The Equivalents Project

Lucia Hearn

A still life piece using

ink and chalk

Primary and Secondary

Sources

(Left) This is an example of a still life painting that I did from the primary source of a still life composition as a part of this project was to work from life. I found it easier than working

from a secondary source such as a photograph of the scene, as I could asses the lighting and angle of each object.

However, it was more difficult in the sense that it wasn’t already a 2D, flat piece of paper so I had to concentrate on getting the proportions and sizing of the objects - which I

feel I could improve on.

(Below) Here I have shown some examples of the artist research that I did during the Equivalents

project. I used secondary sources such as research books and the internet to find the information that I

needed and then printing/photocopied images to support my writing. Having researched the artists using secondary sources, I found it a lot easier to

understand the techniques and visual language that they use in their work. For example, after researching collage artists and their techniques on the internet, I

found it a lot easier to complete my own study because I knew what sorts of materials and methods

these artists used.

This is an example of a colour study I completed of a secondary

source as apposed as doing it from life.

‘Rhythm, Joie de Vivre’Robert Delaunay

Pieces of my work that demonstrate using formal

elements

This painting was a study from Picasso’s ‘Le Figaro’. I feel that it

demonstrates using formal elements as it has a variety of different patterns to represent

the different surfaces in the composition. For example, in one section of the painting there are dots from a fabric Picasso was

inspired by, and another section has a pattern from a wooden

table that has horizontal lines.

This piece uses formal elements as it has

geometric, linear areas (for example the frame section) and also more curved and fluid shapes (such as the

plant leaves).

Finally, I chose this piece to represent formal elements as it focuses on colour and

tone. I tried to use variations in colour to represent the three

dimensional objects I was painting from and also match each colour so it was identical to the real

thing.

One example of how I have used Visual Language and the Influence of

other’s work

These are some images of my recreation of a Picasso sculpture in Chicago which I completed while studying Cubism. I tried to recreate the textures of the metallic surfaces in the real thing by using a combination of

acrylic paint colours including silver paint. I also used a range of supporting materials so that it could stand, such as a tube (originally a pencil pot) behind the whole structure. Additionally, I tried to represent Picasso’s cubism influence by using flat pieces of cardboard, but placing them at different angles so that the piece is viewable from all angles, but it has the illusion of a 2D piece from the front. This reflects how cubism plays

with different proportions and angles, laying them flat on one surface.

The real piece in Chicago

Working with a range of Techniques and Materials

For this example, I would like to show how I used a range of techniques/materials for one still-life composition

This technique is collograph printing, producing a more rough look with a

large variety in tone depending on how raised the surface of the screen is.

This technique is simple drawing but

using a black charcoal pencil and white chalk. These

two contrasting materials could be blended nicely to create a mid-grey,

or used by themselves for a

solid shade. I loved using these

materials as I found them the easiest to

work with.

This technique is drawing with ink using a bamboo skewer as the

material. I liked the effect this

produced, and I was able to create nice thin lines for the branch section of the composition,

however I did find it hard to get an even

tone with the skewer.

This technique is 3D sculpture work

using paper/cardboard/ta

pe. This created pieces that were visible from all

angles, meaning you could

experiment more with 3D shapes and objects differently

to the composition.

This technique is tonal/linear drawing with a pencil. I did

these drawings based on my 3D work, after I had

made the model. I like how you can

easily vary the tone by applying

different amounts of pressure.

Safely using different technologies, techniques and materials to develop

my ideasI had to be vigilant about health and safety requirements when working in the workshop - especially when developing my printing, because

the collograph machinery was being used. I had to be careful of:

• Wearing hand protection at all times, especially when handling

white spirit• Using the printing press slowly

and carefully and making sure nothing is caught it in due to the extreme pressures being applied

• Not spilling any liquids on the floor - such as the water being used to

soak the paper• Protecting clothing with aprons

• Making sure the press doesn’t get any inks or permanent materials

on it• Not getting white spirit near any

open flames

Development of my Model

I created the first model using flat and flexible materials such as paper and masking tape. I

then developed it by making a second one that had 3D

additions, such as the circular pattern on the front become 3D tubes going through the front of

the sculpture. I also changed the pattern of straight lines on the inside of the sculpture to thicker tubes. I felt that this

development showed how a flat print can be adapted into an

abstract and interesting piece.

EvaluationTime Management

I am, on the whole, pleased with how I managed my time because I didn’t miss any main deadlines. However, if I could re-do the project I would probably have reserved more time for the longer parts of

the project such as the artist studies as these are difficult to get just right. Additionally, it would have been easier to spend more time in class on the 3D work because the practicalities of this area

of the project took a long time such as cutting out and sticking different elements.

ResearchMy research was mainly artist based, however I did need to research different artist movements that I

didn’t know much about already - such as cubism. Grasping a background idea of what this time period in art was like helped me understand the style of the individual artists. My information was

found from secondary sources - research books and the internet. I used the art section of the library - in particular the book ‘A History of Art for Young People’ by H.W Janson which I found extremely useful. I also used www.artcyclopedia.com as part of my research as it contained useful sources and images.

Development I developed my ideas fairly well on the 3D work and printing aspects. However on the big piece which included collage and ink/chalk/charcoal I was not completely happy with the end result. I think this was because I wasn't

pleased with the overall aesthetics however I liked the multi-media layering using different techniques. To improve, I think I could have planned the starting material more (the collage using negative space) so that I would have been more happy with the development using different materials. A main inspiration in my development was my artist

research, as I used elements such as colour theory and cubism in my practical pieces after researching them. I also used drawing to plan out developments for the model practical so I could annotate and explain the reasons for each

development.

Evaluation: Final OutcomeHere, I have included images of some of the different pieces of work I have done over the

course of this project, using different materials and mediums, and working from

primary and secondary sources. I think that the most important features of my work are the range of

formal elements I have used. For example, I have experimented with a

large range in mark making from collograph prints, to acrylic painting,

to charcoal drawings. A lot of these different techniques represent equivalents of the same composition, portrayed in different

ways such as the various ways I represented the still life from my print; ink, charcoal, 3D sculpture,

pencils drawings and ink.I think my work is very relevant to the original brief because I have

shown a variation in mark-making/techniques, used a

range of sources (primary by using still-life scenes and secondary by researching artists), and showed

development for each portion of the project. If I could re-do the

‘Equivalents’ project, I would have managed my time slightly better -

especially near the end of the project, and tried to keep track of each project in my sketchbook by

keeping it organised and in more of an order. I have definitely learnt more

about art history in this project, as well as techniques and the many

different ways to portray one or more objects in different ways.