I have stumbled upon some anatomical studies I’d made in the past (though I never dated them) and thought to archive them in some form, and after much thought I decided to share them on this blog.
I am in the middle of coding a website for personal use, where personal art, and studies may find themselves catalogued in the future. (Who knows?)
These types studies aren’t of the usual subject matter I post (these being of the macabre in nature) so I have decided to share them behind a ‘read more’, so you may view the artworks as you please. The content are anatomical studies of bones and organs of a rodent and a cat, respectively.
This piece is a drypoint made using a plastic-y white card and of course, black ink on white rag paper. I used a photocopy of a palaeontology textbook as reference for the subject. I don’t remember the book I used, but the etching is a study of a prehistoric rodent. I made only a couple of prints, since the material I used – card – can only be cleaned and inked up so many times in this printing process. You’re more likely to see drypoint etchings using sheets of perspex or copper, and those materials last much longer. (Eventually, all plates will break or wear out from use.)
Etching into white card, it was a little difficult to see my own mark making. (Almost going in blind-folded.) I have used copper and perspex before, but the former is the easiest to etch into and see what you’ve marked. I made sure to make use of the plastic-coated surface of the card by leaving ink in places to make up for the very slight marks on the plate. You can see the ink didn’t press in all the way in this print. But I still think it’s a nice piece.
This piece is ink and watercolour on 250gsm white paper. It’s a study of the innards of a cat. The original image I referenced is also lost. The reference image was a photograph of a laser-cut cross-section of the animal. Ink and watercolour are straight-forward mediums to use. (I don’t think there is a ‘wrong way’ to use ink or watercolour, just different ways to use them.) My only gripe is how long it takes for the layers of paint and ink to dry, but I know not to rush. The colours’ tones bled together very well. This is actually part of two experimental studies. I had painted a dog, facing the opposite direction, but I have misplaced the piece.
Since I still like these studies and they are art pieces in their own right, I may make mini prints of them in the future. I don’t think too many folk would be interested, but I’d like to see how best to make prints out of my analogue art.
DESIGN WORKS 
These pieces are very interesting and define the essence of the subjects..the prehistoric rodent and the cat still ” feel” like the animals they were. I guess position/ posture conveys recognisable traits that we associate with both. Your etchings were certainly worth all the time they must have taken. I think the rodent would make an interesting note card design. The cat is very good…it reminds me of anatomical art in books i found fascinating in our local library growing up.
Going back to the rodent i was momentarily transported in my thoughts to the children’s cartoon series and books ” Funny-Bones”. They were skinless..fleshless and i found them very entertaining.
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As always, thank you for sharing your comments and thoughts.
Yes, I know Funnybones.. by Janet Ahlberg and Allan Ahlberg… I could read them easily because of the repetition. I also liked other ‘spooky’ (not spooky at all) books with ‘simple’ illustration like Meg and Mog by Helen Nicoll and Jan Pieńkowski.
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