Odilia Bird FDA

Artist research: Rosalind Hobley: Hobley is a London based artists working mainly in cyanotypes and photogravure, in this first image I can see that the blue tones are showcased in a gradient. Darker around the edges and slowly getting lighter until there is white in the middle, this allows for there to be a focal point to the work and I think the change in tones helps to emphasise the shadows and curves of each individual petal. I also believe that this helps there to be a sense of depth within the work, and the darkness seems to stretch on forever. The edges of the petals are frilled and in some places jagged there is a delicate balance between fragility and aggression. When I look at this work I notice how the petals are curve around and lean on each other, they seem to rely on one and other for support. I think that this helps to create an atmosphere of fellowship, they need each other and with each other they are never lonely. I noticed that there seems to be a slightly grainy tex...

 Mock Diarama: As a further development and experiment with layering and depth I created a diorama, a landscape or scene within a box. I wanted a three layer forest scene and so I started by drawing each opening on a separate piece of cardboard, each one getting progressively bigger so that you could see the one behind it. I then used a craft knife to cut the opening out, I found using a craft knife so much easier than using scissors and I was able to get a much smoother line. I then cut out a variety of trees for each layer and stuck them on with Pitt stick glue. Another thing I noticed when using the craft knife was that the cardboard held up quite well and didn't fall apart which is what happened to some of the smaller pieces when using scissors. I then painted each layer with pains grey acrylic, progressively getting slightly lighter for every layer in the foreground, and painted the trees white. I then cut smaller pieces to act as the knots and bumps in the bark, one thing I f...

 Natural UV Cyanotypes: I decided to try out some more Cyanotypes, but this time I wanted to expose them to natural light instead of the UV light bed. Looking back to my other attempts I also left the mixture to dry on the paper for at least a day before exposing them to see if this made a difference to how much mixture would come out when washing them. For my first attempt I put some leaves and branches that I had Collected from my research visit from Wollaston Hall on top of the paper and weighed it down with some stones from my garden to prevent the paper from moving. I left it out for a couple of hours and when washing the Cyanotype some sections washed out slightly more than others but the images stayed quite intact which was a huge improvement compared to the last time. Unfortunately, it seems as though light has managed to get underneath the leaves due to them not being flat on the paper causing the final image to be faded and blurry.  I really like how the blue tone is...

Cardboard forest: I have been looking at layering in terms of mostly painting, and so I wanted to develop and explore this further by using a more physical material like cardboard. I had been looking at children's books and artwork like 'The Gruffalo' and I found that I enjoyed this type of art style. I liked the cartoon elements to it and the way that it wasn't trying to be hyper realistic.  Using this as inspiration I painted the base with black acrylic, used scissors to cut out winding tree forms which I then painted white and added smaller triangle and eye shape pieces of cardboard on top to represent the peeling bark which I also painted black. I used regular pritt stick glue to stick each element on top of each other. One things I found difficult during this process was that because I used scissors it was difficult to the the smooth curve that I wanted and the result was far more jagged and uneven than I would have liked. Next time I will use a craft knife or scal...

Artist research: Andreas Rousounelis: While doing some research into dioramas I came across an artist called Andreas Rousounelis, who has a blog full of his hand crafted dioramas. I find this first piece really interesting and the sheer amount of detail that can be seen is fascinating. I love the contrast between the elegant and regal elements such as the grand fire place and chair and the elaborate picture frame, but the wall paper is peeling of and the fire place and floor are covered in soot and dirt. This is a place that has been abandoned and I think that this causes there to be a feeling of sadness within this piece. I think that the colours and tones that have been used within the work add to this aspect of wealth and finery, the green and gold tones are rich and bold and seem to boat of wealth and money with the intricate patterns weaving in and out of each other. But the more I look the more this place feels void of any love, it seems like this is all a show and ...

Cyanotypes: I decided to create some cyanotypes using the photographs that I had taken during some of my research trips. To do this I chose three images and used photoshop to invert the colours, changed them to black and white and then used curves to adjust the contrast and shadows within the images.  Instead of using pre made cyanotype mixture I bought the chemicals and the photography technician mixed them for me, I then used this mixture on 3 A3 sheets on paper. For these three images I used a uv lighted to expose them and then washed them out underneath a cold tap. One things that seemed to go wrong was that when washing the the images were washing away as well which isn't supposed to happen. I wonder if the issue was the paper that I was using, water colour paper. But when I tried mixed media paper instead it seemed to make no different. What I ended up doing was just estimating the best point to stop washing to try and make sure that I had a somewhat intact image.  The f...

