The intaglio workshop was the one I was looking forward to the most. I enjoy this method of printing and experimented with it a little throughout my foundation diploma. During the intaglio workshop we went through all of the safety regulations of the studio and were shown around during our session so that we’d be able to find everything once we come back on our own. 

For the drypoint etching we first discussed mark making and the variety of tools you are able to use to create different effects. We then created a collaborative piece together, where each one of us had about 30 seconds to make a mark with a tool of choice. Once we had created marks on the example print we then followed the process of printing this piece, in order to acquire all the vital information to be able to print our own ones on the following day. 

On the following day everyone had created a design on their own to be able to print from independently. This type of printmaking I enjoy most, due to being able to have full control over the marks I create and how much ink I apply. 

For the second part of the workshop we went through the process of creating a lino print. Before designing our own piece, we again, discussed mark making and experimented on a small piece of lino with a tool that had 5 different sizes to carve with. Even though I have made a couple of lino prints before, I still get confused as to which area will print, because when carving out areas, these wont actually show. This makes the first look at my print quite exciting.

The next day everyone had their completed lino prints with them and was ready to print. We were given a step-to-step guide on how to use the presses and created a number of prints on our own, as well as a ‘ghost print’, where the lino is printed twice without inking it up again in between. 

We also made a collaborative print together in this workshop. Everyone inked up their plate as usual, but put sellotape onto the back of it, to help us place this onto a colourful print covered in randomly placed squares. For this print we had to use the larger scale press. The print turned out extremely well, I find the colours compliment each other and also bring out the lino prints, as these were printed with black ink. Even though everyones lino was very unique, I found that it works together as a whole. 

During our visit to the Victoria and Albert museum, we were asked to consider the word taxonomy. This word can be used as a classification of things, schemes or concepts. At the V&A we were confronted with a plethora of taxonomies defining a variety of objects. This helped us contemplate the meaning of words. Our task consisted of choosing five items that we wanted to draw. We then had to align these items with five of our words from our automatic writing sheet. The words that I’ve chosen have the ability to decontextualise and reimagine the pieces I’ve selected and are able to give them new meanings. The idea was to be inventive, intelligent and conceptual about the connection between image and text. 

The first item I decided to draw was a model of the Mahabodhi Temple. I was drawn to the amount of detail that was captured in the statue. This temple in particular is the holiest of Buddhist pilgrimage sites and marks where the Buddha gained enlightenment. It is a one of a kind temple and models were made for pilgrims to take home as sacred souvenirs. Even though there’s only one temple that exists exactly in this form, the amount of remakes prove the meaning that this temple carries, especially when replicate examples have been found in other cities that serve as alternative pilgrim sites for those who could not make the journey. I’ve aligned the word ‘original’ from my automatic writing sheet, because it fascinates me how one thing can create such a significance to a large number of people. 

My next item I chose to draw was a nude figure. The human figure is something I’ve always found extraordinary and I’ve enjoyed life drawing for a long time. Although some might consider the statues to be simplistic, I find that they carry a certain grace. The word I found most suitable was ‘form’. 

In this task it wasn’t specified whether we were just allowed to draw one item. I was also interested in capturing the environment and atmosphere that some of the rooms in the museum carried. I found a spot in a room where I had enough paintings and people in my field of vision. Instead of choosing the word atmosphere for this piece, I decided ‘variety’ would be more relevant, because it relates to both the audience and paintings on display. 

“Chance and Control in the Age of Computers” was on display in one of the rooms, where artists created computer-generated images between the 1960’s and early 2000’s. While some artists developed their own software, others artists like Damien Borowik would create their own hand-built drawing machines. It was interesting to note what influenced the artists, for example Georg Nees was fascinated by the relationship between order and disorder, whereas Manfred Mohr began his career as a jazz musician and expressionist painter, where he started exploring the use of geometric imagery. Overall, each piece is completely unique and inspired me to create my fourth piece of work which I aligned with the word “expressive”. 

Within the fashion display there was one piece in particular that caught my attention. Instead of being an item of clothing, there were a number of letters and postcards attached to a mannequin. The title of this piece was called “Letters to Miss Philippa Barnes” by Charles James. I really liked the idea of portraying words as a form of clothing, because I find that each of us carries words with us in one way or another, be it a thought we might have or something that has been said to us. For this item I decided to pick the word ‘personal.’

