Sellotape Print Tutorial

I previously posted about one of my past projects 149 DVA Typography 1 and how the project developed. We have now been notified that our grades will be given back to us soon with feedback, an anxious wait ahead is now in store.

During the final stages of the project I was in the studios at University when the idea of creating some transfer experiments for my project came to me. I found a roll of Sellotape and began the process for a Sellotape print, this intrigued a few of my classmates who had never seen the process before. I was astonished to discover this and it felt really nice to teach them something new and see their excitement of their outcome.

I enjoyed the feeling of inputting a little slice of knowledge into people so much, I have created a Tutorial here for creating Sellotape prints to help other people who would like to learn. 

Cover your image with overlaying strips of Sellotape, don't worry about creases these only add to the final effect. 

Wet the back of the paper by dipping your fingers in water, this will make the removal of the paper quick and easy. (you can also use a sponge but be weary of the amount of water it will soak up)

I find the easiest way is to peel off the paper starting in a corner, using a printed image may be difficult so rub with the tips of your fingers in circular motions.

Once all the paper from the back has been removed a transparent version of your image is left behind, try layering on different backgrounds or make use of this feature with light.

The creases from the Sellotape create a distressed quality.

I have always loved creating prints and transfers as each outcome you create is different to the last, the textures, distressed effects and the use of layering interests me as something new can always be found in the results. The versatility of this process allows it to adapt to almost any project or subject, for future projects I definitely want to try and experiment with different prints and transfers techniques.

Whilst I was at studying for my A-Levels I came across this process and the artists Jennifer Collier who produces nostalgic artwork with recycled materials.
(I previously posted her work on my Sunday Run-Down post)
  She held a workshop whilst I was on the course and demonstrated how she created her work, it was so inspiring to see a well-known artist create her work right in front of my eyes. 

NAP x

Enrichment

The past two weeks have been used as an enrichment programme whilst our 149 DVA Typography 1 is being marked and assessed. The brief given asked to re-design an existing album cover for a re-release in the market, I played around with a few different bands such as Oasis, Arctic Monkeys and The Last Shadow Puppets however, I focused my direction on The Beatles, Magical Mystery Tour (soundtrack of the film) due to my love of the film and my recent journey I ventured on by delving into the connection of the film to Lewis Carroll's book 'Through the Looking Glass' (all in my post Through the Looking Glass/The Beatles).

The Original CD cover released in 1967.

My version of the CD cover with front cover and back cover of the insert.

I wanted to recreate that very 'trippy' and psychedelic feel of the film and their music, I believe I enforced this with my choice of background. A poster my papa gave me before I came back to Uni after the Christmas break, an original 1960's - 1970's piece of psychedelia artwork (which also glows neon under a backlight). I chose a clean white typeface instead of a colour as I felt it would get too lost within the pattern and overlaying tones, this clean feel continued on the back cover of the insert. I added a small logo (below) constructed from overlaid shapes in vibrant colours to refer back to the front design. I added the numbers 46 in the centre as this is how many years since the first release. 

The reverse of the CD, below in stages of development - (the final had a barcode in the right hand corner) The least strongest design I feel of the task. 

I tried to connect the two sides with the use of the colour green in the pattern and then by filling in the title with the same pattern. I kept the background white for a clean feel for consistency and a more modern twist on the CD.

Inside the booklet I created a collage of photos I took from The Beatles Story Museum in Liverpool whilst on a visit a few years back. 

 I believe my final design of the front to be very resolved however some feedback from todays session allowed me to view it from another perspective. A few suggestions and ideas were formed from our group critque today, these were that the back felt disconnected from the rest of the design in particular the back as it felt too too cluttered by the size of the text. An interesting opinion from a peer I had never thought about was that the typeface I had chosen to use for the main titles were overused in Graphic Design and I was advised to steer away from it in future projects. A few concepts for development were to perhaps have the pattern wrap around the CD case so the viewer would be able to follow the lines bending around, another was to move my logo from inside the CD to the back as t was a very strong element and then have the track list below in a small size. I mentioned how the original poster lights up under a black light, my tutor then thought it could be a quite interesting for this to be created with the CD. 

During this week I also found a documentary through my research on BBC four called The Golden Age of the Album. The trailer shows records flying through space which I found very inspiring for one of my other projects to create an educational website looking at the Moon and its portrayal in the media and art (post shortly to follow). A few of my appointed topics to focus on are such things as news headlines, films, music, literature and fashion so I feel definitely an interesting video to think about for the developing concept of my webpage. 

NAP x

William Morris Lecture

So today began with a lecture on William Morris and the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, who reacted against the Industrial Revolution and instead looked back upon the Mediaeval era and artwork with an idealistic view. They particularly valued the fine craftsmanship of printing and the imagery reminiscent of the chivalric themed stained glass, they were usually flat, claustrophobic compositions with vivid colours such as red, blue, green, gold etc.

In comparison to the Renaissance, Pre-Raphaelite imagery is very flat. The paintings during the Renaissance period creating an escape and allowed the viewer to exit the scene by travelling further into the perspective. Recently I bought a book on the subject which reveals the artists behind the architecture and paintings inspired during the period, this lecture has deepened my understanding of that time period. A personal on-going passion of mine as a fascinator of the distinguished detail in architecture and realism painting has only grown.

