Initial Steps:
The categories I rolled. New media: Vinyl, laser, cnc; Traditional media: Found materials; Theme: Identity
When I initially saw these categories, I was immediately intimidated by the vinyl, laser, and cnc because of the challenges that I faced while completing the creative assignment for laser cutting. But, I found that it was better that I had another try at it since I could use the vinyl cutter or cnc as well. I also found that because of my challenges, I knew what issues to look out for and think more creatively moving forward in the final project. When I saw I was working with found materials, I was not immediately sure what kind of materials it was. But, I decided that it would be any material or object that I did not make myself. For the theme, identity, I was excited to incorporate into my final project because of the vast possibilities in the subject. Identity development is also a topic that I learned about in artistic development with Judy Burton, and in my class this year, developmental psychology of adolescence. With this in mind, I came up with two initial ideas:
Idea 1: Identity stickers- I would design stickers that labeled or had different aspects of identity written on them for people (myself) to use to stick on found materials that they felt incorporated or contributed to who they are. In this way, I would be utilizing the vinyl cutter, graphic design (Adobe Illustrator), the theme of identity, and found materials as the objects one would put a sticker on. I envisioned that this project would have people putting stickers on anything, from their phone, their sketchbook, or even their bed. The found materials would be anything that they use/have day-to-day that make up their identity. I would also have to think of how I would present my project. If I were to pursue this idea, it would have to be between videotaping people using the stickers, or pictures of the stickers on found materials. The art would be in the act of using the stickers or the product of the found material with the sticker on it.
Idea 2: Chinese paper cutting on glass- This idea is more focused in the theme of identity and how it could be more personal to me. I was adopted from China and growing up, my mother tried to expose and immerse me in my culture as much as possible so that I had the option and opportunity to get to know where I came from. With this in mind and trying to come up with ideas of how to use my new media, I thought of paper cutting. I have a strong background in using Adobe Illustrator, so I thought that outlining and designing a Chinese paper cut to be cut by the laser or vinyl cutter would be a good idea. I also remembered that there is a glass circle shaped table top at my mother's house that I could use for my found material. The circle shape of the glass made me think of the Renaissance art and how only circle shaped paintings would be put into the female bedroom or study. This gave me the idea that I could use the circle shape and traditional Chinese cut design to represent myself.
Moving forward with these ideas in mind, I would have to consider the realistic and not realistic aspects of the projects. I will have to consider my materials, presentation, and time that I would have to put into these projects. My gut says that I will go with my second idea since it is more personal to me.
Process:
While considering the initial steps I took to understanding my dice roll, I decided to approach it differently than what I had previously blogged about. I decided to use an object for my canvas that I had found in my mother's home while I was visiting for Thanksgiving, a matted picture collage frame with a glass front on it. Since I found it in the home where I grew up, I thought using it as a found object along with the theme of identity worked well together.
This is the matted picture collage frame I found in the house I grew up in.
After realizing that I wanted to use this as my found object, I thought about the ideas I had already come up with to fulfill the rest of the final dice requirements. I really liked the shapes and unique composition that Chinese paper cutting art had, so I decided to stick with that as a starting point. I examined different kinds of paper cutting, from traditional to modern. I found that a lot of them are focused in the negative space that it creates. At first, I wanted the design to be in a circular composition. So, in my sketchbook, I printed different designs, pieced them together, and practiced free drawing the designs so that I could then draw them in Illustrator.
This is a picture of my sketches and planned alterations to the Chinese paper cutting design.
After reviewing my options for my circular composition, I found that it did not seem like it was the best fit for the glass object I was going to work with. Instead, on Illustrator, I was able to play around with the composition easily since it was easy to move objects once they were drawn on the art board. Once I outlined the face profile and eye, it looked like the eye shape was filled in too much and it would be a large space that was taken up by nothing interesting to look at. To resolve this, I changed it to a closed eye with emphasis on the eyelashes. In the original design, there was no indication of the neck/back of her head area, so I decided that I would extend it with a floral design commonly found in Chinese paper cutting art. I thought that it would be clever to merge traditional symbols found in Chinese paper cutting art with my modern composition. I also like how the content/theme of my final will also go along well with the traditional and new media dice results.
This screenshot is of my Illustrator file, and how I decided to organize the shapes.
