Further experiments from 2nd print room trip.

 Used the same process again for these again prints, but I wanted to see how it would work with the eye I designed the other day. Overall I really enjoyed the process and think that they have worked well. However I think for this to be a propaganda symbol it needs to be simpler and with much simper backgrounds. But I really like the scratchiness of some of them has worked. 

 Also I think that the lino shows the eye better in some of these there is a white line around some of them and I dosn't look good, lino gives a much cleaner print. But I may go and print it in the print room, think quality of ink is good in there and better then the one I have. 

Refinement of eyes.

I came up with this design today,(lino prints) and I decided to refine the eye design further and enlarged it and as I was looking back at my past sketches I decided to put the hands around it, firstly to make a pattern but also to enclose the shape on the eye. I want this to be a evil propaganda symbol of some kind but I think that it still needs more development to make it look more sinister. But so far I am happy with it.

A more refined visual response to Thatchers dementia.

I was able to get hold of a photocopy of a brain scan, rolled printing ink around it and made the lines and shapes with white gouache.  The weird lines are meant to represent her brain patterns and coming from her brain. I wanted them to have a confused feel about them to reflect here feelings at the time but also I think that the colour of them contrasts well with the black backgournd. I am not too sure weather this image really communicates clearly what I wanted to show , however and am happy with the balances of colour and the overall look.

Iron Lady and sketches from this.

From watching the iron lady , the film allows you to see a different side to Margaret Thatcher and so goes from being one of the most powerful woman in Britain to a very vulnerable women.
The key thing really got my attention during the film was how her memoires where triggered and manipulated by her dementia.

During the film I drew some experiment of different lines and patterns to try and represent her brain patterns. I painted in some block patterns to represent the gaps in her memory and they are sperated jutty lines to show the scattyness. I would like to add these into the some portrait experiments I am going to do ecuase I think it is an imaportant featre in her life , but also it could be an interesting factor to mix with the sterotypes of her.    

 Experiement patterns.

What i want to say about Marget thatcher.

• Powerful women.
• resilient.
• forceful.
• depicted as evil.

I want to show these thing , whilst also fitting with the stereotype that have already been shown for her. The reason for this is that I want to see how I can use my own visual signitre to adapt the stereotypes pace around Margaret thatchers and this evil women. I want to use abstract shapes and lines to build up experimental images to explore this thesis and see how far I can take it until I feel the stereotype is lost. Through this quick investigation in my project I hope to gain a better understanding of the full extent of stereotyping and weather it has to be really obvious like Glerands Scalfs illustration or weather the outcome can still be abstract yet still communicate the same meaning in a more al-berate way.  

Feed back from crit.

Peer Review:
Comment on the relationship between the content and practical responses so far.

• I can really see where the ideas have developed from in the initial stages of image making.
• Nice transition into print and bigger sheets.
• Use of Margaret thatcher is really powerful, I think you should continue to explore that a bit more.  

Comment on the clarity with which the visual responses and theory are connected. How and why dose one process inform the others.

• Transitions from drawing into paper cut and then printing is evident from the start to more resent work. 
• The lino printing in particular , can really see how that idea has moved on from, when you looked at the the Jean Jullien paris symbol.
• Communication of ideas is clearer in the imagery that contains figure/ photocopies but then again I quite like the ambiguity of the prints.

Comment on the visual quality of the practical responses.

• All the finalised images are produced to a high visual quality. Print techniques are obviously working , especially for the subject.
• Working into the prints with different media may help to distinguish one from the other. 

What issues need to be addressed ahead of the submission deadline.  

• Think about what it is you ultimately want to say about Thatcher?
• Carry on doing what your doing!
• Try some bigger sheets of the ones with Thatcher on too, maybe mix with print techniques. 

Overall I am very happy with the feed back, and I think all the points made will be very useful in finalising the project. I am supirsed at the reaction to the Margaret Thatcher images I have done. I really need to foucus on what I want to say or show about thatcher.  I also a happy the prints have gone down well, but I need to re design the eye I think it is not clear what I am trying to do, create a propaganda symbol , for unity.  I needs to be clearer! 

Mono print experiment.

