Ceramics I

Before this summer rolled around, I hadn't touched a potter's wheel since high school. And for a class that I had been actively putting off since my freshman year of college, I found that I really did enjoy the experience. Don't get me wrong, the medium was endlessly frustrating. Just when I thought I'd gotten the hang of things, I'd sit down to the wheel and fail over and over at centering my clay. And when I'd finally get a piece to turn out, there was a good chance I'd ruin it trying to remove it from the wheel. And if it still survived, I'd probably jam my finger into the side of it while putting it up for drying.

I broke things and I cussed.

I may have even cried a little.

But now, a few weeks out from the end of the semester, I find myself missing it.

Here are a few of the imperfect pieces that managed to survive being made by me.

Printmaking I

If I weren't in such a rush to finish my degree, there is no way I would have taken any of my remaining art classes as summer courses. Lesson learned. The five weeks was just not enough time to do any serious planning or execute anything with your full attention. Here are a few photos from the projects we covered in printmaking in addition to the plague bird.

Collagraph x2 18" x 24", give or take.

Mezzotint 3" x 4"

This plate still needs work, but we stopped at passable.

And the quickie mono print from our last day in class:

I'll be back soon with more photos once I've finished up my little hoard of pottery.

I hope everyone has been enjoying their summer so far. Cheers!

Reduction Linocut - Printmaking.

Week three / day one of the semester. I'm in a constant state of juggling projects, so the quality and consistency of my usual documentation has been poor.

There was also a bit of a bear problem…

The first assignment for printmaking was a four color linoleum block (black, white, plus two colors), concept: "mask". Instead of going the direct (and probably easier) route, the thumbnail I liked the most involved a raven wearing its very own plague mask. I later worked up an ink drawing, scanned and grabbed the line work, and then fiddled around with color concepts in ps:

Progress shot of the first carving session, removing all areas destined to be white:

The first run of color:

The initial mix was on the dark side, so I remixed and lightened the color as I went along. The next carving session removed the grey background areas and prepped for the blue of the bird's body:

I did my best to line up my registration marks, but hovering over the paper with a block of inked linoleum/wood, trying to line up four corners before touching down was pretty nerve wracking. In theory, everything should have lined up and the previous grey bird body should have been completely covered by the new layer of blue.

Finally, all that should have remained on my carving block was the black line work. Once that was inked up, I made the final pulls, ultimately ending in this, my finished Plague Bird:

Each print is handmade, unique, and imperfect. I even ended up with this variation:

I'm currently working on the second printmaking assignment, which will be a collagraph. I hope to be back soon with photos of that process + my blunderings in ceramics.

An Oldie - What's With The Fan Art?

While waiting for my face to become numb at a recent dental appointment, the conversation drifted to my current projects. My dentist is always kind enough to remember who I am and what I do, so I gave him the rundown on my to-do-before-school-starts list.

As it turns out, the dental assistant working with me that day enjoys both drawing and anime, and it reminded me of this marker and pencil piece I did way back in the day. I was pretty new to the materials and this style of drawing at the time. It isn't spectacular, but I thought I'd share it anyway. As far as the reference photos for this piece goes? No clue. I'm sure I found it after a random google image search for the anime in question (Gungrave). My apologies for the lack of credit.

>.<

Marker & colored pencil on marker paper.

11" x 14"

Moleskine drawing.

I took a little break from a large drawing project this week and spent some time with my neglected sketchbook. I've had this particular book since 2007, and it's pretty wild to see how my style has (and hasn't) changed over the years. 

Here are two recent snippets. 

I love to paint, but nothing is better than a sharp pencil and a clean, blank surface. 

I'll be back to share once my larger project/study is finished. 

Cheers,

Kylene 

Pencil Drawing.

A tiny pencil piece I worked on here and there over the last two days. 

(straight edge clearly needed)

3" x 4 3/8"

Finally Finished - Pencil Drawing.

I am officially registered for classes for both summer and fall, so I've been scrambling to finish up any straggler pieces that have been lying around. This piece was completed in pencil on BFK Rives and is approximately 7" x 7".