Embedded Files
Section 1: Finished Artwork
Ornamental
Dimensions: 31 cm x 52.2 cm
Date: May 27, 2024
Idea: A commentary piece criticizing the malapropos objectification of women.
Materials: Charcoal, Graphite, White Colored Pencil, Chalk Pastel, Procreate
Process: After ideating different possible guiding questions and an eventual sketch for my piece, I practiced the use of charcoal and graphite. Afterwards, I drew a figure using charcoal on highly textured charcoal paper adding highlights with white colored pencil and white chalk pastel. Then I added the arms and hands to the piece digitally.
Section 2: Planning & Practice
Two figure study sketches with poses that connected to my piece.
Additional use of digital art to ideate further connection to my piece. The blood-like bridge of the heart and uterus stream represents the person's connection to their own body and how that control is striped and harmed.
Section 3: Experimentation
A practice portrait using charcoal, graphite, and setting spray. I found that charcoal is often difficult to be precise with from the start because the material is so light, so the additional use of a graphite pencil aids with adding more minute details. Setting spray can be used between intervals to add layers of charcoal to bring higher contrast to highlights and shadows.
I tried to experiment with masking tape to fit the idea of the sketch. The difficult part of this process is cutting out the silhouette of the area on the masking tape before application.
Section 4: Process
I began by transferring the sketch I made for the idea to a textured charcoal paper for my final piece, geometrically portioning out where I plan to put the highlights and the shadows. I then used the charcoal accordingly to the areas I sections for myself, which turned to be a restriction to the development of the figure.
Up to this point, I had been drawing with limited references, trying to stay within the highlighted and shadowed areas I sketched initially and only using the references I picked out from the start. This limitation created a figure I felt dissatisfied with due to the general lack of textures, patterns, and depth. I then began to explore more references that used a bold source of light. My main reference was the Statue of Venus de Milo.
After completing the physical drawing of the piece, I took a photo of the final image and uploaded it to procreate. There, I added a stronger vignette to the border of the artwork, drawing streaks with a brush that resembled the wide strokes from charcoal, then adding a blur behind it. Then to return to the question of the loss of autonomy and choice, I decided to go with a different approach rather than the initial idea with the organs as when I tried to piece the organs in, they felt out of play with the style of the figure. I drew a silhouette of my arms as a reference and the added highlights and shadows to give the hands and arms more depth.
Mini Concentration VideoSection 5: Artist Statement
As a partial simulation for an AP Art Portfolio, this project required a heavy amount of planning in comparison to previous projects. The substantial planning allowed me to explore several ideas that I may be interested in creating a piece about. With the freedom I had in this project, I wanted to make a commentary on a specific and prevalent issue in the world, the incessant objectification of women and the dehumanization of their self and bodily autonomy. It's a social issue that I feel strongly towards and I wanted to use the opportunity of the freedom I had with this project to express my apprehension.
A large inspiration for this piece was the Statue of Venus de Milo, carved by Alexandros of Antioch, a greek sculpture thought to represent the Goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite. However, I used that inspiration to turn it into a commentary piece on how women continue to be dehumanized over the years through the objectification of their bodies and a disregard of their equal human nature. The lack of visible limbs further provides as a visual metaphor to the dehumanization and helplessness of the individual, the red signifying the depersonalization in society, a connection I made with the title that pushes the idea of being an ornament.
The project allowed me to more accurately predict how challenging AP Art may be, as I am usually someone who works at a slower pace. This project still had twice as much the allowed time that AP Art students have, and in addition to the heavy and intricate planning that is required to do, gets me to better understand how I will need to prepare to take AP Art in the future.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse