ARTISTIC INFLUENCES Vincent Van Gogh “The Starry Night”, 1889 “Self-portrait”, 1889

Vincent Van Gogh was one of the artists that influenced my work in terms of his
techniques and style. He developed Post-Impressionism, which was an art movement
where artists expressed their emotional and psychological responses to the world
through colours and expressive images.

Influences of Vincent Van Gogh can be seen in my artwork, such as in its

overall concept/ idea, and technique. Firstly, the overall idea behind my
artwork is my response to death and how society perceives death. Vincent van Gogh (1853-
Therefore my artwork shows my personal response to society on a 1890). (n.d.). Retrieved
November 5, 2015, from
universal topic of death, which is similar to the intentions of Post- https://kateloughran.wordpres
Impressionism artists such as Van Gogh. Additionally, the background of s.com/2013/11/28/is-it- Vincent van Gogh: [45]
my artwork consists of circular shapes/ strokes, which creates a sense of possible-to-have-a-favorite-
piece-of-art/
Self-portrait (1889).
(n.d.). Retrieved
movement and a somewhat emotion-filled background. Additionally, the November 5, 2015,
from
colours used are dark and bold, which contrasts the subject (faces), and https://www.flickr.com
/photos/28433765@N0
this use of contrasting and expressive colours was also a technique used 7/4995982722
by Post-Impressionists like Van Gogh to evoke emotions and express
ideas.
Damien Hirst relates specifically to the idea of death that I focused on in my artwork.
Damien Hirst is an artist from the UK. Since the late 1980’s, he has used various forms such
as sculpture, painting, and drawing to explore the complex relationship between art, life,
and death, and challenged contemporary belief systems. More specifically, he looked at the
how death is seen as a taboo in society.
Damien Hirst “God Knows Why”, 2005 “God Alone Knows”, 2007
My artwork was influenced by Damien Hirst in terms of the concept. For my
artwork, I looked into my experience of the death of a family member, and “This little piggy went to market, this little
explored the concept of life and death. Furthermore, I explored society’s piggy stayed at home”, 1996
response to death and the avoidance of it, as well as how it is considered a
taboo. This is similar to Damien Hirst and what he explored, since he also
commented on how death is avoided in society, and challenged these beliefs.
More specifically as seen in the images to the right, Damien Hirst's Art. Life. Death.
formaldehyde series is confronting and straightforward, provoking (n.d.). Retrieved
November 5, 2015,
discussions on death due to how "normal" and natural dead figures are from
portrayed. I displayed this idea in my artwork through the contrast in life and Art. Life. Death. (n.d.). Retrieved November 5, 2015, from
https://wyrdwordsan
deffigies.wordpress.c
death is seen in the vibrant background and the soft, less toned faces. The https://wyrdwordsandeffigies.wordpress.com/2014/10/
om/2014/10/07/art- Art. Life. Death. (n.d.). Retrieved November 5, 2015, from
vibrant background was used to represent society and how death a natural 07/art-life-death/
life-death/ https://wyrdwordsandeffigies.wordpress.com/2014/10/07/
part of life that society does not stop for. art-life-death/
MEDIA EXPERIMENTATION AND EXPLORATION Here I used my favourite
background from my
Firstly, I experimented with
acrylic paint. I believe that the
Secondly, I tried using pastels on top
my background. I liked the faded
OF MATERIALS background testing and face contrasts with the effect of the face since it relates to the
intention of the work which is to
experimented with different background due to its colour
Here I experimented with I used mono-printing as one of my and medium, which works well portray death in the faces, and having
different materials to create a methods and created a swirl using a medias on top of it. This was to since the faces will be a clear contrast to a vibrant
circular effect for the sponge on acrylic paint before printing. I test whether the faces should emphasised despite my plan background. At the same time, I
background of my artwork. also experimented with using ink and be drawn using acrylic or chalk of having a vibrant believe that acrylic paint and pastels
acrylic with a net-like material to create pastel. Due to this being simply background. The colours do not work very well together in
circles. a media test, the faces are not appear clearly and bold. terms of the ability to fully display my
drawn with precision. skills using pastels.
What I liked about all of the circles I created while experimenting were the
textures produced and the lines that were created. However my favourite
was the result of using acrylic paint and a net-like material to make swirls, Here instead of actually drawing the faces on the background, I experimented with collaging and with a more abstract approach.
done by rotating the material 360 degrees on the paint. This method The images to the left are In the image on the left, I used collaging and
allowed me to make the swirls with more control and the circular lines opposites of each other, and I used ink. Since the ink was not directly applied on
created were more evident due to the net material used. Therefore I two different backgrounds and the background and was instead applied on
decided to stick with this method for the background of my final artwork. collaged them. Although the
white paper, the colours came out very bright,
positive space created gives an
interesting sense of depth and and contrasts the background well. However
overall allows me to see my final the face will be too defined such as its edges,
artwork in a more abstract way, it making the faces unrealistic since it will look
will be difficult to cut out a realistic two dimensional. Through these tests, I realized
looking face. The lack of details in that I did not want to take an abstract approach
the face would further make the in this artwork, and would prefer to draw more
face unrealistic. realistic faces.