I was able to get into the print room and I quickly cut out some stencils to use so I decided to cut out a very basic eye shape and used the triangles that I have used previously to shape around it. I think that this very quick design really works and having the spikes around the edge make it look sharper. But what I enjoyed most about this process was making the different textures that I was able to make using the roller. Also by not cleaning the plate I was able to build up the layers of ink and scratch into it and make interesting marks.  I would like to try this process again but with more refined stencils , so the image would be improved.

Prints from eyes experiment.

I used lino for this and i think that it worked well as it allowed me to mark make in an obvious and easy way. this line work helped to emphases the shape and also added texture to the images. I prefer the back to the red as I think that it shows the marks clearly and the white of the eyes is bolder , it seem lost a bit in the red. I really want the eye to look sinister and scary but i am not sure weather I have achieved this , I think that i have to a certain extent however I could have made the eyebrows more angled so the looked sharper and more angry. But from this I would quite like to simplify this and see how that works? However they eyes or an eye could be a good feature to use in the symbol I am creating.

Margaret thatcher developments.

I got some new photocopies of Margaret thatchers face and worked into them using black gouache. I like how scary they look and the quick line I created using the paint. But I also like the techniques of scratching into the gouach with my craft knife. I makes the faces look old and sinister but also detiald.The knife end is small so I can scratch nice thin line in. But I need to focus on what I am trying to say about her so I can create more refined designs with focused intentions.

Development in sketchbook.

 I took a photocopy of valdimer putins eyes and painted around them in black gouache. I wasn't sure what i was trying to do , I was just playing around with photocopies and different materials , but I throughout rafter i had done it that it looks sinister and scary. A bit ominous as well , so from this I started to create roughs and develop patterns that could go around the eyes. However  as I was doing this I thought that it would be more impactiful , as it was with a simple plain surrounding background. I want to take this further into print and carry in the development of it from that.

Two types of propoganda.

I have chosen 2 different techniques of propaganda to follow in investigating this topic. I have chosen two from a list of around 50 different techniques, but I think that these two techniques would address this investigation the best way possible.

The two techniques I have chosen are:
Demonizing the enemy: the technique promotes and portrays the enemy for example an aggressive force or a denominating presence that only have wrong believes and objectives.
Fear, uncertainty and doubt: this technique influence the publics opinions / perceptions. It dose this by presenting false information in which undermines the beliefs.

Demonizing the enemy:
 This image demoises Bush as a blood sucking vampire who is sucking the life out of america. The stereotype in this image being the statue of liberty,  as being a obvious symbolising America. But I really like the idea of Bush being a vampire, I think that this makes him look scary , sinister and it is slightly comical too. It is a good use of an identifiable symbol of a powerful country mixed with a supposed powerful figure. It mocks Bush and his hold over America.

Fear , uncertain and doubt:
This images , clearly demonstrates the relationship between Russia and Crimea but instead of using people it uses a predator (the bear) with prey (fish). I think that this make this image slightly comical as it is ironic how the bear is saying that he is saving the fish from drowing ,  but it going to kill it. I think without the help of the text on the animals this image would loose it's significance however having the suddenly makes this image understandable.

5 Types of Propaganda Technique.

Demonizing the enemy:
 'Demonization of the enemy or Dehumanization of the enemy is a propoganda technique  which promotes an idea about the enemy being threatening evil aggressor with only destructive objectives. Demonization is the oldest propaganda technique aimed to inspire hatred toward the enemy necessary to hurt them more easily, to preserve and mobilize allies and demoralize the enemy. 'https://en.wikipedia.org

Half Truth propaganda:
'A half-truth is a deceptive statement that includes some element of truth. The statement might be partly true, the statement may be totally true but only part of the whole truth, or it may use some deceptive element, such as improper punctuation, or double meaning, especially if the intent is to deceive, evade, blame or misrepresent the truth'.https://en.wikipedia.org

Name calling propaganda:
'Name calling is abusive or insulting language referring to a person or group, a verbal abuse'.https://en.wikipedia.org











Stereotyping, name calling or labelling:
' This technique attempts to arouse prejudices in an audience by labeling the object of the propaganda campaign as something the target audience fears, hates, loathes, or finds undesirable. For instance, reporting on a foreign country or social group may focus on the stereotypical traits that the reader expects, even though they are far from being representative of the whole country or group; such reporting often focuses on the anecdotal. In graphic propaganda, including war posters, this might include portraying enemies with stereotyped racial features.'https://en.wikipedia.org

Fear , uncertainty and doubt:

An attempt to influence public perception by disseminating negative and dubious/false information designed to undermine the credibility of their beliefs. 

