Drawing Tools

I used a paper umbrella, cocktail stirrers, and a handmade box to create drawing tools that would make interesting marks, be fun to use (and be reusable), and would resemble art themselves. I wanted to be inventive and solid, but made sure to pay attention the the aesthetics of the tools themselves because not only is that an essential marketing tool that attracts people, but when my name is on something I want it to be finished and appealing. I really loved that the marks the umbrella made and the umbrella itself were appealing and interesting, as opposed to the other other two that lacked either proper functioning or finished appearance.

All tools were coated multiple times with sealant to make it possible to reuse them.

Coated paper umbrella with multiple layers of sealant and paint and attached different lengths of string--meant to be spun like a top to make marks

Drink stirrers glued together with a handle added, painted with sealant--meant to be dragged across paper to make 4 lines at a time

Box made out of wood with cork bottom that has holes cut out, wrapped in tape and painted with sealant--meant to be filled with paint and dragged on paper to make dots, lines, etc

Tape

I used berries under clear tape because they are textured and dimensional, along with various cutouts, duct tape, and stickers. I loved the berries under tape, but they were hard to seal off, and while the piece with acrylic under tape dried out because I couldn't seal it well enough, I loved the interactive element to it while it was wet and want to work with that idea more.

Raspberry in between clear tape

Elbow Print in between clear tape

Lime in between clear tape

Tape and graphic on paper

Cutout of tape on cardboard

Graphics on top of taped cardboard with sticker

Paper with graphic tape, dried flowers underneath clear tape

Sticker on paper, Acrylic sealed under clear tape

Science

I used random everyday items and added other various components to attempt to create visually pleasing pieces with little to no direction or theme because the challenge topic was vague and I have never liked science. While I'm not really thrilled with how a lot of the pieces turned out, the fact that most of what I did was so far from what I know and am comfortable with, they display science in that they were pure experimentation with minimal concern to the outcome, more with just experimenting in general.

Gum, sugar, bleach, dye

Beer mixed with glue, shaken up to produce foam, and sprayed with workable fixative

Beer with food coloring dropped on foam

Beer with sea salt

Coins held over flame, sprayed with fixative

Dirt mixed with wood glue, clear coat, and oil drying medium was coated with a layer of turpentine, set on fire, and covered with wax

Water, olive oil, and acrylic paint

Raspberries smashed, covered in turpentine, sprayed with bleach, let sit overnight, then covered in clear coat

Hansel & Gretel

This quick challenge was the most difficult for me so far because it was open ended and vague in concept. I decided to create trails with various materials like ink, paint, fruits, nails, drawings, and collected objects because I love dripping techniques and compositions that are heavy in a concentrated area. While I liked the concept of collecting various items from people around me, I felt that I didn't have enough control over the composition. I loved the berries on paper for the rich color, texture, density, and the odd visual presence of food suspended in time without decay. 

Blueberries pulled across paper to create a trail

A raspberry pulled across paper to create a trail

A strawberry pulled across paper to create a trail

Trails of ink

Trails of paint across graphics

Bee trail

Trail of nails

Trail of items from the people I run into everyday

Thread

I used string to draw, accentuate existing characteristics, and to write. Every piece was intricate and I loved the symmetry and clean lines, but they were all tedious and exceptionally difficult. The most tiring pieces were the words in tape, but were my favorite because they seemed to be floating and regardless of the words used were delicate and feminine.

String wrapped around nails in wood. 

String wrapped around nails in wood. Letters were drawn out and constructed with nails.

String wrapped around nails in wood. Nails were measured out to be equidistant then every possible connection was mapped.

Hemp wrapped around wood.

Thread sewn through cork and paper collage.

String arranged between tape. "butthole" and "ofwgkta"

String wrapped around a bottlecap.

Wood

I love insects, and wood is a great canvas so I created a series of "new school" style  paintings on wood. I also experimented with a plywood knot by sanding and finishing it so it was smooth like stone. I really loved some of the paintings like the roach and bird, but the wood knot was more interesting to me in its simplicity and characteristics that conflict with what it actually is. Plywood is so rough and ugly, but it turned out smooth and vibrant.

Snail, acrylic on wood



Roach, acrylic on wood

Tick, acrylic on cork

Pill bug, acrylic on wood

Mantis, acrylic on wood

Bird, acrylic on wood



Spiders, acrylic and paper on wood

I took a knot cut out of  piece of wood and sanded it until it was perfectly smooth, then finished it with olive oil and vinegar

Gravity

All were created by dripping various substances and in some cases, moving them to manipulate the composition. I love ambiguous shapes made by liquids and smoke, so I loved how a lot of them turned out, especially the ones with suspended ink, however, the ones I really loved were either best viewed in process or not able to display because they couldn't dry because of the honey.

Water, gesso, clear coat, ink, and beer on thick paper

Tea, vodka, water, ground cayenne, clear coat, and ink on cardboard

Honey, ink, clear coat, and beer on plasticky cardboard

Runoff from the other compositions from about a foot of height 

 Ink, acrylic, clear coat, beer, turpentine, and dish soap on cardboard

Ink, honey, and hand soap on cardboard

Acrylic on wet cardboard

Ink, acrylic, water, and beer on cardboard