The countdown for IP has begun. At this point I am just trying to finish up all my drawings and put the final presentation together. I have 8 out of the 12 drawings complete and a few more started. Also this week I purchased my frames and started painting them white. So al I have left to do is finish the last four drawings, do one more coat of paint on the frames, and in the end determine the overall composition of the drawings. Below is an in progress image of the overall idea of the composition. As I am finishing the final four drawings this composition may change but we will see how it all goes together when the drawings are all completed.

(My images will be posted once I find my camera cord which is currently mia)

        This past week I have just been working on my drawings and trying to get all twelve done by the due date! Also I have been working on the whole framing problem and after talking with another professor we talked about framing the pieces again instead of attaching the paper to wood like I previously talked about. I will be using white frames and each piece will be framed individually but when they are hung they will be placed so they look as if they are one large image. Below is am example of artist Julie Mehretu and one of her pieces that is framed the same way. 

Julie Mehretu

Auguries ,  2010
12-panel aquatint with spit bite (from 48 plates)

        Also below are the images that are completed and some that are still in progress. 

        This week has been all about making progress on my drawings. I still have a goal of twelve final drawings in mind so I have been working hard to try and get them completed. At this point I have about half of them completed and I am excited with how they are turning out. 
        At the beginning of the week some of the drawings I started on didn't work well and I had to start over on a few. This was frustrating but once I was able to get back into the swing of things the drawings started to look good again. I will have my most recent drawings up by the end of the weekend for you all to take a look at. 
        So at this point I am just going to keep drawing so I can reach my goal of twelve final images. Also starting this weekend I am starting to figure out all the logistics of attaching the paper to the pieces of wood I previously purchased. So between that, my drawings, and my paper I am going to be busy these next two weeks! And again my images will be up soon.

        At this point in time I have been working on the final pieces for the show. During the last few weeks I have been using the previous drawings of these shapes and recreating them. The final pieces are going to be 13 inches by 13 inches and I have been using better quality materials. Below are images of the two drawings that are almost finished. 

        In comparison to the previous drawings these new images are taking on a whole new look. Each pieces takes around 8 to 10 hours to complete and the detail that I am trying to put into them is much greater than the other ones. The forms are starting to come alive which I am really starting to enjoy. 

        Also this week we had another small group critique where individuals we able to see these new drawings for the first time. I got a really good response from the images not only about the quality of the drawing technique but of the overall images. All the questions I had going into this critique were answered and also some new perspectives were brought into the picture. One of my main questions was about the final display of the work. In the end I will have 12 of these images and I want them hung in a grid pattern, but my question is how am I going to hang them. Initially I was thinking frames but than started to realize that the frames take away from the pieces and don't allow the viewer to make connections between the pieces which is what I want. So I am looking into attaching the paper to wood and hanging the wood. People liked this method and someone even brought up the idea of using different depths of wood to create more contrast and movement between the pieces so this is something I might start to play with. In additon to continuing to work on the drawings I had to work on the second draft of my thesis. 

        So from this point on my goal is to just keep working on these drawings and get everything done in the next three weeks. Also I am going to start working on the website portion of this assignment that will display my work in the end and hopefully meet with a sweetland writing tutor to help finalize my thesis. 

        This week I have made some progress and I think figured out the best method to execute my project. I started this week off by exploring prints some more from the photolithography plates I made a few weeks ago. Still focusing on the same imagery of the very gestural figures I played with color. In a previous print I printed with white ink on white paper and what resulted was am image that you could barley see with the naked eye. So still wanting to play with this idea of printing white on white I made my inks more of a off white so they could be visible and little bit. Below is an example of one of the prints I pulled from these experiments. The off white ink on paper is hardly visible here but in the real print it looks 100 times better. 

        Also this week I continued to focus on my compositions that I had started last week. I focused on how the forms interacted as well has how many forms were interacting. Along with interactions I thought about size when I was creating these figures. The whole idea behind the forms is the interaction between my mother and I so I started to make figures representing us as individuals through their size in relation to each other. Also I created some compositions where you would be looking at the figures from farther away and can see more of the figure as in contrast I created some compositions were I would be viewed as if you were looking up close at these figures being able to see every detail. Below are some of the compositions I ended up creating. 

        Also at the end of this week I was able to sit down with the professors and get some new perspectives which was really helpful. I started by hanging up my compositions in a 2 by 4 grid on the wall and this brought up some new questions and ideas. Initially I was creating these compositions as individual pieces that would just collectively go together in the end, but once I saw them all together I looked at it in a different way. In an example below there were new figures that were beginning to interact and create new forms. Also a new complexity was beginning to arise and it overall started to create something more dynamic and interesting, exactly like the relationship I am basing this entire project off of. 

