Just another WordPress.com site

So last night I had found a blog for the photographer Mark Velasquez and his work ‘Secret Thoughts’  http://inspiredbyproxy.blogspot.com/2009/03/mark-velasquez-project-secret-thoughts.html

The photos have got me thinking about lighting etc to create the shadows to emphasise the contours of the body. At the moment, I am thinking of using my kitchen (with taut black or white sheet as a backdrop) as I have 2 adjustable halogen spot lights which would hopefully enable me to control the light and shadows over the body. Looking closely at his photographs, I noticed that a few of the lines of text slope slightly, I think this is beacause of the model changing position (even slightly) can completely change the surface and therefore the letterforms. It is starting to dawn on me that words on skin is going to be a bit more difficult than anticipated however, don’t panic! Practice makes perfect. And that’s the point of me doing lots of experiments for trial and error to create the best possible outcome.

I started my first few experiments when I got home. At the moment just my hand and arm as there is no one here to practice on.

This ‘stamped hand’ experiment is with very small rubber stamps and ink stamp pad. I really like the ransom feel, mixed letterforms anyway and have tried them before on skin with facepaint. “These” & “Stamps” are with the ink pad and the rest with black facepaint. Using the facepaint added a certain amount of control as I can decide how thick to have it. The ink pad words are much lighter, if I pressed down harder then it created small rings around the letter. However, I think that it should be taken into account that I have gone across my fingers which are probably one of the harder areas to do as they are bony and uneven. I think I will try with these again. I hope that they may come in handy for any very small areas which requires very small lettering (and a very steady hand.)

The next is an experiment of using skin to transfer words onto other skin, in this case from my lips to my hand. I’ve used facepaint as well as lipstick. It worked fairly well however, I did find it difficult to neatly write on my lips although I am not sure whether it was largely to do with me doing it on myself in the mirror or whether it’s because lips are so soft and move as you apply pressure. I did try with the stamps as well as my hand but unfortunately, when transferred the letters are the worng way around. This is definately something I am going to attempt again but next time on another person to see if there is a significant enough improvment.

Derwent Inktense pencils-water soluble ink pencils may become my new best friend. They were really easy to apply and I found easier to control as I am more used to pencils than paintbrushes. I do have to be a bit careful though, as you can see that I had too much water on it on the ‘H’ and has bled onto the skin.

These next photographs are using ink and one size paintbrush. I experimented a little with different typography but mainy concentrated on trying different compositions on the arm, trying to work with the shape. At some points it was difficult to get a straight line as I had my arm twisted in a certain way-again, need to try this out on someone other tha myself. I’ve also had a go at shading (dry brush and watering down). The large ‘B’ on the left was created by pulling the ink with a corner of some kitchen roll. The words ‘paint’ were done with the opposite end of the paintbrush.

This crackle effect is after I had run cold water over my arm (the ink had fully dried previous) and then I rubbed my hand over it. Looks really effective on the large, bold letters.

So this morning in a dull, clouded light, I have started to make a dent in my sketchbook by scribbling down my ideas and thinking up new ones in the process. I realise that I am going to have to do lots of little experiments testing out experimental typography on bodies etc. For example, I would like to try writing a word under the eye in something like wax or maybe vaseline and then have black eye makeup running down the face and revealing the word. Also, I would like to try printing from one persons skin to another. Really, I think I should try these little experiments now so that I’m fully prepared when it comes to making a storyboard knowing what is definately going to work and look most effective.

Aching eyes.

Hello, this blogspot is dedicated to my MAJOR PROJECT for my last year of uni doing Visual Communication. I have got an idea in my head…but bear with me, I need a night of getting down what’s in my head on paper then I will be able to articulate it into words for you! 🙂 thanks

1st time blogger, me.