For my final body of work for my Art and Design Degree I have been exploring the impact of time on people and memories, how it shapes our thoughts, fades and wears our photographs and leaves marks and lines on those who survive.

I wanted to create backgrounds for my pencil drawings that echoed the textures and tones of the past. Fortunately for me I was offered a workshop as part of my course that demonstrated the traditional method of combining ‘rabbit skin glue’ (actually very strong gelatine) and white powdered chalk to make a gesso to prime and prepare surfaces.

Rabbit skin gesso has a long history in classical painting. It is made by heating rabbit collagen to create a natural glue and when this is mixed with the whitening it creates a wonderfully smooth and absorbent surface. Traditionally it was used to prepare wooden panels for oil painting and walls and ceilings for frescoes, but I found that painting it onto paper produced an incredibly tactile surface that is both fragile and enduring – much like our memories.

I applied several thin layers to the paper using a soft brush to minimise the texture of the brushstrokes, and allowed each one to dry thoroughly before applying the next. As the layers built up the texture became slightly uneven, giving the effect of a dry, smooth plaster wall. No two pieces came out the same.

When they were dry I cracked the surface and introduced charcoal powder into the resulting cracks which increased the vintage feel of the surface.

As the layers are built up I have included ‘secret’ layers of photographs underneath the surface. The surface itself responds perfectly to the graphite pencil marks. It offers a really fine line which allows me to translate my emotions into my lines.

It’s going to be really interesting to see how my drawings turn out on the surface – it’s exciting to use a technique such as this that gives an incredible variety of results. Just waiting for the happy accidents that all artists and makers love (and sometimes hate …)