Alison Carlier

Alison Carlier Overview Alison Carlier is a Dorking, UK, based artist who incorporates audio into her installations and drawing, and remarkably won the Jerwood Drawing Prize in 2014 for a purely audio ‘drawing (BBC, 2014), She is a Fine Art graduate of University of the Creative Arts (UCA). Works Making links to my drawings and … More Alison Carlier

What are textiles?

Definitions A definition of textiles in the broadest sense: A textile is a material made of fibres. Micro-structure: fibres The first pre-requisite of my definition requires that a textile be made of fibres. Fibres is meant to encompass small threads or elongated pieces of any material. This can range from the traditional sources of fibre: … More What are textiles?

Louise Bourgeois

Louise Bourgeois Overview Parisian born Louise Bourgeois’ early career focussed on painting and printmaking, but turned to sculpture in the late 1940’s (MOMA, nd a). Over the following decades, her work was “alternating between forms, materials, and scale, and veering between figuration and abstraction became a basic part of Bourgeois’s vision, even while she continually … More Louise Bourgeois

Right Hand Left Hand

Stage One Drawing with my Dominant Hand (right). 3 and 4 January, 2019 (Click for a larger image) Challenges: The proportion of objects is difficult to get right without some kind of initial measuring marks or sketch (the whisk is not in correct proportion). I also had the problem of objects ‘growing’ closer to the … More Right Hand Left Hand

Observing Qualities

Increase my sensitivity to the qualities, properties, components and construction of the items. Individual Objects I wanted to get my ‘eye-in’ by making a drawing of each object, observing it and gaining familiarity with it individually. Graphite pencil on drawing cartridge. Graphite pencil on drawing cartridge. Detail of shell Sumi ink, brush on watercolour paper … More Observing Qualities

Gathering Materials

Tropical Tourist Select items that represent my chosen theme. Brainstorm A brainstormed list of the visual and tactile properties, materials and objects for this theme: Beach: golden sand, gritty, squeaky, hot sand, smooth shells, seaweed, footprints in the sand Ocean: turquoise, blue, reflective, lapping sound, waves, bubbles, wet sand, silver fish darting, shiny scales, salty, … More Gathering Materials

Final Selection

Cotton wool bud and ink, Masking fluid applied with a cotton wool bud (black ink), Charcoal stick and thumb marks. 4 August, 2018 (Click for a larger image) Acrylic applied with bull-dog clip, Masking fluid applied with cotton-wool ball (black ink), Acrylic with toothbrush. 4 August, 2018 (Click for a larger image) Charcoal, Acrylic with … More Final Selection

Toothpicks and Skewers

(Click for a larger image) Reflection The most exciting possibility offered up by skewers is the ability to apply paint and then work back into it, scraping away paint to expose the white paper beneath. Secondary marks. The toothpicks and skewers have little ability to hold the media, so the marks are necessarily limited. This … More Toothpicks and Skewers

Toothbrush

11 July, 2018 (Click for a larger image) Reflection The amazing variety of marks possible with the humble toothbrush! Soft Soft marks leave dark blobs with a dry brush and neat paint, but once water is added, a faint, sustained line is achieved, akin to a paintbrush mark. Sharp Sharp movements, like ‘ticks’ give marks … More Toothbrush

Charcoal

Making Marks Charcoal 4 July, 2018 (Click for a larger image) Reflection I’ve never drawn with charcoal before. For this exercise, I used charcoal from the fire pit down the back of the yard. It would be interesting to compare this to proper store-bought willow, and charcoal pencils. Although it’s messy, I adore this medium … More Charcoal