FINAL EVALUATION
Throughout this unit, I have explored many different approaches, ideas, artists and techniques that have all help me to achieve my final major project. My original idea was to explore the concept of perspectives and perceptions and how people's views can be altered depending on how a piece of work is presented. Instead, I decided that I wanted to revisit my previous work and explore as many different approaches to mark making as possible. I wanted to create a range of work that displayed my techniques whilst experimenting with the fragility of smoke. My previous attempts were limited, as I was merely replicating Diane Victors technique to create my own images. In order to move forward with this method, I needed to go back and experiment with smoke and make it my own.
I started to create pieces that were representations of photographs that I took from the South Africa trip. My original smoke drawings were fabrications, much like Diane Victors images, and so I thought it would be different to create the piece by using photos. I manipulated one of these photographs and then scaled it up on a piece of paper measuring 1.8m by 1.6m. I used a grid method for this, and although it worked successfully, it took up a significant amount of time. The sheer size of the paper also made it difficult to manoeuvre. I had difficulty pinning it up above me, as I needed the image to be overhead in order for the paper to catch the smoke that creates the dark marks. The image was not stable enough, and after a couple of tries to burn certain areas, the piece caught fire and was ruined instantly. I had to be realistic and so I decided to create a drawing that was still on a large scale, but at one that was manageable to handle. I also needed a way to draw the photograph on to the paper beforehand that was quicker and more efficient. I borrowed a projector from college and printed out the selected image onto acetate. This made the whole process a lot quicker, but even at the lesser scale of A0, I decided that it was still too difficult to use smoke at this extent.
In order to produce successful pieces of work, I created the smoke drawings on a smaller scale. This allowed me to direct the paper and flame at the same time, which also let me control the amount of smoke that was captured onto the surface of the paper. My original pieces had been merely outlines of the persons features, but I developed a technique were I darkened the whole of the image drawn, with smoke and then scratched back into the ashes with a sharp pencil. I then took a putty rubber to the highlighted areas, such as the whites of the eyes and the end of the nose. This was overall a successful way to create the drawings I wished to achieve.
Using smoke to draw is challenging and I came across many problems whilst using it. Trying to get the paper above me in order to be able to catch the debris onto the surface the main issue with the larger pieces but, it was also a hard medium to work with because the ash deposited on the paper was so fragile, that it was altered even by the slightest touch. The process has been challenging in every sense however, this is one of the reasons I stuck with this medium, as it's fragility reflected the fragility of the city of Cape Town.
I managed my time well by writing a weekly planner that allowed me to prepare what I would need to achieve my goals. I planned what I would require when experimenting new ideas and what research I needed to conduct my final pieces. When I had to present these pieces, I decided to present all nine A4 images and the larger A0 one. At first I was going to present them all together, but when I had framed them up I realised that because A4 ones were stronger pieces, the A0 piece undermined the language smaller. For that reason, I decided to separate them and exhibit the larger image on its own and the nine A4 images on another wall a in a row. I feel that the work I have developed for my final project demonstrates my ability to draw, reproduce and experiment with an unusual medium.