SW4

**Studio Work No.4** **No Identity** **Media:** Plastic Etching **Size:** A4. **Month of completion:** Feb. 2012

** Description **** : ** This is the final piece of my printmaking project, it is basically a series of two prints. The picture i etched came from my previous photographs that i took. The empty plates represent that the person can be whatever identity she wants to be. In this etching i tried to show as many details as i can by using different methods.

** Analysis: **** What were the artistic and/or cultural influences for this project? Who/what influenced either the composition and/or the style. ** Because i'm carrying out the same idea i showed in SW3, the same artist influenced me which was Larken. The only thing i did different was that i did not show any writing in the plate because i wanted to show the idea that the person can choose to be any identity she wants.

** What materials/media/processes did you use and or experiment with, and how? ** For this final piece I used etching on plastic and oilbased ink. I used to different ink colors in order to show some sort of difference between the two. The use of two different colors also makes them stand out. Before starting my final piece, i tested using water and oilbased inks, water based was easier to spread and wipe off while oil based was more difficult to spread out and wipe off. But in the end i used oil based ink because of the variety of bright colors that i wanted to use.

** How do you think you have responded to advice and criticism during this project (and during the term), both from fellow students and the teacher. Did you actively seek advice? If so, was it useful? ** In this project i got great advice from my teacher but because i had very poor time management i could not end up using this advice. First, i was going to use screenprinting method but because i did not have time to do several stencils, i decided to continue with etching even though my teacher advised me that it would be better to do screenprints. Also, after working on my etching plate my teacher advised me to do one etching plate with one person and then make that person hold the 4 different identities i showed in SW3. But because i had poor time management i could not do this and i also ended up etching the names but they did not line up with the actualy print so the final piece would have had lines all over it. So basically, the advice i got was very useful but because i had poor time management i could not use it.

** Clearly explain the weaknesses/areas for improvement ** Unfortunatly, this piece has many weaknesses because of my poor time managment, for example, the tape i used to cover the writing i did accidentally on the etching plate ended up imprinting on the final piece. I should have managed my time more wisely. Also problems i had with doing this process was that i used to much ink on the etching plate so when it was time to wipe it off it took too much time. I should have used the idea of Q-tips to make the subject look more realistic and have some dark and light areas.I also think that the final piece would have had more meaning if i put writing on the plates but this is also due to my time management.

** Clearly explain the strengths of the piece ** I think i could have produced a more successful final piece than this if it wasnt because of my poor time management. But, the piece does have strengths such as the contrast between the two colors of ink i chose and also the presence of thick lines in certain areas such as the face and the rim of the plate.Even though the tape prints show i think they give some sort of texture to the piece and make it more emphasized.

** What could you take through to the next project and develop further? This could be anything, from a technique to an idea, not necessarily just the theme? **  I dont think i will be using the etching method for any of my future pieces, but i might use screenprints because i think it would be a successful method to display my pieces. But, i will still continue to use my photographs and the same theme that i will show in my next piece.