Getting to the latter stages of large canvas development

 The above image shows the images that are going to be attached via gluing and image transfer.  I need to correct some of the colour layout at this stage.  I'm liking the colours and how it shows off the textures underneath that form the background.

 On the left I have added egg shells to create a different texture.  Once the paint is added it will settle in the crevices to add depth.  I have put them here as I wanted the arches to stand out.  These are to represent the arches of the many bridges in and around Castlefield.

 Opposite I have added some colour sand to add another variation to the texture.  I want my piece to look bright and tactile.  At this stage I was still debating what I was to lay down on the parts in between the corners.

 A view of one of the other corners.  I feel I'm getting the hang of applying the egg shell and sand at this stage.  I'm looking forward to adding the acrylic paint to it to see how it will look.

 A view of the whole canvas.  I have altered the painted area in the middle section as well although it may not be noticeable to others.  It's looking like it's starting to come together now.

Nearly ready for the image to be added.  I can't wait!!!

 A close up of a variety of textures.  I decided to use tissue paper, which I glued on with wood glue.  I want the surface to look rugged , so I may need to add several layers.  I'll have to wait until it is dry to assess it.

 Another view of the textures opposite and below.  I need to decide on how I'm going to apply the acrylic washes to the tissue, but I'm thinking something along the lines of similar to how I've applied to the centre; lifting the canvas and letting the colours blend together.  I will be using similar colours and also maybe vermillion red to add some more warmth as well as paynes grey to add depth.

 I have added some burnt sienna to the egg shell and sand on the images opposite and below.  I then mopped up some of the excess with some kitchen roll because I didn't want the wash to be too deep early in the application, so that I could gauge what effect I wanted better.  I like how the sand tapers away and how the texture is starting to look.

Experiments and canvas development

Above and opposite are images of a prototype on a smaller scale of my idea to lay a photograph with a stamp image super-imposed over part of the image below.  The top image shows the before I'd rubbed the backing paper off.  Once all the paper had been rubbed off, the image was quite clear.  I used gloss varnish to protect the photo, whilst I added water to the back of the stamp image, which would stay damp until I'd removed all the backing paper.

First image of my yellow and red ochre wash.  This is before I tilted the canvas letting the colours bleed into one another.  I decided to do one half of the canvas at a time so I could control the flow of the paint better over a smaller area.  It has proved beneficial and rewarding.

Opposite and below show the first layer of wash in red and yellow ochre.  I decided to tackle one half of the canvas at a time.  Once I'd painted the acrylic I lifted and tilted the canvas at various angles so that the colours blended.  I did this technique with each layer.  I didn't want any brush strokes showing so the washes I laid down were quite wet, but got stronger with each layer. I don't intend to use undiluted acrylic, because I want some of the white to show through.

Sections of the second layers.  The image opposite shows the difference between the first and second layers.  The first wash is hardly showing, but I realised afterwards that each wash dries lighter than what it looks like wet.

The images above and opposite are close-ups of the second layer.  I like the white showing through the washes, which add a luminescence The settling of the colours into the depressions add depth to the background, which I hope will enhance the overall effect of the vision I had at the beginning of this project.  I like the process and the effect enough that I will definitely use this method and technique again.

The images below are close-ups of the textures and how the paint has settled on the prepared papers.  I'm loving the effect and I'm hoping other people will like it too.  I've tried to envisage where the images are going when applying the washes as I want the yellow ochre  at the top and one side of the images and the red ochre at the bottom to simulate the shade and the colour of the Victorian brick.  Once the middle section is finished I will be adding some raw umber and paynes grey to add further shade.  I am aiming for the chiaroscuro effect used by eminent artists such as Da Vinci, Constable and Turner to name a few.  This effect will be obvious when I achieve the correct balance between light and dark tones.  then I've got to decide how I'm going to approach the outer edges of the canvas.  Egg shells, sand, textured paste and papers will be added.  I will be adding some sgraffito to the textured paste and maybe some wax for wax resist as I've experimented with this in my sketchbook.  some of those images are on this page from earlier in the year.

The two images below show the contrast between the photograph and stamp image and the background colour.  I like the the coloured texture against the images even though they are not touching the surface, as it's still wet. The paint is really showing up the various papers and textures as well as the overlaying of the paper, which I'm pleased about.    

The image below shows me what my photos and stamp images could look like once the background is finished.

Third layer of wash still wet showing the intensity of colour, before it drys.  It will go lighter as it dries.

