OCA Printmaking 1 Blog » Tutor report

Tutor Feedback Assignment 5

patriciakarsten — Fri, 08 May 2015 22:04:55 +0000

Overall Comments

Digital submission, student lives in USA

Summary of video feedback 8 May 2015

An abundant submission demonstrating hard work

Visual outcomes improving

You have achieved a good understanding of a range of printmaking techniques and are able to apply them

Sketchbook supports your work but needs greater breadth of exploration before engaging with a subject in depth

Your log is a valuable and well-written resource. Reflection your personal journey will assist your artistic development

Feedback on assignment

Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Quality of Outcome, Demonstration of Creativity

Project 13. Combination mono and linoprint:

Appropriate research and interesting Klee/Haring visual connection. Some lovely mark-making and strong drawing in sketchbook. Greater exploration of preliminary ideas needed.

Prints themselves appear competently printed, but have not really picked up on possibilities inherent in artist research in terms of attractive colour usage or organisational systems e.g. multi-colour dab printing (Klee) or a formal, coloured, grid structure (Mondrian). Also would have been interesting to see prints using a varied line thickness, like your brush drawing of the staircase.

But you have worked hard and your engagement with follow-up work demonstrates this.

Project 14. Combination prints and chine collé:

Good research – Warhol’s Jagger prints.

A productive body of work.

I enjoy the bold, German expressionist-like cutting, although because the centre-line does not pass correctly through the face, the image appears distorted.

As you note, Set 2 are an improvement over Set 1 due to the stronger use of colour. I really like the expressive white lines in the face where you have wiped your monoprint – adds visual interest, and yes, ‘broken hero’ indeed.

Preparation of Set 3: The abstract image in your sketchbook is a super thing, a lovely balanced interplay of shapes, lines and colours.

Your monoprint under-layers call to mind the Turin Shroud. In future, if you notice such connections, make brief references to them in sketchbook or blog.

Set 3 make a good conclusion to your chine collé print-run. You are effectively combining the layers and the collage element. Technically, the blacks could have been more solid (although personally I like the comic-book print quality caused by the white spotting).

For me, image 3 works best. Elvis looks like he is illuminated by a stage light.

Further experimentation in sketchbook is interesting, and yes, could be a way to engage with the developmental pyramid idea we discussed last time. But tie it to some visual research, currently it has no context.

Project 15. Series of four combination and experimental prints :

Sketchbook exploration of themes, subjects and ideas not carried out in the broad intention of the brief.

However, you have researched your chosen theme of tulips and found appropriate artworks demonstrating a range of approaches.

Your developmental print surfaces, tests, explorations etc. have yielded a broad variety of images. Naturally, your productivity has produced varied results, but broadly speaking, the tonal work has caught my attention:

Such images allow us to enjoy the strength of your composition: the rhythmic deployment of the flower heads and use of negative space, the linear elements contrasting with the tonal masses.

The less successful pieces lack clarity of intention. Not a criticism, but to help your understanding:

The colour work has yielded some pleasing images demonstrating interesting combinations of approach with subtle interplays of tone and technique:

Four prints: Your final selection continues the rich subtlety. There is a good rendering of forms through tone and contour; the activation of the background helps bond the image into a coherent whole; and the subdued colour adds a slightly mysterious and unsettling air to things.

Technically, a broad and successful engagement with a range of materials and techniques.

Overall, an impressive and abundant body of work.

Supporting statement: Good. You acknowledge ups and downs, shortcomings and successes. Overall, a clearly growth-full and positive experience.

Your review of the course itself seems to me to be a very fair summary and you are aware of things to take forward.

Sketchbooks

Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Demonstration of Creativity

Sketchbook and a multitude of exploratory prints support your studies. You continue to demonstrate strength in drawing, too.

But to better exploit the book as a working tool, I reiterate the need for linkage to artist research (including explorations from this) and also the pyramid of ideas/development we discussed last time.

Learning Logs or Blogs/Critical essays

Context

As always, you take your blog seriously. You have made it into a very useful resource for yourself. Artist references, lots of information about materials and techniques, and very well illustrated.

Going forward, do explore and reflect on your own motivations as discussed previously.

Pointers for the next assignment

Use editorial judgement and discernment when submitting work for assessment, but seek to maintain the narrative flow of the work.

