Block Print
"Sure, I would love some more PUSH PINS!"
22.86 cm x 30.48 cm
Block Print
January 2019
Exhibition Text:
"Sure, I would love some more PUSH PINS!", is based on the never ending stress I experience as a student. Inspired by Roy Lichtenstein's Happy Tears, and Frida Kahlo's The Wounded Deer, "Sure, I would love some more PUSH PINS!" is my frustration from all of the stress.
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Inspiration
Critical Investigation
Lichtenstein, Roy, "Happy Tears," 1964, oil on canvas painting.
Kahlo Frida, "The Wounded Deer," 1946, oil on canvas.
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My main inspiration for this piece is Roy Lichtenstein's Happy Tears. Created during the Pop art movement, according to Stamberg (2012), "Lichtenstein's 1960s works were comic-inspired — they're angsty frames, often featuring ladies in distress. " He emphasized on the dramatic features on the crying woman by adding dramatic lines, along with his iconic dots. Disregarding the tears, the woman barely looks like she is crying. His use of line around the eyes of the woman drives the eyes of viewers to hers first, until they realize she is smiling. The tilt of the head adds the touch of reality to her piece that I was inspired to incorporate into my own.
As a artist, I noticed that I personally love incorporating symbolism into my pieces. After doing some research, I noticed that Frida Kahlo does the same thing as well. According to Tuchman (2002), "Kahlo’s life was dominated by her debilitated physical state and emotional turmoil." After living a disabled life after contracting polio as a child, she turned to art. . Her husband, Diego Rivera was a significant figure in her life. According to Tuchman (2002), "With techniques learned from... [them], she created haunting, sensual and stunningly original paintings that fused elements of surrealism, fantasy and folklore into powerful narratives." This could be seen in her piece, the Wounded Deer. Slightly before she created her piece, The Wounded Deer, Kahlo was preparing to deal with a back surgery that would immobilized for a few weeks. In her piece, she expressed her despair of her health condition through the use of arrows on her deer body. Her arrows symbolized the extent her health condition was holding her back, an aspect I wanted to incorporate in mine.
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Planning
Sketches to be placed on Linoleum
In this Sketch, I intend to make a remake of Lichtenstein's piece. I added the speech on top in order to add some of my own touch. Upon reflection, I discarded the sketch (excluding the text) as I didn't really see myself grow from it.
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In this Sketch, I wanted to see if I can salvage the remake idea I kept added the speech on top in order to add some of my touch along with modifications to the face so it would resemble me. I liked how the fingers stood out in the piece.
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In this Sketch, I wanted to make my piece my own, which made me want to soften the eyes and abandon the fingers. I liked the tilt of the head Lichtenstein's piece, so I kept that. Along wth sketch #2, these two sketches looked most like my final product.
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Outline of Steps
- Sketch portrait into TWO pieces of Linoleum stencils
- Carve portrait into TWO pieces of Linoleum stencils (Positive Space in Linoleum will be negative on print)
- Apply Ink on stencils
- Use roller to evenly apply ink on stencils
- Put Piece of water paper on stencil
- Use baren to evenly distribute ink on paper
- Dry print
Process/Techniques and Experimentation
Experimentation with Drawing of Push-Pins
When I was drawing on the stencils and my sketchbook, I experimented how drawing push-pins, especially drawing them from an angle by holding the pushpin with my left hand and drawing with my right. I mimicked this technique on the Linoleum.
Experimentation with Linoleum Carving
While I was craving the upper of the two linoleum pieces, I didn't really have a carving method, so I used my Speedball carving tool and carved out all that I did not draw on. I later found out that this was not a good idea, as after asking some help, I was told to re-do this part.
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I noticed that as I was carving out the letters, it looked so slop and unlike other parts of the piece, I could not re-do a cut, unlike redoing a cut between letters. I later opted to get rid of the letters as well.
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Process
From there, I flipped the paper over and lined it up so that the bottom of the paper lined up with the bottom edge of the Linoleum Print. I then carved over (using a pencil) all the features of the woman's face on to the Linoleum Pieces. I also added the the phrase, "Sure I would love some more PUSH PINS!" I also traced over the transfer to make it more visible.
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I then modified the the piece so it looks more like me and conveys my message.
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Carving
As I said earlier, while I was craving the upper of the two linoleum pieces, I didn't really have a carving method, so I used my Speedball carving tool and carved out all that I did not draw on. I later found out that this was not a good idea, as after asking some help, I was told to re-do this part.
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So after I re-did the graphite transfer. I focused on getting help with adding texture. I then mimicked it thought the linoleum pieces. I made sure that I add texture to
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Linoluem Pieces
Printing
For this project, I used four different materials: The brayer roller, the ink tray, water-based Block Print Ink, a baron (I used the red baron on the lower right and the Japanese style baron on the left interchangeably.)