DEVELOPMENT OF IDEA
After developing a general
understanding of what my
artwork will look like (seen
in the image above), I
looked at changing the
composition, which included
proportion, perspective, and
The experience I chose to explore as my concept
placement to explore my
was the death of a family member, inspired by
Damien Hirst. This is since I felt as though there is a idea further and see if
variety of approaches to this, and the idea of death wanted to make any
relates to society and the varying views regarding changes. This is seen to the
the idea of death and whether it is considered a right.
taboo or not.
I did not like changing the proportion of the faces.
This is since the faces will be too big and will not
allow much of the background to show, and the
background is very important to my artwork since
it contributes to my concept and a purpose, which
is to be contrasted with the faces.
COMPOSITIONAL
IDEAS
Changing the perspective of the
faces was my favourite. I liked
how none of the faces are looking
at the viewer, which makes the
artwork look a little more different
and interesting. However, this will
be more difficult to draw
realistically
I also did not like changing the
placement of the three canvas’
and the orientation of my work.
This is since I feel as though it
makes the artwork look
disorganized and does not create a
good sense of unity/ harmony
compositional wise.
 DEVELOPMENT OF IDEA Moving on to DRAWING THE FACES
creating my
background,
Since my artwork involved drawing faces, firstly, I
I needed a photo reference for each face decided to
angle for its realism in the lines and the cut my own
various tones of the faces. These faces boards since I
were then traced using tracing paper, wanted the
and transferred onto my artwork, to three boards
further add to the realism of the faces in to be square,
terms of proportion and shape. so that it
looks
balanced.
I decided to use the three images above as my photo references for the faces in my artwork. I
wanted the angles of the two faces on the sides to be slightly different to add more variety and Firstly, I I then After drawing the face in with Satisfied with the overall
to create a sense of balance in the overall artwork, in terms of its differences in face. Secondly, I traced transferred the pastel, since I figured that the shape and position of
experimented the face traced image of mouth and chin area was not drawn the features, I then
with different using the the face onto well in proportion, I sprayed fixatif, added tone into the face
I then looked at the different media I could use for my background. The two media I wanted to combinations image I
of 5 colours to took my board, and which got rid of the pastel in this by blending white and
use was acrylic paint or ink with a net-like material to create circular shapes. Therefore I
see what before, outlined the area. I then started drawing the dark brown to certain
experimented to see what media worked the best.
combinations onto face and mouth and chin back in, looking areas (using my image as
will match tracing features with more closely at the original image of guidance), making the
Although I really liked how Acrylic and pastel Acrylic and pastel AFTER together and paper. pastel. the face for guidance. face a lot more realistic.
acrylic and the net-like Fixatif best create a
material created interesting background
circular shapes with texture, that would
pastel did not work well on emphasise the
top of it. Although using faces.
fixatif before applying pastel
made the colours appear After deciding on my colour
clearer and it contrasted the combination, I created my
background more, the board background on the three
was still very slippery when boards by applying ink onto a
using pastels. scrubbing brush, and then
applying it on the boards in a
Since ink and the circular motion. I layered
net-like material each colour after waiting for Similarly to the method of Then What I struggled with the most while drawing
did not work well the boards to dry, to prevent drawing the first face, I similarly to this face was the lips. Drawing the lips in a
due to the lack of the colours from mixing. traced the face from the the previous face in this specific angle is very difficult since
lines created, I original image, transferred face, I added it requires you to look very closely at the
it to my second board, and tones to the specific placement, curves, and angles of the
used a small outlined it as well as drew face to add to lips. Therefore I struggled quite a lot here,
Scrubbing brush scrubbing brush, in the face using pastel. the realism. and got assistance.
applied ink to its
Ink and pastel tips, and applied I struggled the least
the ink directly with the last face since
on the canvas in it was an easy angle to
As for ink and pastel, although draw. Similarly to the
the pastel showed up a lot a circular motion.
This worked very first two faces, I first
better on top of ink than on traced the face on
acrylic paint, I did not like the well when
tracing paper,
background. It was very layered with transferred it to my
difficult to recreate the several colours, Ink third board, and then
circular shapes I made with therefore I chose colours I drew in the face with
acrylic using the net-like to use this Lastly, I filled in the features in detail using pastel pencils, and also
material, and circular lines
used: pastels, leaving out
added different tones to again create a more 3D-looking, realistic
method. features such as the
were not as visible with ink. . face.
lips, eyes, and the nose.
TESTING/ DEVELOPING IDEAS
After completing the three boards, I felt as though my artwork was lacking and that I could add
some more detail in the background. Therefore I took several pictures of all three boards,
combined them to make it look like my complete artwork, and worked on top of these images
to test and see what it would look like if I made further modifications.
I did not like any of these additions to the background, since I felt as though they actually made
the background less visible and less vibrant, which defeats the purpose of using bright colours
for the background. Additionally, these changes reduced the contrast between the vibrant,
textured background and the smooth, faded faces.
Since I did not like the outcome of adding anything to the
background, I tried making changes to the faces
themselves. After testing it on an image, I really liked how
adding blue/ purple tones to dark areas and adding grey
tones to light areas looked. This creates an overall dull
tone, making them look corpse-like, portraying death. I
decided to apply this to the faces to create a larger
contrast between the bright background and the dull,
cool-coloured faces. This allowed my work to relate to
the idea of life versus death better.
STUDIO PIECE WORK IN PROGRESS
“Life Versus
Death”
Ink and chalk pastel on canvas
This image explores the avoidance of death in society
and reflects my disagreement towards how society
deals with death. The faces in the artwork portray
death and emptiness, seen in their dull colour and lack
of warm tones. Additionally, the colourful yet overall
dark background, along with the circular shapes,
represent society, and shows that society is cruel, as it
is constantly vibrant and is changing, and time will not
stop for one person’s death. It illustrates the idea that
death is a natural part of life.
The circular shapes in the background as well as the fine lines created by the scrubbing
brush creates a rough sense of texture. This is effective since as mentioned earlier, the
background represents society. Therefore the roughly textured background shows the
reality of society and how confronting society may be.
The method of using a scrubbing brush turned out to work better than the other
methods I tested, in terms of its relation to my concept.
There is also a sense of movement in this artwork, which is intended to show the ‘life’
aspect of this artwork and to create a sense of aliveness. This is done through the
circular shapes in the background, as well as the combination of many bright, vivid
colours used in the background. However despite the rough textured background with
many colours portraying aliveness, it still creates a sense of unity and harmony since
the faces are smooth and lack many tones, depicting stillness. Therefore, the
background and the faces contrast to portray both aliveness and stillness, relating to
my concept of life and death.
MEDIA EXPERIMENTATION AND EXPLORATION OF MATERIALS
Original Image Here, using the original picture I took of my
eye, I used different effects available on the
PIXLR website to test out different
manipulations.
Additionally, the image to right shows another
test I did involving projecting a labelled
diagram of an arm, and having someone align
their arm on top of the projected image.

