Creating prints on 3D objects

When I was printing on sufaces within the natural environment, I decided that it would be interesting to look in my surroundings and see if there were any materials that I would be able to take back with me and print on in order to use them as an element of 3D in my project.

I found a disguarded brick and also a rock that was embedded within the river bed and decided these would be perfect for this part of my project.

I have decided not to wash them or change their appearance in any way as the surface is completely untouched by man and relates greatly to the surfaces on which Anasazi Rock Art was formed.

These are images of the process of printing onto these sorts of surfaces. It is insteresting how the hand print is distorted and doesn't look as much like a hand print due to the uneven surface on which I am printing.

Experimental painting using masking tape -take 2

These are development from previous photographs where I have put masking tape over the image, painted the image, and then taken the tape off. These are variations as I have scanned in the original images after the first stage of painting and used the same process on these. I find the outcomes really intriguing, however, I would like to build up many layers like this on photographs which have not been painted on. I would like to produce outcomes where only a few vital parts of the image are seen and the rest is built up colour surrounding these parts.

Painting outcome for assessment

For my outcome for assessment I decided to recreate this image on a larger scale (A1) and on photographic paper. 

I hope to recapture the same amount of interesting brush marks as well as a good balance between paint and original photo. 

Experimental painting using masking tape

For these I simply put masking tape over certain areas of the already painted over photographs. I then chose a colour relevant to the image and painted the parts which were not covered before taking off the masking tape. 

I have also applied this technique to photos which had not already been edited with paint.

Contextual references- Painting on photographs

Gerhard Richter

I think in terms of painting on photographs as a technique, I prefer Gerhard Richter's approach in comparison with Peter Bonde who started my whole project off. 

In this instance the images seem less painterly than those of Bonde which I quite like. 

Through the mixture of colour actually on the surface and the texture created by applying the paint in a perhaps more slap-dash manner, I think this artist's approach is more courageous and therefore has a greater visual impact on the viewer as it does for me. It would be interesting to experiment further in my work by applying the paint with different materials to achieve the type of effect seen here in Gerhard Richter's work, perhaps such materials as cardboard etc.

Marc Luders

This artist's approach is even more painterly than any other artist I have looked at in terms of painting on photographs. Luder really incorporates painting into the photo so that at a glance the image would still look like just a photograph. I really like this idea as it makes the viewer study the image with greater depth.

Palmistry

I was interested to research into palmistry to accompany my work on hand prints. 

It has been really intriguing reading about what it means if your hands look a certain way and what it says about you if your life line starts in the heart line etc.

Whilst researching, I was often checking my own hand to see what the lines on my palm say about me. As less than an amateur, it was often hard for me to see what lines they were on about, especially the minor lines. 

I have not only researched the meaning of certain lines on the hand but also a bit about origin and the different branches that make up palmistry. 

There are three main branches of palmistry and one newer element that has been added more recently. 

Chiromancy is the study of the lines and other features of the palm. This is the oldest branch of palmistry when ancient palm readers studied the lines on hands.

Chirognomy is the study of the character and personality as suggested by the shape of the fingers, thumbs and hand in general. This was recognised at around the middle of the 19th century as an aid to character assessment and is a valuable contribution to the accuracy of palmistry. 

Dermatoglyphics is the study of the skin patterns of the fingers, thumbs and palms which became apparent in the second half of the 20th century. This is considered a comprehensive art-science which estimates character, judges talent and capability, defines disposition and potential and verifies health. 

The fourth element is the idea of gesture, the behavioural science of hand and body movement. 

It is considered that palmistry is almost certainly from the East, most probably India. The oldest writings and illustrations of Palmistry are 5000 years old and of Indian origin which verifies this assumption, however, it is also thought that Ancient China, Korea and Japan had some sort of input in the early days of palmistry. 

In ancient times, palmistry was largely superstition and there were no written recordings referring to palmistry until the middle 15th century as the Church believed hand reading to be the work of the devil.

Shapes of the Hand

Square hand - A person with a square hand is likely to be practical, rational and persevering with a great respect for law and order. This people also may be level-headed with an endless patience and determination which can sometimes turn to stubbornness.

Round or Conic hand - A person with a square hand is likely to be impulsive, sensitive and full of charm. This person may also have a low boredom threshold, leading to someone who makes or breaks relationships due to the continuing need to have new experiences. Someone with a conic hand may also have a lazy streak and a hint of selfishness.


Elementary hand - Someone with this type of hand is expected to be down-to-earth with good common sense and an uncomplicated personality but is slow to perceive and act on situations. They may lack imagination and subtlety although are likely to have basic skills in a recognised trade or craft. 


