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.