Cambridge IGCSE®
Art & Design STUDENT’S BOOK Also for Cambridge O Level
Garry Whitehead with Cass Bisco, Amanda Jenkins, Claire McCormack, Rachel Richards, Julia Triston and Anna White
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Contents Introduction to IGCSE Art & Design The elements of art
2 13
PART I: PRACTICAL GUIDANCE AND CHECKLIST Introduction to Part I
30
Chapter 1: Coursework
32
Unit 1: Preparing for your coursework Unit 2: The final outcome Unit 3: Preparing for project work checklist
32 54 60
Chapter 2: The externally set assignment 62 Unit 1: Preparing for the externally set assignment Unit 2: The final outcome Unit 3: Preparing for the externally set assignment checklist
62 70 72
PART II: THE CREATIVE PROCESS Chapter 3: Artistic inspiration and response Unit 1: Your initial idea Unit 2: Where does inspiration come from? Summary
Chapter 4: Recording ideas, observations and insights Introduction Unit 1: Gathering materials and ideas Unit 2: Recording ideas Unit 3: Student case studies Summary
Chapter 5: Creative exploration Introduction Unit 1: Exploring media Unit 2: Exploring materials and techniques Unit 3: Student case studies Summary
Chapter 6: Thoughtful development Introduction Unit 1: Early development work Unit 2: Assessment and critical understanding Unit 3: Further development Unit 4: Compositional studies Unit 5: Final development work Unit 6: Student case studies Summary
74 74 76 88
89 89 90 100 108 113
114 114 115 122 128 136
137 137 138 141 143 146 149 152 160
Chapter 7: Realising your final outcome 161 Introduction Unit 1: Your final outcome Unit 2: Student case studies Summary
PART III: MEDIA AND TECHNIQUES Chapter 8: Painting and related media Introduction Unit 1: Drawing Unit 2: Painting Unit 3: Graphic media Unit 4: Non-traditional media Unit 5: New media Unit 6: Student case study
179 181 184 190 194 198 202
Chapter 9: Printmaking
204
Unit 1: Monoprinting Unit 2: Relief printing Unit 3: Etching Unit 4: Screen printing Unit 5: Student case study
204 208 212 216 220
Chapter 10: Three-dimensional studies
222
Introduction Unit 1: Sculpture and ceramics Unit 2: Theatre and set design Unit 3: Environmental and architectural design Unit 4: Product design Unit 5: Craft design Unit 6: Student case study
222 224 232
Chapter 11: Photography, digital and lens-based media Introduction Unit 1: Still imagery: Manual operation of a DSLR or SLR camera Unit 2: Still imagery: Post-production Unit 3: Moving imagery Unit 4: Student case study
Chapter 12: Graphic communication Unit 1: Graphic design with lettering Unit 2: Illustration Unit 3: Advertising and packaging Unit 4: Game design Unit 5: Student case study
Chapter 13: Textile design
235 238 242 248
250 250 252 256 261 268
270 270 274 280 286 288
290
Unit 1: Printing and dyeing Unit 2: Constructed textiles Unit 3: Fashion Unit 4: Student case study
290 294 298 304
Glossary
306
Index
312
Acknowledgements
317
161 162 168 178
Contents
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Chapter 9 . Printmaking Learning objectives By the end of this unit, you should: • explore a variety of approaches to monoprinting • recognise the materials and techniques required to make a monoprint and be able to apply them to your own project.
Monoprinting
What is monoprinting? Monoprinting is the production of a one-off print (mono). There are a number of different types of monoprint techniques. The most well-known and widely used is the monotype, where you work straight onto a plate using paint or ink. Once drawing up is complete, place paper on the plate and press down firmly and evenly by hand or put through a printing press.
Top tip Work fast! Paint will dry quickly, especially when using solvent-based ink. An oilbased medium will give you more time.