Artist- C215.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzkDw_zjRxw#t=133- Video showing process and how he takes his work onto the wall or street objects.

C215 is another street artist, but his approach is slightly more representational then say other street artists. He used humans as a main focus for most of his work, I think that he chose this to make it more relatible for people. The expressions and objects round the images tell a narrative and turns what could essentially be a portrait into something much more meaningful.  For example this girl in the image here has a dreamy, daised expression and the birds could represent freedom, so she is dreaming of freedom.

I really like the visual signature of the images too, the faces different parts are sperated by thine lines and the shapes of the lines really help to give the face it's shape, otherwise I think that it would be very flat.  

Books used for ideas.

These books have been really helpful in getting some ideas, but the most useful one is art of rebellion , where I found most of the images below.  This first image was very interesting as the artist has just gone around painting posters and adverts with balaclavas. This gives the image a dark and menacing feel whilst also distorting the original meaning of the image.

Protest and power symbol analysis.

 I have chosen to analysis these symbols because I want to gain a better understanding of them and how they are so powerful.

This symbol was used to represent the Nazi party in Germany. I find this quite a threatening symbol, mainly because of the story behind it but also the shapes used. The sharp square blocks formed in the shape of a cross which denotes and negative symbol. This is surrounded by red which could translate as evil or power. Compare this to the amnesty internation symbol below and there is an imeditate difference in colour , Yellow is a happy colour. But like the cross I find the symbol sinister. It communicate well this feeling of trapped but I don't think that this contrasts well with the colour. I understand that it is suppost to represent hope, However I think that leaving the backgorund white would still communicate this idea.  I want to make a symbol for a resolved image,  I need to remember when I am making my symbol of unity that colour matters but it can also play a key part in communication. But I would quite like to use red and it would be interesting to see if I can make this into a positive colour some how?

The hands.

They have been a symbol that I have used from the beginning of this project and I have used it in the development of this idea. They are a symbols that I thought would represent people but also unity. I think that this comes through. But I have printed them in this way because I wanted to a divide of some kind and this is also why they are in different colours. However I think that the red hands look slightly sinister and could mean several different negative thing like evil or rebellion ?  

Documentary: Exit Through The Gift Shop.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHJBdDSTbLw- Trailer.

This was a documentary created by Banksy but filmed by a and based around a man called Thierry Guetta. He spent years filming the work and process of  several different street artist including , Shepard Fariey and Banksy , but after watching all of these street artist Guetts became a street artist himself  Mr Brainwash.

All of the street artist where trying to say something through there work and by watching this documentary it has made me realise that taking your work out into the street makes everyone see it weather or not they want to, it shows it to a very wide and open audience , compared taking the work to a gallery and it only being seen by gallery goers and it being in an enclosed space. and finally for a personal view I can see the kick street artist get for creating and despalying work, it is rebellious and fun. I also found that there are not many female street artist who are acclaimed WHY?!

Shepard Fairey.

Shepard Fairey is most well known for the Obama poster "Hope" but he did much more propaganda that actually has deeper and darker meanings. This image here is an example of this. What I find so interesting about this piece is the message. The symbol which looks to be the dove of hope is wrapped in chains and has been stamped with an emblem, which look to be of great power. The colours also look very much like the colours used in 1970's propaganda , bold with bold lines and block colours. I think that this poster is communicating that  we are controlled by this power.  That there is not freedom and the powers are in charge. The text on the image is a juxtaposition of the meaning.  The composition of the image is also strong and bold. The lines of sight are direct for example the chains leading to the bird.  Shepard Fairey is a very strong visual communicator and he make sure that his messages are heard and his approach to his work is something that I would want to investigate further.  

'Propaganda has a negative connotation which is partially deserves, but I think there is some propaganda that is very positive. I feel that if you can do something that gets people's attention , then maybe they'll go and find out more.....' Shepard Fairey.  

Margaret Thatcher quotes.

' There can be no liberty unless there is economic liberty.'
'If you want something said, ask a man; If you want something done , ask a women.'
' This lady is not for truing.'
' If you want to cut your own throat, don't come to me for a bandage.'- Margaret Thatcher.

