The New Chapter

I am now no longer a student!

This summer has been memorable, I had the most fantastic graduation, where I'd like to congratulate all my other class-mates. I had the best 3 years, i've grown up and with you all learnt a lot. I wish you all the best.
Now is the time for me to decide what to do next, I am excited, I am nervous and I am ready.


To help me on my way, i've looked back at all that I have done, and reflected on what it was that stood out, what I found took effort, what I have learnt, and most importantly what I enjoyed doing the most.
My most enjoyable piece was my latest in Aqua-tinting the process was long, repetitive but the results were outstanding, it gave my original drawing something different and helped it stand out.

During my recollection I stumbled upon one of my previous projects where alongside my drawings, I made small maquette doll houses to represent a stalking scene.
However, my main focus were charcoal and artist pen drawings of someones private rooms, to accompany my triptych drawings I hand made wooden frames which after a few splinters provided my drawings with the perfect representation of looking into a room and feeling enclosed.

The hand in of my Triptych

Drawing and Applied Arts Degree Show

In recent weeks I have been busy preparing for my final degree exhibition. As a year group we have worked hard to prepare our spaces and would like to thank the first year DAA helpers and Course Leaders who were all there to help us produce the best exhibition possible.
Everybody's work is amazing and as a whole shows our work off to its best potential.

My portfolio

The gorgeous book case I had made, courtesy of Bristol Bound

The finished product 'I live above a brothel'

If you would like to see my work first-hand then you are welcome to view our exhibition which will be open to the public for a whole week, the details are provided below.

University of the west of England, Bower Ashton Campus, Kennel Lodge Bristol. 


Opening times:

Saturday 11 June: 10:00 - 18:00
Sunday 12 June: 10:00 - 16:00
Monday 13 - Thursday 16 June: 10:00 - 20:00


Free entry 


To see more information click on this link.



http://www1.uwe.ac.uk/cahe/ad/newsandevents/events/degreeshows.aspx

Final Hand-in

My apologies! It has been a while but I have been completing my final weeks of my course in Drawing and Applied Arts. I have come across just a few obstacles but overall my completion of making my book has been successful! Here is update of my completed works.

My story board revolves around the events in a full day of where I live, therefore this meant that I was able to re-use several of my Copper plates and use them in situations occurring in the day time and then the night.
Here are a few of my most recent aquatints.

My street at night

Us girls singing at the window

We often get woken up by drunk people at night

The lap-dancing club closes in the early hours

The brothel is 24 hours

Aqua-tinting

My deadline is dawning and I lose 3 weeks due to Easter and the print room at uni being closed! Therefore I have been spending most of my time in the print room or preparing my pages for etching!
I am now structuring the drawings for my book and for the written side to it I have just brought an amazing typewriter for only £5! And am well on my way.
But my panic and delay is due to my new venture into the art of Aqua-tinting. In my late stages I have had to learn the wondrous (yet painfully slow) process. BUT it is worth it! I have only managed to print 3 etchings but all are repeated so I can choose and have back-up pages to go into the book.
Aqua-tinting is doing the opposite and more intricate way of etching, yet it means the outcome has more defined tones and over all looks powerfully effective in capturing the mood of my drawings. I hope you enjoy, comments would be appreciated :).

Aqua-tinted - My Street

Aqua-tinted - Living room/kitchen/dining room

Aqua-tinted - The lap-dancing club

Here she is. . My new type-writer!

Drawings

Taking a small break from etching I am currently preparing what drawings to include in the book, by suggestion in a seminar it was noted that I could define the humour to just the things that happen within my household as it seems plenty of humorous situations has happened during our time there.

Entertaining the streets by putting a speak to the window and singing as loud as we can!

Peering out to see what the commotion is about

Previous work- Personal

Besides my course work I enjoy creating things on the side for any occasion; whether it be personal, as presents, or special events etc.

If you have been keeping up with my blog you will notice that I do not particularly have a favourite medium to use. I tend to begin with an idea of whatever subject I am working on then decide from there what materials to use. So here are a few examples of things I have made myself. Enjoy!