 

 

In preparation of the mark-making workshop I tried to gather a variety of unusual tools I would be able to experiment with. These included:

• a duster
• a candle
• a sponge
• a scourer
• a bath sponge

The workshop itself was created and followed through in a very brisk manner. The studio was divided into two tables that almost took up the whole space. The tables were covered in sheets of paper, which we were expected to cover in marks. We used a range of materials, including paint and other drawing equipment, as well as tools and objects to make these marks. The tasks we had to follow consisted of exercises such as “fill as much of the space you can”, “draw with closed eyes”, “illustrate something smooth”, and many more. We were only given one minute to complete each of these. Once we had completed one task, everyone was expected to move along. This meant that we were all working over each others constructions, building and developing over the top of what someone previously created. The designs were very unexpected and random, but I have to admit, it was a fun and different way to work. 

Once we had finished this workshop, we were given two further tasks to work on individually. We were asked to consider mood, atmosphere, texture, tone, mark, and rhythm. 

For the first task we were spread out across the studio and our tutors would take turns in picking eight different numbers overall. We then had to check which word on our automatic writing sheet would correspond with each number and illustrate it. We were given about five minutes for each word. 

For the second task we were allowed to leave the studio to complete each of the following: 

• Create a drawing that is the opposite / my word : apart
• Create a drawing with a stencil / my word : connection
• Take a photograph / my word : perspective 
• Create a drawing with masking tape / my word : palette 
• Find a texture rubbing / my word : natural 
• A found item collage / my word : area
• A typography rubbing / my word : place
• A tear drawing (ripped paper) / my word : order 

The screen print workshop was the first induction I had, as part of a group, at the university. As I studied a foundation diploma last year and chose printmaking as my pathway, I was already familiar with the idea of printmaking and how it works. It was fun to be able to get back into screen printing after a long summer of not doing so. 

We were able to choose from ready made stencils and as a pair we could get started on printing, once everything had been explained. We chose an image of the shopping centre in Elephant and Castle. The image was separated into two screens, which was interesting to be able to layer and distort in different ways. We experimented with different colours, but unfortunately as this was only an induction, we didn’t have very much time. 

For me, the most exciting thing to learn about was how to prepare the screen itself. Although I was told how to do so on my previous course, the technicians would prepare them for us. We were instructed on how to clean the screen which the previous person would have used, degrease the screen, coat it with emulsion, expose it to my stencil and let it develop. We were given a booklet of instructions at the start of the workshop, which we were able to use to make notes on throughout the process. This will be very useful for when I come back to develop my own ideas. 

The exhibition displayed at House of Illustration features John Vernon Lord’s incredible illustrations for books written by Lewis Carroll and James Joyce, including Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

When I visited the exhibition I was surprised to see immense detail captured in such confined areas. I found myself exploring each pen and ink drawing for a prolonged time, constantly discovering more elements of each piece. There was one particular piece that was taller than myself and several meters wide, where I could identify both writing and drawings within other drawings, it was almost like an endless maze of discoveries. Even in the illustrations for Alice in Wonderland, that were restricted to the sizing of A4, there were continual patterns to come across. John stated that ” [An illustration] needs a certain character and a quality that sustains repeated viewings.” In my opinion Lord has most definitely achieved this, because it’s a pleasure to look at his work and even after having viewed his illustrations for a while, once I came back there was still more to notice.

In addition to seeing John Vernon Lord’s completed works there was also a series of miniature square drawings displayed, that he created daily for one year. Again, the detail and scale of work was something I found extraordinary. I also found it interesting to see what daily occurrences he uses as inspiration, ranging from objects to letters or even just rain drops.

Another astonishing part about the exhibition was being able to view his sketchbooks. It was fascinating to see the amount of research and creative ideas that went behind each drawing. As an artist, I find it encouraging to see where the ideas originated from, including the influences of each piece of work. Seeing an artists sketchbook allows the viewer to see the progress and development and you are able to make connections to the final outcome.

Overall, I thought the exhibition was absolutely remarkable and would consider it to be the best I’ve been to visit.

 

 

Self reflection

• Start by breaking down your own work first in order to be susceptible to other people’s opinion
• Subject matter / concept & theme / composition / colour palette / location / materials used / style / intended target audience / ways of improvement

Improvement

• Failure is necessary to be able to improve
• Give fair and constructive feedback, ensure the opinion is not biased
• Respect the artwork and artist

Process

• Journey and everything learnt is just as important as the end result
• Look at the artists influences and the process they underwent to create the work
• Consider sketchbook work and primary & secondary research
• Important to experiment and try out new materials / ways of working to improve work and ideas
• There is no finish line

Deconstruction

• Deconstructing the intentions behind the decisions made during the process
• How different elements work and the purpose of them
• Experimentation

Objectivity

• Unbiased opinion
• Don’t let your own opinions affect analysis
• Put yourself in the mind of the audience

Construction

• Accepting criticism and building off of it, utilising your mistakes
• Re-imagination
• The feedback enables the artist to push the work further and outside of their comfort zone

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Hokusai – “Two small fishing boats on the sea”

Hokusai has a very distinctive and recognisable style. It consists of free curved lines and series of spirals. The colour palette he uses is very simplistic but compliments each other very well. The rule of thirds is incorporated rather well in this piece of work and he fills up each section with detail. The foreground, middle ground and background merge into each other through leading lines of water presented in a fluid motion. The print could either be a woodcut or an etching of a kind. This has been made distinguishable by the house stamp placed in the top right corner, which depicts the signature or authenticity.