 The image to the left shows what the surface looks like after the top layer of paper has been rubbed off on two separate occasions.  This image was laid over a prepared canvas.  I used burnt sienna and raw umber.  I've noticed that as you rub the paper off the layer of wash lightens too.  I will have to use a gloss varnish on the surface before putting the stamp image slightly wider than the image to protect the colour underneath.

Opposite is a prepared canvas board like my main canvas, with squares and rectangles of textured and non-textured papers.  This was covered in white titanium paint.  Once dry I glued the photo onto the board then added gloss varnish to protect the surface.  I added gel medium to the stamp image placed it face down and burnished the image with a printing roller so that the ink made good contact with the surface.  After it had dried I added water to the back of the stamp image and started to rub the paper until it started to lift off.  I continued to do this until I'd rubbed off quite alot of the paper.  This was then left to dry.  if you rub too much off in one go you run the risk of taking the image or parts of it off too.  A little can give the appearance of age, but more than that can ruin the effect.  Although you can't see it on this image, the brickwork does show on top of the photo.  I added yellow and red ochre to emulate the background on my main canvas.
I hope you like the journey so far and I'll be adding further developments soon, so keep looking.

A few more images of my main canvas for A Sense of Place

 The image opposite shows the size of photos and stamp images I am putting onto the middle section of my canvas, although these are not the images I will be using.  It was just to give me an idea of how it look.  At this stage I had completed applying the squares and rectangle shapes onto the canvas.

 Opposite I have applied the first wash of gesso and it has started to knock back the fairly strong colours from the brown and textured papers I've used.

 Above is the second layer of gesso.  This is still at the wash stage because I don't want to completely lose the textures and the edges of the paper.

Opposite shows the third layer, which was applied a little thicker this time.  Once it is dry properly I will assess whether I need to apply any more layer or whether I want to keep some of the darker shapes visible.  I will post further development in the next few days. 

Possible location for FMP and Canvas Development

Above is an image of of the back wall in the lower gallery of the Castlefield Gallery, where I may be hanging my large canvas.  They have strip and spot lighting, so any work here is well lit.  Knowing the size of my canvas has helped me to visualise the space better.  It's getting ever closer to our exhibition now and I'm beginning to feel a little nervous.  This will be an important exhibition for all of us in our group.

Below shows the initial mapping out of my canvas.  I have spent some time working out the measurements for this piece.  I have followed the design I have sketched out in my sketchbook, but I've tripled the depth from the edge to the canvas to the pencil line which is just visible.  I am going to use various textures from paper to textured paste and egg shells in the section that I've drawn so far.

Here are 7 6in x 8in pieces of paper and card that may represent the size I could use on this canvas.  I wanted to try various sizes, not going too small, because I don't want the texture border to overshadow the images.  I am going to layer various paper from flat to textured in the middle section under the photographs and stamp images.  This will be painted over using earth coloured acrylic paint, which will be of different intensities.

Above is a selection of 5in x 7in canvases that I chose to represent the same arrangement as above but on a smaller scale.  Personally I think this canvas can take the larger examples above.  I want my images to have impact and not be overpowered by the surrounding media, although I want people to be able to see them as a part of the canvas and as a whole of it too if that makes sense.

The above images, which may be hard to see here could be my final choices for this canvas.  I'm undecided whether to do a series of image transfers, which could stand alone from this canvas, or a series of photographs which will need framing.  So it's cost versus time.
Opposite is the start of preparing the middle of my canvas.  I am using various papers from white printing paper to brown wrapping paper and textured paper in rectangles and squares.  This will represent the old train timetable layouts that I found whilst researching Castlefield.

Above is a close up of the bottom right hand corner.  As can be seen the square/rectangle pattern is starting to emerge.  Once it has been covered with acrylic only the edges will be visible.  I may highlight some of these lines to emphasize them; to pick out the cross lines as shown on the ole timetables.

Below is another close up.  It's easier to see the textures on this image.  I hope these show up once they have been painted.  I'll have to be careful not to totally obliterate them.

Top right hand corner close up.  The greenish gold textured paper was very hard to keep glued down so I had to use other papers to hold it down.  I was going to use more of this paper but I'll have to be careful because it will be difficult to lay image transfers over it without distorting the image.  This didn't matter too much as I wanted some cross over to achieve a variety of sizes.  Some of the larger shapes may be covered further at a later stage. 

Above & below more close ups.  I can't wait to put some paint on this so that I can start work on the outer edges. 

Well that's all for now.  Keep looking for later developments.  I'm sure this is going to be a fun project.

Sketchbook Development

Hi there friends.

