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I did these iPad drawings inspired by Tomma Abts’ ‘Heeso’ which features a similar red line on a black background. I really like doing her painting and I wanted to create similar shapes which I could use to layer over other drawings in a similar way to Bernard Cohen’s paintings. I ended up only doing a couple of layered images using the iPad drawing so and I don’t think they are very effective however, I think the lines on their own are quite exciting. I did enjoy layering images so I played around with some of the drawing s in my sketchbook as well which I think are more effective.

 

I created these paintings using a piece of styrofoam I experimented on during the skills 2 workshop – I used the wire cutter to carve random swirly shapes in the foam. To make the paintings I covered the styrofoam in paint and then pressed it against the paper and moved it around to blend the colours together and create interesting textures. I enjoyed using the styrofoam in this way and I think both the paintings and the styrofoam itself are effective.

I didn’t do the painting workshop but I wanted to do the abstract shapes painting on my own as I thought it would be an interesting way to experiment with colour and shape. I really enjoyed the process of making this – I found using the stencils really interesting. I think the colours and shapes I used work effectively together and create an intriguing piece. I think it might have been interesting to have used a dark background to see how that would have affected the work – I’m not sure the white background works well.

I experimented with using a palette knife in different ways to create texture in a different way. I played around with this in different ways – one way I did this was through writing words or drawin shapes directly with the paint tube and then using the palette knife to move the paint across the canvas.  I think these paintings are visually exciting and dynamic although some of the colour choices aren’t working as effectively especially in the irregular shaped canvas.

 

I played around with various different methods using inks to create more fluid paintings than some of my pattern work which had so far been relatively rigid and structured. I used pipettes, a palette knife and my hairdryer to create abstract shapes and textures with the inks.

I hadn’t done life drawing in a while so it wasn’t good to get back into it. We started with 30 second poses, moving to 1 minute and going up by 30 seconds before doing longer poses. I’ve done quick poses before and I really enjoy drawing in this quick way – I think it produces energetic, dynamic drawings.

I created this painting through using a pipette to drip the inks down the canvas and then blowing the lines across the canvas using my hairdryer. I’m undecided whether I like this painting or not – I think the colours are really effective however, I’m unsure about the spidery lines across the canvas. I enjoyed making this piece and using various techniques to do so, I just don’t know how it works as an overall piece.

Playing around with pattern has been an important part of my practice – it’s been key in my experimentation with different colour combinations and layering shapes.

I wanted to play around with this technique because movement is an integral part of the process which I think is what makes the paintings exciting. I find it really interesting watching videos of people doing this on YouTube – seeing the process is really intriguing and the work is unpredictable which makes each piece dynamic.

I did an initial experiment using gesso as a base and mixing inks which came out alright however the gesso wasn’t fluid enough for the paint to spread across the whole canvas and I ended up using a palette knife to move the paint further across the paper.

As my initial experiment hadn’t come out how I’d wanted I tried again using a gloss medium to mix with the paints and give more fluidity to the paint. I also did these pours over small canvases to make it easier to manoeuvre the paint and cover the whole surface. I think these came out really well although once dried each painting ended up looking a little different – bubbles appeared across the canvas which i think adds to the purple painting but is not effectiveness on the red painting.

I played around with using the leftover paint over plaster casts from the skills 2 workshop that I didn’t like as much. I really like how these came out – the casts I used were relatively simple with a textured surface and the swirling in the paint really highlights the curves of the surface. I think the way the paint forms around the bump s in the cast is really dynamic and exciting.

I also experimented with using the drips left on the paper underneath to create swipe paintings that have some really interesting textures.

Overall, I really enjoyed this process – both the actual canvases I wanted to do and the rest of the work I produced as a result. Playing around with different methods occurring from the same initial idea was really exciting.

Initial gesso experiments:

Using gloss medium:

Pouring over plaster casts:

Swipe paintings created using drips from pours:

I really like how this experiment turned out. The roller gave a texture that I wasn’t expecting but i think it’s really effective. I also like the way the bubble wrap interacts with the paint – the shapes and texture work well together and I think it’s dynamic.