Design Principles Project 1: Self Portrait
05/10/2021 - 17/10/2021 (W7 - W8)Evaleez Voo Lian Yun/ 0350275
Design Principles/ Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Project 1: Self- Portrait
Index
Lectures
Lecture 6: Self- Portrait
Who am I?
- Humans are social creatures. Sometimes what we intend to convey is understood as it is, but sometimes it isn't.
- Our image may differ from the point of view of others when compared to how we view ourselves.
- Sometimes we define ourselves with the things we own, the people we idolize, the styles we like, etc.
Self
- How I see myself
- My experiences
- My interests
- How others see me
- My thoughts
Self- Portrait
- A self representation in the form of a drawing/ painting/ sculpture/ design.
- It is a visual depiction of the self.
- It represents how they see themselves, what they are feeling, and how they want to be seen by others.
- Not necessarily about creating a realistic image of yourself (leaning more towards self- exploration).
How Others Describe a "Self- Portrait"
Instructions
Visual Research
Note: All profile/ article links will be added in "References".
Artist: Riso Chan
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| Fig x.x Portrait Reference 2 (06/10/21) Source: Colossal |
The pastel paintings, some of which are self-portraits, reflect the narratives and worries that consume Riso Chan's daily life. She describes her work as “a journal where I express moments or feelings that are important for me during those days. It’s a way to give those feelings space and then let them go.”
Artist: Andy Warhol
Note: Image not available due to copywrite issues, but you can check it out here.
Artsy:
Andy Warhol used to say that he made self-portraits to “remind [himself] that [he’s] still around.” His self-portraits revolved around the notion of the self as an artificial construct.
Artist: @kuroume_1024 on Twitter
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| Fig x.x Portrait Reference 2 (06/10/21) Source: Twitter |
The amount of detail this artist has in each of their drawings is amazing. There are so many elements and yet everything fits so harmoniously, especially in terms of the colours used. The faces in each one are also very expressive and clearly shows the personality of the character.
Idea Exploration and Description
As this project requires us to make a self- portrait, I followed Dr Charles' suggestion on using the Proust questions to understand oneself. Vanity Fair made an article on this topic which can be found here: The Proust Questionnaire
One question that laid the biggest impression on me was Question 3: What is the trait you most deplore in yourself. As I go through the various habits and traits I had, I realized I have the tendency to do impulse purchases. The worst part is, I would try to justify my purchase (in whatever means possible) ಥ_ಥ.
Sketch 1
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| Fig x..x Sketch 1 Process 1 (06/10/21) |
At the start, I wanted to use one of the expressions that @kuroume_1024 had in their artwork. Mainly because it looked like the character was mischievous, and likes to have fun. In my case, buying stuff gives me happiness (especially if I really want it) even though I know it's gonna be a waste of money *cough* microtransactions *cough* character skins *cough* ( ͡ಠ ͜ʖ ͡ಠ). So, I sketched out how the body would look and some features.
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| Fig x..x Sketch 1 Outcome (06/10/21) |
After cleaning up the face and body, I added some stuffed toys under/ behind me with the features being the characters I bought through microtransactions. I also added a choker on my neck to show how I'm chained to my toys and a wad of cash being held in my hands.
^ manifesting $10 mil in my bank (👍 ͡ಠ ͜ʖ ͡ಠ)👍.
Sketch 2
After getting feedback from Dr. Charles, I received premission to use his idea of "adding a throne" into my artwork.
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| Fig x.x Sketch 2 Process 1 (13/10/21) |
I added the stuffed toys in front of the throne to in a pile to show all the things I have and would buy. Besides that, I am very interested in Chinese culture (my father's side), especially with their traditional architecture, so I added a wooden frame with patterns in the back of the throne to combine the culture into my artwork.
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| Fig x.x Sketch 2 Process 2 (13/10/21) |
I made the throne and it's backdrop more extravagant as I do enjoy some extravagance once in a while.
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| Fig x.x Sketch 2 Process 3 (13/10/21) |
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| Fig x.x Sketch 2 Process 4 (14/10/21) |
After sleeping it off, I realized the previous arrangement of toys was way too messy, so I redid it and compiled it together in front. Besides characters, I also added some items I buy that costs way too much. For example, desserts, my drawing tablet and migraine pills.
