Ba3b:

Note:

Please ignore the dates of the posts for Ba3b. I altered them so that the sequence would run in chronological order to make it easier to follow the development of my work.

Overview:

Wall chart for studio

I created a wall chart for my studio space which gives an overview of my themes and potential projects for this unit. I plan to continue focusing on the themes of materiality, temporality, and entropy, using materials and processes to express the passing of time. This will include:

• relief printing and relief casting
• working with materials that show the signs of age
• motifs or images that symbolise time
• text/phrases that reference time – ‘I was here’ ‘I am here’
• audio project to augment physical work
• collaboration with musician to create artwork for music album
• photography
• video

By approaching the subject in different ways I can determine what best expresses my ideas, maybe combining or juxtaposing methods and materials.

 

 

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Interim Show: The Big F

The brief for the show was for work that had either reached a dead-end or that the artist considered a failure. Initially I intended to submit a piece of work that had reached a dead-end. However, I thought the concept of entering work which I considered a failure to be a more interesting proposition. Artists don’t usually exhibit their failures, at least not intentionally. I chose an etching that had been a technical failure as the image had not been exposed onto the plate correctly. I had experimented with it, masking out the shoes and adding a very coarse aquatint to the background. However I was not happy with the final result as the background became very dominant.

 

Aquatint etching

The exhibition included a group crit, and someone commented that the colour and texture reminded them of rust and corrosion. That was an interesting connection as I had been collecting and using pieces of rusting iron at the time.

Codes for work: C=Crit F=Failure

 

The theme for the exhibition and the curation was organised by a curation team, who hung the work. I submitted my print unframed as I thought that was in keeping with the idea of a failed piece of work. I provided the fixings and was disappointed that one of my clips was used on someone elses work. My print was hung with one clip at the centre, which I don’t think looked right and I would have preferred the use of two.

 

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Studio Day Project: Junk Mail

Students’ ‘Junk Mail’ on the unwelcome mat

For this project I was asked to interpret the subject of ‘Junk Mail’ in any way I wanted so I got a random collection out of my recycling bin.

 

collection of junk mail

collaged junk mail

 

Most junk mail is asking for money, either selling something or charities asking for financial help. I chose a few pieces that were asking for help and collaged them onto painted background. I also tore off segment of text that said “anyone can drown, but nobody should” and collaged that onto another painted background.

This subject matter could be a good starting point for socio-political comment, exploring consumerism etc.

 

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Text:

I had used text in two previous projects. the first was a design for cabin baggage in which I used the phrase ‘I am here’ and the second was a screenprint for a book stating ‘I was here’.

 

I had altered the spacing of the letterforms to create a unique arrangement. I have further developed the text design of the phrase ‘I was here’ in a similar way to the previous project by enclosing it in a circle. I plan to make a linoprint of this design and possibly have some stickers printed that I can leave in various locations.

This strand of my work overlaps with graphic design, and will contribute towards my career plan that includes creating designs for online print on demand items. This will include both image and text based designs so this type of work broadens what I would be able to offer.

 

The use of text in art:

 

https://www.guggenheim.org/blogs/checklist/the-writing-on-the-wall-art-and-text-in-the-20th-century

 

 

Fabric Print:

I was inspired by Johnny Briggs and the tapestries created from his photographs . They were made in a loose weave, which he altered by pulling the threads.

Johnny Briggs, Foreign Bodies, 2012 — 30 x 30cm Tapestries

 

I loved the texture of the loose weave fabric with frayed edges and am excited by possiblities that could be achieved to create work that looks fragmented and damaged.  I am exploring the way that materials can add to the communication of an idea. As a cheaper alternative to woven tapestries I thought of experimenting by screenprinting onto very loose-weave cotton gauze. As proof of concept I made a print using text from a previous project.

 

Screen-print on loose-weave gauze

 

Before screen-printing I taped the fabric to paper to hold it in place and to catch the ink that went between the weave. The print had an ethereal quality as it was not dense and solid, and by manipulating the fibres of the fabric it was easy to create gaps that gave a damaged appearance. The experiment was successful, giving me the result I wanted, so I may use this technique for future projects.

 

Monoprints:

As part of the process of considering time I am making work that takes different amount of time to complete. some of this is quick and spontaneous, in an instant. I love monotype printing, with the quality of line and texture that is created and its unpredictable results.

I had some ink left after making prints of my boots which was a great opportunity to create some monotype prints.

