Research on Mark Making

Never having taken Art, mark making is a new concept to me. Hence, I embarked on a research to find out more about mark making.

What is Mark Making?

To describe different lines, patterns and textures we create in a piece of art.

Automatic Mark Making Techniques

Creating art by suppressing conscious control and allowing the unconscious mind to take over the creative process.

Examples of Automatic Techniques:

Decalcomania –a piece of paper or glass is laid over a painted surface and then removed. This action creates suction, pulling at the paint to form a scaly, biomorphic texture

An example of a decalcomania artwork is Max Ernst’s Europe After the Rain, 1940-1942

Picture from: https://www.artsy.net/article/jessica-beyond-painting-the-experimental-techniques-of-max

 

 

 

 

 

Frottage – a technique of taking a rubbing from an uneven surface as a basis of art

An example of a frottage artwork is Max Ernst’s The Entire City 1934

Picture from: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/ernst-the-entire-city-n05289

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fumage – impressions made by smoke of a candle or kerosene lamp on a piece of paper/canvas

An example of a fumage artwork is Wolfgang Paalen’s Fumage 1937.

Picture from: https://www.wikiart.org/en/wolfgang-paalen/fumage-1937

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grattage – technique of scraping wet/dry paint from the canvas using a blade (palette knife/spatula)

An example of a grattage artwork is Max Ernst’s Forest and Dove (1927)

Picture from: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/g/grattage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Torn Paper Collage – torn up/cut up paper are randomly placed on a sheet of paper which are then glued down or using torn up paper of an image which is then placed randomly according to the fall of the paper

Sand Painting – glue is randomly smeared on canvas then sand sprinkled upon it. After it dries, it can be further manipulated using brushes/knifes

Froissage – crushing a piece of paper then smoothing it out. When soaked with paint/ink, the creases takes up the colour, creating a veined effect.

Artist/Artwork References:

Gunpowder Drawings by Cai Guo-Qiang

  • Cai places sheets of specially made paper on the floor and sets up gunpowder fuses and loose explosive powders to create silhouetted forms on the canvas.
  • Once the setup is completed, he ignites a fuse at one end of the work.
  • With loud bangs, the ignited gunpowder rips across the surface of the paper, lighting the explosives according to the form that was created.
  • What was interesting about his work was that he demonstrated his interest in the relationship between matter and energy in which matter; referring to the gunpowder; explodes into energy; ignition of gunpowder and explosive; and transforms to matter in another state; the charred drawing.
  • His work displays charts of time (time taken to setup the gunpowder), process (igniting the gunpowder) and transformation (how the gunpowder transform into a charred drawing on the canvas).

Yves Klein

  • Best known for his trademark ultramarine pigment, which he patented as International Klein Blue in 1961
  • He created anthropometry paintings, for which Klein smeared nude women with blue pigment and used them as human brushes on canvas. Sometimes this process was displayed in elaborate public performances.
  • I found that this method was very intriguing, even though it is unconventional or controversial. I thought of exploring the idea of using the body to create mark makings, for example, using my feet, elbows, hands, etc.
  • The idea of using an art piece as a form of performance was something that I think adds a new dimension to the artwork. Not only does it become a visual art, but it also serves as a performing art. The act of engaging the public to view the process of the artwork, I believe allows the audience to understand the process and actual art itself better.
Pictures from: https://www.artsy.net/artist/yves-klein
Pictures from: https://www.artsy.net/artist/yves-klein

 

 

An Object that I Found 3-Dimensionally Interesting

The object that I found interesting was a slingshot. I believe I got it during the SG50 celebrations together with some other traditional games.

What interest me was the shape of the slingshot. When divided by its principal axis, both sides are symmetrical. The dominant of the slingshot is the wooden areas, sub-dominant is the blue colours and subordinate is the red band.

 

 

 

Here is an image of the side profile of the slingshot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let’s divide the slingshot into 2 parts; the upper half and the lower half.

In the upper half of the slingshot, the negative void takes up half of the volume while in the lower half, the positive mass takes up the other half. Hence there is a cluster of similar volumes of a half-half ratio.

Some other details I found interesting was the additional details such as the grooves. Even though there may not be an ergonomic purpose to the grooves, I thought it served as a good aesthetic compared to just using paint all over the slingshot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, the handle of the slingshot was designed to concave inwards, which was an ergonomic design allowing for a better grip as compared to a straight cut handle.