Darkroom Health and Safety

Darkroom Health and Safety:

• Keep your work area tidy to prevent tripping hazards.
• Ensure you have different areas for wet and dry practices.
• When in storage segregate the different chemicals i.e don't store the acids and reducers together.
• When in the darkroom don't eat or drink. 
• Make sure the room is well ventilated.
• After working with chemicals always wash your hands with soap and warm water.
• Never add water to acid only acid to water.
• Don't use paper towels to mop up acid spills as this is a fire hazard.
• Cover trays of chemicals when not in use.
• Don't empty chemicals down into the sink, place into its corresponding waste container. 

Artist Influence and Response - Lora Zombie

An Artist who has influenced my work and a Response.


An artist who has influence this project is Lora Zombie, a Russian born artist who grew up in Voronezh 1990. She specializes in mixed media – predominantly watercolor with additions of pencil, ink, Acrylic and Oil paints. She is a self-taught painter who gained recognition in the 2000’s, by her use of social media to circulate her work online.  Zombie’s style of work falls under ‘Grunge’. The definition of ‘Grunge’ is something dirty, unkempt or chaotic, Zombies use of Black and Black fading to Grey gives her work an unkempt/untidy feel and her use of vibrant colors creates a chaotic vibe to her work, when these two element when come together they work in harmony and produce very aesthetically pleasing – balanced compositions. Getting this balance right will be key when producing my own work.
Many of Zombies paintings are intertwined with social commentary and carry her thoughts on social and political issues. Many of her paintings are influenced by songs and lyrics; Animals and children are also a heavy feature in Zombies art work, in an interview with ‘TheStar’ she explained; “I love animals and I love children because animals and children are super-honest… Kids’ violence is pure violence and kids’ kindness is pure kindness”. Childhood is a theme that has influenced my self project.

This painting is called ‘Unicorned’. It is an image of a skull with a unicorn horn coming out of it, it has be created using black and colored inks, this creates sharp contrast between the skull and background which draws your attention to the skull. The painting has a childish aura to it, the skull is semi realistic in appearance and the horn and bright colors gives a fantasy vibe to the piece. The style in which Zombie has applied the ink makes the skull look quite sketchy which is an effect I like, and have tried to replicate in my own work. I like the simple use of line around the top of the skull, Zombie has use a thin line because it contrasts with the busyness of the rest of the painting and gives balance to the composition. Zombie has used the black and grey tones to give detail to the skull, along with the expression of the eyes and the face tilting downwards, these features give the image sadness to it. I think the scull represents the death of innocents of childhood as the unicorn horn and bright colors feel like it is something out of a child’s imagination and the skull is a well know metaphor for the passing of time and the death of something or someone.


I have responded to Zombies painting by recreating the skull and background. The differences between mine and zombies work is that I used acrylic paint instead of colored inks which in comparison, is a lot less bright because I have had to water down the paint. I think the paintings are quite similar though my painting has a much smoother painted line, which I think looks less interesting than the sketchier look to the ink, I tried to compensate for this by adding extra lines around the eye socket but this didn’t help the painting. Also the paint in the background mixed together and made a brown which looks unsightly I think Zombie must have waited for the ink to dry before applying the next. I used an ink fountain pen to the draw the line round the skull and I think I have managed to make it look very similar in shape. I chose this image because it follows the darker themes that I am taking influence from for my art work for this project.

http://lorazombie.com/2013/

Artist Influence and Response - Cristo Dagorov

An Artist who has influenced my Project and an Artistic response.

An artist who has influence this project is Christo Dagorov, a Bulgarian born (25/11/1970) self-taught painter and sculpture who is particularly known for his incredibly detailed drawings. He creates these drawings using pencil or silver-point on paper or freehand engraving on steel plates. Dagorov produces hyper realistic art work which is entwined with surrealism. I really like his detailed lip drawing series which are influenced by truth, lies, the important, and the unimportant and different types of communication.

This is evident in drawings such as ‘Slavery’, ‘Negligence’ and ‘Wealth’ which highlights first world issues to the audience such as our dependence on technology, neglecting animal habitats and human greed. Unlike Lora Zombie who presents her views of current affairs in an exciting, bright and bold way, Dagorov’s drawings are understated and highly detailed with the subject matter not being immediately obvious. Dagorov presents his work in this way because it encourages the audience to study the work and interpret the message behind it. I like his work because it makes you question human behavior, a theme of which, is an integral part of ‘self’.

