Fragments Block Print 23cm x 30cm September, 2019 Fragments is a block print depicting the struggle of not conforming to society's expectations and holding true to one's identity. I reflected my art piece on previous artworks by pop-artists, like Crying Girl by Roy Lichtenstein and Fashion Plate by Richard Hamilton. Planning
Inspiration These artworks from Richard Hamilton and Roy Lichtenstein, both Fashion Plate and Crying Girl, had influenced my decision toward the artistic approach that I used for this block print. In Richard Hamilton’s, Fashion Plate, his technique was to take fragments of photos of models in magazines to re-define and rearrange them to form a deeper context. His process in order to make this piece was he took photos of actress Sophia Loren from a magazine and worked together with photographer, Tony Evans in order to get the shots of the photography equipment. This artwork makes the public look at an everyday image, such as a magazine, and interpret it in a whole new way. In my own piece, I wanted to use his idea in a similar way to bring attention to how the views of society tend to change and reshape a person's identity. As for Roy Lichtenstein, I designed the style and technique in which my sketches and my final product on his variations of comic book art pieces. The two eyes, and the lips are drawn and carved out to look more cartoon rather than being realistic. |
Fashion Plate 2
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Planning Sketches After research, I began to start small sketches on layout ideas in my journal. I started off with sections of the face and drew them close together, but separate, to create the allusion that they are not a cohesive unit. I then started practicing the comic book appearance of the features so that I could plan out the final product that I would transfer onto the plate. I realized that some of the sketches were too detailed, that they would need to be simplified in order to be successfully carried out when carving the plate. In order to create my vision of portraying the crumbling of identity based on the standards of society, I had decided to put borders in geometric shapes around the facial features. This also reflects the idea of what Richard Hamilton did in Fashion Plate. In addition to how I was drawing the facial features, to make one of the eyes look more like an eye drawn in a comic book I had made tiny dark circles in the iris. Around all of the facial features I had drawn geometric and organic shapes to fill in the background to represent thoughts, judgement, and hate that comes with the pressure that society holds on identity. This is an alternate option for the block print that I completed. Although it also had elements with the shape and use of space in the piece, I was not satisfied for using this sketch as my final product because I thought it could be more complex in its design. I wanted there to be more variety and I wanted to represent a clear distinction of how the facial features were not connected. For this second alternative sketch, it closely resembled my final product sketch. I liked this idea more than the previous sketch above because I feel that there was a better use of space and the other sketch had less of complexity in the design. However, even though I was mostly satisfied with this sketch I wanted to create one that had actual lines that separated the features of the face from the rest of the geometric or organic background design. |
Process
1. First I had transferred my final sketch using the graphite transfer method onto the plate 2. Then I had started carving with the deep V linoleum carving tool 3. After I was done carving I had gathered the materials in order to complete the printing process 4. To make the block print I rolled out a thin layer of water based ink onto the tray using the brayer 5. After making sure the water based ink was well thinned out and distributed I rolled the ink onto the plate 6. After the water based ink was on the plate I carefully placed a piece of printer paper over it and placed pressure onto it using the barren 7. I then made sure that I applied pressure around the whole plate so that the transfer could be as successful as possible 8. I repeated this process until a print came out that I was most satisfied with |
Experimentation
I did not have a lot of experimentation in my project, however, after completing my first block print it did not turn out the way I had wanted it too. The ink did not spread smoothly over the parts that I wanted it to. In other words, there was a lot of white spots where I did not want the white to be. After doing two more prints and realizing it was getting better I washed everything off with water and soap, even the plate, and started over again. However after a couple trial and errors, I had gotten my final product.
I did not have a lot of experimentation in my project, however, after completing my first block print it did not turn out the way I had wanted it too. The ink did not spread smoothly over the parts that I wanted it to. In other words, there was a lot of white spots where I did not want the white to be. After doing two more prints and realizing it was getting better I washed everything off with water and soap, even the plate, and started over again. However after a couple trial and errors, I had gotten my final product.
