Noah Kahan
EXPECTATIONS
No title available
d e v o n
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Andulka
Kiana Khansmith
cherry valley forever
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me
if i look back, i am lost
official daine visual archive
Claire Keane
trying on a metaphor
No title available
titsay
bliss lane
pixel skylines
Today's Document
Mike Driver
will byers stan first human second
seen from Australia
seen from Venezuela
seen from New Zealand
seen from Australia
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from India
seen from Japan
seen from Maldives
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Myanmar (Burma)
seen from Canada
seen from Italy
seen from Singapore
seen from Mexico
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
@ivanwatkins-blog
I only managed to go to one progression talk - I was ill for another, and got confused with the timings of the other, so the talk was full and I couldn't enter. I didn't really find the one lecture I went to very useful, as visible on my proforma. It just helped me really solidly decide that I don't want to study any UCA courses.
This is the overall evaluation of stage 1. I found these questions pretty easy to answer, and I could see that they were pointing me towards making a choice for a specialism. I already had an idea of which one I would pick before filling this in, but it just made it even more crystal clear to me - I think I'm going to choose fashion as my specialism, as I had the most fun during it, was most motivated during it, and created my best work during it.
In terms of professional development, I've been looking at universities a lot. Above is a selection of some of the courses I've been considering, as well as a few of my best works that I've compiled into a portfolio for future reference, as I'm trying to shape that up already.
Initially, I was looking at Middlesex and Kingston to do animation or illustration. That was what I was used to, and knew I was pretty okay at. However, lately I've been doubting my talent, and how far it'll get me. I don't think I would be able to get through a 3 year degree based on drawing and storytelling - I haven't been able to produce original content in a long time, so I think it would be difficult for me to keep up with the standard necessary at such universities. I honestly think I would be happier drawing in my spare time, with no pressure to perform and improve at a rapid rate.
I instead started to look at courses for special effects makeup. Originally, I thought my best shot would be looking at theatre schools, such as RADA and Guildhall, to study costume design and technical theatre. However, after speaking to a coworker who studies a makeup and prosthetics course, I realised that would work a lot better for me. I'm currently in the process of applying to London College of Fashion and Bournemouth Arts University via UCAS.
For the ‘magpie swag’ project, we had to bring in 5 objects and tape them together into an interesting composition. Seeing as one of my objects was a spray bottle, it kind of was just destined to look like a lumpy spray bottle no matter what I did, which was a good start to a disastrous project.
After we taped our objects together, we wrapped them in cling film and then wrapped sellotape around that, sticky side facing outwards. We finally wrapped tape around it sticky side downwards, and then cut the tape shell off of our objects, and proceeded to remove the cling film from inside and tape it back together.
I made my second mistake by dragging in a huge and mostly bare branch for the treehouse section of this project. I had no clue how to adequately decorate such a depressing looking branch, so I sort of just wrapped it up in blue tape in an attempt to make it into a fantasy Willy Wonka looking tree, or one that would blend in with the sky. It just looks really really rubbish, and the ‘treehouse’ I formed out of sellotape looks ridiculous too. All in all, I clearly wasn’t inspired by this project, and didn’t understand the assignment objectives particularly well.
For the peas in a pod project, we started by listening to a presentation about artists and designers inspired by the natural form, layers, and pods. We looked at people such as Howler & Yoon, Lucy Orta, and Makkink & Bey.
We were then given a picture of someone in a pose, and we had to design a pod inspired cardboard structure that fitted the contours of the body. Our pose was of a man who appeared to be dead, splayed out on the floor. My ideas consisted of a homeless man in a sleeping bag and a box, murdered with masking tape guts spilling out and an ironic sign taped to his box, and a border of cardboard around the body that would look like a chalk outline when viewed aerially. This was a group project, and we ended up using an idea that two group members had both come up with, so it made sense to do it: a mermaid tail.
