Project one - title
Title :
Medium : acrylic on wood Size : 24 in x 24 in Date : September 2022 Exhibition Text :
\The purpose of this piece is to give an insight into my state of mind due to adhd, which makes it incredibly difficult for me to focus and finish the tasks I start. Because of this, I am often in a very messy state, mentally and physically, but lack the motivation to do anything about it. I took inspiration from camilaas.art, with her use of many figures scattered around the room, all doing different things. I really liked the sense of disorganization, and wanted to replicate it in my own piece.
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Inspiration :
My inspiration for this piece is an artist I found online, who goes by the screen-name camilaas.art. Many of her works explore her experience in the pandemic and how it impacted herself and other high school students. I found it to be very compelling, and related to a lot of the experiences she was portraying. As I looked through her work, I found one that stood out to me a lot, titled "Quarantine 2020." In this painting, she shows many versions of herself participating in many different tasks and activities. It shows her boredom at home and how she copes with it, which I found was very similar to the way I deal with ADHD, especially at night when I find it difficult to sleep or focus on anything. I want to be able to replicate this same feeling in my own painting, showing myself doing a lot of the things I do when I'm distracting myself from more important tasks that would require lots of focus. I also really liked the way she shows herself in her room, a place that is very personal. I want to be able to capture my own room in this way, without changing it to look cleaner or more appealing.
From a different perspective, I also really love the style and color palette she uses in the painting. Everything is highly detailed, allowing the viewer to look around the painting as opposed to having one obvious focal point. Even the tiny photos, paint tubes, or candy bars are rendered and very detailed. I want to reflect this same idea into my own work, focusing on each object individually and not making anything less detailed then anything else. Overall, I want viewers to see my piece and understand the overwhelming, unfocused feeling that I am trying to show in this painting, and relate to it in ways that fit their own lives.
From a different perspective, I also really love the style and color palette she uses in the painting. Everything is highly detailed, allowing the viewer to look around the painting as opposed to having one obvious focal point. Even the tiny photos, paint tubes, or candy bars are rendered and very detailed. I want to reflect this same idea into my own work, focusing on each object individually and not making anything less detailed then anything else. Overall, I want viewers to see my piece and understand the overwhelming, unfocused feeling that I am trying to show in this painting, and relate to it in ways that fit their own lives.
Planning :
I had a general idea of what I wanted to do going into this painting, but it was still a pretty complicated concept. I started by figuring out where exactly I wanted the reference picture to be taken, as this would impact what objects I would be able to interact with and what furniture would be present and how that would change what was in view. In order to do this, I set up my phone on a tripod and took photos from different angles around my room. Once I did this, I imported the photos into Procreate and drew over-top each one, coming up with ideas for where I could place myself and what I would be doing in each one. After I did this with a couple photos, I landed on one that I liked. I set up the tripod in the same place again and started a video as opposed to a photo, this way I could guarantee the angle and perspective would be the same every time and I wouldn't have to come back and set up the timer for each pose. I also found that this creates more dynamic poses, as I can actually participate in whatever task I'm trying to show as opposed to posing for it. Once I recorded the video, I watched it over, pausing for frames that had poses I wanted and taking a screenshot of them. I ended up finding five that I liked and were spread out enough, and began the editing process. I took the first screenshot and used it as the reference for both the pose and the rest of the background. Next, I took the remaining four poses and cut them out of the background, and placed them in their respective places on the photo. I didn't have to make too many adjustments to each one, mostly just making sure foreground objects remained in front and that the scale was accurate throughout the picture. When this was done, I lowered the opacity and traced over the entire thing. This would help me when I began sketching, since I'll have physical lines to follow as opposed to a photo. This was the last step to my planning, and I moved onto the sketching and painting process.
