"No Rest For The Wicked"

     No rest for the wicked is a song by Lykke Li. When doing nothing but listening closely to the sounds and voice created by this artist i pictured a sky blue colour with layers of white lines coming from one corner. In the corner the wiggled lines would be close and have a dense impact and as it comes out would become looser and each line would be more isolated. Then the white lines would look like waves in the blue background. To me this recreation did not turn out how i pictured as the lines are not thin and well layered. I also forgot in the moment to start from the top right corner. If i did this again i would improve it by taking the time to focus on painting the white lines thinly and layering them right to create the dense impact.
    As this was inspired by the song i listened to i decided to draw headphones using fineliner. I did one headphone using loose, continuous lines and the other short straight lines. This straight lines drawing appears more rigid so i don't particularly like it for this drawing. However, i do like the contrast between the two headphones techniques as it is subtle from a distance. Just like no one knows what is going on in someone's life but there could be some tells to how they look, like if they are tired or acting really down. These would only be noticed once looked at closely. If i was to improve this i would add more time to improve the quality of detail to the headphones, more shading so it had a stronger impact on the page as the headphones look lost on the page. If i did these improvements the composition would help bring the piece together properly.

Playing

    This piece i simply did by cutting up an old t shirt and dipping it in a mix of blue and pink paint. Then i pressed and pulled it across the page, improvised, to create a mess. I then stuck another piece of the t shirt to the page after letting it get marked by the paint. This was inspired by kids at a young age playing with paints or playing outside and getting all muddy. I enjoyed doing this piece as it was an idea i got in the moment so the feeling of pure, messy, freedom like a child exploring paints or the garden was similar at least. The mix of the colours blue and pink, creating purple worked perfectly as i view the colour purple as creative. Only when you try something and explore it alone can you discover your own technique in art or story in books, much like how the purple is the idea that was discovered when playing.
    As this was an on the spot experiment about creating a mess i like how it originally is as it is genuine and not artificially made. However, to develop this further i would create a bigger piece where i could throw paint and spray it freely. Dipping pieces of clothes into paint and throwing them at the sheet to create a mark. Or do this on a sheet of different shades of grey clothing, sewed together to make one sheet. It could include foot and hand prints as children always make dirty marks with those.

Music Shield

    Using just charcoal and graphite i drew one side of the guitar across the page. I focused on the main body of the guitar as when held it covers the majority of the stomach like armour. With the charcoal i just did a mix of squiggles and spirals, using a cotton ball to smudge it out. When doing this on the outside area of the guitar i wiped the cotton ball in straight lines. I like the change in shades when i did this as all the lines individually all reach out to a different length. To me this shadow of blackness represents all the bad thoughts or bad happenings. As they reach the guitar they stop as if a shield is protecting the person. Music has always been used to bring people together and share emotions, or can just be personal to the guitar player as they use their music to express their experiences, reaching out to others, and therefore aiding themselves. The guitar was also smudged and grey as music can be used to spread messages to bring awareness to certain issues, making some music quite dark as it can cause the listener to feel the bad emotions again. I used the graphite to add little lines of detail to the guitar like the edges, so it appeared sharp and strong. The edges are very roughly drawn so the guitar looks jagged and brutal like collapsed brick wall. However on other details like the strings of the guitar were kept faint as to not distract the eye from the front of the shield. To improve this i would want to add more detail using shading pencils and white chalk/rubber to create shadows and make the entire piece darker to really emphasise the power music has over the soul and how certain songs reach into it to bring light to the darker areas of our emotions.

Escape

    For this piece i focused on the way people use books to escape into another story. This was inspired by a photo i took of a lady reading on the bus. This photo interested me as we were both going on the same bus journey yet she was somewhere completely different through her book. I also focused on layers and use of a certain colour pallette using: brown, white, black and green. These colours are very basic when alone but are also strong in comparison to one another.
   I began with sticking ripped pieces of newspaper texts to the page, and using charcoal, covered them by smudging the charcoal with a cotton ball. I did add more charcoal after to make the creases more dense to highlight how they are in pieces. Next i glued the brown piece of paper on top; lightly stroking the charcoal over it to pick up the ridges in the lined paper. The texture of this paper really interested me as it was subtle until the charcoal exposed it. The charcoal made it look worn and dirty, this showing how dirty the world is with how it really beats people down with high expectations. Also instead of approaching and dealing with huge issues like homelessness and mental health, it is covered up and shunned, blaming the victim instead of helping them. Much like the words on the ripped pieces of newspaper are unreadable.
   With the final layer of white newspaper, with tattered edges, i glued it into the centre. Then glued down the corners of the brown paper to reveal the edges, showing the truth that was hidden deep down. Another way to look at this is how people discover themselves when reading. It can be a comfort, a journey of discovery as they connect to a character. I added some string to act as rope around the edges showing how she is escaping from her boundaries. Using fineliner and charcoal i drew the girl from the picture reading and with a green ink pen i drew the book and small figures running. I like this illustration but feel it needs a lot of improvement in quality of drawing. Maybe crosshatching style of the fineliner drawing but i feel it looks more cartoon than realistic unfortunately. Also the figure behind the folded piece of paper is hard to see when it is key to be the storyteller inviting the reader on their journey. I especially like the composition of this piece and layering using the colours as the green is subtle due to being small but catches the attention of the viewer making them look to the centre then to the edges. Therefore reflect on the world they live in as they can not see under the folded areas to where she has escaped, making them feel left behind and missing out.

