Final Post- Symbols/Media Literacy

This was the best print out of the four final prints I did. I choose this one because I really like the spacing. The figure is centered rather nicely, but not too perfect. I didn't want to make the figure too big, because I wanted the symbols to represent him and be bigger than him. I feel like my intensions came across rather nicely, the figure is smaller than the logos.
          Some habits of mind that got me to this dark. nice print was patience. When rubbing off the excess oil before I wasn't patient and ended up rubbing out a lot of the oil in the etching. In this print, I took my time and very carefully rubbed off the oil. This longer process was rewarding because the print was nice and dark.
      Also, more about my spacing; at first the logos were on the edge of the paper and there was a lot of space between the figure and the logos. I didn't like that and closed the logos in almost as if the figure is suffocating in what he represents. They wrap around him like a blanket, something that he can't escape.
     The most interesting part of this piece is the simple yet complex scenery. The logos are very complex and colorful as the figure is very plain and simple. These opposites coming together come off very interesting to me.
     I choose to do an etching because the lines are very sharp and clear. I can clearly and easily draw whatever I wish. I also tried using normal paper but the water bath messed up the logos and the paper wasn't flat. OVERALL, I really enjoyed this project because I got to experiment with oil, the printing press and stereotypes. The printing press gave me a lot of trouble early but at the end I felt more comfortable with it and was able to really convey what my intensions were. The oil was hard to work with because it was hard to rub off the plastic, it was time consuming but taught me patience which is crucial in art.
     My intensions were to convey an image where logos are bigger than the figure. I wanted the viewer to see the logos first, then put the pieces together and see the different sides of the figure. My initial research was mainly experience, I dived into print making early and experimented with everything. I explored craft a lot, I tried multiple techniques and oils with different pressures on the press to see which one produced the best print. If I were to do this again, I might try something different than an etching. I would like to challenge myself and use an impression. It would be difficult to carve the way I envision it but it would be fun. I used my artistic voice my stereotyping and making generalizations. I feel my piece has power and has meaning to it. The double-sided figure has power and conveys two types of people and what they represent. It is important that my piece has meaning. I know this if someone could argue my piece and say it is wrong. Then I know my piece is powerful and has different opinions.