Rach

Using mirrors in my mixed media paintings was something I liked to experiment with last semester.

To develop this practice, I wanted to start making sculptural forms with my modroc and adding mirrors to this.

These are some small samples I did in my sketchbook.

I wanted to explore with the contrast of both materials together. Doing this, I was able to create a better direction in how I wanted to fit the mirror into the modroc.

I bought bendy mirrors this semester as a way to mould the mirror into the shape of the modroc.

I made some smaller A5 modroc samples in my skechbook.

I wanted to make these as I was working quite larger scale with the material and wanted to change direction with it.

Working such smaller scale allowed me to create new sculptural forms with them through the manipulation of ripping, bending and overlapping the material.

I also liked the shadows that came with different layers and levels of the modroc. It created a nice element of depth to the paper.

Making smaller version of distorted collage.

I have used only pencil crayons to create these different colours. The paleness of the colour has allowed the composition to look quite delicate, even though the paper is distorted and ripped away.

I developed these techniques by making distorted collages on A3 and A1 paper and card. Seeing it displayed in different sizes changes the composition as a whole and creates new personality.

Wooden panel samples.

These are found in my A5 sketchbook.

I wanted to create new sample designs using the wood I had chiselled from the wooden panels. This wood was the plywood panels.

I wanted to create the reverse of what I was making in my previous wood panels.

Small A5 charcoal samples.

I used wood that I had chiselled away from my canvas boards to create wonky surfaces. This allowed me generate charcoal rubbings with the wood as a way to develop and take a new direction with the material.

This was inspired by my research on therapy ink tests and what can be seen though shape and distortion.

A5 sketchbook with labelled annotation.

These images show how I started with ideas and my experimentation process.

I have added colour schemes and made thumbnails to display a vision of what I wanted my first set of panels to be like.

Using wood chippings from wood panels

I did this as a reverse from my wood panel painting.

I kept the chiselled wood and decided to attach it to a drawing to create new layers with the wood rather than having wood layers being taken away.

It felt weird adding the wood as I have been so used to ripping it apart.

I am glad that I kept the wood to make these as it helped me develop new ideas and experiment with the materials I usually just put to one side.

A3 sketchbook

Using charcoal

I’ve always liked using charcoal. It’s a medium I always turn to when I want to be expressive with designs and ideas.

I have decided to post about my two sketchbooks last on tumblr as it helps show my idea process and how I came to creating my developed work.

I made these using images from mine and matts photography session, taking images wearing my modroc masks.

A3 sketchbook

I used three pages from my A3 sketchbook.

- chalk pastel drawing

- writing

- expressive painting

I chose to do this to show how you can be expressive and symbolise emotion through any medium. I feel like it’s all about the application of the medium that is used.

To develop the three pages, I placed them together and distorted the paper to start seeing the new layers. This is something I have been doing a lot this semester as I believe it helps represents my practice in a quick and easy way.

Water: represents how art can peel away layers and help recognise new elements of identity and self reflection.

These are my plywood boards.

After experimenting with both, I feel that plywood creates better layers and distorted elements to the composition rather than chiselling at the MDF.

For this reason, I would use plywood and timber frames in my degree show exhibition.

I like the different tonal elements that come with chiselling at the plywood. It helps me symbolise the different layers of emotion that can be represented and recognised through a creative practice.

These are my MDF boards.

Instead of chiselling at the board I instead scraped away at the paint with the chisel. This was something I really enjoyed doing and I like the thick scrapes and how the distort the image.

I wanted to scrape away at the paint near places that can be found next to facial features. It helped the modroc and masks not to be overshadowed.

I like how the streakiness element correlates well with the streakiness painting in the background.

This was a technique I enjoyed doing and will develop with in the future.

Here are some more of my panels where I added modroc and clay to the canvas.

I enjoyed moulding the clay to create streaks on the painting. Also, the marks found on the first one were present when I took parts of the clay off. These new marks were something I didn’t want to get rid of so I added new layers of clay around it. I believe it creates a new element of mark making to the painting.

I’ve been layering flatter layers of modroc to these paintings compared to the previous semester. I think this is because I feel having the modroc flatter allows the whole composition to blend together better.

I have now started adding modroc to the wooden panels.

This helps me create new layers and depth to the painting. I like how marks freom the modroc paste can be found in the painting, making it distorted.

I manipulate the modroc to create different definitions. As I like to manipulate the properties of all the materials in my work, by ripping and moulding the modroc it helps me to create the same techniques of distortion.

The modroc also helps me cover identity features which is something I was doing in my photography work.

Thee are some parts of the paint I think I can improve on as I added too much water which has highlighted the brush strokes. However, I do think this mirrors my process of symbolising application. I have been wanting to manipulate the materials and I feel adding more water has manipulated the paint and it’s properties.

This also helps link it to my collages where I added water to distort the paper, I feel like this has allowed me to produce a trace of processes in my practice.

I have started painting in details on the face now to define the facial features. Parts of these paintings are getting covered with material which is why some parts don’t have specific detail and precision.

The next stage of my painting will be adding the different materials such as modroc and clay. After that, I will then chissel the wood to create new elements of depth.

I’m looking forward to comparing the plywood to the MDF boards to see what the property of the wood can do to it.

Plywood surface

This the next stage of my paintings. I have been blocking out tonal colours and mapping out where details will be found in the face. 

This painting stage shows a heavy brush strokes, allowing me to blend them together and create more defined features in the next development stage. I will then start to add more material on the painting and possibly chisel out more of the wood.

I believe the plywood works best when chiselling because it allows me to show lots of different layers that create an element of depth to my art. 

The layers symbolise how art can help express new emotions and create a deeper meaning to expression and representation. 

This next painting stage is done on MDF A1 surfaces. This development stages is based on blocking out the tonal value and mapping out the facial features. 

Doing this helps me find proportion and define features better. I added colour to the background, mostly with expressive mark making. The reason I made the background streaky and expressive was the highlight how the application of medium can symbolise specific emotions. 

The background will be chiselled and manipulated which will mirror the style of the painted streaks from the sponges and brushes I used. 

My next stage will be to define more shapes in the faces and add detail such as mouth, nose and eyes.