I'm trying to find the words for these works. All that comes is left.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
A Shared Reality
Looking at different compositions for "A Shared Reality." Or at least that's the working title, which could very well change, I'm just trying it out.
If anyone's looking at this, leave a comment, let me know what you think of the composition, and especially if you read anything into it as a narrative. I'm interested in how the narrative reads without any suggestion from me, other than that it's a self-portrait.
Oh, and thanks Nina for handling the camera.
If anyone's looking at this, leave a comment, let me know what you think of the composition, and especially if you read anything into it as a narrative. I'm interested in how the narrative reads without any suggestion from me, other than that it's a self-portrait.
Oh, and thanks Nina for handling the camera.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
What I've been up to...
So...after life drawing ended, I stopped posting, but now I feel like I need a space to digitally review/post/organize my new work. Plus my midterm review is on the first. Not looking forward to it. I got it postponed once already because I dropped a bunch of studios after being in the hospital, and it took me a while to make up the credits.
Anyway. This is a found image, rather a found negative. It's medium format...I believe it was taken in the late 60s. I'm not sure who the people are, I'm guessing they were friends of my father since they were in his old photos/negatives. This was the key image for a print I finished up last month that included geometric shapes in primary colors, the negative and positive printed over in sepia and cream colors along with some supporting colors. The final image is difficult to read, which is something I was playing around with...I like the anonymity that it brought to the image. I'll post the actual print later, it's at school.
Here's a general composition for my next print. I pulled a bunch of images from the web just to piece together what I wanted to work with. I'm not sure whether it will be a key image or a composite, but I know I'll be working with warmer colors, with some cool offsets. I'll be recreating this scene tonight to take reference pictures (or a key image). Got all my props, I just need a bunch of cigarettes.
And finally here's a new photograph from last night. I'll also have some more photos coming up. I'm going to be playing around with a disposable camera and I'm also going to be doing some analogue developing. I've always wanted to try caffinol-c development, so I'm finally going to do that. http://content.photojojo.com/tutorials/coffee-caffenol-film-developing/
not sure which composition of the two I like better...they both leave a little to be desired.
KE
Anyway. This is a found image, rather a found negative. It's medium format...I believe it was taken in the late 60s. I'm not sure who the people are, I'm guessing they were friends of my father since they were in his old photos/negatives. This was the key image for a print I finished up last month that included geometric shapes in primary colors, the negative and positive printed over in sepia and cream colors along with some supporting colors. The final image is difficult to read, which is something I was playing around with...I like the anonymity that it brought to the image. I'll post the actual print later, it's at school.
Here's a general composition for my next print. I pulled a bunch of images from the web just to piece together what I wanted to work with. I'm not sure whether it will be a key image or a composite, but I know I'll be working with warmer colors, with some cool offsets. I'll be recreating this scene tonight to take reference pictures (or a key image). Got all my props, I just need a bunch of cigarettes.
And finally here's a new photograph from last night. I'll also have some more photos coming up. I'm going to be playing around with a disposable camera and I'm also going to be doing some analogue developing. I've always wanted to try caffinol-c development, so I'm finally going to do that. http://content.photojojo.com/tutorials/coffee-caffenol-film-developing/
not sure which composition of the two I like better...they both leave a little to be desired.
KE
Monday, December 21, 2009
Final
And so, and so, and so,
I really enjoyed the final project, I think it would have helped though to have done it two or three times first to get a better feel for the size of the image and the ink. I do feel like the size really gave me the chance to make some bold strokes in wash, and really get my whole body into the movement. At first mapping out the image seemed a little difficult, but I made some compositional decisions to not include all of the spikes and to enlarge the image to the most bulky point of the shell.
It was hard to position the shell, because the spikes form straight along three "sides" of the shell, many positions (with a diagonal axis) still seemed flat. So I minimized the spines and tightened in the composition.
From the time between the final and midterm, I felt like I learned a lot just because we were revisiting some of the structures that most commonly define us as human--hands, feet, and faces. It's really relieving to be able to understand how to really "see" these structures because you can start to get past these really popular misconceptions of what a nose or mouth or anything looks like.
I feel like in the last studio, the full body image I drew was my most successful. I was also excited to start using conte again, it has a really great quality to it. I can't wait to do more like this.
Some things I still need to work on are checking and rechecking plane changes to make sure that when something is pointed at the station point, it makes sense in how it falls away from that point. I would also like to keep working on contours and exaggerating lines where they need to be and recognizing lines that need to be simplified or left as they appear. I also want to work on starting lighter and moving towards the dark.
Final Images on
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10thstreeteast/sets/72157622914297057/
I really enjoyed the final project, I think it would have helped though to have done it two or three times first to get a better feel for the size of the image and the ink. I do feel like the size really gave me the chance to make some bold strokes in wash, and really get my whole body into the movement. At first mapping out the image seemed a little difficult, but I made some compositional decisions to not include all of the spikes and to enlarge the image to the most bulky point of the shell.
