After the critique, I worked on a couple of areas:
-Improving the shadow
-Changing the form of the fish to portray a more dead look
In addition to changing the form and the orientation of the fish, I also used a cooler color palette using greys, greens and blues to give the fish a deathly pallor.
Some tonal and composition studies
Edited some images in Photoshop to see how the light and shadows worked.
Study copy for both compositions.
Photographic reference image
Helen Shideler
Foo Kwee Horng- Reference for fish on a plate
Study of reflections
Study of shadows
For the final submission I had two ideas- to paint an image of a forest as it was one of the very first things we learnt in class, I wanted to see if I had grasped the knowledge of painting trees. Secondly an image of a dead goldfish on a plate, with a symmetrical composition almost like those religious paintings as a representation of what second year in product design has been for me. Reflecting on the past year, I identified very much with a fish out of water, floundering and struggling to pick up an entirely new set of skills. Gasping for air as I try to figure my place here, struggling to breathe under self imposed expectations as well as the lies of comparison.
