Looking Into The Mirror

December Drawing Competition


Page 1 - pen drawing

I decided to make my theme looking into the mirror.  I set up three mirrors, one a magnifying mirror at different angles, with a teapot in the middle.  It was interesting to see the multiple images and distorted images which resulted.

Page 2 - pen drawing with coloured pencils

It was interesting how the magnifying mirror slightly distorted the teapot.  It also amused me to draw the mirror and its frame, the real-life part of the page, in black and white, but to colour the reflection to make it seem more real than the real-life part.

Pages 3 and 4

I was particularly interested in the multiple images of the teapot and tried various ways to depict this.  In page 3, I cut teapot shapes, gradually decreasing in size out of sugar paper and layered them on the page.  The result looked a little flat so I broke up the surface by painting a piece of Bondaweb and ironing it on top of the teapot collage.  On the facing page, page 4, I arranged the composition to be a mirror image of page 3.  In this case I simplified the teapots into one shape.  I made a page of mirror writing, with words associated with mirrors and cut the simplified shape out of this.  I coloured the background page with tea before gluing the mirror writing shape onto it.



Page 5 - brown pen sketch on tea-stained paper

I liked the tea staining, so stained another page.  I had a brown drawing pen so did a loose scratchy sketch with it.

Page 6 - layered prints on silvered background

I wanted to try to capture something of the reflective quality of mirrors, and so glued strips of aluminium cooking foil to a page.  I "drew" the multiple teapot image onto card with a hot glue gun to make a raised line.  I inked this line and printed it onto the silvered page as well as onto tracing paper to give a translucent print which I applied on top of the printed, silvered page.  I liked the depth of the multiple prints and the fact that some of the reflective quality remained.  I had used PVA so as to try to make the tracing paper more transparent.

Page 7 - print on red paper

Page 6 was just a simple print from the hot glue gun image onto red paper.

Page 8 - monoprint

In page 7, I rolled black printing ink onto a glass plate and drew into it before taking a monoprint from it.  I cut the print to the oval shape of one of the mirrors before gluing it into my sketchbook.  

Page 9 - accidental monoprint

While one of the monoprints was still wet, a sketchpad fell onto the surface, with the white inside of the cover landing on the print.  There had been some pink ink staining the cover and this showed through the resulting accidental print in places, giving a very pleasing result.
  

Module 2 Chapter 6 Part 2

Monoprints on Fabric

I started with white paint on black fabric.  I mixed the acrylic paint with fabric medium and rolled it onto a piece of glass.  I used various things to make marks on the paint surface, based on my drawings of animal markings, and then laid a piece of fabric on the glass and rolled it with a clean roller.  I also tried using threads and cut paper shapes as a resist.  This worked quite well, but I found it was better to press the fabric down with my fingers rather than a roller, to get into all the crevices.

The next samples were done with black paint on white fabric.  Mostly I used the same technique as with the white on black samples.  In Images 2.6.9 to 2.6.10, 2.6.14 and 2.6.15, I rolled an even layer of black acrylic paint mixed with fabric medium onto the glass.  I then carefully and lightly laid a piece of white fabric on top and used the end of a paintbrush to draw patterns onto the fabric.  The paint came through the weave of the fabric as I did so, so that I could see what I had drawn.  I particularly liked the effect of this technique.  It produced an interesting quality of line, making an organic design with high contrast.

 Image 2.6.13 was a happy accident.  I decided to stop when I had used up all the paint I had mixed and it was beginning to dry on the glass in the warm room.  I dipped a paintbrush in water and started to clean up the glass when I noticed it made an interesting design.  I laid a piece of fabric on it and rolled with a clean roller.  Image 2.6.16 was another happy accident, when I rolled the inky roller onto a piece of fabric to start cleaning the roller up.  Loose threads from the edges of the fabric pieces had gathered on the roller, making a very interesting design.


Shibori Revisited

I had another try with some shibori techniques, trying to get a darker colour on them, and giving me a chance to try to develop deliberately some effects I had achieved accidentally. I used the same Dylon Velvet Black dye and mixed it in the same concentration and the same way that I had used before. However, this time, it turned out more of an indigo blue than black.  I think, maybe, the water I used to mix the dye powder was a bit cooler than last time, but I don't know if that was a factor.  I like it, but am not sure if this will be permissible, since we are meant to use only black and white.  I really love some of the effects you can get with this technique.  Before I did any dyeing I thought it was too labour intensive to be worth it, but, having seen the results, all the hours spent stitching and knotting is well worth it.

Shibori 1

Shibori 2

Shibori 3

Shibori 4

Shibori 5

Shibori 6

Shibori 7

Shibori 8

Shibori 9

Shibori 10

Shibori 11

Shibori 12

Shibori 13

Shibori 14

Shibori 15

Shibori 16

Shibori 17

I feel happy now that, between the shibori and the monoprints, I have a large range of patterned fabrics ready for the piecing of the next chapter.  It has been nice to be back in harness after a break of a few months and I have really enjoyed this chapter.