Frames again.

Got the frames. They're different to what I thought. They don't have a back to them. Its a bit like a window where you put your image between the glass. Couldn't tell they were like that on the website image. Don't Know if I can float mount them. Might have to make a back for them. Could look quite nice as they are though, without floating. Cost £152 for four. Better look good! 

Getting closer!

Habitat- The nearest store, Bournemouth, has four of the 60x80 frames. I've reserved them and need to pick them up at the weekend. Fingers crossed they're right now. Think i'm nearly done with frames!

In the print room for 9 to continue stopping out my plate. Managed to prepare the plate for soft grounding the tree branches before I had to stop for a 'degree show meeting'. We got given a new timetable for the next few weeks! eeek!...

Back to print room to etch the branches onto my plate. I purposely used the crappy press to push the branches into the soft ground this time. The 'crappy press' leaves the pattern of the blankets that you have to use all over your prints. It usually annoying, but this time, it was a good thing. I discovered it by accident when I used the crappy press for my sample of the branches. 

The blanket pattern makes the back ground of my image look a bit like bricks or like the wall paper on the walls is peeling off. This could relate to how fairy tales aren't as nice as they appear, and that there is a darker meaning beneath them. I also like the contrast of this 'collapsing house' look with the grand furniture inside. It refers to the wealthy family who is falling apart. Also it meant that I didn't have to spend time stopping out all around the tree branches and fireplace- I could just put it straight into the acid, bonus. Prints look good, as iv'e done on my other images, iv'e rubbed more ink of of certain areas to give the appearance of light. It probably works the best on this version. 

Stopped printing to go to a talk about Red Hot Press, a print studio in Southampton and opportunities to carry on working with printing.


Because of all the stopping and starting through the day, there wasnt enough time to continue with much printing, but I have re-soaked and dried most of my prints.

(soaking in a water bath)

(Putting print between two pieces of jotting paper, to soak up the majority of the water....)

(...then applying pressure using a roller).

 I have quite alot of prints altogether now. But I have had no where safe to put them. When you dry your prints, your suppose to put each one between tissue paper and between two heavy boards and under weights for a week. You also have to keep changing the tissue paper to soak up the moisture and keep the print nice and flat. But there are only so many boards available. Most of the time I've had to stack them all together under one board. 

Charles has found me more boards and a large cardboard box recently though, so I have been able to dry them properly and store them somewhere else. 

Seen Katherine helping a third year graphic student make a slip cover for a book he made. Considering asking her to help me make a large box thing for my prints. Would look quite smart. Got quite a lot to do already though.

Quite a productive day, considering!

Fundraiser was ace! Raised £215.44 apparently. And after a bit of a later start, I dragged myself back to the print room. Spent today cutting out my picture frames for my new image out of the wall paper pattern.

Turns out that despite going round shops looking for a wallpaper pattern or lace pattern suitable for my frames, my original paper pattern was the the best one. The new patterns were to big or fussy.

Because I've used only a part of this wall paper, I've avoided making the print look too repetitive. I then soft grounded the cut out frames and puppet strings onto my plate. I also did a test strip of my branches, they look really nice.

I wanted branches to grow from behind the fireplace and up the wall. This is to refer to the symbolism of the tree throughout Carter's story (Ashputtle plants a branch on her mothers grave and waters it with her tears. The branch grows into a tree. The mother comes back, transformed as a bird and lives in the tree that Ashputtle wishes upon.) I also wanted to use the branches to link to a family tree and the dis-functional family within the story. Tree branches often look quite scary and atmospheric, so this could be a good way to make my image overbearing. I wasn't sure whether to go for using the branches or to use screwed up tissue paper for this plate. But after doing the test strip, I'm going for branches. First had to stop out the rest of my plate, leaving the new frames and thread areas clear. This took quite some time due to the size of the plate and the varnish is quite thick and hard to get around all the detail of the frames without covering them up. I'll have to finish this tomorrow.


looked on the Habitat website again today, they do have a white 60x80 frames tried to order it on-line but only have one, don't want to just get one now in case they don't have them in stock in time for the degree show. I will have to phone tomorrow.

