2D Project: Process Work for My Line is Emo

Most of my documentation have been done offline so my post here will just be a brief coverage of some key process works that I have taken while completing this project.

I remember my instinctive approach towards mark making was to create marks with natural objects – leaves, twigs, branches etc. The process actually left me with pretty nice stamp-like marks but they were obviously too representational. Hence, I needed to find a more abstract use of different mediums to convey my intended emotion.

With that, I kick started a brand new exploration with mediums that I had easy access too and had experience using it. However, I needed to consciously push boundaries and use them in unconventional manners.

One of the fun yet surprisingly tedious experiment was the acrylic flow technique. As my virgin try on such a technique and when acrylic paint is definitely more costly relative to other inks, I decided to play with it on a small canvas first.

Quite loved how it turned out as a first attempt due to the marbling effect that was created. Since my approach for the first round of experiments were to put an emotion to a visual effect, this was meant for satisfaction. But I guess it didn’t quite match the emotion since it turned out quite random.

To make my  acrylic flow more purposeful, I went ahead with my 2nd round of experiment (after consult). I did it on an A3 acrylic canvas and above are the crops that I made to choose my final strip. Instead of satisfaction, I decided to use this method to signify passion. Leveraging on the energy created by the acrylic flow, I thought it represented how my passion for art will bring me unexpected possibilities.

Another interesting experiment that I did was to paint Chinese ink on tissue paper. I tried different tones as the darkest tone could not highlight the creases on the tissue. Eventually,  I decided to apply a collage approach to achieve the visual  effect  to represent disappointment/sadness.

The last approach that left an impact on me is the burning effect. The varied effects that burning paper has provided really interest me. The variation comes from the type of paper used to what we use to burn, there’s really so much possibilities this approach has given me.

Burning paper to signify BURNT OUT

My first try was to burn with the fire lighter. Since it was my first time using this technique, I find that I have a lack of control over how much and where the fire was burning at. But I did learn about how the soot will look like on paper. I also discovered that using candle to burn created nicer and smoother visual effect. Hence, my final strip incorporated both burning techniques.

The burning, acrylic flow and tissue paper paint left the deepest impressions on me amongst all the other experiments that I did. I also felt that the acrylic flow and burning technique can be pushed further by mastering better control over a seemingly uncontrollable medium. But yes, this pretty much sums up the key creative processes that I enjoyed the most and will love to play with them even more.