there. The contrast in materials intrigue me, Ann Goddard uses thick concrete that captures the fragility of the fine felted cotton paper used. The neutral coloured paper in contrast to the dark, dullness of the concrete screams a distinction that wants to be known. Ann Goddard uses her chosen materials to represent and “make reference to the fragility and vulnerability of ecosystems”. In most of her work Ann Goddard uses assemblies of materials that show the human impact on landscapes.

 

Jean Draper, 'Falling-Fallen'...

The structure of these pieces is what fascinated me to them, the way the ‘branches’ lie uncontrollably and loose on top of each other- the name seems appropriate. The ‘twigs’ look burnt with some areas of the ‘twigs’ reddish, the ‘branches ‘ fall unsystematically on one another creating heaps of what looks like to be burnt ‘branches’. Jean Draper used this exhibition to represent the thousands of trees that lay to waste by a devastating forest fire.