On Hit List

    Focusing on experimenting with fabric on this piece, i glued the entire page and stuck down ripped pieces of newspaper images. I primarily focused on the images instead of words from the articles as our brains remember images better. However, i found the words "on hit list" interesting so i added that in the bottom right corner. Each little piece of paper looks to have deteriorated from the main one as if there sense of reality is breaking apart or they are trying to connect to create and achieve what they dreamed to be impossible. The newspaper was also sprayed with a glittery pink paint that made it look metallic, i feel this added a sense of invincibility as there is no limit to what our minds can come up with.
   Using strings of thread i glued them to the page. The thread could be trying to connect all the pieces or represent electrical impulses in the brain like a neuron. These electrical impulses are sparks of ideas happening that can then grow and become an important part of a goal to a person. This is why i used some purple wool and a mass of tangled blue threads to be the growing centre of the brain. This is all their achievements and ideas woven and tangled together as it is not simple to achieve our dreams. The ideas begin as a tangled dream that can then be spread out into a life plan. The fuschia colour is very warm and inviting, its very powerful over the metallic pink paint. As it is a matte colour it appears very solid yet is so soft to the touch creating a satisfying feeling.
  To improve this i would paint the background roughly black and dark blue, creating a rough texture like Russel Mills artwork so it would feel cold and bare. This would help the metallic pink and fuschia colour stand out more warm and bright. The bold contrast in colours would show a conflict in the mind on how hard it is to make time to achieve dreams when you have to deal with other things to cope with living. I would also use images that are about their dream instead of ripped newspaper images that don't compliment the message of the piece.

Artist:

Russel Mills:
    Does album and book covers. He also does set design and lighting. His lighting is very abstract using lines and shapes with deep backgrounds of colours like blue or black creating a solemn atmosphere. His individual artwork really looks into texture. His work looks rusty and old as if he painted on the side of an old metal boat.
   




 Max Gaspirini:
    Mundane work capturing deep emotion in faces. His style caught my eye instantly with his rough technique creating a cracked, pale complexion. Dripping technique in some areas which creates a feel of confusion, questioning if they are really there at all.







 Carol Wilson:
   Mixed Media, oil and acrylic paints. Abstract and realism. Inspiring use of rich colours, her work really reaches out to me. Her style and mixed media also captures a look that i would like to achieve when exploring my own style of art.









 Ian Murphy:
    Fine art and goes into great detail on his drawings of architecture. His work looks rough with his way of bringing in mixed media backgrounds. Architecture in old buildings have always interested me as i have visited many old castles and ruins growing up. The use of pages in his backgrounds make it look as if the words are telling the story of the buildings.



Kerry Buck:
    Collagraph artist, acrylic painter and illustrator who focuses on landscapes and nature. Her acrylic paintings are quite bright and cartoon like due to the block/straight lines style she does. Whilst the rest of her work is quite dark and sharp. I like this contrast as it shows two viewpoints, the cartoon style could be a false reality compared to the darker style that is the harsh reality. Or how stories can create a pretty, picket fence world but when you grow up you see the bare truth of the dirt that lies beneath in.










Cas Holmes:
   Mixed media collages using fabrics and illustrations of flowers, insects and birds. Her work is very softly light, innocent and aged with the rough edges and used looking fabrics. I like the way she layers her materials as it is very faint and hazy. This style could work when recreating the feeling of having a hazy dream as certain details are missing and eventually all fade out from memory to indescribable.






Anne Moore:
    Mixed media work with printmaking using etching, monoprints and linocuts. Her style looks similar to Russel Mills, using colours that appear rustic but adds more layers. This particular piece caught my interest with the figures dancing in that haze as it looks unusual but intriguing and very much like a strange dream. The change from dim to light also interest me as it creates focus on the figures and adding a mist of magical suspicion.





