Contextual Research

Oblique Strategies is a deck of 7 by 9 centimeters printed cards in a black container box, created by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt and first published in 1975. Each card offers an aphorismintended to help artists (particularly musicians) break creative blocks by encouraging lateral thinking.

In 1970 Peter Schmidt created "The Thoughts Behind the Thoughts",a box containing 55 sentences letterpress printed onto disused prints that accumulated in his studio, which is still in the possession of Eno. Eno, who had known Schmidt since the late 1960s, had been pursuing a similar project himself (which he had handwritten onto a number of bamboo cards and given the name 'Oblique Strategies' in 1974). There was a significant overlap between the two projects, and so, in late 1974, Schmidt and Eno combined them into a single pack of cards and offered them for general sale. After Schmidt died suddenly in early 1980, the card decks became rather rare and expensive. Sixteen years later software pioneer Peter Norton convinced Eno to let him create a fourth edition as Christmas gifts for his friends. With public interest Eno once again produced a new set of Oblique Strategies cards. The number and content of the cards vary somewhat from edition to edition.

Each card contains a phrase or cryptic remark which can be used to break a deadlock or dilemma situation. Some are specific to music composition; others are more general. Examples include:

• Use an old idea.
• State the problem in words as clearly as possible.
• Only one element of each kind.
• What would your closest friend do?
• What to increase? What to reduce?
• Are there sections? Consider transitions.
• Try faking it!
• Honour thy error as a hidden intention.
• Ask your body.
• Work at a different speed

Drawing Assessment 2014

Drawing Assessment 

Here are the images taken from my final Drawing Assessment. This is the work i have recent worked on and have progressed on. i have enjoyed this work especially the physical side of it. 

Dobok with White belt (beginners) and Yellow Tag

Dobok with muliple images that have been emulsion printed on to show effectiveness and the strong relationship between them. 

The chosen images that i have manipulated on the computer to show movements being used.

(above and below). 

Drawing

Crit

In my most recent crit my class peers have helped me to enhance my skills by giving me ideas such as:

• movements but in different ways
• formal - structure in Taekwondo
• different coloured canvases as it shows age
• art form
• use a computer to show different observational outcomes
• access more sparring imagery 
• use different materials and media but in larger scale
• tanergram
• more colour could be useful to future works
• could used blurred imagery to show how to move specifically. 

Drawing

I have chosen these selected images to show what its like to fight in actual reality like a competition.

Drawing

My work is about Taekwondo and how their movements can be captured by observational studies. I have captured multiple movements in different moments in time, each image unique in its self. During my study of different techniques that are relevant to my work I became fond of image transfer with acrylic paint. I have done this several time but on different materials that where available to me such as paper, netting, brown paper, newspaper and canvas. After concentrating on image transfers I moved on to a more digital range of work as I used illustrator to edit and manipulate the images taken in my Taekwondo sessions. My weakness for this topic was my range for thinking shrank and I stop producing work until an artist called Brian Eno helped me with his production line of strategic cards that gave me motivation and fresh ideas for my work. I have chosen Taekwondo as their movements are irregular to everyday activity also how the images capture the still movements of different patterns that are practiced in training. In future I hope to produce more works on different materials or even the training suit that I train in to help me fully develop the range the images can be put into the right context. Also to develop my illustration skills created on computer by adding colour, texture etc. 