 

 

I started with a spiral, referencing the structure of the ammonite, and then added further expressive marks using different implements to vary the width of line. On several prints I wrote the phrase ‘I was here’ which is an ongoing text project.

 

Green Dreams Exhibition:

 

I was invited to take part in an exhibition being organised and curated by Year 2 Fine Art students. The theme was humanity’s connection with nature and they wished to exhibit some of my ammonite prints. I created another series of these experimental prints (having made the original linocut and a number of prints in unit Ba3a) as I wanted to have more to choose from and we decided that three would be a good number to exhibit.

 

 

 

The show was curated by the Year two students, who arranged the order of the prints, the spacing and orientation. They wanted both framed and unframed work in the exhibition, and in discussion we decided that my prints would be unframed. I had been planning to use magnets (as it turned out that was the fixing being used overall for smaller work). The magnets worked well as they are more secure than clips, they are also more discreet, giving a more professional appearance.

 

 

 

Reflections:

I think the prints would have been better hung in reverse order, running dark to light from left to right, which would have given more of a sense of a process of erosion over time.

From a distance the prints did not stand out well enough against the white wall and would have benefitted from having a dark painted panel or wall behind them. I need to consider this when displaying future work.

 

 

Billboards:

 

 

I took part in a short group project (organised by tutors) over the course of a morning making billboards. We had no set theme so I chose the statement ‘I am here’ which connected to my ongoing work on the subject of time.

We ended up with a wonderful variety of ideas, slogans, words and images, which we presented outside on the plinth in front of  Norwich University of the Arts. It was fun taking part in this short collaborative project, making something in an impromptu way with other people.

 

 

Neon:

I had an idea for the Degree Show in Year 2, which involved a Neon sign of the phrase ‘I was here’. I thought this was both humorous and profound as the meaning could be taken in different ways.

After researching the cost of having a sign made I discovered that many of them were made from sections of plastic with using  LED technology. I did not think this would look as good as the original type of Neon made from glass tubing, which was beyond my budget.

Although I decided not to pursue this project, I have incorporated the phrase ‘I was here’ in other work.

 

 

Album Art Graphic Design:

I have had an interest in graphic design for many years and this forms one strand of my future career plans for commissions or print on demand designs.

I was commissioned to help create designwork for two album covers and a single. I worked in close collaboration with the musician, who provided reference material and a design concept as he had a clear idea of what he wanted.

 

Key concepts:

• • grungy
  • monochromatic design
  • simplicity
  • contrapuntal to name
    • battleworn
    • distressed
    • aged

Genre

• • metal
  • punk
  • grunge
  • post hardcore

Font:

classical serif font.
Reference Alice in Chains
After researching various typefaces I chose Trajan

 

Imagery:

Circle within inverted equilateral triangle.
symbolism – allusion to runes.

Quick sketches of intitial ideas

 

In the first iteration of the design the circle was thinner than the surrounding triangle. However, we decided to make them a uniform weight, and I experimented with different textured layers on these elements against a solid plain background.

 

The design, which is in keeping with my aesthetic of simplicity and minimal colour palette,  follows the the brief for the design. I have also designed the back cover with the track listing, but as the music is not yet ready for release I am unable to upload those images.

 

Ammonite – Embossed linoprints:

 

 

My original idea for this image was to create an embossed linoprint. However, as previously mentioned, I was advised that the lino I had used was too soft and would stretch under the pressure of the press. I then recut my design using Japanese lino, which is tougher.

I made two editions of prints. The pressure on the press had been set quite a bit higher when I came to print the second edition. This gave a more heavily embossed finish, which shows up better, but some areas were buckled. This was due to the paper stretching under the pressure and it spoilt the prints.

Troubleshooting:
First I tried steam ironing the buckled areas, but that did not help. I then glued the print to a heavy paper backing, which was successful, so I glued the remaining prints to mountboard to solve the problem.

 

 

 

Footprints: Print & Imprint

Print and Imprint:

I am fascinated by prints and imprints, processes that transfer evidence of something to leave a trace. An imprint can be both physical and mental (involving memory).

 

 

Why footprints?

I am fascinated by traces of the past in the physical world. Footprints are such traces, indexical registers of human existence left in the world around us. My photographs above show footprints on the pavement left incidentally by people while they traversed the space, temporary records of their physical presence in that place. Footprints are the visual equivalent of the statement ‘I was here’. Although shoeprints are less unique than actual footprints they still develop an individual character due to size and the way they wear down.

