Extended Study in Drawing and Print

Building on from previous work and thinking about the broader concept of play and what it means to me. Here are some things I have been working on.

Sketchbook ideas using stencil and collage. Taking ideas from articles about play weaving it’s way through life.

More collage ideas. Taking phrases with a ambiguous meaning. Are you a team player, are you playing the game? Are you a player as in actor projecting a persona or are you someone who fakes romantic interest while being involved in multiple relationships? I like the idea of taking a phrase out of context and manipulating the message behind it.

This lead me to thinking about a board I remember playing when I was younger. “The game of life” The board resembles the road through life, you spin a wheel start your career or go to college. The winner is the one with the most money. Maybe I liked this game as I got to make “grown up” decisions. I don’t think I would want to play it now. I’m not sure how I feel about it, a game based on predictable life choices. Sounds a bit boring to me.

Ideas/Future plans

I would like to get my posters out into the public, here are some mock ups of how they could look.

So the plan is to get my posters out into the urban environment and document them in situ.

Progress in the Print room

More pictures from the letterpress room, I am feeling super confident about setting type now, so I am experimenting with colour and letter placement. I also folded the paper before putting it through the press. I am interested in the way the letters sit on the folds, much like the way I have wrapped letters around the corner of the wall of the studio.

Inking up my favourite Cheltenham type.

Folding paper then printing on

The paper folding taking inspiration from this wall in my studio space.

Printing layers. Acid yellow and sonic blue, also acid yellow and orange.

Printing Up

Some pictures from a recent print session, trying to experiment with layers and colour and placement of type.

Mixing up some orange, just because I love orange and the energy/positivity of the colour.

Those ink colours and that yellow floor!

Inked up the type in blue

Layering up prints

I think these would work better if I layered the yellow play on top of the blue ink.

I’m going to print the word play over the top of this

More Printing

Keeping the prints flowing, I have lots of ideas I want to take into letterpress. During this session I wanted to experiment with the placement of text and make it playful. I also had ideas around layering and printing other texts over the top.

I decided to go with acid yellow for this print. I was thinking it would be a good colour to layer over the top with. But once again this is all trial and error and I’m still figuring out what works. Anyway I wanted a punchy bright colour that screams play and playfulness.

On the drying rack. I forgot to take a picture of the set type. It took me a bit of working out and playing around with the furniture to get the placement of the letters to how I wanted. The test print made me realise that the letters were all on one side of the paper so I changed them about. I was happy with the above print.

Here are some finished prints placed collectively for maximum playful impact.

I then worked on the print in photoshop to play with layers and brightness/shadow. I think this could be explored further and has potential to be used as a design. Maybe the cover for a play manifesto?

Prints

Back in the letterpress print room. Setting type to make some large colourful posters to spark conversation and act as invitations to play.

I kind of feel like during this session I had a breakthrough and now I feel more confident setting type. Using a Cheltenham uppercase wood type.

The test print. I am liking the spacing between the letters. I then moved on to printing on to coloured paper using the blue ink. This would be trial and error as it may look black on some of the paper.

I decided to trim the paper so that the letters would fill the page. I like this image of them put together I think it looks effective and the colours work well. I feel this would have the potential for a billboard display.

Concepts/Plans

I wanted to do a separate post about my finished ping pong paddle. I had previously designed a collage from a letterpress print and some coloured paper. I shared a picture of the proposed paddle design and i was super happy when the finished product arrived. I felt the design was playful and fun and lent itself well to a ping pong paddle. Maybe if the paddle looks interesting it would encourage someone to pick it up and have a go.

Collage design from bits of letterpress then reworked in photoshop.

I came up with the idea of creating ping pong paddles after being inspired by a project called Ping, which aims to bring table tennis to unexpected places on the streets of England. Ping is an ongoing project and table tennis tables and equipment, popped up in Bristol shopping centres libraries and other community hubs to encourage everyone to take part. As part of its legacy there are permanent tables around Bristol. I’ve said it before and I will say it again I like the idea of taking projects to the community and making them accessible. I would like to plan some kind of art/play event for the public where I could potentially incorporate table tennis and get people playing with print.

Table tennis paddle. It is very pleasing to have a physical product with this design on.

MORE IDEAS

To play is to connect with yourself. Something that has resonated a lot with me recently, especially as the boundaries between work and home become more blurred. More sketchbook ideas/thinking.

IDEAS

Let’s talk about play and the act of playing. I have so many thoughts and ideas I want to share. My working background in community health and early years education has made me passionate about allowing ourselves the opportunity for playful intervention. It’s all in the process, there doesn’t need to be an end product. The benefits to health/well being/communication and social connections out weigh any material outcome.

Here are some ideas from my sketchbook.

Lots of thoughts and notes but also colour. I’m always thinking about what I can take into letterpress. Some of these ideas may not make it as I tend to sit with them for a while, then maybe disregard for fear of being to cliche or loaded with toxic positivity. But the ideas are always meaningful.

Analogue to Digital

I was taking some photos of my work from the letterpress collective workshop. I really like this particular type (the name escapes me) as it’s just the outline of the letter. I then decided to make a digital collage with it.

Layering and multiplying

Creating patterns

Distorting, manipulating and playing with colour

More patterns that in my mind I would like to take elements of and turn into murals.