Each drawing below shows the shapes of each layer which will be used within the sculpture. The pictures start the at the head and work down the body. When using a thicker material such as polyboard, each layer will be placed on top of each other which will build up to produce a 3D sculpture. 
Tag: Decopatch
Sculpture design
Using CAD software, a ‘body’ was created in the same shape that I aim for my sculpture to be. The white boxes represent where each layer will be – resulting in 23 different layers which when put together create the sculpture. Being 23 years old each layer represents ultimately represents each stage of my life, shaping who I am today.
The main part of the sculpture will be focused around the head, as the main focus of the work is about mental health. When producing the final sculpture, I aim for each layer to be able to be removed, each having photos or writing on them which represent myself and my social anxiety.
Group Experimentation
Within my other module – research and context – we were told to bring an object that helped us work in a creative way. I decided to bring the mask that I had used within my previous module, which was used for my self portraiture work.
We worked with other people in the group – fine artists and illustration students- to create a piece of art using the different materials everybody had bought with them. We covered the mask with tissue paper and bark from trees to create a surreal piece of artwork.
I found the process of producing this art work interesting for a number of reasons:
- I find my work is progressing into more fine art photography, and find that working the the fine art students has influenced this. It was great to work with them for a short time, not only seeing how they work, but understanding their thought process a lot more.
- I’m looking into covering different objects with either paper or other materials and found this the perfect oppurtunity to practice. It was intersting to see how different materials stuck and worked with the mask where others didn’t. It was also interesting using bark as a material because it introduced the idea of nature into the work. Within my last projects I combined self portraits with landscape pictures, which was something I had never considered before, and is something I would like to carry on experimenting with.
Practicing Decopatch
The idea of decopatch is something I have wanted to experiment with for a while, and I felt this module was the perfect opportunity to begin to do this. As I have never actually created anything using the method before, I began covering a mask, which was the theme within my last project.
I used paper with two different designs on them, tearing them into smaller pieces and sticking them down, slightly overlapping each one. The paper was surprisingly easy to work with, especially on raised parts. If I continue to use this method, I would want to use photographs instead of patterned paper. It would also need to be easy to work with, not changing the appearance of the image.
Below are the final results from my first time experimenting with decopatch:
Materials
I roughly experimented with different materials, seeing what would work best when covering a surface.
Magazines – Not only was it the easiest material to work with out of the three materials I used, but I wanted to see how using purely writing would look. For this module I want to experiment with the idea of using writing – especially hand writing – with photography. The only issue I found is that the words were at risk of running if mixed with the glue to much.
Material – Although the idea of using material initially appealed to me, I found that it was the worst option. When overlapping the material – which is the main technique used within decopatch – it didn’t give an aesthetically appealing finish. The glue also made the material go slightly see through, again resulting in a messy look.
Paper- Although using patterned paper was most similar to actual despatch paper, it was a lot thicker which made it difficult to use when covering bumps. However, it worked well with the glue, not running at all and sticking to the surface better than the others.
Proposal – Interrogating Practice
After completing the establishing practice module, I am beginning to understand more the type of photographer that I want to be. One of the main reasons for doing a MA course was to find out what sort of photographer I want to be, and I now realise that fine art photography is something that really appeals to me. Overall I was happy with the work I produced for establishing practice and want to stick with the theme of mental health, especially the link to my own issues. However, I want to consider how I present a final piece of work. I feel that instead of just simply handing in prints or a book like I did with the previous module, I want to consider how I can present work in a more creative way.
The idea of installation art and sculptures is something that has always appealed to me. For this module, I aim to create ‘an object’ rather than just prints, which incorporate photography as well as other skills that I intend to develop. Decopatch is something that I have wanted to learn for a while now, and I feel that this is the perfect project to begin this. Decopatch is the process of decorating an object by covering it in coloured paper and textures. Instead of using patterned paper which is what Decopatch normally involves, I want to consider ways of using photographs instead to cover an object.
One of the things that stood out for me in my last project was the anonymity within the work. I unintentionally started the module photographing myself without showing my face. This theme continued and I ended up naming the book ‘Behind the mask’. The idea of using a mask is something I want to include within the new module. Something that I also began experimenting with was the use of text a long with photographs. Although I have always been into writing, I have never used it with my images. This is something that I want to experiment with a lot more within the project, being one of the main aspects of the work.
When producing images, I technically keep the set up simple, using natural light and my surroundings to produce a photograph rather than equipment. This is something that I want to carry on with, however I would like to practice using higher end cameras. At the moment, I use my own Canon 60D but feel with the work I want to produce I would like to experiment using cameras such as Canon 5D or 7D.
Interrogating Practice 