We cut out scales in long strips and then taped them together, then layered them on Gemma's legs. We also created a large scale set of 6-pack rings out of duct tape, and looped it around Gemma's neck, like she was a mermaid that got caught in it and suffocated, as often happens to wildlife if the rings aren't cut up properly before disposal.
Our second task of the day was to create a ‘talisman’ that related to/interacted with hands, inspired loosely by fruit and vegetables. I decided to stick with the theme of costume/visual effects that I have been interested in taking further ever since i did the fashion rotation.
Gemma had a pomegranate which was infinitely more inspirational than a potato (which i had already thrown away anyway), so I used that as a basis for my design. The idea of the pips/seeds and the holes left behind when theyre removed reminded me of all the gross trypophobia images weve all been exposed to on the internet, so i decided to go with that.
When creating the pits, I remembered my attempt to create trypophobia effects using scar wax from the fashion rotation. It was a lot easier to employ the methods in clay, which was thicker, softer, and more malleable. I took inspiration for the method from Alexys Fleming (madeyewlook on youtube), who made a tutorial for trypohobia makeup.
She filled the pits with body paint and fake blood, but I chose to fill them with small balls of clay, much like lotus seeds, another image that often sets off trypophobia.
In our first 3D creative practice session, CMPT students were asked to photograph a fruit or vegetable that we brought in and then use Photoshop to make it into a 3d object. I chose a potato to bring in, which made my life difficult, as it wasn’t a particularly interesting shape or texture.
To try and make the best of a bad situation, I messed around with the inflation and extrusion tool on Photoshop to create a glitched out and abstract shape.
The tool was easy to use, but the vegetable I chose just didn’t work well with it. Something interesting, like broccoli, perhaps, would have worked better.
Our final task in viscom was a screenprinting one. I’ve used the technique before a couple of times at GCSE, but it was quite rudimentary, and not nearly as intricate in terms of the outcome. After we were taught the basic method and cleaning instructions, we set to work mixing ink and pushing it through the screens.
We had a limited choice of screen designs, so we had to work with what we were given. I tried to go with a theme of luxury as inspired by the Japanese kintsugi technique, where shattered pottery is repaired with gold lacquer, making it more beautiful in the process. I used light blue and a shimmery metallic gold to evoke this effect.
Our next task was to create a frame animation using charcoal, rubbing and smudging the charcoal between each frame. I’ve been interested in animation and illustration for a long time, and it’s been one of my main areas of comfort. However, lately, I’ve been questioning whether or not I’m talented enough and good enough at creating original stories to pursue it in higher education. That aside, we decided to go for a sort of creepy animation where a man’s eyeballs pupils undergo mitosis, splitting to form two new pupils each time. We originally just went with that, but we realised it didn’t look very extreme as we flicked through the photos, so we decided to add more. We made his eyes, nose and mouth seep out a thick black liquid, and his head gradually melted away into a stump. This stump became a hill, where his gravestone lay. The gravestone became a foetus which went through the stages of development, and then opened its eyes to reveal that they were full of pupils too. Below is a rough plan that we made prior to animating.
The whole exercise was inspired by ‘big bang big boom’ by BLU, which was a lot more complex, done over longer, and done using spraypaint. Each frame was whited out as they progressed, leaving a visible residue, just like the smudged charcoal in ours.
The sheer scale of BLU’s work impressed me, but as we created our own animations, I became even MORE impressed with the patience required. I got restless and bored just doing a very short, simple animation, so the fact that BLU created a 10 minute one on such a massive scale was mind-blowing to me.
At the same time as capturing our Ed Fella inspired pictures, we were asked to keep an eye out for elements around us that could look like letters of the alphabet - but only unintentionally. This was inspired by the project Rhett Dashwood undertook a few years ago, the only difference being that he used Google Maps screenshots. His alphabet images are crisp, almost font-like and graphic in nature, and are very clearly defined.
