Frames!

Been looking around the shops today. Thought I should start looking and collecting things sooner rather than later.  I want my degree show work to be hung in positions a bit like this, with my big print frames and wall paper frames hung at all different levels.

Looked for some larger frames in places like 'The Range', 'Hobby Craft' and 'Dunelmill', but think the Ikea ones are still better. As for the small fancy ones, there really aren't as many around as I thought there would be.

I LOVE these frames!

They are the right style and shape that I wanted. BUT they need to be painted white (feel like I'm fighting against time already), they're £14 each (already going to be spending a fair amount on the large frames) and i was a little worried that they are too fancy, and I don't want to detract too much from the prints, as i was saying before.....

....So i carried on looking and found these.

They're not oval shaped. BUT, they're only £5/ £6 each, are already white, are less in your face than the other ones, and i think that the recangular shape may also help to not detract from the prints too much as the prints will be in frames the same colour and shape.

...May still change my mind though. I'm a very indecisive person!

Also picked up a few wall paper samples and lace fabric for my next plate. AND brought a child's dress, in the style of a wedding dress, off ebay. Thought it would be a good idea to at least have one available to work on for when/ if I can. Productive!

Dress is a bit on the tacky side! But we will see how it works.

Time table isn't working

So...still haven't got those prints done. Went into uni at half 8 in the hope that I could get into the computer room to prepare some images for Chris, or to get into the print room if it opened at 9 (like it has over the holidays). But both rooms were closed. I finally managed to get onto a mac in the library. We had to prepare and size, 12 images for Chris Aron, who is going to put everyone's work onto an ipad. I think it's for the London show..? Not sure, but its so people who come can look through a sample of everyone's work. I only had 3/4 of an hour to do this before my work in progress began though. (During which we were told that this isn't the final deadline for the 12 images. We can actually change them at a later date. This is good, because I'd like to include my prints, when they are dry and i have more. It's also annoying because I really needed to be in the print room instead).


Work in progress-
Not much feed back to talk about here, I think all the tutors liked the look of my prints. The prints were all I showed them, as they have seen my sketchbook work already. Seem to be going in the right direction as no suggestions or ideas of changes were brought up. Oh, we had to say what we were thinking of including in our show ie. frames. Derek said he'd been considering my use of black frames. The tutors agree that black frames would work well with my theme. However they too are wondering if the black will detract from my work. I'm going to try to buy a white one next week to try it out. The actual work in progress wasn't too useful for me, it felt like I was just repeating what I'm doing for the benefit of the other third years. The other tutors have seen what I'm doing and I've talked to Derek and the print technicians about my work and its presentation often. It was 2 hours and 30 minutes long as well! was itching to get into into the print room. I did get a few questions answered by Derek though. I'v been thinking about my dress idea. I'm wondering if I'll actually be able to photogramme it in the style of the 'Memory Keeper's daughter'. The only way i know of doing this is by using the light box. The boxes are about A4 size? Even if I go for a child size dress, it may be too big to fit on the box. Don't know it it will still work. Derek said that i could probably get the photo paper on a large sheet. I'll have to talk to Rosie from photography.


Print room-
:( Still no prints! lost quite a bit of time today. I've aquatinted my plate and I've completely stopped it out. When I took off the varnish and revealed my new plate, I was a bit worried. The acid had bitten into the plate quite a lot. My plate looked different to the first one. It was really dark from the varnish that was trapped in the deep grooves. it also looked quite smudged, and like it would print smudged too. I wanted to to get a print done before the weekend so I wasn't worrying whether it would work or not. Took ages to too clean properly though. Charles helped me. He thinks its fine. I love Charles. Want to get my next plate ready by Tuesday night at the latest.

Phhh. Stayed in the print room till 8pm today! And im already behind on my new schedule. Ha! Was suppose to have aquatinted and stoped out my new plate by the end of today to print tomorrow, maybe even printed one already. But I've only got one tone ready on the plate. This was because Charles encouraged me to get one more print of my plate before changing it with the aquatint, incase it went wrong. He also suggested, diluting the current acid i've been using to help to control the tones better. Therefore, i had to make up a small etching plate, aquatint it, and print out different tones- stopping out after 10 secs 3 times, then 20 secs, 30 secs and so on to 120 secs. I now have a new guid on tones to refer to the new acid mix.

