I am very happy with the way that my project is going. I have found a medium that suits my style of drawing, and works well as a final piece. Before, I use to struggle finding something that complimented my work. I believe the aquatint has definitely added atmosphere and mystery to my images because of the ghostly tones and shadows it creates. The process has allowed me to produce a series of large images that relate well to the story, and to each other. I have quickly learnt and understood the process of etching and aquatinting. But I have also tried another method, of using material and fabric to etch onto my plate, improving the aesthetics of the prints and helping to create a suggestion of situation and a scene.
I would like to do one more etching. I think it will look something like this,
I want to use this bird woman...
With the hands
A grave
A girl taking a bow
feathers
with tissue paper background
This is mainly based on the quote of the book,
'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.'
In the quote, it seems like the mother is preparing her for marriage. Carter often suggests that marriage becomes the death of a woman- like 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'.
I want the girl to seem as if she has followed orders and is taking her last bow. 'Last curtain call'- I like this idea as it links to the idea of a stage and a puppet show. It is an important theme, as it shows that pattern of events are likely to happen again. Opinions of how women should be are passed on from mother to daughter. They must follow the pattern of growing up, to get married, become a house wife and a mother. That is all that is expected of them. Even though Ashputtle has had a hard upbringing due to her parents, we can assume that she will most likely do the same to her own daughter, and so on. It relates to Germain Greer's writing in her book 'The Female Eunuch'. She writes how sexism and opinions on how women appear can only change when the women themselves take action to stop it. This is why in my last etching, I included a pregnant woman with a cage belly. Although she seems caring and to have good intentions, she is imprisoning her daughter.
If I could have improved my way of working, I would have started etching onto larger plates sooner, so that I might be able to produce more final images. I would have also done more than one aquatint practice. Although I now know how to use aquatint quite well, it still takes me some time to stop out a whole plate, even when I use a quick ink-wash drawing to help. If I had had more practice, I would probably be more confident to work quickly.
This reflective diary project ends tomorrow, but the final major project work is on going until the 27th. From here on, I plan to...
Finish my print box by tomorrow and start printing my portfolio, work on my last etching, choose and frame and hang my final etchings and also, hopefully, start stitching into my dress and photogram it.