How to get started Find an image you would like to make a print of. Place a clear plate over the image and trace the picture through the clear plate. Once you are finished, position paper on top of the image and press firmly and evenly using your hands, or put it through a press. Peel the paper away from the plate slowly to reveal your first monotype. Remember: the image will be in reverse. Keep a check on your drawing by using a mirror in the drawing-up stage.
An inked-up roller spreading ink on a plate
Pressed flowers, herbarium, monoprint (watercolour print)
Key terms monotype – a one-off print made by painting ink or oil paint straight onto a plate and then pressing paper onto the image
Vacherie le Soir, monotype, c. 1890, Camille Pissarro
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printing press – a machine for printing on paper or fabric
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9.1 Different approaches to monoprinting Monoprinting is one of the most straightforward printing techniques, although there are many different ways to monoprint. Once you have mastered the basics, you can start to experiment by using stencils or masking areas on your plate. The advantage of monoprinting is that you can print with quite basic materials or even without access to a press. You can print using simple equipment such as a stable worktop, and any objects you find, such as feathers, lace, twine and material. In fact, you can use anything that is flat and has a textured surface. This picture in the margin is an example of how a simple print can be made by inking up a leaf and putting it through a printing press.
Skills activity A Create simple one-off prints by inking up textured materials such as lace, twine, net and sliced fruit. Use different methods to print with these items, such as inking them up and printing from them. Or, you can also use them as a stencil by laying them directly onto a plate that has been inked up.
Gone II, monoprint on paper, 2015, Stephen Dow
Reflective log Write about the different types of monoprinting. • Do you think you could combine different types of monoprinting techniques? • How could you do this?
Further research Research the monoprints of: • Camille Pissarro • Paul Gauguin • Edgar Degas • Paul Klee.
Knowledge check •
I can explore a variety of approaches to monoprinting and produce my own monoprints.
•
I can recognise the materials and techniques to make a monoprint and apply them to my own projects.
Chapter 9 Printmaking: Unit 1 Monoprinting
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Chapter 9 . Printmaking ARTIST WITH IMPACT: EDGAR DEGAS Who is Edgar Degas? Edgar Degas was a French artist born in Paris in 1834. He was born into an upper-middle-class family and had a classical education. In Paris, Degas met with Monet, Sisley and several other painters to form the Société Anonyme Coopérative des Artistes Peintres, Sculpteurs, Graveurs (Cooperative and Anonymous Association of Painters, Sculptors and Engravers). This group came to be known as the Impressionists.
Degas’ influences Degas was interested in realism, and his subject matter reflected this. Although Degas spent his early years studying the great master painters such as Raphael and Michelangelo, with their classical subject matter, he preferred to depict the lower working classes getting on with their everyday life. Degas was influenced greatly by the work of Katsushika Hokusai, a Japanese artist whose work was exhibited in Paris in 1867. He was particularly influenced by his sketches of people, especially women going about their daily business such as washing and dressing. This collection of drawings is called Hokusai‘s Manga. See the example below.
Reading a Letter, pastel on paper, Edgar Degas, (1834–1917) The image of women reading a letter and leaning informally across a workbench captures a moment in time, which would not have been considered worth doing before.
Key terms great master painters – a group of artists, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt and Titian, working in Europe before the 18th century and considered to have great technical skill
Skills activity B
An example of a drawing from Hokusai‘s Manga – a scene from everyday life in Japan
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Produce some images of people at work, such as a barista, a gardener or blogger. Through sketching and photography, try to capture a brief second of activity that represents their world. Concentrate on the task they are doing, which may involve their posture or a close-up of their hands. The subject matter will work well as a reproduction in print.
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9.1 Degas captured the body in unusual poses. His ballet dancers’ poses are often contorted rather than elegant. He was more interested in what was happening behind the scenes. He was also influenced by Japanese prints, and liked to have areas in his work that were quite flat, as this gave him a chance to play around with composition. He would cover sections of his paintings or prints with a sheet, or a chair, in the foreground. He would move to the side or behind a subject, to capture a more unusual angle. This image to the right, of hair being combed, could be copied in a modern-day setting. Combing the Hair (La Coiffure), oil on canvas, c. 1896, Degas
Degas and the monoprint
Further research Search online for more detail on Degas’ choice of subject matter. For more detail about Degas’ life and work, see the Encyclopedia Britannica website.