After lineart, I placed a grey fill over the design (All colors look dark on a white background. All colors look light on a black background. Always work on grey canvases). With the design itslef having a lot of elements, I decided to go for a more earthy, analogous tone so the outcome is more harmonious and balanced.
I turn the walls into windows instead and took out some elements in the "toy pile" to give some breathing space for the design.
When heavens said "let's give her a heart attack". ( ͡ಥ ▿ ͡ಥ) Note: I had 6 heart attacks doing this.
Finishing up the rendering for the bottom half.
Finishing up the rendering for the top half. I added some flowers in the background to make to look more complete.
Testing out the light and dark for the composition (fingers crossed there exists a good balance).
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| Fig x.x Sketch 2 Process 5 (14/10/21) |
After lineart, I placed a grey fill over the design (All colors look dark on a white background. All colors look light on a black background. Always work on grey canvases). With the design itslef having a lot of elements, I decided to go for a more earthy, analogous tone so the outcome is more harmonious and balanced.
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| Fig x.x Sketch 2 Process 6 (14/10/21) |
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| Fig x.x Sketch 2 Process 6 (14/10/21) |
When heavens said "let's give her a heart attack". ( ͡ಥ ▿ ͡ಥ) Note: I had 6 heart attacks doing this.
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| Fig x.x Sketch 2 Process 7 (14/10/21) |
Finishing up the rendering for the bottom half.
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| Fig x.x Sketch 2 Process 8 (15/10/21) |
Finishing up the rendering for the top half. I added some flowers in the background to make to look more complete.
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| Fig x.x Sketch 2 Process 9 (15/10/21) |
Feedback
Week 7
- The presence of toys in the foregrounds gives a sense of layering.
- The hand looks kinda weird.
- The colar is unnecessary, because it shows that you are constantly being controled by your impulsive purchases.
- Maybe add a throne? Then sprawl your stuff in front.
- Be sure to think of how to show harmony in your design, because you have a lot of stuff going on.
Final Outcome
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| Fig x.x Self- Portait Final Outcome (16/10/21) |
PDF:
The Self Indulgent Queen
Everything in this piece plays an important factor in my life. The main theme is impulsive buying (that I try very hard to justify) especially with microtransactions. Most of my impulse purchases are characters/ skin/ merch from games or anime I am playing/ watching. I you look closely, I actually added 5 of the same character (brown haired chibi guy with amber eyes) in my design. Why? WELL...
This was the in-game character that I spent the most money on ( ͡▀̿ ̿ ͜ʖ ͡▀̿ ̿ )✌. Every other chibi in here are also characters I've spent money on (not as much though).
You can see two red heart pillows too, these represent how much I tend to spoil people I love, whether it be friends or partners, I enjoy giving gifts to them (my love language is gifts). There's a drawing tablet there too because it's considered one of the more expensive purchases I made (no regrets). The ice cream represents how much I'm willing to spend money to enjoy good food. Lastly, since I used to suffer from chronic migraines, I spent a good amount of money to buy painkillers and if I were to have all the money in the world, I would buy the shot specifically targeted to reduce migraines (RM1000+ each every month ( ͡ಥ ͜ʖ ͡ಥ).
Other than that, I used a chinese theme on my artwork because I really like their culture, especially their traditional clothing and architecture. Another part about my artwork that Dr. Charles asked back then was, "Why are you using a digital medium?" My reason is very simple, I want to be a game artist/ illustrator in the future and either work in Mihoyo or BiliBili. In those cases, they mainly use digital platforms for work and I would like to familiarize myself with digital art (xp points +1000).
*sorry for the long rationale ;-;. I was a bit too passionate when I wrote this.
Reflection
This assignment was really fun! Not only did I managed to closely observe myself, i.e. what I want in life, my interests, my hobbies, what I deplore about myself etc, I was also able to convey my story to the viewers. Dr. Charles' idea for the throne was great help, it really tied up the entire visual perfectly. From this project, I felt like I also grew in terms of illustrating, especially with colour theory and doing tiny details to make sure the piece looks good. Although, I do feel like I need to improve more in terms of colouring clothes and expressions ( ͡ಥ ͜ʖ ͡ಥ)✊. All in all, this was a fun assignment to do, and I felt myself grow mentally and practically through it (10/10 would do it again).
References
Colossal Article on Riso Chan: https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2020/09/riso-chan-portraits/
Very Interesting! Great attention to detail and an appropriate symmetrical pice!
ReplyDeleteThank you sir :>
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