Gouache illustration |
Do I focus on myself or make a move?27.94cm x 35.56cm
Watercolour paints and pen on paper December - 2020 The focus of This piece is to represent the sixth stage of Erick Ericksonn's stages of development which is the struggle between Intimacy and Isolation and the desire to have a intamate relationship. In particular I wanted to the subject to exude a sense of hesitation while still showing a desire for a relationship. |
Planning
Inspiration
Inspiration for this Series in General were the artworks of Ellsworth Kelly (1923-2015) an American artist. Ellsworth Kelly started to create artwork based off of abract shapes he saw in the everyday. I decided to take inspiration from his piece Red White which has ressemblance to the female body and a heart. The organic shape also helped me crate the gesture for the two subjects of the piece. The choice of red as the main color was one tied to themes of love and intamicy in this piece. The symbolism in this piece also inspired by Kelly's techniques ressembles a stopwatch. I chose a stopwatch to represent a race against isolation and lonlieness because we only have so long to find someone to start a life with.
My second artistic inspiration is japanese Illustrator Hirohiko Araki and I took inspiration from a cover he drew for his publishers magazine. I chose this cover in particular because of the two subjects in particular and seeing how i could relate this to the theme. |
Another inspiration for the meaning behind the title was the 8 stages of development by Erik Erickson who was a professor at Yale and Harvard. The Stage focused on in this piece is the sixth stage of Intimacy vs isolation where we search for a romantic partner. We do this out of a desire to care for someone and avoid lonliness.
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Planning Sketches
When it came to the planning process of this piece the first sketch of top was more faithful to the inspiration by Araki but I wanted to expand the scope a bit. To make it more similar to kelly's piece I had the two subjects kind of pose in a manner that would make it similar to the form that's used in kelly's piece Red white. I also changed the gestures of both subjects and tried to make the male subject seem a little bit more hesitant but instead of expressing it through body language similar to what is shown in the planning sketch to the left I decided to put it in the look and his facial expressions similar to the practice faces I did right next to the original planning sketch. I use the final rough draft to focus more on the females expression as well as the male's gesture.
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Experimentation
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One of the elements that was unique to this piece was the use of a compass for four circles that stopwatch. Understanding how to use it was fairly simple but its application was a bit more complex with the requirement to know how big I wanted to make the circle and what positioning I wanted to put it in. To make the circle similar to the one that came up in the end product I first had to make 1 Circle a little off of the center of the page and then expand the compass and use that same point to create a Wider Circle for a easy guide later on when I use the gouache. And for the component on top of the stopwatch I had to do the same process but right on the edge of the paper and connect to the bigger circle. The rest of the stopwatch is fairly simple with the components on top made up of two rectangles and the time marks and arms of the watch being made with gouache and my fine pointed marker.
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Process
I began this piece by using the compass and make 4 circles for the shape of the stopwatch. Then I proceeded with my prep which was making the gouache which consisted of black crimson mixed with white and Crimson by itself as well as a shade of crimson mixed with a bit of orange to create skin tone. I began with transferring the sketch baiae and lightly erasing it. Then I use my process of using hatches on the sketch to use as indicators 4 shaded portions of the piece. From here I applied the gouache with a mostly wet flat tip as to create opacity with the gouache from here I layered up in particular areas of both subjects with the female subject I layered up the goulash in her hair and with the male subject I layered the gouache mostly on his torso. From here I began using my fine tipped marker to outline both subjects and then I marked up the shading on the females dress and moistened up the flat tip brush and used a shade a gray gouache her dress. From here I painted in the stopwatch with black I used my fine point marker for the timestamps on the watch and gouache for the frame. From here I used vanilla acrylic paint to pay in all the areas surrounding the stopwatch. After that I did touch ups with a fine tip girl around both subjects mostly for shading and for any further detail necessary. After that I finished the piece.
Reflection
In my eyes and throughout the process this piece was subpar. The execution of this piece while creating it could have been better one of the biggest flaws that I spot in this piece is that you can recognize some of the lines under the gouache which were from the gesture scratch. All of the gouache application and the stopwatch are aspects that I do like overall I don't feel like this piece reached its full potential. I am pleased with the connection to Kelly's coloration and form with both subject's together resembling the shape used in Kelly's red white. Connections to Araki's work are definitely present and the peace. And finally the connection to Erik Erikson's 6th stage of psychosocial development is there in the coloration. The use of warmer colors and their connection to intimacy and lust help flush out the underlying themes which are the desire for companionship and long-term relationships. Overall although not the best piece in the series this piece does get the job done.
Compare and contrast
Comparisons:
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ACT Questions
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork:
The Inspiration which was Elsworth Kelly had an effect on the composition of my work since i tried to make it similar to red and white
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Almost all of the websites I used had objective views on the piece and stated where they were and their dimensions.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I found out about the sixth stage of psychosocial developement that people will always look for intimacy out of sheer desire not to be lonely.
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme of my research was compassion and the small hesitation we have to avoid it out of fear of rejection or commitment.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I can conclude from my research that people have a drive to seek intimacy to avoid isolation
The Inspiration which was Elsworth Kelly had an effect on the composition of my work since i tried to make it similar to red and white
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Almost all of the websites I used had objective views on the piece and stated where they were and their dimensions.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I found out about the sixth stage of psychosocial developement that people will always look for intimacy out of sheer desire not to be lonely.
What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme of my research was compassion and the small hesitation we have to avoid it out of fear of rejection or commitment.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I can conclude from my research that people have a drive to seek intimacy to avoid isolation
Bibliography
P. (2016, June 16). Ellsworth Kelly Part 1. Retrieved September 9, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-5jBP3ttm0&ab_channel=Phaidon
P. (2016, June 16). Ellsworth Kelly Part 2. Retrieved September 9, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CVI77mwr1s&ab_channel=Phaidon
P. (2016, June 16). Ellsworth Kelly Part 3. Retrieved September 9, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnmwqLsfrSU&ab_channel=Phaidon
P. (2016, June 16). Ellsworth Kelly Part 4. Retrieved September 9, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejxRV_phhcE&ab_channel=Phaidon
“Red White.” SFMOMA, 17 Nov. 2020, www.sfmoma.org/artwork/66.3/.
“Ultra Jump #201201 - No. 1, 2012 (Issue).” Comic Vine, comicvine.gamespot.com/ultra-jump-201201-no-1-2012/4000-404985/.
P. (2016, June 16). Ellsworth Kelly Part 2. Retrieved September 9, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CVI77mwr1s&ab_channel=Phaidon
P. (2016, June 16). Ellsworth Kelly Part 3. Retrieved September 9, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnmwqLsfrSU&ab_channel=Phaidon
P. (2016, June 16). Ellsworth Kelly Part 4. Retrieved September 9, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejxRV_phhcE&ab_channel=Phaidon
“Red White.” SFMOMA, 17 Nov. 2020, www.sfmoma.org/artwork/66.3/.
“Ultra Jump #201201 - No. 1, 2012 (Issue).” Comic Vine, comicvine.gamespot.com/ultra-jump-201201-no-1-2012/4000-404985/.