"All I'm going to do is just go on and do what I feel" - Jimi Hendrix
okay...so what exactly is my concentration? hm.
the central idea that I am trying to reach for is a depiction of what it would look like when one is being mentally trapped in the body and as well as being trapped in nature. weird? no, it actually sounds a bit cliche and a little overdone. but that's the thing about art. taking a simplistic 'off the head' idea and making it your own. I am very fascinated with the human body, and being able to morph it in a way that catches the eye. and I hope to catch many eyes with my pieces. my overall goal is to accomplish this story, in a way that shows my style and who I am. I hope to succeed. * I apologize for the bland titles, they are only temporary if I do name them.
And so it begins...
concentration one. - reaching out
hands emerging from leaves/head growing from leaves
it's quite a strange concept, but this wasn't the original idea. the untouched start of this concentration, was to grasp the situation of having "two minds", in a state of "two different people but one person". this thought was diminished, however, because for some strange reason my obsession of hands came back to haunt me and while writing out my thoughts and ideas, I couldn't stop myself.
pretty much all of my ideas involve hands. not surprised by this but wow, do I have a problem.
anyway, I thought why not? I can put my own little twist and make this fantastic.
and boy, I am so glad I scratched my other idea.
it's quite a strange concept, but this wasn't the original idea. the untouched start of this concentration, was to grasp the situation of having "two minds", in a state of "two different people but one person". this thought was diminished, however, because for some strange reason my obsession of hands came back to haunt me and while writing out my thoughts and ideas, I couldn't stop myself.
pretty much all of my ideas involve hands. not surprised by this but wow, do I have a problem.
anyway, I thought why not? I can put my own little twist and make this fantastic.
and boy, I am so glad I scratched my other idea.
reference photo:
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sketch is looking good...
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wow progress...
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okay whoa there man...
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final:
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as you can see, I still have yet to post the finished masterpiece, there's little add-ins I'm yet dying to include. this is by far...my favorite piece.though the drawing looks pretty much nothing like the photo (proportions in the face aren't exact) I am very proud of my results, the value in the lips, details in the hands. great way to start off.
main idea behind this piece:
hands escaping from body/bushes being trapped - reaching out
yeah basically.
update: I'm currently trying to touch up on the hands, especially the one in the middle but I am having trouble trying to get the value right. I tend to go too light, but then once I darker I have trouble blending. as you can see on my next post, I have the same issue. I will work on that, little by little I am learning.
update: I finished, added branches. Thinks it looks good. (sent to College Board).
main idea behind this piece:
hands escaping from body/bushes being trapped - reaching out
yeah basically.
update: I'm currently trying to touch up on the hands, especially the one in the middle but I am having trouble trying to get the value right. I tend to go too light, but then once I darker I have trouble blending. as you can see on my next post, I have the same issue. I will work on that, little by little I am learning.
update: I finished, added branches. Thinks it looks good. (sent to College Board).
concentration two. - two faced
working on the second piece, I was filled with so many ideas, my confidence was almost spewing from my pores. I had exactly what I wanted...but wasn't quite sure how I was going to start.
going back to my double headed idea, I thought this wouldn't be a hassle.
this "good versus evil" kind of thought was a bit of a bore for me. the primary plan I was reaching was the "double" of it all...you know two heads sounds pretty crazy but why not? cracking up on research of anxiety, when feeling these emotions it's a if your mind is infinite and your body is a speck. many, like myself, can relate to this.
but that suggestion will probably have to wait for another time.
instead, I decided to go for two expressions that are the same. when thinking about it, I wanted it to be the same person, I wanted it to kind of have this empty sort of vibe really. as if there's another person inside me yet I can't let them escape sort of way. I'm babbling because I can't quite explain my ideas.
but I will be honest, this piece was a bit of a disappointment.
going back to my double headed idea, I thought this wouldn't be a hassle.
this "good versus evil" kind of thought was a bit of a bore for me. the primary plan I was reaching was the "double" of it all...you know two heads sounds pretty crazy but why not? cracking up on research of anxiety, when feeling these emotions it's a if your mind is infinite and your body is a speck. many, like myself, can relate to this.
but that suggestion will probably have to wait for another time.
instead, I decided to go for two expressions that are the same. when thinking about it, I wanted it to be the same person, I wanted it to kind of have this empty sort of vibe really. as if there's another person inside me yet I can't let them escape sort of way. I'm babbling because I can't quite explain my ideas.
but I will be honest, this piece was a bit of a disappointment.
reference photos:
hm...
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hmm...