My favourite effect was the one on the

bottom right hand side (kaleidoscope effect).
This is since the kaleidoscope effect creates a
creepy effect from the symmetry of the eyes
and the pattern, creating a balance. Also, the
pattern forms a focal point in the centre
despite the centre being somewhat empty,
which I thought was interesting.
Although I think the image above is interesting, I did not really like it
just because the process was difficult such as finding a good image to
project. I do not think this image was the best image to project since
the labels are not clear. Also as seen in this picture, it was difficult to
align the arm with the diagram perfectly.

Favourite effect
 MEDIA EXPERIMENTATION AND EXPLORATION OF MATERIALS
SCRATCHING
Collaging also created an interesting
image as seen in the three images to
the right, where I cut out an image
and overlapped them on a black and
white version of the same image. The
collaged parts in the images add
colour and contrasts the rest of the
image, adding emphasis to the
subject at centre of the images (the
eye). However despite the collaging,
it creates a sense of unity since the
overlapped images fit perfectly to
the original image, so my desired
outcome/effect is achieved.
WEAVING I found weaving to be one of my favourite medias in this experimentation. I
weaved two images with different backgrounds but with the same subject
I really liked the
(the eye). I think that weaving two images of two eyes creates an interesting
outcome of scratching
outcome as it made the image more abstract, without the eyes not being too
photographs and
disguised. In another weaving experiment, I used strands that are thinner,
applying ink. The colours
and did not weave the strands perfectly. The weaving not being consistent
contrast the dark
also creates an incomplete yet intriguing effect, as some places remain black
backgrounds, making
and white while other places are coloured. My third experimentation is a
the colours very bright.
piece of string being woven into the photograph through holes made
It also makes simple
beforehand. I did not like the outcome since the photograph itself is now
images look more busy
hidden and is hard to see underneath the string. Perhaps I could use a
and complex, which I
thinner piece of string or thread next time.
liked. I also like how the
lines create an
interesting pattern and
adds texture to the COLLAGING (BY HAND)
images. The lines can
also be used to
emphasise certain things
in images which was
particularly effective.
However one difficulty
was controlling the lines
and creating the lines
precisely, exactly the
way you want on the
images.
COLLAGING (DIGITAL)
While I like that I can be more creative
when making a collage like the one above
by hand since I can use and pick out
images from magazines, I would prefer to
make collages digitally. This is since I
found it difficult to find suitable images
from magazines that I wanted to collage.
Therefore this led to a compromised
artwork (collage) that I was not
completely satisfied with. Also, the images
I cut out are not very neat which I did not
like the look of either.
 Jenya Vyguzov – Harmoniously Flawed
ARTISTIC INFLUENCES Jenya Vyguzov Collages. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17, 2016,
from
http://www.featherofme.com/jenya-
Jenya Vyguzov is a twenty year old college artist from Krasnoyarsk, Russia, who vyguzov-harmoniously-flawed-collages/
creates mixed-media fashion collages. His work is infused with abstract visuals and
vibrant colours that reflect the imperfection and faultiness as a vital and important
part of the world we live in. His works also reflects his style of using amorphous and
chaotic forms that function harmoniously as a whole.