'Indiscretion'

This drawing is called ‘indiscretion’; the meaning of this word is one’s speech or behavior that displays bad judgement. The drawing is of a man trapped behind mesh and metal bars that blend into the outline of lips. The drawing of the man and lips are realistic but the surreal aspect to the drawing is that these elements are disproportionate to one another Dagorov has done this to show the scale of which the person is consumed by the situation they find them self in – or the consequences of the words they have said – making them a prisoner of their own mouth. What I like about the person is that you can only make out the nose of the face – making them identity and gender-less, Dagorov has done this to allow the audience to interpret who or what the figure represents and allows them to project their own image onto the drawing making it more personal. He has used crosshatching to put texture into the drawing and has allowed for lighter tones of grey around the lips and darker tones within the mesh to give the drawing a sense of perspective. I really like the Idea of incorporating images of people into human body parts such as seeing a person looking out from within an eye rather than just the eye on its own. This is an Idea I can take forward in my design Ideas.

I have responded to Dagorov by drawing my own mouth using pencil, instead of drawing a surreal image inside the mouth I decided to focus on trying to recreate the realistic texture Dagorov achieves though crosshatching with the idea of incorporating a more surreal element into it once I have gotten the hang of drawing the lips.  Hence this drawing is a practice of technique piece rather than carrying a message. Where the lips I drew where quite small, I found it hard to be delicate enough with the cross hatching so areas of the lips are more of a ‘flat’ grey than a smooth transition from dark to light grey tones, If I were to do this again I would draw it large scale like Dagorov so I have more leeway when creating the texture. I think the overall shape of the mouth, like Dagorov is realistic, however the top lip is a little thick, I intended for the pencil to fade out sooner than it did however I lost the original lip line and I started the lip detail too high up so it extend over it. I think I have managed to get a 3D effect like Dagorov with the tonal range I have used, Though I would make the top lip lighter and the bottom lip darker as well as shade more in the lip partition to try and get more of a 3D perspective to it. To expand on this Idea I could add the image of a worried looking eye to represent ‘hind sight’ which falls into the theme of communication and how we all say things we regret but don’t know it at the time.

http://www.christodagorov.com/index.php

Photography Health and Safety

Photography Health and Safety:

• Make sure there aren't any loose wire cables that can be a tripping hazard - use duct tape or hazard tape to anchor any loose cables to the floor.
• When you set up the studio lights  make sure all the tripod stands have one leg in line with the light fitting with the other two legs at the back to stop it from tipping. Also you need to position the light stands with enough space for the models and staff to move around the studio on a safe manner and to achieve the desired lighting outcome.
• The model lights can get very hot and can burn you so be careful when switching attachments like a snoot for a soft box. If you are moving a light unit always cover with its protective color to protect the bulb and prevent burns.
• When attaching light fittings make make sure they are secured properly before using and moving.
• Don't leave the studio unattended.
• Make sure all light fittings wires and equipment are packed away securely.

Textiles Health and Safety

Sewing Machine Safety:

•  Do not leave the machine unattended.
• Never leave machine plugged into electrical socket when not in use.
• Do NOT Use machine if the plug or cord is damaged  and report the fault.
• Make sure the machine leads do not become a tripping hazard by tucking them under your work area. 
• Ensure there are no blockages in the air openings on the machine.
• Make sure you keep your fingers out the way of moving parts such as the needle.
• Do not use needles that have been bent.
• When pulling/pushing fabric under the needle be careful as this can make the needle snap.
• Switch the machine off if you are making adjustments.
• Before you disconnect the machine ensure all the controls are switched off.
• Be careful when lifting up the machine.
• Do not ware headphones when using the machine.
• Do not have or use liquids near the machine.

Wax paper Heath and Safety

Wax paper Heath and Safety:

• Make sure the wax heater is in an area, out the way where it won't get knocked.
• Make sure there heater chord is out the way and wont be a tripping hazard.
• Keep liquids away from electrical components.
• DON'T TOUCH HOT WAX.
• Use tongs to dip paper clippings in to molten wax and when you take it out wait for it to cool and dry before you touch it.
• Don't drop materials into the molten wax.
• Don't run around wax heater
• Do not leave heater unattended.
• Clean any wax off table at the end.

