Postcards from Process

WEEK 8

Blind Drawing exercises

Postcards from process project was different from the other two because it was more process-focused and experimental. I was a little hesitant to start the blind drawing exercise because the thought of not being able to see what you’re doing was a little intimidating, but after seeing the outcome of my first drawing, I was very much pleased with the results. I liked how the blue impression from the carbon paper changed depending on how much pressure you applied to your pencil.

It was difficult to copy the branch in motion when I was observing it, but it didn’t matter because I kept forgetting where I drew what, so I marked everything I saw. As we made more prints, I began to enjoy the exercise. I suppose I enjoyed the thrill of not being able to see your drawing. After this exercise, I realised that using unrestricted materials and making mistakes can help guide your work.

Initial work

I started with reverse mono-printing as I liked the technique of creating an impression. I deliberately crushed the paper to get the folds. I wanted to see if the paper’s artificial folds would compliment the block impressions. I tried an experiment where I worked vertically on the paper but displayed it horizontally. I was surprised to see how one small change can drastically alter how you present the work.

I continued with printmaking for the next piece and created my own stamp. Unfortunately, the time and effort I put into creating the stamp did not reflect on the print. I was disappointed.

PEP 5: Hifi to Lofi

I specifically chose the photo of the cracked ice because of the way I captured the image. It was a little difficult for me to recall and identify. The sense of doubt it created caught my attention. On my way to the studio, at came across this piece of wooden bark and I took the impressions to depict the image. I was a little more casual and free while replicating the work because I thought the lines the bark created were more appropriate and natural. However after finishing this piece, I somehow didn’t’ see it going anywhere. My printmaking experiments seemed to come to a conclusion with this piece.

More experimental work

I came across this pebble while roaming the studio looking for more materials to experiment with. I laid the paper on the floor, painted the pebble, and rolled it over the paper several times with two different colours. I liked how the pattern created an illusion and changed the shape of the paper. So I decided that cutting it out and displaying it as a sticker would be more visually appealing. Unfortunately, I realised I made a mistake halfway through cutting the paper because the cut out lowered the value and true essence of the work I felt when I finished it first

WEEK 9

As I really liked the colour combination of yellow and blue, I wanted to try the same in a darker background and smaller space. So I began filling the space in black using one of the paint rollers. Since the roller didn’t absorb the paint evenly, the impression the it created had a lot of uneven paint. It was unintentional but I loved the and the texture of the work. When I displayed the work, it was interesting to observe how everyone thought it was a digital print. I repeated this using the same method, technique and material and the results were always different. The natural formation of the positive and negative spaces complimented each other.