Process :
SKETCH
The first thing I needed to do in creating this piece was to transfer the sketch onto the wooden panel. Before doing that however, I wanted to gesso the board so that it was a little smoother, but still had some of the texture coming through. I mixed the gesso with some blue acrylic paint to tone the wood as well, and added a pretty generous layer, letting it dry completely before going any further. After that was done, I drew a 2" grid on the entire thing, and overlayed one of the same size on my digital sketch. I copied the sketch onto the board using the grid, making sure the details were accurate in size and placement. Once this was ready, I was able to move onto the painting process.
The first thing I needed to do in creating this piece was to transfer the sketch onto the wooden panel. Before doing that however, I wanted to gesso the board so that it was a little smoother, but still had some of the texture coming through. I mixed the gesso with some blue acrylic paint to tone the wood as well, and added a pretty generous layer, letting it dry completely before going any further. After that was done, I drew a 2" grid on the entire thing, and overlayed one of the same size on my digital sketch. I copied the sketch onto the board using the grid, making sure the details were accurate in size and placement. Once this was ready, I was able to move onto the painting process.
COLOR BLOCKING
Because of the nature of artists on social media, I was able to watch a lot of the process of Camila's work, and figure out the techniques that she used to achieve her end result, one of these being color blocking. Since this piece consisted of a lot of elements and therefore a lot of colors, I found that the best way to go about starting it was to block in flat sections of colors to the whole thing before beginning to render and add values. To do this, I mixed small amounts of mid-tones for the large sections of color, like the walls, blankets, my clothes, larger posters, etc. I didn't focus to much of the small things, like cups or smaller wall hangings, as I would be adding them in later over top of the larger parts and they would likely get covered up this way anyways. I watered down the colors so I would still be able to see the sketch underneath, and blocked everything in.
Because of the nature of artists on social media, I was able to watch a lot of the process of Camila's work, and figure out the techniques that she used to achieve her end result, one of these being color blocking. Since this piece consisted of a lot of elements and therefore a lot of colors, I found that the best way to go about starting it was to block in flat sections of colors to the whole thing before beginning to render and add values. To do this, I mixed small amounts of mid-tones for the large sections of color, like the walls, blankets, my clothes, larger posters, etc. I didn't focus to much of the small things, like cups or smaller wall hangings, as I would be adding them in later over top of the larger parts and they would likely get covered up this way anyways. I watered down the colors so I would still be able to see the sketch underneath, and blocked everything in.
BACKGROUND
After color blocking, I didn't really go in any particular order when I was rendering the piece, and instead I kind of just jumped around from one thing to the next depending on what I felt like doing. That being said, I started with the background, even if I came back and altered it a lot through the rest of the process. I started with the ceiling and walls, as those were primarily just large blocks of color. I mixed a mid-tone of each section, and painted in most of the space. For the highlighted and shadowed sections, I mixed darker and light colors. From here, I blended in dark and light values, paying close attention to the way the values interact with the objects that would eventually be surrounding it, like the figures or posters. I repeated the same process for other furniture or large background objects, like my desk, bed frame, and ledges.
After color blocking, I didn't really go in any particular order when I was rendering the piece, and instead I kind of just jumped around from one thing to the next depending on what I felt like doing. That being said, I started with the background, even if I came back and altered it a lot through the rest of the process. I started with the ceiling and walls, as those were primarily just large blocks of color. I mixed a mid-tone of each section, and painted in most of the space. For the highlighted and shadowed sections, I mixed darker and light colors. From here, I blended in dark and light values, paying close attention to the way the values interact with the objects that would eventually be surrounding it, like the figures or posters. I repeated the same process for other furniture or large background objects, like my desk, bed frame, and ledges.