Image Transfer Health and Safety

Image Transfer Health and Safety:

Gel medium info:

• It is of low toxicity
• Advised to be used in ventilated area
• Don't drink or eat when using.
• Thoroughly wash hands after use of the Gel Medium.

If this product is ingested it may cause you discomfort.

It can cause slight skin irritation.

It is also irritating to the eyes. (wash immediately with water)

 

Silk paper and Bondaweb health and safety

Silk paper and Bondaweb health and safety:

• Do not leave the Iron on unattended.
• Make sure the Iron chord is tucked out the way of the floor to prevent a tripping hazard.
• Ensure there are no liquids around the Iron and electrical wires.
• Unplug the Iron when finished use.
• Don't touch the face of the hot Iron with your hands.
• Ensure the silk paper/bondaweb sample is cool before touching it.
• Do not run around electrical equipment.
• Make sure you baking paper between the sample, Iron and Ironing board to avoid it sticking and minimize potential burning.

Wire and Paper Clay Health & Safety

Wire and Paper Clay Health and Safety:

Wire:

• Use appropriate tools for wire cutting and when you pull outwards do it gently so you don't hit yourself or someone else.
• When bending the wore use the correct pliers and then compress each end of the wire to reduce the sharp edges.

Paper Clay:

• Make sure to clean the work surface and tools thoroughly after use.
• Don't scrape dry clay dust or scrape a wet sponge over dry clay on a brush - wash it.

Ceramic Health and Safety

Health & Safety using Ceramics:

Long-term exposure to clay dust can be very detrimental to your health as it is carcinogenic; all tools and surfaces need to be thoroughly cleaned with water after use with clay .

1) Use protective clothing including non-latex gloves and apron, and tie back hair.

2) Work on top of paper that can be disposed of at the end of the session. This is to keep mess and clay dust to a minimum.

3) Always use the ceramic tools for their intended use and reduce ceramic dust by washing tools thoroughly after use.

4) If any paints, glazes or clay gets left on the tables you should wash them off to reduce clay dust.

5) To further reduce clay dust, wash your hands appropriately throughout the lesson and at the end.

6) Clean up spillages immediately to prevent; potential contamination or risk to others consuming or slipping on it.

7) Don’t eat or drink in the classroom - only sealable bottles of water.

8) When carving into clay, have a bowl of water to brush off any clay dust into.

9) Do not throw clay tools at any time or run in the classroom – act sensibly.

Artist Comparison

In this post I will discuss the work of two independently selected artist who explore self, Ali Cavanaugh and Christo Dagorov, and I will compare their work.

A prominent theme in Ali Cavanaugh's is her daughter, she shows her lover for her daughter through a series of intimate paintings of her at different stages in her life. This gave me the Idea of incorporating my little cousin Maisie into my initial thumbnail ideas because she is very special to me. The painting right 'listening in silence' is from her series 'Immerse' the technique she uses is to layer watercolor paint on a surface of wet kaolin clay.I really like the white clay background as it gives a luminosity to the painting and emphasizes the purity of childish innocence I could experiment with clay painting to see what effects I can achieve.

Christo Dagorov produces detailed drawings and freehand engravings on steel plates. The drawing below was made made using silver point on paper, The name of this work it 'unity' and shows the figures of a man and woman within the lips, the figures are laying down in relaxed and sensual positions, there is nothing loud and in your fave about this drawing, it is very subtle, I think Dagorov used silver point as the medium for this drawing because it produces very fine and delicate finish which I think this accentuates the gentle relationship between the two lovers. I really like the detail in this drawing and could experiment with pencil drawings (as silver point is an expensive).

Both art works have inviting qualities about them, the focal point of Cavanaugh's painting is the girls eyes, they are bright and inquisitive and the calm blues and pale flesh tones gives the painting a captivating fairy-tale like feeling.This expression on the girls face 'invites you into' the painting and makes the viewer want to know what has captured her attention. In contrast Dagoeov's drawing is also inviting, but it 'invites you to watch' rather than 'invites you in'. The highly detailed drawing invites the viewer to closely study the entire drawing and to 'find' the two figures. Both pieces are 'silent' the concentration on the girls face makes it feel like she is focusing intently on one thing and allowing her mouth to open slightly whereas in the drawing 'Unity' the man looks peacefully asleep and the woman looks as though she is gently stirring, the viewer can relate to this quiet morning serenity.

http://www.christodagorov.com/lips.php

http://www.alicavanaugh.com/