The Beauties Struggle
Dry point print on Water Color paper 15 cm x 20 cm October 2019 Exhibition text: The Beauties Struggle represent the struggle that even the most beautiful women may go through. I took inspiration from Alphonse Mucha because his pieces show these women surrounded by beautiful flowers, but he was struggling himself. |
Planning
Planning sketches
The flowers in the background give the piece more meaning. The bleeding hearts represent two things based on the color. Pink represents romance and the white bleeding hearts represent purity and innocence. I included these in my piece to show that even an innocent person can struggle with something that is going on within themselves or from their surroundings.
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Process
Experimentation:
Most of my experimentation happened while sketching and printing my piece. While sketching i was experimenting with the layout of the piece and the position of the women. After a few sketches I chose a position that i thought was the best to showcase detail. While printing my piece i experimented with the amount of ink I took off of certain areas. My first print was very good and i was happy with it except an area was very dark and I wasn't happy with that specific area. My other print came out a little to light, but i also liked the outcome of it because the leafs in the corner were the darkest part of the piece.
Most of my experimentation happened while sketching and printing my piece. While sketching i was experimenting with the layout of the piece and the position of the women. After a few sketches I chose a position that i thought was the best to showcase detail. While printing my piece i experimented with the amount of ink I took off of certain areas. My first print was very good and i was happy with it except an area was very dark and I wasn't happy with that specific area. My other print came out a little to light, but i also liked the outcome of it because the leafs in the corner were the darkest part of the piece.
Process:
After finishing my sketches I put the medium over the final drawing to start etching the design into the plastic. I taped the ends onto my paper for the plastic would stay in place. After I set everything up I began scratching my design into the plastic with an etching tool. Once my image was carved onto the medium I began to print my piece. To begin the printing process I put a piece of watercolor paper into a bucket of water for 8 minutes. While the paper was soaking I began to put oil based ink onto my medium. Then after putting the ink onto the medium I used a sheet of paper to take off excess ink and clean up area to make them lighter. When the 8 minutes were up I took the paper out of the water and put it onto a towel, patted it down to take out water and left it to dry. To transfer the image onto the paper I laid a piece of large paper on the bottom of the slab roller and out my plastic with ink on top of that then put my soaked watercolor paper on top of that. Then used the slab roller to transfer the ink onto the paper.
After finishing my sketches I put the medium over the final drawing to start etching the design into the plastic. I taped the ends onto my paper for the plastic would stay in place. After I set everything up I began scratching my design into the plastic with an etching tool. Once my image was carved onto the medium I began to print my piece. To begin the printing process I put a piece of watercolor paper into a bucket of water for 8 minutes. While the paper was soaking I began to put oil based ink onto my medium. Then after putting the ink onto the medium I used a sheet of paper to take off excess ink and clean up area to make them lighter. When the 8 minutes were up I took the paper out of the water and put it onto a towel, patted it down to take out water and left it to dry. To transfer the image onto the paper I laid a piece of large paper on the bottom of the slab roller and out my plastic with ink on top of that then put my soaked watercolor paper on top of that. Then used the slab roller to transfer the ink onto the paper.
Reflection:
I am overall content with the outcome of this piece. While doing this project I learned a new technique using new tools to make this project go smooth while using my time efficiently. A few minor mishaps happened while doing this project but it was nothing that couldn't be fixed. For example, while etching in my plastic I messed up a few times, but was able to use that mistake to my advantage and use it to create shading or add more detail in that section. If I were to do this project over again I would take more time on the inking and printing process to make the images come out better, with less dark spots.
Mucha, Alphonse. “Reverie, 1897 - Alphonse Mucha.” Www.wikiart.org, 1 Jan. 1897, https://www.wikiart.org/en/alphonse-mucha/champagne-printer-publisher-1897.
