Studio practice 2

Today I started fully planning my design and making a small maquet to show what I want my sculpture to look like exactly! I also did a few pages in my sketch book 

Workshop woodwork

Workshop 1 - woodwork

Today was my first workshop day and I was in woodwork. This was important because wood is one of the main parts in my sculpture I planned out. I had planned to make 3 pieces of bent wood for my sculpture but I only ended up making 2 because one of the shapes was far too complicated.

Cutting out the wood- To make my shapes I drew my designs on a piece of wood so I could clearly see which bit was being cut. I Started the ban saw and made sure all the safety measures were in check. For example safety goggles. I found it tricky getting the correct shape on the machine and I was slightly frightened of it but it was still good to learn. I managed to cut out both pieces that I needed at the quality I wanted.

Bending the wood- I had to drill into the wood that we was stretching the material on so I could get the pegs the perfect shape to shape the wood correctly. The wood firstly had to be soaked in water so it bends correctly and then placed in the steamer for about an hour. After that I bent the wood around the pegs to create the perfect shape. After dried the wood was then perfectly bent in the right position.

Studio practice 1

Studio Practice 1 -

today in studio practice I started on my sketch book work. We got asked to find and print off a renaissance style building because Caro was inspired by architecture. I Chose a building that I liked and started producing some work linking in with Caro's work also. I started thinking about and planning my final sculpture while also incorporating some of Caro's work too. I experimented with a range of different mediums too including materials to make my sketchbook more 3D. Overall in this studio practice I was just getting used to mixing two styles of work together including my own touch.

Woodwork introduction

Wood workshop introduction; 3D



We had to do an introduction to the 3D workshop because of health and safety.
Due to all the machinery and hazards we had to practice using the machinery and how we can use them safety and correctly. It was a bit tedious but needed to be done especially when I am not too confident with the machines.
I used the drill, the sander and the ban saw to create a small piece of work to show the workshop instructors I knew what I was doing.  

School Trip

Start to the new 3D Caro project - Yorkshire sculpture park and Hepworth gallery







For a school trip the teachers organised for us to go to the Yorkshire sculpture park and Hepworth gallery to do some research on Caro and look at some of his work up close. This was really helpful for me to see his work at the start of the project because some things photos just cant do justice for.

I thought the Caro exhibition at the sculpture park was extremely interesting I really enjoyed looking at all his art work NOT on paper but face to face. I didn't expect to like Caro's work as much as I did but I really liked his bold use of colour and shapes. I was inspires by Caro's abstract approach as that is the kind of art I like looking at. My favourite Caro pieces were his paper sculptures which I thought looked brilliant! I also loved some of his sketches even though they cant class as sculptures.

Then we went to the Hepworth. I thought the Hepworth was extremely good and I really enjoyed the atmosphere There wasn't as much Caro at the Hepworth however, I really enjoyed the trip and happened to be inspired by a few other artists work. It was SO helpful going on this trip and taking the pictures and ideas I needed for my work. I got more of a feel on Caro's work and how he presents it which will help me throughout this project.

Evaluation

Evaluation-

I have found the whole experience of making my glossary pages challenging but exciting that i had the chance to be so creative in so many different ways. I have enjoyed using different mediums and experimenting using my own ideas and inspiration from others. I feel like this project has helped me understand visual language a lot more and helped me to realise that i have been actually using elements of visual language in all of my workshops. For example using elements like colour and shape in my printmaking workshop. Also principles like movement and emphasis in photography by using different techniques to blur out certain objects. Things like proportion and form in 3D. Texture in textiles and ceramics too.

I don’t really feel like learning the terminology has overly helped my English skills however it was very interesting learning the meanings of certain words properly and i feel like that’s an extra bit of knowledge i have gained. I have done a lot of research throughout this project for example primary research which is photographs of mine and other people's hands i have taken myself and printed for my sketch book. Also all of my photography from my workshops have been printed and helped me develop my glossary pages. Also secondary research, i printed photographs of work by certain artists that inspired me throughout the project for example ; Egon Schiele. I also used a lot of my research time on pinterest printing pictures and using ideas i found on there. This helped me with my glossary pages also. I would probably improve my research skills by broadening my artist research and looking at other artists who focused on hands.

In all my workshops i learnt many new techniques that i will remember and will help me out in future projects to come.

Textiles ; i learnt Batik, paper making and screen printing which i had not tried out before and would of had no idea how to do. I really think it’s helped me gain a lot of knowledge.

Ceramics; i was taught how to mix my clay so there would be no air bubbles, i was also taught about how the items got fired and the different types of clay you can get.

Photography; i learnt about different things you need to change on your camera and also i learnt about all the photography equipment you can get which i really helpful for me when i’m wanting to photograph my work in the future.

3D; i leant about shape scapes and how to make my own sculpture using slots only.

Printmaking; i learnt how to make the prints using the correct process using the wheel and the ink rollers.

