4rt-tr4

[4rt-tr4]

I forgot to update my progress on adding pages and finishing the backing during making the book so now that it is finished I thought I’d add it in.

Adding pages:

I forgot to take photos of this prosess however it was pretty simple. When I ran out of pages in the book I cut some paper to size and sewed two or three pages together in the center. I then took those sections and sewed together the threads on the outside of the folds so they were secured together.

After that I glued the last page of the book to the front page of the new section. This really bulked up the book. Because the front was so heavy at some point close to the end the book snapped, so it had to taped together. As you can see below.

Adding the back of the book and covering the spine:

Once i reattached it I thought it would be a good idea to cover the spine and ad the back to prevent more snapping. To do this I attached the back cover the same as I did the front. Then took a piece of thick painted paper,cut it to size and to the front side of the book. When that side was drie I did the same to the back half.

Backing and binding my book

Because the book I am using is kind of old, the spine was a bit damaged and I had to rip out a few page. I did this early to save it falling apart later on, when I was ripping them out, the book began to come apart a little and Knowing I would be adding in thicker pages and what not I decided to take off the spine and split the pages up into chunks.

I then covered the front and back cover in fancy paper

As you can see in the photo I removed the covers to wrap easier then secured it one to the front page of the first section of my book with tape and then later a layer of paper for neatness.

The front cover after being backed

I left an edge on both the front and back for when I come to bind it.

[4rt-tr4]

J U N E 10 T H 2020 D A Y 087

This is the last page in the book. I decided to stop here as the book was getting rather large and with lockdown being eased I decided it would be a good idea to end here and possibly make a second book if and when there is a second peak.

This page was meant to be an almost happy ending with worrying undertones. The images above are of the little booklet I attached to the page about changes in lockdown rules my worries and a recreation of the poster for public transportation.

This advertisement was found in a news paper. I thought I would use it as it is unsettlingly happy.

[4rt-tr4]

J U N E 9 T H 2020 D A Y 086

Today I went on a walk to marsden beach with my family. It was rather quiet as it was cold but I still enjoyed it.

The three hearts on this page were cut out of paint that had peeled off the old life gard building.

Though I do not think this page is very good I really love the texture of the paint and the colours.

[4rt-tr4]

J U N E 8 T H 2020 D A Y 085

Today was my dads birthday I couldn’t celebrate it the way I would usually. This piece was meant to be like framed photos however the main one is an abstract piece using the number 13 three times. I did this as it was his favourite number.

I actually like this bit of the painting as a stand alone piece.

[4rt-tr4]

J U N E 7 T H 2020 D A Y 084

Drawing and a poem.

These pages are in response to the increasing feeling of insanity (hopefully) due to isolation.

[4rt-tr4]

J U N E 6 T H 2020 D A Y 083

Today there was a Black Lives Matter protest in Newcastle. This was both in person and online. Because I was scared for my health and that of my family I attended the online version.

This page was inspired by the social media black out. I was going to try and paint grays monument on the left hand page but decided to leave it blank incase I messed it up.

[4rt-tr4]

J U N E 5 T H 2020 D A Y 082

This page was meant to be reminiscent of a graffitied on wall. However I don’t think that it is a very good page as I didn’t have a strong idea of what it should look like.

[4rt-tr4]

J U N E 4 T H 2020 D A Y 081

Today Sunnys dad came up to see him in the garden. He looked through my book and asked to sketch shomething for me to refine. He him self is an artist. When he lived with my mam he taught me a bit about painting. I decided to go with a rather graphic style as he is a comic book guy.

This head is sorrowfull. He is worried. I think the eyes show this well. I think the colours work well and though it is rather messy I feel it looks good.

[4rt-tr4]

J U N E 3 R D 2020 D A Y 080

I found this poem in a book of 19th Century poetry and took a liking to it. Though I am not really fond of the decoration of the page I think this poem is rather lovely.