 

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Footprints – print:

Following the successful outcome of my embossed ammonite linoprints my idea was to make a series of embossed linoprints based on my shoeprints. I rolled a layer of ink onto the sole of my boot and printed it onto sheets of paper. I then transferred the resulting image to a sheet of A3 Japanese lino.

Prints taken directly from boots

Inking with black caligo ink

I first experimented with embossed prints, but was not happy with the result. I don’t think this technique suited the image so then made a few prints with an inked plate.

Printed directly from boots

Linocut based on print

I had some technical problems with the press as it was not printing evenly and if I increased the pressure the plate became jammed under the roller. So I released the pressure enough to give a more even print. This gave a patchy, speckled effect that I thought looked a bit like the surface of a footpath (in the black and white print).

For the prints in green ink I inked the plate more heavily than usual to try and compensate for the patchiness. I think this gives a handprinted slightly grungy look, which I really like. If I wanted to achieve dense, even, flat colour I could screenprint the image.

I think the lime green ink on black worked particularly well and the graphic simplicity would be great for music album art.

 

 

 

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Footprints – imprint:

 

 

I made imprints of my boots in clay and also stamped the letter ‘M’ which represents my initials. When the clay dried the impression was less distinct and needs good side-lighting to show the relief.

I had planned to make footprints walking across a large piece of clay, but I thought it best to try one print first. By chance, while researching Antoni Tapies, I found that he had made work using footprints (both prints and imprints).

Next to the footprints Tapies had made other marks (that are frequently found in his work) which added symbolic personal associations. I was inspired by this idea to use the letter ‘M’ with my shoeprints. I have also decided that from a practical perspective that it would be better to make individual segments that I can place as I choose rather than trying to use one large piece of clay.

 

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Antonio Tapies:

Antoni Tapies, Two Footprints II, 1983

https://www.lempertz.com/en/catalogues/lot/1122-2/600-antoni-tapies.html

 

https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot/antoni-tapies-spanish-1923-2012-addicio-de-pe-32-c-ad74747a67

 

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I  made imprints of my bare feet in clay. I thought these had a vulnerable and sensous quality that was lacking in the imprints of my shoes and they seemed timeless, so I decided to use them for the exhibition I was planning. Initially I thought of walking barefoot on a strip of clay, but decided that would be difficult to store and transport as it would be large, bulky and (being unfired) brittle.

I settled on making individual footsteps from chunks of clay. I wanted them to look as if they had been broken from the surrounding earth so spent time building up the clay in ragged layers and then rolled it flat with a marble rolling pin. It often took several attempts to get the result I wanted. I made over 30 as I planned to arrange them in a spiral and thought that would be enough to create what I wanted.

The advantage of making separate footprints is that I can arrange them in different ways. I had planned to photograph them in various arrangements, but did not get a chance before the lockdown and I don’t currently have a suitable location in my home.

Building up layers of clay

Clay rolled out before imprint

 

Clay imprints at various stages of drying

 

Problems with making included the clay splitting or becoming too thin, mainly when pressing my heel into the clay. Sometimes the problem did not become obvious until the clay started drying (see below).

Damaged imprints – clay split or too thin

 

Theme of work:

This project connects with ideas of traces of the past that are captured in the physical world and are visible in the present. I was excited to discover that ancient human footprints had been found at Happisburgh on the Norfolk coast in 2013. So in addtion to my imprints capturing a trace of my existence at a moment in time, there is the connection across time to ancient migrations also leaving their imprints in clay or mud.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/feb/07/oldest-human-footprints-happisburgh-norfolk

 

Idea for future work:

I had an idea for a dream project, that would involve covering a large gallery with a thin layer of clay, leaving a walkway around the edge. I would need a group of adults and children to walk barefoot across the expanse in one direction, linking this to migrations across the ages.

 

 

Plaster Casts of Imprints:

Following on from making imprints in clay I made plaster casts from the clay imprints. Casts also capture traces of the past and this process is analogous to that of fossils, in which over time sediment fills the space that was once occupied by a lifeform.

The plaster casts of my bare feet remind me of death masks. Compared with casts of shoeprints, they appear more suggestive of the vulnerability of human life and I am considering making more for the degree show – (connecting with the idea ‘I was here’ and traces of the past).

 

 

 

 

Exhibition PS3: Trace

An exhibition by Marg McCune-Colbert & Rachel Buck

 

 

This was an exhibition I organised and curated with Rachel Buck, using Project space 3 in St George’s Building at NUA. Rachel sourced the image for the poster (which she produced). We collaborated on ideas for the design and I suggested the layout that we used for the final poster.