Sue Brown:
   Sue begins with a gum arabic transfer and using acrylic, ink and pencil adds layers of detail. Her work usually focus on nature and birds. The vicious markings add a sense of risk and fast movements with the delicate insects flying. The subtle glistening pink markings add to that delicacy, standing out from the mix of bold black, white and grey. Her artwork style interest me as it is elegant but also convolunt.

Sculpture Park

   I found the sculpture park very intriguing with the vast different types of art works they had on display. Each one was unique in style, material and meaning. Unfortunately, i was not able to see every single one and feel i have missed out on inspiring work that could tie in to my journey like the Garden of Good and Evil. I especially liked how the artwork was displayed outside in the countryside as nature itself adds a natural piece to the work. I have always been mesmerised by nature and how it changes the way we view certain places. Light naturally changes our emotions as a sunny lit street will seem playful and warm but at night it would be dangerous. The way the light changes a certain space would be interesting to bring into my work and explore on open rooms where the use of light could bring the viewer into the fantasy world created before them.

      For instance, Ed Kluz: Fanciful Buildings of Britain is beautifully put together using prints, paper collages and scraper boards. His work is dark and edges onto scarily fantasy like, with his use of shadows and trees. The buildings look to be apart of a world that was left behind and rotten into a darkly lit part of the mind where you would hide all your fears. Some of his work contain rich colours of red and blue, making it look more inviting. This changes the emotion instantly to power and curiosity. The contrast between these two styles remind me of Coraline and how at first the other world seemed rich and beautiful but quickly turned dark and full of monsters.



    This sculpture was particularly interesting as it looked so realistic but the tree was actually made of metal and screws. This made me think of how we are destroying nature but also our own mental healths. People force a pretence of being okay when around others or create a false reality in order to cope with the one they live in. The screws and obvious parts of the sculpture that don't connect show the gaps in their realitys where they have tried to cover it up and hold themselves together to cope.

   At first i didn't really like this sculpture as it didn't look like much but as i looked closer i saw faces merging together. My first thoughts were that the way it overlaps appears like it was melting but the material looks incredibly heavy so i thought of molten lava turning into rock. The faces trapped within the piece made me think of suffocating relationships but when thinking of my own journey i thought about how intoxicating a fantasy world can be. From a young age we are told stories that make the world appear magical creating expectations for children that won't hold out. But these stories sometimes really hold people who want to live those lives, this causing unfortunate damage to their lives going to extreme measures like plastic surgery to be something they are not. their mind distorts their reality just like this sculpture is distorted. An idea for my own art piece was to use some broken glass in front of another piece of work to distort the image when viewed. 

      Zak Ove: Black and Blue - The invisible Men and the Masque of Blackness is inspired by african culture. The name interest me more than the sculpture itself. Its very mysterious and sounds like a nightmare, if not a very dark tale. This sculpture reminds me of a song by Two Door Cinema Club called "Sleep Alone", the lyrics speak about falling asleep and going into a dream. The lyrics alone create an atmosphere of unknown danger like the title of the sculpture. It sounds soft but is dark when you listen to the meaning of the words.
The chorus: "He sleeps alone
                      He needs no army where he's headed
                     'Cause he knows
                      That they're just ghosts
                       And they can't hurt him if he can't see them, oh
                       And I may go
                      To places I have never been to
                      Just to find
                      The deepest desires in my mind "

 I find many songs by Two Door Cinema Club, instrumentally and lyrically, dream like and feel very connected when putting maladaptive daydreaming into context.

   These two pictures were taken of the surrounding countryside. The picture on the right reminded me of an album cover of  'Walking On Cars' where a tree stands alone with a grey, foggy background and coloured balloons drifted above. The album cover perfectly captures the image and sound of the irish band with the beautiful creative melodies exploring deep emotions, while bringing in feelings of peaceful nature within their songs. Their songs are deep and dramatic but also relaxing and able to transfer their listener. From the very beginning i was obsessed with their sound and style. When first viewing their simple but enchanting album cover i felt very inspired with their use of nature. The picture on the left is interesting to me as the layers within it constantly change. The trees in the horizon bring a mix of autumn shades that make them tower tall despite being in the distance. The rest is a mix of  vertical layers; the bridge with the tree next to it lead away from the initial viewpoint, instead of reaching out to the viewer it leads them into the picture. Lastly the ivory and style of the bridge appear princess/castle like adding a sense of mystical ageing as the ivory takes over.
    

