Friday 12 November 2010

Costume week 1- bibliography

Bibliography

  1. http://www.fashion-era.com
  2. http://www.meg-andrews.com/item-details/Knit-Football-Shirt/6611
  3. http://www.victoriana.com/
  4. Book-Costume and Fashion by James Laver-page 221 and 222
  5. Book-English Costume of the Nineteenth Century by James Larver – page 88

Costume week 1- research

1900-1910
1.
.Edwardian…
During this time, dresses were made in two parts. The top part was almost like a corset and was worn over the S-bend corset. By 1905, press fasteners started to join the top corset to the skirt in order to form what we know as a dress.

The straight sleeves effect of the late 1890’s started to develop into blouses. The costume at this time included very deep high lace fabrics that elongated the neck right up to the chin. Theses were supported with a wire and worn in the daytime.

High neck blouse 1906:

Nightwear however, consisted of low neck square and round necklines. This allowed women to wear jewellery around the neck. The skirts on the other hand, were often elongated and gored. Later versions however, were able to flow more.

The costume at this time gave a lady posture and clothing that was free and able to sway.

After 1907, corsets became straighter and made woman appear taller. This corset started just above the waist and was fitted down the thighs.

The Edwardian era exploited the curves of woman and increased posture and maturity.

The Edwardians also achieved the monobosom effect which involved a one piece bosom. Ladies began to wear various sorts of bust bodices due to the fact that the bust was largely unsupported. This bust bodice was the earliest 20th century bra.


3. Winter hat
Hats were considered very stylish at this time. They were very artistic and extremely large. Feathers, flowers and other floral patterns were often used and the hats were used bold, vivid colours. Dark purple was considered very pleasing, usually velvet or chenille. The high crown was a very important factor in a winter hat and often had a velvet ribbon drawn around it.

Childrens costume
Childrens clothing, much like all clothing at this time was extremely mature and overdressed. Well off boys often wore a one piece suit over their bloomer trousers.
Poorer girls clothing included a linen suit, coat etc. They did not wear jewellery or lace as this was considered for adults. However, the better off girls were considered overdressed as they wore a lot of layers. The costume involved high heels, jewellery, leather shoes, skirts, fancy gloves, rhinestone buckles etc.

4. For formal occasions, men often wore top hats and the frock coat. However, the lounge suit with the homburg hat was increasing in popularity. Straw hats were also very popular and were sometimes worn with riding breeches. Trousers during this time were usually short and narrow with a sharp crease in front. Collars were made out of white starched linen and were very high, sometimes around the throat.

Printmaking week 1 continued

Different colour schemes.

Final design.


Printmaking week 1

Original image

I opened it on photoshop, replicated it and then adjusted the threshold to get the outline of the image. After this I filled it in and neatened up the edges using the paintbrush tool.

I then did adjusted the threshold of this image to show the detail of the image.

After having done this i opened Adobe Illustrator and opened my completely black image.
I then clicked 'live trace' then 'simple trace' and then 'expand.' This then allowed me to neaten up the edges by using the pen tool and the direct selection tool.
After this, I placed my detailed image on top and experimented with different colours.

Sunday 7 November 2010

Photography- Evaluation

Overall, I am very pleased with my results in the workshop as i got 5 photo's that were each clear. On the other hand, I also learnt a lot within the workshop as I now know how to make a pinhole camera. As well as the fact that I now know how long to expose my camera for as I had to adapt the time in order to find the right one.
What I enjoyed most about the workshop was taking the photo's and then dipping them in the chemicals to see if an image appeared. Altogether I was extremely pleased with the outcome of my results within the workshop and feel that I have learnt a lot of useful skills.

Painting- research

Franz Marc




Franz Marc was born in Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria in 1880. From 1900, Marc studied at the Academy of fine arts in Munich. In 1903 and 1907 he visited many museums in France, using other artists in order to influence his paintings. Marc frequented artistic circles and met many artists, including the actress Sarah Bernhardt. He was particularly fond of the work of Vincent Van Gogh.
Marc’s work includes mainly animals in their natural surroundings.  His work is characterized by using bright primary colours in order to give an abstract effect as well as creating a sense of emotion about the paintings. His work is an almost cubist like and attracts notice in influential circles.
Marc’s career was cut short due to the first world war after having been the most popular of all German expressionists in recent years.
I really like how Franz uses vibrant, bold colours in order to express the emotion within the painting. For example the bold red within his images portray a sense of anger. I find how Franz uses patterns within “Fighting forms” in order to emphasize the anger within the painting very effective as well as it appears like the wind which may link to God being angry.



