Research investigation & process - The task was to research the properties of paper and ink in different combinations to see the variety of results that could be achieved. I created a quill using an old drinks can for the metal nib and a short length of thin dowel for the shaft. First using standard black fountain pen ink, I practiced mark making on a sheet of lining paper to get used to handling the pen. Wallpaper paste mixed with black powder paint was rolled indiscriminately over the top of the page and left to dry for a short while before I went back to it and, using the quill again, attempted to pick a landscape out of the resultant composition. On a piece of scrap A4 textured paper, I also used the quill to create a character out of the marks on the paper. After this, sumi ink was added to the fountain pen ink, which is permanent and produces different tones. Transitioning from sticky note to A4 printing paper to A2 cartridge paper, I made three life drawing studies of the student sitting opposite me, incorporating a light ink wash into the largest piece as a last stage.
The journey - It was interesting to discover how many types of line could be created from one quill, and the way the ink interacted with the paper in unpredictable ways. Thanks to the fact that my mark making was not strictly abstract during the first stage, my landscape scene was not as cohesive as it could have been when I tried to bring it all together into one picture, and getting used to the flow and thickness of the line produced took me some time. I felt I had more success with the character creation I did next, though the texture of the paint already on the paper did not allow for a very fine line. The printer paper caused the sumi ink to bleed and produce sienna tints, and the larger sweeps of black produced with the long edge of the quill had a lightness that echoed the reflection of light that can sometimes be found in shaded areas. As this was my first experimentation with this combination I hadn't expected the results that could be produced and I tried to take better advantage of them in the large, A2 study. I felt that the diluted wash used in the light areas here filled in a mid-tone range that the undiluted ink applied by quill could not cover with the necessary delicacy.
The Project Brief - It was the aim during this experimentation to begin exploring the use of ink to create many different effects. To this end, I created a series of analytical drawings intended to incorporate ink into the format of landscape, character and portrait drawings that I am already familiar with.
The collection -
 |
| pen experimentation |
 |
| ink on scrap textured paper |
 |
| post-it and printer paper life drawing with ink |
 |
| A2 sized life drawing portrait |
No comments:
Post a Comment