Mark Making

   I hate this piece as i had ran out of ideas and it just became a bad mess. It does show the needle technique clearer though, which i quite like. To develop this i could of actually used thread to connect all the dots in a messy zig zag, using a light pink thread could of made the image very soft. Overall if i just focused on the bunny and done it on a page from a child's book it could've been very subtle as the bunny only really works alone.
   I used felt pens, orange, yellow and pale yellow to shade the bunny in diagonal lines only. It imitates the style of a child colouring in a page. The rest of the page became a mess as i scribbled and creating more diagonal lines. I even added more detail with a fine liner, faintly copying one of the mark making techniques. I covered the page with ripped newspaper to cover it but it didn't help much. The only thing i like in this piece is the needle technique which is why i didn't cover it. I might try change this page later but i quite like with going with the child's drawing idea as it is when a child expresses their creativity the most.

 
   These next three drawings are just observational drawings i did practicing different mark makings. The one to the right i think turned out very interesting with the two techniques i used together to draw a book. For the pages i used the line and dot mark making as it shaded the page quite well in the centre and edge, highlighting the part of the page that stands up more when opened up. Then for the hardback cover of the book i used different sized dots which makes it appear darker and rigid. I think both techniques complement each other and i would like to try it on a different drawing. The way i focused on one half of the book and how the book cover fades out shows how what's on the pages is most important but the reader focuses more on visuals from the words instead of the book itself. Which is why the book is very plain.

  I drew the large feather using continuous lines in a loose scratchy movement. Feathers are usually soft but this technique takes that away as it looks more spiky. For the two smaller feathers i used the arrow technique which appears lighter and almost softer as feathers. however i glued a piece of brown and orange thread loosely on the page to bring back more softness. It takes the focus away from the harshness more and balances it out. The threads are still messy but rounder and not as scratchy like. To improve this piece i would change the composition of the feathers and maybe add a few more to layer them up as if they are lying on the ground or falling, like how a person feels like they are falling in their dream. If i went down the falling dream route i would add a painted background of galaxy colours to make it look as if they are falling through a black hole of sorts.
  I quite like using this thread technique so will definitely use it again when developing my style.


 
  This observational drawing is simple, i used a scratching, cross hatching technique to draw a CD and vinyl as music is important to create and fill the imagination. Music videos for songs are one of those visuals from the artist themselves. Music is another element that maladaptive daydreamers use, like myself when dreaming. I used a biro mainly but added some fineliner to layer it up. I also shaded the CD with just cross hatching, and added loose circular lines to the vinyl to imitate the grooves. Later i glued a piece of wire to the page on the CD but it was after this photo. The wire adds to the basic colour scheme of black and white as it is just reflective like CDs, it shows no life like the Cds themselves however it can be reused like it was in this drawing just like how Cds contain a lot of emotion and life with the music or other recording they hold, like a filming of a play.

Brain Creativity

  This piece, i began with poking holes into the page with a needle to create an outline of a bunny. I've seen some artwork before where the artist poked holes too and the technique interested me. However i had no idea how to use it so i am not quite pleased with this; i will hopefully do the technique again when i know i can use it to serve a better purpose. The reason i chose a bunny originally came from some small candles i own that are designed like small bunnies. Furthermore it links to Alice in Wonderland and some other children tales. Using blue acrylic paint i painted small patches in a cross hatching technique. This let the blue mix with white creating different layers of shades and overall creating a tye dye look. I liked this technique as it is very subtle but creates a light flowey look, almost like faint clouds in the sky. This would be interesting to use with different colours completely to see how they mix on the page.
  Then by using the mark making technique with a fine liner i filled the page. I still struggle with knowing how to use this technique in drawings but i find the process relaxing. To me the whole page looks like brain creativity in someone's mind. Each separate circle is a different idea or process in the brain but the centre, the coloured area, is their safe place or dreams that they keep privately; they are too afraid to share it with another person. That's why i used blue as it is a very peaceful colour, many choose to escape to a place near the sea, or countryside, for peace and both of those places are associated with clear blue skies and water.

   To improve this i would need to layer it up more, add more colours that are different to the blue to show how ideas develop and change over time. The rest of the page could have more subtle colours like pale pink and grey so it doesn't stand out too much but appears to be doing its working process. The bunny in this is covered up and not really related to the entire piece. However i could use the needle technique to add texture through the ripped holes and add another material on the page so the holes stand out more like newspaper or a travel book depending on the purpose of the creative part.

