For the final project, I was really nervous but also really excited to get started on something that I could use in my own life and in my future classroom. I first wrote down a list of ideas such as another scratch game, an Arduino project, or something completely different. One assignment that really got me inspired was response post six. This was because I got to look through all of the different meaningful making projects. In chapter 24, they had students create cyanotypes that would be used to create architectural blueprints. The only other time that I had used cyanotypes was with pre-prepared paper at the George Eastman House in Rochester. We had only used flimsy little pieces of the paper and put them in a UV lit box. We never actually went through an in-depth process of making. This got me thinking that I wanted to really work with cyanotypes in order to learn more about its printmaking and photography possibilities. Personally I am a very hands on learner so I wanted to create a project that would implement a hands-on part and a digital aspect. As my idea continues to flow I learned that we could use the digital fabrication lab to create wooden laser cuts. I had never created any type of digitally fabricated images and Adobe Illustrator always scared me. I thought, “that’s only for technologically gifted people.” But, in order to feel like I was getting something out of this project and was learning something new this was the way I decided I wanted to go. I would create laser cut wood that I would place on top of cyanotype paper and then create a four sided lantern. The reason behind the lantern is because I had never seen anyone do that before and I thought that it would be a really nice project that students could bring home and actually find use out of. My goal was also to have the students create woodcut designs about an influential figure in their life and find a way to make that symbolic imagery that represents that figure.
My first step was to do a lot of research. I first watched several videos on youtube about how to create cyanotypes as well as many articles on tips and tricks. At first I thought that I would buy pre-prepared paper, that I would go through the soaking process with but when it came in the mail and I tested it out, it wasn’t giving me the effect that I wanted. Then I had to go back and purchase the cyanotype sensitizer to make the paper myself. I purchased the Jacquard Cyanotype Sensitizer Set and it only cost about $13, in case anyone wants to try it out. I then also purchased hydrogen peroxide after doing research on how to develop my images, and I learned that it helps bring out the blue more. Then I bought rounded wooden sticks in order to connect the side of the paper to form the lantern. The cool thing with the sensitizer is that you can apply it to anything including fabric, paper, clothes or anything you want to try to experiment with. I stuck with normal mixed media paper in order to make sure that the paper was not too flimsy. In order to make cyanotype paper you need to mix water into bottles A and B 24 hours before using them. Once you have waited the permitted time you can go into a super dark room with very very minimal light sources. You then mix parts A and B together in a small container and take a foam brush and apply it to the paper. I let my paper dry for about an hour just to make sure that they were completely dry. Prior to making the paper I had created a folder using black paper that would hold the cyanotype paper and seal off any light source so that I could use them in the future, when the sun was shining.
*Here is an image of the paper drying. I had to quickly take a photo with flash but there was no light in this room except for a small dim light in the corner.
While I was learning about the process of cyanotype I had also been experimenting with adobe illustrator. I had only used photoshop in the past so this was all new to me. This part of the project really scared me but I took the time to watch the linked-in learning videos and I felt prepared to begin. I had also read through the digital fabrications labs several times just to make sure it would translate correctly. I started drawing out the design and had one layer that would be cut first because they would be fully cut out shapes within the printed shapes. Then I made a second layer that held the entire shape that would be cut out. This way the laser machine would understand what order I wanted the design cut in. After that I transferred my design to .001 and then made sure that all of the lines were the correct color for the machine to read. When that was complete I converted the design into the compatible format and sent it to the lab. The next day I made my first woodcut print! Seeing the design I made in a real life holdable object was a really nice feeling. I then proceeded to create several other symbols that each were based off of someone in my life, and printed those throughout the weeks.
*Here is an image of the adobe illustrator before the wood was cut.
When I had both my woodcuts and my paper made I waited for a sunny day and first began by filling my bathtub with water and pouring in a little hydrogen peroxide. I went outside with my sealed up cyanotype paper in the black folder I made and brought out the woodcuts. I placed the wooden objects in a design that I liked on the ground and then quickly took out a piece of paper from the folder and then quickly transferred the wood onto the paper. I then let the paper sit outside in the sun for about 20 minutes. I then repeated this several times with other papers and when the 20 minutes was up I brought them inside. I placed each print into the bath and swirled them around in the water and watched the paper magically turn into this rich blue color. After swirling the paper in the water for about a minute I took it out and let it dry.
*Here are images of the cyanotypes in the sun.
*Images to the left is the cyanotypes after the sun but before soaking. Image in the middle is in the process of soaking and the images to the right it the paper drying.
The next week I made several more prints with my woodcuts and unfortunately it was a very windy day so some of the papers blew away and I had to take them inside so they didn’t receive as long of an exposure time, which made them a lighter shade of blue. It still worked and I rinsed them off in the tub and dried the images.
