Ceramic Totem Pole.

This is what the coils look like before they are swirled into a vessel. 

This is where I started to build up my vessel by knitting the clay together with a soft tool inside and out and then smoothed it over with a kidney. I used the kidney sideways across the vessel instead of down therefore not showing the joins of the coils. 

This is how big the vessel is at the end of the building. 

Before carving into my vessel I did a test piece on a flat peice of clay to understand how to structure the faces of the monkeys. Where to carve in, where to build out and how to get the general structure of the faces right. 

This is where I began moulding the faces. 

This is what all the faces looked like after they had all been finished. I then filed at oxided it. The faces I have carved are of the Three Wise Monkeys which are better known for their 'hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil' slogan. 

This is my final outcome. I used black iron oxide and I find it has really raised the detail on te faces and fur. I love this peice and I am glad I put so much time and effort into to get it finished and I am very happy with the final result. 

Photograms

            This is my first attempt of photograms. I placed my necklace onto photosensitive paper and exposed it to light for two, then four, then six, then eight, then 10 seconds. It didn’t come out as well as I’d hope however it was my first try.

This is my second attempt and here I placed all of my bracelets onto the paper and exposed it the same way I did the first. When developing I put them in the developing chemistry for 3-5 minutes and then stopped the developed for 30 seconds. Then I fixed the print for 5 minutes and then washed for one minute.  I like this one a bit better however still not what I wanted.

This is the third one I attempted and I am much happier with the results because I made the exposure slightly longer.

This is where I attempted to get a print by using my previous print. I put my last print onto the paper so then when it was developed the black would come out white and the white black. However I got the focus wrong so it came out very blurred and not lined up.

            This is another where I tried to print a twenty pound note how ever I wanted it to be slightly blurry so I tried taking it out of the developer chemistry early and I got this result which I like and I am happy with the final print.

            This is my first print that I have nothing I would change with it. All the objects have come out very clear and crisp and I generally just think it’s a nice out come.

            This was my first attempt at blue toning. I created a normal photogram the same way as the others and then I placed it in a blue dye. I wanted it to come out very blue instead of tinted so I evenly covered the print with the dye for about ten minutes and I really like how it has come out. I want to try the copper and sepia tones also to see what results I can get.

We then started taking pictures and developing film. This is a contact sheet I created of my photos. To get this result I when into the pitch black room with a film holder, the roll of film, a film opener, a pair of scissors and the container you put the holders into to stop exposure. I opened the roll of film with the opener and then cut the one side into a triangle to make it easier to guide into the holder. After sliding in the film and twisting it all into the holder I cut off the excess roll. Then I placed the holder into the container and securely closed it so it wouldn’t get exposed. Later I mixed the chemistry and poured the developer into the container and left it for 15 minutes and agitated it every 30 seconds. Then I put the stop in for five minutes with agitating every thirty seconds and the same for the fix. Then when washing it out I used warm water so then the film doesn’t snap because of the temprature change.

            I then took them out of the holder and clipped hooks on one side and weighs on the other so they were not rolled up when I put them in the dryer. I left them in dryer for twenty minutes.  After they are dried I placed them on the light box and cut them into six picture strips and then slide them into a sectioned poly pocket. After this is created this print which is called a contact sheet by putting a piece of photographic paper underneath the sectioned poly pocket and exposed it for several seconds before I developed, stopped, fixing and washed the picture.

This is one of the images I created after making the contact sheet. To get these photos I simply enlarger the film. I started by cutting the film into individual photos and then sliding them into the enlarger upside down, bottom first.  Then before placing the photosensitive paper under the enlarger I turn on the light to project the image on to the table and adjust the size and the focus to make it a sharp image and to make it the size of the paper I was using. Then after everything is ready I turned the light off, put the paper into place and then exposed the image to the paper for approx. 6 seconds. Then I developed, stopped, fixed and washed the paper to get this final image. So far I find this is my best outcome of photography and I find it has come out very sharp and not blurred. I am very happy with this outcome and will definitely use this again in my photography work.