Pablo Picasso...

Pablo Ruiz Picasso (1881-1973) was a Spanish-born painter, sculptor and draughtsman. He lived in France for most of his life where he did various paintings, using many techniques, adapting his style constantly. He came to be one of the most well known figures in the 1900’s for inventing cubism and for the wide variety of styles embodied in his work.
Examples of different syles:
1901-1904 – Blue Period (using different shades of blue to portray a sadness and depth to his work)
When Picasso’s close friend, Carlos Casagemas committed suicide Picasso was deeply upset which led him to create the painting “The death of Casagemas.”

Picasso did many paintings about Carlos. For example in one of his last blue period paintings called “Life,” Casagemas is shown with a lover and a mother with a child. Picasso painted this as Casagemas had shot himself after having been refused by a woman he loved. However, in this painting, Carlos is alive and is shown as undefeated. This painting marks the end of Picasso’s blue period as the theme in this image is strength and life as appose to death and sadness.

1904 – Rose Period ( Warmer, more optimistic mood)
Picasso’s rose period involved a more romantic mood. The breakthrough of this period consists in the fluency of line he began to achieve in 1904. An example of a painting Picasso produced in this period is called “Family of Acrobats with Monkey” which he produced in 1905. This painting is very classical in style as well as the fact that its line suggests a more abstract work. The basis of his Rose period is how he combined classicism with expressionism.
1907 - He and a French painter, George Braque pioneered cubism.

 This image is an example of some of Picasso’s cubist work. He has painted the image of some woman in different viewpoints. This is one of Picasso’s characteristics within his cubist paintings. This painting is called “Les Demoiselles d'Avignon” and was painted in 1907. Picasso’s cubist paintings marked the beginning of real abstract art and inspired many artists.
1912 – Used collage within his work.
Late 1920s -  He turned toward a flat, cubist-related style.
1930s – His paintings became militant and political.
After World War 2 - Picasso’s work became more gentle and more historical (He spent the remaining years of his life exploring earlier artists and using them to influence his work.)
I really like how abstract Picasso’s work is and how it’s extremely unique. I also like the bold colours he uses in order to make his paintings appear more visually interesting.

Salvador Dali...





Salvador Dali was born on May 11 1904 in a small town of Figueres in Spain. Dali attended the San Fernando Academy of fine arts in Madrid. Then, in 1925, he became internationally known for three of his paintings including 'The basket of bread' during his one-man show in Barcelona. The following year, Dali joined the surrealists and soon became the leader of the surrealist movement. However, he was later expelled from the group during his "trial" in 1934. He did exhibit his work in international surrealist exhibitions throughout the decade.


Dali made his home with his wife nearby port Lligat when he was older. Many of his paintings therefore reflect his love of this area of Spain. Salvador Dali was not limited to a particular style or media, his idea's and style changed a lot over the years. He was an extremely creative artist who used a range of watercolours, paints, oils, objects, graphics, objects, films and photographs to create his pictures. He was a constantly growing and evolving artist with an incredible use of symbolism within his work. Unfortunately he later died on January 23 1989.

The image is of an eye floating in the middle surrounded by a stormy sky and some land with a mountain in the background. The colours used are quite dull colours to emphasise the stormy weather and almost eerie atmosphere. The colours used are mostly a mixture of blue and green to exaggerate the sky and the land, to give a tone to the image. They are also quite deep colours and the different shades of the colours blended together give a realistic effect. The compostion of the image is extremely effective as it instantly draws your attention to the eye in the middle as the background is all pretty much the same, therefore the eye stands out. Brushstrokes are visible within the image, however other areas such as the eye are smoother, blended areas. The oil is quite thickly applied, especially with the eye. This helps to give a bold appeal to the image. On the other hand, Dali uses lines in order to draw your eye in to the eye as the lines gradually join together in the distance at a perspective point.

The thing that caught my eye about this image is the eye in the centre as the lines help to draw your attention to it. I like the abstract, 3D effect of the eye and how Dali has blended the colours and added reflections in order to create this effect.


