I wanted to focus on Graphics and Fine art in the final major project because I want to do more of it and specialise in them at university. 

As I am going in to a general art course in university called 'Art Practice' I want to do the area's I find interesting and fun to me also what I am good at. 

I didn't want to do an area which I wasn't very good at and was not my strongest point, but I do believe that Graphics and Fine art are my strong points with in Art and Design.  

Creating these out comes it has given me practice so I would be able to preform better in the future. 

Watered down oil based ink

My tutor Claire Hiett also showed me another process with print, oil based ink diluted with white spirit. 

I liked this process because it was quick and easy to do. I got good results by painting with oil based ink, by watering the ink down it is easier to paint with and it becomes more watery instead of thick. 

The colours she used are different shades of green to get the right colours and perspective of the leaf she was painting. The colours stand out and are eye catching against the white background. She has blended the different shades of colours together to make the painting look more realistic also to capture the shadows of the leaf. 

There is not much detail in this painting as it looks like it was done quickly but there was much thought behind doing it like the shape and blending the colours together. 

I think this image is quite liner as you can see the lines where she has painted so you can see the shape of the leaf. 

The composition of the painting is in the middle of the fabriano as that makes it the main and centre image. 

Her painting of the leaf influenced me to create my own paintings with watered down oil based ink so I collected some leaves and did some of my own. 

I would use this process again in the future as I enjoyed it as I think it's an effective way of painting.

Ink Drawings

This is my tutor Claire Hiett's drawing with ink example as she used for a demonstration. One was drawn using the end of a paint brush and the other with a paint brush and let the ink drip down the page. I preferred the technique using the paint brush and let the ink drip as I found it more effective and worked better as you can get the form of the leaf more accurate. 

The colours are a mixer of black and a bright green that stands out as it makes it look more like a leaf. I think the green works better as it makes it look like what it's meant to be as well as eye catching. 

I don't really like the black ink drawing as I don't think it resembles a leaf and I don't like the technique as I don't think it captures the form of the leaf properly and I don't like the way it turns out after its dried as it just looks heavy like a scribble and a bit sketchy.

They both fill the page of fabriano and the composition is in the middle of the page as it seems that they want to be noticed and they are the main images. 

The style of ink drawing is very liner as there is a lot of line used in this process. 

This has influenced me to create my own ink drawings using the paint brush and drip technique, I like how elegant and light they look.

Michael Landy

Michael Landy’s weed drawings are very detailed but yet simple as they look delicate and beautiful. 

His work is very liner and also sketchy as only uses one type of drawing material kind of like saying all the weeds are the same because he drew them all in the same drawing material. 

The drawings are all life sized studies of individual weeds that Landy found growing in the street. Landy described why he was drawn to these ‘street flowers’. 

He said ‘they are marvellous, optimistic things that you find in inner London. They occupy an urban landscape which is very hostile and they have to be adaptable and find little bits of soil to prosper’. 

Weeds often live in harsh and cold conditions with very little soil, water or sunlight. They grow between paving stones or on waste ground in the city, I think he drew these because not many people pay attention to them and if they do they want to get rid of the weeds. Landy collected a number of the weeds and took them back to his studio where he looked after them, making studies of their structures including detailed drawings of the roots, leaves and flowers. 

The composition of this work is in the middle of the page as he wants his work to be the centre of attention and the main image.

I found Landy’s work useful in my final major project as I looked at how the artists drew the plants and it inspired me because the work did not have to be massive with a lot of colour on the image but a simple yet effective drawing could hold all the detail in a single liner drawing.

Ink drawings

I seen some of my tutors work Claire Hiett's work and decided that I like the ink drawing a lot and decided to do some of my own. 

I like how they look lose and free and I let the drips drip down the paper I think that it makes an nice effect. 

I wanted to experiment with different fine art media's as well as printing. 

I like the way my drawings turned out as they look simple and elegant. 

I wanted them to just about look like the leaves I was drawing because I think it makes the viewers look at it more to see what exactly it is. 

The top two of this photo were happy accidents as I spilt too much ink on to the paper but it let the ink drip down the paper hoping that it will turn out ok. 

These are my favourite ink drawings I done even though they were accidents, the light green colour stands out more and because you have to really look at the image to see what they really are makes it more interesting for the viewer. 

They look simple and liner which is good for an ink drawing as you don't want too much detail as I think it will ruin the image. 

I plan to re make these images to put in the show as I think they will look good and professional. 

These two did not turn out as well as I expected, these were my first attempt of the ink drawing. 

I did not like these images as I don't feel that they were professional enough or good enough because they looked rushed and look badly done because it was my first attempt. 

I wanted to see how a liner and a full coloured ink drawing would look like but I think I was too heavy handed and too controlling on my practice ones. I think the less control you have the better it turns out.

I learnt after this though and went on to do better ones which I want to put in my show. 

Jennifer Steinkamp

Jennifer Steinkamp uses computer animation and media to create projection installations in order to explore ideas about architectural space, motion and perception.  Her digitally animated work ables her to play between actual space and illusions, creating environments which the image and art objects become blurred. 

Steinkamp uses digital projections to transform architectural space providing the viewer with a sensational experience.

She often works with musicians like Andrew Bucksbarg and Jimmy Johnson to add sound into her work. 

