Paper Art - hand-cut paper, stencils and other cutting techniques

Caroline Jane Harris

This is the work of artist Caroline Jane Harris. I really like her intricately cut pieces, and the organic nature of the work.  The detail in the work is beautiful, and to see paper cut in this way is so intriguing and looking at the work always brings me to take a closer look at the image. There is no excessive use of colour which works when with the images so you can focus on the patterns, and the image that has been created from the cut out. The work looks so fragile, but shows how paper can be used in other exciting way. The cuts are finely done and I think it's when you see images like this in real-life that you gain a proper insight into it's beauty. Some of the pieces look like snow flakes under a microscopes, reminding me of winter and the ice queen. This effect makes the work look quite cold which works well with the fragile nature of the work.

More of Caroline Jane Harris' work can be found here: http://www.carolinejaneharris.com

Aoyama Hina

In contrast to Caroline Jane Harris' work Aoyama Hina hand-cut her pieces. I think both artists have amazing pieces of work and Aoyama Hina's pieces are auntie feminine and pretty. Her work does amaze me to think that only a scissor and paper was used to create such a delicate image. I really like the effect of the work.

More of  Aoyama Hina's work can be found here: http://www.toxel.com/

My Hand-cut paper designs. 

These are my hand-cut paper designs. My designs are not as intricate as the designs of Caroline Jane Harris and Aoyama Hina, but I wanted to practice with this techniques because I really liked it. Using the stencil I had created, I then created prints using inks and bleaches on firstly paper then tissue. The pieces were more of an extension of the previous experiments with ink and bleach I had created. Have a look http://ifeakinroyejegraphics.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/ink-and-bleach.html 

Creating a hand-cut paper piece.

I like the outcome of the work, but if I am to continue with this technique I would like to produce creating something a littler more finer like the paper artists I had discovered.

Playing around with photoshop

-Changing Hair Colour

 Above is a photography I had previously taken, but wanted to further experiment with it, as my final piece will contain photography this was to practice with editing techniques. The photograph is quite a dramatic portrait putting the main focus on the subject at the centre of the image. The image is clear, so I each part of the photograph is defined. In Adobe Photoshop I change the hair colour of the subject, so I could trail how to do this technique. I used pink colours to do this, to highlight a major change in the hair colour. I think it also goes with the dramatic nature of the photograph. Making it look edgy.

Again I have edited a previous photo from a photo shoot I had done in the past. The photograph was a simple portrait, with the subject holding a prop which symbolised her. The use of props to emphasise characteristics was used in the photographer's Piczo's work which I really loved FIND HERE.

In this photograph the prop emphasises the childishness in the subject, and I used purple and browns colours to colour the hair as it adds a fantasy child-like element to the photograph relating to the prop.

Ink and Bleach

Ink and Bleach

Here are ink and bleach pieces that created by various artists. I like this technique because the ink is strong whilst the bleach washes it out. The washed out effect that is created by ink and bleach works well to create pieces that are quite expressive, like the artist has created the piece with a story in mind. I like this about bleach and ink, even if it is just smudges and mix of colours there is something expressive about it. The brush strokes created with the ink and the bleach are often quite smooth, and the bleach adds textures to the image. There is also a layering affect, as the bleach stains the smoothness.  In the first image the outline and textures of the fishes are created with the bleach, showing how bleach can be used on ink to create a picture. The second image also uses paint on the ink and bleach, mixing a range of materials. Through the white paint the bleach comes through fainting making each individual layer visible on each layer. I like image two because it looks like the galaxy or a night sky. Images three and four are expressive. The ink has been used sketchly, and then brush strokes of bleach have been on top of it. The strokes of bleach are expressive and the images appear quite empowering as the woman is dressed as a superhero.

Source: http://www.cocoskies.com/

Source: http://charlottetemperton.madethroughprocess.com/

Source: http://beckyrwilliams.blogspot.co.uk

Source: http://graphicalerts.com/

My bleach and ink trail

This is my bleach and ink trail, which I created on tissues. I used tissue as a based, because I wanted the ink to spread freely. I then used brown ink and bleach to stain the tissue and the ink. I like the symmetry in the image and the tie-dye effect. These patterns came out as I wished. With more time I would have practised this technique on a range of different surfaces to try and create different effects.

My Ink and bleach trail combined with my photography

Here is a photograph taken from my floral photo shoot. I used the 'rule of thirds' to capture this image, and I really like the outcome of it. 

I then put the photograph into Adobe Photoshop and alter the colour using colour blending and gradient tools.

Here is the bleach and ink trail I created. I like the symmetry in the piece, and wanted to further edit it and merge it with photographs I had taken.

I then added the bleach and ink trail to Adobe Photoshop. Combining the bleach and ink trail with the photography. I repeated the image four times, and laid the bleach and ink trail on top of the photography. Once it was on top I used the opacity tool and the colour blending tool, to edit the image. The outcome of this was negative.  With the image below I use a less harsher effect to edit this using only opacity so the bleach and ink trails merge into the photography. I really like the outcome of this, and I think I will use this in one of my jars, as a wallpaper. Creating wall paper for jar like the wall paper that was created by artist Juilette Joseph which I discovered when researching jar art; http://ifeakinroyejegraphics.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/using-jars-to-present-work.html

Linocut

Linocut

Linocut is a print making technique, where a surface is cut into so there are different marks on the work. Below are linocuts that I have found and I really like them. The use of only two colours in the pieces makes  lines more defined and the high contrast of the two colours makes the piece eye-catching. In the first photograph there is a lot of emotion transferred through the image even though it is only monochrome coloured. The use of only two colours in linocut, allows you to look deeper into the image and focus and the subject. When I look deeper into the piece the eyes of the subject really stand out to me. The blacks in the eyes show a possible pain shown through the eyes of the subject. The blacks in the print create shadows and the eyes of the subject are dark, making the print mysterious.

Source: http://webdevelopergeeks.com/

Source: http://www.oldhousemuseum.org.uk/

Source: http://markainslieart.blogspot.co.uk/

My Linocuts

I really like the linocut technique and created my own. As my first time using this technique it was fun practising, but the outcome was not as I hoped. I wanted to bring out more textures in the piece and something more meaningful.

Danny Allison Inspired photography

Danny Allison

This is the work of Danny Allison. The work stands out because of the 

serious tone brought through the image. There is not a wide use of colour only more dark colours. This makes the work more realistic and gritty. I like that the work looks natural, and its just a portrait of ordinary people.

I really like the work of Danny Allison and here is photography I have created. I focused on the eyes of my subject, as everyone eyes are individual and different each telling a story. I done the work in black and white because Allison's work is not is bright bold colours, and it focuses on the subject and the story instead of a fancy image. With a zoom lens I was able to create clear close-up images, which I really like. I wanted to focus on only the eyes because the eyes relate to the imagination and the brain and as my piece is dream-like it works well to relate to it.

Here is an Adobe Photoshop edit I created using the eyes I had photographed. I layered the different photographs on top each other and played with the opacity tool, to make some photographs more transparent than others.

Below is a photograph of an eye I had taken, I then put it into Photoshop and changed the gradient so it looked like a purple filter had been put through it. I then merged this photograph with the photograph I had taken from my trip to London, and used the Hard Light tool to make the photograph of the eye transparent. I like the outcome of the photograph, and think it looks quite gritty and real like the photography of David Allison.