Slice

3D design - Transform 

I was given a word (slice), and then had to interpret that word in my own way, then create a 3D representation of my word. 

I came up with the idea of imagining what certain foods would look like if had taken a slice (or shaving, slither or cross section) from it. I stuck to sandwiches, teas, buns and glasses of pop. 

I tried to keep to certain colour themes and the original colours of the actual foods. I also did double-sided cross sections so it would look more realistic. I then used a strip of plastic to support the objects. 

The objects were arranged in size (smallest to largest) and were cut into to fit into the slot in the plastic. 

After I looked at the finished result, I thought that the gaps between the objects was too large and didn't get the effect I wanted. So I then tried to imagine what it would look like with some food related objects inbetween them. 

I needed the objects to fill in some gaps, and also gradually build up the height. 

I stuck to cutlery and crockery to fill in the gaps and link to the food idea. It looked much better and more filled out. It also showed off the height increase. 

Below is the finished outcome which I am very pleased with. If I had some more time on the project I would have probably took the time to make more cross sections of food to fill the structure out even more. But the bendy plastic may have snapped if I cut more slots into it, weakening it each time.

Tube within a tube

I made a structure involving a tube within a tube , in which I fed a wire through a tube of fabric. I had to attach my object to something outside. I chose mostly fences to contrast with the roundness on my structure. 

Hugh Lippe

These series of photographs stood out to me, mainly because of the strange surroundings. I like outdoor photography, especially when it involves a model, and I think photographs look good when the monochrome tones are deep, such as these.

The photograph above uses repetition and an offset composition very well. It's quite striking with the contrasts between the models' skin, the backdrop and the white feathers in their hair.

I have always loved fur within a photograph because it adds another element to the scene and creates textures. 

 

Also the backdrops appeal to me because it creates another layer to the composition, rather than it just being the model in the foreground, and the vast landscape in the background. 

Henry Moore

Fine Art - Transform 

This is a good example of including negative tones (the spaces around an object) and how it adds a lot of depth to an image.

Henry Moore has a distinct style of drawing, using layers of doodle-like lines, which gradually builds up tones. 

Nate Parker

Fine Art Photography

I found Nate Parker's work whilst searching for fine artists that use monochrome widely in their work. As soon as I saw one of his photographs I fell in love with the vast detail, deep monochrome tones and memorable landscapes. He uses a lot of water in his photographs, and makes it look like fog by using 'slow photography', something I've never seen in these types of pictures. It looks beautiful, almost like it's not real.

'Old Scow'

'Otter Cliffs and Wave Patterns'

'Ruby Beach Gull Rock'

 "I live on Mount Desert Island, Maine, home of Acadia National Park and where the sun rises before anywhere else in the US. Landscape photography has been a passion of mine as long as I've been living in Acadia, since the year 2000. It provides an opportunity to really appreciate nature and get away from the hustle bustle of the real world. My process is a "slow photography" where in 2 hours probably only a few or a dozen exposures will be made, that provides the chance to really "see" what is there and let the scene reveal itself. I'm constantly finding new scenes to shoot along the incredibly dynamic coastline of Maine and in Acadia National Park" - Nate Parker www.nateparkerphotography.com <<Have a look.

These shots make me want to try this out for myself, I love it! 

Expressing forms using shoe polish

Fine art - Transform 

I transformed a strip of paper into a different form by using crease and folding techniques. 

This is what I made. I don't really like straight crisp edges or folds, so I opted for a more organic shape. 

I then tried to record the shapes and surface type onto a different strip of paper using shoe polish. Firstly (left), I used a stencil technique, covering certain places up with masking tape and applied the polish with a toothbrush. 

Secondly (middle) I incorporated some scratch marks, which then the polish stuck into which I thought created some interesting contrast and patterns. 

Lastly I used collage material (masking tape) to create the surface textures. I like the scrunched up effect, but it doesn't have much contrast compared to my first attempt. 

Sunset beauty

 The Isle of Arran is a small island on the coast of Scotland, which I visited last year. 

I took this photo on my small digital camera whilst walking back to the cottage at sunset. The ruins of a castle on the right and the small fishing boats, all reflected onto the harbour. 

Sophie Calle

Fine Art - Transform

The Hotel, Room 47, 1981

This piece by Sophie Calle, 1981 consists of photographs and text recored at the time of work between Sunday 22nd Feb 1981 to Tuesday 24th in a Vinetien Hotel. She photographed and wrote about what she had discovered in a series of twelve hotel rooms on the 4th floor.

"Calle is unashamedly voyeuristic, reading diaries, letters, postcards and notes written or kept by the unknown guests, rummaging in suitcases, and looking into wardrobes and drawers. She sprays herself with their perfume and cologne, makes herself up using the contents of a vanity case, eats food left behind and salvages a pair of women’s shoes left in the bin. Outside the room, she listens at doors, recording the occupants’ conversations or any other sounds she may overhear, and even peers into a room when the floor-waiter opens the door to catch a glimpse of the unknown guests." - www.tate.org.uk

I quite like pieces of work that are factual and documented, because it gives the viewer/ reader the feel that they are part of what is happening, or is being told a story.  I did a project nearly two years ago which consisted of a book, filled with photographs of objects that appear in my everyday life. The objects that made me feel good and relaxed were in colour. This concept reminds me of Tucker Shaw, who recored and photographed EVERYTHING he ate over the space of one year, then made it into a book, 'Everything I Ate - A year in the life of my mouth'. -Have a look!