Salvador Dali was working with Alfred Hitchcock at this time. Hitchcock was deeply interested in contemporary art and wanted Dali to create a new kind of filmic dream which was sharp detailed and slightly disturbing. Dali worked hard to realise Hitchcocks ambitions and therefore produced this painting.

Dali's work interests me as i like the surrealist effect and the idea of encorporating dream like figures/ objects into my work. I also like the use of the body parts ( an eye in this example) to encorporate the theme of work.

 

Ceramics- Final evaluation

I really enjoyed this workshop as there was lots of different aspects within ceramics. For example, i was able to use different types of clay in order to make a stencil, newspaper stencil using white slip and a shoe.
I mostly enjoyed creating my four tiles as I got to create my own design and could adapt it until I got my final result.
I learnt a lot within the workshop such as using different types of clay for different things. I also learnt about all the different materials etc such as white slip, clear glaze, glaze paints, sgraffito tile, crank clay and red earthenware clay.
Altogether I learnt a lot from the workshop and really enjoyed all aspects of it.

Ceramics- materials, techniques and processes

Materials:
red earthenware clay
crank clay
white slip
clear glaze
glaze colours
hot air gun
newspaper
needle
kiln
rolling pin
wooden boards

processes:
Drawing/design
Having idea's

Techniques:
Drawing
rolling clay
cutting
layering white slip
drying
paiting
cooking in kiln
moulding
embedding patterns

Ceramics-Shoe

I used crank clay in order to create my shoe. I started off by cutting out a slab for the soul of the shoe and gradually added to it. After having moulded my shoe, I added patterns to it my pressing objects into the clay. I used newspaper in order to hold my shoe together before I put it in the kiln for a biscuit fire of 1000 degree's centigrade.

Ceramics-Shoe research

Joanne Bedient



Jo Anne Bedient was born in SW Virginia and has emerged as one of Southwest Florida’s premier clay artists. She is best known for her ceramic shoes and blends realism with fantasy within her work.
Bedient attended Fort Hays State University and graduated with a degree in ceramics in 1977. Bedient didn’t like the idea of using a potter’s wheel and so instead built the shoes by hand. Furthermore, she later discovered that raku firing revolutionized her work. This is a Japanese technique which involves removing red-hot pieces from the kiln and placing them in combustible material. Smoke permeates the clay and glazes, creating crackle patterns along with luster and bold, rich colours.

Ceramics -research

Ceramics research...

Ceramic is an inorganic, non-metallic solid created by the action of heat and cooling. Ceramic materials may either be amorphous (e.g. glass) or have a crystalline or a partly crystalline structure. The earliest ceramics were pottery made by clay which was hardened in fire. Ceramics has later been improved by being glazed and fired to create a coloured, smooth surface.
There is a wide range of ceramics including art objects, household objects, industrial and building products. Recently there has been advancements in the use of ceramics as ceramic engineering was developed.
Maggie Angus Berkowitz studied, worked with and made ceramics in the UK, Italy, USA, Africa and Japan but now works in the place she was born; the Lake District in the Northwest of England. Maggie’s tiles were original and unique and were specific pictures painted with glazes and oxides, fired on unglazed tiles as appose to designs. This therefore shows how specific and individual each tile is.
Maggie’s tiles can be used for a variety of different environments and purposes. For example, they can be used for walls, floors, external use, swimming pool flooring etc. Maggie’s tiles add a unique decoration to any purpose they’re applied to.


Susan Griffiths
Susan Griffith’s is a well educated to tile artist who trained at Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts, gaining a BA (Hons) in Ceramics. Susan’s tiles have been commissioned for a variety of uses. For example her tiles are used in kitchens, bathrooms, conservatories, swimming pools, hotels and restaurants. She has been successfully designing and painting tiles for over 15 years and has received “The Young Designer of the Year Award” for her tiled panels.



Susan uses a combination of techniques in order to build up the layers of colour to make the image appear bolder and more vibrant. She does this by painting, sponging, dragging, wax-resist and stencilling. This therefore means numerous firings. Susan starts off with a relatively light base tile, applies various techniques to it e.g painting etc. This tile is then glazed and put in the kiln.
Susan decorates her tiles using ‘on-glaze’ which is where coloured glazes are applied on top of an already glazed fire tile (base tile). The tile is then put in the kiln for 800°C for on-glaze.