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final
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this piece actually has quite a lot done, so once I've updated I will edit this out and post the completed piece. now, why is this a bit of a disappointment for me? as I'm continuing to work, I've noticed that in some areas I tend to lack. my habitual flaws is the transitioning of values. sure, I can definitely go dark to light and light to dark. but, for some reason while doing this piece I was struggling. especially when it came to the very dark areas (near the shoulder/neck) and going to lighter areas of skin. something I definitely need to practice on to create a smoother gradual transition.
update: I am working on this and have decided to keep the second face sort of 'faded' incomplete in a way. I think it brings across the message I am trying to convey. I feel like this will be a repetitive them in my pieces. Still deciding. But I am thinking of adding dead plants sprouting above the heads and consuming part of the face to the left.
update: I am working on this and have decided to keep the second face sort of 'faded' incomplete in a way. I think it brings across the message I am trying to convey. I feel like this will be a repetitive them in my pieces. Still deciding. But I am thinking of adding dead plants sprouting above the heads and consuming part of the face to the left.
concentration three. - legs?
this here was actually one of my first ideas too, so I was feeling pretty wild up on getting this started. this is around the time where my creativity was starting to kung fu panda it's way in and my mind was really digging it - as well as my classmates. it wasn't an original start to include nature, it was an idea but not exactly one I was going to dive my way into. until I started this piece. I was starting to see that my simplistic motives were taking charge and looking at my poses I didn't seem to really like them even though it was an idea I planned out perfectly. I thought the pictures were too bland, if I were to draw it I should add a little twist. so, why not nature? I will admit, nature and the body is something we are now commonly seeing in art, even before. it's so intriguing to stare upon, so I won't blame anyone. that's a reason I tried avoiding the whole nature thing, even when that was something I was so ready to do.
but, then my classmates piped in mentioning that it was a good idea. I even got thumbs up from my teacher, so it was a guaranteed nature should be included.
so shrugging my shoulders, I went with it and promised to involve nature in past pieces as well.
anyway, onto this:
but, then my classmates piped in mentioning that it was a good idea. I even got thumbs up from my teacher, so it was a guaranteed nature should be included.
so shrugging my shoulders, I went with it and promised to involve nature in past pieces as well.
anyway, onto this:
reference photo:
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yup,yup
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Yee doggy
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uh-huh yeah...
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final:
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do I suck at taking photos on a daily? yes. this piece as well is on it's way of getting finished, I swear I'm not anti-photos I just often forget while trying to complete. another flaw of mine. while working on this piece, I started to realize that it doesn't matter if this idea has been done before, what makes it unique is that it's made by me. my self confidence while working on my pieces are on a roller coaster ride down into an abyss of endless emotions. but, in my perspective that is what true art is. very proud of myself on what I have so far, and that I'm now starting to gain esteem on what I produce
update: what I decided to do to add onto the nature theme is to have tree branches or some kind of plant emerging from between the legs, and have the leg to the right have roots embedded into the skin.
update: what I decided to do to add onto the nature theme is to have tree branches or some kind of plant emerging from between the legs, and have the leg to the right have roots embedded into the skin.
concentration four. - melting
I'll have to get back to you with this piece, there's no photos because this was just a headache itself. but I will definitely take photos so you can get a peep of what I mean, but I did take in progress photos so I will definitely post those. but, for now I will explain my frustration.
the concept I was trying so hard to accomplish was the body somewhat melting? that wasn't my original intentions. from the very start of this class, I was obsessed with wanting to draw a tummy. yes, a tummy. actually,I really was set on having my whole concentration just be the idea of drawing different people's bellys. it was a strange idea, but the fixation never left me and wanted to draw this part of the body as well and fit it into my story.
well, it didn't exactly turn out how I pictured it. while taking reference photos, I didn't get the photo my mind was depicting and just decided to go with what I had.
I tried this idea several times, it almost being my first piece, even third. but, while trying to draw the stomach it just wasn't look right. and the more I thought about it, the more I questioned if this piece was going to stand out like the rest. I wasn't going to just draw a stomach of course. my ideas ranged from having hands (of course, hands) reaching out from the stomach, to have plants to strange creatures crawling from the belly button. so much thought was dedicated to this one piece that I soon was starting to become very exasperated, I will admit. that happens, and I tend to stumble a lot on projects. I then thought, why not have handy dandy Photoshop help me out with this idea?
for some unknown reason, I thought using the smudge tool was an AMAZING idea. was I wrong. the excitement I had boiling up in me made me think that this was going to be the greatest and unique piece I would ever make. a melting smudge stomach! how original!? but, it became and embarrassment in the process and the thought of it stunk. but, this class and these projects isn't some stroll around the park and I definitely learned that while working on this piece, you have to have the skill in your head to produce the skill you know you have. and my confidence completely diminished while working on this, that my talent even took a fall.
the concept I was trying so hard to accomplish was the body somewhat melting? that wasn't my original intentions. from the very start of this class, I was obsessed with wanting to draw a tummy. yes, a tummy. actually,I really was set on having my whole concentration just be the idea of drawing different people's bellys. it was a strange idea, but the fixation never left me and wanted to draw this part of the body as well and fit it into my story.
well, it didn't exactly turn out how I pictured it. while taking reference photos, I didn't get the photo my mind was depicting and just decided to go with what I had.
