I decided against the candle-themed card after all. I had an idea for Holly & Ivy instead.
I went out into the garden to sketch ivy and its berries, then simplified their forms to incorporate with previous stylised holly I'd prepared to go with the ill-fated candle.
I spent more than an hour cutting the lino for the print - the most intricate I've attempted so far. I built a reusable wooden frame to house the lino cut, which will also guide the postcards I'm putting the print on. This frame will be invaluable when I attempt two or three-tone linocuts in the future.
The print came out well :)
Here's one of the postcards filled out in colour, to give you an idea of the finished card :)
I went to the Cube Cinema on Thursday for Tom Marshman's Kenneth Anger Night, as part of his Beacons, Icons & Dykons project. I'd never been before and didn't know what to expect. In the bar people were discussing performance artists bleeding in the name of art and I was wondering how long I'd last in the audience. As it turned out, I needn't have worried (this time).
The atmosphere in the tiny cinema was good-humoured, chaotic, relaxed, exciting, boundless - I think that covers it :)
The evening was MC'd by Tom (I affectionately referred to him as Tom of Finland as he made his entrance in tight leather trousers, with keyboard braces being the only concession to clothing his torso. We were introduced to 'Fireworks' by a short piece of performance from Tom and a silent sailor (reminiscent of a scene from 'Querelle').
'Fireworks' (1947) is a short homoerotic film, dealing with a young man (Anger himself) and his fantasies involving a sailor.
We were treated to further movies, including 'Puce Moment' (1949) , 'Scorpio Rising' (1963), 'Kustom Kar Kommandos' (1965) - which prepared us for a performance piece in the car park - and finally 'Rabbit's Moon' (1950)
We had a Skype link with a woman who had briefly met Kenneth Anger at a film seminar and a guy read out the manifesto of Ra-Hoor-Khuit which guided the activities of Aleister Crowley's Thelema. The guy thought this manifesto was key to Lucifer Rising, which we weren't shown tonight. I still found it informative for the sensibility of the short film 'Puce Moment' with its soundtrack declaring 'I'm a hermit and ecstacy's my game'.
I managed to sketch a couple of times, in the half light of the cinema - Tom's appearance on the stage introducing the evening and the sight of the skype interview spread across the movie screen with the sharp silhouette Tom created standing in front of the projection. Not brilliant sketches, but an attempt to capture the event.
I wanted to make something special for a birthday that's due. Nothing in the shops that I particularly warmed to and that old self-sufficient thing rose inside me. I decided I'd make one.
I did some sketches of cup cakes with a candle in them, simplifying the sketch until I had a style suitable for transferring to a linocut.
It would be a little gothic, but that suits the person. I'd colour it afterwards, in any case, to brighten it a little :)
I drew the linocut design on paper first, then traced over it with baking parchment in lieu of tracing paper.
I turned this face down onto the lino and rubbed its outline onto the lino's surface. I drew over this faint outline to guide the cuts I'm to make.
I started making big cuts with the tools, removing large portions of the lino's surface, then finer cuts followed.
I had an idea to leave a lot of background. I spread water-based printing ink onto the surface of a ceramic tile I had left over from the kitchen floor (!) Nice and smooth and washable.
I worked the blob of ink to a thin, tacky film with one roller and applied it to the surface of the linocut.
I tried a test sheet of paper to see the ink coverage and the effects of the cuts I'd made. I used a second clean roller to apply even pressure to the paper covering the linocut, then peeled the paper off.
It worked well!
I repeated the inking onto the card this time - job done. Almost done - I have to let it dry, then colour can be applied to the cupcake :) BEWARE - don't get too close to the linocut with colour paint: it will make the waterbased ink run... Update: I resorted to acetone spray to fix the ink. That worked.
In the Summer of 2011, Artist Martin Creed filled the sea-facing gallery with hundreds of white 100% latex balloons. Not a good place if you have a latex allergy! I walked around it for the experience. I expected it to be claustrophobic - it wasn't to me. The smell of rubber was immense. The assistant tagged you as you went in, in case they lost you! The way the balloons move readily from you is oddly liberating. There was a degree of static charge. The loose hair accumulating on the balloons was a bit icky...
After work tonight, I thought I'd investigate The Bristol Drawing Club, who were holding a social at Café Kino. I took my bag of bits along, not knowing really what to expect.
When I arrived, clutching my cherry beer in lieu of organic stout (which tasted disgusting, I have to add), they'd been in full swing for about an hour - drawing impromptu models. I caught the last model.
After a break to chat to others, we entered a 'speed drawing' exercise. This is a bit like speed dating, only you have 3 minutes to capture the likeness of the person sitting opposite you before you move on to the next person in the line. It makes you wonder what detail is truly necessary to capture someone's features. We complained 3 minutes was not enough time, then the next round was THIRTY SECONDS! Loads of fun. :) Here's a three minute sketch I'm most happy with.
The additional treat of the evening was being drawn by Lewis Gilliard. I had a feeling someone to my left and behind me was facing me and sketching madly as I was sketching the model. Lewis approached me later and presented me with this caricature, explaining he would only throw it away... I'm flattered by it's cruel fidelity.
I met lots of lovely, warm and enthusiastic people, and had a great time drawing. I'm looking forward to the next time.