Days - Philip Larkin

[4rt-tr4]

J U N E 2 N D 2020 D A Y 079

Diary entry / collage

‘As of late I have been sleeping far too much... or perhaps too little. My sleeping pattern at the start of this was actually getting better. Now I have reverted to staying up until around two/three in the morning and not getting up till two noon.’

[4rt-tr4]

J U N E 1 S T 2020 D A Y 0 7 8

These pages are in response to the re-opening of primary schools in areas across the uk.

Today some schools are set to go back with the vast majority of parents saying they will not be taking there child.

School House

Medium: acrylic paint on paper

Overall I am really happy with how this piece turend out. I wasn’t really sure where I was going with it other than I was going to base it on my old school building. I think it ended up being something better than I could have planned. I am really fond of the use of colour and line even though the black lines make it look very flat.

[4rt-tr4]

M A Y 31 S T 2020 D A Y 077

Everything thing is feeling messy

Medium: acrylic paint and felt tip pen on paper

These pages were almost painty doodles. The first one in particular as i had been using it to test out colour and pens. When I got to it I thought I could either use it or cover it. I rather liked it so I decided to use it as a background.

I like this piece as it is vibrant, upbeat and cheerful but the message doesn’t have the same over all feel. It’s a rather dressed down way of looking at what is going on, ‘messy’ is an understatement. when contrasted with the right hand page I think it makes the colours pop a bit more.

This is a close up of the painting on the right hand page. I like the close up more than I like the full page. I also think that though I do not like this page as much as the left; I still feel the painting convays the feeling of the text ‘everything is feeling messy’(in context to the feelings around the situation) better than the piece that is accompanying it.

[4rt-tr4]

M A Y 30 T H 2020 D A Y 076

Diary entry type page

‘I hope that when we come out of lockdown things may have changed for the better. I am not sure I want things to go back to Normal. I don’t think that normal was working.’

[4rt-tr4]

M A Y 29 T H 2020 D A Y 075

This piece was partially adventure painting and partially a portrait. First I made the paper to paint on by pressing it to an other piece I had freashly painted black. I then looked at the print and made out a face so tried to use the marks from the print to map it out. Then went in with my paint pens and refined it.

Static

medium: acrylic paint on printed on paper.

This piece almost reflects how I feel. I thought I’d name it static as it reminds me of the pins and needles feeling or static on tv.

[4rt-tr4]

M A Y 28 T H 2020 D A Y 0 7 4

Collage/diary entry

Medium: book pages, acrylic paint, oil pastel and biro.

This page was meant to be representative of reading and how it is almost an escape. It also addresses the current situation with the #blm movement as I have decided to use the time I would spend reading for fun to educate my self on black issues and how to be an ally.

I am very happy with how this section came out though the writing is a little hard to read. The painted section was done rather experimentally so I am please with how well it turned out I tried to just build up a face or image with various layers and then refine it. I think it would have worked better with thinner black lines or perhaps a dark blue instead.

[4rt-tr4]

M A Y 26 T H 2020 D A Y 072

M A Y 27 T H 2020 D A Y 073

I decided to post these two days together as the 27th carry’s on from the 26th

These pages are in response and meant to represent the protest and riots that broke out due to George Floyd’s death.

For these pages I drew a scene from the protests and then one from the riots. I think the first drawing went a lot better as I did it in pencil first the second I tried to do all with the paint pens and it doesn’t look very good.

[4rt-tr4]

M A Y 25 T H 2020 D A Y 071

#saytheirname : George Floyd

Today in America another black person lost their life to police brutality. This insolent was caught on camera by a bystanding black woman, who had to watch unable to intervene for her own safety as a man was killed in front of her. She watched him cry for his mamma and his life and videoed the man who held him to the ground. She videoed the cops who stood by and let it happen. She videos him as he shouted

‘I can’t breath’

She did what she could. She showed the world. And we are angry. This man did not have to die.

This may not have anything to do with lockdown but it has been all I have thought about today. In a time when people are hiding away to survive and fighting to live; those meant to protect us should not be killing people in the street (or anywhere). So though it is not lockdown related it is happening now. It is part of this time and I choose to represent it as it means a lot to me.