Halloween and Wood

Friday, Saturday, Sunday

I was very productive this past weekend.  First, I went to Treasure Mart to search for the toy train that I had wanted to buy a couple weeks ago.  Luckily, it was still there and, even more to my surprise, it was discounted!  I was able to buy two toys that are going to be perfect additions to my toy collection. After purchasing my new toys, I drove to Home Depot and bought a very cheap piece of MDF that I was able to cut into three separate blocks. 

After returning home and sketching the toys from different angles, I searched through my sketches for my favorites.  I picked four that I eventually narrowed down to just one sketch.  I used this specific drawing because I thought it started to push me towards a child’s viewpoint and I also thought it was a little off, which reminded me of a child’s drawing.

I then drew the train onto my block and began to cut into the board, only to realize that it wasn’t as soft and easy to cut as I had hoped.

(5 hours)

    

Monday/Wednesday

I transferred the image of my dollhouse onto another block so that I could start to carve.  After transferring the image, I decided that I would use the second block to outline the rooms more and put wood paneling in the background to make it clearer that the image was in fact a dollhouse.

(3 hours)

Tuesday/Thursday

I carved further into my train and slinky images.  I had a really hard time with the slinky image and in the end decided that I had cut too much away and scraped the idea.  It was just a study and so I wasn’t so upset that it didn’t work out.  My train image became more of a texture study, but I kind of enjoy it.  I’m excited to print it and hopefully this coming weekend and week I will have a chance to make a few prints/proofs. 

(3 hours)

Coming Week…

I hope to start a new block.  Hopefully, I will sketch more from my Treasure Mart toys and find another angle that I enjoy.  I also hope to make a few prints/proofs of my two new blocks.

The Break

Fall Break/Week

Last Friday, before the parents came, I was able to make a trip to Home Depot to try and get some cheap wood for my quick sketches.  I ended up buying wood that really did not hold up well after I carved into it.  I was determined to get a few wood “sketches” done over break, so I hurried on over to Michigan Book & Supply to buy linoleum instead and found really little wood blocks which was a great find.

During Fall Break I was able to sketch a little in my notebook and fool around with images of different toys.  I made a cut of a dolls face, but in the end I didn’t think it was so successful and scraped it.  I then tried a marionette, which I also ended up not liking, but I thought maybe I could rework later on. 

On a different note, I was looking at a couple different print artists over break including Endi Poskovic and Artemio Rodriguez (seen here) and I was really inspired to try and use words in my pieces. I made sure I was able to carve around the letters properly and did a test block of the word memories before I started.

I was also able to make a few prints of my rocking horse over break. 

Then on Wednesday and Thursday I started to look for images of toys that would fit well with a word.  I came up with the idea of a broken slinky and the word defeat, just as a little sketch.  I like how the image came out, but I feel like I am taking my project in a totally different direction.  When we discussed it in class I think the majority thought it was a good test, but I should stick with the images I was originally going to use without words.

Now Today, Friday, I am traveling to Treasure Mart to actually buy a toy that I can then sketch in different angles.  I want t achieve the point of view of a child and I think this will be a good exercise and start.  I also am quite partial to MDF board and I think I am going to buy some at Home Depot this afternoon. 

This Week:

Hopefully, I will have a new print started and will have multiple sketches of the train or toy that I am going to buy from Treasure Mart.  I will also finish carving my word test and see how it prints. 

Fall Break, Maybe Breakthrough?

Last Friday

As I mentioned last week, I was able to visit the ReUse center on Friday and bought two great things for just five dollars!  I purchased a dirty window frame that I can use to help me handprint my blocks in my studio and a dry erase board.  The ReUse center has officially made it to the top of my list for places to go for steals and deals.

Last Weekend

I searched for images and ideas for further prints.  Sketched and contemplated how I was going to approach the next set of toys and from what angle I would display them to evoke a child’s perspective.

2 hours

 

This Monday/Wednesday

I worked further into my carving of the big dollhouse and made a drastic move.  I made the snap decision to carve into the background of my block and I am very happy with the results.  I think these changes will add a great deal of drama and help to push me in the right direction.  I am excited to start my second block for this print, which will hopefully make it clear that the image is of a dollhouse.  I plan to add a chair leg in order to dwarf the image and give it some context.