(My workings out for my aquatint tones and acid timings)

 Such a long day! Planning on going in extra early tomorrow to try catch up. Got a work in progress tomorrow too.

Forgot that I wanted to add thread imprints to my plate as well as the wallpaper. So had to cover my plate in soft ground again and glue the thread in the correct position onto paper ready to press and transfer onto the plate. It was a bit fiddly! But probably ended up being easier to do it separately today than doing it yesterday, at the same time as the wallpaper. So got a few prints done after all that. The thread didn't work as well as I hoped. I thought the plate would pick up the twisting fibres. It didn't. It's just a solid line. But it was probably better than etching the strings with a needle as they'd come out all scratchy.

During the lunch break, I went to Ikea to look at their frames. I've looked on line, but its hard to tell if the frames are deep enough to float mount my prints. There might be one frame suitable. It comes in white and black. Initially, I thought I'd get white frames, just due to personal decorating preference. But I'm now in favour of the black, to relate to the dark side of fairy tales. It could also work well with the dark moody looking ink I've been using. 

I thought they'd have small round fancy frames that I want, like this, but smaller... (this ones rather large, and expensive)

but their not quite the same as I wanted, they only have small rectangular ones, but I'm sure I can find them somewhere. I'd like to use a few of these frames to hang prints of the wall paper i've been using within my prints. I want it to seem like my prints are actually hung up on the same walls that feature within my images. The frames would also hint at the wealth of the family home that is suggested . Derek also said today, that he'd quite like to see me use a display case for my show, to display a few of my etching plates, my rough work out sketches and things, to show how i got to producing the prints. When he was describing which display cases he meant to me, he referred to them as 'the glass ones, like snow white's coffin'. How ironic, that this fits with the idea of marriage as death again. I'd not thought of using a display case before, but I'm now considering placing my dress inside this 'coffin' (if I ever get round to doing it that is!) instead of hanging it in a frame. on on a broken branch. Talking about dresses, I had a quick look around the shops to see what's available. There aren't as many about as I though there would be. And the material isn't suitable for stitching onto. There was maybe one in 'H&M', otherwise I might have to adapt the skirt to a different fabric.


Getting quite excited about presenting the work. First things first though, got to get the prints done!


Was in a bit of a panic today! apparently, I might not be able to continue to work in the print room up until our deadline, (30th May) like I thought I would be.  The current print room is being moved to another location for next year. Jon the technician, said that the print room could be closed two weeks before the 30th, so that they can start packing things up! Was worrying about getting 6 prints done as it is! ahh! Haven't got a definite answer from anyone yet, so I've quickly made another schedule for myself, so that I can hopefully still have a chance at getting it all done :/ eeek.

week summary 14. 25th- 1st May

• printroom; (Tues) soft ground- adding thread for puppet strings, and prints.
• Print room; (Wed) more prints, test of tone chart, aquatint and begin to stop out
• Work in progress with Jonny
• D+AD images

Second plate

Over today and yesterday, I've etched my new plate, done a few prints and added the wall paper background, ready to print on Tues (another bank holiday on Monday). 

I'm pleased with this plate. I did however try to make the background room (where the mum is sitting, eating the fish) more sinister using shadows. I tried to do this by wiping off less ink from this area of the plate. But there seemed to not be much of a difference in tone once I printed them. I will be able to achieve this when I aquatint though. I hope to have a finished aquatint print by the end of next week.


Derek said that the print looked quite surreal and he gave me some names to look at.

Otto Dix (seen his work before)

http://www.waggish.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/war301.jpg

Henry Fuseli

The nightmare

Balthus paintings

'Girl and Cat'

http://brendanscottcarroll.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/balthus_girl_with_cat.jpg

Bruno Schulz

'Procession'

http://www.transatlantis.net/blog/archives/bruno-schulz-2.jpg

Alfred Kubin

'The Lady on the Horse'

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BVbcNcXrio4/TPN3ZjoBtlI/AAAAAAAAA94/wyLF_3mL1AQ/s1600/Alfred%2BKubin%2BDie%2BDame%2Bauf%2Bdem%2BPferd%2BThe%2BLady%2Bon%2Bthe%2BHorse.jpg

I love these, especially Kubin's, just because there so bloody weird/ freaky that they're interesting. Could keep posting more of Kubins, but I think I should stop myself now! (The shadowing in Kubins is also very atmospheric!)