Inspired by the work of Ed Fella, we were sent out to take pictures revolving around a theme of our own choosing. He worked with ideas such as neon, or signs in banks. He didn't focus on perfectly framing images - instead, he worked with cut off angles and sections to create a more abstract collection. This allows viewers to focus more on aesthetically appreciating the works, or considering the meaning behind them more intensely, as it isn’t just a clear, focused picture that you can look at, think looks nice, and then move on from.
Bearing his work in mind, I decided to go with cigarettes/cigarette litter as my theme. I intentionally took slightly blurred or poorly framed photographs of cigarette butts and discarded packages - it wasn't meant to be a statement about littering or smoking being unhealthy, its just that there’s a lot of cigarette butts in Chatham and Rochester, so it was convenient.
In order to be able to accurately create the makeup and other costume elements of my design on the day of the planned photo shoot, I did quite a few bits of preparatory work in advance, including trialing different methods of makeup application, and preparing elements of the costume at home.
One of the first things I did was figure out how to texture and colour the exposed skin in the eye area, as well as the decolletage, arms and legs. I figured that reds, blacks and browns would make a nice ‘gory’ tone that would contrast the pale cream of the cotton calico, creating a burnt and bloodied skin. I used water based face paints, eyeliner and eyeshadows to create this trial on one eye.
I found that squinting or shutting the eye made it look much better - I have quite bright blue eyes, which doesn't look very suitable for this design, as it looks too glamorous and alive. The model who wore this design in the end also has blue eyes, so the same problem would arise. I chose to have her mainly shut her eye in photographs, and edit any open eyes to be blacked out.
In terms of makeup, I also tried out using scar wax to create trypophobia inspired skin holes on the back of my hand, as I thought this would enhance the creepiness and general disgustingness of the design.
The outcome was okay, but I think they looked too amateur and unrefined to include in the photo shoot. I also had a very minimal amount of scar wax left, and, worst of all, it was absolute HELL to remove, requiring a combination of coconut oil, water, soap, pumice stone and harsh scraping to get rid of it, all of which still left traces of the wax on my skin.
I had to purchase the bandages used for head wrapping brand new, so they came pure white - clearly not suited to the dirty, gross monster design. I did use them fresh to get an idea of how the wrapping would work, though, and I was already very pleased with how it looked:
It was a bit sparse in places, and the back of my head was mostly exposed, but I knew that wouldn’t be an issue in the actual photo shoot, as i would just use more of the bandages (I bought 7 rolls and only used 2 in this photo) and have a better view of the model’s head while wrapping.
I decided to tea/coffee stain the bandages to give them more of a dirtied and old look, and make them match the cream of the cotton calico too. This is the result:
I found this to be much more fitting, but again had the same issue with hair poking out - but this was just down to me wrapping on myself and not having a clear view. I did find it quite sweaty and difficult to breathe under the bandages, but it was easy to shift them away from my mouth area and take a breather.
We were given the task of designing a garment using cotton calico and plain colours as our final task in this rotation. In order to make the task more appealing to me, I tried to develop a character from the basic garment I created. I draped fabric on a mannequin in order to get some inspiration - the end result was a halter neck dress with a detail at the throat, a turtleneck and sleeveless dress hybrid with exposed panels at the hips, and a long dress with a hood and a collar.
The hooded dress was my favourite, so I decided to use it to develop my final design. When I made it, I first thought of a traveller - the hood I originally draped on the mannequin was Red Riding Hood-esque, so I went with that to create my first design. I then considered a more gory/disturbing spin on it using inspiration from video games and films, which is an area I’m much more interested in, so would produce a better outcome.
The bandaged face was very much inspired by the nurses in the Silent Hill games, and the nurse in Dead by Daylight. The fact that they’re both nurses is just a coincidence - the design I created isn’t a nurse, but more of a jilted bride with a hood.
The talons in the design are slightly inspired by the nails often worn by Alaska Thunderfuck - she uses them in a glamorous manner, but I utilised them to a more creepy effect in this design.
Later, we moved on to life drawing. I’ve only drawn from models once before, last year, so it’s still something I’m relatively new to.