Jenya Vyguzov’s style was an influence for my studio piece. I used his
style of incorporating abstract visuals in the form of different cultural
patterns, and I also chose vibrant coloured patterns as well. I also
recreated the somewhat chaotic forms by using multiple patterns in one
image and making them contrast in their colours and shapes. However
despite the chaotic and contrasting patterns and colours, I achieved a The use of patterns is similar, in the sense that the patterns only cover specific parts, and the patterns
create a shape. While the works of Jenya Vyguzov uses patterns in some areas and leaves the rest of
sense of unity and harmony as a whole, just as Jenya Vyguzov does.
the work simple to emphasise the patterns, I use different patterns to cover multiple areas.
Therefore, while one pattern is not emphasised more than another in my work, the use of colourful
Yasumasa Morimura and bright patterns forming shapes are similar.

Yasumasa Morimura is a Japanese conceptual photographer who takes portraits of Yasumasa Morimura. (n.d.). Retrieved Festive Decorations, 2001
April 05, 2017, from
himself, embedding him into iconic images appropriated from art history, mass media, http://www.luhringaugustine.com/art
and popular culture. His purpose is to celebrate, satirize, and to explore their influences ists/yasumasa-
and the stories that they convey. Simultaneously, he deals with issues of cultural and morimura/artworks?view=thumbnails

sexual appropriation, exploring his identity.

My studio piece was influenced by Yasumasa Morimura’s concept of cultural

identity. For example, the images on the right show Morimura portraying and
exploring his Japanese culture and his cultural identity by incorporating it in Frida
Kahlo’s painting, as well as creating a collage of traditional Japanese items.
Therefore I used a similar idea and used portraits of mixed-blooded people and
collaged different cultural patterns onto it, portraying their individual and unique
An Inner Dialogue with Frida Kahlo (Hand Shaped
cultural identity. Earring), 2001
DEVELOPMENT OF IDEA LOOKING AT IDENTITY: Concept and ideas IDEA 1

This idea for personal identity could look at the different angles and
sides of my face in one photo by using a long shutter speed. This may
relate to personal identity since it shows that there is more to an
individual than their face or the side of themselves that they project to
others. So the unclear/undefined faces of different angles may show
and represent personal identity well. I could possibly edit the picture
to blur the face and make it more undefined to further emphasise the
concept of personal identity.