Ceramics - tile

I cut out a tile of earthenware red clay along with a template i drew on a newspaper. I layed the newspaper template onto the tile to position it and then stuck it down using water. I added a layer of white slip to my tile and then used a hot air gun to harden it. I repeated this method until there was a thick layer that was almost white. The newspaper template was then removed to reveal my original pattern. I then outlined this pattern using a needle as well as engraving my name into the tile. The tile was then biscuit fired to 1000 degrees centigrade in a kiln:
I then painted my tile using glaze colours followed by a layer of clear glaze. This was then re-fired to 1080 degree's centigrade:

My four tiles:
I experimented with different designs for my four tiles before I came up with my final design. I repeated the method for my single tile as I cut out four tiles of earthenware clay and created templates using newspaper. The drying of the white slip was also used before peeling away the newspaper to reveal my original design. The tiles were then biscuit fired to 1000 degree's centigrade in a kiln:

I then used glaze colours followed by adding a layer a glaze and refired my tiles to 1080 degree's centigrade in a kiln:

Saturday 6 November 2010

Ceramics

I traced an image using tracing paper in order to be able to trace it onto my tile. I then layed the tracing paper on top of my tile (sgraffito tile) and gradually went over it with my pencil until the image came out of my tile. Once I removed the tracing paper i went over the outline with a needle. This was then biscuit fired in a kiln to 1000 degrees centigrade:
I then painted this using glaze colours:

I layer of clear glaze was then added to this and refired to 1080 degree's centigrade.

Painting

I took various photo's and finally chose this one to paint:
I chose this photo as i really like how the fence goes off into the distance. The composition of this photo is very effective due to the fact that the fence draws your attention to the tree's in the background. Another reason i chose this photo is because there is quite a lot of different objects, tree's etc which all have different textures and so allow me to be able with different brushstrokes etc.

The first thing i did was sand a peice of wood and painted a white undercoat on it followed by painting the wood using primary colours.
My final design:

I am pleased with the outcome of my painting as i like the use of bold, vibrant colours as well as the effect i got from the different brush strokes i used. I think it would have looked better if i used white to show the light, however i only used primary colours.

I then adapted this image by using a viewfinder to produce another image:

I am pleased with my result as i was able to use white which gave a more 3D effect. I also like the effect that the visible brushstrokes make as it adds to the abstract effect. I'm not happy with my tree's as they are quite dull and don't achieve the vibrant effect i wanted.

I also decided to make a collage version of the first painting:

I am very happy with my painting as i think the materials gave it a very effective texture as well as giving it a 3D effect. I feel the tissue paper used for the tree's gave a very ruggered effect and that the silver foil used for the path shows all of the texture in the ground. However, I don't think that using bubble wrap for the back fence was very effective as it was very tricky to paint due to the detail and how thin the line was.

Evaluation...
Overall, I am extremely pleased with the outcome of my paintings and how the workshop encouraged me to expand and improve my design and idea's in order to gain the best possible result. This includes using viewfinders, different materials, textures etc.
On the other hand, within the workshop I have improved my colour mixing skills and how to create a painting by using just the primary colours.
The thing I enjoyed most about the workshop was expanding my original design and by experimenting with different materials in order to make my work look more textured.
If I had the chance to do anything differently within the workshop, I would have used the bubble wrap in a different position on my collage as it was extremely difficult to paint the fence in the background on top of it.
However, altogether I think the workshop was successful in improving my painting skills. I also feel my 3 paintings were a huge success due to the vibrant colours, brushstrokes etc.

Thursday 4 November 2010

Langard Fort

                                                                                      Langard Fort...










We went on a trip to Langard Fort in Felixstowe for our drawing. I feel the trip was very useful due to the wide range of objects and views there was to draw/photograph. During my time at Langard Fort, i experimented with various drawing techniques that i had learnt during the course. For example I did quick sketches, line drawings, timed sketches, coloured drawings, continious line drawings, blind drawings, sketches and architectual drawings.
On the other hand, Langard Fort had various different views of objects and scenery which allowed me to take as many different photo's as possible.
The trip was therefore very useful as it allowed me to experiment with different techniques on lots of different images. The fact that i was able to take photos of various different views allowed me to draw as much different images as possible.