FINAL MAJOR PROJECT BLOG AND REFLECTIVE DIARY
statement
My idea is to express the how society has labelled the perfect body and instead of celebrating all shapes and sizes it focuses on the current “trend” of body. And in my opinion everyone should have a right to like their own body and not have to change themselves just because the media portrays it to be the best look. For example celebrity Kim Kardashian’s body is all over the Internet and you can see the changes girls are going through to try and have a body like her. You can change what you look like on the outside but you will always stay the same on the inside. I will express and communicate this by mono printing 3-5 A4 – A3 images of naked men and women who are of all different sizes, in different positions in natural settings. I will carry out primary research in galleries and search into artists referring to the human body.
Half term into week 1
Throughout the course of my book so far over the 2 weeks i have I have been researching into many artists that focus on the nude body and how it is portrayed. and the textures and tones and marks they made. I noticed the artists such as Lucian Freud and Tracey emin had similar body positions that their models were in when they were captured on paper. Jenny saviles work was more dramatic and raw to look at due to the skin textures. I'm going to do some outcomes in their style to try out their mark making.
Ive been looking at famous celebrites who have gone through plastic surgury operations to change themselfs too. I got images of before and after they have had any surgical work or changes made. I've made a whole A4 page of these images and written about Perception, how we are percieved, how we want to be percieved and we percieve ourselfs. Even looking in the mirror.
I have also created 2 pages on the History of Art just to give an insight into the first ever painting of a body and little interesting things you dont hear of every day.
Also during the half term i visited 3 Galleries.
-National Gallery
-National Portrait Glatter
- Whitewall Gallery
The WhiteWall Gallery was a very small Gallery in Richmond highstreet. It had very cool interesting images and artists work in many styles but the work i was interested in wasnt on display.
The National portrait Gallery didnt have what i wanted after asking a member of staff but i still walked around and had a look at the art work.
How ever the National Gallery had all the paintings and art work relevant to my project. I was able to look at nude bodies from early centuries right the way through which was useful because I could see how Woman and Mens bodies were portrayed and how it has changed. I took photographs for my book of the work i studied.
I enjoyed the Galleries, I wondered around London with my boyfriend and took lovely photos of the scenery and inside the Galleries.
Week 2/3
I have looked nto the body in Ancient Greek and Roman and how they were portrayed. They had perfect bodies and all muscular. I created a double page on that but didnt do any outcomes. I found out the men were main focal points due the the homosexuality there was in those times. Women were for making children with not pleasure it was men you'd have pleasure with.
I still need to finish writing about the History of Art.
Also i've added a page in to do with monoprinting and what i like about it and the tools i will use along side it. And what is is compared to other types of print e.g block printing, screen printing or etching.
I have also been completeing small experimental pieces from images i have collected. Of course i will use my own images when actually carrying out my experimental work/final piece.
I am please with the way they came out. The texture of the ink was picked up so well with the piece on the left and the middle piece. The right outcome below wasnt so great but i know that for next time what kind of lighting i need in the photos i choose.
Since starting my experimental work i have had 2 good small outcomes but need to take many more photos to experiment with because not all of them were coming out the way I wanted them too, or had enough tone and shadow for me to work with.
I need to add in a page about an advert ive seen - Dove Advert 2012 because that is still research that i needed in at the beginning, obviously artsits are always reseaching but that one is quite important so I'd prefer it near the front.
I have taken photos of different people in various positions to mono print.
I stuck in my prints in my book and made the pages interesting with ripped up news paper going in to the prints. it gives it a textured affect and looks like the prints are coming out from underneath. People commented on it and said it does look good with the newspaper so maybe i will incorporate that into my final pieces.
Week 4
Ive decided to carry out transfer prints in my book, i found an artist previously in my book which inspired me to do so although i was focusing on the main mono prints. If the transfer prints work i will use them as part of my final piece. Not all of them are coming out well i only have one very good clear one. I've chosen the photograph that i will use for my final piece. It is a close up of hands grabbing skin on a persons thigh. I think it will work well against the rest of my work.
i have taken more photos and selected the 4 i want to work with. the 5th piece is writing. I have moved from A5 to A4 and A3 paper for starting experimental work for the final pieces aslo. I hope I can get them all done in time and framed.
