Portfolio 3
I have created a series of three screen prints which illustrate a scene from the novel, Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of Your Fist by Sunil Yapa. The print describes the life of an ordinary banana, highlighting the negative aspects of globalization. The print is a single sheet, 14 x 20. It includes mostly typography, with small doodle-like images. It is oriented vertically and read by following the arrows, which run down each column, from one clause to next. The edges of the piece are torn in such a fashion that makes it feel diaristic.
I created this print by drawing the image on acetate with 5 million different kinds of markers. (It was hard to find the right combo of pigment and pen size to accentuate the large amount of text.) Then I went through the screen printing process as normal. I burned the image on to my emulsion-coated screen, exposing it for about 40 seconds. This amount of time seemed to be perfect for the delicate lines I was dealing with. In my First Portfolio I exposed a little bit less than appropriate and had to use screen filler because there were spots all over where the emulsion did not fully develop. In the Second Portfolio I exposed for too long in order to avoid the dots but it ended up ruining some of my fine lines. However, 40 seconds seemed to work well for the kind of line I have been consistently dealing with.
After burning the image, I went forward with the printing process. I consciously decided to do a small edition because I did not like the idea of mass producing a critique on mass production. I ended up with an edition of three prints with an Artist’s Print, as the paper was cut slightly smaller than the rest.
I created the I am a Banana print because it contains an important and strong message that I want to share with the world. I hope this print makes people think about their food and other products in a new way. I want people to learn something from the narrative I am sharing. It is mostly about spreading awareness. I do not think this print is going to stop globalization, but the goal is that it will inspire the people to try to make a difference.
I am most influenced by literature. This narrative comes directly from the novel, Your Heart is a Muscle the Size of Your Fist by Sunil Yapa. The banana narrative came from a short flashback conversation between a character and his mother. It was not a huge part of the plot as a whole, but it stood out to me as one of the best ways to understand globalization because it deals with a day to day occurrence: eating a piece of fruit. The scene is played out in the novel as a game between son and mother. In a way to educate him, the mother helps her son imagine exactly how the banana came to be in her hand, from a humanitarian perspective.
Through this edition, I want people to understand something about globalization and how it affects humanity. The print is intended to illustrate the complexity behind a simple banana, but it is also supposed to induce this kind of awareness amongst other globalized markets; i.e. clothing, technology, etc.
Portfolio 2
LITTLE AND BIG LESSONS TAKEN FROM MY TIME IN NYC
I have made a series of prints, which each fold into a small book. The pages contain doodle-like illustrations depicting lessons I have learned since I moved to New York City last August. The piece is produced using the screen-printing process. The edition is printed using strictly black ink and color is added by hand in the form of metallic gel pen.
To create the book, I took one sheet of large paper and mentally broke it evenly into eighths. Each eighth became a page. The lower and furthermost left-hand eighth of the paper became the back cover and on its right is the front cover. Then pages one and two complete the lower the half of the paper. Pages 3-6 are printed upside down, with three above two, four above one, etc. I printed on one side of the paper. Once printing process was complete, I tore off the excess paper and folded the piece into eighths. Then I unfolded it until it was only folded in half. Starting on the folded edge I tore/cut the paper halfway so that when the paper was completely opened there was a cut beneath the two upper middle eighths and above the two lower middle eighths. Then I folded the paper in a weird way, so that it became a small book.
I wanted to create this piece as an expression of the importance of self-reflection. I hope when viewers interact with my book, they will relate to it and be able articulate lessons they have learned personally. This book is a way to visualize the things I have learned so that I can better implement them into my life. I hope from reading these lessons others will also implement their importance into their own lives.
I am most influenced by the abundance of strong individuals I have encountered in my life. However, child book artists and other illustrators, like KT Smail, have played a large role in my creative process. I feel that my art relates to my contemporaries in that there is an importance given to line. Color is used for minimal accentuation. This is similar to many contemporary illustrators. However, it is different in its subject matter and promotion of self-progression.
Portfolio 1
A BOOK OF EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE: VOLUME ONE
I have made a series of prints, which each fold into a small book. Every page contains an illustrative image of someone I have found to be meaningful in my life. Included with each portrait is the true name of the individual and the character trait that they possess, which I most admire. The piece is produced using the screen-printing process. The edition is printed using strictly black ink and color is added by hand in the form of pen and water color paint.
To create the book, I took one sheet of large paper and mentally broke it evenly into eighths. Each eighth became a page. The lower and furthermost left-hand eighth of the paper became the back cover and on its right is the front cover. Then pages one and two complete the lower the half of the paper. Pages 3-6 are printed upside down, with three above two, four above one, etc. I printed on one side of the paper. Once printing process was complete, I tore off the excess paper and folded the piece into eighths. Then I unfolded it until it was only folded in half. Starting on the folded edge I tore/cut the paper halfway so that when the paper was completely opened there was a cut beneath the two upper middle eighths and above the two lower middle eighths. Then I folded the paper in a weird way, so that it became a small book.
I wanted to create this piece as an expression of the importance of self-progression. I hope when viewers interact with my book, they can be inspired by the traits of these individuals, but furthermore that they can identify the extraordinary people in their own life. I hope that through this piece, the people in my book are deservedly recognized for the positive influence they hold in my life and their general amazing-ness unrelated to me. Through viewing my book, I hope that people understand the importance of self-progression and how that relates to relationships.
I am most influenced by the abundance of strong individuals I have encountered in my life. However, child book artists and other illustrators, like KT Smail, have played a large role in my creative process. I feel that my art relates to my contemporaries in that there is an importance given to line. Color is used for minimal accentuation. This is similar to many contemporary illustrators. However, it is different in its subject matter and promotion of self-progression.
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