Project 3 – Ego (Final)

After consultation, I went back to look more in-depth about the colours in my compositions. Here are the results.

Idea 1

(Colour Emotion)

(My head): I’ve changed the background from red to blue to show the emotion as blue represent sadness. In addition, a sad mouth is added to enhance the emotion.

(Music): I’ve also changed the background for this composition. Grey is a neutral colour, it’s to represent no emotion. In addition, I make use of monochromatic for this composition, colours like black, white, grey and off white. I have also changed the “cup” to a “phone” as most of the time I use my phone to listen to music.

(Happiness): I’ve remained the colour red for the background as red represents happiness / love. I also added more fireworks. I have chosen to use analogous colours of red like orange and yellow. In addition, I added a smile to enhance the emotion.

Idea 2

(Triadic Colours)

(My heart): My red heart is locked up in a blue bird cage. Meaning is that I always do things very logically, always follow what my brain tells me rather than my heart. Minimum changes on the colour.

(Toys): However, that is not the case when I see toys! Toys do not really have much used for an adult like me but I always buy them when I see them. In order for this composition to fit the (heart) composition, I change the background to yellow-orange which is the same as the first one.

(A kid Again): Same as before, I changed the background to yellow-orange. I also changed the boy’s colour to make the whole composition look more equal. The bird cage is added at the back to represent I broken out of my “logical” thinking.

Idea 3

(Complementary Colours)

(My hand): Robot hands represents that I like hands on stuff and I’m good with using my hands, like making 3D models and paper cutting art. I removed the pattern at the back as it creates a distraction. I also chose a more saturated Green to make the hand stands out more.

(Paper): Making use of different Shades of pink to create an illusion that it has depth. (A 3D feel is created) In addition, I change the green to the same green as the (my hand) composition.

(Paper Cutting Art): I created a simple paper cut art, which able to show the 3 different colours.

Idea 4

(Monochromatic)

(My legs): I make use of different shades of brown to create a scene I’m familiar with. In addition, I used black for the shoe shadow to create depth. I don’t really use my legs expect or walking and driving, Hence I drew my feet/shoes stepping on the car pedals.

(Orange Traffic Light): Using the different value of grey which includes black and white to create this composition. However, I place an orange colour traffic light in the centre to create attention. Moreover, with the perspective created by the road makes one attention to the traffic light once again.

(Confused legs): Same as the first composition, now I add an additional leg to show my confusion whether I should stop or go when an orange light showed up.

Reflection

I really love this project as I get to do the project using any medium with no restriction. Although there is a lot of work but I really enjoy this class! Thank you G09 for the positive feedback which makes me think that my efforts are worth it. :’) Lastly, Thank you, Joy, for the guidance these 14 weeks, I definitely learnt a lot from you. Thank you for the Pizza too! 😀

Bye Bye foundation 2D… I will see you next semester.

Project 3 – Ego (Process)

Concept

I need to form 4 equation, (Me) + (Setting) = (Reaction). However, I have decided to change the

(Me) = (My body parts)

(Setting) = (Items)

Idea 1

My Head + Music = Happiness

Idea 2

My Heart + Toys = A kid again

Idea 3

My Hands + Paper = Paper cutting art

Idea 4

My legs + Orange traffic light = Confused legs

After consultation, I got some feedback from Joy and my classmates that i need to improve on my Colours in my composition which I will show the improvements in my final post.

Project 3 – Ego (Research)

In order to start creating / design my equation, I must first do some studies about colour theory.

Now I got a better understanding about colour theory, I should start creating some concept for my equation.

2D Project 2 – Forrest Gump (Final)

Idea 1 (Human vs Technology)

People not caring about their surroundings and the dangerous situation they could be in while playing / using their phones.
The efforts people put in for their addiction

Feedback after presentation

One of my better compositions
Some Photoshop issues on the girls legs and the human falling off the cliff.

Idea 2 (Human vs Human)

Different sports to represent the different countries / beliefs/ stands that we have, which can be a reason for war.
Bomb in replacement of ball
Saw in replacement of a net.

Feedback after presentation

Explosion looks like a plant. (should place more smaller explosions to look more real)
Photoshop issue again, on the tennis player’s legs.
Colour of the saw is too close to the globe.