Reflection
Critique
Overall, I am content with my final product. However, I am disappointed with how I had to eliminate a majority of the detail I had within my sketch because I did not take into consideration the fact that it would be hard to get intricate detail with the carving tools available. For example, I had to get rid of the idea of having small circles in the iris to make it more like a comic book because the spacing was not large enough for me to carve around each circle. If I had, it most likely would not have shown up the same on the print because of how small the circles would be. Other parts of the piece I had to change in consideration of detailing as well. However, I feel that if I would have taken more time with planning out spacing and had more time to precisely carved out the intricate details, my results would have been better.
Critique
Overall, I am content with my final product. However, I am disappointed with how I had to eliminate a majority of the detail I had within my sketch because I did not take into consideration the fact that it would be hard to get intricate detail with the carving tools available. For example, I had to get rid of the idea of having small circles in the iris to make it more like a comic book because the spacing was not large enough for me to carve around each circle. If I had, it most likely would not have shown up the same on the print because of how small the circles would be. Other parts of the piece I had to change in consideration of detailing as well. However, I feel that if I would have taken more time with planning out spacing and had more time to precisely carved out the intricate details, my results would have been better.
Crying Girl
Roy Lichtenstein 116.8cm x 116.8cm Fashion Plate
Richard Hamilton 99.3xm x 69cm |
Compare & Contrast
Similarities:
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ACT Responses
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork.
Roy Lichtenstein's Crying Girl and Richard Hamilton's Fashion Plate had inspired my piece by displaying characteristics of there being a deeper meaning behind a face or an public advertisement which influenced me to place a theme of identity in my piece.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The overall approach of the author was to inform readers of the artists purpose in making their pieces and the process of which they did.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Many artists in the pop-art movement challenge the idea of common art or acceptable art by society. They break the boundary by expressing ideas in a deeper context.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around my research was to find art pieces that reflected the sense of identity or a deeper understanding the complexity of how life affects ones inner personality.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I inferred that a lot of artists used public opinion and reversed it in order to bring attention toward deeper concepts not normally mentioned in everyday life.
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork.
Roy Lichtenstein's Crying Girl and Richard Hamilton's Fashion Plate had inspired my piece by displaying characteristics of there being a deeper meaning behind a face or an public advertisement which influenced me to place a theme of identity in my piece.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The overall approach of the author was to inform readers of the artists purpose in making their pieces and the process of which they did.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Many artists in the pop-art movement challenge the idea of common art or acceptable art by society. They break the boundary by expressing ideas in a deeper context.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around my research was to find art pieces that reflected the sense of identity or a deeper understanding the complexity of how life affects ones inner personality.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I inferred that a lot of artists used public opinion and reversed it in order to bring attention toward deeper concepts not normally mentioned in everyday life.
Bibliography
Tate. (n.d.). 'Fashion-plate', Richard Hamilton, 1969-70. Retrieved from https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hamilton-fashion-plate-p07937
Richard Hamilton Paintings, Bio, Ideas. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.theartstory.org/artist/hamilton-richard/
BIOGRAPHY. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://lichtensteinfoundation.org/biography/#
Hamilton, R. (1969, January 1). Study for a Fashion plate, 1969 - Richard Hamilton. Retrieved from https://www.wikiart.org/en/richard-hamilton/study-for-a-fashion-plate-1969
Tate. (n.d.). 'Fashion-plate', Richard Hamilton, 1969-70. Retrieved from https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hamilton-fashion-plate-p07937
Richard Hamilton Paintings, Bio, Ideas. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.theartstory.org/artist/hamilton-richard/
BIOGRAPHY. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://lichtensteinfoundation.org/biography/#
Hamilton, R. (1969, January 1). Study for a Fashion plate, 1969 - Richard Hamilton. Retrieved from https://www.wikiart.org/en/richard-hamilton/study-for-a-fashion-plate-1969