We share an interest in themes connected to time passing, which leaves its marks in the physical world. This gave rise to the name of the exhibition: Trace.

 

Trace exhibition: Rachel Buck

Trace exhibition: Marg McCune-Colbert (foreground)

 

We decided to use different ends of the space (effectively dividing it in two), and based the placement of our work on practical considerations. The area with Rachels’s work had adjacent walls with an overhead skylight, which suited what she was exhibiting. I needed sidelighting without overhead light, so my work was installed near the window, away from the skylight.

In addition to sharing a theme, our work had a cohesion due to the colours of materials we both used. There was a resonance between the curving spiral of my clay footprints and Rachels curved  sculptures, which were all placed directly on the floor.

Curved metal and cement: Rachel Buck

 

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Development of my ideas for the exhibition:

One of my planned projects had been to make footprints in clay and, as already documented, I thought this exhibition would be an ideal opportunity for completing and showing this work. The decision to place the footsteps in a spiral linked to my projects featuring ammonites and a longterm fascination with spirals.

Traversing Space-time

 

Initial sketch for spiralling footprints

 

 

Audio:

I wanted to use the sound of footsteps to augment the installation, so recorded the sound of my footsteps in the foyer and hallway near the exhibition space. For my first recordings I used an external microphone attached to my phone. However, I was not happy with the sound quality so I borrowed a Tascam field recorder. This was much better, but there were still some unwanted sounds, which were removed for me by a mix engineer.

As I was holding the microphone while I walked, the sound of my footsteps was recorded at a constant volume. However, I wanted to accentuate the sense of moving through space, so I experimented with fading the sound in and out, adding periods of silence. This was very effective, and on playback I looped the audio to repeat. I think constant footseps would have been too insistent and very wearing to listen to. I kept the volume fairly low during the exhibition so that it was a subtle addition.

Play Audio file There are several seconds of silence at the start of audio

 

Video:

One of my other projects was a video of a walk. Following discussion with a tutor about ideas around time passing, he suggested that I try walking at varying paces as  a way of experiencing time. This led me to the idea of filming a walk as a way of documenting this. Initially I thought of filming city footpaths at night, with the camera pointed downwards filming the path ahead. Nighttime would be a focus on a different time of day when the world looks quite different, alluding to the daily rhythm of time.

However, on a walk to the Sainsbury Centre through Eaton park, I noticed many tracks in the mud (mainly shoeprints). As I was already making work involving shoeprints and footprints I thought a video of these tracks could form another approach to the subject.

 

Screenshots of original colour footage

 

Video Editors:
I wanted to use video editing software at home, but my old software couldn’t recognise the newer video codec used by my camera.
So I tested a number of free video editors including:

• • Da Vinci Resolve (kept crashing on my computer)
  • Shotcut
  • Kdenlive
  • Hitfilm Express

In the end I used Hitfilm Express, which was stable and easy to use and, although some of the features are limited in the free version, it had some good filters such as vignette. I removed sections of footage that included treetrunks, a small dog and someone coming into shot, in order to focus on the tracks and shadows, which alludes to human presence but does not reveal it directly.

I decided to convert my colour footage to black and white and add a vignette. This created the appearance of torchlight at nighttime (which linked back to my original concept of filming at night). It also resulted in enhancing the textures and shadows, making the short film (of around 6 minutes) more atmospheric. I was very pleased with the result which I think successfully conveys my ideas and themes which include

• • the passing of time
  • traces of the past
  • I was here

 

I removed the original audio captured by my camera and added looped sounds of rustling and cracking of twigs, which I downloaded from Freesound

Link to Video

Screenshots of video edited in Hitfilm Express

 

I was excited by the discovery of the viewers’ participation when they moved across the space, becoming part of the installation, with their legs casting shadows on the video footage. This added to concepts of space-time and transience.

 

 

 

 

Ammonite Imprints & Casts:

 

Ammonite Fossil

 

Ammonite Imprints Self-hardening Clay:

I bought an Ammonite from which I intended to make a mould and plaster casts. However, I first experimented with pressing it into pieces of white self-hardening clay, which I then curved (some are concave and others convex). After doing a quick plaster cast from a clay mould, I realised that I much preferred the clay pressings. They bear the marks of a prehistoric creature, but are something entirely new, conjuring up fragments and flowers.