After mixing up the ink, I put a pen-side amount on the ink tray, and use the brayer roller to evenly roll the ink across the tray. I then rolled ink across both linoleum prints.
I then lined up the prints and placed a piece of drawing paper on them. Then, I used the Japanese style baron and applied pressure so that the ink would attach to the paper.
After printing, I noticed that a line appeared across the piece, which I did not find appealing, I also noticed that there is not enough ink on the paper. It was here when I considered printing using one sheet of paper was not a good idea. I then considered printing using two sheets of paper and then cutting them out and printing them out onto one sheet of paper.
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So this time around, I applied a lot of ink onto both pieces of Linoleum and I placed two pieces of paper on them. I then used the red baron (as it seemed as though I could apply more pressure onto the paper and thus more ink would stick to the piece of paper).
After I printed the two parts of the face using two sheets of paper and I then cut them out and glued them out onto one sheet of paper
Final Product
Reflection & Critique
Compare
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Contrast
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Lichtenstein, Roy, "Happy Tears," 1964, oil on canvas painting.
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"Sure, I would love some more PUSH PINS!"
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Kahlo Frida, "The Wounded Deer," 1946, oil on canvas.
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"Sure, I would love some more PUSH PINS!"
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Reflection
When creating this piece, I was primarily inspired by Lichtenstein. My use of experimentation with the cutting using the Speedball carving tool, helped me a lot, as it improve the overall quality of the Linoleum, and thus the print. In general, I am content on how my piece turned out but, I could say that I could sense if I remove some more Linoleum around the pushpins, I could make it more visible in the print. After comparing the pieces, I believe that printing on two sheets had little effect on the visible white line, but it was darker than the previous print. Some successes I had with this project is that I manage to improve on my printing skill. Upon further reflection, I can visibly see how borrowing elements like balance, texture, and symmetrical balance from Kahlo and Lichtenstein had brought my piece to life. Overall, I believe this piece was a piece well-done.
ACT Response Questions
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
Lichtenstein's use of exaggerated facial features along with Kahlo's symbolism in the two artists respective pieces inspired me to incoprate it into my piece.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The authors approached the topic in analytic way, while including inspirations each other had.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I discovered that when people observe work from Frida Kahlo, they see a piece full with symbolism. While Lichtenstein's observers seemed to relish ironic works.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around my research was to find a artist that emotional frustration, while sticking to the theme, Pop Art.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Throughout my research I inferred that Kahlo created pieces that referenced her view of the world, while Lichtenstein created pieces that seemed to mock melodrama.
Lichtenstein's use of exaggerated facial features along with Kahlo's symbolism in the two artists respective pieces inspired me to incoprate it into my piece.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The authors approached the topic in analytic way, while including inspirations each other had.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I discovered that when people observe work from Frida Kahlo, they see a piece full with symbolism. While Lichtenstein's observers seemed to relish ironic works.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme around my research was to find a artist that emotional frustration, while sticking to the theme, Pop Art.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Throughout my research I inferred that Kahlo created pieces that referenced her view of the world, while Lichtenstein created pieces that seemed to mock melodrama.
Bibliography
Gershman, Rachel. “Roy Lichtenstein Overview and Analysis.” The Art Story, 2019, www.theartstory.org/artist-lichtenstein-roy.htm.
“Happy Tears by Roy Lichtenstein.” Lichtenstein Paintings, Feb. 2017, lichtensteinpaintings.com/happy-tears/.
Stamberg, Susan. “One Dot At A Time, Lichtenstein Made Art Pop.” NPR, NPR, 15 Oct. 2012, www.npr.org/2012/10/15/162807890/one-dot-at-a-time-lichtenstein-made-art-pop.
Tuchman, Phyllis. “Frida Kahlo.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Nov. 2002, www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/frida-kahlo-70745811/.
“The Wounded Deer, 1946 by Frida Kahlo.” Frida Kahlo: 100 Famous Paintings, Complete Works, & Biography, 2014, www.fridakahlo.org/the-wounded-deer.jsp.
“Happy Tears by Roy Lichtenstein.” Lichtenstein Paintings, Feb. 2017, lichtensteinpaintings.com/happy-tears/.
Stamberg, Susan. “One Dot At A Time, Lichtenstein Made Art Pop.” NPR, NPR, 15 Oct. 2012, www.npr.org/2012/10/15/162807890/one-dot-at-a-time-lichtenstein-made-art-pop.
Tuchman, Phyllis. “Frida Kahlo.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Nov. 2002, www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/frida-kahlo-70745811/.
“The Wounded Deer, 1946 by Frida Kahlo.” Frida Kahlo: 100 Famous Paintings, Complete Works, & Biography, 2014, www.fridakahlo.org/the-wounded-deer.jsp.