[Leon]

Clive said:

Any suggestions would be welcome.

So you want us to interpret your drawing, point out the characteristics and tell you what material to use, so you can make a masterpiece?

I like the idea, you lazy bstrd, but I stopped interpreting Modern Art long time ago.

Tell us more about your fish and his, or hers, mood and intentions.

[fkvesic]

Clive, I am grateful for all the the teaching material/processes you've put up and attention you've paid to this and the other threads in the past couple of days. It's the next best thing to having a netsuke-shi over my shoulder.

That includes Leon's contribution, too.

[Leon]

Clive said:

... to capture the the essence of my fish, others should feel free to participate..

That's where you lose me. Starting from a picture or certain species, I think I can jump in.
Interpreting the essence you intended is to hot for me. I'm a coward you know.

Do it anyway, sounds good. Makes me curious, that by itself (?) is valuable!



Thanks Freda, I enjoyd your replys too! ("Glue it" rofl!)

[Leon]

Or... maybe... do you want to recreate the drawing in a carving. Not the fish, but the essence of the dark and 'twilight-ish', underwater, vague, etc atmosphere?

[fkvesic]

What I pick up from the drawing is the blocky/flat/immobility/deadness of the body shape, yet the eye is very alive and refined. Contrasts, perhaps? A fish at its last gasp?

[fkvesic]

Oooh! Thanks for those pics. of experiments and process. They're helpful.

Clive, I have a serious question developing, based on the way you're working now, but perhaps it deserves a thread of its own.

I've always worked the traditional way in those art forms I chose to explore - have an idea, do the drawings/sketches first and get the idea into your head visually before (though taking into account) starting in on the material. Only then did I branch out and try the method you've described. With the tagua piece I'm working on, I've followed your method and it won't end up as a trad. netsuke - more like a tiny piece for holding in the hand. I don't know if I'm being a bit previous and branching out too soon and wonder what people's opinions would be: 1) go the trad. way first and then, only when sure of the basics, branch out; 2) use both ways of working at the same time; 3) do your own thing and discover the basics as you go along.

I'm not likely to do 3), but do seem to be playing around with 2). It also seems that as I'm not immersed in Japanese culture and never will be, that it wouldn't be right to attempt to highjack someone else's tradition entirely. Somehow, I seem to be struggling with how Japanese culture can be melded with European culture in producing netsuke, or netsuke-like objects. I was thinking along the lines of Doug's 'Satyr' here.

Don't know if I'm making myself clear...

[Leon]

Clive said:

... and throw in bin !!

Edit.. dug out from bin.. don't ever throw experiments away.

Edit.. throw back in bin (with all my other experiments).. send bin to Leon.


Keep the pics coming, me like.


Freda; It sure deserves a thread on its own.
My method:
If you want your work to speak, make sure you have something to say.
If you also want your material to speak, learn its language. Experiment till you understand each other.
As always I want both.

[tsterling]

How about a solid piece of ivory in the fish shape, paint in your scribbled lines with a resist, and then an acid etch? Hydrochloric acid works (50/50 mix with water) leaving a gummy residue you can easily scrape out. Probably even vinegar would work, albeit a little slower. Followed by dyes or potassium permanganate and sanding back should leave you with slightly raised light-colored lines with darker stripes in the low areas.

If the ivory starts out smooth and polished, the standard black resists for metal art etching should work fine, without leaving much of the black behind (like scrimshaw) once removed.

Hmm, come to think of it, you could just put in the lines with scrimshaw, either dots or lines. Maybe you know somebody who would let you try their tattoo machine - would that work on ivory to put in bazillions of tiny holes for scrim?

[Phil White]

Hope you're not planning to burn this. If so, give me some warning. I'm sure I will be ably to smell the stench from here.

I like how this is developing.

Phil

[Phil White]

Freda, I completely understand. I started a thread similar to this a while ago here My intentions were really to explore this sentiment in all aspects.

Now back to the subject at hand, so to speak.

Phil

[fkvesic]

It looks like the effects in your last pic. could work for the swirly bits on the fish, Clive.

Phil, many thanks. Very useful.

[Ana Veler]

Clive, on Nov 5 2009, 11:43 PM, said:

Any suggestions would be welcome.

SOURCE