As promised some of my sketchbook experiments that I've been working on over the past weeks.
I have really enjoyed working on this project as I've known from the start which textural experiments I wanted to revisit.  It's now slowly starting to take form in my head about which one's I want to take further and how I want the overall piece/s to look.  I have spent the entire Easter holidays working towards a final decision and I'm pleased that I'm on the right course to what I hopefully will be my best piece of work to date.  Anyway see what you think.  I will add more images over the following weeks so that you can see my projects' progression.

Always good to have your title on the first page; something to refer back to especially if you use it for a mind map too.  I like to prepare my pages with white emulsion paint and then watercolour as it gives some lovely effects, which can be seen throughout this post.  For the main title Sense of Place I used pen and wash to add a sense of looseness.

The image above and below are close-ups of the title page.  You can just make out my mind map ideas.  I find it useful using this method, because if I feel I am losing direction, I can always refer back to it. 

Below I have found some useful ephemera whilst researching for my Final Major Project featuring Castlefield.










Here I've used old train timetables and train tickets, that I may use for further experimentation.  Also whilst researching various layering techniques I have devised a way of incorporating the squares and rectangles from the timetables.  I aim to layer the canvas/s using a variety of textured papers in rectangular and square shapes, which I'll then paint over before image transferring my own images and intaglio prints.  I may use dots to outline a few of these shapes, connecting them to my ephemera and the relationships with the past and the present.   Castlefield was home to the first passenger railway and I may use photographs of Knott Hill Station in my work to keep a connection that people will be able to relate to.                                                              

I want to use the date 1761 because this was the date the the 1st Duke of Bridgewater officially opened the first canal.  This was linked to the River Irwell making it easier for him to transport his goods to what was to become the Industrial heart of Manchester.  I think it will fit well with my project.  What do you think?  Also the number 64 for me is significant as there were 64 turntables from the canal into warehouses along Liverpool Road, which could have originally been part of Castlefield or at least it's close by.  To me this connects Castlefield to the present and also reminds people of where their roots have come from.

To prepare these pages I've used white and sunflower emulsion paint, with a light green watercolour wash over the top.  Again in keeping with some of the themes running through my work I've used the yellow emulsion to loosely represent straight lines crossing over on the timetable structure.

This page represents old maps of Manchester and the Bridgewater Canal.  I used pen and wash to do a rough sketch.

I wanted to use various papers and material, such as scrim to see how the paint picked up the textures.  I particularly like the paper that I've screwed up and the prepared art shop bought paper as this gives the best results.  Not sure these are my best examples but I wanted to give you an idea of what I'm thinking of using an where I'm going.

The page opposite is an experiment with 'frottage' a technique of using oil pastels rubbed over a textured surface, (in this case wood chip wall paper) over and under layers of tissue paper.  I deliberately used the tissue in straight cross-over lines to loosely represent the train timetables and also to vary the tones of the tissue.  I think this is an effective technique, possibly best used on paper and not on canvas unless you are not thinking of painting over the top, so this is possibly not going to feature in future work.

Left and below are a coupe of photo montages I developed with a view to sketching some abstract images that I can transfer onto Intaglio card, ready for printing.  I have had a lot of success with  abstracts from this method of working in past projects, so I knew I wanted to revisit this again.  Watch this space as I will upload these soon.

Left and below are images of my experimentation with a limited colour palette.  I am first and foremost a colourist, but sometimes I like to use a limited colour palette, especially within a city setting, as colours can often be restricted (apart from advertising) dependent on the colour of brick or stone used to construct the buildings.  Victorian brick is a lovely red, so I knew from the outset that I wanted to use earth colours. 
Because I love nature ( wanted to add some greens to my work to see if this would work out.  Manchester has spent millions since the 80's  transforming the city, turning old
dilapidated mills into sort after luxury apartments, that have small oasis's of green gardens and benches for people to relax on.  This transformation of what started out as an industrial busy place, to a derelict area and now into pleasant surroundings was the impetus for my idea for this project.

I particularly like certain colours, such as the burnt sienna, as it naturally granulates when applied to the paper. For this palette I used acrylic, watercolour and gouache paint, so that I would have a balance of mediums.  On one page I painted straight onto virgin paper and the other I panted my palette over white emulsion paint, as I wanted to compare the results.  I got some interesting effects on the prepared page as can be seen in the middle image.

I like the way the gouache and watercolour repels off the emulsion paint forming interesting patterns.

Above left is watercolour and the right is gouache, both with rock salt.  I'm not sure if I will use this technique, but I wanted to try it as I've not had much success in the past.  I think you will agree that it has been successful this time round.