My project is focused on movement as I have chosen a specific activity to help with my project. Taekwondo is a martial art that is formed and created from all types of movements that captures the raw scenery and meaning of the arts. There are different types of martial arts ranging from taekwondo to karate. I choose taekwondo as it allows me to have a variety of opportunities to capture the movements in patterns and 1-1 sparring. My collection of images and drawings electronically show mostly sparring but with different types of bodies used and situations as some are friendly and some are in competition environments. Ego in people is always high just like moral support for our home teams. Every situation is different practice sparring is without padding and full on contact with your opponent is with protection as it gets very physical. With creating multiple imagery I have then researched on an artist that helps to strategize others work and keeps them options open for their work. Brian Eno is a big influence during my research as he creates numerous cards that have simple lettering but with each word has a huge effect that allows the worker/ thinker to produce more various expansions on their work. I have taken images of taekwondo movements but most were blurred therefore to produce better details of the movement I have placed myself as the main subject in my dobok trying out high, middle and low section kicks, punches etc. other than producing just drawings and images as part of my work I have physically got a dobok showing the most images taken and emulsion printed on it. I have selected a dobok as it shows personal history to me as I have included two belts that I gained at the beginning of my learning experience. I have also created coloured imagery to me placed on these. I have created a range of imagery from observational studies during my classes and competitions also including myself within them. Top improve this further with more time I could design my own dobok in the style suited for this situation and gathered more relevant detailed imagery and drawings to show.

these images have been carefully edited to capture specific moves for Taekwondo they are based on learning new moves in patterns and some are for sparring with full on contact. I thought that with taking images of movements i would capture them smudging in the process of moving. 

Drawing Presentation

Drawing

Week 10

In this week there was a crit about out journey project and how our work was getting along. I could say that my work wasn't that interesting as I get bored with projects I have done before therefore I will do something different but personal to me in the next project I think. After the crit I had I written notes down what I could do further to improve and progress on my work.

What people thought about my work:

• Like an x-ray presentation
• Concentrating on the walking joints
• Good contrast
• Details good
• Smaller drawings could be useful
• Too heavy in the drawings could suggest strength in bones
• Use acetate maybe project it onto a board
• Fragile with the shoulder blade
• Experiment with colour
• Textures good and keep to the layers
• Try animation.

Weeks 9-11

In these weeks I have been selected to give a 10-15 minute presentation and or a discussion on a drawing(s) that I have selected. the drawing(s) can be taken from any historical period and be by any artist, fashion designer, architect, cartoonist, etc. But the choices should be inspired by the work I have actually seen on the London trip or other museums/galleries. the presentation should not focus on facts alone but on other information too such as:

• why the drawing was selected?
• what interested you in the drawing?
• how was the drawing made?
• what processes where involved in making the drawing?
• is the drawing made from observation?

etc...

As it was a group discussion before hand we all decided what method would be practical in presenting our work clean and effectively we all chose power point presentation as its simple, electronic and everyone has easy access to see.

 Weeks 4 - 11

We have discussed the starting of a journey project which involves a journey of our choice that could also be personal to us but can form a descent body of work. Although I based my project around the Newark Museum which had a room full of dinosaur bones which interested me up to a certain point but then my project travelled to the human form i.e. bones on how the joints move. I then moved on from the human anatomy to the figures of people and their facial features I moved onto the facial features as it was a previous attempt of mine but failed as I didn't progress further on my drawing skills after the two attempts of drawing my friend I then enjoyed the process of using tracing paper as it was easier for me to add detail to the features. I think when I do my next project I will draw more faces of people in todays society also including more of my friends back home as this will still be personal too me but not all the time as I do want to challenge myself further.

These two images of bones are on tracing paper on purpose as when placed on a window all the layers I have made to form the bones are shown through as the light forces its way through when looking from a distance it looks like an X-Ray in a hospital.

Same with the X-Ray idea I tried to do the same style through a face of a friend but however hasn't worked out as I planned but I am happy with outcome as I was trying to experiment with a board marker still as it worked previously with the bones above.

 

In these two images I have used tracing paper as my working surface as it was

easier for me to gain the quality better on the facial features than it was for a

plain piece of paper. although a few aspects are slightly disproportioned I think that this was a better way of me to draw the human form and I enjoyed the process I went through to achieve these outcomes. 

 

This is a map of the Leicester area of where I went on my journey to the Newark Museum and other places that I bumped into along the way or way back.