Free

   I got the original idea for this when watching an episode of criminal minds. I began day dreaming which gave me the image of someone holding onto a prison fence and being pulled off; causing some blood from their fingers onto the fence lines. Using pallet knives i roughly spreaded white paint on the page then put two blobs of blue acrylic paint, using the pallet knives to spread it out roughly. I let it mostly dry then used one of the small pallet knives to slice through the thick paint, thus creating a scratchy, rough effect. Almost like a trapped person scratching to try and get out. Then i added some red acrylic and used graphite to draw the lines of the fence from the image i saw.
   I used this particular shade of blue as it reminds me of the Berlin wall art; many artists used this colour to brightly express their freedom. This could easily be viewed as someone breaking free to follow their dreams, or could be someone suffering from a delusions to escape their reality.    
  Following the escaping reality idea, for me it links to my excessive daydreaming problem. A while ago i was unsure if the amount i daydream was normal; once i searched about it i came across maladaptive daydreaming. It hasn't been recognised as an actual disorder yet, but many people have claimed to have it and are trying to get research done. When reading an article about MD i realised how much i identified with it, which scared me slightly. (  https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/d3gpyw/when-does-obsessive-daydreaming-become-a-mental-illness-591ee1167f3107da28bf88f8 ). This was the main reason i took on the reality vs fantasy topic as i use books, tv shows, films and music to fuel my daydreaming.
   To finish this piece i used black biro in a loose scribble technique to draw some sewing scissors i owned. These scissors took my interest as they were designed to look like a bird, which does not particularly show up in the technique i used. but the object made me think of Salvador Dali's style. Especially his own piece "Always Together". The way the scissors are in the middle of the blue paint show how it was used to cut through. Additionally how the scissors were designed to look like a bird adds to the freedom as birds can fly away, anywhere. It reminds me of the Berlin wall art of a bird holding chains from a prison window.
   To improve this piece i would work on building up the drawing of the scissors to a more detailed quality so the bird design would be more visible. Additionally i could change the background either to black, so the white stands out making the whole piece darker and more bold to show how people get lost and shut themselves away by daydreaming. Or use pages that could hold the script from the episode of criminal minds i watched; or lyrics, poetry, etc about freedom.

Mark Making: Mono Printing and Sellotape Transfer

    Mono printing process is very easy and i would love to develop my style  in this technique. Although this practice piece came out quite strong with the ink on the page- i think this occurred cus i pressed too hard- i like the lines that have appeared. I used scissors to add pressure and did a loose drawing creating free flowing lines. to me it reminds of old saxon or roman armour/shield designs. I find this particularly interesting as it links to children dressing up and playing warrior games. Also reminds me of visiting castle ruins or museums that had dress up clothes for kids to try on.
   I also like how the ink has shown up on the brown paper in lighter areas around the edge. It appears more faint and makes me think of fur, especially wolf fur which ties into the warriors fighting. Overall when this comes together it makes me think of games of thrones which is a shared fantasy world that originated from books to tv show. When trying this technique again i would either like to try to do a detailed drawing that could then be layered with extra colour and details afterwards or use it for random mark making that would be used as a background.

   Sellotape transfer was quite interesting to try and i like the outcome as the black lines have a great but subtle impact. Also how it has picked up on the more faint crayon marks. although i having to stick the sellotape down is quite time consuming i can see this as a useful technique to transfer music sheets, song lyrics,  pages from books, etc. I have a few other ideas too but they sound like something to try in my own time for me to have my own time to work out the best way to do it. One thing i fear with this technique is when layering it with other things could prevent some lines being visible, which would take particular aspects away from the transfer. To be able to develop this technique i need to develop my ideas to work out a way the transfer could have a great impact with other things on the page also.





       This piece became a sort of mess but i still like the outcomes, it was just because i didn't have enough time to sort my ideas and plan it all out. I started with adding sellotape to the brown page and a ripped corner from a piece of paper to the bottom before using mono printing to draw out two concors in an arrow drawing technique. I like the more distinctive lines in the print but also how the ink builds up when closer to the concors. This then stops with where the paper corner was covering the page. I like using this technique as the clear edges always interest me. Then i used the page i put the ink on to scrape on the bottom to see the effect which is a more faint messy version which works with how kids get dirty when playing outside. I also borrowed a piece that had white ink on to add highlights to the concors. I also added the rubbed bits of paper from my sellotape transfer to the drying ink. The white stood out and added a soft but also rough texture with the harsh ink.
   I did try to pull off one of the sellotapes but it just ripped the page, however i used this to add some random scrap paper layers in the ripped gap. I like the effect the piece of sellotape i left in the middle of the page as the creases collected ink and you can see distinctive lines where it is placed. Then put the whole piece on a ripped piece of news paper. I haven't finished the background and would like to cut down the news paper around the edge as it takes attention away from the center. If i was to do this again i would use more time to plan out my idea and focus on detail. For instance how i would layer it and maybe have used the white ink to do a lighter sketch on the concors to be able to actually see them.
   

