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Gum printing cont.

I feel like these prints can benefit from a black layer on top of getting additional layers of colors; they all only have one coat of yellow. It did not become apparent to me that they would need multiple coats until I used a darker color. If I find myself with access to the gum printing method again that is something I would do differently. My paper was coated inconsistently. I need to have been lighter with it. I sized it with 3 parts PVA and 1-½ parts water. This resulted in pigment washing off faster which informed me that multiple layers were needed to build the color range.

Gum Printing

Being that I was one of the last people in the class to gum print I compiled notes on what my colleagues had discovered when they were printing. I kept hearing that the gum dries quickly. I leaned onto my knowledge of airbrushing and thinning paints with high viscosities, heavier in pigment, and would dry quicker. I opted to use two different solutions, those being a flow aid additive for airbrushing and airbrush reducer. Reducer is designed for tougher paints that want to dry and harden faster. Flow aid allows for controlling the viscosity of the paint/pigment to achieve a milk like consistency that allows for it to be spread easier without being too dry or too wet. I worked in small batches which is another thing I learned from airbrushing, mold making, and other instances where the product I am using has a pot life I need to take into account. I found that one layer of gum and paint was not enough and I did not mind this. I found it enjoyable to add another layer and see the print further develop. I kept a small journal of notes which I have scanned and added to this post.

Vandyke Brown #2

Vandyke Brown continued.

These prints are to be a graduation gift for one of my friends. I did two separate sets of 3. Both sets were exposed for the same amount of time at 11 minutes and 40 seconds under the UV light. I double coated the paper with the vandyke solution. The first set has brush streaks and reveals inconsistency in coating technique. I tried to make up for this one in the next set of 3. I used no fixer both times I ran out of time and do not want to risk the fixer eating the print too much. Realizing that they will darken eventually I will probably add some fixer.

Some Cyanotype prints were attempted, but I did not expose them for long enough that they failed.

Vandyke Brown #1

VanDyke Brown first attempts. Exposed for 3:35 outside in the sun. I used the curve Neil provided. The P7000 printer was low on ink the negative for the dog came out okay when the robot negative was printed it looked to have a good amount of streaking which I am blaming for the hazy effect it produced. I should have used more fixer on the Vandyke for the dog. Paper was doubled coated before hand it was not pre-shrunk. All prints that come after this one were pre-shrunk.

Cyanotypes test #2: Inspiration for Project 2/Vandyke Brown prints

I found myself drawing robots over and over again going through different stages of development. This was because my original intent for project two was to construct one of these robots three-dimensionally as a maquette. I would then build a miniature city or landscape for the maquette to interact. Then I would take pictures of the maquette within the miniature city and use photoshop to enhance the environment. The problem with this is it would take a lot more time and work than I can afford at the moment. I have instead reworked the idea of taking pictures of my hometown using them as backgrounds for my prints. I have moved my drawings of robots from paper to transparency paper. They will be placed into the environment drawn to interact within the space. The first exposure of the backgrounds will be done as cyanotypes and the exposures of the robots within the space will be vandyke browns.

Project 1: Test Cyanotypes

For this project I selected images I already had on my computer to serve as tests for cyanotypes. I went with images of my work tables, equipment, and faces I casted in bronze. I wanted to see how well these images would be rendered. I found that after exposing them in the sun the prints were not as uniform as I hoped. Many were far lighter than others despite having gone through the same process. This is probably because the cyanotype mixture was exposed to a contaminate. More attention to keeping the work station clean is needed. The resulting cyanotypes needed more midtones and this is achieved through correcting the curve they were given in photoshop. While I did apply a curve the curve could have been made better. In total I had seven cyano types from this first test.

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Project Four: Preparations Jose Estrada

Alec Soth artist Lecture

Alec Soth

Alec Soth is a very prominent photographer. His work consists of taking pictures of strangers and telling stories through a body of work. What I found interesting from the lecture is that he started by taking pictures of outdoor sculptures that he made. The sculptures themselves were not intended to be the final product because once the photo was taken they were brought down. I wanted to know more about this line of work. That may just be because it tickled my sculpture bone. Right now in my work I have started doing the same thing my sets and models only get put together for the purpose of the photo. Soth moved into more photography shooting large format. He wanted to find a connecting thread amongst his pictures that led him to his early work with a from here to there lens. The examples that he showed were very strong photos. He talked about how this line of work became too obvious in showing the thread that connected them which led him to create work where what connected the pictures was a bit more ambiguous.

I found it nice to hear the artist deconstructing the flaws found in their work.

Soth went over how he got his work to people showing pictures of photo books he put together. He did this with a timeline explaining the history of photography and the booms it had. It was fascinating that snapchat was brought up because so much work was put into capturing an image making it stable. I had never entertained this idea in my head before. I really enjoyed the set of dice he had and how no matter what sides came up he took on the topic. I always find myself flipping a coin and choosing the other side if it lands on versus the one I did not really want. I enjoyed Alec Soth’s artist talk. It taught me about the evolution of photography and how one can move into different mediums of art.

Yesterday evening. We poured the biggest piece this semester.

Artist Research

Stephen Talasnik is a sculptor who creates models and builds scaled intricate sculptures. His entrance into the art world was not in the form of sculpture. He studied drawing and photography; this was his main body of work until he began making sculpture. His sculptures become unique architectural models. Talasnik does not plan a sculpture before it is made. His creation process is allowing himself to be free of discipline. This can be seen in his drawings which he still does now they are all free handed, but they look very mathematical as if he used a ruler and measured each part. Instead Talasnik frees himself from any outside devices or references and begins to draw. His sculptural pieces include installation work the structures are big enough to allow people to walk through. His sculptures are created by following a scaled down model that Talasnik makes and is then translated by his team into the installation work. I myself build models, but with the end result being a photograph. After the photograph is taken I take down what I have built leaving the only proof of existence as the photo. Talasnik does something similar with his installation pieces although they are constructed to occupy a space only one structure of his is permanent the others have been taken down. Leaving the only proof of them ever existing in photos.

Talasnik does not just leave the installations to only be seen he also has live performances done inside the structures. He is a big fan of music, his favorite being Jazz he compares the improvisational talent of it to the way in which he creates work. There are also dancers that he will get to perform alongside the music. I find this incredible that his structures are able to act as a set piece during the performance. I really enjoyed hearing Stephen Talasnik talk about his work and his process for creating. I have been doing so much planning with this project as a result its been labor intensive. I liked hearing Talasnik explain that he does not plan his work because then it gets hindered by discipline.

Loading a big mold into the Kiln for a burnout

Process photos

Project 3

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