The next morning I stepped out into a completely sodden Norwich after a night of solid rain, with tender hopes that perhaps atleast some of my tigers might have survived the night. Atleast it hadn't frozen, but based on how damaged some of the works had been by just my brush alone, I dared not think what a whole night of lashing wind and rain might have done. There was one tiger a short walk from my house on the way into uni, and I was really really pleased to see this had survived, even if it was still very soggy, as it was one of my favourite placements. The monochrome tagging framed my work well, as if made specifically as a backdrop for the monochrome tiger, and also allowed a perfect perch from which the column could rise. I was a bit concerned to see some prominent watermarks running down the image, but for the most part it was quite well preserved. This gave me some hope for the rest!
I had pasted one of the handprint works in a doorway, so knew this atleast would have survived. Some of the corners of the background had peeled away in the humidity however so I tore these back to give a distressed edge and prevent any further peeling or the opportunity for a passer by to rip and deface the work. I really liked the placement of this one as it sat beneath another pasteup by Asone (As1) another Norwich based artist, and was really part of a wider street art context. I hoped this one would remain protected for quite some time, as the others had. Two tigers infront of the Birdcage, one of which was the remaining of the two 3D versions I pasted, had also been water damaged quite extensively, and although this had ruined the 3D effect, I think it was still quite effective as it had obscured the faces of the tigers but left the body of the print fluro pink one in particular largely untouched. The 3D version behind it was now rendered as a short of ghost or shadow of the pink one infront.
Although for the most part it was the red pigments which gave me such trouble, one red and orange gradient tiger infront of Ali Bongos actually worked beautifully and defied the odds despite being quite exposed on the street. It stuck wonderfully to the wooden panel at the bottom, its cracked curved surface making the purfect space for the bottom of the column to grip, and also seemingly emerge from. I also think the deep ridges in the brickwork may have helped this design stick so firmly, but I cannot speak for what made this design resist water damage so effectively. A selection of tagging also provides an interesting backdrop, and the artistically inclined clientelle of ali bongos (which stocks spraypaint in a wide variety of colours) would hopefully appreciate this new addition. 
This pink tiger inside the entrance to a small car park on St. Andrews street was well sheltered from the rain also, but could be likely likely to be taken down I felt by a passerby, as the bottom edge was at perfect reaching height.
As I continued around the city I was pleased to see a great number of the tigers had in fact done ok despite the elements being against them. I hope they would prove their longevity, and that the public would favour them enough to allow them to remain.
I took some high definition photos of these stronger examples, both closeup and in their more general situation, however one recurrent sense I was getting was that they just weren't quite big enough!!
They almost became subtle at such a scale, and especially in pale colours, which made me want to create ones twice as big, so that they could really command the respect and intimidation of a real tiger. I feel like this project could well continue for me, beyond these outcomes. Potentially creating a small series of some even larger tigers, and getting help or maybe even potentially legal permission for a pasteup in a doorway or some other sheltered place, to really ground and strengthen my motif. 
As there were success stories, there were also quite a few pieces which were unfortunately quite water damaged. One work in particular I had really liked was the placement of this handprint tiger next to a crude 'mega lol' tag, which I liked because it satirised the situation, and gave the tiger an anthopomorphic voice in colloquial language, coupled with the politicised and evocative handprinted tiger. Large water tracks had appeared down the image and removed the handprint shapes to some extent. 
The other 3D tiger which I had damaged slightly with my brush outside the norwich art shop was completely decimated when I arrived the next day (see left), and the orange and red one next to it had also taken a bit of a beating. It was so sad that both of my 3D experiments had fared so badly.
It made me consider perhaps having two layers of unstable pale pigments exposed to so much moisture was simply too much for the newsprint to bare, as the 3D ones seemed to take the worst damage overall. It made me unwilling to put any more of the 3D works out, but also made me consider potentially getting some of these high quality scanned and giclee printed at a much larger size, as I also thought they were the most conceptually effective, and this would mean I didn't have to risk any more of the original 3D works, but could still reproduce the same style.
I had not expected it to be such an entirely different challenge when working with lighter coloured pigments from CMYK and greyscale, but was still pleased overall with the turnout for succesful pieces. I edited a selection of these high definition shots into final outcome images for the works (see above and four following images), and was on the whole really satisfied with my placement. I had really tried to put extra consideration into the areas surrounding my works, and allowing the scenery to complement or inform the choice of design, and I think this paid off in series of interesting formats and locations for the tigers. Each piece definitely expressed induviduality and a unique spirit to each animal.I was really pleased with how the tigers themselves look on the street in general. My method of slowly but methodically constructing an image from concept to photoshop, painting then print, really gives these images in particular a certain believability. As pasteups the image works great, as the tonal nature of the artwork allows the material to shine through, relishing in the materiality of the paper and really making this work a worthwhile pasted design instead of for example a stencil. The way it also is able to capture the details in the fur, expression and decorative column is also essential as it maintains the power and realism of the image without paint drips or misprays.
Since I first began pasteups, with my increasing work in screenprinting I feel that it is pushing my images ever more towards the professionalism you see of pasteup artists working in Brick Lane in London. The only thing that needs to come on now is my technical ability on the streets, which will only come through repeated experiences. In light of this, and also the damage a wide number of my tigers sustained, I think I should definitely try to go out again before submission to refresh some of the works, and try to take my time a little more so that less damage is caused. Overall though I would say the first wave of tigers was a success, especially given the current environmental circumstances.
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