Psychic hand - A person with the type of hand is expected to be romantic, idealistic and at times too trusting. They may also have little business sense and not learn from mistakes. It is said that someone with this hand should stay away from the harsh realities of the modern world. 


Spatulate hand - Someone with this type of hand is likely to be brimming with energy, adventurous, highly strung and rarely satisfied. This person may be unconventional and eccentric at times as well as being strongly independent and highly inventive. 


Philosophical hand - a person with this type of hand is considered good company and expresses good leadership skills. This type of person thinks and feels emotions deeply and may have a perceptive and mischevious sense of humour.


Mixed hand - This type of hand is a mixture of the features of the other types. A person with a mixed hand is expected to be adaptable, versatile and changeable but is likely to have a strong selfish streak.


Major lines of the hand.

Head line - This line reveals the quality of intelligence along with the control the intelligence exercises over the rest of the body. 

This line on the left hand shows the innate qualities of the mind while the right hand shows the development and exploitation of gifts and conscious. It also shows the personal levels of adaptability and indicates how education and early circumstances influence personality. 

 A wide gap between the head and heart lines indicates a down-to-earth character. 

A head line that starts inside the line of life shows a follower who lacks zeal. 

A head line that starts close to the source of the line of life is believed to be conventional. 

Forking at the end of the head line suggests a division between common sense and the imagination. 

Life Line - this reveals the quality of life, physical well-being, strength of constitution and is also a measure of energy, vitality and endurance. 


The firmer and wider the sweep of the line, the greater vitality and zest for living the person has. 
A chained or furry formation of a life line shows too much dependence on others.
An islanded or chained beginning to the line of life implies a history of childhood ailments and weaknesses. 

Heart line - this is associated with emotions and is also used to assess health problems especially any that relate to the heart. 


The lower the heart line the more the owner analyses their emotions. 
A faint heart line may mean a cold, unemotional nature and a person who is fairly easy-going but with an explosive and unpredictable temper. 
A heart line set low in the palm implies an extremely passionate nature. 
A deeply etched heart line is a sign of poor physical state which could leads to depression.

Fate line - this relates to the feeling of inner satisfaction from the effort to achieve personal gain. The lower down the palm the fate line starts, the earlier these efforts may begin.


When the fate line appears on the left hand only the person is full of dreams and aspirations but has little get-up-and-go to pursue them.
When it appears on the right hand only the person is appreciative of life but will make the effort to improve it anyway. 

Contextual fine art references for Print - Identity

Identity has become a large part of my print project. Through looking at hand prints, my work has developed into studying palmistry and how you can tell what a person is like through the lines on their hands. I have also produced work surrounding the idea of people's unique identity and their fingerprints. 

As mentioned in previous blog posts, I wish to research other fine artists in my project that link in with the ideas evident in my work.

Frida Kahlo is one artist who uses the concept of identity as a vital understanding in her work. Kahlo was born in Mexico and had a Hungarian Father which led to her work being fuelled by the idea of a dual nationality and the idea of there being 'two Frida's.' She not only encircled the idea of cultural identity but also the identity of her body after she was involved in a bus accident at the age of 18 where she sustained a fractured spine, crushed pelvis and a broken foot. 

I really admire the way in which Kahlo uses her artwork to cope with the confusion of a double cultural identity and also to cope with her injuries and recovery after the accident. I quite like artwork where there is a clear narrative or personal aspect to it, helping the viewer look past the visual depiction of this in the artwork and think about the real person within who you can relate to. 

Orlan is another artist who can be linked with a thread of identity in her work. The work of this artist is highly controversial with her under-going plastic surgery whilst awake to constantly shift the way she looks and furthermore her outward identity. 

Orlan's work calls into question ideas about whether what we think about ourselves represents what is seen on the outside and also the pressure of the media and people around us to conform and look a certain way. I interpret this concept to be a representation of the pain and money people will spend to look 'perfect.' I especially think that the way in which Orlan stays awake during the surgery represents the pain people go through in order to achieve a socially acceptable body.

My third artist is one that is slightly different and produces work that is more relevant to the way in which I have been working with my fingerprints. 

This is the work of Nigel Poor who has used fingerprints in his work much like I have done with mine. He launched a project to collect as many fingerprints as possible to put into an archive for his artwork. Whenever he was out in the public he would ask random people at any opportunity to take part to keep on increasing the collection and to also note down their name, gender, age and occupation. The collection reached 5000 and over different print of fingers complete with the participant's details. Poor doesn't just reflect upon the uniqueness of everyone's identities but also the interaction between him and all those people at the time when they contributed to the project. He also addresses the importance of the use of fingerprinting in forensic science.