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Mucha, Alphonse. “Slavia, 1896 - Alphonse Mucha.” Www.wikiart.org, 1 Jan. 1896, https://www.wikiart.org/en/alphonse-mucha/slavia-1896.
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Compare & Contrast
Similarities:
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ACT Responses
1.Clearly explain and describe how you are able to identify the cause and effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your work.
My inspiration affected my piece a lot. By looking at my piece compared to Daydream and Slavia by Alphonse Mucha you can see a similarity by the women in the center and how she is surrounded by flowers.
2.What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Alphonse Mucha's pieces had painted Slavia because of the women being a goddess. I wanted to showcase a women that may be a goddess, but in a different perspective which was a struggling theme within my piece.
3.What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
While researching my inspiration I came to a conclusion that even though war and this in his environment were effecting him he didn't show that in his piece because he wanted to portray a different message with his artworks.
4.What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
Struggle is something i try to showcase in my art because everyone struggles with something in many different ways.
5.What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Alphonse Mucha was inspired by much and had his own style, but tried to distance himself from his style and i inferred that he did that because it wasn't selling or making him money.
My inspiration affected my piece a lot. By looking at my piece compared to Daydream and Slavia by Alphonse Mucha you can see a similarity by the women in the center and how she is surrounded by flowers.
2.What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Alphonse Mucha's pieces had painted Slavia because of the women being a goddess. I wanted to showcase a women that may be a goddess, but in a different perspective which was a struggling theme within my piece.
3.What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
While researching my inspiration I came to a conclusion that even though war and this in his environment were effecting him he didn't show that in his piece because he wanted to portray a different message with his artworks.
4.What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
Struggle is something i try to showcase in my art because everyone struggles with something in many different ways.
5.What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Alphonse Mucha was inspired by much and had his own style, but tried to distance himself from his style and i inferred that he did that because it wasn't selling or making him money.
Bibliography
“Biography of Alphonse Maria Mucha.” Alphonse Maria Mucha - The Complete Works - Biography, Alfonsmucha.org, 2017, https://www.alfonsmucha.org/biography.html.
“Send Beautiful Flowers, Hand-Delivered Locally by Vancouver Florist.” Vancouver Florist - Local Flower Delivery, Flowers in Vancouver, https://www.vancouverflorist.com/.
“Bleeding Heart Flower Meaning.” Flower Meaning, 22 Mar. 2017, https://www.flowermeaning.com/bleeding-heart-flower-meaning/.
“List Of Flower Names X Y Z.” List Of Flower Names X Y Z., https://www.all-my-favourite-flower-names.com/list-of-flower-names-X-Y-Z.html.
“Zephyranthes (Rain Lily; Fairy Lily).” A To Z Flowers, https://www.atozflowers.com/flower/zephyranthes/.
“Flower Gifts.” Each Flower Meaning, http://www.perennial-gardens.com/flower-meanings.php.
“Alphonse Mucha Paintings, Bio, Ideas.” The Art Story, https://www.theartstory.org/artist/mucha-alphonse/.
“Send Beautiful Flowers, Hand-Delivered Locally by Vancouver Florist.” Vancouver Florist - Local Flower Delivery, Flowers in Vancouver, https://www.vancouverflorist.com/.
“Bleeding Heart Flower Meaning.” Flower Meaning, 22 Mar. 2017, https://www.flowermeaning.com/bleeding-heart-flower-meaning/.
“List Of Flower Names X Y Z.” List Of Flower Names X Y Z., https://www.all-my-favourite-flower-names.com/list-of-flower-names-X-Y-Z.html.
“Zephyranthes (Rain Lily; Fairy Lily).” A To Z Flowers, https://www.atozflowers.com/flower/zephyranthes/.
“Flower Gifts.” Each Flower Meaning, http://www.perennial-gardens.com/flower-meanings.php.
“Alphonse Mucha Paintings, Bio, Ideas.” The Art Story, https://www.theartstory.org/artist/mucha-alphonse/.