Idea 3 (Human vs Animals)

Rhinoceros being hunted for their horns.
Rhinoceros’s lower part of the body is replaced by a dog’s and one of the dog’s leg is a fried chicken –> the cross between animals as pets and animals as food
Panda is confused by the ‘Panda dog’.
Gorilla as Harambe.

Feedback after presentation

Panda and the panda dog is too far away.
The entire composition feels separated

Idea 4 (Human vs Diseases)

A kid is fighting against a mosquito (to represent the present situation of us fighting against Zika).
Chicken to represent Bird Flu.
Pig to represent H1N1
Smaller mosquito to represent dengue fever.
The 3 ‘animals’ are leaving the room as they have lost the fight against the boy (which represents us humans)

Feedback after presentation

One of my better compositions.
Can add animals in the TV.

Silk Screening

I went to buy myself a new silk screen as a backup and for efficiency sake too so I do not need to keep washing away the prints when it print don’t turn out nicely. However, things still didn’t turn out very well for me…

1st Screen – The cliff could not be seen clearly because it was too white, so I went to print another transparency after I darken the cliff.

2nd screen – The cliff can now be seen, but there is another problem. Due to the increased darkness of the cliff, the saw and Pikachu which was black could not be seen anymore. Perhaps it’s because I applied too much force when I silkscreen. Hence, I practised on paper the amount of strength I need to use.

After making sure I got the correct tone on the paper, I decided to give a go at printing on my bag. But because of the different material, I failed at the first try – the pikachu cannot be seen. So I repeated over and over again on paper. But no matter what it doesn’t work on the bag.

In the end I printed 10 times on 3-4 tote bags and picked the best one for submission. I believe my problem lies on the Photoshop stage. I should not bitmap the pictures one by one, I should have completed the entire composition then bitmap the whole thing altogether. My Photoshop skills can be much better too. Oh well, these are mistakes I need to learn from! I’m still glad I got to learn about silk screening as I have never done it before.

Now it is time for me to focus on my final project in order to make up for my mistakes made in project 2!

2D Project 2 – Forrest Gump (Research and Process)

Right after I got my project brief, I went to find different movie quotes from movies I’ve watched before.

Lion King: “The past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it.” -Rafi

Kung Fu Panda: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery,and today is a gift… that’s why they call it present” -Master Oogway

How to train your dragon 2: “What you’re searching for… isn’t out there, Hiccup. It’s in here. Maybe you just don’t see it yet.” -Astrid

Finding Nemo: “Just keep swimming.” -Dory

Saw Series: “Hello and welcome, I want to play a game.” -Jigsaw

Transformers: “At the end of this day, one shall stand, one shall fall.” -Optimus prime

Titanic: “You jump I jump.”

Spiderman : “With great power comes great responsibility.” -Uncle Ben

300: “THIS IS SPARTA”.

Ip Man: “I want to fight 10 people.”

After much consideration, I decided to use the quote from SAW in 2004 “Hello and welcome, I want to play a game” for all my 4 compositions. In the SAW movie, “jigsaw” the ‘bad guy’ gets people who had done evil before to play a game. Though cruel, the game gives them a chance to reflect on their mistakes.

Concept

Hence I reflected on the various “evils” that we human beings have done in this world and to this world. What is it that we need to start changing?

Artist Research

Pawel Kuczynski, who graduated from Fine Arts Academy in Poznan, has been rewarded with more than 100 prizes and distinctions for his thought-provoking illustrations that comment on social, economic, and political issues through satire.

Here are some of his works:

His works are very interesting. The subjects are shown very clearly e.g. Twitter, Facebook, etc. And he shows how we human beings are being controlled by these subjects in a satirical manner. Drawing inspiration from this, I brainstormed on the elements I want to put in my composition:

There should be a ‘game’ play at work to relate back to my quote
There could be something that have us all controlled, whether knowingly or unknowingly or it could be something that we have done wrong in
The composition should have a funny / satire feel.

Idea 1 (Human vs Technology)

Before the start of the project, Pokemon Go was just released in Singapore and everyone was so crazy about it (including me). Then there were news all over the world about how people got into accidents, injured themselves and even fall to their death while playing Pokemon Go. It really got me thinking about how technology can control us.