Make sure loose work is neatly trimmed. When mounting work, have deeper margin at bottom. Mount onto thin card. Stick to black or white mount colours.

As a general rule, when mounting multiple images on a single sheet, keep the internal margins smaller than the external margins.

Link to OCA assessment guidance:

http://www.oca-student.com/sites/default/files/oca-content/key-resources/res-files/printmaking_210514.pdf

Assignment 4: Tutor report

patriciakarsten — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 16:10:56 +0000

Overall Comments

Physical submission, student lives in USA

Summary of video feedback 30 Mar 2015

A submission of work demonstrating good engagement and hard work

Stronger on technical side than visual side

You have achieved an understanding of collagraph printmaking through your hard-work and tenacity

Make clear decisions about colour: descriptive/functional or more for own sake?

Your sketchbook is developing, but needs to link to projects tasks

Your log is progressing well. Provide reflection your personal journey

Assessment potential

I understand your aim is to go for the Painting Degree and that you plan to submit your work for assessment at the end of this course. From the work you have shown in this assignment, providing you commit yourself to the course, I believe you have the potential to succeed at assessment. In order to meet all the assessment criteria, there are certain areas you will need to focus on, which I will outline in my feedback.

Feedback on assignment

Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Quality of Outcome, Demonstration of Creativity

Project 11. Making a test collage block:

You set yourself up well with Mary Ann Wenniger book and the Romano and Ross print exhibition, plus the artist research.

Your series of six test blocks demonstrate hard work and engagement with the task. A varied, interesting and potentially useful vocabulary of marks has been produced. Print quality is generally good and you have explored working with different papers and with colour. Your commendable persistence with intaglio has produced some interesting results, too.

Project 12. Collatype collage prints:

Group of geese: good composition and interesting and appropriate use of textures, though some readability issues (larger scale helpful?).

I prefer the strong, bold image of the black and white print. The colours of the multi-colour prints don’t contribute much to our understanding nor are they gorgeous in themselves. We discussed approaches to colour.

Your prepared printing plate has the poetic flavour of Pierre Bonnard (1867–1947) or Japanese prints.

You Bonnard

Abstract collagraph: The composition is rather random, lacking a focal point or structure. You explained why. We discussed the challenges of making abstract images.

As images demonstrating explorations, textural effects and the ability to lift a print, they are more successful.

This print demonstrates colour serving a purpose, bringing focus to the busy all-over activity:

You talk in your blog about the above being a ‘face’ shape; it would have been good to see some suitable-looking artist reference support this, e.g. Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985):

Single goose print: Your image transfer technique has been interesting to see, but with your good drawing abilities was it worth the effort?

The prints themselves are interesting in the relief textures produced but greater contrast would have helped readability. The image itself lacks interest (need more going on e.g. river bank or weeds).

Backgrounds need to appear to pass behind the subject, not end short of it

General evidence of hard work, exploration, tenacious problem-solving throughout the assignment submission. Well done.

Sketchbooks

Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Demonstration of Creativity

Some lovely things in here, especially the cats – intimate and well executed in a variety of media.

Line drawing of you cats: look at Andy Warhol (1928-1987) ink-line transfers from his days as an illustrator.

Coloured grounds interesting but over-used. Think of them as punctuation to give rhythm.

Need to support the project work much more e.g. drawings of geese would have been relevant. And I’d like to see linkage to artist research and also the pyramid of ideas/development we discussed last time.

Learning Logs or Blogs/Critical essays

Context

Your blog demonstrates your engagement with the assignment tasks and you take its upkeep seriously. Artist references, lots of information about the materials and processes, and well-illustrated.

Still insure of your likes/dislikes/motivations. You may find externalising this in written form helpful.

Pointers for the next assignment

Part 5. Exploring printmaking and combination print techniques.

Work to your strengths. Select subject matter that is ‘you’. Support activities with research into artists who aid your visual ambitions – these don’t necessarily have to be printmakers. And remember the pyramid notion as you develop your ideas.

On a simple, practical note, ensure your chine collé papers are stuck down properly – loose edges wafting around look awful.