(© The Trustees of the British Museum. All rights reserved)
Degas started to produce ‘printed drawings’ after being introduced to the technique by Ludovic Lepic, who experimented with tone in his work. He started by wiping away and adding ink straight onto a printing plate. Through this process, he invented the retroussage method. Degas used this method of reworking his printing plates, drawing with rags, brushes and even his fingers. The print Heads of a Woman and a Man is a famous example that uses this method to achieve a blurred effect, giving the sense of movement and a caught moment in time.
Heads of a Man and a Woman, c. 1877–78, Edgar Degas
Key terms
Skills activity C Use the retroussage method by drawing straight onto a plate and then use a cloth to wipe away sections. Add more texture and colour using a brush or cloth. You will need to work quickly, so try to use oil-based inks or paint, as they take longer to dry.
oil based – ink or paint that requires a solvent such as white spirit, turpentine or methylated spirits to mix or clean it retroussage – the wiping away of ink on a printing plate
Chapter 9 Printmaking: Unit 1 Monoprinting
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Chapter 9 . Printmaking
Relief printing
Learning objectives By the end of this unit, you should: • understand a variety of approaches to relief printing • know how to employ a range of different materials and tools to make a relief print.
What is relief printing? A relief print is produced by cutting into a flat surface made from wood or linoleum (lino) using a gouge tool. Ink is applied to the block using a brayer or roller. Paper is placed on the block and an image is produced by either using a printing press or hand burnishing. The print is a negative image of what is cut away, as only the raised surface is inked up.
The Tube Train, linocut printed in colours on tissue, c. 1930, Cyril Edward Power (1872–1951), Japan
Top tip The image prints in reverse. Remember this, especially when printing text.
Top tip Gouge tools in various sizes and a brayer/roller used to apply ink to your printing block
How to get started Follow these steps to make a relief print: Step 1: Draw your image on thin paper and trace it onto the lino. Step 2: Remove the paper, and heat the lino for about 10 minutes using a heat lamp or hairdryer. Step 3: Follow the lines you traced and use the tools to cut the lino. Step 4: Roll out the ink onto the glass plate. Then place the lino onto the printing press. Step 5: Carefully place the paper onto the lino and apply pressure. Step 6: Peel the paper away from the lino carefully.
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If you do not have access to a press, place the lino on a flat, even surface and position the paper onto the inked-up lino. Use the back of a wooden spoon to apply even pressure across the paper. Use circular motions and make sure you cover the whole sheet.
Top tip Be safe! Make sure you cut away from your body and preferably on a non-slip surface like a rubber mat.
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9.2 Skills activity A Try out different types of mark-making using various cutting tools. Try dots, thick lines, thin lines, circles, spirals and cross-hatch. Experiment with cutting and printing. Then add another layer of colour by cutting away more of your lino block, and inking up and printing over your original image. Always start with a lighter tone, as the more you cut away, the darker the colour should get. It is important that you practise how to register your print if you are printing onto the same image with different layers.
Various marks can be made using different shapes and sizes of gouge tools.
Further research A useful website is the introduction to printmaking created by the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). You will get an overview of the history of relief printing, as well as short tutorial guides to help you with your techniques. Research these artists who use relief printing in their work: Reflective log
Shiko Munakata (Japan) Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (Germany) David Malangi (Australia) Agatha Sorel (Hungary).
Knowledge check •
I can understand a variety of approaches to relief printing and can produce my own set of relief prints.
•
I know how to employ a range of different materials and tools to make a relief print.
Write about some of the printing skills you have learned in relief printing. Is there a material you prefer cutting into? Did you test working with lino and wood? What differences did you find? Was one easier to print with than the other? Why was this?
