Dry Point
Budding LoveDry Point on watercolor paper
20cmx25cm October 2019 Exhibition TextBudding Love is a dry point print, inspired by Alphonse Mucha's Flower, and flower symbolism. The piece represents the feelings you experience when you realize you love someone, as well as the happiness your loved ones enable you to feel through genuine affection and care. The flowers used in the piece, lavender, lily of the valley, and rose, represent devotion, pure affection, and love.
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Planning
Inspiration
I was very excited for this project, because unlike the block print, I would be able to implement more detail into my piece. One of the first artists that I thought of was Alphonse Mucha, a well known Art Nouveau illustrator and painter. The Art Nouveau movement began in 1890 and lasted for around 15 years in Europe. It's purpose was to modernize the design world, and make things more appealing as more innovations came forward. I decided to use Alphonse Mucha as my Art Nouveau inspiration because he has a very distinct style, and often uses women and floral designs in his work. Much of it was made to prompt questions from the audience, and make them more curious as to what the meaning behind the piece was. I knew that I wanted to take the aspects of women and florals and put them into my piece, but there was still something missing.
It was then that I decided that I wanted the flowers I used in my piece to mean something, and not be a simple embellishment on my print. I knew that flowers had certain meanings pertaining to them, and that people have used flowers historically to send certain messages. I used the Old Farmer's Almanac to learn more about flower symbolism and its history. Many different countries, like Asia and Europe, have used flower symbolism for centuries. There is also a lot of plant symbolism in different mythologies, and the article from the Almanac had a lot of useful, detailed information on what different flowers mean. I decided to use Lavender, which represents devotion, Lily of the Valley, which symbolizes sweetness and purity, and the Rose, which means love. I felt like these three flowers were good additions to my piece because they all accurately represent new love and intimate relations. |
(all images of flowers sourced from google)
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Planning Sketches This is the first sketch that I made after completing my research, and I was taking a lot of aspects of Mucha's work, in order to get the feel for his style. I really enjoyed the hands against the chest and the floral detail, and I knew that I wanted to keep that in my final design. At this point, I wasn't really sure of what types of emotions I wanted my piece to portray, so the woman's face is expressionless. I also was unsure of the kind of dress the woman would be wearing. For the second sketch, I decided to do more of a bust rather than the waist up. I wrote notes to myself about how I wanted the flowers to be positioned in the piece, as well as some directions they could "floating away" from the head. I wanted the flowers to be drifting away from the head to represent the physical expression of the emotion (which was at this point still undecided) and how it is impossible to keep it inside. I again referenced Alphonse Mucha, this time using one of the poses in another piece that I saw. This sketch is the most like the final one, and it is when I decided I wanted to use "love" as the emotional theme for this piece. I also was thinking about different garmet shapes and how they flow depending on someone's stance. This sketch also allowed me to figure out the position I wanted the woman to have in my piece, with one hand up and tucking hair behind her ear. This is a physical way of showing someone being shy or bashful, and her expression shows happiness. The flowers mainly circulate the head, showcasing the thoughts of love she would have in a conversation. The final sketch was the most detailed, and included the aforementioned flowers (lavender, lily of the valley, and roses) floating from the head and her holding them as well. The long flowing hair is another aspect from Mucha that I incorporated into my piece. The dress that the woman is wearing is simplistic, because I want the audience to focus on the woman's expression and the flowers that surround her. |
Process
Experimentation
During the printing process, I experimented by changing the amount of ink I removed from the plastic sheet before making the print. At first, the prints that I made had uneven amounts of ink, with some parts bleeding a bit and others being too light. As I made more prints and became more experienced, I learned which parts I needed to remove more ink from and which I could leave. It was necessary for me to make sure that the detail I carved into the plastic sheet would transfer onto my print, while at the same time maintained clean lines with a balance of negative and positive space. |
Process
