Gelatin Prints

Artist Statement

The subject of this creation is a gelatin print I made first, with tentacles added around the edge. I made it by rolling in onto a gelatin slab and then adding some straw and a piece of a streamer on top of the ink and stamping it. I then used ink pens to draw tentacles around the edges an then some graphite to add some subtle shading. I chose to create it this way because I really liked the organic look of the string patterns and the paper wrinkles, so I wanted to keep it rather organic, and I also really liked the concept of it being some sort of monster, so I combined the two to make this.

I used formal balance in this piece. We were supposed to center the print, so I did, and then I felt as if I wanted this to look like some sort of scientists' study gone wrong ,or like a lab test of sorts, so I kept it centered and minimalistic, but still eery. My project evolved because I was shading the tentacles one way, with the lines taking up most of the space and not shading much, and it wasn't quite what I wanted, so I changed and did a mix of that type of shading as well as stippling with a very small pen.

As just mentioned, I envisioned this as a scientific experiment gone awry, so I tried to make it kind of spooky. It relates to my life because I have been on a long trip of trying to figure out what I like to draw and create, and I really enjoy how this project turned out. I like to draw creepier things, and I like the way the print leaves the viewer with some questions because most of the monster is still hidden. If I could make it stronger I would add more to the piece. I ran out of time and so I kept it pretty minimalistic. But I think it would be stronger if I were to add more shading, definition, and just more. But overall I'm pretty fond of the piece.