Guitar pic experimentation

From my design idea and moodboard i decided to experiment in the ceramics work shop and make some guitar picks to show how i was linking in different media and trying out different techniques. First i traced around the size i wanted for the pick and then used this to draw onto the copper which i had cut out in 3D with machinary. 

Then once i had cut out the shapes i would sand down the edges to smooth them down and make the shape of the pick smoother too.

Once these were all cut out i drew on them with the pen i used in my earlier experimentation to draw on lyrics which i had gathered from people in my primary research from family members and friends.

Then using the heat gun i heated the picks but accidentally i heated some of them too much and stained them, this actually turned out to be a great mistake as it gave the picks a great finish, a sort of burnt red and black finish along with the copper when sanded down.

Ceramics work / experimentation

Here are images from my time in the ceramics workshop. Here i have used a special pen and special ink that is used to write or draw onto metal such as the copper i was using, this is then heated with a blow torch to heat the metal so that the acid bath which the metal soaks in reacts with the chemicals and metal to eat away at the area around the writting so that when i took the copper out of the acid and rinsed it off it shows the lettering is raised from the copper sheet. This is then sanded down and then run over with black polish to reveal the out come in the image shown at the bottom.

This is from using the paint brush and ink using the same process as the pen but it has not worked as the writting has not stayed so the sheet has just dissolved in the acid. In future i shall just use the pen to make sure i get the best results possible as well as to make my art as higher quality as possible.

Design ideas

This idea was to create a guitar body with 2 layers of MDF, 1 for the main body and the other layer on top where the lyrics are sat. The lyrics would be engraved by hand carving tools along side the aspects of art on the guitar and then it would be painted and glossed, then the 2 layers would be put together and hung up to be displayed at my final show.

This was an extension on my guitar body idea where the body would be made of MDF and the 2nd layer on top would be in copper and the lyrics would be written in and then processed to make them look as if they had been embossed on the copper in different fonts and sized lettering giving me more freedom in the style of writting i would use, instead of using the hand carving tools. The body would be painted like my first idea but it would then be sanded down making it look aged and worn like it had stood the test of time so to speak.

This idea would be to to create a large plectrum or guitar pick as shown in the image with engraved lyrics onto it, then make smaller picks with different materials such as copper and plastic and writting on the lyrics people had given me in my primary research to show how i would link in my research with my final pieces.

This idea would be to use an old crate which i would gather from my dads work or where i could find them to take apart and use the lats to create a portrait with acrylic paint. The lats would be sanded down to make them easier to paint on, then once paited on i can then re-arange them to make the piece look creative and one of a kind.

This idea is to cut out the letters of the initials of my favourite band shown in the image above then i would cut out another shape to put behind which i would then engrave lyrics into and then paint the background one colour and then create a patern on the lettering to make it stand out after i sant the pieces down.

This piece started out as an idea of cutting out the spaces where the colour would be in one slab of MDF and then behind this layer another layer of MDF painted in a colour with the lyrics etched in to it with it hung at the final end of year show. Then my idea expanded into where it would be a screen print where i could use the cut out shoen in the image above to then make a print screen which i could then use to print my design out onto t-shirts and other fabric. The pice would be of me in the green and then 3 of my class mates on the course in different colours. The piece is inspired by a pop art piece i found of the Beatles which shows only distict features in black or colour making them stand out so you could tell who is who. The spaces where the colour would be shown would also have lyrics inside chosen by my class mates showing their likes and personality through the chosen lyrics. 

Guitar art mood boards

Here are my moodboards based on guitars and picks. Over these moodboards i have used a range of media such as fine liners which i used to draw up these guitar base designs. These designs i liked as they were simple but intriguing and full of different scenes, every time you look at the designs you see something new or a different part in the design. 

In the guitar pick and the acoustic based moodboard i used media including; pencil which i used to draw out the outlines of the imageryand then i used fine liners and water colour paints to add in tone and colour as well as definition to the sheet. 

Over these moodboards i could have used a wider range of media such as collage, acrylic paint or shading pencils. If i were to do this again i would add in more media and maybe some more definition. 

Peter Strain - artist research

Peter Strain is an illustraitor from Belfast, his work is mainly with typography and films. I have researched his work as i am interested in creating a portrait with typography or writting in different fonts and sizes for a final piece idea. Some of his work is computer based but it is all drawn and designed by hand first before being edited and enhanced in computer desing programs such as Photoshop and Illustraitor. 

For my critical studies i have used shading pencils for the rocky balboa piece, first using a 2H for a pale  outline, then using 2B i started to bring out the features and add in some shading to bring the piece to life, then to add in the final touches i used a 6B pencil to draw in the finishing features along with the writting and adding in the hair. In my second study i used a white charcoal pencil to draw in the face and each individual hair line then last drawing in the quote. In these pieces i would say they are to a high standard but i would say that i could have added more to the sheet or made the studies larger. 

Mike Shinoda - artist research

Another artist i looked at was the famous member of the band Linkin Park known as Mike Shinoda. The famous band member is also an artist in his spare time and has worked with shoe designers DC and has held many exhibitions for his work influenced by his love for anime and his japanese heritage. 

Mike Shinoda uses a range of media, from acrylic paint and pencils to screen printing and computer aided design programs. I have chosen to research into his art as his band Linkin Park are one of my favourite bands and his art work has been transfered to some of his own guitars which links in with my plan to design the art work for a guitar body. 

In my critical studies i have used only coloured pencil as this in my opinion was the best media for my studies as from what i could gather this is what Mike Shinoda had used in his work, i also used this to show my wide use of media over my project and my skills in blending and the quality of my work when using coloured pencils. In my opinion my critical studies are to a good standard but not to the absolute best that they could be, and if i were to do this again i would spend more time on the sheet. 

Here is a link to Mike shinoda's blog: 

http://mikeshinoda.com/category/shinoda-art-photos/ 

Here is a link to a video on his work : 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHnZ9HB0tKE  

Here are my critical studies 

Dan mumford - critical study

Here are my critical studies of the work by illustraitor Dan Mumford, here the pieces I have chosen to recreate are from album covers or musically influenced by bands from my favourite type of genre rock.

In the background i have used a tea bag to stain the sheet, this technique i found when working on my sketchbook for my freedom project last year, this technique i thought really suited the peices i chose to recreate as it's an old but rugged look which I like and find works better with my style of work to any other background. The media i then used to recreate the work by Dan Mumford was shading pencils. I used a 2H to draw a faint outline then went back over them in a 2B to make therm stand out. Then using water colour paints i shaded in the imagery, once finished i thought it wasn't to the highest standard it could be so I then used water coloured pencils, going back over the areas i had missed and adding more detail to my critical studies with darker and lighter shades of the base colours i had used in water colour paints. To then finish off the sheet i then took my 2B shading pencil and went back over some of the areas to redefine or make them stand out more than what they already did.