I think my workshop outcomes turned out really well, the only things i wasn't 100% happy with my printmaking and textiles outcomes because i think they could've looked a lot neater. However some of the items did turn out nice. I was pleased with my ceramics, 3D and photography outcomes and i don’t think i would want to change the results. Overall i think my portfolio is a good one with many different mediums and techniques incorporated. I think the range of different items some 3D sculptures some paperwork some photography all work together very well and i’m happy with what I've achieved. I think i have been creative during this assignment and my definition of creativity is someone who can think further into what they see, someone who can experiment with things just to see the outcome and the use of imagination.

Working independently was very easy for me and the way i prefer to work i enjoyed being alone and having my own ideas and developing them alone. I feel like time management was a slight issue in this project because sometimes i got too far behind and was difficult to get back on track. However i did manage to get all the work done which has proved me wrong. I do feel like i have done my best in the amount of time we have had and i feel my outcomes show that. I think they’re at a good quality for the time i had.

Overall i have really enjoyed this project however it did get a bit repetitive, i think i managed the brief well and i am happy with my outcomes.

Photography workshop

Today in photography we started off by getting a camera each and having a little bit of time getting used to them learning the ways we can change things on them and focus. It was difficult to get the hang of but seemed to get more simple when we actually started taking photographs. 

We started to take pictures of each others hands using different angles and lighting, we also experimented with colour and black and white. After that we was asked to pick some features to describe ourself and use them in our pictures I decided to pick abstract and I drew colourfully all over my hand. This looked really good on photographs and looked extremely colourful and funky! 

We experimented using loads of different lighting and techniques for example light drawing, high key and low key lighting. 

Studio work glossaries

I continued with my glossaries today and tried to get as many as I could done before the deadline! I did space and continuous line which needed finishing towards the end of the day but i managed to complete them during sole time. 

Textiles workshop

In textiles we did a mixture of many different activitys. At the start we practiced doing some screen printing that involved forcing ink through a screen and transforming it onto a bit of material, this was fun but also sometimes didn't work out which was frustrating. Then we made our own paper which was my favourite part of the day we had to combine loads of scrap paper together and blend it to make our sheets of unique paper. We also did some batik but we had to make sure we was careful with the hot wax because it could scold us very quickly leading to medical problems. Batik was fun but tedious because it was very hard keeping the wax in the pattern I wanted. Finally we used the printer to put a design onto a piece of fabric this was also very warm so we had to be careful. I then embroided the fabric which I found surprisingly easy and fun! 

Studio work

Today I just worked more on my glossary pages. I tried to get as many done as I could but found it difficult thinking of ideas for the words I had left over. I ended up doing 2 pages that are not fully complete because they need definitions however I am very happy with the quality of work I achieved. I also had a blog review with Nathan that helped me on understanding how to get my blog to the level it needs to be. 

Printmaking workshop

Printmaking is my favourite workshop so far. I really enjoyed the start of the lesson where we drew out our hena designs because that's something I enjoy doing in my free time. We then drew up our final designs on pieces of Lino and this next bit I found difficult. 

We had to cut out our designs onto the Lino using a Lino cutter. This was super difficult because it was really really hard to keep control of how this and think the lines went. I found it difficult getting a few of the shapes that I wanted for example circles and triangles were particularly tricky. 

The final design I picked was very detailed and meant a lot of small finer lines needed to be cut this meant that my end Lino wasn't as neat as I wanted it to be. My final prints worked out well I was happy with the colours I chose and the process I had to go through to achieve them, I found the process of the Lino printing fairly simple and easy to understand which meant I got quite a few done. Overall I really enjoyed this workshop because I loved drawing the hena patterns and working with lots of colours and trying new techniques.  

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Studio work glossaries and transforming the windows

Today we started off on the first half of the day doing glossary pages and sketchbook work. I finished a page of my glossary that needed doing and I also continued to do another glossary page which I didn't get chance to complete. 

I then started work on a piece in my sketch book which involved coloured pencils and blending them on outlines of hands that I drew out. This was fun and relaxing I really enjoy doing my glossary pages and working on my own 

We then went on to the second half of the day where Claire asked us to make a giant piece for the window using the words she gave us and the materials. My table got the word 'shape' so we decided that we wanted to make a giant hand out of all different coloured shapes such as circles, triangles and squares. 

This was a really good team building exercise and I got to know my table a lot more. The activity was fun and involved a lot of collage work which I really enjoyed 

Overall my groups window went really well and we felt very pleased with it. It took a long time and was teidious but worked really well. I don't feel like the photo I took does it any justice so I'm not pleased with that.

3D workshop

Today in my 3D workshop we started off looking at some examples of 3D hand sculptures built out of card. It was interesting to see how detailed and abstract that some people could be when working with the materials. We then went on to make our own random sculpture out of cards using slots in the card to keep it together. I made a small sculpture using card and cutting abstract looking shapes out of the card I then coloured them in multicoloured. My finished small sculpture looked really cool and I was proud with the way it looked, it reminded me almost of little people built up. 

