Project 3: Ego

The Caterpillar and Alice looked at each other for some time in silence: at last the Caterpillar took the hookah out of its mouth, and addressed her in a languid, sleepy voice.

‘Who are you?’ said the Caterpillar.

This was not an encouraging opening for a conversation. Alice replied, rather shyly, ‘I — I hardly know, sir, just at present — at least I know who I WAS when I got up this morning, but I think I must have been changed several times since then.’

‘What do you mean by that?’ said the Caterpillar sternly. ‘Explain yourself!’

‘I can’t explain myself, I’m afraid, sir’ said Alice, ‘because I’m not myself, you see.’

‘I don’t see,’ said the Caterpillar.

‘I’m afraid I can’t put it more clearly,’ Alice replied very politely, ‘for I can’t understand it myself to begin with; and being so many different sizes in a day is very confusing.’

— Alice in Wonderland, Chapter 5

Alice, from Alice in Wonderland
Alice, from Alice in Wonderland

A pity Alice’s conversational partner was the Caterpillar, because she would have found a more empathetic listener in me. I often feel the same way, and find it difficult to describe/explain myself.

1-2

What is it about me that was both constant and distinctive?

____ + ____ = Me

2-2
Exploring the first equation
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Exploring the first equation #2

I eventually chose the pun, because puns are awesome:>

Joy S7 My sisters and I

Joy + s = My sisters and I

I had intended for the last panel to be ‘Joys’, as in multiple Joy-s, repeated all over the box. However, I while looking for more images, I stumbled across an illustration of three bird-girls by Clare Shrounder (https://clareshrouderillustration.wordpress.com/) and I just had to use it! The illustrations are beautifully drawn and are cute and quirky at the same time. The latter description really suits us. That said, I also decided to change the last box because my sisters massively influenced who I am today — eccentricities and all.

Joy is usually synonymous will ‘happiness’, ‘delight’, hence the brightly coloured background, since bright colours like yellow, orange, light green and pink are colours that are full of the zest of life. However, my parents intended it my name to be more than just that, so I wasn’t named ‘Happy’. What sets ‘joy’ apart from ‘happiness’ is that ‘happiness’ is circumstantial, whereas ‘joy’ is not. ‘Happiness’ is temporal; but true ‘joy’ –eternal. Thus, I included various darker patches, made by the confluence of far too many colours, to represent the times/situations that are not so pleasant in life. Even so, Joy is still there, with her arms out-stretched and a big welcoming smile on her face.

Converging lines were used to bring attention to the ‘S’ in the centre. I used blue because bright, warm colours had too much energy, and my friends generally commented on my personality being pretty ‘chill’. Chill meaning cool and relaxed (I hope they didn’t mean ‘icy’). Hence the cool blues.

For the same reasons, the last box has the same background as the first box. The opacity was lowered to bring attention to the three bird-girls stacked on top of one another. The one on top is my oldest sister: the bossiest, the fountain of exciting ideas, and the de-facto leader; the one in the middle is me: the youngest and therefore most taken care of by my wonderful sisters, with spectacles because I’m still studying; the bottom-most is the second sister: the really nice one, dependable, and knows how to look after people. She is at the bottom because she is most down-to-earth of us three, and also because her other two sisters (older and younger) love to tease her <3

Moving on to the second equation:

____ – ____ = A better me

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What aspect would I eliminate to improve myself?

E2 Clear PrioritiesHesitation_FearE2 Step in the right directionClear priorities – Fear = A step in the right direction

I used a split complementary colour scheme for ‘Clear Priorities’ so that the yellow of the star would stand out against the purple and blue of the background, hence making it clear that the yellow star is the main subject of the composition. The blue path recedes into the back, leading the eye to two other yellow stars, one smaller than the other, to represent ‘clear priorities’ through the hierarchy established by scale.

Fear and hesitation is in black, white and grey; a colour scheme that can represent hopelessness and oppression. The image is made by warping rocky cliffs (fear of heights), and the negative white space forms what looks like a path that seems to lead somewhere, a place that is not know (fear of uncertainty).

