Wednesday, 16 January 2013

An experimental recipe for 'failed' work






 Take one failed ghost print (a second pressing of a monoprint with no re-inking) and add some coloured pencil.



 
Add a little more coloured pencil and a little more each time it will burnish the colours underneath building a nice patina of marks.

Add a few extra marks to suggest the patterns on the tree bark.

Crop.

Adjust contrasts a little by digital means.



Result: either a good starting point for a new painting or something that could be digitally printed as a finished piece. Of course it is very likely that this piece will be filed into a sketchbook where it will either mature resulting in a mellowed, full bodied and well thought out concept or it will be chucked out never to be seen again like yesterday's moldy bread. The jury is out.



Winter II monoprint & coloured pencil 16x19cm ©2013Lisa Le Quelenec


The proof of the pudding: Whilst I don't think this will end up as a digital print, I think the original is far to rough to scan well, I am intrigued by certain aspects. I really like the way in which the trunks run off the bottom of the page - they seem to disappear into a snowy foreground which is somewhat topical at the moment. (I saw at least two flakes fall this morning which is a bit of an event in my part of the world.)


For anyone interested below is the first print that came from the plate. I'm still trying to get to grips with getting the consistency of the new inks right for successful prints but I am having a lot of fun trying. I will have to put in another order for paper soon as I am really getting through it. Keeping things simple and thinking in very basic shapes and marks is the way forward I think for the moment.


Winter monoprint 24x17cm ©2013Lisa Le Quelenec

6 comments:

Bruce Sherman said...

Good Morning Lisa!... Enjoyed seeing your new mono print and the recovery- through-play process which came out of the lesser quality print.

Your resulting mixed medium print, in my own opinion surpasses the "clean" first pulled version creating a fuller feeling of warmth and depth of thought.

No exploration is a "failure."... unless one fails to analyse the "whys"... and to push beyond that first perception.

I think that you achieved a full measure of success with what you discovered/ learned. Sometimes that knowledge can outweigh the sale potential in value.

Just one guy's point of view!

Good Painting!... Printing!... and Playing!
Warmest regards,
Bruce

Vandy said...

I love it when a 'failed' painting can be converted into something interesting. I agree with you about the trunks disappearing into a foreground mistiness/snowfall. It lends a lovely air of mystique.

eM said...

Beautiful monoprint Lisa! And the recipe is perfect. I often give up the painting when it doesn´t work but as I see I will have to give it a second chance. I love birches and with the blue backround it´s magnificent. Very nice work. Have a nice weekend!

Lisa Le Quelenec said...

Hi Bruce, thank you. Digital prints are another project I am working on this month. It opens up more possibilities when you don't have to be concerned with the longevity of materials used to make an image. The concept is giving me a certain feeling of freedom, but more on this later.....

Hi Vandy, thank you. I've been working on lots of thumbnails exploring the possibilities of elements continuing outside the picture frame. There may be more to come.

Hi Marcela, Thank you. I hope you manage some time in the studio on Sunday. Best wishes.

Caroline Simmill said...

It is amazing to see the different images you are creating. You are very imaginative and it is a delight to view your work. Have you had another of the big snow storms or have you escaped it all Lisa? We now have a covering of snow but can still drive about, nice to walk in too!

Lisa Le Quelenec said...

Hi Caroline, we've had a little snow - just a few inches. It's been beautiful but very cold, I've not been out sketching in it this year. Thank you about the work. I feel like a butterfly flitting inbetween ideas at the moment but it's nice to have a chunk of time to be able to do that in. One more week and then it's time to settle down again.