14th March Peter Kennard Board

On Tuesday 14^th March, I continued to generate further Artist research and studies through the works of Peter Kennard and his “Anti-Vietnam” war posters. He was described as unofficial war artist around the period of the event and explores the aspects of Nuclear Weapons, health and danger that they cause. These designs were also linked to the CND movement and were promoted to stop the war and save lives. This was an influential study as it explores the aspects of my theme “Justice” and how his artwork follows events and periods through history. This is similar to the area I am exploring and the impact of current events within New York City through the newly elected President and also connects to historical research I have gained through the “Miners Strike”. The outcome was generated through one lesson and I was pleased with the skill of time-management and how I have adapted my skills to achieve effective outcomes. Also, I have explored new materials which has allowed me to explore throughout my comfort zone and emphasise the skills of Fine Art I have achieved throughout my time at college. The task, also allowed me to generate studies of his work which will be influential towards my development of the project and including the area of “Justice directly”. The developed study also includes a variety of materials within the sheet including charcoal, charcoal pencils, ink, Gouache, collage, acrylic and shading pencils. The task has allowed me to plan, organise and produce a further artist study which contributes to initial ideas and outcomes towards the project. Also, the task allowed me to use research and analysis to develop solutions and studies towards the outcome of Peter Kennard. Finally, the task allowed me to use practical skills and methods to develop the sheet to a high standard.

 

To start the task, I started to build up collage within the sheet to create texture and the built up of a particular study which demonstrates a 3D appearance of a hand damaging the surface of the book. From previous knowledge, newspaper has worked well and developed texture accurately within the surface of the design so I decided to build up the layout well. Next, I focused with creating the surface of the hands through the page with continuing to use Paper and newsprint. A problem I faced was that I struggled with developing the structure free-hand causing the layout and appearance looking irregular and misplaced less accurately. To solve the problem I continued to build up the design further and I used paint to create Texture which worked well and changed the layout. To solve the problem next time, I will be drawing an outline of an object to work on top of the design to create and accurate appearance. Once the layout was created I used the combination of acrylics and ink to create the texture I aimed to achieve which worked successfully throughout the surface of the design. Red ink was also used to capture the symbol of blood through the surface of the layout well. Once the layout was created, I focused with studies of charcoal and pencil. Peter Kennard uses skulls and skeletons throughout this work to emphasise impact of life and health through the damages of war and nuclear weapons. I decided to capture these elements through charcoal as it was a material I haven’t previously used before and I felt I wanted to achieve the skill of using them. Also, the material allowed me to build up textures, tones and shadows through the study effectively. The combination of charcoal and charcoal pencils worked well as they blended together created the surface of the designs well. As I developed the skill I gained further confidence and developed the technique further through drawing free-hand which made effective outcomes of the bone structures demonstrated. Once I completed the charcoal areas I used hairspray to maintain the design effectively. Next, I focused on a particular poster which incorporates a gas mask and a globe which continues to highlight the damage towards the environment and the world if nuclear weapons are used. Firstly, I struggled to capture the piece as I was unsure with the choice of materials to capture the natural but also contrasting colours of black. To solve the problem I used arclyic paint which captured the surface well and allowed me to create further tones and shadows of colour. I was pleased with the contrasting outcome working well and I gained further confidence with the materials as it is my least favourite material to work with. To finish the design sheet I captured the bold and iconic messages and slogans which I believe will be most influential towards my project as I felt that these emphasise the meaning of his artwork and demonstrate a powerful interpretation towards the audience. This is what I am aiming to achieve through my project and I believe that Peter Kennard’s work will be influential and inspiring through the development process. Tp capture the lettering, I used Gouache which the most effective to achieve bold, smooth surfaces. Yellow was used to create the study but Peter Kennard did use oil paints through his artwork. The bold lettering contrasts with the monotone surface effectively and achieves an engaging outcome. The final layout of the design is presented below. Overall, I am pleased with the outcome of my design as it has allowed me to achieve further inspiration which will impact my project and towards my initial design process. I have enjoyed using the new material of charcoal and I am going to continue to use this material further through the project and my sketchbook.

Final Outcome