Beyond the Border

Mind Maps + Sketches of Composition

Mood boards

From the SDG goals, I chose to start making mind maps on the ones that I was interested in making the project about the most. After deciding on "Good Health and Wellbeing", I drew several sketches for possible ideas and later created two moodboards for the project.

Paint Practice + Textures

Reference Photos

After deciding on an idea/sketch, I started practicing using watercolor, testing out how to make different shades, hues, and multiple textures. I also began to gather reference photos I will need during the making of my project. This included bones from multiple areas of the body and references for how I wanted the face to be turned.

I began with a pencil sketch, referencing a full skeleton of a person. I had a lot of rescaling to do because the proportions would often be off, most prominent were that the head was too small and the ribcages were very uneven. After correcting those, I began testing how I would paint the face and bones on my sketchbook. I wanted to test the colors I want to make and use one last time before moving onto my final project. I then started painting on the final project, starting very light and adding more layers. Using the gathered references, I understood how I would add details to the skeleton, the face, and later deciding on the short hair.

Throughout the years, proper healthcare has been a growing issue that has only gotten worse after the Covid-19 pandemic. Around the world, poor healthcare systems and polluted environments have had heavy impacts on people’s health. In my project, I wanted to display the importance and impact that a person’s surroundings have on their health. By having the inside of the ribcage hollow, the background takes up the space inside, showing that outside influences, whether it’s properly provided healthcare or access to a clean, non-polluted environment, can have large impacts on one's internal and physical health.

I began this project worried about the medium I was required to use for this project. I remember finding a lot of difficulty with watercolor before. Thankfully, I was able to practice and watched videos on other people who were painting with watercolor. I learned that patience is crucial for watercolor, and realized most areas I found unsuccessful in watercolor was caused by rushing. Continuing to add paint on wet areas created blotches or dark outlines around the water, so for the final project, I alternated between different areas of the painting, painting on one spot while the other dries. I was also able to get familiar with the human body, specifically the skeleton. I had to do some research to make sure my drawing was anatomically correct, as well as knowing how I should color certain areas of the bone. Overall, I am happy to see improvement in my watercolor skills, being able to learn how to be more successful when using this medium.