Although Hokusai is not trying to achieve photorealism, the work he has created is an accurate and realistic occurrence. As a viewer, we are almost sucked into the picture, creating a narrative that we are a part of in our mind. It’s as though the picture is trying to tell us a story but this is only a section that is part of an even larger narrative.

Deconstruction can often be seen as a form of criticism, where one is able to discover, identify and interpret the concealed marks, ideas and configuration of works. In our workshop we looked at the way our images were constructed, pulling them apart and analysing the way they were put together. We were asked to focus on the aesthetics of the image, symbolism, shape, colour, text and tone.

Instead of using my illustrations, I decided to deconstruct a part of my photography, with my focus being the profile of a man. I started to manipulate the structures surface, looking at the way lines have been created and formed together to build this profile. I did this by drawing out parts of the face in pencil and pastels. As we were asked to focus on tone and colour I thought it might be intriguing to take apart the colours that build up the mans face by cutting out magazine extracts. This definitely made me look at all of the underlying tones that formulate an image. I then used these to reconstruct his profile.

During this workshop I realised that once you start deconstructing something, the creation doesn’t necessarily have to be at an ending. Deconstructing helps exceed the boundaries and lets us create in new and different ways, without being confined to one image.

 

Reconstruction

The reconstruction workshop was aimed for us to communicate our own personal interpretation and understanding of ‘illustration’. My main take on illustration is that it’s a very versatile form of communication, where ones ideas and concepts can be presented through a wide range of mediums. Drawing is often the chosen medium but illustrations can also be created using photography, painting, film, animation, sound, textiles, sculpture and more. To be able to communicate this visual personality of mine, in the A3 folded micro-magazine, we repurposed our existing illustrations to assist in this creation. 

As the front cover for my micro-mag I created a collage using coloured paper and fine liners to  demonstrate my personal philosophy of illustration. The word ‘Illustration’ is placed in the background, and all mediums and types of art that I consider to be related to illustration are depicted in the foreground. I found that this would help give the reader a clear understanding of what my micro-mag is trying to convey. 

I then aimed to collect a large range of illustrations to further imply my intention. These illustrations included photography, sketches, collages, ink drawings, paintings and a comic strip. I used the photocopier to copy, scan, print and resize these illustrations so that I was able to position them into my micro-mag. I constructed and finalised my magazine by cutting and sticking the illustrations into the folded A3 micro-mag. 

Does illustration have to include drawing? Explain the reasoning behind your answer.

Illustration is a very versatile form of communication, where ideas and concepts can be presented and communicated through a wide range of mediums, including but not limited to drawing. Other media include photography, painting, film, animation, sound, textiles, sculpture, as well as drawing. Drawing is not vital to illustration, but it could be necessary depending on the ideas being communicated.

What is more important: Skill, Style or Concept? Why?

Concept is most important because, in order to develop styles and skills, one must have base ideas to work from. Both skill and style stem from a concept. Style is not definite or stagnant, which makes it less important. As for skills, they are also ever-changing and differ from person to person.

Exhibition

As a group, we were then expected to choose one piece from each person to pin up on the wall. The aim was to select a set of images that augment our communal ideas about the nature and philosophy behind the discipline of illustration. We were a relatively small group but had a large area to fill on the wall and therefore decided it was best to hang up two pieces per person, leaving less empty space between illustrations. As a group, we all came to the conclusion that illustrations don’t all need to be presented purely through drawing, which is why we chose our final pieces, that were hung up in the exhibition, to be made from a variety of mediums including photography, painting, drawing, embroidery and collage.

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A recommended further reading which includes valuable insights on what to look for when commissioning an Illustrator and how the Illustration process works from ideation through to implementation:

Link to ‘How to Hire a Great Illustrator’

Our first task on the BA Illustration and Visual Media course consisted of everyone collecting a series of brief encounters found through given places. We were expected to find these from a magazine, a library book, real life and an online source.

We then responded to this collection of encounters by creating illustrations using either photography, collage or drawing.

In my opinion, my photographs turned out better than my illustrations. This might have been because I felt that I was able to capture a brief encounter very well through a lens, as it’s a spur of the moment. Whereas with the illustrations, I found it more difficult to depict the occurrence, as I was struggling with the idea that they wouldn’t turn out realistic enough.

The task did however encourage me to go out and take more photographs from real life as a source of inspiration for my following work.