SUSTAINED INVESTIGATION #2

In this piece, I was really trying to accomplish what mental health can look like when someone is at peace and how connecting to nature can help people will these illnesses. This follows the inquiry question of: how can I represent mental health in my artwork?For this piece I wanted to portray a teen in her room who is just thinking. I think that for many teenagers, their room I most likely their favorite spot where they can think about anything. Due to being inspired by this concept, I am trying to represent ideas such as imagination, stress, creativity, etc... through chaotic colors and random lines.

To create this piece, I used oil markers, watercolor, and pen. I first started out with an outline of the girl where I from there began adding in color through the oil markers without any real idea of purpose. When adding in the oil colors, I learned that a little bit of color can go along way and that using a white oil marker can spread out color and make it last a lot longer, as one can see in the background. It is clear that color is very prominent in this piece and that is because throughout these sustained investigation pieces, I am trying to connect the different mental illnesses and their feelings to colors.

Similar to my sustained investigation #1, This project was just one big learning experience on how to use big oil markers. And although it was hard, I really enjoyed working with this medium far more than I thought I would. One of the things that I really enjoy about using oil markers are the different layers you can add that really speak to the evolution of the piece. For example, after I was done using the oil markers, the piece still looked really simple, so I began scratching off the oil color to create patterns and reveal colors that were there before. If I were to continue with this piece, I would add more vines in the background so that the piece seems more chaotic, which I feel would allow the piece to connect to the inquiry question better.