Block Print
Title: Inverse Humanity
Size: 15 x 23 cm
October 2016
Exhibition Text“Inversed Humanity” is part of the "Humanity" series where I exhibit my thoughts about humanity. “Inversed Humanity” was inspired by "The Scream", due to the message that this painting communicates. “Inversed Humanity” is based on the way humanity is destroying nature everyday, but due to ignorance, they doesn't realize that nature is needed in order to survive, therefore they are seeking salvation.
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The Meaning
The world is full of ignorant people who don't notice the problems around them, this is what I wanted to express in my piece. In Inversed Humanity, there is an emphasis on the dying tree, and on the screaming faces that are holding off the roots of the dying tree. I made the emphasis on the dying tree because I wanted to show how humanity is killing nature, that is why the tree doesn't have any leaves or animals. There is also emphasis on the screaming faces, these faces are screaming at nature for salvation, they are so ignorant that they don't realize why nature is leaving them.
Experimentation
Before attempting to do the block print I had to begin by experimenting with materials, sketches and ideas. First I needed inspiration in order to figure out what I was going to do, I researched and I finally found an inspiration to base my work in. This took some time, but then I was able to start my sketches. After I was done experimenting with my sketches, I had to start experimenting with the materials that I was going to use, so that the final piece could be my best work.
First I tried different ways to put my sketch on the surface. This took me a lot of tries, but at the end, I found out that the best way to put my sketch on the surface was to draw it by hands and as I was experimenting on drawing my sketch I was able to make some changes and do the best sketch in order to be able to carve it later. |
Finally, the last step that I took of experimenting was to put the ink on the surface and then transfer the ink to drawing paper. This was also a hard step of the process because I had never worked with ink before and I wasn't sure how much to roll the ink and at what point I should roll it into the block print. During the experimentation I learned that the paper underneath always had to stay clean, otherwise the extra ink on the sides would show in the drawing paper.
Process
1. Finding ideas and exploring sources
Here I was able to analyze all of the themes that I wanted to portray on this block print, then I narrowed my themes and began to do my research. Here I looked through my notes, books and the internet, I was able to find different art pieces to use as inspiration.
2.Finding inspiration
While I was exploring my sources, I was also exploring the possibilities to choose as my inspiration. The internet was my most helpful sources, here I was able to find my inspiration. I was inspired my The Scream. I chose this as my inspiration because I wanted the faces of the piece to be just like the face screaming in The Scream.
3. Planning by drawing sketches
I believe that drawing at least three sketches in the best planning I can possibly do, this way I can have a variety of ideas and at the end choose the one that fits the theme the most. I wanted to show that the faces screaming were looking for salvation, but at the same time they were destroying their surroundings.
Here I was able to analyze all of the themes that I wanted to portray on this block print, then I narrowed my themes and began to do my research. Here I looked through my notes, books and the internet, I was able to find different art pieces to use as inspiration.
2.Finding inspiration
While I was exploring my sources, I was also exploring the possibilities to choose as my inspiration. The internet was my most helpful sources, here I was able to find my inspiration. I was inspired my The Scream. I chose this as my inspiration because I wanted the faces of the piece to be just like the face screaming in The Scream.
3. Planning by drawing sketches
I believe that drawing at least three sketches in the best planning I can possibly do, this way I can have a variety of ideas and at the end choose the one that fits the theme the most. I wanted to show that the faces screaming were looking for salvation, but at the same time they were destroying their surroundings.
Due to this, I sketched three different sketches. The first sketch was to show that humanity was falling into their own lies and words. Then, the second sketch showed how humanity didn't want to listen to their problems, therefore they just ignored them and as a result they became ghost that nobody was able to see. Finally I chose to go with the third sketch, I felt that this sketch was the only one that shoed the real irony in humanity and how they never solve their problems and end up screaming for help.
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4. Transferring the sketch into the surface
This was one of the hardest steps, because I had never worked with this type of materials, therefore I had many trials and errors. The way that I transferred my sketch on the surface was just by free hanging it while looking at the sketch. This ended up turning into a great technique because while I was doing the sketch in the surface, I was able to plan and shade in what I was going to carve.
This was one of the hardest steps, because I had never worked with this type of materials, therefore I had many trials and errors. The way that I transferred my sketch on the surface was just by free hanging it while looking at the sketch. This ended up turning into a great technique because while I was doing the sketch in the surface, I was able to plan and shade in what I was going to carve.