Not a great amount done today, wanted to get my third design onto my plate by last night ready to start printing it today. This did not happen due to having an uninvited mouse in my room and such other things. I did start the plate last night, but it got too late and I was too tired to finish it. Completed my plate this morning, but on a Wednesday, the print room closes at lunch for an hour, so couldn't get in till 2pm and then it was closed at 4. Did get couple of prints though and I'm pleased with it. Looking good so far. 

(This is just a section of the print. The prints too big for the A3 scanners)

John Catell was concerned that I had etched parts too deeply, like the silhouette images. I shouldn't have completely scratched it out, I should have just drawn an outline and shaded this with my darkest tone when I came to aquatinting. John didn't think the silhouettes would hold the ink and therefore wouldn't print. But all seems ok. The silhouettes have turned out a bit bubbly, looks like this is due to the acid, but its not very noticeable and looks a bit like scales, I quite like this. Adds to the weirdness. Spent some time in the Mac room after four, working on some images for the ipad and my portfolio.

Its the fundraiser tonight at Lennons! Gotta get baking! 

Changes

My aquatinted plate of the girl holding a fish is fine!! Few! 

(Just sections of the print, doesn't quite fit in the scanner).

Had a bad feeling I messed it up, but it looks good, and in keeping with the first one. I wasn't totally sure if they would have similar tones due to diluting the acid. No smudges either. But a scratch across the girls face does show on some of the prints, but thought the overall outcome would be much worse. Now to get my 3rd image onto another plate.

Had a tutorial with Pete, he thinks I should scrap the idea of using the small fancy frames- he thinks four good etching prints is enough for a show and anything else is a bonus. Ill still keep them for now though, in-case things change.

Change: Pete happened to have one of the ikea frames i wanted to get. But realised, annoyingly, that my prints will fit the frame, but only if i tear down the paper. Dont really want to do this because the space left around my images looks quite nice as it is. So... went back to ikea looking for a bigger frame. Brought a 70cm x 100cm one. Carried it back to uni. Too big. Typical! Again, I could get away with using this, but would prefer to get a better fit. Ikea dont do a frame in between these two sizes. Suggestions were to go to habitat and see if they have one availiable, 'else i will have to ask habbitat to make one up especially. Apparently this could cost up to £80 per frame! Ut oh!

Catch up

(Where to start?...)


Mon:
Finnished coming up with my 3rd plate design. 

Quite a bit of symbolism in this one too, I had the idea for this fireplace based image for a while (as u can see from my earlier sketchbook images).

