Plastics

The plastic is the plastic I used in the scanograms. I used the quick selection tool to trace around the objects to then copy and paste them into a new document. I have collated a range of plastics to work into my final designs. This is so that I can raise awareness of this global issue, which is plastic and its single uses. The most harmful plastic is probably the plastic bag because turtles eat them because they look like jellyfish. Also micro plastics are dangerous because they are being passed down into the food chain, to humans.

Scanograms and Cayanotypes

 

I printed this scanogram onto acetate so I could create a cyanotype with it.This is how the cynaoytpe came out before it was washed.
After the paper was washed, the blue is lighter.
Once the paper was dry some of the plastics are darker and some of the plastics are lighter.
This is a glitch scanogram I created by moving my hand across the scanner bed, with plastic bottle caps.
After the cyanotype process you can see the glitch on the paper.
The blue and white makes the image less visible. It is harder to tell that the design is of a hand and plastics.
I layered both the scanograms together to see what the outcome would be. The background is a lighter shade of green compared to the previous cyanotypes.
It is hard to see what the image is, apart from a few bottle lids.
I don’t like the appearance of this because you can’t really see the plastics, although you can slightly see the glitch scanogram.

Cyanotypes

 

These are cup lids that I found. Even though I kept the conditions the same this cyanotype has a darker background.

This is how the cyanotype appears once the paper has been exposed to the light.

Once the paper is washed and dried, this is how it appears. This is one of my personal favourites as you can see the light passing through the straw.
The paper is creased because the vacuum extracted the air out of the machine to improve the cyanotype process.
This is my favourite because you can see the text on the bottle. I like this cyanotype the most even though there are blotches on the paper.
I primarily used bottle caps for this design and I might work with bottle caps in my final designs because they will be the easiest to select, as they are a simple shape.

For this cyanotype I rubbed the paper when it was wet to create this distressed look. I prefer the background in the top left corner. I have used a plastic transparent knife and spoon. I like the thin light blue line that is formed around the edge.

This was created by exposing the light sensitive paper to the sunlight. The objects I used for this are: a dummy, a lighter and a rubber glove. I prefer the appearance of the cyanotypes inside instead of outside. This is because the blue isn’t as dark and the outlines are more messy and distressed.
This cyanotype came out with discolouration to the white parts of the paper.

Scanograms

 

I have experimented with a variety of techniques to create the best background possible. Through this process I think that using the black cloth created the worst effect. This is because the scan picks up the creases in the fabric and it is very difficult to remove them. Also the weight of the fabric moves the objets around the scanner. This is frustrating when I have arranged the straws in a specific order and the fabric moves them on top of one another. If I was to do this again I would use a black felt instead as this absorbs more light and it appears darker.

For this experiment I increased the exposure to see whether or not it made a noticeable difference. It did and I don’t like the outcome so I won’t use it for my future scans.

I also decreased the exposure and it made the darker plastics harder to see, so I will change the levels in Photoshop to enhance the white.

I scanned the spade by itself because it would make it easier to copy and paste later for my final designs, compared to parts of the spade being covered up by other plastics. Also the other plastics were mostly wrappers and straws with bottle caps, therefore this is a random find. I might not use it towards my final design, depending on what plastic I decide to use.

I have experimented with moving the objects in the scanner as they are scanning. This creates an interesting effect, however I won’t use this towards my final design.

The scans look best by not using the cover to the scanning bed. The background is a darker shade of black, which I prefer. However the background shows the reflection of the light off of the scanner lid. In order to make the background pitch black, I can alter the levels to enhance the colour and make the background darker.

 I have attempted to recreate the scan in the style of Mandy Barker, although she is a photographer, her design process is a mix between photography and manipulating the objects in the form of movement. This has been inspired by a project in her series “Penalty”, although this wasn’t successful. If I was to do this again I would use the scans I have collated and resize them as well as duplicating each layer a multiple of times to create the appearance that there is more plastic used.

For the scanograms I have experimented with a range of techniques, influenced by glitching and Mandy Barker. For my final designs I may use some of these scans towards my posters. Although most of the images won’t be used.