FIGURES
When it came to painting the figures, I was able to use generally the same colors for each one, as I was wearing the same thing. I began by breaking each one up into four different sections - the skin, hair, shirt, and pants. The first part I worked on was the hair. I started by blocking in a dark brown shade at the roots of the hair and throughout the rest of it in the darker areas. My hair is brown and pink, so I had to pay a lot of attention to the way light interacted with it and how that changed the way the colors look, as the shadows are what typically look brown and the light looks pink. After placing the shadows, I mixed a lighter, pink shade to put in as the mid-tone. This blended with the darker colors in a way to appear as hair strands, even if I wasn't painting them all individually. To finished it off, I added highlights with a much lighter color, and I moved onto the skin. As I started with the skin, mixing a mid-tone, highlight, and shadow shade. From here, I altered the hues to make some warmer and cooler versions of each color, as my skin tone varied based on the lighting. I first went in with the darkest colors first, blocking in where the shadows went. I then added in the rest of the values, and blended when necessary. Though Camila's painting was created with colored pencil over acrylic as opposed to just paint, I still paid attention to the way she utilized values in fabric and skin, making it look very dynamic and like a form as opposed to a flat shape. After finishing the skin, I moved onto the clothing, the shirt first. This was a similar process to the last two sections, as I mixed a dark color and blocked in the shadows. I found that the light created mostly hard shadows, with very few soft edges, which I paid attention to as I placed the lighter values. I made sure to pay attention to the way the fabric folded and creased, and used the shadows to portray this. The last step was just adding the darker purple to the sleeves, and then I moved onto the pants. This was again a very similar process to the shirt, but the values had to be a lot more exact. Since my pants were black, the difference between shadows and highlights was very small, but noticeable if either would be slightly off. I began by making a smooth blend between the shadows and highlights, focusing less on the individual folds and more on the general form. Once this was in place, I was able to go in with more detail, painting in the creases, pockets, and last details. When I finished the pants, I was done with the figures.
When it came to painting the figures, I was able to use generally the same colors for each one, as I was wearing the same thing. I began by breaking each one up into four different sections - the skin, hair, shirt, and pants. The first part I worked on was the hair. I started by blocking in a dark brown shade at the roots of the hair and throughout the rest of it in the darker areas. My hair is brown and pink, so I had to pay a lot of attention to the way light interacted with it and how that changed the way the colors look, as the shadows are what typically look brown and the light looks pink. After placing the shadows, I mixed a lighter, pink shade to put in as the mid-tone. This blended with the darker colors in a way to appear as hair strands, even if I wasn't painting them all individually. To finished it off, I added highlights with a much lighter color, and I moved onto the skin. As I started with the skin, mixing a mid-tone, highlight, and shadow shade. From here, I altered the hues to make some warmer and cooler versions of each color, as my skin tone varied based on the lighting. I first went in with the darkest colors first, blocking in where the shadows went. I then added in the rest of the values, and blended when necessary. Though Camila's painting was created with colored pencil over acrylic as opposed to just paint, I still paid attention to the way she utilized values in fabric and skin, making it look very dynamic and like a form as opposed to a flat shape. After finishing the skin, I moved onto the clothing, the shirt first. This was a similar process to the last two sections, as I mixed a dark color and blocked in the shadows. I found that the light created mostly hard shadows, with very few soft edges, which I paid attention to as I placed the lighter values. I made sure to pay attention to the way the fabric folded and creased, and used the shadows to portray this. The last step was just adding the darker purple to the sleeves, and then I moved onto the pants. This was again a very similar process to the shirt, but the values had to be a lot more exact. Since my pants were black, the difference between shadows and highlights was very small, but noticeable if either would be slightly off. I began by making a smooth blend between the shadows and highlights, focusing less on the individual folds and more on the general form. Once this was in place, I was able to go in with more detail, painting in the creases, pockets, and last details. When I finished the pants, I was done with the figures.