I really like Steinkamp's work as I haven't seen anything like this before, I find it unique and different and it makes me want to know more about how she makes her work and what it is about because it draws me into her work. Her work draws me in because of the bright, bold colours which stand out that are detailed.  I find her work more appealing because she works on large scales which makes you want to look her work longer.
I think her work stands out more on a black background as her work looks luminous against it which makes it eye catching as it gives off a positive vibe.
Her work is displayed in the dark, it creates a mysterious atmosphere as most exhibitions are shown in bright light.

Sue Arrowsmith

Sue Arrowsmith images are projected and then recorded and traced in pencil, creating a mass of lines that flicker and undulate across the paper. The compositions reveal the linear structure of the landscape, poised between intensely detailed abstract lines and shapes and the more recognizable forms of the land. 

Arrowsmith works without colour, preferring the sheen of graphite on paper, exploring the different tones and shades that can be achieved through this method. These large scale designs can take many weeks to complete but by using a photographic template Arrowsmith ensures the drawing is loose and free. 

I decided to look at Arrowsmith for my final major project because I like the way she works in negative and positive on the nature also that she projects the image on the sheet so she can draw the nature. 

It stands out and is different because I have never seen this technique before, I think i would like to experiment with this process for my final major project. 

Van Gogh's hand drawings.

Van Gogh’s hands that he has drawn using pencil and black chalk in 1885. 

I have used his drawings as inspiration in one of my college projects ‘Homage’ when I was doing sign language. His drawings of hands made me think about the way hands look as they are doing symbols and hand gestures.  Gogh’s drawings are very sketchy and linier as they look like they have been done quickly but they are well drawn. It also shows movement in the drawings.  I like the way he has over lapped some of his drawings as it makes it look like the hands are busy and don’t stop moving all the time.  I quite like that the drawings go from quick linier drawings to more detailed that look more life like. 

Evaluation for Homage.

I looked at Homage to sign language and braille for this project. To start off this project I went on a trip to oxford with the college and I looked at symbols, other languages and hieroglyphics. I quite liked the symbols and I decided to look at hands and sign language.
I researched two artists that used hands in their work which was Van Gogh and Albrecht Durer. I liked the way they worked quite differently as Gogh’s work was sketchy and liner while Durer’s work was more detailed and more life like with colour. I used both Gogh and Durer for inspiration in this project as I looked at how they drew the hands and how they looked like when they were symbolising something. When I was drawing the hands I was guided more towards Van Gogh’s drawings as I preferred the sketchy, liner drawings as they suited me best because I used my drawing skill which I learnt in life drawing.
The drawing materials I used mostly for drawing my hands for sign language was pen and brown ink mixed with water to create a ground colour that looked like skin coloured. I think this was very effective as it made my drawings come to life and made it more eye catching.
I made little books out of envelopes and coloured paper inside I experimented and looked at the braille and sign language alphabet. I collected braille from different packaging and stuck them in my book and used them for inspiration to create my graphics book outcome.
For my graphics book outcome I put my photos, drawings and my research of braille into Photoshop and I experimented by overlapping my drawings and photo’s and using different effects to see what looked good and what worked with each other. I stuck to my chosen colours black, white and brown throughout my design development of my graphic outcomes. I decided to create a book full of final outcomes because I wanted to make a book out come also I could not chose what one I wanted as a final outcome.
I experimented with different drawing materials such as ink, pen, pencil and fine liner.
I did an outcome on one of my sheets which I used as photography. I took photos of my own hands doing sign language. I used white paper as the background to make it look more professionally and I used the skills I learnt in photography for this outcome.
My favourite drawing material I liked to use in this project would be drawing with pen and brown ink, which was mixed with water. I liked the effect it makes with each other, I learnt this skill in life drawing and I carried it on in other areas in Art and Design.
I liked creating the sheets for this project as it was on a large scale.
I have used different materials such as envelopes and other paper.
I stuck to my chosen colours black, while and brown on my sheets that did limit me but I overcome this to finish my sheets.
I enjoyed this project has I had the freedom to do what I wanted to do within my own specialist area.

Nigel Cooke

Nigel Cooke is an English fine artist and he is one of the UK’s most up and coming talents.  

His work seems quite sketchy but controlled at the same time and his work is liner based.

I really like Nigel Cooke’s cityscapes artwork. Cooke has done paintings of well known cities from around the world. He uses a loose drip painting style which brings the cities to life. It makes the cities look busy and colourful.

Cooke has displayed his work around the UK such as the Tate Modern in London also around the world in New York. 

I have used some of Nigel Cooke's work in past projects that I have done in college. 

I enjoyed looking at his work as I think they are different and interesting to look at.  

Fine Art Exhibition

An exhibition that I would recommend to see would be an Undergraduate Fine Art Exhibition in London done by students in Goldsmiths university of London. I think it would be a good idea to visit other student’s work to get inspiration and to get a good idea what displaying your work in university would be like in an exhibition. It would be a good place for students to get recognized and to get their work out there for the public to see. 

Private View 
Thursday 19 June 2014 6 pm - 9pm.

Open to Public 
Friday 20 June - Monday 23 June 2014 10am - 7pm
except Sunday 22 June 2014: 10am - 4pm. 

The exhibition is at Ben Pimllott Building, St James, New Cross, London SE14 6AD‌. 

Abstraction

Abstraction postcards.  

I took a drawing from people and pattern project and used it for my abstraction project. I put the image onto Photoshop and experimented with effects and layers to create postcards for an exhibition at the Tate modern.
I liked the way they turned out as I think they look professional and eye catching. I printed them out on photo paper to put into my portfolio. I think that they look good displayed in my portfolio, it shows that I can use a range of media and different skills within Art and Design.