Here are some images I found for my first composition.

Idea 2 (Human vs Human)

My second idea was inspired from the viral video of a boy who appeared dazed and calm after being rescued from the bombing in Syria.

To be honest, after watching the video I felt very angry and immensely sad at the same time. Why do we engage in war? Why do we not see the extent of harm it can cause to the innocents? Is it just some sort of game?

war => fight => compete => competition => Olympic games

Hence I came up with this visual of people playing sports. But instead of playing with a ball, they are throwing bombs at one another, mocking the purpose of war. Who is it that we are hurting at the end of the day?

Images I found.

Idea 3 (Human vs Animal)

I was browsing through some posters and came across some WWF posters. It got me thinking about the relationship we humans have with animals. We kill animals for food, for valuable items and even for leisure. We use animals for testing, for research. This is an ethical argument that has been going on for so long and I’m not sure if there is a right answer to it either. Similarly, I want to frame this issue like a game. So my intial thought was to frame the composition like a jigsaw puzzle, linking it back to SAW and how the movie is also like a puzzle.

After consultation, I noted that I should not make the composition too serious (the previous 2 have a more satirical feel to it) so I tried to add some fun elements to it. I had a composite image of a panda and a dog which was dyed in the same colours as a panda (once again the works of us human beings). Some may think it’s cute, but I find it rather cruel actually…

I also made further adjustments after my group consultation. I added in an image of a gorilla, with reference to the Harambe incident. I also removed the jigsaw puzzle element as my classmates find it makes the whole composition very messy. Thankfully, Gerald gave me a pretty good suggestion – why not make it into a computer game!

Idea 4 (Human vs Diseases)

After creating 3 designs, I was kind of stuck and is running out of ideas. I thought that so far I have been quite negative about the issues in discussion, focusing on the “bad” and “wrongs”. Maybe for the last composition I can do something more positive. On the way to ADM, I saw posters about Zika, how we should prevent it and fight it. That sparked the idea of human vs diseases, which Singapore has been doing really well, from SARS to Zika now.

Images used:

I did some adjustments after 2 consultations to create my final 4 compositions which I will be showing in my final post!

Project 1 – Emo (Final Post)

-4 Meals a Day-

STORY

Wake up

1.Brush teeth (Grumpiness – well, who doesn’t?)

Breakfast (home-made)

2. Make coffee (Relief – finally the smell of coffee)

3. Hard boiled eggs (Surprise – ooops a bit too runny today)

4. Bread (Tenderness – i imagine the TLC the bakers put in baking the bread hmmm)

5. Orange juice (Delight – nice, refreshing!)

Lunch (coffee shop)

6. Tissue paper to “chop” seats (Worry – oh no, will my seats be taken away?)

7. Buy Ramen/Instant noodles (Love – who doesn’t love ramen?)

8. Use chopsticks (Uneasiness – sigh I can’t use chopsticks well)

9. Soup drip all over the table (Embarrassment – so paiseh leh)

10. Drinking Coke using straw (Happiness – woohoo open happiness)

Dinner (BBQ)

11. Start fire using charcoal (Rage – argh why isn’t the fire starting)

12. Fire started (Passion – is the fire within you still burning? Mine’s dying :O)

13. BBQ-ing Satay/food (Fear – aiyo too near the fire, so scary)

14. Using toothpick after meal (Contentment – shiok)

15. Wash up using Sponge (Regret – sigh why so many dishes to wash?)

Supper (Fast food)

16. Open chili sauce packaging (Frustration – who design this packaging, so difficult to open?)

17. Nuggets/fries (Guilty – hmm yummy. oh shit, fats.)

Sleep

18. Brush teeth (Daze – time to go to bed…)

——————-

Feedback from Prof & Classmates:

I created a story to link all the 18 emotions + mark making tools. And it is a everyday story that most people can relate to, which I noticed is something that my classmates appreciate. This made me learn that sometimes design/ art is not always about being abstract. It is about conveying your views, feelings and experiences no matter how simple, small or “everyday” it is.

