Artwork: Dry Point
Title: Why am I like this?
Size: 18cm x 13cm
Medium: Drypoint paint and water color
Completion: November 2017
Exhibition: My dry point Why am I like this? is inspired by the novel Sand Child this book we read in my English class. I chose this book to get inspired because while reading the book I found out that the main character Ahmed was struggling on his sexual identity.
Size: 18cm x 13cm
Medium: Drypoint paint and water color
Completion: November 2017
Exhibition: My dry point Why am I like this? is inspired by the novel Sand Child this book we read in my English class. I chose this book to get inspired because while reading the book I found out that the main character Ahmed was struggling on his sexual identity.
Arstist Inspiration
While searching for inspiration I came across Mirror by Paul Delvaux. The way that I had interpreted the painting was something interesting to mew this was because the mirror depicted her true vulnerability. It was something that I wanted to also depict for Ahmed this is because I also wanted to show that the mirror depicted his vulnerability. Since, he was born a woman but transformed into a man because her father wanted to.
In the artwork of Girl Before a Mirror by Picasso was another of my inspirations. It was one of my inspirations because once again you can see the idea of the mirror and thats basically the big point that I have on my dry point. The Girl Before a mirror is about showing the reflection one has about themselves which was a great things because I wanted to interpret how Ahmed reflects himself. |
Planning
In literature we were introduced on a book called The Sand Child while reading this book it was more than noticeable that the main character whose name was Ahmed was through identity issues. Now this issues were mainly about a secret his father had kept and that was that he had changed Ahmed sex in order to have a son and give all his fortune to. These issues brought back the thought of self image this is because he wasn't pleased with his body and everything he had gone through it kinda made it difficult for him to live at peace specially the fact that he had to live thinking he was a man but in reality was a woman. So when we got introduced to dry point I already had in mind what I wanted to display this time. I wanted to display what Ahmed had gone through in his mind and how he viewed himself. Specially the fact that he was carrying this burden his father made him carry. Since this is a big thing in the LGBT community I wanted to make it more in a modern time so this way, when people would view this peace they can see themselves through it.
Sketch #1
Since I had an idea of what I wanted to create, my sketches did not really change. For most part I wanted to incorporate the main key things to my dry point which were Ahmed, the mirror, and the father. In this sketch Ahmed is looking into the mirror and his reflection is a woman because he was born like that, by his side you can see his father almost demanding how to act because he is pointing to Ahmed. In the background I was going to have the mother because she doesn't have a voice in the saying but she was there.
Since I had an idea of what I wanted to create, my sketches did not really change. For most part I wanted to incorporate the main key things to my dry point which were Ahmed, the mirror, and the father. In this sketch Ahmed is looking into the mirror and his reflection is a woman because he was born like that, by his side you can see his father almost demanding how to act because he is pointing to Ahmed. In the background I was going to have the mother because she doesn't have a voice in the saying but she was there.
Sketch #2
In my second sketch I decided to give it detail since the first one was more of a quick sketch. In the second sketch I incorporated my key points for my dry point. Now I was going to draw Ahmed how he was described in the book but I decided to depict it in a a more modern look. In my first sketch I decided to put the father on the side but because he did die and then Ahmed was left with a burden his father left I decided to only draw the dad behind him. I drew him behind him because no matter where Ahmed goes he will always carry his burden his father had left. It is also noticeable that the girl in the mirror is looking away this is because I wanted to display the fact that she can still change. Now in the book Ahmed was confused for a great majority of the book and towards the end we don't know what had exactly happened to Ahmed but based on some inferences which were that he left and started a new life as a woman. So by drawing the girl looking away I wanted to portray that its his choice to make and no one else.
In my second sketch I decided to give it detail since the first one was more of a quick sketch. In the second sketch I incorporated my key points for my dry point. Now I was going to draw Ahmed how he was described in the book but I decided to depict it in a a more modern look. In my first sketch I decided to put the father on the side but because he did die and then Ahmed was left with a burden his father left I decided to only draw the dad behind him. I drew him behind him because no matter where Ahmed goes he will always carry his burden his father had left. It is also noticeable that the girl in the mirror is looking away this is because I wanted to display the fact that she can still change. Now in the book Ahmed was confused for a great majority of the book and towards the end we don't know what had exactly happened to Ahmed but based on some inferences which were that he left and started a new life as a woman. So by drawing the girl looking away I wanted to portray that its his choice to make and no one else.