For ‘A step in the right direction’, I kept the colours simple, just black and white. Though similar to ‘fear’ the texture is different, reflective of how this ‘better me’, although free from fear, is someone who knows that they are there, and is a person who was empowered by conquering her fears. Hence, the texture is predictable (vertical lines), and now the path is straight instead of curving off into the unknown. The front view of the feet indicates a confidence in knowing where to step, thereby incorporating the ‘clear priorities’ aspect of the first box.

Next, the third equation:

____ x ____ = An ideal me

5-3

pause

Wait for it

Steven Pinker is awesome

pinker_3
Attaching a name to a face: Steven Pinker

Yup

Owl 1 E3 Heart and Care copy E3 Well-rounded individual

Intellect x Heart&Care = An ideal me

The reason for the huge ‘PINKER’ in the process book is because I’ve been reading The Language Instinct, written by (you guessed it!) Steven Pinker. It’s really a very interesting read, and had hooked me from start to finish (okay, not that I’m done reading it. I’ve got 2 chapters left. Such a pity…). It’s not an easy book to read, especially since I have no background in linguistics. Still, it’s so good that instead of giving up when technical terms pop out, lazy ‘ol me would actually take the trouble to go and search for more information before reading further.

Crazy, I know.

But still, the whole linguistics field is drop-dead interesting. It’s such a vast field; and is all about what we humans were born to do — communicate. Okay, I should stop and get back to the post.

Anyway, have I already mentioned that Pinker is a brilliant mind?

Back to the post now, seriously.

The owl is the subject for ‘intellect’. Think Athena, Goddess of Wisdom (partly why the shield is in the final box). The colour scheme is monochrome pink, with purple for the darker tones, in honour of Pinker who (did I mention?) is a brilliant mind. Geometric shapes (triangles) make up the form of the flying owl, giving the owl the appearance of a finely cut diamond. The various facets represent the many, many, many intellectual fields one may pursue –linguistics, science, literature, music, etcetera. The triangles ‘fly’ in from the wings, up and curve down to seemingly become part of the jigsaw of the head; much like how we learn: incorporating what we learn into our heads.

Still, what use is intelligence if one doesn’t know where/how to use it?

The next box is Heart/Care. I couldn’t really choose one over the other, since both are so inextricably linked (I feel), and thus decided to portray them both together. What other colour is more suitable than red for heart/care? And what other symbol more wanting when one is injured or in need?

This was the one panel where I had to do by hand, no matter how tedious, because I feel that truly loving and caring for someone means investing time and effort and energy, and interacting sincerely and personally with the other person.

What we all think of when we see the first-aid sign will be those in the medical profession: the doctors, nurses, various allied health professionals that don’t often get the spotlight. But they all work for the same goal. To help someone. To see someone get back on their feet. To ease their physical pain. As such, I used medicinal plants (plants because of their association with nurture and care) as a motif of the design: Echinacea, Chrysanthemum, Nasturtium and Calendula.

The final box is a combination of the two with a few additional elements. The olive tree is a symbol of intellect. The shield represents intellect, and also represents protection. On the shield is the cross shape from the second box. Thus, I hope to be a well-rounded individual who uses her talents for good.

In summary (please pardon the long paragraphs of fan-girling): Intellect x Heart&Care = An ideal me

The Language Instinct is a superbly satisfying book to read

Just saying

You might want to give it a read, y’know, when you have time

Or maybe make time to read it 😀

Fine, fine, enough of this, moving on…

Finally, the last equation:

____ + ____ = Me in 5 years

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E4 Time E4 Introspection E4 Crystallisation of self

Time + Introspection = Crystallisation of Self

‘Time’ depicts a quarter face of a clock. The odd thing is that the numbers are all jumbled up, which is what I’d expect in 5 years (be it working or furthering my studies), meaning that I’d probably lose all sense of time. The colours in the background are the experiences that I’ve experienced, happy, cool, relaxed; some are textured: more memorable; and still some seem to meld into one another, since events in life just seem to end up intertwined despite our best efforts.