        Also during this conversation the idea of turning all these graphite drawings into prints was discussed again. I was starting to see it while playing with the different prints but the question of does this need to really be turned into prints necessary? By taking these drawings and going through the method of creating prints the overall figures and compositions were losing something. The prints were just not as successful as what I wanted and as what I initially saw in the drawings. So at this point I am going to go buy some rally nice drawing paper, nice pencils and start creating drawings pulled from previous compositions I have done and new compositions. I am just going to continue drawing and see what comes of it. 

        This week started out by having a small critique of my work up to date. I met with Professor Endi Poskovic and we were able to have a conversation about my images and how to be able to push this project farther. Instead of just talking about the imagery he focused more on the process of making the images and the story behind every image. So based on his suggestions I started to thin of my project and try and figure out how I could push it even more.   
        I continued to play with compositions and started to play with size. Initially all my compositions have been small in size so I took the seven compositions form last week that have the most potential and printed them 11 inches by 17 inches. Next I played with different ways to crop them and see how I could push the drawings a little bit farther. My images will be posted Sunday night. 
        Besides the size of my images I have started to think again how I could use the layering and bring in that element of surprise to make my pieces more details and overall dynamic. In a previous drawing there was an embossing effect that occurred on the piece below it and this is something that turned into a happy mistake. The embossing effect is an almost invisible element in the piece that brings more detail to the piece but only form certain angles. 
        So for this week my plan is to first finalize the compositions that I am using and decide on the final size of each piece. Also I am going to play with the embossing effect and layering of photo litho print like I did previously to see what interesting interactions can occur and what surprises could be created. I need to just keep working and pushing my drawings.

        This week I have been doing a lot of printing and trying to figure things out. Last weekend I started the process of exploring new compositions with the drawn figures I had previously created. I did this by transferring some of the figures onto tracing paper. With these new pieces I was able to layer and create new compositions with the figures. I started with just the interaction of two figures and after a while began playing with multiple figures and seeing how they interact and what relationships started for form. Below are some of the compositions I was able to come up with. The thing with these compositions are that they are all still calm and pretty the one thing that I am still struggling with is creating interactions that are negative or create a tension between the figures. So I don't know if there are any suggestions, but I still am just going to play with the figures until this feeling is accomplished.

        Also this week I started to create some photolitho prints. I chose 4 main figures that to me were the most interesting and had the most potential to create interesting interactions. Through the process of creating the prints I began by making four separate plates, each containing a different figure. With the plate this gives me the freedom to play with the compositions and even colors. After the plates were made I started out by puling a few proofs just to get an idea how the plates inked up and if they had the quality that I wanted. After the first few proofs things looked good so the next night I tried pulling a few prints. Below are the first three prints I created and I have to say I am not that happy with how they turned out. Even though the proofs of them looked alright and it seemed like the inking up process was fine these newest prints don't look as good. So I am not sure if it was how I inked them up and if I just need to keep playing with it to get them to look just right. Also with these prints I was able to experiment with the layering of images to see how that would translate through the print. Also the first print has a layer that is printed in white ink. This is something that I have been wanting to try and seeing it here it did not work how I wanted. It was one pure white paper that I was printing so maybe if I print on an off white paper it may look better. So I still have some things to figure out with these but they are close to what I was looking for.

        So for this week I am first going to keep playing with the compositions. I need to create some that are visibly negative. I hope to be able to narrow down to five or six compositions that I will be using to create my final images. Also I want to try printing again with the photolitho plates that I created. I think it will just take practice to get them to print how I want them. Also this will give me the opportunity to keep playing with the compositions, the layering of figures and the color. Finally this week I want to try something new with the size of the images. Everything I have been working in has been small in scale so I want to try and blow some of the images up and see how they translate in a larger size.

        This past week I have been exploring these drawings and shapes a little bit more. One of the main comments last week in critique was that all these drawings I have already done all have a positive light feeling and I needed to create some drawings that have more tensions and more of a negative feelings. My relationship with my mom has both positive and negative moments and interactions so I need to work on showing both sides. I have been creating new drawings to help show this concept.

        Also I am using these graphite drawings I am starting to experiment with layering. By using tracing paper I am able to play with composition and and mix and match different forms from previous compositions. This way I am able to easily and quickly create these interactions that are positive and negative. Also with the transparent tracing paper I am able to see the different layer effects I am looking for. Right now I have just been playing with the graphite color from the pencil but with the tracing paper I am planning on trying to bring in color to see how that translates into these shapes.

        Additionally besides the graphite drawings this whole time I have had my mind set on creating prints. So I am also currently playing with different printing methods to see how these drawings will be best translated through print. Currently I am working on a photo-litho plate of one of the images and planning on printing it sunday or monday night. As soon as I pull some of those prints I will post them for you all to see. Although photo-litho is my favorite method of printmaking I am still unsure if this is the best method of printmaking for my images.  One student in my critique brought up the question of why printmaking? What is it that printmaking will bring to these images that the simple pencil drawings don't? I have to say I don't know the answer to this question yet. So to find an answer to this question I just need to experiment with prints and see if there is anything more that can be found through the process. As far as other methods I am going to look into is specifically I am more recently intrigued by the collagraphs. The method of making the plate is interested and has made me start to think of how the plate can play a role in the overall meaning of the pieces. Like I said at this point I just need to try before I can make any decisions. So this next week I am going to just continue to experiment with layering more drawings, using color  and creating and exploring different types of prints.

