This is not what I wanted to happen at all. I used foam board, and that was definitely a mistake: foam board is not firm when covered with a thick layer of paint, and it warped horribly. I didn't even really think about how the sides were bowed when I left it to dry, and then when I came back to check on it a few hours later, I saw this huge pool of paint at one end because all of the paint had run into the middle and then trickled towards the side that was curved downward. I still think it looks cool, and I'm going to keep it, but this is not what I want for this project. I'm going to re-do this paint pour with a much thicker, firm material as the base.
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Book illustrator David Elliot in his workshop. A book illustrator working digitally. About Book IllustrationFirstly, I chose this career to look into because I have always loved reading, perhaps more than I love making art. Once upon a time, I could entertain myself for hours pretending I lived in whatever universe I had been reading about in my latest novel. I even tried my hand at book writing and illustrating when I was about 8 (but, as you can imagine, my 8 year old attention span didn’t exactly foster follow-through with that project). So, I decided to give it a second look in this assignment. I have no intention of actually going to school to become a book illustrator, but I could absolutely see myself pursuing it as a hobby or part-time gig. The average annual pay for a book illustrator in the US is $60,360 a year according to ZipRecruiter. The range varies widely from from less than $31,500 to over $73,000. As such, it would seem as though education, skill, and experience could result in an increased pay. A bachelor’s degree in illustration or another art-related is the best bet for a college education. In Virginia, the best opportunities are:
Resources: How Do I Become a Book Illustrator? (learn.org) Book Illustrator Annual Salary ($60,360 Avg | Feb 2021) - ZipRecruiter The Illustration Academy — We're Going Digital My goal for this project is to continue exploring surrealism through synthesizing house imagery with bodily organs. I chose to use the heart for this piece because I have focused very heavily on the head and brain and "thinking" aspects in my last few pieces, so I wanted to switch gears a bit and focus on the "feeling" part. Because the heart has such a strong connection to emotions, it felt right to use it in this manner. Plus, I think it's a cool extension from my last piece about where emotions live in your head. I mean, who says they are confined to that house? Maybe they also live in the four chambers of your heart (obviously, it's not physically true, but I'm thinking in very abstract terms here). I finally got some artist-grade colored pencils, for which I am excited. I'm nervous about how realistic I'll be able to illustrate the heart and distorted windows and front door. I think I'll be fine, as long as I remember to not rush through shading and adding fine details.
Images that have inspired me: My main goal for this project is to return to two art forms I have always loved: language and acrylic paint pours. I have never paired them together, though. I really want to try and get these distinct mediums to interact in an effective way. I am going to use original writing. My colors will be red, yellow, blue, and purple -- same as the colors I used to connote emotion in my last work. My first step will be to figure out the method in which I will do the paint pour. NEW IDEA THAT JUST CAME TO ME:
I did not meet the due date for the project, but I am still very close to being done. This project is one of the most ambitious I have undertaken. I enjoyed working with the colored pencil to blend and build the layers of color upon each other. At this point, the only thing really left to do is the hair. This is giving me some pause because I am unsure as to how to resolve the interaction between the hair and the house part of the head. The house is supposed to be inside of the head, so the hair should fall over it, but not completely obscure it. I was thinking about making it seem like there was a section of the hair that had been cut to accommodate for the hole that allows the house to be seen. My only issue with this is I am unsure how to draw the hair realistically enough in this manner to make it obvious is has been cut around the section. I will likely talk to Coach Hall a bit more before I commit to any sort of design moving forward.
In terms of my next project, I have no idea what I want to do. I am going to really have to consider what themes are most important to me right now before I do anything else. We shall see what happens. I watched Ria's interview with sculptor and painter Keith M Ramsey. I found the interview interesting and helpful when thinking about my own relationship with art.
