Acrylic Lift Breadth Projects

Part OneAP 2-D Design Photography

Mary Bailey Thomas, InstructorForsyth Country Day SchoolLewisville, North Carolina

Acrylic Lift ProjectThere are many methods of transferring your images to non-traditional photographic surfaces. This project explores using acrylic matte medium to lift off the image from a xerographic copy or laser print of a digital or film image.As an artist I often want to “play” with an image I have previously printed to create a new piece of artwork. Sometimes I want the image to create an emotional pull on the viewer, other times I just want to help the viewer see a different viewpoint , or to pause and ponder the meaning of the piece. This assignment is meant as a challenge “to think outside of the box” of our traditional photographic works for the Breadth Section of the AP 2-D Design Photography Portfolio.

How I learned to Create Acrylic Lifts

Back in the “dark ages” (1977) while attending High PointUniversity Dr. Allen Thacker of the Education Department hadall the future teachers take a “Media and Methods” coursebefore graduating.Since most public schools in the 1970’s did not have thenecessary equipment to produce overhead transparencies wewere taught this method of creating our own transparenciesusing acrylic matte medium.

Acrylic Lift Technique• Select one of your images to transfer to a surface.• Make a xerographic copy of the image, or scan it into the computer and

print a laser copy of the image.• Use a soft brush and acrylic matte medium • Paint alternating layers of the matte medium:

– Paint a layer of horizontal brush strokes across the copy– Allow the layer to dry before applying the next layer. – Paint a layer of vertical brush strokes onto the image and allow to dry.– Continue this process until you have 5-6 layers of matte medium on

the image– Allow the coated image to “cure” for 4 hours or overnight

• Place the coated image face down in a pan or tray of cool water for about 5 minutes

• Using your finger gently rub the backing paper off of the coated image; I find that circle motion brings the best results.

“America’s Pastime”, Brendyn Gronewoller, Senior 2007-2008AP 2-D Design Photography, Copy of Analog Darkroom Portrait onto canvas with scanned and printed page behind the image, baseball cards and painted baseball.

" I knew I loved you before I met you; I think I dreamed you into life“, Kalen Rearden, Senior 2007-2008

AP 2-D Design Photography

Acrylic lift images on canvas with collaged tissue and magazine words.

TitleCatherine Rice

Senior 2007-2008

AP 2-D DesignPhotography

Acrylic Lift ontocanvas with

crumbled, burned paper, paint and

hand-writing.

“The Best Love”Catherine Rice Senior 2007-2008AP 2-D Design Photography

Acrylic lift on canvas with crumble, burned paper, paint and writing.

Details of Catherine Rice’ Acrylic Lift

John Mutton, Senior 2007-2008, “Beauty & the Beast” ,AP 2-D Design Photography

Lifted Image onto canvas with collaged images.

Ryan Wallace, Senior 2007-2008 , AP 2-D Design PhotographyAcrylic lift with color added collaged onto foam-core board with color

photographs and dried corn husks.

Detail of

Ryan Wallace’s

Acrylic Lift

SebiPrandoniSenior

2007- 2008AP 2-D Design

PhotographyAcrylic

Liftonto

Plant Potwith

paintingunderneath

Sebi’s Analog Silver Gelatin Print

Kyle French, Senior 2007-2008, AP 2-D

Design Photography "Climbing Up”, Lifted Image onto wood with

painted text.

Detail of “Climbing Up”

Acrylic Lift by

Kyle French

Kristen Hardesty Senior

2007-2008AP 2-D Design

Photography Acrylic

lift onto

canvas with

painting and text,

“Power of Prayer”

Shea VoglerSenior

2007-2008

“No Place Like Home”

AP 2-D DesignPhotography

Acrylic Liftonto

canvas withnewspaper,

film negative roll and text.

