Friday, 27 February 2015

Sellotape and chemical transfers with backgrounds



This is a series of pages in my sketchbook contains my sellotape transfers and chemical prints on backgrounds I did. The fist one contains a chemical transfer of Ivor Abrahams' 1976 "The Sphinx". The background is some sketches which I painted over with white emulsion and continued with it onto the paper containing the print. I then added some vertical lines in pencil as it looked a bit bare and there was too much focus just at the top of the page. I feel the chemical print was successful as it captures the facial expression and a hint of the shape next to it. I found it really interesting how the chemicals completely changed the colours of the image from dark grey blues to a warmer range of bright reds and purples. I like the mottled effect it gives and think it would be really interesting on a large scale.





























This page contains a sellotape transfer of Francis Bacon's "Sketch for a portrait of Lisa". I decided to create a background inspired by the colours in the face or the original image and enhance them so that they would come through in the face of my transfer. I used watercolours to paint the base of the background with a purple hue. I then added oil pastel and used a brush with turpentine to dissolve and blend the oil pastel like paint. I hadn't previously tried this technique and was surprised at how pigmented and blendable the oil pastel was when dissolved. I layered the oil pastel and chose to leave some of it as it was to create contrasting textural marks. I also learned about creating points of interest such as the blue area beneath the transfer. I really like this page as I feel the colours work well with the transfer and it has a strong impact upon seeing it first hand. I would like to continue using oil pastel and turpentine as it is much more versatile than simply drawing or using paint and the colours are rich and vibrant.











































The following page contains my sellotape transfer of Ivor Abrahams' "A Predicament" with a painted background again influenced by the colours of the transfer.  I used the rough edge of pieces of cardboard to drag black, white, cadmium red and crimson paint across the page. I tried to achieve similar tones to that of the transfer and capture Abrahams' use of line and texture. I created a white base for the transfer so that it wouldn't get absorbed by the background and the details could show through. I had previously experimented with the cardboard painting method using black and white paint which prompted me to incorporate it into my work. I especially like the texture, colour variation and different lines that this technique achieved.


















































This page incorporates a chemical transfer of Francis Bacon's "Crucifixion" and a sellotape transfer of Ivor Abrahams' "The Raven". The chemical transfer brought through the shape of the image well and it fit with the raven as it blends into the translucent section in the middle. The mottled effect on this also matches the mottling on the chemical transfer. I felt these pieces went well together as both have quite an eerie feel about them and the original pieces are very dark, yet the transfer techniques have changed the colours providing contrast.






























The final page contains my sellotape transfer of Francis Bacon's "Study for a Portrait". I chose to leave the background plain due to the first two backgrounds being very strong and vibrant as I didn't want to take away from their impact or make my sketchbook too over the top. Also the transfer isn't very translucent so a background wouldn't show through much and as the kept the strength of colour and shape of the original image well a background might over power it.



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