LARGE OBJECTS
One of the first of the larger objects that I worked on was the posters, which I have a lot of. Though they aren't a main focal point of the work, I wanted to make sure they were as detailed as possible, similar to the way Camilla's paintings show each individual photo. I started by blocking in the color, making the edges cleaner then the original block of color. For the larger, more front-facing ones, I took pictures of them each close up to capture the details as best as possible. I added in blocks of color within each one, so that the large areas of color were accurate. From here, I referenced the photos I took to add in the small details, such as the map or floral illustrations. I also wanted to make sure any text was accurate, so I practiced some lettering separately, and then went in on the posters, making them as close to the font as I could. I repeated this same process throughout the posters on the slanted wall as well, just adjusting the steps for the perspective. After the poster, I worked on the other various wall decorations, like some flower stickers and leaves and butterflies I have hanging. These weren't super involved or difficult, and I was able to freehand most of it since the sketch was covered at that point |
The next thing I moved onto was the window. I intentionally took the reference photos at night with my bedroom light as the main light source, so this meant my window was almost completely black. That being said, I have a film over the glass that makes the sunlight look colorful when it shines through, and it has some flower shapes throughout it. Though it was dark outside, I wanted to show the slight reflection of the light in my room, which appear as little leaf shapes. To do this, I started with a gradient of the darkest to the lightest color, referencing the photo and making sure the lighting was accurate. I then went in with the darker color, and painted in the leaf shapes over the lighter color, and vise versa with the light over the dark. Though it's very subtle, I think it helps show the lighting and level of detail that much more. I worked on the window frame after this, which was relatively simple. I blocked out the shape using a mid-tone color, and then used shadows and highlights to imply the form, as it is comprised of lots of curves and surfaces that would be difficult to show in a 2-d space
The blanket was next, and I used a pretty similar technique as I had with the clothing. I started in the darkest areas, and then worked to the lightest. Since this had a lot for folds and creases, I also marked out a general sketch using the darker colors, and worked off of these. I paid a lot of attention to the contrast between hard and soft lines, focusing on each fold individually so they wouldn't look too stiff with too many hard edges or too "airbrushed" with too many soft edges.
To finish off with the main objects, I just went around the painting and rendered what was remaining. I had already finished with the objects that were most in focus and most detailed, but there were still some things scattered around, like picture frames, plants, and various other objects. It was pretty simple to finish these up since they didn't have much detail, but I still wanted to make sure I captured them accurately so they didn't look sloppy or out of place. |
FINAL DETAILS
After everything was pretty much rendered and done, all I had left to do was add some finishing details. This mostly consisted of adding small amounts of bright highlights here and there, but I also went in and made sure the whole board was covered with something. I didn't mind hints of blue around the outlines of anything showing through from the under-painting, but I did want anything more then that covered. There were also some areas that I found to be lacking in detail or just looked pretty empty, so I added some additional items and details throughout the work. Camila's painting showed a lot of clutter scattered everywhere, and this is something I wanted to emulate. Some things I just added more of, such as some little flower stickers I have on my wall, and other things I added in altogether, like more posters or painting supplies, but everything I added is items that I already own. Once these final details were added, I was finished with the painting.
After everything was pretty much rendered and done, all I had left to do was add some finishing details. This mostly consisted of adding small amounts of bright highlights here and there, but I also went in and made sure the whole board was covered with something. I didn't mind hints of blue around the outlines of anything showing through from the under-painting, but I did want anything more then that covered. There were also some areas that I found to be lacking in detail or just looked pretty empty, so I added some additional items and details throughout the work. Camila's painting showed a lot of clutter scattered everywhere, and this is something I wanted to emulate. Some things I just added more of, such as some little flower stickers I have on my wall, and other things I added in altogether, like more posters or painting supplies, but everything I added is items that I already own. Once these final details were added, I was finished with the painting.
Experimentation :
One of the main things I knew I was going to struggle with in this piece was painting the posters and artwork on the walls. Because of this, I did a lot to practice the actual subject matter, as well as the lettering that was present in most of them. For example, the red concert poster that I have proved to be very difficult, as it was highly detailed but used a color palette limited to white, bright red, and whatever was in between. I had to change my perception of light and dark values, as even the darkest sections were fairly light. I had to be much more aware of the subtle changes in values. To practice with this, I sketched the poster onto illustration board, a surface with much less texture and that I'm a little more used to. With the sketch, I painted it in, making note of and observing the way the shadows and highlights interacted. This allowed me to have an idea of where to start when I began on the final image, especially on such a textured surface. With that said, I also experimented on the wood before beginning the final piece.
