The last few works I have made, have followed the same processes I initially discovered such as mono printing, sewing, gel transferring and unravelling/ripping. Once I discovered these techniques and how to combine them, I continued with them as I enjoyed the process and found the results to be successful.
Stencils
Expanding on my use of printmaking, I made a stencil out of card and used it to add layers to my pieces.
Figure 1 
Figure 2
Using ink and a roller I used the stencil to print these mushroom shapes onto the calico (Figure 1 and 2)
I found this was a very effective mark making tool. I liked how, because the roller was larger than the stencil, it created this interesting border around the stencil image. The process was quick and easy and allowed me to make repetitive marks. One way I did this was by using the positive of the stencil, while it was still wet, and putting it through the roll press (below). An interesting line was created by the thread of the calico.
Thread
Thread was a very interesting aspect of my print making as it often got in the way and distorted my images. In the top right of figure 4 below, you can see more of these lines created by thread interfering with my printmaking.
Throughout my works I have incorporated thread in various ways. For the above piece (figure 2) I started by hand sewing the two strips down the side, which gave this real authentic looking stitch, however, this was a time consuming process. So, for the image on the right, I used my sewing machine to stitch the edges down. This gave more of an artificial line which I decided to play around with some more. I began to sew curved lines that complimented the waviness of the photocopy morphed image. I experimented with a zig zag stitch with once again enhanced the lines in the right image.
For this piece (figure 5), I used the method I discovered earlier on in the brief, of sticking down loose thread in a non organised manner and then applying a gel transfer over the top. This creates an organic way of connecting the printed imagery with the mono printing underneath.
Printing
For the piece in figure 4, I played around with ink on top of printed imagery. When printing straight from the printer, I disliked the vivid, harsh colouring of the images, so to tone down the images I attempted to glue down a layer of baking paper over the top (below).
However, this did not work, as due to the waxiness of the baking paper it did not stick down very well, so I ripped off the baking paper and used a plastic sheet covered in a thin layer of white ink to press over the image using the roll press. This created this interesting textural layer to the image. You can actually see the paint brush strokes from the previous mod podge application.
I used the same method on the a4 printed photo on the right of figure 4.
Sticking
There is a common idea of ‘sticking’ throughout my pieces in this brief. The process of gel transfers is a unique way of sticking down images. Theres also the literal way of printing images onto sticker paper and sticking them down onto my art pieces.
I really liked the gel transferring method as it is unpredictable and raw looking. I never knew how the images would turn out until I used a sponge to reveal them after leaving them to transfer overnight. Where the image did not adhere, interesting shapes formed revealing the calico from under the image (see figure 6). The edges of the gel transfers are also not very clear creating this organic look.
Unravelling and Ripping
In the piece above (figure 6), I cut the calico so it matched the size and shape of my printed image. I did this so the frayed edge of the calico would manipulate the image edge. To emphasise this I began to rip the edges. On the bottom corner of the piece I added some more loose threads. Together, the shape of the image, the rips, the unravelling edge, the exposed calico and the loose threads work together to create a ‘melting’ effect that I explored in some of my other pieces. It looks as if the image is in the middle of dissolving away.
Reversibility
When making my gel transfers, I noticed that you can actually see the image from the back of the calico. So, I decided to utilise this. For this piece below (see figure 7 front and back), I put gel transfers on both side of the calico. Not only does this make an interesting, ghost image, but it also means that the piece can be displayed and viewed from both sides.
Something else I noticed was when I did the mono prints, the original pencil drawing is seen on the back, adding to the reversibility of the piece.
I also added stitches because I know from my previous pieces, that it can be seen on both sides, however, the underneath is usually more messy.
I chose to display this piece so it is hanging in a place where both sides can be viewed.
