Loss of Innocence

Zoey Tiefenthaler "Loss of Innocence"

14 x 11”, Alcohol Markers, Acrylic Paint, Gray Pen, Colored Pencils, 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?

My inspiration for this drawing came from my interest with the types of flowers and their meanings. I happened to come across the daisy and its meaning, which represents innocence and purity. I decided to go along with this idea and ended up creating this piece.

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

The process first started with my concept sketch of the drawing. The sketch itself was pretty similar to the final product, with some adjustments made to simplify it. I then went ahead and started drawing on my project paper lightly with a pencil, shaping the person’s face, neck, and daisies. I had freehanded the positioning of the head in the sketch, but I ended up taking a photo of myself and referencing off of that photo to draw out the head and neck. This way, I wouldn’t run into any anatomical complications with the drawing. Once everything was drawn out in pencil, I began coloring the person’s face and hair using alcohol markers, a white gel pen, and touches of a brown-colored pen. At the same time, I had started to flesh out the shape of the daisies, eventually using multiple colored pencils to draw out the center of the flowers. Finally, I used some white acrylic paint for the daisies, while also touching upon some parts of the face. Overall, this process probably took about 3-4 weeks to sketch and complete.

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

The symbolism of this drawing represents many people’s unwillingness to let go of our innocence and live in the cold, harsh environment of our reality. The person, who keeps her eyes gently shut in the drawing, refuses to face responsibility and to let go of her childhood in life. To ward off the impending force of maturity and adulthood, she surrounds herself with piles of daisies to maintain her purity, maybe knowing that deep down, she cannot run from the process of growing up. These thoughts affect the look of some of the daisies, as you can see near the top of the drawing, where some of the flowers are more faded-looking and less vibrant. The straight tear lining down the person’s face also represents cracks forming and the realization that there’s nothing you can do to run away from the inevitability in life.

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

The most difficult part of creating this drawing was drawing the face in the specific view that it’s in. I wanted not only the proportions to be as realistic as it could with my animated style, but I wanted the view of the face to look realistic and something the viewer could do with their head. If I could change anything about this drawing, I would’ve changed how I drew the hair. The way the colors of some of the browns meshed together didn’t turn out great, in my opinion.

(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 this drawing is a mix of Abstract and Surrealism. What I believe makes it look unique is how bold and soft some of the colors are, and how well the colors of the drawing contrast with one another, letting the viewer easily point out what’s in the drawing.