The second box, ‘Introspection’, means for me to reflect, to make an effort to understand myself: my motivations, hopes and aspirations. To think about how things affect me, or why I reacted in such a manner. Perhaps the use of the word ‘reflect’ to describe this process stems from the idea of ‘shining light to the innermost’. Thus, I used aluminium foil, which has a reflective surface in the composition. Blues and greens were used because they are relaxing and meditative colours. For it is usually in moments of quiet that one ploughs the depths of their mind.

Lastly, ‘Crystallisation of Self’. Literally interpreted, the subject is a crystal. Purple is the dominant colour in this composition, because purple is related to mystery and intrigue, as well as wisdom. Since I do not know exactly how I’d be in 5 years, the future me is still a mystery. At the same time, I do hope that I’d at least be a little wiser, which makes purple the colour of choice for the crystals.

You might ask why orange was used in the background instead of yellow, purple’s complementary. Although it is true that yellow will make purple stand out more, yellow is associated with happiness and sunflowers. On the other hand, orange seems to be a little more reserved than yellow, yet contains within it a sense of anticipation and hope, which is more suitable for a panel that is made in anticipation of a future me.

Here are some (bonus?) images:

20151103_12514420151101_171044

Thank you for reading:)

Oh, and just in case I forgot to say this…

Pinker’s brilliant, so give his books a read 😉

~See you soon~

Project 3: More about Colour

Colours can be put together in different ways.

The result of various colour combinations can add to the emotion, or strengthen the statement that the artist wishes to convey.

This post will discuss monochrome, complementary, analogous, triadic, split-complementary and tetradic harmonies. With a bonus at the end;)

1. Monochrome Harmony

Using a single hue, with a variety of values

Monochrome Harmony

Gives the whole image a unified look due to the similar hue throughout the piece

Main colour harmonies
Main colour harmonies. The above colour wheels succinctly summarise the following colour harmonies that will be discussed from here on.

2. Complementary Hues

Using two hues that are directly opposite one another on the colour wheel

E.g. purple and yellow

Still Life of Agapanthus by Pat Krekorian
Still Life of Agapanthus by Pat Krekorian

3. Analogous Harmony

Colours that are directly adjacent to the key hue

analogous-barn

Creates atmosphere and mood through Dominance of Hue that creates analogous harmony by having the light pass through a filter, which lights a scene through a filter of a certain colour.

4. Triadic Harmony

Three colours that are evenly spaced around the colour wheel

e.g. orange, purple and green

two-eggplants-ink-watercolor-color-scheme-game-chris-carter-artist-analogous-split-complements-082712-web

Triadic harmonies are more colourful, though less contrasting than the complementary colour schemes. It can work to soften the overall visual load of the artwork, making it somewhat more ‘approachable’ and ‘friendly’ to the viewer.

5. Split Complementary

A variation of the complementary colour scheme. Usually consists of one key hue, and a two adjacent hues of its complementary.

e.g. blue, orange and yellow

Mozilla Firefox's logo
Mozilla Firefox’s logo

Offers visual contrast, but with greater variation as the artist can play around with more colours. Generally, split complementaries are less contrasting than solely complementary colour schemes. It retains strong visual contrast, yet due to the intermediary colours, there is less tension between the colours.

6. Tetradic Harmony

Four colours consisting of two complementary pairs

IMG_4622
As the saying goes, ‘a picture says a thousand words’.

The above image speaks for itself 🙂

Lastly, just as a square is a subset of a rectangle, a square colour scheme is a specific subset of tetradic harmony.

IMG_48625

The colours above fall nicely into a square: orange; purple; red; green

The saturated colours of the capsicums are farther brightened by their (and just nicely contrasted) friends of different skin colours.

7. After-image phenomenon

Ever seen that ghostly apparition of colour after staring too hard at something?

The after-image phenomenon is probably what you experienced. Simply put, is the result of overloading your eyes, eventually tricking your brain into thinking that the image is still there — even though you have already looked away!

ItalianFlagInverted
A colour-inverted Italian flag. Try staring at it for about 30s, then look at a white surface

 

There are more interesting things relating to colour out there — various optical illusions that play with colour and such. But this post is long overdue, and, frankly, long enough for now. Hope you learnt as much as I did while reading and consolidating the information for this post!

’till next time!

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