Mark Making

   After having ago at drawing different techniques of mark making i then applied this to an observational drawing. I drew a bell from a chocolate ribbon that i had chosen, i used the same angle and object for all twelve drawings as i wanted an easy compare of the effects of the different mark making styles. Despite the small criticism of not drawing different objects, i still didn't change as i decided to pursue my original idea.

   For mediums i used only black biro and pencil; they contrasted each other nicely and helped to create depth and tone. I usually used the pencil to add subtle background to create a softer tone and the biro worked nicely to add harsher lines in comparison.

   I enjoyed doing scribbles as i have used this technique before so i am quite content using it. I love how from the distance it looks dense and detailed but closer up it appears more loose and messy. Overall scribbling has a great impact on the page and i will definitely be developing it into my work as for journey its shows how the imagination can be anything and will develop into dreams that can become a reality. I have also used cross hatch before, i enjoy the look of cross hatching techniques but i believe i need to work on my own technique as i feel i get lost when trying to do cross hatching. This is the same for the contour lines techniques, i actually like the overall outcome but i would struggle to use this on a basic observational drawing, however i can picture using it to add colour to make my artwork brighter when focusing on the minds imagination. The dotting style had a great outcome but it was hard to continue as it became tedious and uncomfortable for my hand and it usually developed into little flicks on the page. 

  I began this drawing of a penny using biro, cross hatch technique, for the center design. I like how it overlaps in certain areas to create the cage image as it looks very controlled and contained. However this changes when i used the pencil in a loose scribble style for the penny, this eventually faded into the page. Where the pencil is more condensed is the outline of the penny creating an impact that stands out in the page. I always remember picking up and collecting pennies i found on the ground when i was younger. They always seem fascinating when children spot them but instantly that penny is lost again because it's just 1p. Additionally whenever the option to do a scratching on a page with a crayon, kids always use a penny because the design was always fascinating, this is why i did the cage design in biro. To improve i would of added little more detail in biro so it does not seem so isolated on the page. Also i would layer up the pencil scribbles to create more impact and attract attention.

   I quite like the outcome of this drawing of bubble wrap. I didn't get bored drawing scratchy lines creating random shapes as it was constantly changing, just like how dreams constantly develop. I went back with a biro to add little details usually different styles of cross hatching making each space individual as everyone is an individual with different dreams. I then changed my technique completely to using a light brown pencil with scribbly/loose circles. This appears more like what bubble wrap looks like but is much softer in comparison. Unfortunately there is no fade from the black to the pencil making it difficult to see the pencil appear on the page. To improve i would focus more on creating a tone change and adding depth to the brown pencil so it comes up more strongly. 

Abstract Matchbox Drawings

    Before i realised the drawings were suppose to be abstract i drew an acorn i found with a HB pencil. I used a messy cross hatching technique to create tones of shaded areas and where the light hit the acorn. I did part of the drawing on a ripped piece of paper from my diary. I quite like the layering and i find my messy notes add a sort of ordered but stressful emotion to the piece. It contrasts with the acorn as it is a reminder of life and peaceful nature, It's a simple form in shape showing less stress with the simple construct of life.
   Underneath i did an abstract version of the top view of the acorn in blue biro. The blue is quite strong and really attracts the attention of the eye onto that area of the page. I began doing scribbles in the middle so it began layering; eventually becoming the darkest area as i moved out. Then i used the biro to create dramatic lines coming out from the middle. I quite like the gradient tones in this as it's quite soft and i enjoy using biro. I used this acorn as i thought about how i use to pick them up when i was younger and also when kids play games with them.

   The other drawing i did non abstract. I used the remaining ripped page from my diary to rip into three pieces and layer on top of each other. This helped it look more chaotic, like the sea which was on the matchbox. I love using backgrounds like this for simple drawings or painting. This time using black biro i simply drew out the outline, the box was done using continuous lines but as i moved on i began focusing more on detail. I added light shading to the sides of the box to highlight the top area. I enjoyed doing the little detail on the ship and i added highlights with blue biro on the boat, sea and shadow underneath the box. I decided to draw this as the imagery on the box was interesting, the idea of ships made me think about all sort of water related myths and stories, additionally the film franchise pirates of the caribbean came to mind which involves these myths and imaginary sea monsters.

    The top drawing was of the ribbon and bell from a chocolate bunny. Using my ink pen i drew lines then smudged them in one direction. When i reached where the bell was attached i started going up and smudging the ink in the other direction. I quite like this effect as it adds light shading and lightens the dark, controlled lines. Overall making the piece more subtle and connected. I chose to put this ribbon in my matchbox as when i was a kid i would always keep the ribbon from the chocolate bunny/reindeer and as my journey is to do with fantasy i thought this worked well with the idea of the easter bunny and santa being apart of a shared society fantasy story told to children.
   The drawing below was of a transparent button. I began using blue biro doing tight scribbles, eventually becoming looser and lighter. I thought it made it look quite fluid like the transparent colour of the button. Around the edge i did the same but with black biro as the edges of the button picked up darker shadows.

