Sustained Investigation #13

Underwater

Multimedia

9x 12 In

This is my sustained investigation #13, I wanted to make this piece study on how shapes show movement through the form of an octopus. I wanted to to merge a realistic and less realistic style so I created realistic tentacles and added more cartoonish color and shapes on the tentacles. This was the main idea that guided my work, trying to create realistic movement with the tentacles and mix in surreal qualities.

This work began with research on tentacles, I then drew the tentacles in pencil and glued on magazine cut outs of circles for the suction cups of the tentacles, in my research I realized that not all the suction cups on octopus tentacles are circular but I wanted to make them all the same shape to create a consistent style with the magazine clippings. I used colored pencils to color in the tentacles and a paint pen for the black water around him and finally I used nail polish for the bubbles and outline of the octopus because I didn't have any white paint pens.

I revised the piece a little because I had planned on making the background look like realistic water with magazine clippings of water but I didn't end up having enough so I went with a black background and I'm actually really happy with how it looks and I think it looks better than my other idea would have. I definitely experimented with the use of nail polish because I had no idea how it would turn out and I used a metal dotting tool to drag the paint. I'm really glad I decided to research tentacles before I went ahead and drew them because they turned out just the way I had imagined.