Printmaking

During my first semester of my second year at Midwestern, I took a course in Printmaking. There are lots of different printmaking processes, so the course was focused on the screen printing process. Which, in case you thought was a relaxing process, is very difficult. There are so many little things that can go wrong, and so many of those things are beyond the control of the artist! It was a stressful semester. Despite that initial shock, I really did enjoy the class. In fact, the works from the course are, with out a doubt, among my most proud. Not only do these works stand out because of the quality I feel they hold, but I can't help but also recall the time and dedication that I had to give every detail of every print.

Oh- and remember when I swore off ever creating a representation of a gas mask ever again? I spoke too soon. My professor suggested incorporating my series from Drawing II into this new media. And, I must admit, it was pretty interesting to take something I had viewed and created so many times and recreate it in such a new way.

"Evacuate"

2009, screen print, edition of 5

"The Enemy"
2009, screenprint, edition of 5

"Pogo by Walt Kelly- Part I"
2009, screenprint, edition of 5

"Pogo by Walt Kelly- Part II"

2009, screenprint, edition of 5

"Contemplate"

2009, screenprint, edition of 18

Changed Faces

Once we (finally) finished our still life series in Drawing II, the class was given a bit more freedom. The theme for the second portion of the semester was simply faces changed for art. Basically, our assignment was to portray pierced, tattoed, or painted faces- the challenge being to keep facial features recognizable among these great distortions.

"Zipper Eye"

2009, colored pencil

"Gauged Ear"

2009, colored pencil

"Goldfish"

2009, colored pastel



"Butterfly"
2009, colored pastel

Gas Mask Series

During my second semester of freshman year, I took Drawing II. For about the first half of the semester we focused on one series of work, with the image of which being selected from a giant still life set up on the first day of class. I just so happened to choose the gas mask because I found the contrast along the surface to be most interesting, and after roughly eight weeks of drawing it, I swore I would never draw one again.

(Also- due to "creative differences" between blogspot and I, I've finally decided to try a different way of posting picutres so that I don't have to spend hours editing just to get one post to align. My computer screen is an abnormal size and tends to adjust the page a bit, so I apologize if the layout is a bit off.)

"Gas Mask Series- Line Drawings"

2009, india ink pens

"Gas Mask Series- Graphite"

2009, graphite

"Gas Mask Series- Graphite Diptych"

2009, graphite

Drawing I

These are works from my Drawing I class, during my first semester of freshman year. The subject material presented as still life set ups for the class weren't exactly what I would normaly go for, but the exprience and knowlegde I gained from the class is fairly evident in works since.

"Cafeteria Still Life"

2008, sharpie contour

"Dorm Still Life"

2008, sharpie contour

"Verical Cow Skull"

2008, subtractive graphite powder

"Me"

2008, black cray pas

The First Semester

So, I thought I knew what I was doing in art until that first art class in college. There were terms used, materials needed, and media presented that I had never even heard of. It was, to say the least, shocking. I was in a drawing course as well as a 2-D design course, and I definitely learned more about art in that one semester than I had before.

In the 2-D Design course, we covered the basics of color, shape, and line. We were assigned works throughout the semester that focused on pattern, compostition, perspective, and creativity.

"Bite"

sharpie on illustration board, 2008

"Stapler"

india ink on illustration board, 2008

"Puddle"

layers of cut cardstock paper on illustration board, 2008

"Self Portrait"

printing ink, 2008

The Beginning.

These are my first "serious" works. These are from before I began college, during my senior year of high school. I took an art elective that had an emphasis in drawing.

My mixed media piece for the class- "A Story and a Line"
acrylic paint, colored pencil, and sharpie on canvas , 2008

We experiemented with all sorts of media throughout the semester- including graphite, sharpie, printing ink, scratchboard, and acrylic paints. My favorite portion of the class was the time dedicated towards scratchboard. Its entirely different than any other method of drawing- it is basically a white surface covered with black clay that is to be removed with a variety of blades. To put it simply, its a subtractive form of drawing- the artist removes the black (the negative space) rather then applying it. The three shown were done outside of class for further practice and study.

Enjoy!

"Confound"
Scratchboard, 2008

"Blithe"
Scratchboard, 2008



















"Inculpate"
Scratchboard, 2008