O I finished another of Carter's books on Monday, 'The Magic Toy Shop'. (CARTER, A., 1981. The Magic Toy Shop. London: Virago Press.)

 I started it a while ago, but stopped reading for a bit because of my work load. I got to pick it up again over the long weekend though. Unfortunately, I wasn't as impressed by it as I hoped. It was based on toys and the idea of a man controlling his women within the family like he controls his puppets that he makes. In fact, his wife is 'dumb', she was a lively Irish girl, but lost the ability to speak when she married him. It's an interesting theme, and obviously I wanted to read it because, as the blurb indicated, it would relate to my project (women as puppets, control, marriage as death, bla bla blaaa). However, I have not gained any further knowledge from the book or inspiration- not that I'm awear of yet anyway. The ending was a bit of a let down also- not as exciting as i anticipated. She conquered over her master ....and yes, the story did refer to incest, true to Carter's other writing!

After mum helping me to decide, I sent the ticket back this evening :(.  Already regretting it.


I have, however, got my next design ready and have started to draw it onto my second plate (using carbon paper this time, to hopefully save some time and so I don't make a mistake and have to prepare another plate). 

(my sketches to work out the design)

(Final design, and working out where to aquatint)

Its a bit of a weird design. Its again an interior scene, so I will use the wallpaper pattern again. It shows a girl, Ashputtle, posed as a puppet (I hope to use soft ground to press thread into my plate for her strings, so this will hopefully create more of a connection with the stitched dress). A coi fish, is curled up onto Ashputtle's lap, symbolising the mother and daughter relationship as a positive one. However, a Russian doll set of two figures also sits on the decorative chair. This symbolises the opposite side to their relationship, where Ashputtle is trapped by her mother, and it refers to women as dolls.The fact that the fish is out of water also suggests there's trouble. In the background, in another room, appears another figure, the step mother. She is suggestively posed, sitting on the edge of a table, eating the remains of a fish bone, while an ignored child (which I'm going to add in) sitting on the floor reaches out to her. I wanted to display the part of the Chinese story where the step mother kills the fish. I though it would appear much more menacing if she were to eat the reincarnated mother though. The small child refers to the step sisters. They are still quite in need of their mother. They do not think for themselves and seem to trust in her to the stage where they cut their own feet off. But, according to Carter, the step mother does not really act on her daughter's best interests. She is acting on her own behalf and due to the competition in gaining a wealthy son. I have also tried to hint at the story by including my images in picture frames which appear on the walls in my image. One is of a woman with a bird's beak, whispering into another girl's ear. This symbolises the control of the mother. Another picture frame depicts a stalk stabbing itself in the chest to feed it's young. Katherine, the print technician, told me about this, it's called 'vulning'. It links to Carter's story as the dove pricks it's chest, covering Asputtle in it's blood which then turns into (provides her with a ) a red dress. I like this idea as it again seems quite menacing, an in fitting of Carter's writing. I want to have this drawn onto the new plate and ready to take into the print room on Wednesday. 

Week Summary : week 13. 18th- 24th March

• Print ticket
• Second design
• Print room; second plate, prints, adding wall paper and more prints

The print room is my home...

Still very busy! Since last post, I've been working on other final design ideas for my other plates while the print room is closed.

In my head, I have a rough idea of what my next two plates could include. I would love to be able to have a series of six final prints for the degree show (plus the stitched dress). But I am wondering whether I'll run out of time! Just takes so long to prepare the plate, ink it up and take the ink back off before printing. Also adding the wall paper and the aquatint and the stopping out takes up so much time.But I will definitely have at least four final prints, I don't want to have any less.


On Thursday, I prepared my plate for aquatinting, and was ready to start printing these new prints on Friday morning. 

(The aquatinting machine where I coat my plate with dust, letting it settle for 1 minute)

(Me, ready to go! :) )

(I then had to heat the aquatinted plate over a grill until the dust had burnt away.)

(After the plate had cooled, I could begin the stopping out process, etching the plate in acid at different times to achieve different tones)

And finally, print.

(Heres a comparison to my first print and an aquatinted print)

It's come quite a long way!

