SW4

This is a print of a feather mandala that was used by the Native Americans. it is one of a series of prints (two black and one turquoise) it was done by **plastic etching** and completed in **February 2012** **ANALYSIS** **what were the artistic and/or cultural influences for this project? who/what influenced either the composition and/or the style.** one of the artists that greatly influenced my interest in feathers were Katie McGwire. she produces sculptures made of feathers ad her work emphasizes on the way in which feathers flow into a beautiful motion when placed correctly next to one another in an orderly fashion. her work fascinated me to say the least, as she gave them a purpose, and brought out their beauty, and made feathers far more interesting which lead me to want to understand more about them and how they were used in different cultures etc. i decided to use plastic etching as it allows me to clearly the show the detailed lines in the feathers.

**what materials/ media/ processes did you see and or experiment with, and how?** i used oil based etching paint on a plastic plate in order to carry out the process. i made three prints final prints which consisted of two n black and one in turquoise. due to the fact that etching creates prints with very fine lines it is very difficult to show these lines using a light colour, therefore the black ones were far more successful.

**how do you think you you have responded to advice and criticism during this project (and during the term) both from fellow students and the teacher. did you actively seek advice? if so, was it useful?** my teacher had advised me to practice several prints using each method of printing in order for me to be more comfortable with the decision i make for my final piece. i listened to that advice however i was not able to try each kind of print which limited my knowledge of each one and which one of them would be best for me. At first i wanted to create my final piece with a monoprint as i was most comfortable with it and i liked the result of my trials. however i notcied that it gave me more of a cartoon like image at the end, whcih didnt suitm image of the detailed feather mandala. iw as aware that by etching i would get the detail i wanteded, hoever my etching print was not that successful in my opinion due to a lack of practice and time constraint.

in my opinion, my print was quite weak. again, this was due to a lack of practice in etching and the fact that i rushed it so i was not able to get the lines as accurate and i wanted to, and they werent all equal either. furthermore there were lines that were drawn accidently, yet they clearly appeared in the print and there was not enough time to add other lines and change things in the design for me to solve that problem. another problem i faced was keeping the page completely clear of finger prints ont he sides. the plastic easily gets dirty, and it doesnt show on the actual plastic, however once i printed it all the small details appeared. if i were to do this again, i would spend more time carving the plastic correctly and as accurate as possible.
 * clearly explain the weaknesses. areas for improvement **

he strengths of the piece were that i was able to create a shadow by wiping some areas to create a shadow by wiping some areas of paint more than others. i thought that was quite successful considering that this was my first time etching. furthermore, in some of the feathers i etched the lines correctly and neatly in order the create the shadow i was looking for.
 * clearly explain the strengths of the the piece **

**what could you take through to the next project and develop further? this could be anything, from a technique to an idea, not necessarily just the theme.** i liked the etching technique and i liked how it shows the most detail out of all the other kinds of printing, which is exactly what i am looking for in order to expand my project on feathers, i will certainly continue with etching ir order to create a series of prints of feathers that will all be the same in order to create larger pieces of work using other media including plastic etching as it is he most technique that brings out the small details of feathers that i want to portray in my work.