The fireplace represents Ahputtle as a 'burned child', which is what Carter refers to her as in her story. (Hence the name 'Ash-putle' and Disney's version of 'Cinder-ella'). I've explained this a bit before in this blog when i've talked about my fire place sketches. Basically it symbolises Ashputtle's mourning for her mother and for her own status change. I've shown a puppet girl (Ashputtle) being dangled above the firepace by her two mothers. This is because they control her and it is their actions which shape the girl's future. I have again played on the weirdness in this image, as the mothers; who hold Ashputtle's strings, are represented by Victorian styled, silhouette photos in frames above the mantelpiece. It's obviously not possible for the mothers hands to come alive and move out of the picture frames. But this can relate to the magic included within fairytale stories, such as how the mother can return to her daughter as a wish-granting-fish or a 'helpful' bird. Ashputtle's birth mother's silhouette appears as a bird in the image. The dad is also included. His photo hangs above the mother's as he is the head of the house and although the mothers are controlling their daughters, they them selves can be seen as under his control as they are fighting for his love. Carter describes the father as "the unseen organising principle, like God...without the absent father there would be no story because there would have been no conflict." I have composed the image as if you are viewing the fireplace from below. I wanted it to feel overbearing and menacing. I will also achieve this by using shadow towards the top of the image. I've included figures within the decoration of the fireplace. I wanted to use it to help to hint at the story. There is a pair of hands holding a clock. Although time is not mentioned within Carters version, it is an important aspect in Disney's Cinderella, so I wanted to use this. It can however hint at the journey Ashputtle goes through and to how although sexism against women has improved since the period of 'Cinderella', something's still aren't even. Below the clock, is a woman. It appears as if she is crying, but by putting a bird sat on an eyeball either side of her, I hope this raises questions whether she is crying tears or blood. This refres to a part of the tale where birds peck out the step mother and sisters eyes as punishment for there behaviour. I was considering using this as a final image in its self, but felt it was too obvious. So I decided to include it with the decoration of the fireplace, as it is only something to be noticed on a closer look. I wanted it to link back to Carter's (and other fairytale's) gruesome nature. I enjoy the fact that fairytales aren't as nice as they appear! There is also a pregnant woman. Her belly is a cage. This is to symbolise the idea of women not taking action to 'free' themselves. How some women fit into stereotypical roles, and this continues over generations. I think this has probably been inspired by reading Greer's 'The Female Eunuch' for my dissertation. But also from a section of Carter's story; 

'The dead woman gave her a red dress.

'I had it when I was your age'.

The girl put the red dress on.

The dead woman took worms from her eye sockets; they turned into jewels. The  girl put on a diamond ring.

I had it when I was your age.'

They went to the grave.

'Step into my coffin.

'No', said the girl she shuddered.

'I stepped into my mother's coffin when I was your age.

The girl stepped into the coffin although she thought it would be the death of her.'

(It is this quote that has also inspired my dress idea- stitching images into a wedding style dress with red thread. This is because many of Carter's story's compare marriage to the death of a woman. Such as in 'The Magic Toy Shop', the aunt, who was once lively, lost her voice and became 'dumb' once she married and became controlled by her husband. Also within the 'Bloody Chamber', there are references to this theme as the husband, who murdered his previous three wives, remarries a young girl, planning to do the same. It is also referred to in Warner's 'From the Beast to the Blonde' book, 'The heroin escapes one type of sexual ordeal for another, finds her way out of the woods into the kitchen and the bedroom'. )

Finally there is a hunter with a shot gun. This is the father. In fairytales it is often thought that father's are absent from stories as they are out hunting while the women of the family stay about the home (Bruno Bettleheim). I have represented the father as a hunter (a killer) due to his cold representation. He has the ability to put a stop to his daughter's (Ashputtle's) abuse. He does not. He seems to be oblivious or uninterested in what is occurring. He is also absent when his first wife (Ashputtle's mum) is on her deathbed. We are lead to believe he is uncaring. Within my image, the hunter is aiming his gun towards the birds above him. But it is important to remember that, within the story, his first wife returns as a bird. I hope to suggest that he could be shooting at his own wife. Oh one more thing, I remembered that above the fireplace I included three candlesticks that appear below the picture frames. The two below the mother's images are burning fast while the one below the father remains unlit. This is to show the absence of the father compared to the passion and competition of the mothers. Whoaa essay! 

Last weekend, when i was at the boyfriend's, I collected some branches and feathers from the forest to use on my next plates. I want the texture of something different now. Felt a bit of an idiot walking back with them though. Said boyfriend did not help with this.

Ps. I do not kill birds. Just happened to find a lot of feathers!

Week Summary : week 15. 2nd- 8th May

• Drawing into third plate.
• print room; etching and printing third plate.
• soft-ground; adding picture frames that have been cut out of wall paper and adding the puppet strings. Stopping out. Etching.
• Soft-ground; adding tree branches into the background. Stopping out. Etching.
• print.
• re soaking and drying all prints.
• Habitat frames.