 (unable to load image of map)

Journey Trail Information Note form

• walking down the street
• broken fridge found on right side of the street
• corner house abandond along same street left side Rydal Street
• got to the edge of Grasmere Street 13:14pm
• at Clarendon Street seen abandoned building in distance
• at DMU campus carpark near library 13:18pm
• passing St. Andrews church along Jarrome street
• 13:20pm passing gateway street
• passing abandoned building with smashed window
• closed down Dulux decorator centre
• passing funeral cars
• coming onto Carlton Street 13:25pm
• smelled petrol fumes along Carlton Street
• 13:28pm at Regent road
• passing two people one with guitar
• passing hly trinity church
• passing horn buckle and Mitchel at 13:32pm
• passing Newtontown street
• 13:37pm man got pulled by police outside museum
• 13:39pm police backup arrives
• 13:41pm
• arrived at museum
• same time two men passes by smoking joints and there's a strong smell of marijuana
• have taken multiple shots of skeletal bones from dinosaurs and there are no human replicas available
• also drawing from the images taken as they don't allow charcoal observational drawings to take place
• finished in museum at 13:57pm
• man on phone just got out of his car shouting "yes im at work" when hes is actually paying for the pay and display for his car.
• 14:14pm hearing the echo off another building from the infirmary ventilation system
• back at liberty park at 14:28pm



Weeks 1-8

In the 8 weeks I have been concentrating on the different perspectives a model could be drawn at I have therefore selected one particular drawing that I enjoyed creating. It took me an hour for me to make this drawing although the model was at a difficult position I couldn't draw but I like to challenge myself at these moments. first of all I was just concentrating on one side of the paper and therefore forced myself to capture the whole picture and use all my surface available to me. I had selected willow charcoal to do this piece as it is easily manipulated and if mistakes arise then I can smudge the line(s) and start again and use the mistake as an advantage to my background.

The analysis of the group sculpture and my observational drawings.

This is a group sculpture of all our found objects placed into and on top of a swirled frame that had been welded together to get a swirl like form. With all our found objects that range from small to large in size and light to heavy in weight we all have created an interesting piece of work that is related to Robert Rauschenberg’s work as his consists of found objects too. With our objects they weren’t a loud to touch the floor as they had to balance in the frame that was provided and with this our objects had to balance and support one another the keep the shape. Once the sculpture was formed we had to select a certain area to draw from and the part that interested me the most was the folded up pram, the electric fan, an insulated industrial orange pipe and a walls ice cream sign that was found on the street. Some of these objects are interesting either in the shape, context, or character. Some of the objects also were interesting as they had a sense of depth. As we had to draw on brown paper we observed the sculpture 80% of the time as we had to capture the 3d aspects of the found objects. I think that as I was drawing it I could have started in the middle of the paper as I would have fitted the objects on the page but then I realised at the last minute that it was all out of scale. As I started to look at the sculpture that I was going to draws I had to think about a few aspects. I had to know which side I was going to start and how I would draw the sculpture in order for me to capture the 3 dimensional shapes within the sculpture itself. So I used the graphite to lightly show some of the outlines of the sculpture and then when I was confident enough to carry on with the rest of the drawing I started to press harder against the paper to thicken the lines and to make them show more. After carefully looking back and forth to the sculpture and my A1 paper I started to think of other aspects of the sculpture and what I am able to capture within my drawing within a short amount of time I had. I then thought about the positive and negative areas with the drawing I have slightly completed and I wasn’t too sure on how to do this part. I think that I need more time in trying to figure out the negative areas within a drawing so I can then identify it next time when it comes to another observational drawing I am able to spend less time worrying and more time concentrating to get the observation completed in the amount of time given. I then started to think about the shapes that not only the objects make within but what the blank space on the outside makes i.e. squares and triangles, all with their unique way in creating itself. Within my drawing I created a fan out of the sculpture and I had a slight bit of a challenge as I had to make sure that the overall effect was that to see that the fan blade look like they are behind the fan guards and I think that I have done a good job but to get this effect I coloured the blades in with charcoal and then added splotches of white paint on the charcoal and smudged it within one another in different directions to make it look abstract and therefore I think that this is my best part and the focal point of my drawing because I have spent so much time on that specific area than what I have with the rest of the drawing.