But I do note and appreciate the feedback Prof provided me. The intended meaning of one of my emotions, Happiness, was not expressed in a clear enough manner. I admit that the links between the concepts eyes vs family vs happiness are indeed too weak (and personal). This further shows the complexity of communication in art. Although art is often about self-expression, we do not want to go to the extent of being not understandable.

Reflections:

After listening to all the presentations by my classmates, I know I have a great deal to learn from them. I am especially impressed by the way they tried to play with different paper materials, different types of medium and even making use of various senses (like smell, hearing) to create their artwork. I find their concepts really interesting and intriguing.

For example, one of my classmates uses tracing paper which is translucent, and overlaps them to show how human beings are never just feeling 1 emotion. We are complicated, and that is very real. This is indeed something that I need to work on. I tend to be very direct and straightforward in my thinking. I never really dig deeper to explore the complexity of issues or meanings, which often lead to my concept being too simple and shallow.

It doesn’t seem like it will be easy having a strong yet understandable and relatable concept. But I shall continue to try 🙂

Experimentation and Concept (Work-In-Progress)

Here are some photos from my mark making experimentation process..

Stain from coffee cup.

Toothbrush mark

Hard boiled eggs with cracks

Orange peels

Orange in half

Using a square chopstick and a circle chopstick to create foot prints.

Instant noodles

Bread

Toast Bread

Road Blocks

Before consultation I was randomly making marks using food / kitchen ware. After consultation, I realised that I should create a concept/story to link why I use these materials or tools for this project.

CONCEPT

-4 MEALS A DAY-

Whether it is when I am preparing the meal, eating the food, cleaning up, or even from the user experience (both good and bad) of using certain kitchenware and tools, there are emotions and feelings involved. E.g. you feel happy when you have delicious food, you feel annoyed when you use a blunt knife to cut something. So I decide to tell a story of my food journey in a day, which I titled “4 meals a day”.

Mono-Printing (Work-In-Progress)

Mono-Printing

It’s a lot more fun doing mono-print with friends.

1. Apply ink.

2. Use mediums like leaves and feather.

3. Put a piece of paper over it and use the Mono-type press machine.

4. First Print. Only the outline of the medium is printed out.

5. Remove the medium and print it for the 2nd time.

6.The 2nd time gives a more detailed print.

Personal Thoughts

It had been a great experience and I have learnt a lot about Mono-Print, however I am not using Mono-print for Project 1 because i’m using mediums like food, examples oranges, fries, etc which can’t be pressed under the machine. I’m sure there will be plenty of chance to use it in the future.

Research (Work-In-Progress)

Ula Einstein

Ula Einstein is a New York City-based multidisciplinary artist. She uses methods and techniques like cut, crumple, burn, tear, tape, pierce, stitch, bind, erase, drawing out, and layering in her artwork and installations.

Kosmos I – drawing with fire on rice paper, thread.

The above artwork of hers is one that I am particularly interested in. She uses fire to burn holes of various shapes and sizes on rice paper. There are no sketches; everything is spontaneous and results are immediate. The effect created reminds me of Trypophobia, the fear of closely-packed holes, which coincidentally was what I was thinking of when I was trying to create a mark to express the emotion fear.

Trypophobia : fear of closely-packed holes

I am also very inspired by how she uses different types of materials and mediums in her creations. This sparked me to explore materials that are out of the box to create my mark making tools.

Interestingly as I was going grocery shopping one day, seeing all the countless food items on the shelves, I ask myself why not make use of food or kitchen-related items to create mark making tools (ok this is an excuse, I’m just a glutton haha).

Some initial thoughts that I have:

Pinterest Research

Click here to view some mark marking styles that I like.

References:

http://ulaeinstein.com/

http://www.ranker.com/list/find-out-if-you-have-trypophobia-/brian-gilmore

http://www.citylab.com/crime/2012/05/plastic-straw-bans-are-new-plastic-bag-bans/2013/

http://www.womansday.com/home/organizing-cleaning/tips/a2641/8-common-cleaning-mistakes-to-avoid-124011/

https://www.reference.com/food/much-dry-macaroni-equals-cooked-macaroni-ad1a0777df7ad3b1

Mark Making

Making Your Mark With Artist Silvia Pelissero