Chapter 9 Printmaking: Unit 2 Relief printing
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Chapter 9 . Printmaking ARTIST WITH IMPACT: SHIKO MUNAKATA Who is Shiko Munakata? Shiko Munakata is regarded as one of the most important Japanese artists of the 20th century. He was born in Amori, Japan, in 1903. His father was a blacksmith and Munakata was the third of 15 children. As his family had very little money, his formal education ended after elementary school.
Artistic influences Munakata always showed a real talent and enthusiasm for art. He spent most of his early years drawing kites for his classmates. He was greatly influenced by the artist van Gogh. At the age of 17, he decided he wanted to be known as the ‘van Gogh of Amori’. In 1924, at the age of 21, he moved to Tokyo, where he repaired shoes in order to afford to study art. There, he was shown the woodcuts of Sumio Kawakami and he decided to try printing from wood himself.
Shiko Munakata
Key term Mingei – a Japanese folk art movement active from the 1920s
Munakata’s art career In 1935, Munakata exhibited his woodcuts in the annual Kokugakai exhibition. The famous Japanese artist Yanagi Soetsu bought 25 of his prints and this event changed his life. From then on, he was considered a great artist of the Mingei (Japanese folk art) movement. In 1945, Munakata‘s house and most of his woodblocks were destroyed in the American firebombing of Tokyo. Munakata was awarded the Prize of Excellence at the Second International Print Exhibition in Switzerland. He was awarded the Order of Culture, the highest honour in the arts by the Japanese government, in 1970. His gravestone in Amori is patterned in the style of Vincent van Gogh.
In Praise of Flower Hunting, woodcut, 1954, Shiko Munakata
Skills activity B Munakata was influenced by nature and used it often in his work. Find something from nature to work from. It could be a leaf, a shell or a flower. Examine it closely and then copy it in great detail. Use only one colour in your print, as this will force you to look at the shape, the texture and the pattern. This is a very good exercise to improve your carving skills. It also makes you really look at an object as subject matter.
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9.2 Religious influences Munakata was a Buddhist and many of his prints show scenes of religious subject matter. He was part of a group of artists who believed the printmaker should be involved in all stages of the printmaking process. He was also happy to let the material with which he was printing influence the work he was making. Munakata liked to see the grain of the wood in his work because he felt that nature was an important part of the creative process.
Skills activity C Find different types of wood and print them to look at the variance in the wood grain. This activity will give you an opportunity to see how each piece of wood is unique. You can use these printed blocks as backgrounds to draw or print on. Use different colours when printing the layers, so you can clearly see the wood grain.
Skills activity D Munakato was part of the Mingei movement, which used folk stories as subject matter. Find some folktales from your own culture and use them as subjects with which to create prints.
Kwannon Goddess, Shiko Munakata
Further research Research the following artists and philosophers: Sumio Kawakami (1895–1972) Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) Yanagi Soetsu (1889–1961).
Key terms Buddhism – a religion based on the teachings of Buddha
The Cave of Lion, from the series Ryurisho hangakan (1953), is an example of one of Munakata‘s prints from the Mingei movement.
wood grain – the direction, texture or pattern of fibres found in wood
Chapter 9 Printmaking: Unit 2 Relief printing
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Chapter 9 . Printmaking Learning objectives By the end of this unit, you should: • understand how to use line, tone, texture and composition in etching • know how to employ a range of different materials and tools to make and ink up an etching.
Etching
What is etching? Etching is a printmaking process where a printing plate made of metal, such as zinc or steel, is coated in a non-acidic substance like wax. Once this coating has dried, it acts as a ground to protect the plate. Then you can draw or etch a design into the waxy ground to expose parts of the metal plate. When your etching is complete, place the plate in a bath made up of a corrosive liquid that eats into the exposed lines. Ink Wiping paper
Etching grounds Copper Printing paper
Inking cards
Tarlatan
Etching tools
Ink knives
Paint scraper Night Shadows, etching, 1921, Edward Hopper
Newsprint
Etching tools
Getting started Once you have etched your plate, you can then print. First you must clean off the wax ground from the plate using a solvent such as methylated spirits. You then ink up the plate, making sure you push the ink into all the etched grooves. Once the inking process is complete, wipe away all the excess ink from the surface of the plate using scrim and tissue paper, leaving only ink in the etched lines. This is the design that will print. This technique is called intaglio printing.