IDEA 2

This idea looks at my cultural identity and how my

two cultures identify me. The headpiece
represents the British royal family, however the
flowers on the headpiece is a traditional Japanese
hair decoration, showing a fusion of my two
cultures. I also added a traditional Japanese
umbrella to represent my Japanese background. To
me, it makes sense for me to incorporate more After further consideration, I did not like
objects representing my Japanese background either of these ideas, however, I decided
since I have lived in Japan my whole life and feel that I wanted to look into cultural identity
more in touch with Japanese culture than British and digital collaging. Therefore, I thought
culture, Therefore by portraying cultural identity, I of developing my second idea, using
may be able to relate it to personal identity as cultural symbols.
well.
 Knowing that I The first two images to
wanted to create the left were my first
DEVELOPMENT OF IDEA tests. I used a rose
a digital collage
background for the hair
to portray
to show my English
cultural identity culture. When I added a
as a concept, the patterned background to
images to the left the image, I liked the
were my initial idea however I felt as
ideas. I did not though the image would
like either since I be more interesting if
found them very there was more of a
contrast in the patterns
simple and not
and colours. However I
creative. liked the irregular shapes
However I felt as collaged on the face,
though I could since I think it
work with the represented fragments
image on the of my cultural identity
bottom and well and how cultural
develop it, identity is like a puzzle
especially for mixed-
therefore I raced people, where
decided to test different aspects of
out collaging individuals relate to
different patterns different cultures. The
onto the hair and image on the bottom left
background. I was most successful and
chose to use I was able to find a
pattern for the
cultural patterns
background and the hair
since they are a that contrasted well in
lot more that one was based on
interesting several lines going in
visually due to different directions,
the different while the other was
colours, lines, round shapes. The
and shapes of colours also contrasted,
with one being dark blue
the patterns,
and white, and the other
adding being red and
complexity. blue/purple.
The top two images to
the left shows me
testing different
background patterns. A
lot of the backgrounds
that I did not like such as
the first image to the
left and the last image
to the left were due to
either not having a solid
or busy pattern, and not
enough of a contrast
with the pattern on the
hair. Also, the
background sometimes
made the image seem
too dark, which was why
I did not like a few
backgrounds. These
problems also apply to
the choice of clothing I
collaged, as seen in the
middle and bottom
images to the right. The
clothing in the middle
image was too soft and
not vivid/bold in colour,
which I did not like how
it worked with the
image as a whole since it
seemed somewhat out
of place. Additionally
although not clearly
seen here, the
background in the
middle picture to the
right was textured,
however I preferred to
keep the texture of my
collaged images
consistent and smooth
throughout all of my
images.
 REVIEWING/REFINING STUDIO PIECE STUDIO PIECE
MARKER Although using a marker to outline the image took a lot less time
than the other methods I used to outline, I did not really like
how it looks. This is since the marker does not work too well
with the photo paper, making the marker faded at times. Also in
“Five Cultures”
Digital collage and gesso paint
general I did not like how the marker reflects the light as seen in
the image to the left. I preferred a more matte outline so that it
does not stand out too much.
Scratching was my least favourite method of outlining that I
tested. This is since it creates a rough-looking texture and
outlines and is not neat. Also, the photo paper ripped several
times as seen in the outline of the hair, which was difficult to
avoid. Therefore in general, I did not like this test.
I liked using gesso paint for the outline the most, even though it
was the most time consuming and difficult to create lines with a WORK IN PROGRESS
consistent thickness and smoothness. This is since it creates a
bold and matte finish, which none of the other medias created.
Therefore the smoothness and neatness of the outline using
gesso paint worked the best for me.
SCRATCHING GESSO PAINT

This artwork explores the cultural identities of mixed raced individuals and the identity crisis
that arises due to identifying to different cultures. The contrast in cultural patterns seen
throughout the images represents the contrasts in our different cultures and how they “clash”
or differ greatly. The abstract shapes of cultural faces collaged on the individuals’ faces as well
as the single side of clothing collaged represent fragments of one’s culture and how we
identify to our different cultures in several ways such as through how we dress, how we look,
etc. The spaces of the individuals that are not collaged on show neutral-ness and how our
culture(s) do not always define every aspect of us. The sense of unity and harmony that the
overall image has, despite the busy and contrasting patterns, represents mixed race people as
complete individuals that are not inferior to people of their cultures.

The concept of time and permanence is seen in the effects of globalisation, making culture
and identity less permanent, with individuals having a unique cultural heritage consisting of a
blend of different cultural influences.
MEDIA EXPERIMENTATION AND EXPLORATION OF MATERIALS
Experimenting with different materials and The different materials I tested the prints on are plain
methods of printing: paper, a stretchy cotton shirt, canvas material, and a yellow
felt sheet. There were three layers involved in printing the
REDUCED LINO PRINTING: blue, green, and brown parts of the image. Therefore after
each print, the plate had to be carved out in order to print
Here I printed out an image, traced it into my another colour on the image, as seen in the partial additions
sketchbook using carbon paper, and coloured in of colour.
the traced image using three colours. I then
traced the image on a lino sheet, carved out what
ever was going to be white in the image, and
printed with blue. I then carved out what was
going to be blue and printed with green. Then I
carved out what was going to remain green, and
printed with brown. So at the end, I had prints
with four colours layered on top of each other.

