Title: Scars and Light
Size: 17.5 x 12.5 cm Medium: Dry Point Exhibition Text: For this project, the artist decided to create a print based on religion. It is shown through the cross in the middle and the lines coming out of it have different meanings in what the artist wants to represent the idea that there is something that will always be important and on top for us that make us not think and forget about bad things and know that for some people, God should be above all things. |
Process
For my first project for my senior year I decided to do another dry point alike last year. I used the same theme of religion alike the one I created last year with some similar ideas but different in a way. The bottom part of the drawing has like scratches and then a cross in the middle. And in the top are straight lines that is lights. At first I drew a rectangle the size of the plastic where I scratched the drawing and then I drew the drawing I used. Then I thought of ideas of which one I would use. After I chose I taped the plastic on my sketchbook on the drawing so It would be easier to scratch on the plastic board. First I scratched the cross out first so for me it would be easier to scratch with the tool we used to scratch the lines that come from the cross. Then I scratched the bottom because it was the harder part to do because the lines aren't straight and they serve a purpose because of it. After that I did the top straight lines and it took me about 3 class periods to complete. After I finished carving, I started with the next step which was the inking process. Where you have to spread the ink all over the plastic plate and then start cleaning it off with paper until there is none on it but the lines. after that I used the press to get the print on paper (paper has to be in water for about 8 minutes). It took me three tries to get a good print.
For my first project for my senior year I decided to do another dry point alike last year. I used the same theme of religion alike the one I created last year with some similar ideas but different in a way. The bottom part of the drawing has like scratches and then a cross in the middle. And in the top are straight lines that is lights. At first I drew a rectangle the size of the plastic where I scratched the drawing and then I drew the drawing I used. Then I thought of ideas of which one I would use. After I chose I taped the plastic on my sketchbook on the drawing so It would be easier to scratch on the plastic board. First I scratched the cross out first so for me it would be easier to scratch with the tool we used to scratch the lines that come from the cross. Then I scratched the bottom because it was the harder part to do because the lines aren't straight and they serve a purpose because of it. After that I did the top straight lines and it took me about 3 class periods to complete. After I finished carving, I started with the next step which was the inking process. Where you have to spread the ink all over the plastic plate and then start cleaning it off with paper until there is none on it but the lines. after that I used the press to get the print on paper (paper has to be in water for about 8 minutes). It took me three tries to get a good print.
Attempts
Inspiration
My inspiration for this piece was religion (Catholic) and the artists like Michelangelo and Kathe Kollwitz. I was inspired by Michelangelo's use of religion in many of his pieces. Overall religion is a big part of my life and I like to use it in my artwork and from last year's dry point, I wanted to make it cleaner with the same theme and some ideas but a different meaning. My inspiration from Kathe Kollwitz comes from her use of black in a lot of her work and for the dry pint we had to use ink. I like the great detail she uses which comes from the walls, the woman's hair and the man resting on the bed. |
Reflection
Overall, from past experience in doing my first dry point' I think it went easier for me because I understood the mistakes I did in the past like my lines weren't as good as they could have been because I rushed through it. And now for this one I took my time in completing the process by slowly scratching through the plastic plate. The hard part of this was taking the ink of the plastic where I scratched the drawing into because it takes a lot of time and work to make sure that there is no ink on the plate but the drawing. As well applying the ink because I had to make sure I was putting enough and not to little but not a lot of it. It didn't take me a lot of time to finish the process or do a print but what took my time was making sure I had made the lines deep enough and removing excess ink. It was easy to come up with the ideas for the project like sketches and also to draw them didn't take a lot. Overall I think I improved in this process. |
Meaning of my Piece
My piece represents two different things around the same concept. We are all sinners and the problem is that it leaves scars on us as bad things that as a person, we keep doing and in someway it affects our life because we know we did bad. In the Catholic Church, people do confessions to release all the sins that they have been holding. From this dry point, the cross represents that center where we can be forgiven where we start from the bottom as bad people for things we have done. And as we find ourselves to the top where we are enlightened by God's forgiveness. That is how I feel when I confess because I take out all the bad things I have done or said and it makes me feel better. The idea that there is a center for everything that balances the good and the bad can be seen with the cross in the middle that shows how there is always something bad that is behind us but there is always that chance of forgiveness through God and happy moments in everyone's life and it is shown through the scars on the bottom and the cross and light.
My piece represents two different things around the same concept. We are all sinners and the problem is that it leaves scars on us as bad things that as a person, we keep doing and in someway it affects our life because we know we did bad. In the Catholic Church, people do confessions to release all the sins that they have been holding. From this dry point, the cross represents that center where we can be forgiven where we start from the bottom as bad people for things we have done. And as we find ourselves to the top where we are enlightened by God's forgiveness. That is how I feel when I confess because I take out all the bad things I have done or said and it makes me feel better. The idea that there is a center for everything that balances the good and the bad can be seen with the cross in the middle that shows how there is always something bad that is behind us but there is always that chance of forgiveness through God and happy moments in everyone's life and it is shown through the scars on the bottom and the cross and light.
ACT Questions
- Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork.
The cause of my inspiration to my piece is that they both connect to each other. My inspiration comes a lot from my culture and I used my religion on my piece which is the theme of the piece. The artist inspiration is seen by what is on their artwork where like Michelangelo's work was based on a lot of Catholic events and I was inspired by his usage of different events and use it in my work as an inspiration of what was the overall theme and how it ties to the type of religion. - What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration? The overall approach that the author has regarding my topic is if the theme used connects with the idea of religion and how it connects with the inspiration.
- What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration? Some generalizations and conclusions I made by doing this project is how better I think that I made this piece regarding that from Junior Year, where I needed more detail. And I think I had more detail in this piece and how much more I carved than before and better than my first attempt in this project.
- What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research? The main idea of this piece is how well it represents an aspect of the religion being used. The piece shows how God is the center of things even when it is through difficult times. And how it is shown through religion that God should be above all things and used for a guidance to forget all bad moments.
- What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research? I could say that from this work, I improved in my carving skills when I had to do it slow so I would not get out of place from where I wanted to carve. As well as on the imrpovement of adding more detail than the previous attempt to do this piece.