All Done - Almost

Today was a very satisfying day. I re-glazed my bowl. So it's fingers and toes crossed it works this time. I ripped a bit off my clock and lazer cut a new clock face for it (the cardboard face had bobbled, which didn't seem like a good idea. Don't want the hands getting stuck).

And I made a 2D piece which is quite nice. I want to roll my leather newspaper up (which would stop it being 2D) so I made this instead.

I started the process because I wanted to make a screen print. But I felt the finished product was too 'fuzzy' and fussy. However, I really liked the acetate that's used in the process, and decided to use that instead.

I photocopied an A3 copy of a newspaper, glued a stack together, covered the top layer in emulsion and rubbed back once it was dry. I then glued some iconic newsprint photos on, rubbing them with emulsion so they looked more integrated.

Next I rubbed some red acrylic over the quotes in order to give them clarity (and sadly smudged one of them, hence the slight shades of pink).

Finally, I experimented in removing half the thickness of some ridged cardboard in order to make a frame to 'sink' the piece into. I then covered it in wire (representing a street newspaper billboard).

And then baked at 180 for 35 minutes...

It's a quick thing, but worked quite well and got my son talking about it when he came home just now. He was really interested in the pictures, asked if one of them was the Khmer Rouge and we ended up discussing the little girl on the picture. Wouldn't do that if it was an image on your phone.

A Chinoiserie Clock

I have, for years, coveted my friends' papier mache clock from Brighton. So, I decided that DT was the perfect opportunity to make my own. We're meant to be making a model, but I've decided to go on and make the whole thing.

 I was really pleased that I quickly sussed how to construct it. (Something that completely eluded me when I tried once before).

Styrofoam is a really useful modelling material, especially as you can PVA or papier mache over it. I was also pleased with how I solved the issue of my umbrella bit. I tried card first but felt that was too rigid. So I then constructed it out of florists wire and newspaper.

This is how it's looking so far. Fingers crossed it goes well.

But I must remember not to use week old wallpaper paste in future. If it looks too watery, like it probably no longer contains any glue; it is too watery and doesn't contain any glue. I think this is all being held together by dried water alone!

The News: Past, Present and Future and a few other bits and bobs

My final Twitter bird. Not malevolent; a bit gharish; strangely cute. But I'm still really pleased with him.

My mug. The old style news: tactile, something you can hold in your hand, with a big cup of coffee on a Sunday morning. The new, interactive news that you can only stare at.

 News of the future. Papers will hopefully still exist. But they, like the news itself, will represent an elite, subscribed to, proposition for the minority. Love the fact that, although this is razed (?) into leather, it still looks like an actual newspaper.

Another Morning With a Naked Man

Given that I was absolutely hating this session at the beginning, this end result was ok. (Although I had to get Chris to kick start it for me). Began to really enjoy the emulsion paint/charcoal combination. Even liked the face (eventually).

Ceramics
I love this bowl. Really pleased with it. Love the colours, the feel, the simplicity.

Really big bugger. That's not a lot of use then.

Oh well. I've rolled my sleeves up and started again. So, fingers crossed for next time.

At least this one has remained intact. Don't like it though. Anyone want it?

 

#sticks and stones

It's finished, bar threading some Twitter print outs through the nest. I don't think it will look as nice, although maybe it will give it a bit more meaning.

I'm liking the sticks and stones, which really set the bird off.

It's not what I intended, but has a real presence and vibrancy which is fun.

ps: tried putting black nails on his claws but they didn't look organic, and therefore rather silly.

All in a Day's Work

And I must say, I'm pretty happy with today.

Two down (bar some black talons) and a lazered leather newspaper to go. And a clock. And to glaze my bowls. And do my sketchbook. And put together my Art History folder. But it's suddenly all looking much more achievable.

My cup is covered in machine-embroidered newspaper, with a lazer cut plastic top (to represent a computer screen) expressing the difference between the tactile, inter-active old style newspaper and the more remote cyber-based news of tomorrow. (Ooh, and there's an LED light in it. Thanks Annie!)

Oh Dear

So, I'm meant to be making a malevolent Twitter bird: an indictment of a gossip fuelled society where people's lives can be destroyed by a 140 character tweet.

I wanted my bird to have the evil presence of this brilliant one by Ann Wood:

But, instead, I've ended up with this...

Evil? I fear not. Still I'm quite chuffed that I made it from scratch (including the pattern) and, regardless of how it's failed as an art work, I do still rather like it.

I met my friend in the street when I was carrying him and her reaction was: 'Oh, it's so sweet, can I have it for my bedroom'.

I've yet to paint the feet and put sticks and stones in the nest, which will no doubt result in more cuts on my hands like I got today from moulding the chicken wire. Never mind, perhaps a bit of fresh blood will begin to build that desired sense of cruelty.

How to Spray Clay

A productive day today. Yesterday I finally finished the basic Twitter bird...

Now I just have to change it from an ill-proportioned blue lump into a menacing bird like below!

Despite all the torrential rain, we have a beautiful blossoming tree at college which I've been noticing (and wondering why it's flowering now).

Last night, when I was doing some ceramics research, I remembered the tree 

so decided to paint some blossom on one of my bowls. (A bit like the ones below.)

 I was really pleased when I saw my first (biscuit) fired bowls. 

Not bad for things modelled in press moulds.

So, with the blossom in mind, I velvet underglazed the first with pale blue glaze, applying it using a wet sponge.  I tried to do it reasonably unevenly to give it a bit of texture when fired.

The second bowl I then glazed with tin (basically white) achieved by dipping the bowl in the tin and then getting rid of the excess. It was really satisfying, rubbing it gently with your finger to get rid of any 'double' bits (really therapeutic!)

 Next, to get the first outside glaze, I had the great excitement of using the spray booth. That was really cool. (I could get into this ceramics thing).

 Then I hand dipped the bowl into matt blue turquoise - and Denise was quite impressed with my evenness of dipping (although the other side's not so good!) Instead of firing this as stoneware, she's going to fire it as earthenware (as we think that's what we did with my sample tile).

Birds of Boredom

Some days are really frustrating, when you work really hard and get nowhere.

I've now made no less than seven bird maquettes. (Perhaps, if I was better at maths, I'd have needed to make fewer.) It's mainly because I've crossed my fingers each time and hoped they'll work. And they haven't. So I've had to recut pattern pieces.

However, despite my rather random approach, I'm still impressed that I've sort of invented a pattern and I've learnt lots in the process (just not how to actually do it!)

 two of my attempts at patterns

These might seem the same. But on the first, the head is pinned down, 

making a subtle but important difference.

I hope I'm nearly there. Although I fear that my fourth bird (above) was the best so far, and I don't have the pattern pieces any more.

I also smoothed out the tops of my bowls, which was fun. Denise accused me of just wanting to make nice kitchen items, and not experiment in the name of Foundation. I said I was a practical girl and wanted to actually use them. I've promised to do a bit of experimenting to my rather samey bowls - as long as they still look nice!

Finally, whilst nervously watching the weather, I spent an enjoyable hour learning about the lazer cutter with Martin (such a nice man). I'm trying to create the computer screen like lazer cut section of  an on-line paper (Guardian) to fit in the top of my mug. Unfortunately it didn't cut quite deep enough and I'll have to do it again. Which takes about 40 minutes. Grrrr. (But it was only a test piece anyway).

So, overall, as I said, a frustrating day. Also involving me eating way too much Parmesan cheese this evening.

And who knows what tomorrow will bring as we seem to have entered the age of the Ark.