Abstract Painting

  I collected these objects in Nuneaton Park and took some photos to contribute to my journey idea, however today i focused on using the objects i collected. I got some different sized, shapes and coloured leaves that grabbed my attention. I  also picked up a piece of bark that i thought would be interesting to use as a scraping tool. Using the sticking page i picked up random dirt from the grass, i did this as i thought it would be quite natural and uncontrolled. Amongst the dirt was the end of a cigarette butt which was quite disgusting but i thought it added to the dirt look and would make people think how we pollute the natural world. Lastly i picked up a dirty string that could be used to spread paint and a broken brick for printing on the page. On a piece of paper i used a pencil to take some rubbing of different textures. Some of these textures were bricks, the ground, bark on trees, scratched on a broken cone and the most interesting to me was the steps in the gazebo as it made some interesting holes/dots on the page.



   Before i started painting i stuck tape on the page, one horizontal and the other vertical to hopefully make an interesting effect when peeled off at the end. Also i stuck down one corner of the page to make the piece have less of a straight border as there is no limit to the imagination. I stuck to a blue/purple colour scheme as the colour connotations are quite calm, peaceful and beneficial fro the body and mind. Additionally purple also has connotations of magic, power, and creativity. I thought using different shades of these colours would work well in layers. For the left top corner i used the brick to print and overlapped it into other sections. The bottom left i used a small leaf branch and a darker blue. The top right was dark purple with a large leaf and the bottom i used a sponge to print and scrape on the page. Then i began layering the colours in the middle in a cross hatch technique, that i think Van Gogh used and i would quite like to work on this technique as i found it quite fun. I haven't finished this yet as there are more colours i need to layer to make it have more of a gradient. I liked using the objects for printing in the background as it shows how reality creates the basis and influences our dreams.
   Once i pulled the tape off, the lines were very powerful in the layered colours. The tape pulled up some of the white paint showing the brown paper, creating a rough cracked look that was ideal when viewing the white lines as reality. It showed how restricted people are, trapped by jobs, societal expectations, etc. The coloured paint therefore are their dreams and creative ideas that are then forgotten as they are never given the chance to be played out. The way the lines fade out around the edges, like the prints do, shows how those people feel empty and lost in life, powerless even. The white is also limitless like how thousands of people are trapped in jobs they don't like instead of the career they wished for because they weren't able to have the same opportunities as others who have more power.
  To improve this piece i would spend more time layering the colours up, more visible brushstrokes and shades that help it fade out from the centre but also appear more bolder in the centre. I would change where the lines are and add smaller lines coming from the main ones, these lines would be thin and short to show when people get close to catching their dreams but for many reasons don't get the chance still.

Journey Beginning

   Using dry mediums i began looking over contextual sources i had collected for my topic in journey. I enjoyed doing this task as it allowed me to view how my contextual sources could be brought together and used. I began by looking at the first page of a child's book that once belonged to my mum, the page contained my mums name and her sisters as they fought over ownership of the book. I found this interesting as it showed how important the book was to the each of them, additionally this was a book i grew up with and it made me think how this was a story we all loved and knew, yet never shared how we imagined it as everyone imagines things differently. To me the first page of a book is very important, it's what grabs the reader's interest but for this instance it was the ink imprinted on the page by two kids that loved the same book. I decided to recreate this with fine liner , pencil and scraped graphite to age the page to be the beginning of my search into the journey of fantasy vs reality.

  For the next section, using shading pencils, i drew out two books that differ a lot in their story and appearance. The bottom book was a hardback kids book called "The Wishing Chair", about wishes and fantasy worlds; the top book was a teen/adult book called "All The Bright Places", about two teens taking a journey, discovering interesting parts in their town whilst also finding a will to live. The second book carried a much more heavy topic that kept things realistic, however the places they visited added a sense of beauty. This book had a sad ending that made me cry but also remember the important relationship that the two teens had. I used graphite and charcoal to add darker sections, and by using a q-tip to fade it all together. Then darkened the background by smudging charcoal with a cotton ball. I used  a rubber to lighten areas then fineliner to add a quote from Alfred Lord Tennyson that i heard in a Tv show. I felt this quote was relevant to both books, the kids book they went on a fantasy journey by wishing. Then the teen book it was almost like their relationship was a dream and it helped them both escape from their problems.