 

Impression of ammonite in self-hardening clay

 

concave imprints

 

convex imprints

 

Experiments with tearing the edges and varying the size to greater extent

 

 

Clay Mould & Plaster Cast:

 

clay mould and plaster cast

 

 

Silicone Mould & Wax Cast:

In order to extend my technical skills, I wanted to go beyond casting in relief and make a full mould. Using my original ammonite I made a two-part silicone mould, which was then temporarily fastened together, and cast in paraffin wax. The result had a very good level of detail and it was easy to remove excess wax from the mould line and pouring hole, to create a fully three dimensional sculpture.

 

 

 

 

Vitrine:

For the degree show I decided to make a vitrine to display my ammonite sculptures. I felt they needed something refined to set them off, as they look small and delicate. I found an image of a display cabinet from the Edwardian period, which I thought would be perfect. I decided on measurements and gave these, with a picture of the cabinet, to one of the 3D technicians at NUA, who cut the materials to my specifications and helped me assemble it.

 

Sketch with measurements

 

 

 

Perspex panels were added to the top and sides.
(Top is still covered with protective layer)

 

Examples of sculptures to be put in vitrine

 

I painted the wood black and finished it with a matt varnish. The black finish gives a contemporary feel to a design from another era, playing with past and present. The vitrine also has associations with museum collections.

I am very pleased with the finished look and think it would have worked well in the degree show. Due to the coronavirus lockdown, I have been unable to display and photograph my sculptures in the vitrine as it is currently in storage at NUA and I am unable to access it.

 

Photography:

 

 

I photographed the ammonite using natural daylight for side lighting. I then enhanced the image in Photoshop to increase the contrast and converted it to black and white to exhibit alongside white clay relief sculptures. I changed the format from rectangular to square, which I preferred.

I am experimenting with scale and plan to use the juxtaposition of a large dramatic image next to a selection of the small subtle white clay pressings of the ammonite (each of which is approx 3 inches or less in diameter). Ammonites themselves varied in size, from less than a centimeter to 2 meters in diameter.

I have previously used the interplay of image and object in an exhibition last year and found that to be very effective.

 

 

I decided to make a large format print 150cm square, and intitally had it printed at NUA. However, the print would have needed to be joined as the paper was not large enough. I was concerned abot the join showing and the potential problem of getting glue on the surface when sticking it to mdf board.

 

The two sections of my photograph showing scale

 

After researching different options, I had it printed on display fabric that was large enough to not require joining. It was also more robust and could be stapled to the MDF board. However, I was unable to complete this due to coronavirus lockdown.

 

Spirals

Spirals in Architecture- Primary Research:

Following my projects featuring ammonites, I wished to broaden my scope and investigate spiral forms in architecture and nature. I have been fascianted by spirals for many years and they have previously appeared in my work (e.g. Year 2 Dove St Project – digital image with spiral stairs).

Primary Research:
As a start to my Primary Research, I visited the University of East Anglia (UEA), and Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts (SCVA), which both have spiral stairs. Within architecture, spiral stairs form a very elegant and space-efficient way of accessing higher levels in a building as the treads revolve around a central axis, which rises straight upwards to the required height.

UEA spiral stairs – my original colour photographs

SCVA spiral stairs – my original colour photographs

 

Photography – image processing:

I edited my original photographs, converting them to black and white and altering contrast to create atmospheric images that draw attention to the forms.

 

Photographs © M McCune-Colbert

 

 

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Spirals in Art – Tatlin’s Tower SCVA:

While visiting the SCVA and UEA I also photographed a model of Tatlin’s Tower, which is located next to the SCVA. This model incorporates a double helix (spiral) that decreases in size as it moves upward.

Model of Tatlin’s Tower created by Sir Jeremy Dixon – photograph © M McCune-Colbert

 

According to the  UEA website:

“The large-scale model, created by architect Sir Jeremy Dixon, is a steel-framed spiral design based on Tatlin’s idea for a monument in St Petersburg intended to be 400 metres high – taller than the Eiffel Tower – but which was never built.

 

It was donated to the Sainsbury Centre by the Royal Academy of Arts and is the most ambitious attempt to recreate Tatlin’s unbuilt masterpiece. This version is based on Tatlin’s original model and his drawings of the Tower.”

 

 

Spirals in Nature – Primary Research:

This is just the start of my exploration, which I intend to continue by looking at spirals in the world around me. I have always been fascinated by ferns which unfurl from a spiral. In photographing a fern in my garden I realise I had not previously noticed the much smaller spirals of leaves along the stems that also unfurl as they grow.