Printing press
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9.3 Skills activity A
Top tip
A quick way to print the intaglio technique is to make a dry point print using acetate. Place some thick acetate or plastic film over a drawing. Choose an image with a strong tonal quality and distinct areas of light and dark. These qualities will create a much more dramatic image and will ensure you consider the use of tone. Use an etching tool to trace the drawing, but make sure that you do not cut all the way through the acetate. Work your ink onto the surface of the acetate and into all the grooves. Carefully rub away all the surface ink with tissue. Soak the paper you will be printing with, and then blot it so it is damp and not soaking wet. Place the paper over the acetate and put it through a printing press.
Key terms dry point – a technique used to draw into a soft surface using a sharp pointed needle or etching tool ink up – to apply ink to a plate and work it into the etched or cut surface; the surface is then wiped away using scrim and tissue paper, leaving only the etched lines to print from
You can keep adding to your image after reviewing each print or proof. Create tone through different mark-making, such as crosshatching, contour hatching, lines and scribbles.
Reflective log Write about the different ways to print intaglio. Why is it important to print on damp paper? Why do you think many artists use etching to create a dramatic image? Why would it be difficult to use text in an etching?
intaglio – meaning ‘to carve‘; an intaglio print is the opposite of a relief print proof – a print taken in the printmaking process; sometimes called a trial impression scrim – a light gauze material made from cotton waxy ground – used when etching to cover and protect the plate and resist corrosive liquid
Knowledge check • •
I understand how to use line, tone, texture and composition in etching. I know how to employ a range of different materials and tools to make and ink up an etching.
Further research For an overview of different printmaking techniques, see the Encyclopedia Britannica website. Research the following artists who use etching in their work: Käthe Kollwitz Jake and Dinos Chapman Rembrandt.
Chapter 9 Printmaking: Unit 3 Etching
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Chapter 9 . Printmaking ARTIST WITH IMPACT: KÄTHE KOLLWITZ Who is Käthe Kollwitz? Käthe Kollwitz (1867–1945) was born in Königsberg, East Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia). She established herself in an art world dominated by men. She explored the suffering of the urban poor and especially from what she saw first-hand when her husband, a doctor, took a job in a working-class area of Berlin. She lived through the two great world wars and lost a son in World War I. The grief of losing a child had a huge impact on her work for the rest of her life. Kollwitz originally trained as a painter. However, she gave it up in favour of printmaking in the 1890s, after being influenced by the work of the German artist Max Klinger. She preferred the directness of drawing in the etching process, something that she felt was lost in painting.
Käthe Kollwitz: German painter, printmaker and sculptor
Kollwitz was interested in realism and expressionism, for which her work is well-known. In 1919, she was the first woman to be elected to the Prussian Academy of the Arts. In the late 1930s, she was banned from exhibiting her work in Germany by the Nazis and in 1943, she was evacuated from Berlin to Dresden, where she lived the rest of her life.
The March of the Weavers, etching, 1897, Käthe Kollwitz
Skills activity B Kollwitz was a great draughtswoman. She understood the power of composition and tone in her work. She rarely used colour in her prints, preferring the considered use of light and dark to create a powerful image. Produce some dry point images from newspapers. You can copy or trace the photographs through acetate. Choose strong images that capture an important moment in time. Use mark-making to create tone and consider the importance of composition and cropping for the final image.
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9.3 Kollwitz’s work Kollwitz was also inspired by stories from history and social justice. She produced a series of etchings called The Weavers in response to a theatre performance she saw about the oppression and failed revolt of a group of Polish weavers in the 1840s. Her next major body of work was The Peasants’ Revolt series. This was a violent revolution that took place in 1525; peasants who had been treated as slaves rose up against feudal lords and the church. This series was technically impressive because of its size and dramatic depiction of light and shade. It is considered Kollwitz‘s greatest work as an etcher.