Devin Sloan, Senior

2007-2008“Desolation”

AP 2-D Design PhotographyAcrylic Lift onto

sheet metal with text, nuts and bolts

Devin’s Straight Silver Gelatin Print

Matt Rotroff, Senior 2007-2008, AP 2-D Design PhotographyTraditional Silver Gelatin Print

Matt Rotroff, Senior 2007-2008, AP 2-D Design Photography“ Sea Cliffs”, Acrylic Lift Project with Dripped Candle Wax

Critiques of Acrylic Projects

We use a variety of critique formats. We used a short format for this projectas all three levels of photography (Photo I, II and AP) had projects up for thiscritique. They were given four questions to answer for each project assigned.All critique notes are then used by the student to compose short statementsas homework assignments, saved as word documents and then emailed tothe instructor’s email address for grading. Keeping up with “paper” is achallenge for me and this method ensures each student that send the work inon time received full credit, no confusion as to when it was turned in and alsoeliminates, “Ms. T I know I gave it to you!”When I am able I then copy and paste all the comments for each student andsend them to each student with the critique comments being anonymous. Ihave used the “sticky note” approach when I know I will not have time tocompile the answers. Several seniors last year showed me they had kept all thecomments written about their work over their three years in photography!My students seem to really grow from this process, both from the observing,writing and then the reading of the comments of their peers.

What really stands out about this work?What do you really like about it?" What could be improved in this project to make it even more successful?List the strongest (3) art elements and (3) principles of design that you see in this work of art (use the chart as a reference tool).

Devin Sloan , Senior 2007-2008, AP 2-D Design Photography, “Desolate”

Photo II student’s critique of Devin Sloan’s Acrylic Lift:

The unity and originality of the piecereally stands out in this work. Heobviously put effort into how to use hismedium and took it to the fullest extentin proving his talent and creativity.

I like how it looks rustic and almostvintage in appearance. He made apossibly bland subject into somethingdefinitely worth looking at and thinkingabout.

My suggestion for improving his projectwould be if he tried different angles inwhich to take the picture or ripped theedges to add even more age to it.

The strongest three art elements in hiswork are Shape, Space, and Value. Thestrongest three Principles of Design areBalance, Unity and Harmony.

Part II

Acrylic Lift Mixed Media ProjectsPhotography II Class

2007-2008When we have a critique all three levels of Photography

Classes at Forsyth Country Day School participate. My Photography II Class asked to do

the Acrylic Lift Project afterseeing the AP 2-D Design Photography Student’s Work

Amy Lewis Photo II

Photo Acrylic Lift on Canvas with text, art, rings and lace

Catie Maloney2007 – 2008Photo IIPhoto Acrylic Liftwith Sand Dollar, Starfish,Dried Flower, andPoem on Canvas

Catie Maloney, 2007 – 2008, Photo IIDetail of Photo Acrylic Lift

Masha Block, Photo II, 2007 – 2008, Acrylic Lift, “Sisters for Life”Text, Ink, Paint, Rose Petals on Canvas

Masha Block, Photo II, 2007 – 2008, Acrylic Lift, “Israel” Newspaper Clippings, Acrylic Lifts and Paint on Canvas

Masha Block, Photo II, 2007 – 2008

Details of Acrylic Lifts: “Sisters for Life” and

“Israel”

Lindley BattlePhoto II

2007 – 2008Acrylic Lift

Text, Music Score, Paint, Ink and

four photo acrylic liftson canvas

Lindley Battle, Photo II 2007-2008Details of Acrylic Lifts

Sean D’SouzaPhoto II, 2007 – 2008Acrylic Lift on canvas

with spray paint

Sean D’SouzaDetail of

Acrylic Lift

Nicole MarksPhoto II

2007-2008Acrylic Lift

with seeds, shells, starfish

and paint on canvas

Nicole MarksPhoto II

2007-2008Detail

ofAcrylic Lift

LeWynn NewsomePhoto II

2007-2008Acrylic Lift with

Poem,Silk Flowers& Petals, Leaf on

Canvas withPaints

LeWynn Newsome, Photo II 2007-2008, Detail of Acrylic Lift

Students were required to use their photographs

from darkroom projects, digital images or old family

photographs for this project.

This acrylic lift was made from a laser print of a scanned

black and white photograph my father developed and printed while we were

stationed in Cuba in the 1950’s.©Mary Bailey Thomas

“Sis, Mom and Mary at the Cuban Beach”Acrylic Lift on canvas

hand-colored collaged withsewing pattern pieces and threads.

“Women in the Arts Grant Exhibition”Keenan Art Institute at the NC School of

the Arts, April 2007