My favourite materials for the prints were paper and the canvas material, for contrasting reasons. I liked
using paper since the colours came out bold and clean, and it was also easier in general to print on paper
since paper is not stretchy like some of the other materials I used. On the other hand, I liked the canvas
material as well since I liked the faded and rough-looking textured effect or outcome. Again, this material
was one of the easier ones to work with since this material was heavy and not stretchy. My least favourites
were the cotton shirt and the yellow felt sheet. This is since the shirt turned out messy and the colour as
such as the green did not perfectly cover the blue colour. The process itself was difficult for this material
since the shirt was very stretchy and would move around while printing, making the prints messy and
inaccurate. Lastly, I did not like the felt sheet either due to the yellow colour which made the colours of the
print not stand out, and also because the colours did not print well and turned out messy (as seen in the sky
of the print).
 SILK SCREEN PRINTING: NEWSPAPER
MEDIA EXPERIMENTATION AND EXPLORATION OF MATERIALS Using newspaper was interesting
and I did not dislike how it turned
After creating a simple out, however the oil has spread on
PATTERNED FABRIC geometric pattern, I made two the newspaper while it was drying
LITHOGRAPHIC PRINTING: which was unfortunate. Also, this
stencils by tracing the pattern image shows a disadvantage of silk
onto a thick piece of paper, and screen printing since the
cutting out the larger diamond placement and position of the
shapes in one stencil, and second layer can be difficult to
cutting out the smaller diamond determine and may not align
shapes on my other stencil, perfectly if the screen is moved.
using a cutting knife. I then used
different fabrics for
experimentation, and printed POLYESTER MATERIAL Despite the sharp and neat
the pattern on it one stencil at a printing seen here, this material
time using a silk screen. was the hardest to work with due
to its very slippery and thin
surface. It was very difficult to
apply and remove the screen after
printing since the material was did
On a piece of aluminium foil, I PLAIN FABRIC PAPER not stay in place and would stick
drew an image using oil pastels onto the silk screen.
(image on the left, above). I then
poured Coca-Cola directly to cover
the whole image, to acidify it.
Then, I poured a little bit of oil on I really liked using paper since it
the image and using a soft sponge, PAPER
was easy to print on since I was
and wiped the oil pastel off of the not working with a textured
aluminium foil (middle image material and therefore processes
above). Lastly I used a roller to such as removing the screen after
apply oil paint onto the image and printing was a lot easier. However,
printed the image several times on I still do not like printing on paper
different materials since the image since it seems very simple and
plain as compared to printing on a
is reusable. material with a pattern such as the
suede fabric or the polyester
material.
SUEDE FABRIC
I liked this method of printing in general since especially in the outcome of testing on paper, it created an old
and rough looking print which I liked the look of. However on the fabric it did not turn out well since it was too My favourite fabric was the suede fabric. This is since I liked out clean
and sharp the shapes printed were for the first layer (the larger
messy. I like how busy yet clear the print is on the patterned fabric, however it is clear how the print was not diamond shapes). However the second layer did not go too well and
perfect and some of the places are faded. Therefore balancing the perfect amount of oil paint throughout the the ink spilled out of the template. Therefore the second layer was
image was hard since I had very little control of how well the oil paint sticks to the image when rolling it on not too successful. I also really liked printing on a pattern since it
before printing. I did not like using plain fabric at all since there is a sense of emptiness due to the free space created an interesting and busy/complex overall effect or image.
around the image. Also, the messiness of the print is a lot more evident here since there is no background However I believe that this mistake of spilling the ink outside of the
pattern like my other test. Therefore in all, this printing method did not work very well in fulfilling my desired stencil can be avoided easily by spreading the ink more evenly and
outcome, which involved a clean print. reducing the amount of ink I use.
ARTISTIC INFLUENCES EMILIO PUCCI
Emilio Pucci was a Florentine Italian fashion designer and politician. He was
best known for his abstract, geometric prints in a kaleidoscope of colours.
His designs featured sensual, free-flowing lines that followed the curves of
the body, and was therefore known for producing effortlessly elegant
clothing.

My studio piece was influenced by Emilio Pucci since my prints are taking
inspiration from the retro 60’s geometric patterns that are seen in his prints,
adding some emphasis on the use of lines in my prints like what Pucci did.
Organ, M. (2015). Emilio Pucci - Italian style meets 60s psychedelia. Retrieved April 18, 2016, from
Additionally, the vibrant colours of the prints and the boldness of the colours
http://puccistyle.blogspot.jp/
are also styles seen in Pucci’s prints which I took inspiration from.

Emilio Pucci’s style is seen in my studio piece in the images on the right.
I used circular lines, parallel lines, as well as angled lines throughout my
piece. Additionally, the bright yellow, orange, blue and purple colours
are evident, similarly to Pucci’s designs and prints.

NOBUHIRO NAKANISHI
Nobuhiro Nakanishi is a Japanese artist who works with mixed-media sculptures and
installations, aiming to bridge the gap between art and life through immersive, time-based
images of nature and natural phenomena that come as close as possible to matching how we
might perceive them in reality. He explores time, space and memory as concepts and strives to
produce art that creates movements between the artwork itself and the viewer’s experience of
the artwork.