youtu.be/PBSV4BnacwQ I thought this interview was very interesting. Ramsey describes how him being let go from his job as a graphic designer in 2016 really ended up being one of the best things for him. He says how by that time, he was tired of being a graphic designer and having to tailor his projects specifically to his clientele, rather than having some artistic freedom. Personally, I like the idea of being a graphic designer because of the structure that having a client gives you, but I also understand that desire to just explore and be yourself. So, when Ramsey was let go, he took it as a sign from the universe that he would be okay on his own. He decided to make a career out of the art he was already making in his free time. Ramsey works with metalwork, ironwork, railings, tables, and furniture. He loves being able to take something useful, such as a grill or lamp, and making it completely original. His customers give him full control over the direction he takes his projects, which he appreciates. Ramsey is drawn to found objects because he believes they have a sort of personality that a new, freshly bought object simply lacks. He is the type of person to find a weird rusty nail on a sidewalk and put it in his pocket because he might want to use it in a project 2 years from now. Honestly, this type of thinking scares me because I feel like I would never stop just collecting things because I would always have that internal argument of if something is worth picking up; you never know what future-you will need, right? So, I prefer to sort of stay away from collecting found objects to that extreme, but it definitely works for Ramsey. I admire Ramsey's mindset of asking: "why not me?" By this, he means if someone else can make a cool painting or interesting sculpture, then why shouldn't he also be able to do so? I think this way of thinking is really empowering because it sort of carries an underlying message that if you apply yourself, then you can really achieve anything. One artist who really prompted Ramsey to ask the question "why not me?" is Melvin Edwards, a found-object sculptor. Ramsey was inspired by Edwards's work to create the largest metalwork sculpture he had ever done, which is actually located in Richmond. Ramsey's goals for the next year include continuing to make art every single day so that he can practice new skills with stainless steel and aluminum, expand his outreach, establish his own studio, and maybe hire someone to help him with installations. This is the link to my RVART Talk with Dana Roebuck, licensed clinical art psychotherapist, and Dr. Annie Coffey, clinical psychologist and drama therapist.
youtu.be/6GBFEP3QP7I I severely underestimated how long it would take me to color the rooms. Still, I had forgotten how much I using colored pencil and bringing simple lines to life with color and value. It truly is an incredible process, especially as I look back at these process photos. One thing that has made it a bit difficult is that my colored pencils are not of the same artist-grade quality as they would be if I was in the classroom, and I haven't been able to go to the school to get some. This just means it takes a bit extra time to get those smooth sharp lines and blended shading, but I am overall pleased with my progress. I am nervous about the kitchen because that room will be yellow, and I fear I won't be able to erase my pencil lines enough to prevent that awkward blending of yellow and regular pencil. I figured I'll use more of an orange color for shadows to lessen the effect of the regular pencil under the colored pencil, should this prove to be an issue.
I am definitely looking forward to getting these rooms finished so I can really bring the figure to life. I made a lot of progress on laying the groundwork for my drawing this week. I was having a difficult time figuring out how I would do the interior because I wanted it to be realistic, but I didn't know how to get the perspective and shading right without just copying images from the internet. This felt like cheating, so I looked into some architecture software to try and basically try to design a house interior that I could use as a completely original reference. That proved to be hopeless. I explained my conundrum to Coach Hall, and he agreed with me that using a doll-house would be a good option. The focus of my work is on the style of the house; the physical elements are just there for realism. The real content will come when I begin using colors to bring the details to life.
Drawing the face was very challenging. It's always hard to get proportions correct on faces, especially when it's your own. I keep running into the problem of wanting to gloss over my imperfections and actually rendering myself realistically, flaws and all. I try to make sure the realistic part wins. I've obsessed over all of the details of my face, and I think I've finally reached a good point in my sketching. The upcoming week will be all about adding color. I think I am going to use colored pencil. Each room of the house will be a separate color to represent emotion: red for anger, blue for sadness, yellow for happiness, and purple for fear. I'm just going to use a black colored pencil to shade in my face and hair. I want everything to be realistic to create a sense of surrealism -- at least, as much as I can; I haven't created a truly surrealist work before, so I am going to make my best effort to do so now. These are some examples of art works that have inspired my brainstorming for this project. I am drawn to the surrealism and vivid imagery. Here is what my planning page looked like after looking through the above images. While I was sketching these designs, I was thinking about how I want to make an artwork this a continuation of some of my most recent themes: head space, the connection of body and mind, and houses. I was also especially aware of the fact that I want to draw this piece with my own hand, paying special attention to realism and detail. After explaining my idea to Coach Hall, this is what I came up with. My goals for this project include: working with a large scale (about 2-3 foot width and even longer length), combining my most recent themes, and focusing on formal technique to create surrealism. I am excited to begin my more detailed sketches for this project.
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