5 hours

This Tuesday/Thursday

During studio this week I started a new block that shows an image of a rocking horse.  I’m not sure how I feel about the image and I think I just need to step back from it for a little.  I started to get a little restless and I hope that I didn’t cut too much in to the background of my block.  I was also able to sketch in my notebook and write down what I wanted to accomplish in my next set of prints.

6 hours

Fall Break and My Goals

Although my parents are coming to visit this long weekend, I hope to spend a lot of time in the studio working on small “sketch” prints.  I got the idea from watching Takeshi Takahara present his work method to my print class.  He said that he sets a goal of finishing a small block each day and printing it.  He had a set of about 20 prints that I thought were gorgeous and I hope that I can print a bunch of smaller blocks this break.  I plan to go to Home Depot tomorrow to purchase small 2” by 2” wood pieces that I can start to carve.  I was thinking I would do a sketch of a dolls face to start off with and hopefully this will get the ball rolling.

Just a peak at my IP Proposal:

Exploring the concept of lost childhood memories through the rediscovery of abandoned and disposed of toys displayed through woodblock cuts.

My own childhood was cut short by my sister’s illness and led to my adult curiosity about forgotten memories and its connection to my abandoned childhood toys.  The only memories that I can recall now are traumatic events that overshadow the importance of daily creative and mundane play that I experienced as a child.  This childhood play and the toys we played with can help the audience and myself remember valuable information about what we thought, dreamed, and wanted as children.  Hopefully, these recovered memories and desires will help lead us to realizations about the children we were and who we are going to become.

A series of prints involving imagery of handcrafted, classic American toys, such as dollhouses, rocking horses, and building blocks, will cover an entire wall in a gallery.  The images, shown from a child’s viewpoint, will inundate the viewer with memories of their own toys from childhood.  I hope to evoke a sense of loss as well as spark the audience’s curiosity about their abandoned toys and their own forgotten memories.  I hope to explore different types of woodcut media such as double block printing and reduction prints.  Images of distressed and abandoned toys, displayed without any human interaction, will drive home the feelings of loss and the desire to think as a child again.

The Week of the Michigan State Game

Sunday

Came to studio to carve further into my wood block of a small dollhouse.  Finally finished the interior and shellacked the board before printing.  My mom also sent me a box of all my doll house furniture and dolls.  They are very creepy, but I am looking forward to incorporating them into my block prints. 

(2 hours)

Monday/Wednesday

In print class I was able to make impressions of each of my dollhouse carvings.  My larger woodcut was printed in gray and pink, while Endi was able to show me a new way of hand printing my smaller block. 

           

This new hand printing really sparked my interest because I need very few materials to get started and I am excited to go to the ReUse Center tomorrow to hopefully find a spare piece of a glass door.  This new technique can be done in my studio without a printing press and I am looking forward to trying it later.  It produces very expressive and interesting textures, which I think will be very successful on some of my carvings.

(7 hours)

Tuesday/Thursday

I cut my smaller woodblock into two separate pieces so that I could use the other half for a print of a rocking horse. I also cut a stencil out for my larger block that covers the area of the house and leaves the background open.  This should allow me to create very interesting prints in many colors.  I also looked for rocking horse images online and was able to doctor some to my liking.  I hope to transfer one of these images on to my block by next Tuesday and hopefully I will be able to start carving.  Lastly, I printed my smaller block of a dollhouse and I hope to work further into the background of both my blocks by next week.

(6 hours)

Friday

Tomorrow I hope to find a glass panel that will allow enough space for me to roll out my inks.  Also, if I want to actually print in my studio I will need ink, oil, simple green, masking tape as well as a wooden device that helps to transfer the image onto the paper.

(N/A)

For Next Week:

I hope to

1. Transfer the image of a rocking horse to my smaller block

2. Carve further into the background of my woodblocks, hopefully clearing out enough of the background for my liking

3. Possibly purchase a cheap piece of glass for my own “print” studio

4. Work on my Project Proposal further, thinking of a clearer way to express my ideas