   I took this extract from the first kids book that was called "The Folk Of The Faraway Tree". I redrew a section of the illustration using biro and continuous lines, then used smudged charcoal to add a mist around the drawing to make it look like a fragment someone had remembered from their dream and the rest of it was unclear. I then added a little bit of the dialogue as it reminded me of Alice in Wonderland with the talk of  "a party".  I thought this part of the story fitted quite well with my topic as Connie, the little girl, wanted to leave as she thought the tree with all the fantasy things in it was quite ridiculous. It showed how some people grow up and take a grasp of reality, and for those that don't are seen as childish and ridiculous. However Moonface follows her and she stays anyway. This showed how everyone has a dream that they wish they could follow or how people always say they miss their childhood and wish they could go back to it.




 

  For the next page i stuck a ripped piece of brown paper to the page and used fine liner to draw leaves and branches as if it was coming from the next page over about the faraway tree. The page already contained some pencil shading on the edge from where i continued to draw in the gaps cut into the page. Then i got a leaf from the branches i had brought in and tried placed it on the page, using charcoal i scraped over it to see if i would get an outline. The outline is rough but the charcoal darkened the leaf which i liked as if the fineliner had been drawn on it so i stuck it to the branch.
   On the last page i used fine liner to draw out a butterfly that i had taken a picture of. I began scribbling one wing before closing the gaps more and using charcoal to fade into and darken the rest of the butterfly. This made it appear more sinister or like as if someone is describing the butterfly and that was filling in the gaps in someone's imagination. I included a made up quote that i mixed together from a screenshot of a story written by a murderer in a fiction crime show. In the screenshot you see the words "at night she'd leave" then i added in "and fly south" from a song called fly south by a band called Walking On Cars that make amazing dream like sounds in their music with lyrics that include the dream idea.

Composition

Composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements in a piece of artwork. Its very important in art as it can change the entire meaning/tone of the artwork.

   For instance for this first photo the books are laid out quite messily, some overlapping but all very crowded together. This shows a sense of chaotic order, like when people/animals crowd together in times of danger for protection. When looking directly at the art in the books there is an almost line going through the middle where the darker drawings that fill the page take over. This draws the viewer's attention and they slowly revert out to the outside books. Another thing that i like about this is how the wooden floor is used as a frame for the work it adds another layer of tone overall that adds a soft feeling. 

However this all changes when looking at it from another angle. From this lower angle it takes the images in the books head on, focusing on the closest to the camera. Another thing is that there is no border meaning no safety. At the back you can see people's feet crowding the floor showing no clarity but also changes perspective of the viewer knowing there are others looking at this image from a different angle. It brings the image to life. Additionally, this lower angle shows the shadows and light reflecting in the floor. It exposes the one page that is not flat on the floor, which does not show in image one. This shadow conveys a feeling of mystery as you can not see the work on that page.
                                          

Artists

Jean Michel Basquiat once said "I don't think about art when I'm working. I try to think about life. " He did many graffiti art that showed his views on racial discrimination and lines between poverty and the rich. His work is very erratic and colourful, combining his painting with poetry that expressed his views in politics. His work is very powerful and includes loose lines creating a look as if a child had scribbled on it too. 


 The Guerrilla Girls are a group of female activists that use art and humour to expose gender and racial discrimination. They use words and "outrageous" images to get their messages across. These poster like artwork is very strong and sassy that even surprises me at times as they help educate me on areas that i may not know about. 



Carolee Schneemann was an American artist who used the body to express feminist art. She sticks to a black and white colour scheme which conveys an oppressed feeling. Her work is very interesting as in body position and what she includes in the surroundings. For instance the broken umbrella contrast how she is still standing strong and the leaf in the background makes me think of a new life. 





Kara Walker is a silhouettist, print maker and contemporary painter who explores race, gender, sexuality, violence, and identity in her artwork. I find her images very fascinating as she takes on a historic design in her art but continues to be modern with the bold silhouette work. It creates this interesting complex with how society has/ not changed over the years. 


 Marion Toy is a conceptual artist that combines everyday objects with aesthetic colour schemes. I like her work as it is very pleasing and kind of like pop fun. The bright colours help make a topia like world that seems like constant fun and very quirky with the unusual outcomes in some of her work. 


John Baldessari artwork was very imaginative colliding mundane realism with bright unusual pop art like style. His work creates an interesting concept with the lack of individuality in the world, however how he chooses to add this unique style in, that helps make things stand out, also prevents a sort of individuality as, for instance, these colourful circles cover the faces of the people.  



Tamara de Lempicka was a polish painter in the 1920s and 30s. Her paintings of women are very bright and capture this stylish sense with the block lines incorporated in her work. This painting here was what caught my eye as the style and the girl herself is very beautiful. i've always loved 20s fashion and this piece here really captures the beauty and power within the women.