Progress Crit- Peer Feedback.

The breath of the initial ideas produced in response to visual or theoretical research.

Strengths:

• Nice range of differing points.
• Strong research surrounding your topic.
• Like how it's a dark twist on the satirical.

Suggestions:

•  Could try and put the figure onto a scene , more then just a face? try and tip the norm on it's head to show the true message.

The visual investigation and development of ideas in response to the breif?

• Some interesting ideas thus far.
• Nice distinctive style.
• Love the textures and mixed collage.
• Interesting approach to you theme of sterotyping/propganda. 

Suggestions;

• Could try some other media? maybe photoshop.

The visual quality of the developing the work in responce to the brief?
Strengths;

• Good use of textre and repeating pattern.
• effective media.
• pattern and repition works really well, espesically the hands.
• Big pieces.

Suggestions:

• Experiement with other media-maybe try explore 3D collage, making a statement - you could explore by putting your work in certain places.

The effectiveness of the work in response to the set problem:

• Really dramatic work.
• love this dark aesthetic.

Suggestions:

• Add more detail into the prints to explore narratives.
• 
  

The things that worked well where the mixed media approach and the stereotypes of Margate Thatcher as well as the repetition. But also the repetition in the hands, they seem to have a really positive response too.  I need to do more wider research however , I really need to pin down what I am trying to do. To try expand on this I really need to produce a wider range of work. The main thing that I learning by responding to this brief is how easy it is when try to portray people to fall into stereotypes and.........

Margaret Thatcher mixed media.

I have done several of these mixed media experiments using photographs of Margaret Thatcher. From these experiments I wanted to see who the photocopy would work with the mixed media and i think that it dose and well. I have used this image here of her blowing into a breathalyser test and put circles and shapes around her because I wanted the image to be comical and make it look like she was on something. I'm not sure why but i thought it was funny given that she was a uptight , no nonsace kind of women.

I would like to do more experiments like this as i think that they work and with different images on a larger scale I would be an interesting path to go down.

Nazi propoganda analisis.

'I remember Nazi election propaganda posters showing a hateful Jewish face with a crooked nose.'- Jack Stienberger.

  This is an example of this. It is not only the media which outwardly stereotype , it is political parties too. I is interesting to see how far back stereotyping goes and how it had influence peoples opinion. This poster would have made the German people think badly of people who were Jewish as 'he' is sitting on a mound of skulls with a burning city behind his counting his money. this suggests that the Jewish people got rich from killing and destroying , However we now know that this is the complete opposite and in fact the killing and destroying happens to them.

Artist- Ewelina Skowronska.

 Ewelina Skowronska is an illustrator print maker. I really like this piece of hers about gender. It is very abstracts and consists of line, shape and copy to create a college. Even though it is really abstract and the image is hard to read you can make up your own ideas about what the image is communicating and I like this feature , gives the viewer some freedom in the own opinions of the message. I love the colours and quality of line, the rough and Sharpe textures mix really nicely together and make a great aesthetic for the image. It is nice to see the overlapping of the blue and green to make another colour also how it work with the black and white photocopy. a good balance of value colours. I also really like the messy aesthetic of the image and how there is thought into the composition but it still has control within the jagged misplaced look. This method of creating images could be quite interesting when making image for political motives, I want to try it!

Artist- 1970's protest poster.

http://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/america-in-revolt-protest-posters-250116

   This is a protest poster from america in the 1970's. The colour choice for this poster struck me first, bold and bright obviously wants attention but I find it quite and ugly colour, very confuting and daunting. This fits in well with the message of the image of fascist infested, it is sudden. The rat in the background links a stereotype into the infestation part of the message and the fact it is holding a gun suggests an invasion. Imeident visual links so the viewer translates the message in the way the maker wants them too.   But the flag behind the rat is american with a dollar sign in it suggesting that america are only in this war for the money perhaps?  The text however it very hard to read , the composition is poor. I would have the text much bolder and upfront. This combination of colour, image and how they relate to each other is obvious and clever in this image and , even though you have to read into it a bit, the message comes across clearly. The text needs repositioning and made bolder, I feel it gets lost in the image. But there has to be something said for print culture, this image could have been mass produced and spread around, and it has the aesthetic of being made by the people.