T1-MMT-P3 Molding and casting – Initial sketching

Recent sketchbook work has been preparation for the coming casting and molding exercises.

sketch 20150808

Sample p2-65

This sketch is on A3 kraft paper, roughly painted with gesso, then a charcoal sketch of sample p2-65. I worked from the photograph – the sample doesn’t exist any more.

I’ve written before that I regard this sample as the strongest in terms of a completed outcome (2-August-2015). Drawing this sketch and glancing at it on the pin board over the weeks actually had me going back to the course notes on recording outcomes, because I’m really beginning to understand the value and power of the process. I was already aware of the dynamic diagonals and the semi-transparent disguise, and perhaps the repetition of circles and bumps on circles. However what really is attracting and fascinating me are the indeterminate edges. Wraps disappear, lines change direction, bubbles form the edge but there are edges within edges, reflections and shadows complicate. Where is the edge?

Sample p2-6 Side view

It’s made me look again at other samples – p2-72 and the missing handle of course, but also the haze of p2-6. A quick search shows I have written multiple times about a fascination with boundaries, so I’m not sure why it feels like a revelation. Perhaps because I am beginning to develop a store of visual means, evoking (provoking?) that moment of hesitation and search for the edge.

sketch 20150809

Sample p2-70, conte pencil on newspaper. Curves of the shrinkwrap. I like the movement and the busyness of this. A fairground ride.

Victoria Brown research page

I’m continuing the sketch/information pages as I research, but as I had permission from a number of artists to use their photographs I didn’t include my pages in the original research posts.

Rebecca Fairley
research page

Sketch 20150815

This is research that got away from me. I was looking at Louise Nevelson’s Luminous Zag: Night on the Guggenheim website (link), and was taken by a sudden need to work in pattern blocks.

The base is newspaper, with white gesso painted on then blotches of blue and brown acrylic paint when I tried to print off large bubble wrap (unsuccessfully). I cut some thin craft foam into shaped strips, then printed in red trying to create visual blocks from individual elements. Fast, fun, quite effective, plus it’s got me thinking about how to make the molding samples in some way uniform to build up into something larger.

Victoria Ferrand Scott
Research page

Some more research in progress. Looking at work done by Victoria Ferrand Scott during her time as Leverhulme Trust Artist in Residence (http://tinyurl.com/vfscott-AIR).

Lindsay Harris
Research page

More research in progress, from Lindsay Harris (http://lindsayharris.co.uk/plaster.html). This is A3 cartridge paper, outlines in black crayon, washes of ink trying to explore values which got lost and I tried to recover using white acrylic.

Obviously lots of artist research outstanding, plus I haven’t yet blogged about materials research and selection or my list of goals/ideas for the exercises, but I feel the need to make a start on practical work before I overthink and it all gets stale.

T1-MMT-P3 Molding and casting – Initial sketching
Textiles 1 – Mixed Media for Textiles
Part 3: Molding and casting
Initial sketching