first view of final images

it takes a lot of error

Since the price of gas has shot up to over $3 a gallon I didn't really have a choice to go and "rent a cabin by the hour" back in hocking hills. So I did the next best thing and wasted a lot of Polaroid film trying to find the perfect set up in my apartment. [During this whole process my roomie wasn't home. I had to clean the entire apartment so that the process would run smoothly. By the time I got everything set up... the apartment looked worse than it did before she had left... once she got home she didn't believe that I'd actually cleaned :( .]


First I tried to "recreate" the back lit feeling that the hocking hills shots had but this time with a 5'x7" light box... the results were too clinical and I didn't like them.


So I went and borrowed some hot lights from Mr. Bobert which worked much better [although they didn't give the same feeling as the hocking hills shots, the images became solely about the aprons and possess... so I was just as happy].


The mini-fridge became my work table. I experimented with 2 new types of handmade Japanese printmaking paper. This paper once wet became VERY delicate. Out of the 2 colors the white was unusable because it stuck to the negative rather than pulling the image FROM the negative. The best results came when I added 2 stops of time to my metered reading, blotted/smoothed the paper once with the cheesecloth like material, pulled apart the film right away, and rolled the bottle of rum over the negative/receptor combo in one direction 10 times.


*notice all the used flim beside the work station/lighting set-up*


It DOES take a lot of trial and error. The images change as they dry and if the damn camera loosens from the tripod mount you will get very frustrated. Warm water is good... so is warm air... not having the air-conditioning on the past few nights has been good for the transfers... not so much for me. One good thing about error though is that I have more tests for stitching.

where the idea of the aprons came from

They are fragile and delicate.
Some [aprons] I've acquired through thrift stores, some were my grandma's, some I made.

As I ironed the piece of fabric I am brought back to the lower farmhouse one summer, making homemade doughnuts with my cousins. We had to pose for a picture once we were done to send to my aunt in DC. I assume it was her recipe or something like that. I just remember my grandma yelling at my younger cousin to smile. He wasn't happy to be making doughnuts. My grandma didn't want my aunt to know.

Although they [the aprons] specifically are not about me, I feel connected. The aprons are a symbol of the strength of women in generations past, women who gave their entire lives to those around them. They are a physical link to a much simpler time now past.

thoughts after the in-process crit

Today was my in-progress critique. I brought in examples of the different types of stitching and the failed transfers. People aren't sold on the hand stitching and DEFINITELY aren't appreciating the idea of encasing the transfers in resin. Some advice about the stitching: possibly using black and white Polaroid peal apart film instead of color [using the thread to add back in color to the image] and minimizing the stitching itself. About the background: no one minded the paneling but preferred less of the lights and more of the actual apron in the image. A few chuckles were exchanged with the thought of attempting to "rent a cabin for a 2 hour time frame." I think I will have to make friends with some of the freshmen in the dorms who have a similar set up in their rooms as the cabin rooms. All in all I just need to get this project done. :)

it wasn't the film... it wasn't the film

After my trip to hocking hills and the first Polaroid transfers I'd ever done that didn't work I did some research. What I found out:

- black and white film will not work for emulsion transfers [I want to try anyway]
- my hand-made Japanese printmaking paper will work just fine
- pull the film apart as soon as you can get to the paper [receptor]
- IF IT IS TOO COLD the dark areas of the image will not adhere to the paper [receptor]
- use a hairdryer to help adhere the darker areas if you cannot get to a WARM PLACE to create the transfers

I'm glad the answer was out there and that I don't have to pull my hair out next time I go to make the transfers.

helpful sites:
Polaroid's transfer directions
Image transfer direction/tips site

a trip to hocking hills

Part of the photofamily decided to go to hocking hills for a bit of a vaca from the city... so we could get some work done. :)

I found the most perfect set up for my apron shots in our cabin.






The only problem was that the none of the transfers worked. I tried different pull-apart times for the emulsion, different moisture levels in the paper, and different lengths of time the negative would be left onto the wet paper. As far as we all could figure it was the batch of film I had.

Below are a few of the different tests.








... so yep... i'm pretty darn frustrated...

hand embroidery can be fun

I find it funny that one of my close friends called me an old cat lady the other night. Not because I am old or because I have a cat... because I don't... I was called an old cat lady because while watching an intramural softball game I whipped out my Polaroid transfers, needle, and thread and started embroidering. After the cookout we had I brought it out again. *Note to self: [alcohol + needles might not be the smartest thing... being angry + needles not so smart either].


Just learning a few fun stitches

A few more fun stitches I did while listening in photo theory class :)

The back of the old bus Polaroid transfer - blue = test stitching

I thought that stitching onto paper/through emulsion would be much more difficult than stitching fabric because paper is unforgiving... but it seems to be the exact opposite. You can pre-poke where your needle should go and the material is a lot stabler than fabric. My mother brought up to me that when I first learned how to use a sewing machine I used paper templates rather than fabric because of the stable nature of paper [as compared to fabric].

EMBROIDERY HOW TO WEBSITE

working towards an end

about a week ago i went to Linworth, OH















i found a really neat stack of books on hobbies.
















one of the books was on needlework.
















it was perfect for my project... so for 3.95 i bought it :)
















it seems a little bit easier to follow than the website i found on embroidery... so my skills should be in proving drastically... @ least let's hope.

SUBMITTED PROPOSAL

For the final I am going to be creating 5 to 10 Polaroid transfers with the large format camera. Each transfer will be of a different apron. After creating the transfer I will hand sew on the images, adding back into them color and texture which is lost through the process. Since sewing makes the paper/emulsion so fragile, once I am satisfied with the image I will encase it between a piece of wood and a resin-like substance [liquid glass] for protection. The then plaque like images will be placed each in their own velvet envelope. :)

Some things I see being challenging for this project include: having to create the transfer on the spot, incorporating hand sewing into the emulsion successfully, and using the liquid glass. In the past the Polaroid transfers I have made have been through the Daylab with slides. When shooting I am going to have to be very organized. Everything for the transfer process will have to be ready before I click the shutter. I haven't hand sewn in ages... but it's like riding a bike. There will be much trial and error I am sure. Finally using a blow torch to harden the liquid glass should be at least interesting. If I show up to class with no eyebrows... all will know something went horribly wrong.

Through this imagery of aprons I am hoping to show the beauty of domesticity. My grandmother was always wearing an apron... but there are no photos of her in one. She was also always sewing. I have a quilt she made for my baby doll one day out of the blue because she realized it didn't have one. My mother can tell you whose dress or pants or shirt each of the little squares making up that quilt originally belonged to. There is something so wonderful about traditional women's hand crafts. Through these precious objects I hope to convey that thought.

beginning note:

this is to suffice as my journal for your class Jamie. i will post all of my ideas/findings and pictures of the fun i have attempting to have my final project come out just as planned. at the least this should be very entertaining. :)