When the images were dry the paper curled up in odd ways and I wanted them to be flattened so I took a heavy book and laid that on top of the paper for several hours. Then I took the paper and wood glue and placed a thin layer onto the side of the back of the paper on each side and then placed the wooden dowel on the back of the paper. I then connected the paper so that there were four sides and four dowels creating a rectangular shape. Then I took a light and placed it underneath the lantern and it was done!
Lantern before iterating.
During the class critique on the 6th I presented one lantern, which was the only one that I had finished at the time. When presenting I lit up the lantern and I had laid out all of the woodcuts that I had made on the table. One thing that I felt bad about was not using the wooden pieces at all after making the cyanotype prints. Professor Kantrowitz suggested that I place the woodcuts inside of the lantern to create an added element. I really liked that idea so later that week when I was making the rest of my lanterns I added some of the wooden symbols to the inside of the lanterns to add more shadows and I loved how it turned out.
When looking at my symbolic imagery I really wanted to create images that have a lot of significance to me. I wanted to focus on the women that have influenced me in my life. My grandma is currently the most significant influential female figure in my life and I wanted symbols that reminded me of her for two of my lanterns. My grandma has always been a figure who helped guide me in so many ways and I was raised Jewish, but have slowly lost my connection with that part of me. My grandma is my most prominent connection to that part of me and she has always given me little gifts that have imagery of the tree of life. We have always gone on hikes and weekly walks when I grew up so nature was something that she always reminds me of. I created the two woodcuts of the tree to symbolize her and my memories we have together in nature especially. She also really values her gardens and growing up she would always make me garden with her and I loved getting to see all of the different plants that she was growing. Therefore, I created the symbolism with the plants for her because that relates to her gardens. For my other two lanterns I related them to my mom. Both my mom and my grandma had/have breast cancer and unfortunately my grandma has now had it twice and my mom passed away due to complications with the disease. It has always been really scary that both of the most important women in my life have struggled with breast cancer and I wanted to make a special symbolic piece for my grandma to enjoy. For my mom’s lanterns I created one that had images of mandalas which was something that we would draw together. They were a way to relax and engage with one another. I also created a design that resembled the logo of her jewelry business, which she named “Abby Moon,” who knows where she got the “Abby” part from. The design had the imagery of a little swirl like shape so I replicated that and then also added little moons because that relates to the name. My mom also loved to draw little moons with faces on them so I thought that the moons could have a double meaning to me.
This project relates to my prior knowledge of art education because it combines multiple elements of design and deeper thinking to then create a project that a student can use and look back at to remember their influential figure. I really like that it also includes a digital aspect so that students can see that you can fabricate things online and then produce real objects that you can hold. This process is really exciting and can be simplified for the use of teaching different ages.
I really liked iterating this project and advancing as I got more comfortable with adobe illustrator. As I got more comfortable I made more complex designs such as the trees. I was using the freehand tool and I only had the mouse pad on my computer, so creating the designs was a bit of a challenge. Also , when creating an illustrator, sometimes the lines do not connect automatically with each other and if you do not connect them, then they will not be cut out with the laser cutter. This was a problem I ran into when working in the lab, and I ended up being there for quite some time fixing each little connection of lines in my piece. It was nice to push myself in ways that I never have with this assignment, because I am often uncomfortable with using technology. This class has allowed me to continuously push myself and gain confidence in my abilities to use and teach technology in my life. This project just felt like the frosting on top of the cake with combining my artistic values of creating meaning behind artwork and implementing technology.
What makes this project art is the use of in depth thinking and the physical act of creating. I would have my students first plan out by listing the top three important figures in their life and then three possible symbols that they could create based off of the figure. The students also have to physically draw something on adobe illustrator which relates to the artistic process. They also get to create their own paper and then make prints with it outside using nature (aka the sun). The students get to explore multiple forms of creating art with this project and explore meaningful figures in their lives. This is a type of meaningful making because it combines elements of technology, drawing, printmaking, photography, and sculpture, as well as creating meaning behind their work. You can engage the viewer because it is something that parents can use in their home or the student can use in their own bedrooms. It is also something that can be displayed in the hallway for other classmates to see. This lesson could also be used in various settings but I would love to use it in a K-12 setting and modify it for different age groups.
I would have loved to create a project like this when I was in school because it allows for deeper thinking and when someone is creating for someone that they love it pushes them to make it the best that it can be. I think I would have been scared to use adobe, but now that I know and if I had a teacher to walk me through using it, then I wouldn’t have been as scared. I got my artistic intention across with my symbols, because not everyone will know the story behind them, but the viewers can interpret them how they want to and therefore create their own significant meaning. I loved this project because I learned so much about both cyanotypes and adobe illustrator, which are two things that I had never used much or at all. This project definitely had its challenges, but I am really excited with how it came out and I will be putting it up in my room to use as my own lantern.