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Wednesday, 6 May 2020

No Phone Selfie

Whilst not having access to my own studio, or the print workshop in the college where I work ...sometimes I feel stuck for inspiration...but there are so many ideas out there.

Printmaking at home, with limited resources can throw up some strange ideas like this

"no phone selfie" 

Technique courtesy of Edinburgh Printmakers website.






I have taken this video tutorial and put my own twist on it, trying to incorporate some vegetation form the allotment and experimenting with a few different drawing tools.

As with all these processes, do be careful, take time to prepare and, make sure you do some small tests first.  This technique should not be done with a permanent pen - or you will end up having a drawing on your mirror!

Put down some newspaper, clear some space, clean up as you go along!






After watching the video tutorial a few times, I tested the technique drawing some leaves and flowers first. Drawing on a mirror is fairly trippy for your eyes, in the video the demonstrator covers one eye with her hand but does not really say why. I found I did have to shut one eye and also kind of glaze my sight as you locate the pen on the outline of the thing you are drawing.

The reflection and your proximity to the reflection does send your eyes crazy, or this is my experience so maybe only do a few and don't give yourselves a headache. But it was a good idea and I will do more drawing on glass and mirrors in the future.

I tired using an ink, fine-liner and dilute block printing ink.
All media should be water based.
White-board marker did not seem to work but maybe try it.

DO Not use PERMANENT PENS OR INKS.

I had the paper very wet for one print, which gave much blurrier wetter looking print.

I dipped my paper in the sink and let it drip, and in the end blotted it on a towl. Dryer paper gave a clearer print.











Now I have pictures of the drawings I could add colour or more detail.

A great introduction to self portraits































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