Studio Brief 2: Printed Pictures
Final set of 5 Prints

Reprinting the Umbrella Design

 Given the problems that I had highlighted with the last design and the initial prints featuring the woman with an umbrella, I tried reprinting it in a colour scheme that would both work for the individual print and fit in with the rest.

Therefore I made sure that the back ground colour was weaker than the foreground using slightly lighter than normal burnt sienna for the foreground and a pale blue with a hint of turquoise. This created a colourway that was different enough from the others (I had worried it would be too similar to the bike image) but that also worked in terms of bringing out the individual elements of the composition. Unlike previous attempts at printing this image I felt there was a clear distinction between he fore, mid and back ground elements for the image.

Reflections on the Final Set of Prints

In general I have been really pleased with how my five prints have worked out. Through the course of the project I think I have gained a really good understanding of colour for screen print works and that the use of overlays and the decision to print each design in a different colour way has been of key importance to creating a series of images that are bold and dramatic in terms of composition and that work cohesively and clearly as a set.

Furthermore in terms of communication of mood, atmosphere and ideas relating to Murakami's life and work these images have been successful. This is because they all have a clear focus on the mundane, almost forgettable moments of every day life yet have one or more elements that set the image off kilter giving it a quietly surreal and almost uncanny quality. Once again I think colour has been important in reinforcing this as it has been essential to creating/communicating the subdued almost still dreamlike quality that I had wanted from my prints.

The only issue I do have is that, like I stated in the last post, the repeated use of marine life within my images perhaps shifts the focus towards that, especially given the ambiguous nature of the imagery. However I don't think this diverts from the my intent two much as they only feature in two of the five images.

Ambiguity

As with previous work I have done this brief has really highlighted to me the power of ambiguity in image making. Given the vast and often complex nature of Murakmi's work and philosophies I think creating subtly surreal and often ambiguous images has been the best way to try and communicate this and given that much of his writing is quite ambiguous, reflects it well. This is mainly in that it's not always clear what exactly is going on in his writing or my images but that there is something slightly weirder and surreal than what initially takes your attention.