Welcome! To my blog.

Hi you! Welcome to my DMU student blog as part of my long and grievous journey through Researching and Recording Digital Arts program. I hope you will like my work and find it inspiring, just as I learn new and interesting techniques in art and photography by browsing through materials. 

I can't wait to share my findings with you!

I'll be posting all my school projects here on a regular basis, so feel free to leave your feedback, share your thoughts, and get inspired!

The dance of death: the old woman. Vault 2022

One of my favorite forms of art is woodcut, whether as a picture or even as a tattoo. It is one of the oldest known printing techniques. Woodcut 'is a technique for creating prints, woodcuts (invented in ninth century China) predate engravings. In Europe the earliest woodcuts, stamped on textiles, date to the thirteenth century. Production became more commercially practical with the advent of a reasonably cheap supply of paper.' (History of Science Museum, n.d.)

The creation process is not just a simple step; it requires skills like drawing and good manual mastery using gouges. Two popular ways of creating woodcut art are 'one common technique is to draw the image directly onto the wood block and then carve away the areas that are not meant to be printed. Another technique is to transfer the image onto the wood block using a transfer method, such as tracing paper or carbon paper.' (Jerwood Visual Arts, 2024)  

One of my favorite artists is Hans Holbein the Younger (1497/8 – 1543). Born in Germany, he spent some time in northern Italy, France, and England. During that period, Hans produced woodcuts and fresco designs as well as panel paintings. Later, he returned to England, where he died of the plague in London. Hans was considered one of the finest portraitists of the 16th century. Holbein's famous portrait of Henry VIII is available to see at the National Portrait Gallery in London. 'Holbein was a highly versatile and technically accomplished artist who worked in different media. He also designed jewellery and metalwork.' (The National Gallery, London, 2020)

Good quality artwork looks clean with contrast. It could be multicolored, but let's be honest, it looks better in monochrome. Old, 16th century art has that specific style and 'soul' that sets it apart from modern pieces.

References:

History of Science Museum. (n.d.). Woodcut. [online] Available at: https://hsm.ox.ac.uk/woodcut [Accessed 9 Jan. 2025].

Jerwood Visual Arts. (2024). Woodcut - Definition, Examples, History & More - Art Techniques and Materials Glossary - jerwoodvisualarts.org. [online] Available at: https://jerwoodvisualarts.org/art-techniques-and-materials-glossary/woodcut/#Techniques_for_Woodcut [Accessed 9 Jan. 2025].

The National Gallery, London (2020). Hans Holbein the Younger (1497/8 - 1543) | National Gallery, London. [online] Nationalgallery.org.uk. Available at: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/artists/hans-holbein-the-younger [Accessed 9 Jan. 2025].