From experimenting with unconventional media and reputation vs. expression through my drawings.

What I have been trying to do throughout this project, is to push the meaning and boundaries of what a drawing really is.

I have been using different types of media to get uncontrollable surprise results from what my hands would usually produce, because I am not in control of a certain media does this make it a drawing as I have no intent in the final outcome? Why experiment and push these boundaries? For a start, experimenting with different unusual medias come benefit by finding interesting outcomes that you would never get before, it can improve creative thinking and confidence during the process, or even show that your previous skills are the skills that you should stick at as other medias could be scrapped as they are not up to scratch, this may be a disadvantage because of time wasting, however your knowledge and I understanding of drawing is clearer and fuller. By also experimenting with the actual process instead of the media also in an unconventional way can also stimulate new outcomes and and understandings, such as drawing without looking and drawing by holding only end of the pencil.

When it comes down to drawing vs. expression I feel that I have got a whole new understanding that drawing should be more than a representation, such as my previous style below.

From reading on Collingwood’s theory during lectures, I do believe that a drawing should have more embodiment and expression in the suitable time and intent of the work, rather than a clear mirror image that again could still be used in the correct place that may still be a work of art, but lacks in feeling and a connection through the artist and the work and the artist with the viewer and the viewer with the work. From expressing more in my drawings I feel that I have developed my own style to relate to my embodiment during the process. All this linked together has built up on my knowledge of understanding myself and my work more. I will continue to further my understanding by building up on this experimentation throughout the rest university which will also benefit my actual subject area, textiles, and stretch creative meaning throughout my work.

What am I trying to do?

So far, throughout these lectures and tutorials I have been drawing to assist my theoretical understanding of drawing philosophy and what it really means.  I have been concentrating on the understanding of the facts of representation verses expression, abstraction and performance, and also personal embodiment in my work. I have been using a range of processes to produce drawings in relation to these aspects.

Using my previous style of drawing in more  of a representational drawing and stretching my own understanding of my style and pushing my confidence with these new drawings that I would not usually create. I drew different versions of representation and expression  next to each other in comparison in a way that I understood the theory of Collingwood.

Practicing performance and use of materials in an unconventional way is another boundary I have been pushing throughout my drawings. This in terms of using bleach as an unconventional way. Bleach is something that is very hard to control and not always a known outcome occurs. Not drawing with a pencil or pen asks whenever anything else is really a drawing.  Another way I have been adopting this theory is by drawing without looking. This links in with the expression vs. representation aspect. By looking we are only seeing not feeling. Here is were the embodiment relates as I have also been involving myself through my drawings by feeling the materials and using my hands to make the marks and also my feelings, involving my actual mind and thoughts processing this into drawings.

Throughout all this I feel I need to create a hypothesis for my work to build upon –

Are there really certain types of drawing or does it all come under one category?  How can we really define a drawing? How far can this definition be stretched?