Final Developmental Work

Here is my developmental work for my final piece. I have decided to use my grouted frame as a way of exhibiting my work.

Creating the buttons for my final piece.


cut the shapes of the buttons out.

Create the holes to make them look like buttons using a scalpel. 

    

With the picture frame...

Had a problem as its bank holiday most of the shops were closed! The only paper I could get, was A2 which didn't quite fit so am going to have a go at collaging around the edge as well.

I quite like this on its own so I am debating whether to leave it as it is and think of a different way of displaying it!

This is it with the frame as test pieces but I need to decide how to display it. 

I really like my work in the frame which I have grouted but I am not sure my tutors will! It is very busy and full of colour which I feel really reflects how I have felt the past few weeks with this project! Crazy, but colourful! 

Negative Space

I have created this page to look at the negative space of the buttons, I find it interesting to look at what has been cut out and left behind. I especially like the little circles from my collaged tissue paper buttons as you dont know which bit you are going to get.

Looking at textures.

Looking at different papers, and comparing how they look scrunched up and layered rather than flat and smooth. I prefer the really textured and crumpled tissue paper at it is interesting to look at and not just one plain colour, you can see shadows and light areas.

And also looking at layering different types of papers, cards and materials on top of each other.

Starting to use magazine and newspapers to layer up and create buttons.. 

I love the mixture of magazine, newspaper and tissue paper in this one, I think it makes buttons interesting and I find this very visually inspiring. While experimenting with these I have been thinking about my buttons to create for my final piece. I would like to make a mixture of layered textures cut into button shapes as I have been doing here. 

 

 Using streamers and photographs.. experimenting with lots of different textures, layered and shiny.

   

Experimenting with tissue paper.

Layering from dark to light.

looking at blocks and strips and smooth and crumpled.

Grouting Buttons to a Frame

I have had a go at grouting buttons onto a frame.

I have a large red frame, took the backing off the frame to protect it. I then sanded down the red paint to hope that the grout will stick better.

Using my palette knife I put a thick layer of grout onto the frame...

I then pushed all different sized and coloured buttons into the grout and left to dry. 

I am waiting for the grout to fully dry at the moment but I hope the grout sticks to the frames surface okay, if it does not I will have to think of a glue or lacquer which could cover this.

My Proposal

My Button Collection

I intend to create visually interesting buttons using collage, including tissue paper fabrics, photographs etc. Easily put together using my scanner and lots of materials. I haven’t decided on how to display these pieces of work yet but I may use my collection of buttons to mosaic frames for them, but not using glass as I would want people to be able to touch my work as it will have texture to it.  The buttons will be enlarged to about A4 and I intend to create a fair few of them as they will all be individual and different but also work together to look good.

I have decided to do this as I love collage and want to experiment more with this. I have chosen buttons as they are a simple collection but I have found so much you can do with them from work on mass to create images from them to making work about them and how you can make interesting textured layers and easily cut it into the shape of the button, it has been perfect for the experiments I have been wanting to do. I started off the project with my collection of pictures frames so I think it would be nice to bring that back in the end and be a perfect way of displaying my work.

I hope to achieve work which will make people want to stop and look and touch it. I want it to be pleasing to the eye but also to make people stop and think about the way it has been created. I love this style of work and children’s illustrations so my work is usually aimed at children, this one is too but I would like a wide range of ages to enjoy my work.

I will need to collect more buttons for a start, to play with and if I wish to use them to mosaic frames. I will also have to experiment with the materials I have for this project which I am doing now. I will create many mixed media versions of the buttons as experimentation work and then create more based on the ones I like or choose the ones I like for my final pieces. I will then use the frames to display my work and see if they work together. If they don’t I will have to find another way. 

Using Grout

I have had a go at grouting button onto the back of tiles.
I was inspired to do this by our trip to Barcelona and seeing Gaudi's work in Park Guell...

And also my artistic research - http://www.flickr.com/photos/52485363@N08/

Rough Grout:

 Smooth Grout:

I really like the way these experiments have turned out and I would like to somehow use this for my final piece.

I think grouting my original idea of picture frames, this will also display my collection along side what I will be framing.