Once I had my file ready, I looked into what the process was going to be like to engrave the glass. I found the manual for the laser cutter in the Thingspace and searched for instructions when using glass.
The parameters for using the laser cutter to engrave on glass is as follows (you must work quickly/have all materials ready so that it doesn't dry out, it is also recommended that you should use a flat piece of glass rather than curved but it is possible):
Coat the top of the glass with dish soap so that there is a healthy layer on it
Soak a paper towel or newspaper in water then wring it out so that it is just damp
The size of the paper towel or newspaper should be a bit bigger than the space that you are engraving
Put the paper towel or newspaper on top of glass on the dish soap layer side
Make sure that all of the air bubbles are pushed out of the surface of the glass
The glass is ready to be put into the laser cutter, and from there you would follow the standard steps of using the laser cutter
Make sure that it is flushed to the rulers on the bed of the laser
The speed: 45%; the power: 100%
When the engraving is done, you can brush off the newspaper or paper towel
It is helpful to wash the glass lightly with soap
Below is a video of the laser engraving on glass and pictures of the process:
After working with the laser, I found that there are some things that the manual did not prepare me for. While laser cutting, it is normal to see a flame when working with glass. But, it is not normal to see the newspaper or paper towel curl up off of the surface, in which case, you should stop/pause your laser and reapply dish soap and push down the newspaper/towel back onto the glass. You should also be careful about shifting the glass inside of the bed of the laser (if you have to reapply dish soap).
Due to a series of unfortunate events, the glass shattered:
I decided to do the process over again since I was confident that I knew the process better. So, just as I did before, I coated my glass in dish soap (a lot more than I did before) and put a soaked piece of newspaper over it (the newspaper I used was a bit thicker than the normal newspaper, since the second piece of glass seemed more fragile/easily scratched). I also tried to lessen the power of the laser. The parameters I originally used was 45% speed and 100% power. So this time, I used 45% speed and 85% power to start. I found that the power wasn't enough, so I changed it to 90%, which seemed to be enough. Fortunately, starting the laser over again did not make the beginning part of the engraving look vastly different than the rest of it.
Once the engraving was done, I found that the newspaper was not completely burnt off like the first time I tried it. But, it was not a problem since all I had to do was wash the glass, and the burnt pieces came off to reveal a clean engraving.
Next, I thought about what I could put inside of my frame. I figured that I could find more found objects that go along with the theme of identity, but every idea I had did not fit into my frame since the glass pressed down on the surface. I figured I would put a twist on it and put in photos that represented my "found memories" that together, made up aspects of my identity. Using my printer at my apartment, I printed on glossy paper instead of going to CVS to create my photos. This way, the process still felt like I had creative control over it. It was also a good way to introduce myself to a new tool I could use in future work.
Reflection:
Looking back at my process of making, I found that working in my sketchbook effected the final product in ways that technology would not have been able to. I was glad that my sketchbook slowed down the making of the design and forced me to consider the possibilities of how the image would look, and how to recreate it in Illustrator. Moving from my sketchbook to technology, was slightly worrisome. I was not sure how I would create a single object by using the pen tool with negative space in between it. It was not until I did some trial and error that I discovered how to create a compound path.
These are the steps I took to create the Illustrator file to etch onto the glass with a closed object.
The rest of the making went smoothly on the computer, but took longer than I expected. The process of figuring out how to laser engrave on glass was a challenge, but one that I am happy I explored. Regardless of my engraving process worked smoothly the first time, I am thankful that I found working on a lower power still resulted with the same ghostly/smokey looking effect. Knowing that I can recreate it twice tells me that I truly know what I am doing.
I believe that I could take this project even further. For me, my final project's value was found in the new process I found when engraving into glass with an image. With my experience in Adobe Illustrator, I think that I could apply the process to a more complex project. When I attended the NAEA event for Artist Statements, peers gave me the idea of using the glass to layer on top of each other to paint portraits. But, after learning this process I think that I could do it differently. I could even experiment with different depths and going over the surface with something that could change the color.
Overall, the process of making the project was a learning lesson that I will not forget. I find that working in traditional/fine art is not and should not be forgotten in classrooms. It should be valued as a tool, building block, and focal point of art. Technology should not be the only material/medium that should be considered when approaching a project. The two should work in tandem to compensate and inform processes and ideas. I will definitely keep this in mind when moving forward in my own art, and when my future students work on projects.