Castle of Moonlight

Zoey Tiefenthaler "Castle of Moonlight"

18 x 12”, Black Sharpie, Oil Pastels, Alcohol Markers, White Gel Pen, 2020

(IDEA) First explain what your idea is. How did you get the idea and how did it evolve? Inspirations from life experiences? Another Artwork?

The idea and inspiration for this drawing came from my love of fantastical worlds and landscapes. Ever since I was little, I had a fondness for places that were unreal and not like any other, and I think that comes off well with this piece. I took reference from multiple fantastical landscapes, more specifically in the sort of “floating island-esque” and “dark castle” theme (once again this year, my landscape is inspired by floating islands XD). With the dark castle theme, I wanted to have my colors more muted but also contrast with one another, while also leaning on the cooler color scale.

(PROCESS) Explain your process. What tools and techniques did you use?

This entire process probably took about 3 weeks to complete. I had actually made a previous landscape design similar to this one but in the end, I wasn’t proud of how it was turning out. The colors didn’t quite fit, and the medium that I was using on the castle didn’t reflect what I was going for. So, I restarted and took in more references, eventually coming to this asymmetrical, jagged design. I outlined the design using a Sharpie Pen and filled it in with a thicker Sharpie marker, using the Sharpie Pen to fill in finer areas. With the dragon, I was inspired by designs that resembled the bone structure and design of a dragon with no skin or flesh, only its core self. I used multiple alcoholic markers in the gray variety to fill in the dragon’s body, adding in some White Gel Pen as highlights. Finally, I took inspiration from a few broken moon designs and drew my own broken moon with Oil Pastels and touches of White Gel Pen. The final touches to the drawing were made for the clouds (Oil Pastels) and adding White Gel Pen on parts of the castle to represent moonlight reflecting off of the castle.

(SYMBOLISM & ICONOGRAPHY) What does the artwork mean? What do you want your audience to think about? Is there any symbolic imagery in the work?

What I wanted to represent in this drawing are the ideas of solitude, unconfined, and loneliness. The way the castle is placed (up in the air) represents the total separation from the earth, yet the bliss of being closer to the sky and clouds. At the same time, however, loneliness and solitude are quick to wash in, as this building is left alone, unknown to the common folk. If you were to be in this castle by yourself, sure you would feel free and unrestricted by the constant act of political confines, but you are alone. You cannot escape. You are trapped in a single place, with no sign of the ground beneath your feet.

(ARTISTIC GROWTH) What was most difficult for you? How did you overcome the struggles? What would you change if you started over?

The things that were most difficult for me was formatting the castle, fully drawing out the dragon, and having to redo the entire project. I managed to overcome these challenges by taking inspiration from multiple references and using my colors wisely, especially with the dragon. If there was anything I could’ve done differently, I would’ve had the dragon overlap parts of the castle rather than be fully behind the castle. I also would’ve liked to have possibly changed some parts of the castle and formatted it differently.

(VISUAL VOICE) What style of art is this? (Realistic, Abstract, Surreal, Non-Objective?). What makes it unique to your own personal style? What do you love about it?

The style of art in this drawing is mostly Surrealism. This is because of the fantastical inspiration I have taken from the drawing and the otherworldly design of the whole drawing. I think what makes it unique is how muted its colors are, yet the shades of black and white contrast greatly against one another to give off a vibrant, haunting look. Some things I love about this drawing are the way the White Gel Pen represents the moonlight being reflected off of the castle, as well as the way the design of the dragon turned out. I do also think the moon turned out well, but it probably could’ve used some more layers of Oil Pastels.