Sketchbook 3

Sketchbook 3

Experimenting with Colour and Portraits

In my second sketchbook I 
have begun to experiment with different use of colour to express emotions and mood and the use of portraits to convey the same emotions. On the first page I simply researched what particular colour pallets show particular emotions. I found that Yellows and light oranges can mean joy and happiness, blues mean sadness and sorrow, red mean desire, love and passion, greens can mean peace, envy or nature and opposite colours from the colour spectrum can mean noise and mess.

After that I began to play around with coloured pencils and drew different eyes and a face in different colours. I enjoyed using coloured pencils because it was an effective dry medium to use and prefer them to oil pastels and chalk because u could create more detail and precision in my work.

 I developed my colour pencil drawings further by drawing pictures from photographs of me as a child. i decided to draw these with yellow and light orange tones to reflect the happiness and innocence of being a child. childhood is a warm and joyful memory so i think that the colors reflect this well. i then followed this with other portraits of children showing different emotions; sadness, anger and again, happiness using the appropriate colours.

Next i photocopied these drawings and layered coloured Biro over the top using continuous lines. i made the lines softer for sadness and happiness and stronger for anger. i think these were effective as it gave different layers to the drawings making them more interesting and thought-provoking. 

I then used these same portraits to develop my ideas even further. I decided to use sellotape transfers (a process that I enjoy) and layered this over coloured paper with different textures. The experiment in the bottom right is a sellotape transfer layered over a mono print which i later burned with a heat gun. I think this is very effective as it not only burned the paper but also melted the sellotape which represents the burning anger of the face. 

Process used to create this effect.

Experimenting with Continuous Line

Continuous line creates a more organic feel to portraits and drawings in general. they can be created using multiple mediums such as pen, pencil, ink, string or anything that is capable of creating line. I decided to experiment with more line drawings, starting by using string.

I used a previous mono print as a background and then began to create the shape of a face by gluing the string t the paper. i then added colour with red string for glasses. the simplicity of the line drawing contrasts well with the chaotic background. The absence of detail in the face is regained by the small lines and marks created by the mono print, as well as the small line of colour in the glasses.

Another line portrait using string.

Next I simple drew more detailed continuous line portraits over coloured pencil. these drawings are inspired by a German artist named Boris Schmits who creates line drawings using pen. while the portraits are simple and minimalist, they show mood through line and how the subject is posed. Harsher, scratchier lines can show anger, rage or passion whist softer, more flowing lines can show joy, happiness or love.

Ian Liddle

Another artist who used continuous line is Ian Liddle, a Berlin based artist who creates his art in a verity of different ways; drawing, painting, photography, sculpture, collage and observational/ life drawings. I thought his line drawings were effective as they felt more organic and free in the way he drew the lines. He also added colour to his work in what appeared to be smudged oil pastel or crayon in particular areas of the drawing (in the hair, eyes, mouth and clothing). I took inspiration from his work and created my own portraits using black fine liner and then added colour to them using felt tips and water colour paints.

However although i thought the style in which Liddle draws in was effective in his work, i did not think it was effective in mine as i thought it was mundane and had no depth to it.

Expanding on Portraits

After looking into pencil drawings and continuous line, i began to explore painting and portraits. One particular artists i decided to research was Ivanna Besevik. Besevik is a traditional and digital artist who paints portraits (notably of women)using slightly messy, visible brush strokes and a warm colour pallet. The warmth and glow of the faces are usually contrasted by a cool tones or dark background in which the hair and shoulders seem to merge into.

I found Ivannas work interesting as she seems to layer thick paint rather than blending the paint in her work. I also considered making my brushstrokes more visible and blending the hair and body into the background. 

 This is the first portrait I did inspired by Ivanna. I tried to layer paint and make the brushstrokes more visible as well as making the background and hair/shoulders blend together. However I found that either the acrylic I was using was not thick enough or the paint brushes i used were too wet.

Second Portrait inspired by Ivanna Besevik. Analysis else where on blog.

Exploring Abstract Art

After spending sometime looking into portraits, i decided to explore more of the abstract rout of contemporary art and incorporate this into portraits. Whilst researching modern contemporary artists i came across an artist names Kika Karadi who is a visual artist who builds composition using masking tape, cardboard and cut out shapes. She also removes paint using razor blades to create more negative space in her work, most of which being monochrome and dark with no defined object or subject. I found Kika's work interesting due to the techniques she uses as well as the monotone emotions i believe it emits.Below are the pieces i created using inspiration from Kika Karadi's work:

 To create these pieces I used cotton wool instead of a regular paintbrush to add more texture to the paint (acrylic). I started by placing four black dots onto the page, eyes ,nose and mouth. I then added white paint to the space between these dots and simply dabbed the paint until it blended together to create an image of a face.