Tutor feedback: Assignment 3

patriciakarsten — Tue, 24 Feb 2015 20:35:50 +0000

Overall Comments

Electronic submission, student lives in USA

Summary of video feedback 17 Feb 2015

Your grasp of reduction print technique has been ably demonstrated
You have a solid working process from initial drawing through to finished print. Sensibly grounded in the visual experience of your subject matter
But you will benefit from exploring more ideas before committing to a single idea. Use the notion of an ‘ideas pyramid’
Blog continues well. More insight to your visual motivations would be helpful

Feedback on assignment

Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Quality of Outcome, Demonstration of Creativity

Project 8 Reduction Method Linocutting

Careful attention to printing process has yielded a strong image that works well. Textural effects exploited to show the flat blankness of night sky contrasted with varied marks expressing manmade and natural forms. Conveys a sense too of the artificial colours produced by street lights. Good problem-solving to repair area of lino mistakenly cut away.

Project 9 Experimental Mark Making on Lino

Produced a mark-making vocabulary with potential for future use.

Project 10 Experimental Relief Prints

A good, steady, developmental process is demonstrated, from original drawing stage through to finished print.

Ambition and confidence demonstrated in production of a large A3-A2ish print

Scratch foil drawing has a lovely soft visual quality and I enjoyed the use of tone in preference to line.

Reminiscent of some Philip Guston (1913 – 80) drawings:

Guston Original Inverted

You are right to take abstracted shapes from the view in front of you (e.g. look at Ivon Hitchens [1893-1979]). This avoids the potentially overwhelming possibilities of complete invention. But you also make decisions based on what you feel the image needs e.g. bold primary colours rather than dull winter’s day colours.

Pleased to see artist reference to inspire you (Anne Sumpner Evans). Her work is vigorous and organic. It is worth casting around for work that aligns better with your intentions – even retrospectively. This way you can develop, improve and demonstrate your connection to the wider art world.

You: Lines and mass
Eduardo Chillida (1924- 2002). Note: lines and mass

Ancient architecture: further development?
Laszlo Moholy-Nagy (1895-1946): Texture

Need to explore some initial ideas before committing to final design e.g. attempts to utilise the Project 9 mark-making in some way. Remember the notion of an ‘ideas pyramid’ we discussed: a broad exploratory base, progressively leading through to single idea. And this idea itself can then be subjected to a similar process (rather as you have done in this project).

Sketchbooks

Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Demonstration of Creativity

Looking forward to receiving your sketchbook with physical submission of next assignment – or photocopied pages (less desirable as not actual media).

In this Assignment you have used your book as a working tool to develop your idea, but as stated above, would be good to see a broader engagement with a developmental range of ideas.

(Your quick sketches from TV and your cat ink & wash drawings are attractive and interesting. Maybe worth pursuing?)

Learning Logs or Blogs/Critical essays

Context

Well-organised and easy to navigate.

Working processes are well described and illustrated, including problem-solving.

I suggest you devote some specific space to reflect on your learning journey. I’m still unsure of your artistic and creative preferences, likes and dislikes. I attach a sheet with some suggestions.

You did not carry out reflection against the assessment criteria, p.24.

Good to see you citing your references. Needs a tweak, I have attached the OCA guidance for your convenience

Pointers for the next assignment

Collatypes:

Keep things glued to the base board at a similar height.

Blocks can prove unpredictable in the prints they yield, so be prepared for both good and bad surprises. Play with inking methods and how you lift the print – they can make quite a difference to the outcome. Also play with papers, inks, and colours.

Make explorations and discoveries for yourself. These you can use later on. The test block (Project 11) a very useful learning experience (vocabulary).

Explore, develop a range of ideas, have fun.

Assignment 2: Tutor feedback

patriciakarsten — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 02:28:38 +0000

Overall Comments

Electronic submission, student lives in USA

An impressive submission of work in which you have not been afraid to challenge yourself

Good engagement with tasks and a readiness to engage in technical exploration of materials very evident

Purposeful, focussed play will be helpful to future development

Blog is very thorough. Use your artist research to pursue an increasing understanding of your own visual motivations.

Assessment potential

Feedback on assignment

Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Quality of Outcome, Demonstration of Creativity

Project 5 Linocut mark making

You have begun to build a useful vocabulary of marks and an understanding of your tools. No exploration of black on white at this stage.

