photographing 2d work with back lightingLast week I visited year 12 and year 13 A Level groups at Chalfonts Community College led by Mr Hodgson. Some students I had met before in my last visit to the school and during online meetings. This visit would conclude my Virtual Residency Project work with Chalfonts. It was a chance to discuss their exam paper, the year 12 title; Links and Connections and year 13; Transitions.
The session with each group began with my own view of the exam paper. I offered some thoughts about how I might tackle the project, which artists I'd looking at, materials, subject matter, development ideas. Using a past sketchbook as work examples, I talked about the importance of being lose with the project. Not labouring over each page in the sketchbook, gathering quickly and widely a volume of visual information. Annotating, keeping notes next to images in the sketchbook, working on different papers outside the book and collating later, to break up the continuous white page.
To suggest some ideas of new and manageable image making, related to the student's project, I led a group activity of experimental drawing, to be used later within a photography exercise. Students had brought with them some objects to draw relating to their project. On A2 sheets of paper and with pencils, pens and black ink, we started to fill the page with line drawings of these objects, allowing a couple of minutes for each viewpoint of the item. A different drawing tool was then selected and more drawing continued over the same page, crossing over previous lines and marks.
This process was continued with pens and black ink, applying the ink with sticks and cardboard edges to achieve different qualities of mark on the page. As a final action, sunflower oil was the painted onto the page, being selective about how to paint the oil within the picture. I asked students to consider filling in negative spaces, bulky shapes, flat areas in the drawing as well as outlining dominant lines to accentuate the developing composition. The oil was applied to make the page translucent.
This drawing activity was quite speedy, completed within 15 minutes, not being too precious with accuracy and arrangement of shapes on the page. It was a way to record a range of marks, inspired by the subject matter, which would be interesting to photograph.
The translucent areas of the drawing create a great filter/layer to photograph through. Drawings were attached to the edges of the desk, and light sources placed under the desk to back light the drawing surface. The light accentuated the marks on the page, particularly the areas of painted oil. The black ink providing a brilliant contrast the light oil areas.
Within the drawing, students selected interesting areas to zoom in, crop, compose, small marks becoming dominant within the camera composition. The items chosen to draw could be included in these compositions, by placing the object behind the drawing. The back lighting created effective silhouettes against the paper. Items like plants, glass, hats, keys were incorporated.
Other translucent layers/filters were added to these lit drawings. Surfaces like bubble wrap, netting, light fabrics and clingfilm. This provided further texture and mark to the overall surface.
net curtain layer
lightweight fabric layer
bubble wrap layer
Student's drawings could also be layered together to combine marks and shapes with which to photograph.
The last layer we concentrated on in this session was adding colour to the otherwise tonal compositions. This was achieved with tissue paper, scraps of plastic bags, coloured acetate and applying washes of diluted paint to the drawing itself.
This session was to help equip students with alternative ideas about creating new imagery, offer ways of making use of their gathered research, ways of combining their 2d and 3d interests, create original digital media to develop further, maybe within Flash or Photoshop. Some students began to film their drawing, while moving the light source behind the surface to accentuate different parts of the drawing.
The objective will be for these students to apply and develop some of these actions to suit their own project. Whether its creating new drawings with different tools, surfaces, light sources or finding new pathways for their project based on the outcomes of this activity.
The session with each group began with my own view of the exam paper. I offered some thoughts about how I might tackle the project, which artists I'd looking at, materials, subject matter, development ideas. Using a past sketchbook as work examples, I talked about the importance of being lose with the project. Not labouring over each page in the sketchbook, gathering quickly and widely a volume of visual information. Annotating, keeping notes next to images in the sketchbook, working on different papers outside the book and collating later, to break up the continuous white page.
To suggest some ideas of new and manageable image making, related to the student's project, I led a group activity of experimental drawing, to be used later within a photography exercise. Students had brought with them some objects to draw relating to their project. On A2 sheets of paper and with pencils, pens and black ink, we started to fill the page with line drawings of these objects, allowing a couple of minutes for each viewpoint of the item. A different drawing tool was then selected and more drawing continued over the same page, crossing over previous lines and marks.
This process was continued with pens and black ink, applying the ink with sticks and cardboard edges to achieve different qualities of mark on the page. As a final action, sunflower oil was the painted onto the page, being selective about how to paint the oil within the picture. I asked students to consider filling in negative spaces, bulky shapes, flat areas in the drawing as well as outlining dominant lines to accentuate the developing composition. The oil was applied to make the page translucent.
Students held their work against the light to check drawing progress.
This drawing activity was quite speedy, completed within 15 minutes, not being too precious with accuracy and arrangement of shapes on the page. It was a way to record a range of marks, inspired by the subject matter, which would be interesting to photograph.The translucent areas of the drawing create a great filter/layer to photograph through. Drawings were attached to the edges of the desk, and light sources placed under the desk to back light the drawing surface. The light accentuated the marks on the page, particularly the areas of painted oil. The black ink providing a brilliant contrast the light oil areas.
Within the drawing, students selected interesting areas to zoom in, crop, compose, small marks becoming dominant within the camera composition. The items chosen to draw could be included in these compositions, by placing the object behind the drawing. The back lighting created effective silhouettes against the paper. Items like plants, glass, hats, keys were incorporated.
Other translucent layers/filters were added to these lit drawings. Surfaces like bubble wrap, netting, light fabrics and clingfilm. This provided further texture and mark to the overall surface.
net curtain layer
lightweight fabric layer
bubble wrap layerStudent's drawings could also be layered together to combine marks and shapes with which to photograph.
The last layer we concentrated on in this session was adding colour to the otherwise tonal compositions. This was achieved with tissue paper, scraps of plastic bags, coloured acetate and applying washes of diluted paint to the drawing itself.
This session was to help equip students with alternative ideas about creating new imagery, offer ways of making use of their gathered research, ways of combining their 2d and 3d interests, create original digital media to develop further, maybe within Flash or Photoshop. Some students began to film their drawing, while moving the light source behind the surface to accentuate different parts of the drawing.
The objective will be for these students to apply and develop some of these actions to suit their own project. Whether its creating new drawings with different tools, surfaces, light sources or finding new pathways for their project based on the outcomes of this activity.
