Block Print
Man playing the drums
22 cm x 15 cm
Ink on Paper
10/07/16
22 cm x 15 cm
Ink on Paper
10/07/16
Exhibition Text
I decided from the beginning I wanted to do something based on music. Music, as well as art, are two of my most favorite things and I wanted to incorporate them. I went through many different ideas with different pieces. I looked at many different instruments and positions of the man in my piece. One of the biggest struggles I faced was getting the proportions correct. I also struggled with the instrument I wanted to draw. I finally settled on drums. This piece was based on my inspiration from music and my love for all things artistic.
Meaning:
The meaning of my piece is to bring focus to poverty in the United State, mainly New York. I really focused on music in relation to the poor. Constantly in films and social media, people have been depicted as sitting somewhere in New York, playing instruments. I decided to take this idea and transform it to have a poor person playing a homemade instrument, singing. I thought this was somewhat cleaver but not so hard to comprehend. I also liked the idea because I wanted to do something with music, but wanted it to be a little deeper than some guy playing the drums.
Artist Inspiration
My artist inspiration was Edvard Munch, The Scream and Train Smoke. Edvard Munch was a Norwegian painter and printer. In the 20th century, he played a great role in German Expressionism. Edvard Munch was highly influenced by artists such as Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Cezanne, and Gauguin. Munch developed his art and became a post-impressionism artist. Munch was known for his use of melancholy and mental anguish. I decided to use him as an artist inspiration because he is one of my favorite artists of all time. I am a huge fan of The Scream and Train Smoke. I like the way he alters everything. I decided that I wanted to incorporate the altering of the sky. I like how all his paintings have a darker tone, which I wanted to incorporate into my piece.
Journaling, Planning and Process
My piece is a of a homeless/poor man playing the "drums" for money in New York. My process was quite arduous due to the brick wall and the man's face. I went through many ideas.
Planning:
My planning sketches were not drawn to the best of my ability. I wanted a brief outline of what It would look like. I decided not to do him sitting on a bench purely because I could not draw a bench. I also wanted to depict the hard streets of New York. I thought it would be best described on a dirty curb. I decided not to do a guitar because I find the chances low that a poor man would possess a guitar. Anyone can find some old paint cans.
This was my ORIGINAL drawing. It has absolutely nothing to do with my topic now. I was drawing out the face I wanted. I decided that this wasn't ideal because carving out the hair would be a long, arduous process that would be to difficult for my skill level. I also could not for the life of me get his eyes even, so I thought it wouldn't look nice printed.
Experimentation
This print was my last print I made before I made my final one. This print was much better than the other two I made. Some places were blotchy and poorly done.
Tools Used: |
This was the first ever print I have ever done. It was obviously poorly done. I did not put nearly enough ink on the block print. It was very clear and had many missing pieces.
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This was the second print I made. It was missing some pieces, but it was marginally better than my first one. I put more ink, but still not enough.
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This tool here is a tool used to smoothly transfer the ink onto the sheet of paper. It is a flat and round and covered in stalk. When rubbed over with pressure, the ink will transfer onto the sheet of paper.
This tool is the carving tool. This is used to actually carve out the design.
Actual Process: |
The second tool here is the ink roller. This ink roller is used on a sheet to roll out the ink to make it thin and spread enough to put onto the block print rubber.
This tool is used to hold your block print while you carve it.
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The process is completed with a number of steps. The first step is to cut out your block print after you drew on the image. I personally did not want to redraw my image so I just used the pencil lead transfer method. After that, you use a tool known as a carving tool. You apply a heavy amount of pressure and dig into the rubber just enough to form a line. After this, you can start printing. You apply block print ink onto a metal sheet. You use a little bit so the ink isn't too thick. You then roll it out into a thin, even layer with the block print roller. You apply, using the roller, to spread ink out evenly onto the block print rubber. Then you place a plain sheet of white block print paper onto the block print itself, making sure it is placed correctly and centered. You place a piece of newsprint over it and using the round tool, you apply pressure and rub it all over the print. You do this until you feel it is ready, which makes this part difficult. You take of the newsprint and slowly pull the paper off. If you completed this correctly, the print should show vividly on the paper. You clean up all the materials.
Comparison
My piece is not that similar to The Scream. The pieces are similar in the way I altered the sky. I wanted it to be wavy, as shown to the right. I was going to alter the mans head, but I found he just looked weird and like I could not draw a regular(ish) head shape. Our pictures are not similar in the fact my piece is more realistic and based on real life and society. Munch's is more fantasy and based off a personal battle Edvard may have possessed.
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"Edvard Munch: The Scream." Olga's Gallery. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2016. |
Reflection
I have had many setbacks throughout making my piece. I have also had many successes. One thing I continually struggled with is how I could relate it to my artist. I decided to alter the sky in the background, which makes it a success. Another thing I struggled with was the carving itself. It was semi-difficult maneuvering the cutting tool that was used. I also wanted to put contrast in the carving. I wanted some parts stark black with other parts white. This came as a struggle because I didn't know how to cut certain parts. The entire carving process was more of a experiment because I cut along different lines. Another struggle that I had was drawing the man. I am not that great with proportions and I felt as if his head was too small the entire time. I redrew it multiple times until I was content with it. One success I had was that I knew how to transfer my picture onto the medium. This meant I had extra time to re-draw things and to experiment with carving. Another struggle was the printing. There was either too much ink or not enough. Rolling it was also a problem because you did not want bumps but you also didn't want too much ink. The ink also stuck to the roller, which increased the difficulty tenfold. While going through the process of my piece, I realized that my piece was more graffiti-esque more than Edvard Munch. It reminded me, as well as others, of Banksy. Banksy is a British graffiti artist. He focuses on controversial themes such as race. Unintentionally, I found that my piece had a questionable race component. It made me wonder how my piece will be interpreted and if the piece will be accepted. Overall, I feel like my print is success. I'm proud of my final product.
ACT Questions:
1) Munch's wavy altering made its way to my art work, It was in the sky and a little bit to the ground. I didn't want the altering to be so heavy it is overwhelming.
2) Society is riddled with poverty. I researched and New York is shown constantly as being full of poverty.
3) I discovered that many people are selfish and do not really care for people who are living in poverty. I also realized there are some very kind people who will help poverty-stricken people.
4) The central theme was realism with a hint of impressionism. I also chose poverty, music and New York.
5) I concluded that poverty is a problem in our society. I also discovered that people should help more.
2) Society is riddled with poverty. I researched and New York is shown constantly as being full of poverty.
3) I discovered that many people are selfish and do not really care for people who are living in poverty. I also realized there are some very kind people who will help poverty-stricken people.
4) The central theme was realism with a hint of impressionism. I also chose poverty, music and New York.
5) I concluded that poverty is a problem in our society. I also discovered that people should help more.