I have experimented with a glue gun ontop of my work also and shaping the flat surface with it to make it come out of the page slightly. I have also painted over the glue with white acrylic i might try black aswell. I'm not going to bring colour into it as i dont want the focus to disappear.
Week 5 & 6
This week i have decided to focus on the writing half of my project. I have spoken to various people about their views on the body, size and society. Im going to mono print them and change the text size as i go along. Obviously i have to experiment with size and figure out how large the paper will be. I have recieved parapgraphs from people and i cant fill all of that onto the page so i need to cut it down and choose sentences for the page.
Half way through making an experimental piece i changed my mind and had another idea. I think this will work.
I've managed to also begin my final pieces and write up small evaluations of my work in my book.
I read some more articles for my work too and started my transfer print for my final piece.
week 7
I have completed all my final pieces framed them and written an evaluation.
i was worreid about buying the frames incase they didint have the colour i needed. so I bought white frames and painted them black.
The aim of my FMP was to show bodies of all sizes with no perfect body shown. As my message is about being happy with your body and not trying to change yourself.
My aim was to create multiple printed final pieces of bodies in natural settings e.g at home, sitting down but in the end I just focused on the human form and not the background.
My research helped inspire me massively. I took many photos from galleries and studies the body of those painted to help guide me with my own primary research. I had my own knowledge from previous monoprints of bodies to help me with deciding on what paper to use and ink.
I had a wide range of research from gallery photos, primary research photos, interviewing people and reading up about the topic to make a successful book. Along with 7 artists who work in different Sykes to inspire and link to my work.
My experimental work was a major part of my FMP, it showed my ideas on paper and what looked good and what needed improving or changing.
I came across problems such as my transfer prints not always coming out 100% or even being clear enough, so I kept trying over and over. In the end unused my own photography for a final piece without transferring it. It is a form of art and looked very good once framed.
I knew it from the beginning of my FMP that I wanted multiple final pieces and that I wanted them in a certain way. The fact that I was having different styles and perceptions if art with static images involved made it more fun and creative.
My method of working was a case of trail and error because I knew previously that not every no print or transfer print will always come out successfully. The strengths were that I could make different textures each time and each development looked different in it's own way.
I would possibly change the scale I worked at to a larger size and be more brave about the textures and tones.
My final outcomes do relate back to my statement of intent with the relation of showing various nude body sizes and the raw elements within that, nothing is hidden away.
There were a few small changed in my fin pieces due to the last minute idea with my written piece. Also my transfer print changes.
People who have seen my final pieces said it's expressive and the use of various methods is interesting and it's really cool and a brave thing to do.
I am lease with my work , I'm not 100% happy about one or two of them but I am confident with the graphite/print piece of the large lady that is my favourite one.
I used my time wisely in and out of college. I used my mac at home for research so when I came into college I could sit down and write out the information I needed. I would carry out experimental work both at college and at home too and used ilearn sessions and the library.
My diary/blog helped me to keep track of my work. My dirty is online on my blog. I could read over what I have done the previous week and seethe progress and order of my journey.
I was given a specific teacher to go to, who'd look at my work and help me. But I still spoke to most of my teachers and my tutors if there was any problems. I had feedback from two teachers marking my work showing what I had achieved and the areas that needed improvement.
The Exhibition
Presenting my work for my FMP involved painting our art room with white paint and clearing the entire room out. I participated as much as i could with both parts. I came in at 9 and 9:30 on the 2 allocated days to pack the room up and move equipment and furniture.
I helped to paint the walls and clean the floor along with placing my art work onto the wall.
I needed to drill into the wall and hang my work with nails because I had heavy glass frames that needed extra support. During this process my teacher and class mates helped me to do this which was good as I helped them in return.
I am happy with how my outcomes look on the wall. The sizes make it more interesting to view.