Just call me Bear

[csunkinsvsuarts]

My final project for Illustration I.

For this project, we got to design and print our own holiday cards, using any medium we chose. For my project, I wanted to do something that wasn't so generic as snow flakes or a Christmas Tree and encompassed the entire holiday season rather than just one particular holiday.

I thought a lot on my own feelings on the holidays. What made this season feel so special to me? And for me, there is nothing better about the holidays than spending it with loved ones, and getting that warm snugly feeling. With that thought in mind, I had an image

From there, the design process moved more smoothly than I originally expected it would thanks to the help from my professor, Ms. Meena Khalili. 

There are a few things that I still want to tweak, including adding a star over an unintentional christmas tree. The work of an artist is never finished if it can be improved.

And with this project, the semester comes to down to the last stretch. I had a great time from start to finish, and I learned so much along the way.

But the greatest lesson that I take away from this class is learning show confidence in my work, and myself as an artist.

[csunkinsvsuarts]

A really fun and quick project from class this past week! 

Each of us chose two movies that we had to illustration three clues of varying difficulty for (far left-hard, middle-medium, far right-easiest). 

Afterwards, we put each of our illustrations together to create booklets designed by Ms. Khalili and constructed through the efforts of the entire class. And the best part is that we each got our own copy to keep for ourselves.

[csunkinsvsuarts]

A few pages from my sketchbook project. I decided to base my illustrations around a music theme, ranging from an illustration based on some of my favorite songs to quick portraits of musicians.

One thing that i learned rather quickly when it came to this project was how difficult it was for come up with a concept for some of my illustrations. For some, like the ones pictured above, were much easier to conceive than others. What I will say is that I was a bit more open to experimenting a bit more with materials and compositions, which was what made this project so fun. Nerve-wracking at times, but overall very fun.

[csunkinsvsuarts]

[csunkinsvsuarts]

The final piece is coming along nicely so far, and I managed to get a lot done during class on Tuesday. If I continue to pace myself during class, I may be able to finish before the weekend. I have to say that I'm really proud of this piece so far, especially since I've learned so much while working on it. It really put me into a situation where I had to work in a medium that I'm not comfortable with, so there was quite a bit of trial and error involved in the process. Having a scrap piece of board to test my colors on was also a huge help. 

Now it's on to the the legs/feet, the words, and finally the sand which I'm really excited to get to. Ms. Khalili suggested that I use salt to really make the sand pop, which I have to say, is an awesome idea. Can't wait!

[csunkinsvsuarts]

The next step in the the Initial Project: the small test pieces. While I will admit that painting and colors are not my strongest area, I will admit that I learned quite a bit between the first and second piece.

For the top piece, i found myself focusing much too closely on my own insecurities, which shows in the work. While there are a few elements that I like (the water, and sand), I was still too focused on my frustrations and trying to make it look good. But out of that, I did learn that it is important to fail, and how to learn from those failures to improve the next attempt. 

And the bottom piece is the result of that. Instead of worrying so much, I just went in with the information that I knew firsthand. I built up the layers from light, then added in the darker aspects. It really pushed the depth and variety, especially in the legs.

However, there are still a few aspects that need to be changed when I transfer this over into the final piece. During the critique, my instructor noted that I should make the background less detailed, using more gray as the ocean recedes into the background. That way, the foreground (the legs) can be allowed to pop out more as it is the central focus of this piece. And for the sand, she suggested using kosher salt to create that texture for the sand, which I will admit I am rather excited to use.

All in all, there's still plenty more work to be done, but the more I practice, the more confidence I have that the final piece will turn out pretty good.

[csunkinsvsuarts]

With the end of the calendar project, we charge full steam into the next project.  The "Initial Project" is based on the work of Illustrator Maira Kulman, whose use of writing in her illustrations is what provided the inspiration for this project. 

To start off with the base of the project, each of us was to use the initial of our name (first or last) and create a story based on that letter. Now, I will admit that writing is definitely not my strong suit, so coming up with a story based on a letter proved to be a bit difficult for me in the beginning. However, once I got a stream of words going, I slowly started to form a story out of it and ended up with "The Sun Shines on the Shore of the Sea. Shame She never taught me how to Swim."

The initial image that came to mind was of a child sitting on the beach, and I wanted a more child-like take on it the final piece, but I quickly moved on a more realistic, but simple, composition. I especially like the sense of movement that I chose to go with in the placement of the feet. There's more of an active role, giving the character more life even though you can only see one part of their body. 

There are still a few more bugs that need to be worked out, like the anatomy and perspective on the feet, but I feel especially confident in the direction that this piece is going. Now to buy the supplies so that I can get into the second part for next week: painting.

[csunkinsvsuarts]

This project is really coming along, despite the setbacks with the linoleum blocks. I managed to get the image down and both blocks cut by Tuesday, and then did a few test prints done in class. I like how the colors look together so far, but II came across an issue with the alignment and putting the right amount of ink on each block. Once I work those out though, it's down to the final stretch from there. To be honest, I'm having a lot of fun, with carving out the blocks and testing out the prints. I find the process to be rather relaxing, once you get past the frustrating parts. 

[csunkinsvsuarts]

Christopher Olszewski and the "Skins" project

So today in class we had the great pleasure of meeting and speaking with SCAD professor Mr. Chris Olszewski. Mr. O, as he allowed us to call him, is quite the intriguing individual, and not just because of his energetic personality and fast talking. Mr. O has quite the lineage, being half Polish and half Native American, that gives him a unique perspective on the world that is expressed through his artwork. The style of art that he displayed in the studio showing this evening showcases a social commentary in an abstract form. 

Mr. O also included the class in his "SKINS" project, which showcased one of his cross country road trips. People from many different walks of life wrote, drew, or just expressed their feelings on social topics that effected our society today by writing them on a car covering. For our class, the general idea was based around the issues surrounding the events in Ferguson. The great thing this project is how inclusive it is, by getting everyone the think about how they truly feel about these events. It actually helped me to express one of my many fears regarding the incident. 

Overall, I enjoyed seeing Mr. O's work and generally getting to speak with him. 

[pascalcampion]

Just one of those days.

#pascalcampionart.

_Wow.. what’s THAT!

_It’s from my dad.. I think they use to call it a Sound Machine.

_What does it do?

_You put in those things, they are called mixed tapes, and it’s where the music is.

_So weird.. why didn’t they just use an IPod?

_Go figure..my dad’s old like that.

_Wow.. that IS old.

[csunkinsvsuarts]

This illustration is one of the many reasons why I look up to Pascal Champion. The way that he translates such a mundane scene, of someone listening to music, and with his use of color and light can give it such life and beauty. 

It really makes you appreciate the simplest things in life.

To check out more work by Pascal Champion visit his website here!

[csunkinsvsuarts]

Due to a minor setback, there is no process on the Calendar Project. Instead, here are a few observational drawings that I did in class. 

Still trying to get the hang of drawing in a moleskin since I usually use a spiral bound, but so far I like where this is going. It's obvious that I still have a lot to learn, but I can see quite a bit of improvement in my drawing skills. 

And can you tell that I really like drawing people?

[csunkinsvsuarts]

Initial sketches and Refined sketch for The Calendar Project for Illustration.

I got the month of November, and though I had a little trouble in the beginning, once I sat down and thought about it, my mind quickly jumped to the obvious: Pie! Who doesn't love a good slice of Pumpkin/Sweet Potato/Pecan Pie after Thanksgiving dinner? 

And my favorite comments during the critique were how delicious my pies looked. Kind of sad that I can draw pie a lot better than I can bake it.