        After this week I feel like I have made some new progress in a good direction. I continued to sketch new ideas that explored shapes and how they are able to interact. Taken from a previous image I drew I started thinking about how my mom and I interact and what the way our bodies would interact. I began to work on some new sketches that you can see below. These organic shapes created by the lines to me resemble the organic, free flowing movements a body is able to make. These drawings explore ways in which the forms can interact on the paper. I plan on creating more images similar to the ones below and really start to explore interactions and see how they can start to transform and represent the interactions I am working based on memories. 

        Also this week I finished another mock up that included the layered colors. Below are some of the pictures of the process and the final result. In this particular one I experimented with cutting into the top image, exposing some of the colored layers. At this point I am still not sure how I feel about this technique and medium of applying color to a piece but I still want something with that element of surprise in my pieces. 

        This week I also started looking into artist that do prints and one particular artist that stood out was Agnes Martin. Her work intrigued me, especially in her prints where she uses a really light and sometimes even white ink and prints it on white paper. With this the image is only visible up close or from certain angles. I love this idea and it kind of goes along with my while idea of some sort of element of surprise in my pieces. Some of her work is below.

        So after today's critique in class I feel more confident in where I am suppose to go next. I received good feedback and some new ideas to take into consideration. I to continue with this project I am going to keep creating sketches like the ones above. One thing was brought up that all my images so far seem so delicate and look like they represent good interactions and if these are being inspired by all my memories that I have looked at, both negative and positive I need to start creating pieces that evoke more angry and negative interactions. In the end I want a ton of these draws to choose from for my final images. From the drawn images I want to play with the composition and interactions to see how that can help emphasize the interaction. Realistically in the end I would like to have 5 or 6 large images or even multiple smaller images. 

        To continue from the drawn images I want to start playing with the idea of making them into prints. So my goal in the next week or two is to create multiple prints and this is where I can start playing with the idea of bringing color into the piece and how it will work. As far as color I also got some good feedback on how I plan on trying to incorporate the color. People liked the layered paper technique and how it is not visible from straight on and the color is only seen from a side angle. Some one said it is kind of like a reward for the viewer. If i don't go with the layered color paper I want to play with the idea of layering colored prints and possibly having the bottom layer be printed in white. This white image underneath would be my element of surprise and something that is not visible form far away. I just need to continue to draw and see where this takes me but I am excited to see where is it going.

        Pictures have been added, sorry for the delay! So this week was a work week for myself. I started off by talking a little bit more with my professor and discussing my sketches some more. I continued to explore shapes and the interactions that they can through different drawings. As I was working another one of my professors told me about an artist that inspired some of these drawings as well.


         The artist he told me about is Kurt Schwitters. The work I started looking at were his collages and the shapes but the most interesting thing I found about this artist is the way he creates these pieces of work. He takes cut up pieces of paper and other objects he can find and throws them on the paper, creating an image out of what appears. So based on this concept I cut up a bunch of different shapes, threw them in the air and drew how they feel. It was interesting to see what shapes appeared and what interactions they had by randomly throwing them. Some of the experiments and results are below.

        Also this week I found more inspiration in a new artist. I looked at work by Lee Bontecou. She is a artist that works with both two-dimensional and three-dimensional sculptures. What I looked mostly at was her drawings. As seen in my previous work I have been focusing mostly on this idea of using a circle to create my imagery and the majority of her work also focuses on circles. Below are some images of her drawings. She not only focuses on circles but eyes and the shapes she can make. I enjoy the interactions she can create and the images have so much detail and depth that I would like to be able to bring into my own work somehow. 

        Besides my sketches I have been working on creating a new mock up of the layered colored paper mixed with the drawing. Below is an image of what it is starting to look like from a straight on view. It is only in progress here so I am going to keep building it up to see what different depths are possible. As well as building the layers up and plan on trying to cut into the layers, exposing the colors. More pictures will be added as I continue working on it. 

        In class this week we had a small critique with some of the other students. This critique was helpful because no one has seen the new ideas and sketches I have been working on. I got more feedback on my imagery and I need to keep working on my shapes and try and figure out the best shapes that will interact and create something that in the end intrigues the viewers. One of the drawings that they all seemed to be drawn to is this one below. They were intrigued by the lines and the weight of the lines. The lines seem to tell more of a story which is good. Also they really liked the idea of layering the color. They ended up giving me a few different ideas of things to try to layer and get the same effect with the color. 


        So My next step is going be to finish the mock up of the image and layered paper. While I am doing this I am going to work on some more sketches. I want to finalize all my images soon so I can start creating the photo-litho plates. So my goal is to keep making stuff and to have something a little bit more finalized for upcoming critiques to get good feedback.