Process
Before I started scratching my dry point plate I had to peel the plastic from both sides. Since we are were not able to erase lines I was very nervous to mess up. So I decided to trace my sketch onto my plate. Then when I was done I was doing minor details on my plate I saw that the plate was very plain and I wanted to create a background very similar to the Hospital Visit by Kathe Kollwitz. So I decided to go ahead and create the similar background. Once I was done scratching the plate I went to ink the plate. I filled a container of water and added a thicker piece of paper which was provided by our art class. While I waited until the paper soften I added the a small amount of ink on to the plate. I also was ripping paper in small pieces because I was getting ready to remove the ink of the plate. It took a while to remove the ink from the plate but once it was removed from the unwanted areas, I took the paper out the container and dried it while a rag. Once dried I added my plate facing the paper and then I was on my way towards the printing press. I added my print in the printing press and rolled the plate, once I rolled it I checked how my plate came out.
Experimentation
For experimentation I wanted to double roll my print. By this I mean that I rolled my print once in the printing press and then I decided to roll it once again to see the outcome of my print. I noticed that the print came out messier than the other prints. It didn't doubled imaged which was a good thing but it created a bolder image to the outer part of my print but towards the inner part it did not it was way lighter which I found interesting. Some of the small details that I scratched came out looking way harsher than I had intended to. For example, in the eyes had a light reflecting but because I double rolled it it was not showed the whole eye had back ink.
Reflection
Some of the things that I noticed about doing the drypoint is that it was easier to print than the block print. It took me less time to get my final piece, the only thing was that when removing the ink off the plate took longer. Also another thing that I noticed was that if you removed enough ink of the late then the image will show up lighter in certain areas, as well as if you don't take enough ink off then the area would look messy. One of my problems was with the printing press it was to lose so my image did not reflect on the paper which was a disappointment. When scratching the plate I was nervous to mess up because you can't erase lines.
Critic/ Compare and Contrast
Critic:
Overall I was pleased with how my piece came out a couple of things that I would change would be to be able to try and be able to figure out the right amount of inking.
Compare and Contrast:
One of the main things that it is noticeable with my inspirations and my drypoint would be that both use a mirror to reflect the meaning. In all the pieces you can see the vulnerability of a reflection on the mirror. The thing with my drypoint is that it depicts the message of figuring who you are even when you don't know where to start.
Overall I was pleased with how my piece came out a couple of things that I would change would be to be able to try and be able to figure out the right amount of inking.
Compare and Contrast:
One of the main things that it is noticeable with my inspirations and my drypoint would be that both use a mirror to reflect the meaning. In all the pieces you can see the vulnerability of a reflection on the mirror. The thing with my drypoint is that it depicts the message of figuring who you are even when you don't know where to start.
ACT Questions
1. Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
Since my main idea or theme is self image, I wanted to depict the vulnerability that a mirror reflects also incorporating the book that I read in my English class which the main character has a hard time to understand who he really should be in life.
2. What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration
My overall approach would be the mostly for the LGBT community but really it is for any one who has gone through that phase in where you are discovering who you are.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
With my research I concluded that with my inspirations the artist tend to show vulnerability and emotion.
4. What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?.
My theme is self image with my inspiration they relate because they both show the reflections of the mirrors and the depicts of vulnerability.
5. What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research
Some of the inferences that I made was that Picasso used more of an cubism way to interpret the Girl Before a Mirror.
Bibliography:
1. Girl Before A Mirror, 1932 by Pablo Picasso. (n.d.). Retrieved November 14, 2017, from https://www.pablopicasso.org/girl-before-mirror.jsp
2. Paul Delvaux Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works. (n.d.). Retrieved November 14, 2017, from http://www.theartstory.org/artist-delvaux-paul.htm
1. Girl Before A Mirror, 1932 by Pablo Picasso. (n.d.). Retrieved November 14, 2017, from https://www.pablopicasso.org/girl-before-mirror.jsp
2. Paul Delvaux Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works. (n.d.). Retrieved November 14, 2017, from http://www.theartstory.org/artist-delvaux-paul.htm