It was hard to position the shell, because the spikes form straight along three "sides" of the shell, many positions (with a diagonal axis) still seemed flat. So I minimized the spines and tightened in the composition.
From the time between the final and midterm, I felt like I learned a lot just because we were revisiting some of the structures that most commonly define us as human--hands, feet, and faces. It's really relieving to be able to understand how to really "see" these structures because you can start to get past these really popular misconceptions of what a nose or mouth or anything looks like.
I feel like in the last studio, the full body image I drew was my most successful. I was also excited to start using conte again, it has a really great quality to it. I can't wait to do more like this.
Some things I still need to work on are checking and rechecking plane changes to make sure that when something is pointed at the station point, it makes sense in how it falls away from that point. I would also like to keep working on contours and exaggerating lines where they need to be and recognizing lines that need to be simplified or left as they appear. I also want to work on starting lighter and moving towards the dark.
Final Images on
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10thstreeteast/sets/72157622914297057/
Monday, December 14, 2009
Feet as hands
If you've ever seen The Last King of Scotland a movie about Ugandan dictator from 1970s Amin, you might get my reference (feet as hands). I'll never get that image out of my head.
Anyway, I reference that as we've been using feet as a proxy to hands. I can't stop thinking now of how odd feet are, even from the perspective of studying the human form. I know humans tend to think of their bodies as the highest form of evolution or divine design. The more I think about the body, the more it's structures and organs seem just so goofy, so laughable, so alien. Maybe this is in contrast to my original concept, maybe this is just part of my process. Whatever it is, I'm going to embrace that feeling for now.
Heres to a hand that could have been a foot
And moreover, here's to trying to define the face I wake up next to every morning. There's something really scary to me about drawing someone I know so well. Here's to trying.
What I did on my summer vacation
Images from the field trip to the bodies exhibit and MIAD. Bodies was interesting but I heard that the bodies were stolen. The dead were (supposedly) prisoners and homeless who had not given their bodies to science, but rather were bought postmortem. It all sounded very late-1800-England, but all-too-familiarly modern.
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/news/Americas/May-June-08/-Bodies--Exhibit-To-Pay-Refunds-Amid-Controversy.html
Anyways, here's a few sketches from the exhibit, as well as some sketches/photos from MIAD.
Sitzmaschine; Josef Hoffman
Sacral Study from a glass case
Posterior Lateral view from Gluteal fold to Achilles tendon
Sunday, November 15, 2009
I'm really excited about the trip on Tuesday. I've never been to the Body Exhibits or anything like it. This among other things makes me wish I lived in the cities. I love the rivers and the restored areas around here, and even the over-cropped land. I think it's beautiful. I love a lot of the people I've met here that have such big hearts and open souls, and I would miss them, but I don't subscribe to the theory that there are no such people in the cities.
Anyway, I just think the opportunity to see all these great exhibits that include people outside of the immediate area is much higher if you're living in a bigger city. I'm really excited that there's a co-op gallery opening on Main st. I can't wait to see all of the good that comes out of that.
Life Drawing last week we've been focusing on feet. The entire semester I had trouble drawing feet and hands...and heads. I've tried a few times with faces and hands but it was all about the outline. Now that I know the main structures of the foot, specifically the tendons that lead to the toes, the different directions of the metatarsals, and the muscle bands, especially the one that comes off the knee and wraps around the ankle. The transverse arch really helps me see what lays beneath the skin. By the way, my drawings before Josh talked to me and before Amy talked to the class were god-awful. I felt so happy when I began to understand. The first picture on the left is a 10 minute drawing of both feet, focusing on the tendons. The picture on the bottom left is a 1 hour close up of a foot, and the picture on the right is 45 min-1 hour focusing on the attachment of the foot to the rest of the body...not sure I got the angle of the foot right though.
Anyway, I just think the opportunity to see all these great exhibits that include people outside of the immediate area is much higher if you're living in a bigger city. I'm really excited that there's a co-op gallery opening on Main st. I can't wait to see all of the good that comes out of that.
Life Drawing last week we've been focusing on feet. The entire semester I had trouble drawing feet and hands...and heads. I've tried a few times with faces and hands but it was all about the outline. Now that I know the main structures of the foot, specifically the tendons that lead to the toes, the different directions of the metatarsals, and the muscle bands, especially the one that comes off the knee and wraps around the ankle. The transverse arch really helps me see what lays beneath the skin. By the way, my drawings before Josh talked to me and before Amy talked to the class were god-awful. I felt so happy when I began to understand. The first picture on the left is a 10 minute drawing of both feet, focusing on the tendons. The picture on the bottom left is a 1 hour close up of a foot, and the picture on the right is 45 min-1 hour focusing on the attachment of the foot to the rest of the body...not sure I got the angle of the foot right though.
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