My studio piece takes inspiration from Nobuhiro Nakanishi in several different ways. Firstly, my
method is similar to Nakanishi’s style since my printmaking involved many different layers of
colours and patterns that all come together to create one artwork. Similarly with Nakanishi, he
layers many different images to create one artwork. This leads to the similarity in the concept
of time that my artwork and Nakanishi’s artworks explore. I explore the concept of time by
printing retro prints on a traditional English wallpaper pattern (similar to the design of William
Morris’), showing the evolution of patterns and how new trends or ideas are based off of
old/traditional designs. Similarly, Nananishi look at the concept of time by layering images and
making them appear as realistic as possible to connect to the viewer and their similar past Mesmerizing Layered Landscapes Reflect on Time and Space. (2013). Retrieved April 18, 2016, from
memories. http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/nobuhiro-nakanishi-layer-drawings
 3. IDEA + COLOURS
DEVELOPMENT OF IDEA 1. COLOUR TESTS
Here I sketched out and coloured general
vintage patterns that I can take inspiration
from for my print.
Here I tested out the different colours
that I can use, on the fabric that I
chose to print on (same fabric as one
of my tests). As seen above, I saw that
lighter colours work and stand out
better with the material I am using.
These colours include yellow, orange,
light blue, green, etc. After picking out
a few colours I could use, I tested
different colour combinations. I found
that the combination of purple, blue,
orange, and yellow was my favourite.
They work well since they are pairs of
complementary colours.
2. IDEAS
While I do like this design
and the clear connection
to the vintage/ retro
theme, I believe that it is
lacking in the amount of
patterns. This means that it
also lacks uniqueness since
one simple pattern is only
flipped and reflected onto
the other side. Therefore
this design may be too
simple and lacking in
pattern to fully display my
inspiration from the 60’s.
First I made my 5 stencils, one for each colour except for yellow
which I had to separate into two stencils. I used a thick piece of
cardboard paper and traced the same design on each using tracing
paper. The most difficult part was cutting the stencils after
transferring the design on the cardboard. This is since this requires
a lot of imagination and concentration, making sure I am cutting the
right part off. After making the stencils, I started with blue so I
prepared the silk screen by taping the stencil to it, and then printed
onto the fabric one side at a time. These steps are seen below.
4. STARTING
CREATION
As seen in the images above, I then tested the
different colour combinations that I tested out
before, on my actual print for verification. Even
with this I liked the combination of purple, blue,
orange and yellow mainly due to the brightness
and vividness of the colours. Within these
colours, I tested different colours for different
sections such as the inner flowery part, as seen in
the top row of three images. I chose the middle
image since I thought that there was a good
balance between light and dark.
This design shows a range of different This is a sketch of my
retro patterns as well as different second idea tessellated.
shapes and lines such as curved/ Although it does look
circular and straight/ angled. I like
complex and intricate, I
this design more than the first one
believe that there will be
since it is more complex and intricate.
With the several different patterns in several difficulties involved
this one design, an evident link to my in the idea of tessellating
60’s inspiration is seen and more such as taking a very long
patterns means more vibrant colours, time, and not being able to
again adding to the retro effect. This align the prints accurately.
was my favourite design, so I Therefore I thought that
followed through with this idea. this idea will not be
feasible.
 DEVELOPING IDEA
Here, I printed the yellow layer onto the blue,
however the paint did not apply cleanly the first time,
so I ended up painting a general outline of where the
yellow paint should have covered, although this was
unnecessary. To fix the very evident stroke marks of
the paint brush I used, I waited for this layer to dry.
Once it had dried up, I printed another yellow layer
over what I had painted to get its smooth texture
back. This worked very well, and although there were
a few places where the yellow paint was not covered
by the second layer I printed, this was not a problem
since my future prints of different colours would
overlap it anyways.
Below is a image of the print after I printed the orange
parts onto the fabric. Since the yellow layer was not
fully dry yet and was sticky, the paint stuck onto the
orange stencil when printing, and peeled off some of
the yellow. However to fix this, I waited for the yellow
layer to dry completely, and then using a very fine
brush, I made some retouches by painting in one
direction and using short strokes. I painted back a few
layers of yellow paint to get rid of the rough texture
that was created due to the peeling off of the yellow
paint.
Another difficulty I had was finding the right
purple colour for my last stencil. Since I could not
find vibrant purple paint, I had to make it myself
by mixing blue and red paint. First when mixing
these two colours, I got a very dark purple, so I
added white paint. Although the colour did
become brighter and more suitable for my
printing, it was not as vibrant as I wanted it to be.
However after several tests, this light purple was
the closest I could get to the vibrant/bright
purple that I wanted, so I printed with this colour.
The purple did not come
out too bad, since it is still
bright enough to be seen
beside the other vibrant
colours. I think it works
despite it not being the
bold/vibrant purple colour
that I wanted it to be,
since it adds some softness
to the overall print. At the
same time I do think that it
ruins the vibrant effect
that I desired that was
seen with just the yellow,
blue and orange before
printing the purple.
STUDIO PIECE
“Reoccurance”
Silk screen printing
WORK IN PROGRESS
This studio piece explores the concept of time and
permanence. These concepts are explored through the
patterns of the print itself as well as the process of the
creation of this work. By printing a retro 60’s inspired print
using vibrant and bright colours to further emphasise the
retro style, on a William Morris inspired vintage print (from
WORK IN PROGRESS the 19th century), it represents the permanence of the past
and how every new idea or trend is always based on those of
the past. It also looks at the concept of time since the
contrasting patterns of the fabric and the print shows the
evolution of prints/patterns but also how the passing of time
does not necessarily mean change and renewal (relating
back to the permanence of the past). The method of printing
also relates to the concept of time and permanence since silk
screening is a more modern and industrial method of
printing, adding a modern element to my artwork of retro
and vintage patterns. This represents the permanence of
patterns and prints and how despite the passing of time,
retro/vintage patterns are not anything of the past since
they can always be reproduced or recreated.
 Artistic influences Known for…
• His black and white nature images and for
Ansel Adams developing photography techniques in the Analysis
Ansel Adams was an American development process of the images.
photographer and environmentalist. His Here I analysed two of
black and white landscape photographs of Ansel Adams’ landscape
the American West, especially Yosemite photographs. What both
National Park, have been widely of these images have in
reproduced on calendars, posters, and common and what I can
books. Together with Fred Archer, Adams identify as Ansel Adam’s
developed the Zone System as a way to style, is that there is
determine proper exposure and adjust the always an evident
contrast of the final print. The resulting direction of light which
clarity and depth characterised his creates different tones
photographs. Adams founded the and shadows. The light
photography group known as Group f/64 and shadows create depth
along with fellow photographers Willard in the photographs and
Van Dyke and Edward Weston. also helps distinguish
Ansel Adams. (1970). Retrieved March 01, 2017, from
https://clancytucker.blogspot.jp/2016/12/9-december-2016- between the background
Style ansel-adams-photographer.html and the foreground.
• Adams tilted the lens standard of his view camera in order to extend his depth of field, close Additionally, he uses a
of infinity. He did this by: strong highlight which
1. Stopping his view camera down as far as he could. helps contrast the
2. Using the camera’s movements to take advantage of the Scheimpflug theory (shift shadows and the light
horizontally to make perfect parallel lines). parts of the image further.
• Tilting the camera makes parallel lines converge, making elements in the frame look like they Lastly, another technique
are falling backwards. This is the rise and fall movements that Adams achieved. that Ansel Adams uses is
• He spoke often about using natural light and small apertures with long exposures. He also that he finds shapes and
suggested to “visualise” each image before taking it. lines in nature and
• Adams was a promoter of “pure photography” (defined as possessing no qualities of enhances them through
technique, composition or idea, derivative of any other art form). shadows and highlights to
• He used a strong red filter to create a black sky. add texture to his
• Developed the Zone System of controlling and relating exposure and development, enabling photographs.
photographers to creatively visualise an image and produce a photograph that matched and
expresses that visualisation.
Experimentation

