SEQUENTIAL DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION
Madness
12.34cm x 20.32cm Digital Illustration made on Photoshop August, 2017 For the beginning image I purposely tried to get a dull color that would blend into a dull orange to create the tone of depressed or sadness, this dull orange transitions into an energetic and furious orange to red gradient which then plays into a "mad/crazy" red to a calmer pink. This was for the image to be easier to look at, which is important because the piece tells a story. It’s about the effects of stress and work dropped onto students all of the world and the things that result from all of it. I used myself as the subject to make it more personal.
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Inspirational Artist/Work
--- Vincent Van Goph ---
Van Goph, one of the most influential painters there was and there is, used a lot of expressive and unique strokes that contained vivid color and really made him stand out from the rest of his time. One thing that really made him stand out was the fact that later in his life he started to have "psychotic episodes" as he was called mad or delusional. This very aspect of him I tend to include in my piece. A result of his madness is what also brought him to cut off part of his ear which is now a very famous event and characteristic of himself as a historical figure. I also decided to use this aspect in my piece as well.
Brainstorming
Right away I already knew that I wanted to do a self portrait and that I wanted it to be a digital illustration. So I began to make some rough practice sketches. I began with simply looking at an image and drawing a small copy, I then began to practice the basic face structure looking in various directions. While I was making these practice sketches I decided that just simply making a digitally illustrated self portrait wasn't enough. So I decided I would make it a sequential piece as well. I continued with the practice of my eyes and finding my nose type.
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Process/Experimentation
- Figuring Out the Angles/Perspectives- I began by quickly drawing out different images from different perspectives that I feel would work well to capture the emotion of the image. I did this for each panel, I planned on having four.
- Taking the Pictures- Once I had a good amount of test sketches, I chose the final ones that I felt were best and then decided to take the real life pictures to use a reference image when it comes time to draw and color them.
- Getting a Basic Outline- The first step I made in the digital process was creating an outline for the images, I did this using the brush tool with a relatively small size to accurately capture sharp corners and for overall simplicity.
- Putting Down the Base Colors- Using the brush tool again, I used a larger size and basic colors to put down the base colors for each image on a separate layer below the outline layers. I did this so that I would be able to make adjustments with the colors without affecting the outlines, I continued to do this same "create a new layer and place it underneath or above the previous" process for the rest of the project.
- Adding Shadows- This time instead of just using a different size and color I also lower the hardness of the brush all the way. Even after I completed the soft shadows I lowered the hardness all the way on the eraser tool and continued to soften up the edges of the shadows to create a somewhat natural and blended look.
- Adding Highlights- I repeated the same process as I did when adding the shadows, except this time I used a lighter skin tone instead of darker skin tone. This way I get the somewhat natural and blended look again with the highlights.
- Putting in the Details/Effects- For this step it was different with each square/image. Although it was the same process overall. I would add the tiny details like my nose rings or dripping blood or fingernails etc.
- Finding a Gradient- Each image had a different gradient/ background but blended together once placed next to one another. For this step all I had to do was add a gradient layer underneath all the other layers and make sure I chose the gradient to have a smooth transition with the other images but also have a nice color that compliments the mood and emotion of the image it's for.
Reflection
ACT Connections
- Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork. With Van Goph's work you can easily see the emotion in the piece while at the same time he keeps a simple subject/ focal point and does not have to use dramatic action style images. I also attempted to capture this with the images and my use of color and background. The squares where I did have action I portrayed them as a silhouette to prevent TOO much attention being pulled in those areas.
- What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration? Van Goph was actually mentally ill and this is what I believe to be the real reason he severed his ear even though no one truly knows why. So I too tried to make it seem out of pure madness.
- What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
- What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research? I knew that I wanted to draw something related to blood and gore and after I decided I could draw me with an ear cut off and blood dripping down my neck it was obvious that Van Goph was the right man to use as inspiration.
- What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?