Odilia Bird FDA

Dark Room: we had a brief induction into the dark room and were tasked with making photograms I used different objects such as lace fabric and feathers to block the light coming from the enlarger to create an image on the photographic paper, we were tasked with using a piece of card to cover sections of the paper and object every time the paper was exposed to the light so there are some parts of the image that have had up to 35 seconds of exposure.  The fist image I made I expose it for far too long and the final product was mostly black with some some lighter spots, when in relation to the task we were given it wasn't successful, however, when looking at it without any context the flashes and spatters of white and the partially faded finger prints are quite striking, sinister and medical, reminding me of something that would be found in a crime novel or documentary. For my second and third photograms I was able to successfully alter the light exposure and created these ghostly bla...

  Tracing the landscape: Research: Over the summer we were told about our first project starting in September named 'Tracing the landscape' I took the initiative to visit a selection of old houses and grounds such as Wollaton Hall, Newstead Abbey and Nottingham castle and take pictures as well as photograph sea scapes when I was on Holliday in Devon. The places that I visited have an abundance of history that come with them and these historical aspects and stories are something that I could perhaps include in my work going forward. These areas were rich with wildlife, spacious and beautiful and I will continue to visit the historic sites throughout my project.

  Studio Practice: Wire sculptures: I used a combination of wire, white and brown paper and tape to recreate my previous line drawing as a sculptor. Once I had finished I bent the wire to give it shape and form and I believe that using this technique was able to capture the essence of my original drawing. When forming the leaves I chose to make them a variety of sizes and use both brown and white paper so that each section has something different to look at and had contrast and character, when looking at my final product I believe that the curves and lines of my structure combined with the thin paper and tape invoke a feeling of fragility and youth. I enjoyed this task and I would like to further implement the use of wire in my future work.  Sowing Task: I then transformed the shapes and forms of my wire leaves into sewn structures using pale cream fabric and blue thread. I chose blue as the colour for the thread because I wanted it to stand out against the fabric as well as h...

 Studio Practice: Mono Printing: For this task we went up to the print room to create mono prints of the line drawings that we had previously made. I was already familiar with the process which involves rolling ink onto a perspex plate, laying paper on top and using different tools and instruments to create a variety of marks on the paper. I used a combination of blunt pencils and tooth pics to trace over my line drawing to create a black ink mono print. I was able to replicate the detail of my original drawing to some extent and the the patchy background combined with the swirling lines reminded me of marble surfaces, however, I found that the lines appeared smudged and blurred when compared to the original and overall the prints seemed too busy and bulky for my liking. I wasn't really engaged by this task and found that the process was quite limiting in what I was able to produce as a final outcome and if I was to use this process in future work I would need to combine it with ot...

Studio Practice: Sketching vegetation: We were tasked with creating sketches of different leaves and plant vegetation to help us to develop ideas for our project 'Tracing the land', I created three rough sketches using a variety of mixed media such as pencil and grey and white chalk pastels. For my first sketch I did a line drawing, I really enjoyed the intricate detail that I could include in my drawing by going over the same lines multiple times and I was able to create something that looked both delicate and chaotic at the same time. For my second and third drawings I wanted to test the new chalk pastels that I had recently bought and had never used before. I started by drawing the veins of the leaf in a white and then smudged a darker grey to fill in the gaps and create the actual shape of the leaf, when looking at the final product my sketch it appears almost ghost like and haunting as well as invoking an atmosphere of loneliness and solitude, which I think is a result of ...

 Studio Practice: Paper wrap task : For a group task we had to wrap up one person to create human forms using paper and masking tape, during this task we needed to think about lines and structure, where to fold the paper to create certain lines, where to scrunch the paper to create texture, where to place the masking tape as well as make sure that the form we created was able to stand by itself once it was removed from the person. Our forms were successful as they resembled bodies and were free standing. I then created rough sketches of these paper forms using mixed media, I created a base sketch using graphite and developed them using media such as charcoal and ink. I found it interesting to zoom in on a particular section of the paper form and sketch it and then sketch another section over the top, and I believe that this abstract approach allowed my drawings to transform into something new. I believe that with the addition of the ink my drawings began to be more defined and have...