A Charcoal and artist pen drawing on canvas

Two watercolour & pen drawings on small canvases

I am fond of costume designing, having dabbled on it lightly during my AS level of Theatre Design
Here are butterfly wings I made myself

A Kimono I made for a fancy dress party (1)

Kimono (2)

Previous work-University

Here is a collection of the work I have produced for university projects. I have chosen to show the work that I was drawn to; the various materials I experimented with and also a few of the exhibitions my work became a part of.


In one of my first exhibitions students were set the task to form exhibition group in which I was involved with the group Melange and we went with the theme of 'Blue.' Together we organised an exhibition of our own works, as I was currently doing a project surrounding my ethnicity I decided to work on the medium of watercolours and learning to paint combining the chinese and western styles. What resulted was a series of 6 water-coloured paintings.

A series of 6 water-coloured paintings

Melange exhibition 'Blue' The University of the West of England

In relation to this exhibition I spoke of my term project, entitled 'Englishness.'
As I am English but born here to Chinese parents, I found the project particularly interesting. I came to realise that I have in some ways neglected my Chinese heritage and have completely adopted Western ways, therefore I thought I would work on expressing my personal englishness as a combination of my english and chinese life.
Working with wax I played around with merging two scenes together.
My final piece resulted in having in the background black wax but merging from underneath was the flag of the United Kingdom, and using a compass I scratched in images of my chinese traditions.

Initial drawing of a lion dance

Scratched drawing of the lion dance

Chinese wedding tradition

Final piece. Englishness

My next project that I took great interest in was named 'Archeology.' In art you have the ability to be given a title yet from that you can take the title to where-ever it leads you, whether it has an obvious connection or not. I chose to look into the idea of what lies beneath, and distortion. In turn this lead to looking at the distortions with water, I began looking at things that were not as it seemed for example icebergs which look small on top but then have such vastness beneath the water.
To move this along I took to the swimming pool with volunteers and using an under water camera captured the body being distorted. This slowly led to what the body looks like underwater not just the distortion but the colours they in turn produced.
Using water-coloured pencils and clear paper I drew the distorted merging of body and water and the eerie colours it came to produce.

An initial water colours on paper painting of a swimmer beneath the surface

Knee distortion

Arm distortion

Leg distortion

Earlier in my current project I became interested in how to make books, therefore I began making small marquette books, that varied from the accordion style, circle book, fold out, flip book etc.

Pocket book

Circle book (1)

Circle book (2)

Fold out book

Watercolours

I have started to wonder whether I should go stick with the natural black and white etching or whether to play with colour?

Therefore using some clear etches I have done of each image, I painted in watercolours over the original image. I have found images with finer detail and the drawing of Rosie, the simple colours work well. However some of the outcomes were eye-catching but for the wrong reasons. The colours were to brash and child-like. There are aspects of the black an white imagery that work so well, that pin point the humour yet looks like an elegant way to capture the moment.
Colour is still a possibility but for now I am taking a step back from it.

Etching

I've had a brief absence where I was treated to a short holiday to Marrakech!

But in those days leading up to and then after I have been hectically going to university, drawing in pencil my images and then etching them.

 I feel I am becoming more confident in the printing process, although I still experience the odd hiccough, for example I'm still miss-judging where I place my paper on the plate, therefore my prints come out slightly wonky at times! However, overall I am finding the use of tone I want easier to capture and I am able to play with that aspect to get the humour in all my images.

Living room/ dining room/ kitchen

A miss-judged etching, of a student sleeping over a fire-alarm







Original rotating pencil drawing

Etching

Now that I am feeling comfortable with the etching process, I have started to work with tone, leaving in shadows and highlighting the areas that are the main focus of the etching.
The etchings below are my drawings of my friend, who is displaying as all students will do at least once in their time at university, drink from a measuring jug!

Etching

Today I found the wonders of etching! It is such a satisfying way to print your drawings. My current project involves capturing the humorous aspects of a students life. In this case I simply drew the Maisonette I share with 6 other female students of which just so happens to be above a brothel. I'm hoping to create a book overall with the drawings etched and simple writing on the left hand side of the page, which will be written with a type writer. The writing will be short and matter of fact-ly for example, 'As a student you cannot be fussy about where you live'