Opposite is a wax resist and watercolour wash experiment.  I think it's fairly effected, but perhaps a little too pale.  Below is another sample where I've applied a slightly stronger wash of burnt sienna.  This shows the wax resist well.  I used a cold wax candle to draw arch shapes over the page.  I want to include a pattern of abstract arches possibly as a background into my work, to link the bridges of Castlefield.

Below I've used a stronger was than above.  I like how the paint settles on the wax and think it makes an interesting effect, which I could use again further into my wok.

On the image to the left I've prepared the page with yellow ochre, then added wax after it was dry.  I then applied black ink.  This experiment wasn't too successful, so below are a further two experiments that turned out just right and look effective.  I may use this technique again.  I have used irregular squares and rectangles from the inspiration of the timetables for this.

Opposite is a wash of burnt sienna with cold wax and oil pastel.  I may need to experiment further.

On these two images the ink has blotted out most of the paint effect, which was deliberate.  I wanted highlight the paint through the wax. To the left image I further added some watercolour undiluted and I think it adds to the effect.

I'm not too sure of these two images.  the left is on paper cold wax and ink and the right is cold wax on cotton with black ink.  I quite like the ghostly effect of the second one.  It reminds me of the smog filled Industrial Manchester.

The left image is cold wax and acrylic burnt sienna on black card.  I don't think I'll be using this again, but it's good to experiment to find out what will work and what won't or what you don't want to use.

 

Above I've used the same technique on scrim, but the effect is too vague for what I want.

This image is burnt sienna acrylic that has been treated with cling film to create a textured effect.  I want to try it again using thicker paint, to get a more defined look that I may use again.

Sgraffito on black card using  the handle of a paint brush.  I think the paint should be thicker and a wider instrument used for a better effect, although it is possible to see what I've done.






Below is large bubble wrap over burnt sienna acrylic held down by a large book to create a textured effect.  It is a bit hit and miss in parts, but I think this adds to the effect.  I may use it again.

My images have been altered on Photoshop into stamp images that resemble lithograph prints.  I particularly like this effect and want to use some of my images on my final pieces after I've done some more experiments with them, using some pale washes or tints before I image transfer them for example.

I love the image above as I feel it is timeless.  It's almost impossible to see 21st century influences.  I will definitely be using this image as part of my mixed media piece/s.  Since I took these photographs I've been back to Castlefield to take some more.  It was bright and sunny when I returned and was a complete contrast to the one when I took theses.  I know I've got a wide range of images to choose from when deciding which ones I will use on my final piece/s that I'm confident will reflect my sub theme of 'relationship with the environment'.   

I split the image above to show how easily it could look in a by gone age, even though at the height of the Industrial Revolution there would have been barges, produce and the busy bustle of many workers would have shown a truer image.

Opposite is more textured experiments with brown screwed up paper and acrylic and emulsion paint.  I will probably use this method again.




Below is a series of my images that I've altered on Photoshop.  I want to age some of my images and have tried several ways of doing so.  On the first on (top left) I used photo filter, but I haven't got the level quite right, so will need to try again.  It's a little too red, instead of sepia.  To the right I have desaturated the image then used box blur, which again I'm not too sure about either.  I do believe that it is good to show experiments that haven't worked out as you had planned to show how you've developed your ideas.  Bottom left has been desaturated and then colour balanced.  Again it didn't turn out as expected, but that's part of the fun of trying different techniques.   The centre image has been desaturated.  I then googled how to make an image look ghosted, so that it will look older.  Following the simple instructions I used motion blur.    To achieve this look I altered the settings to 30 pixels, which is too much, so I've done another one to 20 pixels, which I'm also putting in my Reflective Journal as I couldn't upload the image on here.  It looks more like the effect I was after.  I tried the same effect on the image on the right and although it looks older 30 pixels is too much on this image too.  Again this image will be in my RJ.

Above is my first attempt for this project of an image transfer onto canvas.  I prepared the canvas first with a very light wash of burnt sienna and raw umber acrylic to achieve a tinted look.  Unfortunately it is hard to see on this image because of the flash when taking the photograph.

The small canvas below has had a variety of textured and smooth paper, cut into rectangles and squares and will be covered with acrylic paints.  I like how it looks like this in it's raw state as an abstract piece and it has given me food for thought for future project, but I'm not going to let it distract me from my main objective.  I will also use the results from this small prototype to do a large one that I can add some images to, to see how it works.  I will post those results in the near future.   

Right that's it for now.  Keep looking for more updates in the near future.