External brief- More experimentation

For my next phase of experimentation I combined a leaf rubbing I had done with an image I took of flowers as I wanted to take a closer look at more decorative textures within a woodland environment. I was also interested in the intricate patterns within wood and bark and thought this was a good opportunity to contrast a monotonous outline with a colourful background and decided to merge this texture with one of the images I took of my watercolour piece on coral from the previous project.

Primary photographic research looking at the contrast between monotonous tones and colour in a mountainous landscape

Whilst skiing in Chamonix I was inspired by the incredible landscaped I was lucky enough to see and was particularly interested in the way the woodland on these mountains created patterns on the terrain as the dark trees contrasted with the white snow. I therefore decided to redraw the landscape highlighting the areas where the trees were the most densely packed together (black), where the rock underneath created an almost speckled texture on the surface (colourful watercolour wash) and the areas of white snow. By doing this I had almost unconsciously mapped out the terrain how I saw it within my vision for the craving colour brief. After finishing the piece I realised that the style slightly resembled that of imagery within a comic book. This wasn’t really the quality I was going for but I actually quite liked how it turned out.

External brief- Further research and experimentation

Enchanted woodland- Syon Park

Drawing systems work that inspired my next experiments for this module:

Further experimentation

After producing a piece of work in my Drawing Systems module in which I combined and reused elements of previous art projects I have done, one section gave me inspiration for my next phase of experimentation. I decided to merge a spotted watercolour pattern I painted with an image of my local woodland. I then looked at different ways I could include my vision for the craving colour brief, experimenting with making the rest of the woodland image fully white or black and white except for the spots. This was the first time I was introduced to layer masks on Photoshop and discovered that it could be a really useful tool in my practice. I decided that I preferred the latter experimentation as the contrast of black and white tones with the bright sections of colour within the image help the viewer to focus in on different sections. For me these spots of psychedelic colours almost look like portals into a parallel universe in contrast to the colourless presented in the majority of the image. This could therefore highlight the importance of positive/ “colourful” thinking on ones outlook on the world, which may help the patients in St. Marks through a perhaps difficult time in hospital.

External Brief- Research and initial experimentation

Secondary research:

Primary research:

Initial experimentation

In my research I was mainly looking for interesting textures within a woodland environment and images usually associated with this element of nature. Whilst looking I was thinking of ways in which I could combine monotonous outlines with splashes of colour and found some examples that did just this. As a first response I produced this image of an owl which I feel gets my initial intentions across. The absence of colour in specific elements of this piece suggests that the wildlife pictured is disappearing. One use for this piece could therefore be within an environmental campaign or movement that highlights the importance of preserving the pockets of woodland or green spaces within cities and the animals that live there.

External brief- Project outlines

Art for St Marks project outline

For this brief I have been asked to make nature-based art to be displayed in St Mark’s Hospital. 

‘There is increasing evidence that the display of visual art, especially images of nature, can have positive effects on health outcomes, including shorter length of stay in hospital, increased pain tolerance and decreased anxiety.’

Kirsty Schirmer, Policy Officer of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health  

Therefore the objective of this brief is to produce art that will help build a soothing atmosphere within the hospital and intern help aid the healing of its patients or at least make their stay in the building more pleasurable. For this project I intend to produce1-4 images based on the woodland near my home that I often go to in order to escape the stresses of city life. My piece(s) will consist of a mixture of my own photographic images and illustrations inspired by the nature in this environment. Most of the illustrations used in my final piece(s) will be created with watercolour. This is my favourite medium to use as it best allows me to echo the bright colours I encounter within nature and, as it is water based, allows for a calm and soothing transition of these colours. I think that the visually relaxing nature of this medium might help aid any physical or psychological discomfort patient might experience. When showing the deciding committee examples of my previous work so that they could get an idea of the quality and medium of the pieces I will produce, they thought that some images were too “wishy washy” and some had too many dull/grey tones within. I will therefore need to be careful to stick to a more detailed drawing style and use lots of bright colours. The almost imagined environments created from my merging of both real and illustrated images will also allow patients to be transported into “other worlds”, enabling them to escape any stresses they might experience in a hospital environment. As I will create the end product(s) on Photoshop, they will be digital and therefore could be printed in any size that bets fits with the other pieces within this “menagerie of modern nature”.

Examples of previous work shown to the committee at St Mark's hospital:

Collecting visual stock- Examples of my previous work submitted to the committee at St. Mark’s Hospital as an example of the quality and medium of the work I would produce.

Batsford Prize- “Craving colour” project outline

The only directions for this brief are the title. The direction is therefore quite open however each entry has to fit into one of the categories for example Applied Art, Fashion or illustration. For this project I aim to produce a series of decorative images focusing on scenes and textures within nature and using colour or the lack of it to highlight certain elements within each piece. In order to better direct me in my practice I aim to produce pieces that can be used as art work on walls or surface patterns designs, fitting more into the applied art category of the competition. The compositions of the illustrations and digital collages I produce will be partially coloured with some areas retaining their initial outlined base. To create this contrast in pieces that have been created using a photograph as the main contributor to the image, some areas may need the addition of a black and white filter and therefore Photoshop would be the best software for me to use. The colours used in the pieces will not necessarily be those that are usually associated with the subjects. Instead the colours I will use for the majority of the images may be unrealistic or overexagurrated to stress the title of the brief. I don’t want the colours to be constrained within the lines as I want to create the impression that they are escaping from their subjects. Watercolour may be a good medium to use in order to do this as it will allow me to easily create a wash of colour over outlines. Therefore the subjects themselves will be “craving colour” and the viewer can imagine the colour finding its way to a position within the boundaries of the lines.