The first thing that i did was place my plastic sheet over my final sketch, taping it into place. This allowed me to etch the drawing into the sheet, using an etching tool to add small details and make the lines flow throughout the piece. After I was finished transferring my final sketch onto the plastic sheet, I prepared an area where I could ink. Making a dry point print requires a lot of steps in order to make a quality piece. I first put a few sheets of watercolor paper into a bin of shallow water, wanting to soak the paper and hold onto the ink better. It was important to time how long the paper was soaking, because otherwise it would begin to breakdown in the water. I put my paper in the water for eight minutes each time. While that was soaking, I set up two separate sheets of newsprint with different purposes. The first one I used to press ink into the plastic sheet, using a scraper. When in this step, I needed to make sure that the amount of ink I placed on the plastic sheet was just right: too much ink would be wasteful, and too little ink would cause my print to be of lower quality. After that, I used another sheet of newsprint, torn into smaller pieces, to remove excess ink. I needed to wear gloves and an apron throughout the inking process to prevent the ink onto my hands and my clothing. It was this part of the process that allowed me to experiment with varying pressures and where the ink would be more saturated. It also required the most work and had the highest difficulty, because I was mostly relying on what I saw to determine whether or not the sheet had enough ink on it. At times it was difficult for me to determine whether or not I had removed too much or too little ink, and this caused some of my prints to come out uneven. After the sheet was ready to make a print, I placed it onto the roller, with a sheet of watercolor paper over it. Finally, I rolled the blankets over the sheet of paper and cranked it through the roller to make the ink transfer onto the sheet of paper. I repeated this process six times and came out with two prints that I feel good about. |
Compare and Contrast
Compare:
-woman as subject: using feminine expression to develop the theme/tone of piece. Mucha was obsessed with the idea of the "femme nouvelle", or the "new woman" feminist term of the time. The majority of his pieces feature women, and he drew them in a way that was out of the norm for his time period. The "flower" piece (above) features a woman wearing loose, flowing clothing and flowers adorning her head and in her arms. She looks off in the distance with a slight smile, and just by looking at the piece you are astounded by the woman's beauty. I wanted to convey this same beauty in my piece, and used similar ideas of the "femme novelle" to express that.
-similar composition: wistful/bashful body language; my piece is about young love and the feeling you get when you are in a new relationship (hence the name of the piece, budding love), and so the composition is influence by that feeling. In both pieces, the woman is looking off center and has a subliminal smile to her face.
- use of line in both pieces is similar; in my piece, I was able to use the dry point tool to add a large amount of detail to my piece, and the Mucha painting I took inspiration from has a similar level of detail created by line.
Contrast:
- The flowers used in each piece differ, and therefore the symbolism behind each piece is different as well. The flowers I used in my piece are the rose, lily of the valley, and the lavender flower. These flowers represent emotions such as love, devotion, sweetness and purity. It strengthens the meaning behind the piece, which is young love. In Mucha's piece, the flower(s) used look like yellow lilies and chrysanthemums. The meaning of the yellow lily is symbolic of a desire for enjoyment and being thankful, and the chrysanthemum represents joy and optimism. With an understanding of flower symbolism, you can see the difference in meaning between the two pieces.
- Mucha uses color to express a sense of excitement in his piece, whereas mine is only in black and white. His use of warm toned colors further pushes the symbolism he chose with the flowers- optimism and joy. One can infer that his piece is an expression of optimism for women in the world and the joy that comes with being a woman, and my piece focuses on young women and their (loving) relationships with others.
-woman as subject: using feminine expression to develop the theme/tone of piece. Mucha was obsessed with the idea of the "femme nouvelle", or the "new woman" feminist term of the time. The majority of his pieces feature women, and he drew them in a way that was out of the norm for his time period. The "flower" piece (above) features a woman wearing loose, flowing clothing and flowers adorning her head and in her arms. She looks off in the distance with a slight smile, and just by looking at the piece you are astounded by the woman's beauty. I wanted to convey this same beauty in my piece, and used similar ideas of the "femme novelle" to express that.
-similar composition: wistful/bashful body language; my piece is about young love and the feeling you get when you are in a new relationship (hence the name of the piece, budding love), and so the composition is influence by that feeling. In both pieces, the woman is looking off center and has a subliminal smile to her face.
- use of line in both pieces is similar; in my piece, I was able to use the dry point tool to add a large amount of detail to my piece, and the Mucha painting I took inspiration from has a similar level of detail created by line.
