Zine
Artist's Statement:
Jillian Wight
Andreson
Foundations of Art
May 12, 2020
To create my zine, I used a few simple mediums that I believe went a long way! Although I was inspired by the eccentric materials used in the example, I found that I was limited by what I had lying around my house. Instead, I tried to make up for my lack of variety in this department by utilizing crazy patterns and styles to create my piece. To start, I used a ruler to measure the size I wanted for each page and then used a pencil to sketch out the shape of my zine. I proceeded to cut out this shape and fold it accordion-style, leaving an extra tab to flap over the cover. Once I had the basic, blank pages ready, I used a pencil to sketch my design for each section. I wanted the zine to represent relatable aspects of quarantine that we are likely all struggling through together, but I also wanted to maintain a light, playful feeling. During this stressful time, I wanted the viewer to feel connected to the rest of the world in a positive way to make up for some of the stress points we all have been feeling. Once I had settled on the subjects of each page, I went over my sketches in pen, erasing and adding shading as I went. I chose to use realism mixed with cartoon figures and objects, and I think this combination, which could have been a disaster, worked pretty well! The last step was to add color and patterns to enhance my work. I started by filling in the backgrounds of each page with a colorful design. I used markers to draw a splatter like shape, and then went over this shape in a darker color until I had a layered effect that was repetitive enough to be subtle, but bright enough to ensure that the piece was intriguing. Finally, I used pen to add detailed lines that filled in certain words and added depth and detail to objects I’d drawn. I experimented a lot with this assignment. While I did incorporate realism and typography, styles of art I am comfortable with, I also stepped out of my comfort zone to include cartoon figures, unique patterns and styles of text, and complete a type of piece that I had not attempted before. I experimented quite a bit in the beginning with the folding of the paper, but in the end, I decided it would be best to focus on the contents of the zine rather than the technical aspects. I would say that my project evolved from a vague idea to a cohesive, interconnected, and engaging sequence of drawings! I am proud of how it came out.
In my piece, I used many elements of art and principles of design. Predominantly, the element of color was important in my piece. The placement of this color served to emphasize certain spaces and make the black and white foreground stand out. I think that my use of color to create emphasis was very successful especially on the page about food always being available. Another element used in my zine was line. Not only did I use lines to create realistic drawings on multiple pages, but I also chose to use lines to emphasize my text. I shaded in bubble letters and added complex patterns in other letters to make them blend with the page but also be engaging. In my realistic drawings, line contributed to the presence of texture, value and form, all of which came together to successfully portray the images I’d included. Finally, shape was an important elemnt of my artwork. I chose to use eccentric shapes when writing letters which I think added to the intrigue of the piece, and I also carefully made sure that the shapes on the page added to the design. This demonstrated on pages 3 and 4, when the shapes I utilized worked well physically but were also selected because they were related to the subject of the image. Overall, the consistent use of elements of art like shape, color, form, line, etc. contributed to a piece that was balanced and had a strong sense of unity from page to page, as well as a rhythmic quality which I believe is a result of my color choices.
Although my piece is structured like a sequence, there is not much of a story/plot. The value of the piece is in its theme, the shared experiences of quarantine. As far as evident ideas, I tried my best to convey a playful mood like a children’s book, but still realistically portray the quarantine lifestyle. My idea was that this would allow a wide range of viewers to feel connected to the piece, and, most importantly, in a positive, stress-relieving manner. My project relates very strongly to my life. While I may have just scratched the surface in my zine, each page represents something during this time that is either a stress point/struggle for me, or something I am proud of such as my athletic progress. These points of pride are especially important to me during this time because they are constant and positive, even when the rest of the world is the opposite. On the other hand, while I did not deeply explore aspects such as missing my friends and a crazy sleep schedule, these things are stressful and hard for me, and I know that I am not the only one who struggles with this. Overall, my project relates closely to my life and to the lives of many many others all across our state. In my piece, I am the proudest of my realistic drawing of my friend and I, and although her face looks much more proportionate than mine I think my pen work was good and I love the effect. I am also extremely proud of my colored background. It was difficult because the markers bled quite a bit, but it was extremely rewarding when it was finished because it filled and enhanced the space effectively. In general, I think my pen work and my use of the space both worked very well and I’m proud of these accomplishments! However, I did struggle a bit with my drawings. My eye, for example, is too large in the drawing on page 1, and my face on the cover does not look like me. I overcame these struggles by moving on and doing my best to blend them in later, using bright colors and a folded layer on the cover for example. I also struggled a bit coming up with unique ideas and I think I could have done better in this area. If I could do it again, I might replicate a magazine like Vogue and do a quarantine fashion article, or something a bit more original than what I did choose. However, once I realized my idea was pretty generic, I made sure to spice my piece up in other ways such as layered colors and the complexity of my line work. I really am proud of how the zine came out!