Landscape/Markmaking Studies.

For this project, I decided the best way to start off was to take some landscape photography, and roughly trace it in Photoshop, using a Wacom tablet. I have previous experience using a tablet with digital software, I found it easier to use than other conventional methods due to being able to erase and undo quickly. The cityscapes I traced from featured different locations of Sunderland, depictions of the bay walk and the tower blocks near St Peters campus, the varying styles enabling me to experiment with mark-making, perspective and scale.

The large scale paintings were a continuation of the photoshop traces, using a combination of acrylic and permanent marker pen, the thicker line made me less afraid of error because of how bold it was, error was crucial in order to give the piece a more natural feeling. My experimentation with acrylic paint was to see what role colour and brush strokes played in the landscape, how it enhances the mood and emotion of the piece, the blocks of colour mimicking the geometric shapes normally associated with print.

Overall, I think these studies have really shown me what painting and mark-making has to offer for me and my practice, and I will definitely be incorporating the methods I have learnt throughout this project.