Project 01: My Line is Emo

about the project

To express six different emotions using traditional mark making techniques.

The concept behind this series of emotion panels are based on what goes through my head when I engage in my favourite past time – watching korean dramas.

The methodology for creating these pieces are inspired by Ed Moses who creates his work from spontaneity based on his emotions, and Julie Mehretu, who uses layers and transparency in her work.

A N G E R

M e d i u m : Toilet roll and acrylic paint

C o n c e p t : How I feel when I see injustice done to the innocent by the antagonist

E x p r e s s i o n : The harsh, concentrated clusters of blacks and the uneven textures of ink express rage and anger.

J O Y

M e d i u m : Rubber bands on kitchen paper towel

C o n c e p t : The feeling of elation / bliss when the male and female leads finally get together.

E x p r e s s i o n : The irregular bending of the rubber bands are used to break the uniformity of the concentric circles on the kitchen towel. The cluster of similar circular shapes in this panel represent the feeling of bubbling with excitement.

S A D N E S S

M e d i u m : Instant ramen and acrylic paint

C o n c e p t : When a character I feel attached to dies a tragic death

E x p r e s s i o n : The sporadic clusters of darker and lighter dots represent choking on tears / holding back tears. They also oddly remind me of rain drops that cling onto glass windows on rainy days, which further emphasise the gloomy mood.

S U R P R I S E

M e d i u m : Monoprint using plastic fork, yarn and rubber bands

C o n c e p t : Plot twists because of hidden information or different sides to a story

E x p r e s s i o n : The laced ripples of the paper make the wavy lines more random and unpredictable. The eccentric patterns on the monoprint express an element of surprise.

L O V E

M e d i u m : Acrylic paint on tracing paper + rubber band texture

C o n c e p t : During touching scenes when separated lovers are reunited / when a character sacrifices his life to save someone

E x p r e s s i o n : Thick waves of paint are used to emphasise intensity of affection. The smooth, glossy texture of the acrylic paint is therapeutic to touch, evoking positive feelings. The tracing paper is layered on top of another print made from stamping and flicking rolled up rubber bands. The translucency of the tracing paper reveals some of the texture created by the rubber bands. The intense cluster of inks in the foreground contrasted with the faded blurry splotches of ink in the background further emphasise this emotion of fierce love.

F E A R

M e d i u m : Biscuit packaging + cling wrap

C o n c e p t : Traumatic ordeals that a character struggles with are often repeated multiple times in dramas through flashbacks

E x p r e s s i o n : The repetition of textured strokes represent how fear repeats itself in the head. The gradient from dark to light tones represent the transition from intense anxiety to loneliness and helplessness. The clip wrap used to wrap tightly around the panel expresses suffocation. It also plays with different opacities at different parts of the panel, inciting instability of emotions and paranoia.

 

RESEARCH

Research: Mark-Making

PROCESS

Process: Mark-Making

Challenges + solutions

I struggled the most with expressing “joy“, “love” and “surprise“. At first glance across all my experiments, they all look angry or meaningless to me. I’m not sure why I couldn’t seem to find a way to express positive emotions, I struggled a lot to differentiate the way of expressing each emotion. The only solution I could think of was to keep creating new prints spontaneously, and then interpreting them as feelings and attaching meaning to them afterwards.

REFLECTIONS

I think I may have gotten a little too carried away with using textures and layers to create my panels that I missed the criteria of the brief to keep it a 2D project.

For future assignments, I’d like to remind myself to come more prepared during consults so that I can clarify further on any doubts I may have and be clearer about what I need to deliver.

I also feel that some aspects of my work are still too literal and perhaps mark making with intent rather than spontaneity could improve expressing my work more abstractly.

Overall I enjoyed working on this assignment. It was something new I’ve never tried out before and it’s something I’d like to continue exploring further on my own.

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