Collins Cambridge IGCSE and Art and Design sample

Chapter 12 . Unit 1

Graphic Media

Learning Objectives By the end of this unit you should: • have selected and controlled a range of graphic media, processes and techniques • recognised the use of line, colour, texture and image in graphic art • an expressive and personal response to their work

What is Graphic Media?

Graphic media is often made for printing and reproduction.

It covers a wide range of materials that are commonly used to make drawings and posters. Today there are many new tools such as a wide range of markers and acrylic pens. Graphic work is often made on the computer, or is a combination of digital and traditional materials.

Materials Graphic media are used for drawing and mixed-media work, poster design, illustration, and many Fine Art processes. Images and text are often used together. Graphic media methods and materials include: • lettering and font designs • glues, coloured papers and printed images • rulers and t-squares • scissors, knives and stencils In the example by Niki de Saint Phalle a range of different graphic material have been used. A contrasting balance has been created between black pen handwriting and heavier ink drawings that have been brightly coloured in pencil crayon. A printed blue design of the artists work has also been cut up and glued down to complete the colour section of the drawing.

Photographs and printed material Graphic work often uses simplified versions of photos, to create bolder graphic designs. In the example the colour in the photograph is distracting, so you can firstphotocopy it black and white. Then, the main tonal values, dark, mid and light, can be separated using tracing paer and used for the final design idea where blue is used for the midtone.

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Reflective log Did you enjoy combining text and images? Did the random spaces created improve your imaginative ideas? Could you work like this in your sketchbook?

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12 . 1 Skills activity

Top Tips

Find a magazine image of something you like such as a music band or holiday destination. Cut out parts of the image and glue them across a sheet of paper leaving lots of space. Add writing about what you like about the subject. Fill in the gaps with bold ink drawings. Use strong pencil crayon to complete your work.

Glue sticks are often less messy than a pot of glue for sticking down magazine images You can use metallic and glitter pens for this type of work Always use a cutting mat if you are using a sharp knife or scalpel

Shepard Fairey is well-known for his graphic images. He uses a wide range of techniques including digital imaging, stencil and spray work. Much of his work is printed but this image is painted on the side of a building. His style is very recognisable: using three colours to simplify a complex portrait.

Skills activity Shepard Fairey combined the word ‘Hope’ with a graphic image of President Obama using red white and blue colours.

Choose a word and combine it with a graphic image designed to fit with it. For example, ‘Climate’ could be combined with an image of a storm or a polar bear. Use simple and appropriate colours.

Knowledge check • I can select and control a range of graphic media, processes and techniques • I can recognise the use of line, colour, texture and image in graphic art • I know how to use drawing to choose and compose elements

Key terms midtone – the tonal value half-way between light and dark stencil – card or plastic cut to prevent paint or spray going on parts of a picture Chapter 12: Graphic Media

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Further research

Reflective log

Research these artists:

What sort of photographs and images do you like?

Niki de Saint Phalle – French-American sculptor who also made brightly coloured graphic work Shepard Fairy – American street artist,graphic designer and illustrator

How can you turn them into your own graphic art?

Artist with Impact

Sam Kulavoor Who is Sam Kulavoor?

Sam Kulavoor is an Indian artist who uses a wide range of graphic media. He looks at the everyday world around him for his starting points.

Techniques on paper In this study Kulavoor has used fibre colouring pens. There is a strong contrast between the silhouettes of the bicycles and the brightly coloured advertising logos. He has also left a lot of empty space to allow us to see the abstract shapes of the bicycles. By ignoring the background, we are can see the detail in the image more easily.

South Bombay Odd Jobs shows further use of different graphic techniques. The central black background gives focus to the main image of the stamp-maker. Kulavoor features real stamps in the picture and, cleverly, the colour of the stamps is the reason for the using pink. There is a balance between positive and negative shapes as well as between solid and shaded areas.

Top Tips Graphic materials such as pens, fibre tips and pencil crayons would be ideal for the exercises in this section.