Critique :
Similarities May Include :
- In both pieces, the painting shows the many versions of the subject participating in different tasks and activities. The pieces are created to show the boredom and coping mechinisms that come with issues that are out of your control, ADHD in my case and quarantine in Camilla's.
Differences May Include :
- In my piece, I used only acrylic paint, whereas Camilla uses acrylic paint for the under painting and color blocking, but colored pencils for the rest. Because of this, my painting is smoother in texture, requiring me to be more conscious of the way I imply texture in the piece. In Camilla's, on the other hand, the colored pencil has a much rougher texture that can be used in a variety of ways, including smoothing out certain areas.
Reflection :
This was a very time consuming piece, but I'm very happy with it and learned a lot throughout the piece. Inspired by camilaas.art, I wanted to create something that reflected the same disorganized and scattered feeling she shows in her piece "Quarantine 2020." I found that I related a lot to the piece in my own experiences with adhd, and thought it would be a great starting point, and one that led to a very successful piece in my opinion. One of the biggest challenges I faced was creating a cohesive composition that would look busy, but not so cluttered that it wasn't readable. I struggle a lot with making paintings that either lack any detail or interesting background or creating work that is overcrowded with so much that it is difficult to focus on. I made a large effort to find a middle ground, and I think I was able to get there through extensive experimentation and planning. My favorite part though was being able to recreate my bedroom in the painting. I spend a lot of time there, and it is one of the only places I always feel comfortable and at home. Because of this, I decorate it to reflect my personality and style, so I had a great time perfecting that style in this painting so that it wasn't all made up or my ideal space, but realistic and something I could connect with. This connects a lot with another one of my recent paintings, as I painted myself into my work space which is again very personal to me and where I spend most of my time, whether on school work or creating art. Overall, I am extremely happy with the outcome of this piece, and hope viewers can see it and understand the feelings I tried to present.
ACT Questions :
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
My inspiration was camilaas.art, who creates work to show her experiences with quarantine and the pandemic. She uses acrylic paint to create highly detailed paintings that reflect feelings of anxiety and boredom.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Quarantine was a very difficult time for everyone, especially high school students, as we were in the middle of our teenage years when we were all of a sudden cut off from social interaction. Because of this, mental health issues developed or worsened.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I found that feelings of boredom, anxiety, and an inability to focus throughout quarantine overlap with my experience with adhd, and I tried to express similar emotions and ideas in my own painting.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?.
Many teenagers mental health took a huge hit during quarantine, and underlying issues just got worse.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Using high levels of detail to depict a space where I spend a lot of time alone and in my head help to portray feelings of stress, boredom, and an inability to focus or get anything done.
My inspiration was camilaas.art, who creates work to show her experiences with quarantine and the pandemic. She uses acrylic paint to create highly detailed paintings that reflect feelings of anxiety and boredom.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Quarantine was a very difficult time for everyone, especially high school students, as we were in the middle of our teenage years when we were all of a sudden cut off from social interaction. Because of this, mental health issues developed or worsened.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I found that feelings of boredom, anxiety, and an inability to focus throughout quarantine overlap with my experience with adhd, and I tried to express similar emotions and ideas in my own painting.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?.
Many teenagers mental health took a huge hit during quarantine, and underlying issues just got worse.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
Using high levels of detail to depict a space where I spend a lot of time alone and in my head help to portray feelings of stress, boredom, and an inability to focus or get anything done.
Citations (in MLA Format)
*i'll add these when i get home, i cant get to the citations yet cause the website is blocked on chromebooks*