Portfolio
The works below have been created for my fall semester advanced drawing class. I hope to explore a variety of topics and themes that are significant to me or inspire me to create art.
Terra Forma Artwork–
"Discovery"
This piece is based off of a Terra Forma card activity where we had to base a piece off of the image on the card and the base of a question. My question was, "How can I use the galaxy to explore scientific discoveries in my drawing using prismacolors/colored pencil?" My theme behind this drawing was the connection between the science we have discovered, the principles that we have proved and understand, and the elements we have yet to discover. I depicted a galaxy in the goggles of the scientist because that is where our efforts are usually focused towards: looking to the future of science and technology. Our current and past inventions hold nothing against it, and it's why the goggles are in full color while the rest of the drawing is black and white. As a society, we are so concerned with exploration into the unknown that we forget the dangers of science; it was a theme that was introduced to me in the school's production of "Radium Girls," and it applies well to to this artwork as well.
Dreams and Nightmares–
"A Walk Through White Orchids"
My piece depicts a crying girl in a white dress in a scenery of orchids, but something malicious reaches out to her. The white orchids and dress are meant to strongly contrast the dark background and emphasize the presence of the lighter elements. I used a BIC pen for this drawing, and experimented with multiple methods of shading to create certain aspects of the piece, such as the hands. The theme I tried to convey was loneliness: the white represents the purity in isolation, and its ability to heal a soul in a way that company sometimes cannot. The gnarled hands are meant to show that despite its blissfulness, loneliness leaves one vulnerable to getting inside their own head and putting themselves in a more dire situation than the one they were distancing themselves from. One of my goals was to create imagery that made the reader feel like they were in a dream; the main focus was on the girl and the foreground rather than any kind of background, similar to how a dream may have one main focus with little importance to small details. Creating a solid background helped with this. In general, I'm proud of how this piece turned out; I had trouble sticking to a concept at first, so I'm glad this idea worked out.
Remix Heroes/Villains Character–
"Moonblade"
Our objective for this unit was to create a character that was a remix or inspiration of other heroes and villains. I chose to create a hero which goes by the identity of Moonblade; her name is represented in the symbols on her clothing, like the crescent on her headband and the arcs on her shirt, as well as the curved sword she is holding. I stuck primarily to dark purples and lighter yellows in her design because they are often colors associated with night and the moon, respectively. I did all of my work digitally, and I used this opportunity to explore different methods of shading and adding extra elements such as text to make the artwork appear even more like a comic book cover. My main inspiration for this hero and her origin is the idea of taking circumstances into one's own hands and shaping your own destiny. Many superheroes gain their abilities as an accident; Peter Parker didn't expect a spider to bite him, and Bruce Banner didn't intentionally turn himself into the Hulk. However, Moonblade doesn't wait for an opportunity for life to change, but takes action on her own to protect others by creating her own weapons and providing them to targeted groups of villains to help them protect themselves. Her willingness to jump to the aid of others is what I aimed to show in my drawing with her stance, but I still feel like there is more that I could have done to convey this idea. Overall, I am content with how my piece came out; I had a lot of different thoughts about where to go with this prompt, but this was one of the first I had and it worked out really well.
Figure Drawing/Remix Artwork–
"A Screaming Mind"
Our objective for this unit was to create a figurative artwork as well as incorporate themes and techniques from two other famous artists/pieces of artwork. I chose to "remix" The Scream by Edvard Munch, including some elements inspired by Straightjacket by Simon Birch. Using oil pastels, I wanted to replicate the theme and techniques of Munch's work with a much more modern environment. My inspiration behind this work was the anxiety of having no inspiration to start out with; this piece was my final for my advanced drawing class, and when I had no ideas to start with I felt extremely frustrated and anxious. After studying up on The Scream, I found that Munch's own message was similar to my own, and that the painting was, as he called it, a "soul painting". He describes in a diary entry about his emotions that he heard the scream of nature; in today's world, I envision it as less of one of nature and more of the pressure and expectations created by society which is quickly developing with technology. That is why I chose to add details such as doors in my piece. Birch's work explores using bold color and geometry to compose figurative work. This isn't exactly what I did, but it was a method that inspired my choice of medium and overall approach to using it.