Back to Morris (1834-96) designer, artist, writer, linguist, printer and found member of the Arts & Crafts movement which fought against the dehumanising of industry machines. Advertisements throughout the industrial period in England dominated streets so much so that they were not thought as a form of art purely a way of communicating. The machines used in printing had a collection of exotic typefaces but with a limited number of characters so a mixed use of fonts were used. The semi-literate generation of the working people were the aimed audience so significant words or phrases were picked out by the use of bold and size.

Although Morris valued the honest hand crafted art, the movement focused on celebrating good design in all aspects from household objects, interior and architecture. These were typically exquisite designs with rich textures and densely decorated floral wallpaper, which only the rich elite could afford.

So why would a working man, adamant on being against the capitalism of the Industrial Revolution and avowed socialist, end up producing work that only the rich elite could afford?
The freedom and leisure to do what he wanted created by his well-off life?
The changing times and audience of the era, the makers? or the users?

Other important events of today will be posted shortly.

NAP x

Sunday Run-Down

I thought a good idea would be to round up my week of events every sunday to give me a chance to reflect on the week in whole and expand on any past posts/projects. It will also give me a chance to record any new inspiring artists, designers or events I have discovered throughout the week to remember for future projects.

Firstly a new project has been set and I'm loving it already - 147 DVA Design in context focuses on book design, a competition set by Penguin Book's (click to see brief), this year the 2 books to choose from are 'The Big Sleep' by Raymond Chandler and 'The Wind in the Willows' by Kenneth Grahame. I have chosen to develop my ideas based around the book 'The Wind in the Willows' as I feel it will suit my style of design and allow me to create better work. In addition to this brief it will allow me to check of one of my books on my 'Acheivables' reading list, I aim to read the full story in order to familiarise myself with the characters, plot and imagery, this will allow me to have a deep connection within my design. I will follow up soon with another post of my artwork and ideas for the book design and my essay.

I am always looking for new artists and influences that will help in developing my style of design. This week I came across five very inspiring mixed media artists, they are Ben Giles, Erin Case, Jane Maxwell, Julene Harrison and Jennifer Collier. All have different qualities to their artwork I like but all have a similar connection with their use of materials and mixed media style.


Ben Giles

 I really like how he layers complimentary and dream tones of flowers and insects onto monochrome photography, creating playful and prompting artwork. A possible concept for my book design perhaps?  I feel a connection between the flowers and insects and the characters of 'The wind in the Willows' and the dreamy countryside setting for the story. The last two examples above show how he has manipulated a book by turning it on its side, this creates a new composition one that wouldn't necessarily be the norm for a book. I love how he has changed the idea of book design in this by turning it one its side, this would make the reader interact with the book itself in my design which I rather like. A further look at this artists may help me in my design ideas and development.



Erin Case

As a lover of Rene Magritte's paintings I can see a similarity between his and Erin Cases artwork from the use of juxtaposition between objects, landscapes and figures. The cut out photography, formed into the shape of the figures, have been placed cleverly in my mind as the patterns within the textures and forms conjure the missing faces. An ongoing group project I have been challenged with is to create a website informing people with interesting facts on the moon, my main topic within the group is media and art. A few questions raised when I first came across the last two examples, could this style fit into fashion? or artwork? should I feature the artist or create artwork taking aspects from Erin Cases artwork? I feel that by researching more artwork from this artists will help to answer those questions and develop my ideas for the project. I will also follow up this post with a insight into the progress of the module 148 DVA Integrated Design particularly reflecting on what has been already and my ideas for the future.


Jane Maxwell

"I'm a big fan of Rauschenberg, Warhol, Cornell and Nevelson and I love the current work of Shepard Fairy and Greg Miller." - Jane Maxwell

In some of her pieces she likes to combine the layered materials with wax; this creates a nice transparent  quality as the it reveals imagery and text beneath. The application of the wax also creates a protective layer over her work, I really like how the layered text seems to create patterns with the shape and forms of the letters and the colours of the figures, these factors also bring perspective into the artwork and size   helps create a foreground and background. Her technique of layering has make me think back to when I used to create Sellotape Prints, Emulsion Transfers, Glue transfers and Image making prints. I hope to start creating some more of these to help develop some of my projects, a useful link and concept to keep in mind.


Julene Harrison

I love the pretty and nostalgic feel of this style, a complex and intricate piece of design created by cutting out sections of paper to reveal an image connected with lines to hold the piece of paper as one. The simplicity of using one piece of paper for each design is so innovative and a majority of Eco friendly organisations have adopted this style in their promotional material and corporate identity to create a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere with recycled items. 

Jennifer Collier

Similar to Jane Maxwell, Jennifer Collier also uses wax to trap imagery and text in a transparent form, the use of teabags for her hold a perfect container for objects to trap with wax that reveal an opacity from the very thin material. I have previously utilised materials in a similar way to Jennifer Collier in past projects, and also had the pleasure to learn and work with her in a very inspiring workshop. Likewise to Julene Harrison a nostalgic feel to her artwork is made from the personal objects she uses to tell stories, a recycled theme is a major part of her artwork and influences as she collects scrap pieces of paper, fabric and found items she utilises to create her artwork.

I feel this process has been very refreshing for me and useful in finding contextual's to think about inspiring my designs. I believe that by doing this every week it will help me gather more information on  inspiring and influencing artists I discover throughout the week and consider how to use factors from their artwork and make my projects more developed and connected. I plan to also add any other inspiring moments that have contributed to any of my projects.

NAP x