Project 6 Single colour linocut

Corner of room interior view: A lovely and challenging choice of subject-matter that has enabled you to produce a print of exciting black and white contrast and pattern. An impressive early effort, well done.

Still life: Another good composition. The simple colour scheme works well and the carrying of the colour into the upper part of the print has allowed you to unify the image. The sub-group of pencils and eraser all sitting neatly together is a delight.

Project 7 Multi-block linoprint

Again your challenged yourself with complex subject matter, causing difficulties as noted in your blog. But the final, corrected, print is great. The contrasts of scale, of textured mark-making and the composition all work together to create an interesting image that in my view looks very competent, in no small way due to your dogged determination to succeed.

The landscape sketch made on the spot before you started to freeze in the cold is a super little thing too. It conveys a lot by minimal means.

I agree with your ‘Concluding reflections’. Particularly, that your lino blocks all need to be exactly the same size; and that a clear, worked-out colour image would be a great help. When you are cutting a block, you need to know exactly what is going to go where.

The project brief asks for colour explorations. This could have been an opportunity to “push your limits”, something which seemed to elude you, according to your blog. It may be helpful to think of this as ‘purposeful play’. For example, you could try reversing light/dark tonal relationships. Or try exploiting colour theory, say by using harmonising or contrasting colours rather than more realistic colours. What about very deliberate mis-registering and upside down printing? How about applying colour roughly with a brush? How about printing two different prints onto each other? Some back drawing? Yes, ugly things will happen; but hopefully something interesting will turn up too. The important thing is to recognise when something note-worthy has happened, and then exploit these happy accidents in future work. Another way you can approach experimentation is suggested below.

Poinsettia experiments: I feel these would have benefitted from a clearer direction or goal – perhaps something you’ve seen when doing artist research. If you have a destination in mind, your experiments will be more purposeful.

Sketchbooks

Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Demonstration of Creativity

It is difficult to comment as your electronic submission did not include an extensive survey of your sketchbook. There appeared to be less activity than in Assignment 1, though this may not actually be the case. You clearly have an ability to draw and this has supported your print work. I was pleased to see evidence of the use of a range of media in both colour and black and white.

Learning Logs or Blogs/Critical essays

Context

Your blog is very thorough and well written. The Gallery section is enormously helpful in allowing an easily accessible view of your artwork itself. At Level 1 you could write less than you do; but this is a personal preference and if extensive writing helps you, please continue.

As before, your content covers visual and technical matters, research and reflection. There is discussion of how your researched artists may, or may not, influence your own practice. This is really good to see and will help you to better understand your own visual concerns and motivations.

I am pleased that you are so active in your artist research and gallery-going. Keep it up!

Suggested reading/viewing

Context

Looking at the work you have produced in this assignment, there seems to be a strong interest in texture over other possible visual concerns such as colour (for its own sake) or decorative effects, e.g. as seen in the Bawden’s work.

These printmakers may interest you. They work in a representational fashion and use texture, which are things that ‘chime’ with your assignment work:

http://www.peterluty.com/Original-Prints.html

http://www.jenniferjokhoo.com/

The next artist is a wood-engraver, but worth a look because again there is much use of texture, but this time more ‘poetry’ in the realism:

http://www.rowleygallery.com/Artist-Howard-Phipps.aspx

Many of your own researched artists use texture in a very deliberate way too, e.g. Clare Romano. It may be well worth paying particular attention to this aspect in further research.

Pointers for the next assignment

Next assignment: This requires you to make a multicolour linoprint using the reduction method. This technique can be tricky to understand. Please read the assignment guidance carefully, all the way through before you start work.

Additionally, I’ll provide my own explanation here of reduction linoprinting in the hope it helps your understanding:

Only one block is used to print all the colours. The big thing to realise is that any material removed from the block can no longer print, and this is the key to the method:

First remove from the block any areas that need to allow the printing paper to show through, e.g. highlights, whites of eyes.

Then print the lightest colour first (it is usual to print in a light-to-dark sequence, as the darker colours better cover the preceding lighter colours). Don’t think about background and foreground – it doesn’t work like that and will only confuse matters. Make sure to print ALL the paper for your edition run, plus an allowance for test sheets, proofs and spares etc.

Remove the lino that needs to stay the first colour. This is the key to the whole process – it’s all about preventing over-printing on where you want that colour to remain.