Decreasing the saturation to -100 and desaturating it to (Top image) Further cropping the sides of the
Cropping the image so that less of the sky is visible, and
get rid of colours. Desaturating the image further after image so that the composition of the image is
the focus is more towards the water/waves and their
decreasing the saturation makes the image a lot more balanced and to make it look less like a panorama.
texture. This is a similar technique that Ansel Adams
darker and less tinted. (Bottom image) I decided to crop the image
uses. He reduces the background so that the subjects
(Original image) Adjusting the curves - decreasing highlights and further since I felt that the amount of sky could be
and their textures are emphasised, and also creates a
increasing shadows. This makes the overall image reduced further. I believe that this makes the
somewhat claustrophobic feeling due to less sky and
darker, and also makes this image look a lot more like image seem further crowded and packed, bringing
open areas in the photograph.
Ansel Adam's photography. out the textures in the photograph.
Development of Idea Reviewing and refining

The series of images above shows

the process I went through while
editing my 9 images. Starting off
In the image above, I collected some of the images I took and selected my with the original image, I first
favourites. I edited all of the images that I liked and made them black and white to desaturated the image to get rid of
see how each image will look like without any colour (such as the shadows that any colour. Secondly I adjusted the
will become more evident and the different tones in each image). After doing so curves to make the overall image
(as seen in the bottom images), I chose 9 images (to present as a series for my darker. I was not satisfied with the
final studio piece) that I thought were interesting in terms of the natural shapes image after adjusting the curves
and lines in the images, and the variety in tone that I could work with when
since there was not as much of a
editing the images.
contrast between the shadows and
the highlights in the image, so I
followed by increasing the
brightness and the contrast of the
image. This helped darken the
shadows and brighten the
highlights, which started to create a
sense of depth similarly to Ansel
Adams’ photographs. However
since I wanted to create more of a
sense of depth and contrast, I
adjusted the curves more. As seen
in the final image, this further
increased the contrast, making the
highlights even lighter and the
shadows even darker, which also
emphasised the natural textures in
the image.
The last step in the process of
editing my photos, which was
adjusting the curves, made a big
difference to the photographs.
The two images below show
how the image changed after
the final step. As evident in the
photos, adjusting the curves WORK IN PROGRESS
instantly created depth through
its dark shadows and light
highlights that worked
effectively together.
Additionally, this brought in
more evident shapes, textures,
and lines in the image that were
not as evident before, which WORK IN PROGRESS
made the images more
intriguing.