"Different Nonetheless" I wanted to represent diversity and erase the stereotype that to be accepting we have to pretend we don't see color. All while we should recognize and celebrate our differences. I wanted to show this by giving multiple women from different cultures. I tried to break away from a bad habit I tend to have where I draw faces very similar or almost identical. For the background I wanted the multiple colors to add vibrance and help the diversity point I was making really drive through. I also included the models I took inspiration from for some of these features.
I titled my final painting "Blooming" It is supposed to represent self love and growing to be comfortable with yourself. We tend to see ourselves a lot differently than other people see us. We exaggerate the features we are insecure about because those are usually the first things we notice. I wanted to use softer colors with this project, more pastels than I often would to give a more lighthearted aesthetic from it. The pupils melting is kind of a symbol for when you look at yourself you don't often like what you see. For my time limit on this project I am pleased with the turnout, especially because I completely restarted the face with about 2 days left to work on it. I did struggle with this project because I wanted to base the person off of me (not a self portrait but more a representation of me) and even that was really hard because I kept exaggerating the features I am insecure about.
This is my 3rd project which I titled "Toxic Masculinity" I used a lot of different mediums for this project. At first this project was just an etching project, but I didn't want that to be all I did. So I tried to turn it into a collage, I used the etching method for the prints, cut the ones that didn't turn out that well to make it pieces of the collage portion of it, Painted the background with acrylic, and used some oil pastels. I wanted this project to look a little messy and I'm pretty happy with it. I tried to have it represent how often times its normal for girls to cry but when a boy expresses the same emotions they are labelled as a "sissy" and told to man up when they are just letting out the negative emotion. This is why so many men grow up closed off from talking about their emotions and distant, as it just starts to build up.
This is my 2nd project. I titled this "Botched" and this project went under a lot of different critiques and different versions of how this project is going to be. At first it was just going to be a bust sculpture and my theme was originally domestic abuse. But I wanted to do something a little more metaphorical. For instance I tried to use incredibly exaggerated features on the face of the woman to really get that botched plastic surgery look. (The big lips, big squinty eyes, tiny sculpted nose) and how bruised the face is and the injuries. I genuinely feel like if the injuries weren't so exaggerated the point of my project wouldn't be presented as well. I also made sure to add the surgery lines to make it a little more obvious of what is actually going on. I made this a mask for the idea that the people who get addicted to their surgeries, it's just a mask they use to cover their real insecurities. They act more confident as they get more surgeries but the confidence is always temporary and then its just the next surgery. Overall I'm extremely happy about this project because I thought trying to paint the bruises especially around the eyes was going to be a big struggle especially with paint on clay. However they came out pretty realistic and I'm just very proud of this project.
This is my progress on my Acrylic on canvas project. I have the sketch and so far working on the actual painting. It's supposed to represent how important bees are to society and are important to us. I am trying to use softer colors to make the darker colors really pop. I played around with the proportions, as the bees are larger than they would be compared to her. Then her eyes are larger than a more realistic artwork of someone, because I want the honey dripping eyes to catch more attention. The painting turned out a different way than I expected but I genuinely like the finished product better. I think the proportions turned out better and a lot more detailed than the sketch. I do wish I had done better shading however I'm proud of everything else and actually improving from the original sketch. I decided to title this "Queen Bee"