Impasto painting: I wanted to try out some different painting styles and work a little bit more with texture and so I decided to create an impasto painting of a sunrise. I began by using orange and yellow acrylic paint as a mixed tone base and then mixing different shades and tones of orange, yellow and red to layer on top onto a piece of cardboard. to do this I used a pallet knife which I found difficult at the beginning because I wasn't sure how much paint to put on or how to apply it properly. To remedy this I watched a few quick YouTube tutorials on application and technique to gain a better understanding of this. During this process one issue I noticed rather quickly was the sheer amount of paint that I was using, personally, this was unsustainable for me as I only have. limited supply and cannot afford to keep buying more too often. Because of this I had to stop painting about a third of the way through and so there is a section on the left hand side that only had the orange ...

 Acrylic painting and charcoal: Forest and depth After my charcoal robin sketch I wanted to have one more go at using this medium. I wanted to explore depth a bit more and I was quite interested in how forests looked during the night and how the perspective and sense of depth is different from during the day, I used my darkest shade of brown charcoal to do this as I didn't have any black at the time and decided on sketching birch trees as I find them the easiest for me to draw and they also have a natural contrast to them with white and dark tones within the bark. I sketched two larger trees in the foreground and then four thinner and smaller trees in the background. As this was just a rough sketch I do think that the final outcome seems messier than my other charcoal piece and the lines, although smooth in some areas are are more jerky and uneven. Which I think creates this feeling of imperfection and hurriedness within the image. I also think that the jerky motions of the charcoa...

  Acrylic pouring: I tried acrylic pouring for the first time, I asked my course mate to show me how to do this process and learned that by mixing one part acrylic paint and two parts PVA glue,  then adding water I am able to create a very runny and liquid acrylic pouring mixture. I also added silicone oil to the mixture to add more texture to the final work. For my first attempt I use a combination of Ultramarine and Cobalt blue, Purple and Teal. I then layered each colour into a paper cup and flipped it upside down onto a piece of water colour paper, I moved the paper around and even used a hairdryer to manipulate the paint around the paper before it got too dry. I really enjoyed this process, it was messy but fun and felt unorthodox and free compared to the more traditional processes such as painting and drawing.  I think that the outcome for this first image is good, however, one thing that I would change are the colours that I used. Even though, once dry the colours ...

Pencil and charcoal animals: I decided to try out a new medium in the for of charcoal, to begin with I followed a YouTube tutorial for drawing a Robin and I initially used pencil while following the tutorial step by step. I then created a charcoal drawing of a Robin within my sketchbook, but this time I used what I had learned and and didn't follow the tutorial. I used a combination of orange and brown charcoal and tries to use techniques such as blending the colour with my fingers to create smooth sections and and then leaving the charcoal as it was to make harsher, darker sections.  when looking at my first sketch I think that the overall lines are quite smooth, curved and rounded. The rounded shape creates this cute and welcoming image, and I think that even thought the there are jagged and lines In this sketch to create the image of plumage they still seem soft and friendly. When I think of Robins I don't think of scary and dangerous animals, I imagine small and skitt...

Abstract collage: As an experiment in depth and texture I decide to create an abstract collage within my A4 sketchbook based on one of my coastal images. To do this I used found paper from previous work that included different patterns, colours, textures and mediums. Such as watercolour and acrylic paint. I layered each piece of paper on top of another to create a piece that I think conveys depth and perspective quite well. while creating this collage I was ripping the paper rather than cutting and I found that this created a jagged and messy edge to the paper which I liked. Some edges of the paper had already been cut in a clean line so it was nice to have a contrast to that in the image, I also found that tearing the paper by hand often left a white edge that seemed to stand out against the colour that was there before. I think that this was useful for me when layering the paper as it made each individual piece more noticeable and seemed to stop them from blending in with each ot...

Artist research: Monet: Claude Monet was born in Paris in 1840 and was a leading French Impressionist landscape painter.  What I notice first in this painting 'Water Lilies Setting Sun' is the colour scheme, the pink and orange tones stand out when compared to the more muted greens. These colours are warm and inviting, the orange and pink compliment each other and I think that the sunset reflected in the water is calming. The daily transition from day to night is grounding, allowing for a moment of mindfulness and relaxation. I love the impressionist style of the work, the edges of the water lilies are rougher and blurred and contrast the flowing movement of the water, I think that there is something delicately wild about the forms of there lilies, the pink flowers are feminine and gentle but the corners of the lily pads jut out in odd angles which allow for them to seem untamed amongst an otherwise picturesque pond. In terms of scale, this work seems like a zoomed in snapshot ...