Mobile Mockups (Part 1)

Thinking through the mobile, I had several questions to tackle:

1. How to connect the line (fishing line) to the frame?

2. How to connect the art to the fishing line?

3. How to build the frame?

4. What material should the art be placed upon?

5. What media should I use to fill in the panels?

   
   

   Today I focused on questions 1, 2, 4, and 5. Trying to avoid wood working until I know how the full size of the mobile will shape up.

   
   

   First step is to further test and troubleshoot the translation of the paint by number to the Mylar. This involved some rearranging within the studio. My modular easel tables (12" x 30") which had made a linear shelf against the back wall for painting upon, were reconfigured for this task. I moved them to the center of the room, and placed the trellis frame I had made earlier in the year on the two tables and then placed a stretched canvas on one end and foam core on the other. This gives me a 36" x 60" working space that I can walk around. The studio couch was moved out to the living room so I have space to store the previous painted grid paintings.

   
   

   With a space to puzzle over connections and assembly, I returned to exploring the translation of the paint by number onto Mylar. Worried about sheen, I had Gessoed one side of a 12" x 12" sheet of 10 mil Mylar to see if it would take pencil and help with cutting the pieces into smaller squares. It worked! The surface now holds pencil, and I started numbering the shapes to correspond to the three tones in the painting.

   
   

   

   pencil test on gesso washed mylar

   This study hit a small setback soon thereafter. Sharpie and Gesso aren't friends. When the Gesso is applied before the sharpie, it draws the moisture out of the subsequent sharpie by drying it out within a few strokes; the Sharpie mark was not as smooth and then eventually became fully inhibited by the powdery Gessoed surface below. As I lamented this new development, I took a deep breath to regroup and decide between starting completely over or evaluating where I am at so far and what is working. So is the nature of exploration. Sometimes slowing down and taking stock can help you see potential side shoots, even if it deviates from the original "plan."

   
   

   

   two sheets of Gessoed Mylar layered atop each other

   Loving the linework on the 10 mil Mylar, especially when two sheets are layered on top each other, creating a terrain map of sorts. This could be really cool as a black and white mobile. This is definitely another avenue to pursue for a mobile at the front of the exhibit. But the size of the cells need to be absolutely the same size- a logistical challenge as the 12" x 12" sheets aren't really 12" x 12", and to cut true size means waste of half of the material. Putting a pin in this observation to address another time.

   
   

   Feeling better that all dead ends, aren't necessarily dead ends, but opportunities to redefine the problem, I took a deep breath and returned to the gesso/ sharpie failed mixture. What happens if I paint over it? Since some paints have inherently different levels of transparency, this could be something to work with- taking cues from how different sharpie colors had varying levels of transparency. I chose Van Dyke Brown for its opacity and tonal similarity to the first sharpie square, and then Rose Gold for its warmth like the reddish tone, sheen, and translucency of the previous sample. The paintbrush still had blue in its bristles from another painting's touch up and I liked how the cool interacts with the warm tones. The color appears to be a bit richer than when it is applied to canvas, the light coming through the 10 mil Mylar interacts with the color also.

   
   

   The third test of color application, eliminated the sharpie altogether, and applied a gesso wash, then a layer of pencil outline to guide the paint areas, and finally acrylic paint on top. Strange results. These panels modulate their color saturation based upon angle of view. The paint appears highly transparent though it was applied thickly to the Mylar when placed vertically, as the stroke and texture become more dominant than tone and color. But when placed flat, and viewed on a skew the color appears dark and saturated. The texture reminds me of Lilian's later works, where the paint is so thick it adds a third dimension to the surface of the painting.

   

   Three different material methodologies: Upper corner- Sharpie on Mylar, then gesso and light paint to enhance; Bottom Right corner- Gesso wash, some sharpie, then thick acrylic paint over; Middle three- Gesso wash, then pencil, then paint on top.

   
   

   Future study may try making a mirror image of the paint by number template, Gessoing the back and applying pencil to the back and then sharpie and paint on the front for a deeper color. The method may be informed by the final display intent as a suspended cell is less saturated than a cell placed against a solid background.

   
   

   Moving onto another question for the day- the construction and assembly of a landscape mobile!

   Drumroll-- It appears that magnets for the mobile will work! I am using 1/2" diameter ceramic magnets on either side of the 10mil Mylar panel and sandwiching the fishing line to the piece itself. (see next two images below) This holds the art in place without requiring me to puncture or pierce the surface of the material. Which means the individual cells within the mobile can displayed in many different ways- either in mobile, or within a frame. And I can rotate the panel 45 degrees if I want. This methodology will allow the art to be reconfigured in multiple ways and the mobile itself to be assembled and disassembled to deal with space constraints for storage and transport.

   
   

   Next was how to attach the mobile cables made of a high tension fishing line I picked up from Dick's Sporting Goods. I wanted to hold the line taught at the top and bottom of the mobile, but also be able to remove the line or shift it horizontally within its frame or loom. After sketching many pages in the sketchbook, it seemed that a button at the top and the bottom of the line could be a good way to tie off the line itself and use as a connection that could be flipped to slide through a slot in the frame and then flattened to hold the work in place, similar to how a button pulls one surface of fabric to another on a shirt. I envision doing this on both ends, but am holding off on the full test until the frame is made.

   
   

   To help each column rotate, I plan on using fishing lure spinners, a suggestion from my good friend Carolina! I also may wait to test that part out until I have the frame built.

   
   

View from back of one panel with fishing wire and magnet

View from front of mockup with magnet and fishing line. Note the color loses saturation in the vertical display

Rearranged studio to make space for mobile making

Breaking down complexity into little mini mockups and tests helps focus my time and identify issues quickly and test out solutions before starting on the whole work all at once.

What I learned today:

Sharpie and Gesso impact each other: Sharpie on Gesso destroys the sharpie, and gesso on sharpie bleeds and erases the line.

Sharpie under paint adds depth

Applying two tones of line on either side of the Mylar builds depth.

Mylar sheets, the 12" x 12" are not 12 x 12 but instead 30cm. Instead of 4 tiles per sheet I may only be able to use 2, with considerable waste. Not really how I want to work.

Cutting Mylar without visual reference is very challenging- gesso is needed to even see the pencil mark.

Magnets yes!

Buttons yes!