5. Start carving
This was also one of the hardest steps in the process, since I had never carved nor used this materials. I started by carving the trunk of the tree and making my way up to the branches. Then I carved the roots of the three and when I as done with the roots, I started to carve the faces. At this point I was done carving the emphasis of the piece, then I realized that there needed to be emphasis on the trunk of the tree because I didn't carve around it, so if I left it like that, the final transfer of the ink would look all the same color. My final decision was to carve around the horizon, so that it would look as if there were other dead trees around. |
6. Transferring the ink
First I had to gather all of the materials. The sheets of paper, the ink, the paper to protect the surface of the table, the transferring circle, the rolling tool, the scooping knife and the sheet to put the ink. First I placed the paper to protect the table, on top of that I placed my carved surface and the sheet with the knife and the rolling tool. With the knife I scooped ink and putted it on the sheet, I rolled the ink out with the rolling tool and when it was rolled enough I started to roll the ink on the carved surface. While I was doing this I would go back and forward from the sheet of ink to the carved surface in order to get the best result, also I would roll the ink all of the directions possible so that the ink could get into all of the surface evenly. Once the ink was evenly spread, I placed the drawing paper on top the carved surface and then another sheet of paper to protect the surface on the top of the drawing paper. Then I look the transferring circle and started to push the ink down on a circle motion, so that the ink could be transferred evenly. After a few seconds I lifted the paper up and I was done with the transferred and as a result I got the best result of the block print. Then I placed the drawing paper on a drying rack. After using all of the supplies I had to clean every supply and my working station.
First I had to gather all of the materials. The sheets of paper, the ink, the paper to protect the surface of the table, the transferring circle, the rolling tool, the scooping knife and the sheet to put the ink. First I placed the paper to protect the table, on top of that I placed my carved surface and the sheet with the knife and the rolling tool. With the knife I scooped ink and putted it on the sheet, I rolled the ink out with the rolling tool and when it was rolled enough I started to roll the ink on the carved surface. While I was doing this I would go back and forward from the sheet of ink to the carved surface in order to get the best result, also I would roll the ink all of the directions possible so that the ink could get into all of the surface evenly. Once the ink was evenly spread, I placed the drawing paper on top the carved surface and then another sheet of paper to protect the surface on the top of the drawing paper. Then I look the transferring circle and started to push the ink down on a circle motion, so that the ink could be transferred evenly. After a few seconds I lifted the paper up and I was done with the transferred and as a result I got the best result of the block print. Then I placed the drawing paper on a drying rack. After using all of the supplies I had to clean every supply and my working station.
Artist Inspiration
During the process of exploring my sources I came across this amazing painting called The Scream. I was really impressed by this piece because the emphasis was the screaming figure and that is just what I wanted to do with my block print. Edvard Munch created this piece in 1893–1893, and it was a abstract art. This abstract art was the same style that I wanted to portray on my block print. |
Reflection
Inverse Humanity was a success because with all of my hard work I was able to create a piece that really represented how humanity is on this century. The meaning of the piece is clearly visible because throughout the process I was able to create and make each step as perfect as I could, therefore this piece was truly a success. The things that I would change if I were to do the block print again would be to carve less because some of the places of the block print I carved way more than what I should of carved, therefore when I spread the ink, the textured of some parts did not show up at all on the final product. Overall I am pleased with my block print because I came really close with my artist inspiration on the way that the faces are and that was my main goal for this art work. I was able to get my point across about how humanity keeps harming natures. but needs nature in order to survive and show my theme in the final product and I believe that this is why people do art, to let their voices be heard and spread the word.
ACT Questions
1. Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork.
Inversed Humanity was inspired by The Scream, which was created by Edvard Munch. This painting represent a soul in sorrow and being desperate and that in why the human figure is screaming with such a large amount of pain. That was the feeling that I wanted the faces of my block print to have, that is why I chose The Scream as my inspiration.
2. What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author of my research talks about The Scream in a way that all of the colors, the technique and the theme of the painting makes it look sad and suffocation. The author describes every aspect of the painting a horror of sadness.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Throughout my research I found that there are a lot of people that are materialistic and selfish, They don't look at their surrounding and don't care about the environment, This was a really sad discovery because nature is our house and we should care for it. Another thing that I learned was that there is more meanings to The Scream that I thought, but they all revolve around the same theme of sorrow.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The theme that I focused on was emotions and nature. I researched mostly in emotions because I wanted the faces of the block print to look extremely desperate, therefore I researched a lot of emotions in humans, such as anger, hopelessness, and despair.
5) What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
The inferences that I made while doing my research were that there are many artist, just like Munch, artist exhibit messages through art and some artist do this because they haven't found themselves and though art they are able to find themselves.
Inversed Humanity was inspired by The Scream, which was created by Edvard Munch. This painting represent a soul in sorrow and being desperate and that in why the human figure is screaming with such a large amount of pain. That was the feeling that I wanted the faces of my block print to have, that is why I chose The Scream as my inspiration.
2. What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author of my research talks about The Scream in a way that all of the colors, the technique and the theme of the painting makes it look sad and suffocation. The author describes every aspect of the painting a horror of sadness.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Throughout my research I found that there are a lot of people that are materialistic and selfish, They don't look at their surrounding and don't care about the environment, This was a really sad discovery because nature is our house and we should care for it. Another thing that I learned was that there is more meanings to The Scream that I thought, but they all revolve around the same theme of sorrow.
4. What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The theme that I focused on was emotions and nature. I researched mostly in emotions because I wanted the faces of the block print to look extremely desperate, therefore I researched a lot of emotions in humans, such as anger, hopelessness, and despair.
5) What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
The inferences that I made while doing my research were that there are many artist, just like Munch, artist exhibit messages through art and some artist do this because they haven't found themselves and though art they are able to find themselves.