Contrast:
- The flowers used in each piece differ, and therefore the symbolism behind each piece is different as well. The flowers I used in my piece are the rose, lily of the valley, and the lavender flower. These flowers represent emotions such as love, devotion, sweetness and purity. It strengthens the meaning behind the piece, which is young love. In Mucha's piece, the flower(s) used look like yellow lilies and chrysanthemums. The meaning of the yellow lily is symbolic of a desire for enjoyment and being thankful, and the chrysanthemum represents joy and optimism. With an understanding of flower symbolism, you can see the difference in meaning between the two pieces.
- Mucha uses color to express a sense of excitement in his piece, whereas mine is only in black and white. His use of warm toned colors further pushes the symbolism he chose with the flowers- optimism and joy. One can infer that his piece is an expression of optimism for women in the world and the joy that comes with being a woman, and my piece focuses on young women and their (loving) relationships with others.
Reflection
Overall, I am satisfied with my final outcome. The process of making drypoint prints was much more difficult than I originally anticipated, but I think that I was able to produce some quality prints. In the beginning, I had trouble knowing what amount of ink I should remove from my plate before making a print, but after a few tries I was able to develop my own method and became more efficient. I think that the only way I would improve would be to continue making prints and continue experimenting with inking and removal before running it through the roller. One thing I would keep in mind for next time would be to take my time, but make sure that I am not trying to perfectly remove any excess ink from places like the back of the plate, or from my hands. It didn't end up mattering too much whether or not there was a little bit of ink on the opposite side of the plastic sheet, because it was laying on a piece of newsprint (to prevent the ink from going onto the roller surface). One thing that I am really proud of is my inspiration for this piece and the way I clearly have the influence of flower symbolism and the Art Nouveau style in my piece. Alphonse Mucha was a talented artist who used more graphic designs and women in his advertisements and poseters to appeal to the general public. I really enjoyed learning a bit more about the movement, as well as how people have historically used flowers as a form of symbolism.
ACT Responses
1. Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork:
The subject of both my piece and Alphonse Mucha's Flower use a woman and floral details to convey a light, happy feeling.
2. What is the overall approach (pov) the author (from research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Alphonse Mucha used feminine approaches in his work (women and floral details) to draw attention from the crowd with his Art Nouveau advertisements.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I learned that the people in the Art Nouveau movement used more graphic and modern designs to change how art was previously used (traditionally v. advertisement).
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
I wanted to use detailed line work and floral symbolism to showcase the feelings of new love.
5. What kinds of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Alphonse Mucha's advertisements used women as subjects, as well as light colors and more graphic design, to make his advertisements more desirable.
The subject of both my piece and Alphonse Mucha's Flower use a woman and floral details to convey a light, happy feeling.
2. What is the overall approach (pov) the author (from research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Alphonse Mucha used feminine approaches in his work (women and floral details) to draw attention from the crowd with his Art Nouveau advertisements.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I learned that the people in the Art Nouveau movement used more graphic and modern designs to change how art was previously used (traditionally v. advertisement).
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
I wanted to use detailed line work and floral symbolism to showcase the feelings of new love.
5. What kinds of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Alphonse Mucha's advertisements used women as subjects, as well as light colors and more graphic design, to make his advertisements more desirable.
Bibliography
- Alfonsmucha.org. “Flower, Alphonse Mucha.” Alphonse Maria Mucha: The Complete Works, Alfonsmucha.org, flowers.https://www.alfonsmucha.org/Flower.html.
- Old Farmer's Almanac. “Flower Meanings: The Language of Flowers.” Old Farmer's Almanac, Old Farmer's Almanac, https://www.almanac.com/content/flower-meanings-language-
- Wolf, Justin. “The Art Nouveau Movement.” Edited by Peter Clericuzio, The Art Story: Modern Art Insight, The Art Story Foundation, https://www.theartstory.org/movement/art-nouveau/.
- Old Farmer's Almanac. “Flower Meanings: The Language of Flowers.” Old Farmer's Almanac, Old Farmer's Almanac, https://www.almanac.com/content/flower-meanings-language-
- Wolf, Justin. “The Art Nouveau Movement.” Edited by Peter Clericuzio, The Art Story: Modern Art Insight, The Art Story Foundation, https://www.theartstory.org/movement/art-nouveau/.