Contrasting black and white with full colour can be very effective. In this image Kulavoor explores the detailed decoration of Indian trucks. The only full-colour used is on the trucks. Line drawing describes everything else.

Skills activity Cut out some brightly coloured packaging design material from an advert and stick it in the middle of a page. Use line drawing with a pen to include people or vehicles interacting with this text image.

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12 . 1 Skills activity What type of activities can you see on the streets near you? Perhaps a car mechanic or street cleaner? Using black and one colour make a simple design that shows different parts of the job being done. You could include words, tools and people.

Skills activity Trace a line drawing of a figure in a dress or suit or clothes. Draw a pattern on some of the clothes and use bright coloured pens or paints to decorate just this area.

Can you see that not all parts of an image need to be in colour, or painted?

Murals Here Kulavoor has painted a large scale mural on the side of a building in Bangalore. The theme is magnetism. All sorts of people and objects are being drawn towards a big red magnet. Flat bold colours are contrast with monochrome shading and detail.

Skills activity Choose a building you know in your school or town.

Draw a simple outline of it and think of a theme for a mural design. Draw ideas for the mural on your outline using changes of size to add interest. If you have time use one or two flat colours to fill in background space.

Key terms positive and negative – contrasting empty and filled space

Reflective log What type of graphic materials have you used? Were you able to contrast colour with line, shading with flat colour? Try to notice how these graphic techniquesare used in media in magazines and web pages.

For further research into graphic approaches search for work by Michael Craig-Martin or Fernand Leger.

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Exploring Media Printmaking Printmaking provides excellent opportunities to explore your use of media and techniques. Once you have made a printing plate, you can quickly explore different inking techniques, as well as ink colours, and paper choices to produce a range of different printed experiments.

Each printmaking process can be time consuming so make the most of your plate. It is useful to take prints from your plate as it is being made. These stage by stage prints will show the development of your work and give you practice in your printing techniques.

Top Tip If you have time, making printmaking tests in different media can provide good alternative ideas. For example screen print and lino cut.

Year 10 coursework: printmaking in red on yellow paper

Year 10 coursework: printing in reverse with pink ink

Year 10 coursework: printmaking in monochrome

Relief Printing Here a relief plate has been used to make three different prints.

Changes of ink colour and paper colour give contrasting results.

The pink image is a reversed print which provides a mirror image of the earlier prints. These examples give the student opportunities to comment upon preferred choices of materials, and any improvements in technique required

Mono printing Mono printing is a very good way to quickly produce a wide range of printmaking experiments.

There are different mono printing techniques. Here sheets of paper have been inked up in different colours. By drawing on the back of the sheets the line is transferred to a sheet of yellow paper. Black, pink and green ink have been used to layer different images. Hand pressure produces random smudges and marks which add to the style of this type of work.

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Year 10 coursework: mono printing EG Yr 10 Coursework pg 16

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12 . 1 Exploring Media Photography & mixed media Photography can use film or digital methods. Unless you are creating an installation or time-based piece of work you will probably be creating prints from you photographs. These can be used on their own but there are lots of possibilities to combine your photographs with other media in experimental ways.

Drawing Here is a street scene photograph with fibre-tip drawing. Yellow marker creates a new path for the pedestrian. Details and structures are outlined in a range of different colours giving the image a graffiti style.

Student coursework: fibre-tip drawing

Student coursework: scratching

Scratching Photographs can be printed with a lustre finish. This glossy surface is easily damaged. As an artist you can use this for creative effects and scratch into the photograph. In this night-time image scratches show the outlines of cars and buildings. These fine lines would be difficult to make in any other way.

Painting Acrylic paints can be used effectively on top of photographs. In this example exploring tribal decoration a processed photograph has been painted on with acrylic pens and paints. The photograph provides some realistic detail which contrasts with the strong and unnatural colours.

Skills activity Find a photograph that you could paint over with acrylics. Choose some bright strong colours and paint over it leaving some areas as the original photograph.

Could you use this technique to develop colour ideas for your designs?

Student coursework: painting on a processed photograph

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