SliceDigital Illustration
November 2016 |
This piece zooms in on implied line and violent value to shock a viewer as well as create a sense of involvement in the piece in that interpretation is a huge part of what the piece is about. The title, Slice, coorelates directly to the red line and invokes imagery of swords as well as blood and wounds.
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Planning
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I've always been a huge fan of anything Japanese really, especially anime and manga when I was younger. Since I have gotten older my tastes have matured and I do still enjoy a fantasy but I've gotten much more involved in more classical Japanese art. An artist that I discovered that popularized the ukiyo-e movement in Japan is Hishikawa Moronobu, and the simplistic lineart but fluid figures and implied action is what especially got my attention.
Ukiyo-e is a style of art from Japan that was popularized during the 17th century utilizing painting as well as printmaking; however it is still very well recognizeable in the 21st century. The main staples of a smooth line and fluidity/movement across the piece which may seem rigid at first glance drew me into this movement. Another piece which inspired me to create the art above is by Tsukioka Yoshitoki, who was considered to be one of the last great Ukiyo-e artists of his time. |
His piece, Fukami Jikyu Challenges the Moon inspired me with the use of a very simple composition yet an almost surrealistic dreamlike landscape. The piece appears rough yet also clean and refined, which gives me a sense of contrast from the piece.
I've been having this consistent idea of implied imagery, and hidden meanings. I especially like the motif of identity, and what people normally think of when they hear the word identity is a face, then they put a name to it. I got stuck on this idea of a mask shaped like an unrealistic version of a fox's face; to me, it symbolizes cunning and hidden without giving away too much. This idea also transfers to Japanese art in that a fox is seen as undesireable. My planning sketches, shown to the right, obviously incorporate these ideas not only of implied line but of the foxface imagery as well.
In the end, I knew I wanted my final product to not only be a symbol of hope for the future, but an illustrative reproduction of what my high school experience has been like and how I've overcome social challenges in my four years in an extremely overwhelming environment. |
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Process
My planning sketches transferred to my final pieces quite well; not drawing exactly proportionately as well as cut off body parts made the whole process easier for me.
I started by using a layer on Photoshop for sketching out what I wanted for my drawing. I used a very thin point brush as well as an alarming color (red) to create the sketches. This helped me flesh out my final piece in that I wanted it to be something shocking but simple. After the sketch was completed, I took a thicker brush as well as used black on a second layer over the first to create a smoother line and a more refined look. However, I kept much of the brushstrokes in the hair as well as the eyes to draw attention to the identifying features of the figure. I made the clothing basic and white on purpose; this draws more attention to the piece itself.
The first image shows the subject holding up a mask shaped like a fox while having their back to the viewer; this symbolizes shame in the subject's real facial identity. The mask removal also symbolizes shame in that even having a mask in the piece is a physical entity for the subject to hide behind. This motif of hiding transfers to the idea behind the piece in that in my own personal experiences, I felt as though I needed to hide who I was and wanted to be in order to see my dreams through. Once my piece was complete, I reached a revalation, although, that will be discussed in the reflection. In the first image, I really wanted to utilize the idea of implied line to create a dramatic effect with color. I played around with brushstrokes as well as color to create the effect that I wanted. Finally, after experimenting with colors and direction of line, I settled on a red, curved, and tapered off line. This implies movement as well as a passionate emotion. Red is a shock color; and this was exactly the implication that I wanted to create.
I started by using a layer on Photoshop for sketching out what I wanted for my drawing. I used a very thin point brush as well as an alarming color (red) to create the sketches. This helped me flesh out my final piece in that I wanted it to be something shocking but simple. After the sketch was completed, I took a thicker brush as well as used black on a second layer over the first to create a smoother line and a more refined look. However, I kept much of the brushstrokes in the hair as well as the eyes to draw attention to the identifying features of the figure. I made the clothing basic and white on purpose; this draws more attention to the piece itself.
The first image shows the subject holding up a mask shaped like a fox while having their back to the viewer; this symbolizes shame in the subject's real facial identity. The mask removal also symbolizes shame in that even having a mask in the piece is a physical entity for the subject to hide behind. This motif of hiding transfers to the idea behind the piece in that in my own personal experiences, I felt as though I needed to hide who I was and wanted to be in order to see my dreams through. Once my piece was complete, I reached a revalation, although, that will be discussed in the reflection. In the first image, I really wanted to utilize the idea of implied line to create a dramatic effect with color. I played around with brushstrokes as well as color to create the effect that I wanted. Finally, after experimenting with colors and direction of line, I settled on a red, curved, and tapered off line. This implies movement as well as a passionate emotion. Red is a shock color; and this was exactly the implication that I wanted to create.
put some junk here |
The second piece was a little easier because the first sort of naturally led into it. To create progression and connection between the seperate entities, I copied the layer (which was seperate from the rest of the black lineart) with the red brushstroke and put it off to the center right of the canvas that I had created. This helped me with proportions and making sure that my second piece was not too asymmetrical versus the first piece. After that, I created a new layer and put it underneath my piece. It was easy to sketch out the second piece using my planning sketch as a reference. This second piece also was going to use the motif of implied line much more than the first piece; it is almost forced upon the viewer. This makes the implied line imply a violent change or shift, which in physical form can be seen as a weapon. The strange positioning and flow of the body makes it seem as though it is a continuation of the previous piece and a completion.
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Reflection
The final piece's sense of movement as well as progression between the two seperate entities forces a new vision upon the viewer. The implication of a fake identity being removed as well as a physical application of this implication relates to my social expectations. Those expectations are what inspired this piece; I thought that if in my personal life I could appear sly, like a fox, people would want to be my friend and think I was mysterious and cool. I was very wrong in that point in my life, I was discovering my place in the world and through art I think I've been able to find where my true feelings lie as well as a healthy way to express those feelings. While there is lots of pent up anger in my heart (which explains the implied violence of weapons as well as the color red) I truly believe it's much easier for me to focus on what I need to do as well as calm myself down when I have art around me or in my life. My mask in real life has been broken already, but the feeling of completion that comes along with physically and violently removing something so important and draining from my life only helps me continue along in the future.