Mechanism And Time Based Book

I began this book with some observational sketches of my wrist watch as it had elements from lower layers on view, also of a pocket watch that I own as it has constantly been a reliable time piece.

 I found that although pencil was an effective method of recording form it wasn't the most effective media choice for this form as I found that biro worked better as it emphasised the form more so and allowed for me to attain a larger range of tone.

 Following the studies of the pocket watch I studied the wrist watch beginning with my focus on the revealed sections that showed what was beneath the surface.

 I found that biro gave a more dynamic looking piece especially with a different perspective from what you would normally use, however after these I decided to try mixing the use of pencil and pen to attain another perhaps more intriguing effect.

 I decided to try Hairspray transfers to attempt to gain a new effect from my source material trying with different colours of biro and also some combinations of these, examining the other side and attempting to see the effects that I could attain.

I found that the least effective hairspray transfer was that of black and blue as I feel that they didn't blend together to a strong enough degree and that I used too much ink in such a small area of paper.

 I found that the less black ink that i choose to use the stronger the effect of the outcome and the strength of the bleed within it. I found that if I were to use mainly red or blue ink that the bleed would appear more delicate and show more movement.

Whilst out I decided to create a few sketches of some nearby traffic lights as i've had to look into the mechanisms within it for my electronics project during AS year.

 Along side these I decided to study the artist Lance Oscarson who is a Dieselpunk sculpture artists that creates 3-dimensional paper and metal sculptures, I began by studying into the background of his work before creating a series of sketches based around a few of his pieces that appealed to me through either their design or how they were constructed and with what elements.

 I found that mixed media worked best for the form and depth within these pieces as it allows me to explore the sections that I have decided to study in a new and interesting way.

 I also visited the MAD museum as I found that the mechanisms within the building would fit in well within this project, creating sketches of some of the pieces that I enjoyed or found intriguing in either their design or compositional elements. My favourite of them being that of the 'Robot dinosaur head'.

I decided to try working over an emulsion base to see what sort of effect that I could ascertain through this method, I found the results to be effective and that it worked at its best on a larger scale and with a softer pencil as it picks up on the grain of the paints strokes.

 I found that the hairspray transfer worked virtually the same over emulsion.

 I found that expressive paint strokes gave a unique effect of the wrist watch as it emphasised the form of the watch as the intricate pieces within them.

 I began to experiment further with layering materials, so I began with sketching over expressive paint marks to see the effects that I could attain. I found that the lighter  paint marks allowed for the sketch to appear more boldly and wouldn't work at all as the black biro wouldn't show up at all.

 As a result I decided to try using chalk or oil pastel over the black paint marks as the colours were able to appear more vibrant and as a result is able to capture your attention more than if it were over a white background.

 I found that the piece above and to the right was my favourite of the pieces on black marks as it appeared the most vivid and also seemed to be the most expressive in my eyes.

 I found that varying colour and tonal marks didnt allow for the piece to be its most effective.

 After creating a few chalk pastel and oil pastel sketches I experimented with creating expressive marks over them which I felt lost the lines and marks that I had created within my sketch.

  So I decided to try using cello tape transfers so that I was able to show my sketch over the marks , seeing if the effect is stronger or if the method was futile and another method should be sought out.

 I found that the cello tape transfers allowed for more of the marks within my original sketch, therefore I find that this method works better and would as a result be more liable to develop this further towards my final outcome.

 I began this section of the book sketching in a way I hadn't tried before, which was using my less dominant hand and holding the pen from the very end, this gave the effect of the distorted lines and altering amounts of pressure of which I wouldn't normally get necessarily in normal circumstances. I also tried one where I then followed this up by doing another but incorporating another colour of ink once I had completed this.

 I found that graphite mixed with biro wasn't the strongest technique that I used but it felt like it was missing something, so I tried it without the biro to see if that was what needed to change. Also I tried using some green water colour pencil which i felt added some well needed highlights within the sketch.

 

 I also tried sketching whilst holding multiple pens at once beginning with 3 (2 black and a green) then 2 (black and a green) and i found that it worked best with just the 2 pens as the black lines meshed together on the 3 pen experimental sketch and it made the black marks seem messy and I lost the clarity within my mark making.

 

 I found charcoal to be a medium that made it very quick to make marks and build up layers but also i found that incorporating graphite emphasised these marks and added depth to the piece.

 when it came to adding paint to these sketches I found that expressive marks weren't my most effective method as it lost much of the form and tonal range within my sketch. however when i flicked paint I felt that the clarity within the paint marks helped to further emphasise the marks that i had made within my piece.