They worked out really well! For my first go on a large plate anyway. I have learnt from this print however, to not over complicate it. I need to try to limit how many tones I use (how many times I stop out the plate using varnish and then return the plate to acid to etch again.) This is because I became confused as to where to stop out next on my plate, and I lost count of how many times I etched it in the end! The wall paper pattern has actually become less visible. I believe this is because my tones gradually became too dark to show the contrast of the pattern. It doesn't ruin the print though. I need to maybe stick to four tones for my next plate to make sure the overall outcome is accurate and neat. Also to save me from a headache! 
   Oh Pete gave me one of his free tickets he had for a print exhibition in London! Its for next Tuesday to Thursday. I was really excited and keen to go, but not sure if I can now! I don't know London at all and have little common sense! So in order to actually arrive at the exhibition, I need to take my boyfriend with me. I thought I would be able to get our travel quite cheap by looking around, but it looks like its going to cost me around £65 just for travel... I can't afford this right now. What makes it worse is that, on the day that we can actually go, it will have to be cut quite short so I wont be able to stay as long as I would like to. And, like I said, I'm worrying about getting all my prints done, the print room is only open Wednesday and Thursday this week, wanted to use this time for my second plate gahhh, I'm so torn! I really want to go, if only it was at another time. I need to decide soon though because if I'm not going, I will have to send Pete the ticket back so that it's not wasted. Think he was going to go on Wednesday...so want him to get it in time...


Going back to work on my second plate design.

Shadow Catchers V&A exhibition

Finally I've found the images of the dress that Derek was telling me about a few weeks ago, it was hard to track down because I didn't have the official title of the exhibition. It looks so interesting! This would really suit the mood of my project. Hope I can still get round to doing it as well as the etchings!

Christening Robe from the series, My Ghost 1997, by Adam Fuss

In the first exhibition of its kind, the V&A presents the work of five camera-less photographers creating photographs without cameras.
The pictures are produced using basic light and scientific techniques that are used to capture the images.

As soon as I saw these images, i was reminded of a book i read two years ago,  called 'The memory keepers daughter' by Kim Edwards.

(EDWARDS, K., 2007. The Memory Keeper’s Daughter. Great Britain: Penguin.) I don't remember the plot of the story, but I do remember liking this image at the time. It must of made an impression on me to have thought of it now, especially over the plot.

It says on the back cover: 

'Cover photography: Dress: Liz Magic Laser

snow: Roy Metha/ Getty Images

Did a quick google search on her, but cant find any other versions of the dress. I did find an image of just the dress on its own however, at this site,

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlKq3gxaMRDZ4AhsLY7zJEOwfinL_m7OZfOFuivi4BdHZn3MqLgR2dXEYK2FBQThJ1sn8NQ_pGNR1WKdQ8zwimvjga88MzUy2bojPL-ClL4EO8BuemADOCa-LusDEj6QAQ4Ptd95IGK0VK/s1600-h/BplFussDress-72.jpg

Week Summary : week 12. 11th- 17th April

(Easter holiday)

• Sketchbook work
• print room; aquatinting of plate and prints
• Pete's print exhibition ticket
• working on second plate designs

Wallpaper

Finally printed the wall paper! 'Bout time!

Again, sorry about the quality, can't scan till they're dry. They do look slightly better than this, promise. It was quite fiddly getting to this stage, and took some time. I had to cut out of the wallpaper, a template of the area where I want the paper pattern to appear.

(Putting my plate onto the hot plate to warm it up and melt the ground onto it so it can be rolled evenly.)

 I then cover this area of the plate with soft ground again, layer the cut out wall paper on the top half of the plate and put it through the press. Next I had to cover (stop out) the lower half of the plate with masking tape, so that this area doesn't etch again. For the fiddlier areas, such as the photo frame and the girls head, I stopped out with varnish. The plate then needed to be placed in the acid bath, once more, for 8 minuets to etch again and be ready for use.

 I only manage to get 3 prints completed, I was aiming for four, however the ones that I now have were successful. The paper pattern works well to create the interior of the room, the elaborate pattern suggests wealth that would be evident within the house, and wealth is partly to blame for the women's rivalry. The wall paper also assists in creating a darker tone to the distant wall. I think the overall effect is a lot neater and efficient than I expected it to be. This process has pushed my understanding of etching, considering I've not been practising etching for long, I've progressed well.