Experimentation: Ultraviolet Drawing Using A Projector
Because I can't use pencil to draw out the image first, I decided to project what I wanted to draw onto the fabric I wanted to draw it on. I picked a picture of my mum and her brothers when they were younger because I prefer these pictures to any I've taken, there seems to be more value in the older pictures, like they mean more. I think this is because now a lot of photography is digital, it's so easy to take a lot of pictures and I feel like that diminishes their worth and sentiment. People also tend to have older pictures on their walls rather than the most recent pictures, so I think this will work out quite nicely.
I initially chose a smaller piece of napkin but quickly found it hard to project the image in detail at that size. I quickly primed another, larger piece of fabric and this worked out a lot better. I then drew the image with the projection and a printed copy as my guides, it took a little while but eventually it got there. It's hard to create shades with the invisible pen so the picture is more of a line drawing than anything else. I'll also be the first to say it's not my best drawing and I'm very out of practice. I think a simpler image with one subject may work better and that it was a little ambitious of me to pick one with four people in.
I think the best part is the two simpler drawings of my uncles at the back and to the right of the piece and then from there it just went downhill. The drawing of my mum is just awful and I was tempted to cut it off, I think I drew her features and hair terribly, my classmates were being particularly loud and disruptive so I know I wasn't concentrating properly for this portion of the drawing; looking back I would have stepped away and resumed when I was more focused. Alas, I didn't and the result was that half of the picture - at least I've learned and in the future I'll keep coming back to it when I can focus. However, it's still definitely better than trying to draw freehand in the pen and it still looks invisible under regular light so it works out. I just need more practice.
