EGO – This project was to explore and portray ourselves using a series of equations, as well as the first and only project from 2D to be dealing with colors, unlike the previous monochromatic projects. Medium was also free for us to explore, making this project one of the most interesting and enjoyable one to do.
The equations were as follows:
__________ + __________ = ME
__________ – __________ = A BETTER ME
__________ x __________ = AN IDEAL ME
__________ +/- __________ = ME IN 5 YEARS
I decided to choose watercolor as my medium as i had recently bought some dry watercolor pellets, and wanted to have some fun with them. This is my second time trying to paint something with watercolor.
I started to brainstorm what was relevant and very significant of me, and the first things that came to mind was my face, which almost every single one said that i looked fierce and grumpy, and also my curly hair, which friends who are closer had realised. In secondary school and JC, I was sometimes called “Bulldog” or “Q-mo” (curly hair). As such, I decided to make use of these identities in this project. I chose to portray a pug instead of a bulldog as a pug seems cuter and funnier, which ties in well with my humorous personality.
Thus, my equations were made as follows:
GRUMPY FACE + CURLY HAIR = ME
IDEAS – LAZINESS = MORE WORK DONE
PATIENCE x PERSEVERANCE = CALM AND RELAXED
HARD WORK + OPPORTUNITY = HAVE A GOOD JOB
Grumpy Face + Curly Hair = ME
Most of the pictures had the main subject occupying a huge portion of the picture so that it stands out and the message I want to bring across is very clear and simple, unless the background has something important and relevant to the message. As such, I drew a very big pug, against the red background as red signifies anger.
Then, I chose to draw a guy with an afro hairstyle as I felt that an afro is the epitome of curly hair. I gave the guy a pair of shades and a yellow background to have a huge color contrast, and yellow gives a happy and groovy feeling to this picture.
Tada! Grumpy face + curly hair = ME! The background was orange due to the addition of red and yellow, and that it represents friendliness and also passion. I put the afro wig over the pug for a simple addition which tells the message very clearly. The first equation is then complete with a very warm color scheme.
Ideas – Laziness = More Work Done
I can usually come up with many ideas for anything, but my laziness becomes a burden and makes me find only the easiest way out which sometimes might not be the best option. As such, I drew half a pug, obvious enough to tell that it is a pug, and a glowing neon light bulb above him to suggest “ideas”. I chose a yellow bulb against a blue background as they are complementary colors, showing a comfortably high contrast.
Then, i pictured a dog sleeping to represent laziness, as well as through the very soundly asleep posture. I chose a very light shade of pink as the background that the dog is sleeping on as this shade of pink is very soft, comfortable and warm, tying in with the idea of being lazy and wanting to snooze.
Then, if my ideas were not burdened by my laziness, I would have more work done! I chose to portray a pug in the foreground biting a paintbrush, his artworks in the midground, then a purple background. The artworks is to symbolize the works done by him, which i chose “Mono Lisa” (with a pug’s face as if he was drawing his friend), and “Starry Night”, which were famous paintings to show how good he is. The purple background gives the idea of luxury or royalty, going in line with how he is able to come up with such good and expensive paintings. This entire equation shows a gradual color transition.
Patience x Perseverance = Calm and Relaxed
For the third equation with multiplication, I felt that it means an attribute that I already have, but have to multiply the quantity in order for it to be ideal. I felt that I have patience and perseverance, but would be even better if I had more of these. For patience, I drew a pug next to a stop sign against a brick wall. The wall was in a faded shade of brown to show that it is dull and boring, which requires even more patience to pull through these periods of dullness and boredom. The stop sign was then in a very vibrant red to stand out from the rest of the picture, with the word “STOP”, which symbolizes waiting and to have patience.
Then, I showed a back view of a pug looking towards a very very long road across mountains. This is to show that the road is long and he has to persevere to get to the end of it, where there is a bone to represent a reward. The green mountain was to represent peace and balance, like the statement “Keep Calm and Carry On!”. The blue sky goes well with the green mountains as an analogous color scheme.
The last picture of this equation shows a pug sitting in a zen or yoga position on a cushion, where everything is very white and light blue. This shows the calmness if I could have a lot of patience and perseverance, and I would be able to solve and do everything, slowly but surely. This would be the ideal situation where I wouldn’t have to worry about anything and just be very relaxed.
Hard Work + Opportunity = Have A Good Job
So what would I want to happen to me to me in 5 years? One of the biggest worries of ADM students is being unable to find a job. So, of course I want to have a good job in 5 years, after I have graduated from ADM! I believe that whatever we are doing now is all hard work towards building a name for ourselves to find a good job as artists and designers. As such, I showed a pug using a dumbbell to represent the effort put in and the hard work, against a red background which represents energy and passion.
But of course, hard work alone does not necessarily pay off. We all need to have that exposure and be given that opportunity to shine and carve a name for ourselves. Success is when preparation meets opportunity. Here, I chose a door to represent opportunity. It is slightly open to let the light in, like how people see light as hope and a chance. I chose yellow as the light, and everything else is black and just silhouettes, as yellow represents optimism and hope, and also gives a high color contrast against black.
So, when hard work meets opportunity, I might just be able to have a good job within 5 years! I showed a small pug on a high chair to represent how new I would be to the industry and being just a very small character, but the high chair suggests a rather good job. The yellow shows happiness of being “successful” in finding a job which is enjoyable and pays well!
When all put together, this completes my EGO project, with a simple concept of the pug tying through the entire project and every square having a simple color composition.