Print the second colour, again bearing in mind the light-to-dark sequence. You should now be seeing sheets with areas of unprinted paper, areas of your first colour safely preserved, and the new colour.

Remove the lino that is to remain the second colour, so that it too cannot be overprinted.

Print the third colour. Continue as above if there are still more colours to print.

Finally, remove the lino that is to remain the last colour you printed. This should leave you with a block consisting only of what is to be your black outline. Ink up and print this.

All being well, you should now have an edition of multi-colour prints with black outlines.

Assignment 1: Tutor feedback

patriciakarsten — Sat, 20 Sep 2014 21:50:05 +0000

Tutor report

Overall Comments

Electronic submission, followed by video tutorial. [Student lives in USA]

Work well-organised and easy to navigate.

Very productive and clearly engaged with studies

Good grasp of basic print techniques.

Ability to work with texture. Work with colour will benefit from the use of reference materials.

Assessment potential

You may want to get credit for your hard work and achievements with the OCA by formally submitting your work for assessment at the end of the module. More and more people are taking the idea of lifelong learning seriously by submitting their work for assessment but it is entirely up to you. We are just as keen to support you whether you study for pleasure or to gain qualifications. Please consider whether you want to put your work forward for assessment and let me know your decision when you submit Assignment 2. I can then give you feedback on how well your work meets the assessment requirements.

Feedback on assignment

Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Quality of Outcome, Demonstration of Creativity

Project 1 First Monoprints

Mark-making. Followed the brief satisfactorily. Greater variety of mark-making would have added interest e.g. wide brushes contrasted with thinner brushes; brush handle lines in specific places rather than all-over. Busy and quite areas a recommended strategy.

Painted monoprints from life. You are already addressing problem of ink drying too quickly, also try printing in stages with a hinged sheet as described by myself.

A good, exploratory and productive effort. As a general rule, keep things simple. Complex images likely to need larger scale.

You may wish to replace your thin glass inking plates with Perspex or acrylic sheet. Much safer.

Project 2 Positive & Negative Masks

Good, workman-like approach to the task. You understood the importance of a simple image.

Project 3 Two-Colour Masks

Two-colour print. You have understood the process.

Variations. Lovely exploratory body of work, well done. The clematis images and the textured pattern images particularly successful. You have grasped the interest that can arise from playing with misalignment. Also, you are able to make textures work together.

The back-drawings are often over-inked. Strip off the surplus with a sheet of newsprint before drawing.

Project 4 Texture & Combination Prints

Again, a very productive response to the brief.

Shoe series lacked forward motion and real interest. Consider subject matter – does it have visual interest in the first place?

Leaf series much more open and experimental, some lovely results.

Skyline series began experimentally, but settled into work which made visual sense, so was a good demonstration of your ability to develop a focus from uncertain beginnings.

Pond series contained some interesting mark-making techniques, which you have used intelligently to differentiate the various pictorial elements e.g. foliage and light/shade. A larger scale would have given more room to move

Work with colour throughout Assignment 1 is rather hit and miss. Instead of inventing, use references. See Suggested reading/viewing below

Sketchbooks

Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Demonstration of Creativity

These comments include the supporting studies for your print work.

Sketchbook is used correctly as a working tool.

Various pages were discussed. Some good composition on the page. Clearly most comfortable with pencil work. Seek to broaden range of media.

Improvements to cross-hatching technique discussed.

Need to establish visual linkage with reference artists.

Learning Logs or Blogs/Critical essays

Context

Blog very thorough, well-organised and well written. You value its use.

Content good, covers visual and technical matters, research and reflection. You are also finding your own artists for reference.

You expressed uncertainty as to the meaning of some assessment criteria. These were discussed.

Suggested reading/viewing

Context

Useful colourists:

Henri Matisse (1869 – 1954)

Howard Hodgkin (b. 1932)

Patrick Heron (1920-1999)

Crosshatching:

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669). Look at his etchings and drawings

Strong, simple composition:

Woodcuts of Der Blaue Reiter and Die Brucke groups

Pointers for the next assignment

Lino cutting safety discussed.

Explore and develop several options. Draw with thick line e.g. marker pen or brush. Select a simple, bold image.

Use reference artists more directly. Learn from and demonstrate this in sketchbook.