Photograph © M McCune-Colbert

 

 

Types of Spiral – Further Research:

I plan to do further research into the different types of spiral. Those in nature (like the ammonite and fern) are based on the Fibonaaci sequence in which the spiral grows based on the sum of the preceding two measurements.

 

Reflection:
Unlike the closed loop of a circle, a spiral suggests the infinite – it has the potential to continue expanding, growing.

 

 

Bishops Art Prize:

I had wanted to enter this competition, which has been delayed due to coronavirus lockdown.

Experimentation:

Without giving too much away publicly before submitting the work, these are some preliminary tests of crackle paste and a blue glaze made from acrylic paint mixed with gloss medium. I created some test strips on painted and unpainted wood which I coated with the two part crackle paste. This would be suitable for the final work and, once dry, the paste can be painted or glazed with acrylic paint.

 

 

 

 

Diorama of proposed degree show

 

As we were unable to display our work for the degree show due to the coronavirus lockdown, I wanted to find a way of giving a sense of the atmospheric lighting that I would have used. As much of my work had relief surfaces it required sidelighting in a dimly lit space to show it at its best. As I was planning to use video, dim lighting would also have been necessary.

I decided my best option would be to make scale models of the space and my work to create a diorama of the two possible arrangements of work that I had been planning to exhibit. I used cardboard, acetate, photographs and self-hardening clay for the models.

 

Models of work & exhibition space approx. 1:15 scale

 

Carboard, actetate & printed photograph

 

Self-hardening clay (left)    Painted cardboard & Fabriano paper (right)

 

Painted cardboard 1:15 scale

 

Models lit with torch at night showing 2 different versions for exhibition.

 

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Print Workshop: A5 Book

The brief for this group project was to create screen printed pages for an A5 book. working in a small group we decided not to have an overall theme, but to create images based on our current interests. We also decided to limit ourselves to 2 colours (black and one other colour) with individual choice of paper.

 

 

I have been continuing to explore the subject of time. For this project I decided to use the image of an ammonite (ammonites being used to measure geological time) as a motif symbolising time.

The British Geological Survey website explains that

“Ammonites can be used to distinguish intervals of geological time of less than 200 000 years duration. In terms of Earth history, this is very precise.”

I had originally been thinking of making a lino print, but this project was to be screenprinted. However, I decided to stick with the idea of a simplified graphic image. For this, I edited a  photograph using Photoshop’s stamp tool, experimenting with the black/white balance until I got the level of detail I wanted. The image was very small so I converted it to a vector file to enable me to enlarge it as much as I wanted.

 

 

 

As I needed images for both sides of the paper I also used text with the words ‘I was here’ which continues ideas from a previous project, in which I used the phrase ‘I am here’. These phrases play with the concept of human existence within space and time.

I altered the spacing of the individual letters to make it more interesting and for the final design I also angled it on the page. As the book was to be perfect bound I was able to run the lettering across two A5 pages

 

 

As an experiment with materials, I planned to print onto drafting film, but due to being translucent I did not want the images on each side to ‘fight’ with the other so decided on using black for the lettering and a semi-transparent colour for the ammonite. During a conversation with my tutor I hit upon the idea of using iridescent ink. This related to ammonites being able to produce mother of pearl. I found a range of tints in acrylic paint, which could be mixed with screenprinting binder. I discovered that it printed well. Although the paint looked white in the tube, once it dried it became translucent and kept its iridescence. The image becomes more or less visible depending on the angle at which light hits it.

The experimentation with materials was a success and I was very pleased with the overall outcome of my prints.

Iridescent ink on translucent drafting film

 

I also printed onto manilla paper, which had been my backup plan in case the printing was unsuccessful on the drafting film. I experimented with overprinting the lettering with a larger ammonite print. The iridescent ink remained visible on the areas of black text and almost disappeared where it was printed on the plain manilla paper.

 

I plan to buy more tints of the iridescent paint and mix the colours to see what effects I can get against different background colours.

Bookbinding:

The next stage was to create the book using the ‘perfect bound’ method. this involved cutting the pages to A5, stacking them, clamping them together and gluing a strip of scrim along the edge to create a spine. Once this was done and the glue was dry the cover was attached. This type of binding allows the pages to sit flat, which was an advantage with heavy papers, which some people had used.

I enjoyed being part of a collaborative project, with a book being a way of sharing our work with others to keep at the end of it.