Exhibition Text:
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This portrait was made as an experimentation of soft hues and solid divisions of the background. As an inspiration of method is Andre Derain with his piece "Self-Portrait With A Cap" with a a longer brushstroke as a modification to the style due to personal preference. The image itself is to serve as an overall study of color, experimenting with little to no blending of the acrylics. I rest within a Polaroid frame as a symbol to break my discomfort with being in front of the camera lens.
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ARTISTIC
I N S P I R A T I O N
Sheryl Siclari-Ostyn. "André Derain Artist Overview and Analysis". [Internet]. 2018. Available from: https://www.theartstory.org/artist-derain-andre.htm [Accessed 14 Dec 2018]
HOW DOES IT HELP MY VISION FOR THE PORTRAIT?
What I'm going to imply in the making of my self portrait is Derain's palette of vibrant hues as well as his method of painting which is the fauvist movement in this case. The brushstrokes and the mixture of color caught my attention. It's as if his work revolved around the color rather than on the subject of his composition. I am aiming for a similar mood in my own work. I don't want to just have my face on a canvas, but have the palette be a separate notion from the intentional creation of a self portrait. My plan involves having much longer and less saturated hues within a space. I'll try to keep it simple and just focus on the colors that will give my face its shape. I won't really be aiming for volume but still have a slight reach for the artistic element. |
PROCESS
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INTENTIONS
01. Creative Ideas & Brainstorms
A self-portrait is something that I am not very comfortable with.
Yeah, I see my face every day and I live with it but I dislike it when it's blown up (specially to be put up in an exhibition).
Therefore I thought about working through this project as a study of colors. I will not be working on a self-portrait but simply use my face as an template as I dived into a fauvist ideology, experimenting with a rich palette of pastel and soft colors.
Yeah, I see my face every day and I live with it but I dislike it when it's blown up (specially to be put up in an exhibition).
Therefore I thought about working through this project as a study of colors. I will not be working on a self-portrait but simply use my face as an template as I dived into a fauvist ideology, experimenting with a rich palette of pastel and soft colors.
At first I wanted to pack my self portrait with a lot of content, I wanted to add as much of myself into it as I possibly could, but I stopped myself from doing so as I was held back by time and materials.
Perhaps I will come back to it later in the summer and add some things to the portrait.
For now I wanted to keep it simple and not as overwhelming to the viewer.
Perhaps I will come back to it later in the summer and add some things to the portrait.
For now I wanted to keep it simple and not as overwhelming to the viewer.
02. Into Planning
We had a demo from Alverno student teachers. As they showed us how to properly stretch a canvas, I took notes on the demonstration and annotated measurement as well as quick sketches of the material that was to be used in the construction of the canvas. Afterwards I gathered the frames and canvas cloth and started to set up to stretch the canvas. |
03. Stretching The Canvas
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I. I assembled the four parts of the frame by inserting the edges into each other of the ends. Looked out that the black lettering on the frame was facing the same direction. II. Finishing up the frame, I measured that the corners conformed a right angle with the use of a triangle and proceeded to staple them to keep them in place. |
III. The stapled frame will be laid down on top of the canvas cloth and measured to have at least 5 inches of extra fabric around the edges so that it is secured when it's ready to be stapled and stretched.
IV. At this point, cut around the edges with the 5 inches of extra fabric still surrounding the frame. The perimeter of the canvas should be around 46 inches on every side.
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By now all that was left to do with the pieces was to secure the canvas cloth onto the frame. One did this by using a stapling gun and placing down each staple about an inch away from each other. The goal was to have the staples as far down onto the wood as possible. However if the staples protruded a little too much then we could use a hammer to fix the staples popping out. |
04. Prepping The Canvas
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The prepping of the canvas consisted of checking the bounce of the stretched canvas and deciding whether or not more staples would be necessary. Once that was done we would prime the canvas by painting the canvas cloth with white acrylic gesso. |
05. Sketching on the Canvas
I didn't have time to work with a projector and the grid method process would leave marks on the background considering that I was going to utilize a light pink.
Therefore I decided to freehand my self portrait using a photo of myself as a reference.
Before sketching my face on the canvas I made some measurements and using a straight edge I made the template for what would be the "Polaroid" photo with my face in it.
Therefore I decided to freehand my self portrait using a photo of myself as a reference.
Before sketching my face on the canvas I made some measurements and using a straight edge I made the template for what would be the "Polaroid" photo with my face in it.
05. Adding Acrylics to the Canvas
Once again, I am working with acrylics for my self-portrait. It took a lot of experimentation to find the right skin tone and colors that I found suiting to my taste.
