Monoprinting has been a very useful asset to me this project- i feel like i used it to segway from being stuck on a concept in a sketchbook into developing a finalised idea-
i wanted to recreate some mucha-esque portraiture from my initial set of nine drawings- develop some church/stained glass window/statue-esque figures of women that developed from a quote from White Teeth, though only loosely related to Zadie Smith, I finally had an idea i was passionate about (i struggle to make work i don't really care about- i think this is a natural thing, but it's an inconvenience when i have a mental block and can't bring myself to do any work).
When i rediscovered the process of mono printing it was a really good, productive day- although the work wasn't very much like Mucha's, it WAS my own and i was comforted that my work had a direction, and i could do this.
The process itself i found almost too easy- i found i could do quick sketches and them be more finished and refined than if it was simply drawn into my book. I also love the marks left by the ink and the individuality of each print- in retrospect i wish i'd used this a little bit more in my development instead of just focusing on the line drawings.
Lino Printing is also an asset i wish i'd used more to my advantage- although i loved experimenting with it, i was far too heavy handed and impatient to develop this into a major final idea with the tarot-card idea- i wanted to make refined detailed images and although i really enjoyed the smaller lino cuts i did, i would feel too scared to do something wrong- i enjoy a messier process.
I also used a metallic gold ink to do most of my printing with and really enjoyed the special feel of the final outcomes- this is something i wish i'd carried through this project consistently as well.
I super enjoy screen printing!
My final designs were drawn digitally which meant that i could exactly control and visualise how my screen prints would turn out.The digital process was lovely to work with as it is relatively new to me and something i'm still exploring- the only downside is that all my indexical marks are often lost due to the perfectionist nature of it- there are progress videos however that record all the marks i make, so all is not lost.
I also struggled with my style to make things feel three dimensional- this gave me an opportunity to explore mark making and balancing the space with textures and patterns.
I wish i'd considered colour more- although happy with my pink and red outcomes, they feel too candy-cane and naff, especially with my cartoon-esque drawings-i chose these because i enjoy those colours together in graphic design and other illustration, but applied to my work, i really wish i had a more authentic outcome, something with a lovely finish that feel special to hold- and the pink and red just didn't cut that. I wish i'd considered how to incorporate colour more usefully instead of just having it there to colour in the lines in some elements of my drawings- i do think however i managed to balance things relatively well, and draw the eyes to the right places, which i suppose is a use of colour as the detailed layer could have been very two dimensional without.
I also wish i had the patience to make a whole set- doing three final ones was lovely to refine them down to, however they didn't have a meaning to me- they were just ones i picked out of the deck that i liked the look of. I wish they had a story behind them, or went together better as a set- i feel the Courage card feels out of place next to the ones with the figures on, although i suppose three figures might have gotten a bit boring or made it feel even more cartoon-ish.
Ceramics- I made a lion! Three-Dimensional work is a lot more fun than i remembered, and the lion i feel really ties together my card contents. note to self- do more of this! i love the wonky feel of it - i've never really (and never hope to be) a perfectionist, creating really neat stuff. It has a nicer charm anyway,and i love having a 3D aspect to my work because i'm a very touchy-feely-interactive person. plus it was so fun to make, happy days
In retrospect, i would love my designs to be more considered- with content, dimensions and colour. However, i am very happy with outcomes and very proud of myself for managing to do work i'm very happy with and that feels very much authentically 'me'... especially without rushing and panicking- maybe it's my time to enjoy becoming organised...? Watch this space
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