Cornelia Parker

Fine Art - Transform

The thing I love most about Cornelia Parker's work is that it is suspended, some just above the ground almost giving the illusion that you could walk on it.

'Neither From Nor Towards' 

 "consists of the bricks of a house that was situated on the cliffs of Dover. When the house collapsed due to cliff erosion the bricks fell down onto the beach below. They were then worn down by the sea."

www.eilishscreativespace.wordpress.com

She also uses shadows to give her work another dimension.

 Cold Dark Matter; An Exploded View (1991)

Probably her most well-known installation was made by Cornelia Parker placing an assortment of car boot sale items in a shed, then asking the British Army to blow it up! She collected the debris and suspended it within the room to recreate the moment the shed erupted. A light is installed within the shed so that the wood and items were shadowed onto the walls, floor and ceiling. 

I love this piece, it really feels as if time has stood still and you can see the very moment that this shed blew up. 

Annette Messager

Fine Art - Transform

A french painter, sculptor and photographer, Annette Messager's work drew up on everyday life,  "taking such subjects as toys and needlework. She usually used a range of closely related found-objects,  as well as creating performance pieces. In her work she questioned accepted perceptions of women." - www.tate.org.uk

The Pikes 1992‑3

 Half of an installation first shown at the Musée Nationale d'Art Moderne, Paris, now in Tate Modern. It consists of more than one hundred poles or spikes, 'pikes', each of which impales or supports an object or image.

"Little bodies made out of a combination of doll parts, stuffed limbs, headless torsos and internal organs are enclosed in sections of stocking, or pierced by many coloured pencils and hung with drawings of torture instruments and victims. Other pikes bear pastel drawings of limbs, corpses and figures of despair as well as fragments of maps showing various contemporary political entities in Africa, Europe and the Middle East." - www.tate.org.uk

The 'pike' has a paricular link to the political turbulence in France, and gives a sinister feel when you know the story behind it, as they were used to bear the guillotined heads of the aristocracy during the popular uprising, known as the Reign of Terror, during the French Revolution. I like how a lot of her works are suspended. It gives the impression that she feels she is allowed to express herself and her thoughts freely.

Much of her work is a little more light- hearted...

'I like to tell stories… children’s stories are monstrous' - Anette Messager

This explains why much of her work is based on childrens' toys and childhood over the past four decades.

Drawing my 3D sculpture

Fine art - Transform

Focussing on positive shapes within the object, I used masking tape, collage material and ink to record it.

I thought the image looked too flat so then I added a darker background to give it more depth.

I personally made the background too dark but I still thought it looked more interesting than the first attempt.

I then added some more collage material and masking tape within the object to create a more 3D look. I think I would like the outcome a lot more if I had thought more about composition, as the current composition is offset to the left and high up on the page, which personally doesn't look very effective.

Making 3D representations

Fine Art- Transform

From the drawings of an object, I made the original object by cutting the pictures up. I didn't really enjoy the exercise because I don't like working in 3D, but I think the outcome turned out okay. 

I like the way the 3D object is covered in markings.

Sally Mann

Photography

Photographing her daughters mostly, Sally Mann creates stunning black and white photographs. Her somewhat controversial subject matter can seem wrong to some. The photographs were took in a summer cabin along a river where her three children played and swam, which Sally Mann captured, but some of the images touch upon darker themes such as insecurity, injury, sexuality and death.

Here Sally Mann's daughters show to be playing roles of older women, smoking a cigarette and looking after children, obviously things children shouldn't be doing. This is an example of Sally Mann's boundary pushing.

I love the deep tones of her black and white photography and the way the sitters' body and facial expressions are of someone a lot older.

Paolo Roversi

Photography

This photographer stood out to me as his photos look really unusual. I like the black and white photography and how the contrast in the photographs looks higher. This makes the eyes and other features more apparent and it also lightens and smooths the skin.

The right hand photograph looks dated due to the marks on the bottom of the image, and the smoky background. I love the feel of his photography, mostly because of the sitters' stares. It makes you wonder what they're thinking as they are not showing any expressions.

Corinne Day

Photography

I have loved Corinne Day's work ever since I was interested in photography. Her work can be weird and push certain boundaries, but it is always interesting. Her main model is the well known Kate Moss, photographing mostly for Vogue.

The main thing I like about Corinne's work is the clever use of juxtaposition. Placing glamorous models and gowns in unsightly surroundings. She manages to make 'ugly' things look beautiful, somethings I like to do in my own work.

Here is a photograph I took for a fashion photography project I did last year, based on juxtaposition. I have took inspiration from Corinne Day's work by using a run down glass dump and a pretty dress and accessories to create contrast. I love the way  it worked out and I want to continue experimenting with this idea.

Hatch

Life drawing - Drawing with hatch 

I enjoyed drawing using hatch as you can see the object start to evolve and gain depth as you add the layers. It can look messy, but I like the textured look. 

The above photo shows an open hand and how a slightly layered hatch still gives it depth. 

The photo above shows how A simple hatch can still look effective. It's less depth, but the lighter tones still show of the hand's form.

Here I have experimented with focussing on one part of my hand, (e.g. my thumb and crossed fingers). This allowed me to add the smaller details such as the folds of skin and more intricate shadows. 

The crossed fingers would look better if I'd included the other fingers, but it still looks quite effective and interesting. It maybe is more interesting because it is not a normal form to draw or see, compared with the full bodily form.