In addition to that I was working with a limited amount of acrylics since I was running out thus I had to combine which ever colors I had left to make something out of the available resources.
I began with the background on the canvas.
I added the light blue with a darker marine blue and mixed them on the canvas itself as I was working.
I then took on the next part in the canvas which was the Polaroid piece of it and added a muted yellow to it. I'm not completely sure if I am fond of the combination but that's something I might be changing later on.
I then focused on the face and the struggle began. I added one too many colors or the tones that I chose were a tone too dark or too light.
I had to play around with it for a while before I was content with what was happening in the canvas.
Once the face and shoulder were done I moved onto the last part of the black canvas and painted the background of the "Polaroid."
In addition to that I was working with a limited amount of acrylics since I was running out thus I had to combine which ever colors I had left to make something out of the available resources.
I began with the background on the canvas.
I added the light blue with a darker marine blue and mixed them on the canvas itself as I was working.
I then took on the next part in the canvas which was the Polaroid piece of it and added a muted yellow to it. I'm not completely sure if I am fond of the combination but that's something I might be changing later on.
I then focused on the face and the struggle began. I added one too many colors or the tones that I chose were a tone too dark or too light.
I had to play around with it for a while before I was content with what was happening in the canvas.
Once the face and shoulder were done I moved onto the last part of the black canvas and painted the background of the "Polaroid."
REFLECTION
It was rather odd painting my own face at a much larger scale than I'm used to seeing it...
The whole process and building the canvas was not that bad. However when it came to adding the paint to the cloth...that was a different story. I was struggling to get the right brushstrokes at the right angles. Working with acrylics was an advantage since I was aiming for a rough texture on the face.
As far as the execution of the chosen method to paint...I am not so sure I successfully mimicked Derain's portrait. His brush strokes left much more ticker texture on his working plane and the colors are clearly divided. I don't feel like this was a successful project however I will be making some alterations to my portrait with all of its original ideas.
The whole process and building the canvas was not that bad. However when it came to adding the paint to the cloth...that was a different story. I was struggling to get the right brushstrokes at the right angles. Working with acrylics was an advantage since I was aiming for a rough texture on the face.
As far as the execution of the chosen method to paint...I am not so sure I successfully mimicked Derain's portrait. His brush strokes left much more ticker texture on his working plane and the colors are clearly divided. I don't feel like this was a successful project however I will be making some alterations to my portrait with all of its original ideas.
CRITIQUE
SIMILARITIES
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DIFFERENCES
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ACT RESPONSES
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
The method in which Derain painted his portrait was somehow visible in mine. However because his brushwork was a lot more repetitive and less no blending was happening at all, I decided to practice a similar mannerism of brushwork. My portrait didn't look much like Derain's original but the idea was still there with the little to minimal intention of blending. You can see the brush strokes in both pieces which is the main "cause and effect" that I was aiming for my portrait.
The method in which Derain painted his portrait was somehow visible in mine. However because his brushwork was a lot more repetitive and less no blending was happening at all, I decided to practice a similar mannerism of brushwork. My portrait didn't look much like Derain's original but the idea was still there with the little to minimal intention of blending. You can see the brush strokes in both pieces which is the main "cause and effect" that I was aiming for my portrait.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
His work was described as revolutionary for the beginning of the Fauvist movement. It was mostly his use of the different color palettes that gave him a title as a founder if fauvism since it was very simplistic but with a vibrant expression.
His work was described as revolutionary for the beginning of the Fauvist movement. It was mostly his use of the different color palettes that gave him a title as a founder if fauvism since it was very simplistic but with a vibrant expression.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
I concluded that the fauvist concentration relied on their color palette and that each brushstroke that was given on a canvas was a color of its own, meaning that it was allowed to be its own concept and existence that was brought together in a conglomeration of a new artistic concept.
I concluded that the fauvist concentration relied on their color palette and that each brushstroke that was given on a canvas was a color of its own, meaning that it was allowed to be its own concept and existence that was brought together in a conglomeration of a new artistic concept.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central idea during their time was contemporary art that showcased that art was very capable of revolutionizing itself, in this case the expressionistic details that color would be able to achieve in Derain's work.
The central idea during their time was contemporary art that showcased that art was very capable of revolutionizing itself, in this case the expressionistic details that color would be able to achieve in Derain's work.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
While researching I imagined that Derain only practiced fauvist methods of painting and that not too many had the motivation to explore or study the effects of color like he was doing during those times.
While researching I imagined that Derain only practiced fauvist methods of painting and that not too many had the motivation to explore or study the effects of color like he was doing during those times.