We never really just sit and draw the models - we’re told to use different methods of holding the charcoal, or use different scales, etc. This time, we were instructed to use the charcoal on its side as a flat plane to get soft smudges that represented the mass of the model’s body. We were also told to use the very thin edge of the charcoal and work in sharp, angular, geometric lines too. Our final instruction was to use diluted acrylic paint as a sort of ink wash to form lines. Below are the results of my life drawing session.
Today we completed a Photoshop task in which we took natural images and manipulated them into tiled patterns, the result of which you can see above. I used pictures of things like clouds, sea anemones, flowers and giraffes, all cropped in unusual areas to create interesting results.
I was particularly inspired by the textile work of Yinka Shonibare when creating these textures. He often plays with the idea of repetitive yet colourful patterns that can tile on a garment, all inspired by the natural environment of Nigeria. He explores the concept of identity in his works, but I don’t think my patterns have that considerate a context or meaning - I’m mainly inspired by his use of colour and pattern, not the message behind his work. I think my trials adequately reflect the style that Shonibare works in, especially the first image made using a pink and white flower.
We started the fashion rotation today, and I’m happy to say I already feel a lot better about it than the previous one. We're working with the body and elements of character design, which are my strong suit and what I'm really interested in.
I drew the first two designs, inspired by the Chatham dockyards and Venetian blinds respectively, traditionally. I'm trying to use more bold and decisive lines when drawing, instead of sketching fuzzy looking lines. I really like how the dockyard design came out in particular, but the blind one is cool too.
We were meant to colour them using the dust of chalk pastels, but I refrained from doing that and instead coloured them digitally at home. I only managed to finish the dockyard design and start on the blind design.
The second to last task was to collage anatomical images to create an outfit. I saw the wing image and worked from that, creating a weird pixie/demon hybrid that could be in a strange fantasy game or movie perhaps.
Our final fast track fashion task was to create several outfits inspired by natural form. I initially completed a pen and watercolour study of the outside of a conker, and then proceeded to photocopy it in several sizes and cut it out to form parts of garments - I also drew parts by hand inspired by the form of the conker.
I wasn’t inspired by any specific artist in this practice, but the second figure was influenced by the model Viktoria Modesta, who has worn a prosthetic leg styled as a spike after her amputation in a photoshoot before. I wasn’t even looking at a reference when drawing the design - it’s purely coincidence that I put the prosthetic on the same leg of my design.
We then made a ‘group sculpture’. CMPT students took a slightly different route to the others - we were told to focus on the human form, but still sculpt with cardboard like everyone else. Our original plan was to make an arm and chest and then draw the rest of the body on in Photoshop, but we ended up only making one arm.
We then decided to make a gif of a real hand high-fiving the cardboard one. We recorded a short video of me high fiving it and decided to each edit it 3 different ways - one person rotoscoped, one person focused on the background, and one person focused on decorations/effects (that was me). I drew on the word ‘YEAH!’ letter by letter on each frame, cropped the video so you couldn’t see me in it, and touched up the brightness. For some reason, tumblr has chosen to make the gif play really fast, which is annoying.
The original sculpture was somewhat inspired by Rebecca Horn’s work. She was shown to us during a presentation on this day, but I had heard of her work before.
Horn created sculptures that are meant to be interacted with, worn while performing an activity, or just worn as part of a performance piece like dance. Our sculpture was particularly inspired by her piece titled ‘Finger Gloves’ - the clear link being that it’s a piece revolving around hands. We wore our arm sculpture on our hands to create an elongated limb at some points, similar to ‘Finger Gloves’.
Another task we were given was to find a way of combining a mirror and a selfie stick principle to offer different angles to draw at.
I twisted together a bunch of thin, pliable metal rods and taped them all together, then taped a mirror to the end, and taped this structure to my stomach with the mirror pointing at my face.
We were asked to use the same continuous line style as previously, and my results weren’t too bad for using one line and having no sketch to work with.