Week Nine | Trace Narratives

I have almost completed my concertina sketchbook where I am experimenting with my first resolved trace banner or narrative. Having begun the idea of mark making as a visual narrative since my painted banners at CASS last year, this is a trial for my larger project of creating a 1.5x10m trace narrative.

The sketchbook is disappointing quality and I feel the materiality could be significantly improved upon. However the drawing elements have been revelatory with liquid charcoal, pastels, conte crayon and lots of other drawing tools contributing passages and building a visual vernacular.

Practical considerations for the larger project are largely around where to do it and how to roll up the bits I have already done to make space for the next section. Being winter it is much less easy to work in the garden or outside somewhere. I can’t do much about that. I could work at home, I will just need to start and see how it goes. I notice I am a little apprehensive about starting, as it feels such an ambitious project: I am not worried about it failing, all my previous attempts have, I suppose I just feel nervous excitement about such a large drawing.

I am mindful that the bleach drawings aren’t resolved and I feel I should resolve them as another piece of the jigsaw puzzle as I organise my thoughts moving towards the larger drawing.