2D II – Project 1 Typographic Portrait

I started this project off by making a list of my personal traits, likes and preferences.

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My name is Joan & I’m a giraffe!

My nickname from my friends. Some people say I look like a giraffe and even eat like a giraffe. (??)
Personally I love giraffes as they’re really fascinating creatures, both looks and behaviour-wise.

Some facts about giraffes:
Of all mammals, giraffes sleep the least. They sleep for about 10-mins to 2 hours each day. (That is so me)
Giraffes spend most of their lives standing up; they even sleep and give birth standing up.
Giraffes are known to bellow, snort, hiss, make flute-like noises as well as low pitch sounds beyond the range of human hearing!

I’ve experimented with different forms of the giraffe postures, and tried incorporating my name into the body of a giraffe. However, I found this quite challenging as their postures are usually very rigid.

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It was especially difficult to fit a ‘J’ into parts of their bodies as they don’t curve upwards like that. After some research, I’ve decided to use the curled up sleeping posture of a baby giraffe.

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This layout is inspired by scientific diagrams. National Geographic Wild is one of my favourite channels on TV, as I’ve loved animals ever since I was a kid. I like finding out facts about wild animals behaviour, how to approach them, what to avoid, etc. Therefore I’ve arrange my composition to imitate a scientific giraffe labeling diagram from a national geographic magazine.

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My name is Joan & I’m an aspiring chef!

I enjoy cooking and baking during my free time, and trying out new recipes I come across online. To start off this idea, I decided to split it into two – the baking and the cooking.

Baking
Some of the things I like to bake: oreo cheesecake, mousse cake, chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cranberry cookies, macarons (so difficult!!), cupcakes
It’s always a fun experience to bake; the preparation of ingredients, the mixing, the decorating, and of course, the washing up at the end (boo).

 

Experimentation with the shapes of pastries:
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Bakery production composition #1
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Bakery production composition #2
Although this is not as colourful, it has perspective and hence is a better composition
bake
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Using the similar idea, I created another composition based on the idea of cooking. (Ingredients: mushrooms, carrots, etc.)
cook
In order to merge both compositions (2 aspects of being an aspiring chef) into one, I employed this folding mechanism, such that each of the composition can be seen from each side.

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My name is Joan & I’m aquatic!

I love water-related things/activities – swimming, beaches, waterfalls, etc. Not only is water very cooling on a hot day, it is also very therapeutic.

Experimentation with the smudging and dripping of water, and using different types of glue to imitate the nature of water.

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Experimentation with the marbling technique (using shaving cream):

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I had a lot of fun trying out this technique, creating swirls using different paints and colours. However, one of my biggest problems was the smudging. I did some research online about it but I was unable to find a working solution. A video advised us to leave the print to settle for a few minutes before scraping off the paint, but that did not work for me. After much trials and error, I found a way to lift the paper from the shaving cream without the cream sticking to it. It is to lift the paper swiftly from the tray of cream (thick layer for enough weight). The result was less swirly due to the unscraped paint.

I also explored a little on the ‘amphibious’ side of me, adding some land into a composition with water. This was inspired by the proportions of seawater to land on earth. (71% water 29% land)

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Final

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My name is Joan & I’m an observer!

I am a curious person and I like to explore and wander. However, after some experimentation with imageries and ideas (meerkats & mazes), I decided to narrow it down to a single idea – I’m an observer. As a generally quiet and reserved person, I tend to observe more than I participate.

Inspiration from Where’s Wally pictures: I love how these pictures are both very interesting and interactive at the same time, how wally is always cleverly hidden in small corners. Hence I started exploring and attempt to create my own version of Where’s Wally.

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wally

People doing strange things in different parts of the picture.
I’ve also tried out different colour schemes for this composition:

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