Further research Research more information on Käthe Kollwitz – see the Encyclopedia Britannica website. Research the artist Max Klinger, who influenced Kollwitz.
The Prisoners, from The Peasants’ Revolt series, an etching, 1908, Käthe Kollwitz
Skills activity C Find a story that you feel strongly about. It may be something from the news, which has happened recently, or a story from history. Produce a set of prints telling this story. Look at how Kollwitz went about showing what happened to the weavers and the story of the peasant uprising. You may need to do some research for your story to make sure that the clothes and scenes are historically accurate.
Key term expressionism – artistic style in which the artist seeks to depict the subjective emotions and responses that objects and events arouse in a person
Chapter 9 Printmaking: Unit 3 Etching
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Chapter 9 . Printmaking
Screen printing
Learning objectives By the end of this unit, you should: • understand a variety of approaches to screen printing • know how to employ a range of different materials and correct tools to make a print.
What is screen printing? Screen printing can be as simple or complex as you would like to make it. It is particularly useful for mass production and producing large editions. It is also the print method used to print on fabric and T-shirts. A screen print is made by using a mesh-covered frame or screen to push ink through onto a flat surface. A squeegee is used to push the ink through the screen onto the paper or fabric. Screen printing has the advantage of not reversing the printed image, so it is popular when printing text.
A squeegee pushing ink through a mesh screen
Kate Moss screen print, Banksy
How to get started
Key terms
Follow these steps to get started.
editions – the total number of copies e.g. the number of prints produced from one screen or printing plate
Step 1: Choose a simple image. Draw it on a piece of thin paper such as newsprint. Geometric shapes, circles or a simple pattern are easiest images to work with. Step 2: Use a craft knife to cut out your drawing to create a stencil. Step 3: Put your stencil on top of the paper onto which you will be printing. Place the screen onto the mesh. If there is space between the edges of your stencil and the screen, place masking tape on the underside to stop ink leaking onto your print.
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newsprint – low-cost paper mainly consisting of wood pulp screen – the polyester mesh stretched over a frame for screen printing squeegee – a rubber-edged tool used to spread ink or to push ink through a silkscreen mesh
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9.4 Step 4: Spoon out some ink in a line along the bottom of the screen. Step 5: Use the squeegee to flood the screen. Push the ink through the mesh to make the stencil stick to the screen. Lift up your screen and remove your first proof. Step 6: You are now ready to print. Lift your screen up and place the paper on which you want to print on the printing table. Step 7: Place the screen carefully onto the paper. Spoon more ink in a line across the top of the screen furthest away from you. Pull the squeegee towards you smoothly and firmly. Do not stop midway. Make sure you apply even pressure. Step 8: Once you have reached the bottom, lift your screen and push the ink through to the top to flood the mesh. This will stop it drying out and blocking.
Top tip Make a simple screen print at home by using an embroidery hoop and curtain mesh. Stretch the mesh in the hoop and draw it as taut as possible. Draw your design straight onto the mesh. Use PVA glue to draw round your image, taking extra care round the edges of your drawing. When the glue is dry, you are ready to print.
Step 9: Remove your paper. Add another sheet to make another print.
Skills activity A Screen prints are good when using text in your work. You can also use a number of different screens to produce colourful images. Make a striking print by thinking of a word or short sentence. Cut your letters out to make a stencil and print each letter in a different bright colour.
Further research Research these artists who use screen printing in their work: • Roy Lichtenstein
Reflective log
• Josef Albers
Write about the different types of screen printing. Why is screen printing a good method for printing in large quantities? Why is screen printing a good way to produce images with text?
• Corita Kent.
Knowledge check •
I understand a variety of approaches to screen printing.
•
I know how to employ a range of different materials and correct tools to make a print.