We then went on to building our final sculpture of a hand which I thought sounded scary at first because there's so many little details in a hand and I wasn't sure of how I could make them using card only. However when I got into building the 3D sculpture things went right and just slot into place. I could mess up and still be able to go back and try something else I found it a tad fiddly and it was difficult cutting such thick card but that was the only problem I really faced.

22nd September - Glossary work and mono printing

Today in lesson we continued to do pages for our glossaries which meant stretching more paper. I picked the words pattern and proportion because I thought they'd be interesting to expand on. 

Firstly I started doing pattern by making a small stencil of a hand to draw around repetitively to show a pattern! This was very difficult because the stencil was so small but I think the end result was nice however it could have been neater and the shapes could have been more exact. I then painted the background yellow and used purple for the hands because they're contrasting colours, this worked really well and was very effective.

Then I did proportion by doing one massive continuous line drawing of loads of different shaped hands I really enjoyed doing this because it's very free flowing and my style of art work. 

Finally towards the end of the day we did some mono printing which meant rolling the ink and copying an image into it using either a picture we printed out or free hand. I tried both but I thought the picture was the easiest because it resulted in a more accurate finish. It was a careful process because I couldn't lean on the picture when tracing it otherwise my prints would be on the paper. 

Ceramics workshop - Week 1

Thursday 17th September 

Today was my first day in the workshops and I was doing ceramics. We started the day off by doing a quick sketch of the sculpture we all wanted to build. The sculpture had to be hands related because of the 'Hands on' project. The sketch I did was all based on flowers because I wanted to add some colour to my design which straight away made me think of some sort of floral pattern. I decided on a simple shape to my sculpture only incorporating 3 hands because I didn't want to over complicate things. 

We then had to mix the clay using the kneading method we had to try and get every air bubble out other wise it wouldn't work. This took a while and was very repetitive but was worth it when my final block of clay was perfectly smooth. After mixing the clay we decided to shape it as how we wanted it on our design using our hands as a stencil and cutting out the clay using a sharp tool. I had to cut out 5 hands 3 for my design and 2 for the group work we did at the end of the lesson. My design meant that I needed to layer each hand on top of one another in the position I needed using wetter clay to stick them in place. I then carved my flower design on to the hands using another sharp tool, this was a lot easier than I thought it would be and I got the outcome I wanted! 

I added colour the my clay using clay paint which also went well, however the clay paint was very watered down and not as bright as I had wished. The pattern I put on my hands meant painting on them was very tedious due to the thin lines used as flower stems for example. Overall I think my sculpture went fairly well and I was pleased with the work I did. 

The role of an art critic (September)

Wednesday 16th September - The role of an art critic 

When i hear the word 'art critic' straight away I think of someone being negative towards someone elses art work. However i have learnt that being a 'critic' or 'critical' is  not always a negative thing. 

An art critic is in fact someone who is specialised in evaluating and interpreting art work. Art critics can come from any different backgrounds and are expected to have a good eye for art and know art history. Art critics can typically view art work at exhibitions, galleries, studios and museums and rarely earn money by being negative towards peoples work. Their opinions and reviews are often published in things such as books, newspapers , magazines and brochures. Modern art critics tend to use things such as blogs and social media to share their views and create a wider circle of people debating art. 

Some well known art critics are; John Updike, Frank O'hara and Charles Baudelaire. 

       I think this piece of art by Emil Nolde is very interesting, I think that it is beautiful, bright and colourful and really creative. I think that Noldes work is my favourite because I can use a lot of texture when trying to recreate it also the art work really inspires me and is joyful to look at. 

Studio work - Glossary and wire hands

Tuesday 15th September - Studio work Glossary and wire hands.

Today in the studio we started off by making two pages for our glossaries,I chose the words line and texture. I really enjoyed this activity because I had the opportunity to do whatever I wanted relating to these two words, however I was limited to 2 A4 sheets. I knew from the start I was going to do texture because that is an area in fine art in which I enjoy. I started by cutting up bits of old news papers and picking skin toned colours out of them, I also found a few pictures of hands which I decided would look cool mixed in with the collage I was going to make. I ended up drawing a close up sketch of 4 fingers and collaged some of them, the other fingers I used paint to create thick layers and carved the finger print of the hand using the back of a paint brush. Overall I think it gave a really effective end result and I was very happy with the outcome. The glossary page I did for line wasn't so good because I found it difficult being able to produce what I had in my head onto the paper. I started by doing a continuous line drawing which looked okay but then I added colour and the 'line' element of it faded slightly I didn't like this piece of work.

Our final activity for the day was to create a sculpture of a hand using only wire. I thought this challenge was really fun but definitely tested my patients. It was very difficult to get the structure I wanted using only pieces of wire and I found the wire a struggle to bend in the ways I wanted it to. However I think my end result was interesting and noticeable as a hand. I think my sculpture looked rather abstract and I think it could have been a lot neater however I think it went well in the time I had to do it in.

The start of my art and design blog

I'm Maisy, and this is my art and design blog 🌻