I tried this idea several times, it almost being my first piece, even third. but, while trying to draw the stomach it just wasn't look right. and the more I thought about it, the more I questioned if this piece was going to stand out like the rest. I wasn't going to just draw a stomach of course. my ideas ranged from having hands (of course, hands) reaching out from the stomach, to have plants to strange creatures crawling from the belly button. so much thought was dedicated to this one piece that I soon was starting to become very exasperated, I will admit. that happens, and I tend to stumble a lot on projects. I then thought, why not have handy dandy Photoshop help me out with this idea?
for some unknown reason, I thought using the smudge tool was an AMAZING idea. was I wrong. the excitement I had boiling up in me made me think that this was going to be the greatest and unique piece I would ever make. a melting smudge stomach! how original!? but, it became and embarrassment in the process and the thought of it stunk. but, this class and these projects isn't some stroll around the park and I definitely learned that while working on this piece, you have to have the skill in your head to produce the skill you know you have. and my confidence completely diminished while working on this, that my talent even took a fall.
reference photo of the idea I thought was amazing:
hopefully this idea becomes successful because I will, I WILL have a tummy apart of my pieces, either that or I'm destroying myself sticking onto an idea that too bland or too much. but, I will make it work and will update soon on what I have.
update: I never ended up with a tummy piece in my concentration. I think the final idea for this ended up being good:
concentration five and six. - uh
the next two pieces are actually ones that relate in a way. I had to back drawings , it's something I've never drawn. a back. how exciting. but drawing this was actually fun. I liked the poses even though in my opinion they could have been more expressive but I went with them anyway. I wanted to do this abstract weird two back thing which is very hard to explain so a sketch is definitely needed. the sketch had me hyped up, well until I actually started drawing it on my paper and well...it looked sort of strange. which is what I'm going for, but this looked a weird kind of strange...a tilt your head, squint your eyes and frown kind of strange. it was something my teacher would probably raise her eyebrows at. what a bummer, when the sketch looks so so much better than the actual piece.
so I scrapped that idea and thought of doing the two pieces separate with their own little flares and stories. and so this came about...
so I scrapped that idea and thought of doing the two pieces separate with their own little flares and stories. and so this came about...
reference photo:
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sketch:
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the terrible photo I took that I need to replace:
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I need to take more photos of the progress, but this is somewhat a beautiful challenge. not much of a challenge, but it the skin (near the album) wasn't blending so well. it is hard to read but I had labeled where certain things will go, like on the arm there's 'tree' marked for the tree back and moss on the back. moss is hard to draw. maybe it is me, but man do I have a hard time sometimes drawing greens. from leaves, to moss I must practice to get the hang of it that'll definitely be something I practice and hopefully post in the future.
final of both pieces:
concentration seven. - want
this piece was a more of, okay what am I going to do next kind of piece. it's lacks meaning but in a way I appreciate it's simplicity. this piece can portray any meaning, which is another factor that I appreciate in my pieces - they are open for interpretation. one can look at this piece and see a different meaning in the flowers, and can see a different story. why did I add the flowers? I often, and this is my many pieces, draw the death of nature. I like how flowers look dying, and I added them to symbolize that. death, but a 'want' to live. striving out of the dead flowers. the flowers are spot on to be very honest, I loved drawing them and I just love how they turned out. overall, this piece is to me one of my favorites and I feel like I've said that about all of my pieces actually so...
concentration eight. - like an insect
I can't quite say I liked this piece. Not to start off this post negatively, but I wish I would have done more especially in the wings. The idea was pretty awesome though, and it was fun to draw. I wish I added more insects for it to be a bit more intense like how I anticipated. I wanted to add details in the face but now I'm falling in love with the progress more than the final. This piece to me wasn't something I was very proud on.
concentration nine. - plant bulb
this is when my ideas were slowly diminishing but I won't say that! but, this is surprisingly, something I really really like. the idea just came to me when it came to the 'consumed by nature' idea, that it was as if my body was turning into nature, just like my insect piece. my head sprouted a tree, which could mean many things. trees often symbolize wisdom, and wisdom comes from the mind. so my mind is captured by this tree that grows, and I am being left empty and trapped as I am being taken by this tree and the photo doesn't show it but roots are growing out of the belly button. u
concentration ten. - autumn's lost
this piece is the start of where I was struggling getting ideas. I knew I wanted to do leaves, so I did an outline and had them around the collarbone. and the face is empty with a little bit of shade. i named this 'autumn's lost' because it's as if the piece is missing something, like something is lost. the softness of the face and the emptiness of the leaves kind of give a dead look.
concentration eleven and twelve. - flowers 1 and 2
these are my final pieces, both of which contain flowers of course. these pieces were quick and lack much detail, and this is something I like. there's not much to explain. it's just flowers growing from the body. the one on the right is a flower wrapping itself around the body, but in a way the body language expresses...freedom, or a sort of elegance? like posing like a Greek goddess statue. and the second one is similar to my third concentration. not the central idea but the pose and then there is flowers growing out of the body.