Project 2
DESIGNER’S-PORTRAIT
A designer’s-portrait is a representation of an artist/designer - that is drawn, painted, or photographed by the artist /designer him/herself. You are encourage to re-visit the theme of portraiture by creating an introspective and expressive Designer’s-portrait that communicates (without being literal) about something that deeply concern your mind at this moment.
Stage 1 :
Observing and studying silhouette portraits
Trying out my own silhouette portrait
Watercolour Medium
- Applying different techniques to examine the effects of watercolours
- For example, scumbling, gradient wash, strokes, spray, stamp (with fingers), and colour dripping
Stage 2
“Self-silhouette”
Leaves stamping technique + paper carving to form a silhouette portrait
Symbols in the artwork :
-Nature elements (flowers,branches,leaves stamping)
-Geometrical shapes (triangles, rectangles)
-Organic lines (dotted waves)
-Skills and knowledge (Mathematics, Music, Chinese calligraphy)
-Languages (Mandarin)
Stage 2
“Girl in Blue”
This artwork views at the back of a girl who is facing at the blue sky. The girl is letting go of her uneasiness, looking for belonging and acceptance. Triangular gemstones are glowing on her dress, indicating that her value is being judged only by her appearance, but no one cares about her feelings. Fragments of horrible memories are floating out of her mind. Her hand is lifting in the air, but it is unable to see her full hand gesture. Let the viewers’ imagination fill the rest.
Stage 2
“Split”
The artwork is composed of black and white. Left (white area), and right (dark area)
The girl in the middle looks inanition and she closes one of her eyes, just like trying to escape from the hustle and bustle of real life. The artful flowers contrast with the stiff branches, creating a rhythmic pattern to enrich the background. The overall painting is balanced.
Stage 3
“Looking at the Bright Side”
There are two meanings of the word “bright”, one refers to the part where the light source (sun) shines directly on the surface, another meaning is referring to a consoling aspect of a difficult situation. Bright also gives a feeling of cheerfulness and merriness, just like the message conveyed by this artwork. No matter what we face in life, always remember to look at the bright side and believe in ourselves that we can get through the hard times.
I used different media to complete this art: watercolour(mainly), acrylic and soft pastels(decorative). There are a variety of symbols and elements construct in this artwork. Overall looking, a beam of light brightens up the girl, her hair, face and dress, and also the plants are colourful, indicating that everything beneath the light is lively and energetic. In contrast, the background is gloomy and ghastly.
I painted the roses pink instead of red because pink roses symbolise grace and appreciation. The rose without the light is wilted, while the spooky branches are also spiritedly, becoming the shape of hands trying to drag the girl away from light. In this artwork, the light symbolises hope whereas the dark symbolises failure and sorrow.
Facing the light source, her hair and skin are painted colourfully which intuitively shows her will of holding strong in her faith and vision. The arrangement of triangles above her waist is indicating her strong body that resists all the cynicism from others. The fragments of her skirt implied that she is escaping from restraint. The labels on the body are torn off, forming a rhythmic pattern.