Tani Yi Lopez

Emotional Portraits

Over the past several months, I have been working on a series of nine artworks, each of which is based on a specific emotion that I have experienced at some point in my life. The artworks are all portraits of women, rendered in a simplistic cartoon-like style that I have developed. My goal while creating these pieces was to improve my style by adding more detail to the facial features, such as shading, the eyes, and hair, which often have dark shadows with light highlights. However, my ultimate goal is to explore the world of virtual reality in my future career and to start doing so, I  incorporated digital art and to add variety I focused on painting with acrylics. I also plan to continue exhibiting my work, as I enjoy getting feedback from viewers and using that feedback to improve my skills and develop my style further. 

The themes of my artwork are primarily based on my personal experiences and emotions. One of the central themes is transformation, which began when I reflected on how much my style has evolved over the years. Another theme is the influence of emotions on the appearance of my portraits, such as sadness, confidence, and all sorts of emotions I felt that I have experienced and would want to share with others. I explored different color schemes, hairstyles, and backgrounds until I found the right combination that felt cohesive and true to the emotion I was trying to capture. In creating my artworks, I draw inspiration from other artists whose styles I admire, such as Qing Han and Laura H. Rubin. I am particularly drawn to the emotions they convey in their portraits, as well as the unique meanings behind their works. While I draw inspiration from other artists, I strive to maintain my own unique style and interpretation of the emotions I aim to express. I often begin with a simple idea or emotion and then experiment with different color schemes, hairstyles, and facial expressions until I achieve a piece that captures the feeling I am trying to convey. 

While I have experience working with a variety of mediums, I have primarily focused on acrylics and digital drawings for this series. I love the opacity and vibrancy of the acrylic colors, which I find more satisfying to play with and mix with than in digital. On the other hand, being on an iPad I have endless options for what brushes to use, textures, colors and effects I could do on my piece. Ultimately, my hope is that my artwork creates an emotional connection with viewers, evoking feelings that they may have experienced in their own lives. I aim to capture these emotions in a way that is both relatable and unique to my personal interpretation. Through my continued exploration of virtual reality and other mediums in college, I hope to push the boundaries of my creativity and further develop my unique style.

Tani Lopez