Chapter 9 Printmaking: Unit 4 Screen printing
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Chapter 9 . Printmaking ARTIST WITH IMPACT: CORITA KENT Who is Corita Kent? Corita Kent (1918–1986) was born in the United States (US). She was known as an artist, educator and someone who stood for social justice through her art. At the age of 18, she became a nun and took the name Sister Mary Corita. She was part of the religious order of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, based in Los Angeles, and she taught art at Immaculate Heart College. Her teaching style became well-known as being progressive and inspirational and, by the 1950s, clergy were being sent from all over the US to be educated at the college.
Political works Kent‘s earliest work was heavily religious, using material from the Bible as inspiration. She used text scripture passages or quotes with bold typeface. By the 1960s, her work started to become increasingly political. Her screen prints used popular images from advertising with added messages to comment on the political unrest of that time. She also became more recognised as an artist and was commissioned to create a banner for the Vatican Pavilion at the 1964 World‘s Fair in New York. Kent was living in America during the time of the civil rights movement, the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, and the Vietnam War. This informed her work, and her use of text and song lyrics, as well as images from advertising and biblical verses, were used to convey messages of peace.
Come Alive, screen print, 1967, Corita Kent (Corita Kent, serigraph, Photograph by Arthur Evans, reprinted with permission of the Corita Art Center, Immaculate Heart Community, Los Angeles)
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9.4 Later career Kent was named as one of the women of the year in the Los Angeles Times, and appeared on the cover of Newsweek magazine. During her time at the convent, she met a lot of opposition and some of her work was called blasphemous. She left the order in 1968 and moved to Boston to continue her work. There she was commissioned by the Boston Gas company to create a design, which became the largest copyrighted artwork in the world. When Kent died, she left all her unsold work and copyrights to the Immaculate Heart Community.
Technique Kent used screen printing in her work and combined images from well-known products and advertising. She liked to play with lettering and overprinting to create dynamic colourful images. It isn’t until you examine her work closely that you find it has a message, which is often political.
Further research Find out more information about the artist Corita Kent at her website.
That They May have Life, screen print, 1964, Corita Kent (Corita Kent, serigraph, Photograph by Arthur Evans, reprinted with permission of the Corita Art Center, Immaculate Heart Community, Los Angeles)
Skills activity B Collect some well-known logos from advertising. They may be adverts from a newspaper or magazine. Cut them out, change the size on a photocopier and change the letters around. Use them to create a stencil to use for screen printing. Be bold and adventurous with your choice of colours.
Key term typeface – the style of printing type
Chapter 9 Printmaking: Unit 4 Screen printing
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Chapter 9 . Printmaking
Student case study Printmaking The student in this case study has explored the same form through relief printing. This student has focused on the printing process and use of colour by producing a number of printing blocks. The student has presented an idea that could be developed, and has demonstrated an intention to explore further. Working with an organic form and developing the theme, the student has experimented with print and colour. 1
The student starts to develop the print and the use of spacing (images 2–8).
2
The student works with a printing mistake and exploits ‘accidents’ in the printing process (image 3). This is something that can be developed and used to produce a whole new set of prints, which is when many exciting things can happen in a project.
3
The student continues to experiment with block positioning (images 7–10). The student has also changed the colour to red/orange while keeping the same tonal quality and still printing on white paper. The printing method could be developed here, such as overprinting using an intaglio dry point technique or screen printing.
4
The introduction of new colours into the print (images 7–10) would benefit from reflection and explanation of why the colour choices have been made.
5
The two colours green and blue (images 9 and 10) are used in overprinted images. The student could do with more experimentation and testing. At this stage, the work could move towards a more dynamic outcome.
6
The student is ‘playing’ with a two-block print (images 11 and 12). Subtle colours have been selected to work together.
7
There is a degree of experimentation in the final prints (image 13). The project is tonally comparable and of a similar scale, which links the body of work together.
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Printmaking
Chapter 9 Printmaking: Unit 5 Student case study
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