Final Design Project- 12th April 2013

I started off with the idea based on the teddy bear. i knew clearly what i wanted to portray in my  painting, using the concepts based on the emotion of a Rape Victim

Hence I went ahead and coloured the teddy bear using a light grey (low on capacity) as i wanted to create a transparency setting on top of the background. 

The reason as to why i chose to use a stoney brick wall is because i felt it portrays a sense of isolation.

Later I filled in the wordings inside the teddy bear using the brush tool, making sure the capacity of the colour was low, as i wanted to create the transparent effect.

I used five main colours (Blue, Black, Red, Green and Indigo) to outline the teddy bear as well as to write the wordings inside. 

I then increased the length of the bear in order to give emphasis to the words written inside it.

Thereafter i placed a 'cut out' question mark to using 'perspective in some areas i was able to create a sense of balance in the drawing.

I then picked out only a few emotions that i thought would fit in appropriately with the context of my chosen topic. here again i wanted to create the transparency effect on the letters.

The Final Art Piece

Artist's Statement

The social media issue i chose as my topic  is Rape. The reason i chose this topic is to  understand the emotional pain the rape victim goes through and how it is a social media issue in today's world. A perfect example of this would be the recent gang rape in  India, where the world is still voicing its anger and disgust in this case. I am was mainly interested in creating a connection between the emotional aspects of a rape victims reality and the media today. I used the idea of the basic drawing of the teddy bear after reading an article about how children come to terms with reality after being sexually abused/raped. The various emotions used in my paintings are the most common emotions that any rape victim would face or have to deal with. ( Helpless, Isolation, Anger, Confusion, Pain and Fear). The use of question marks as mentioned above was again used to signify that the woman is questioning herself and the media of the various emotions she has to face in her life (reality). The wordings inside the teddy bear depict the cruel nature undergone by a rape victim. for example; bruises, hand touching body, cuts, crying, tape etc All these can be see as factors that prolong in the course of a person who is being sexually abused/ raped. I also wanted  to create an approach through this painting to pass on a message to society.

Sketches (Final Design Project) - 12th April 2013

The final design project topic given to us was "Social Media Issues". Its quite a wide topic and it took me awhile to chose what I wanted to focus on. The topic I chose is "Rape- an issue in the Social Media"
We were asked to come up with different sketches for our final art project. Here are a few that I came up with.

 

 This sketch shows a woman/girl being threatened. I wanted to focus more on the context of rape as a whole. I have used a black ink calligraphy pen to give the sketch some finishing touches.  

This is a watercolur drawing of a woman who is screaming ( showing emotion).Here i tried to focus more on the emotional context of rape  and how it is being dealt with, i wanted to portray the pain the woman goes through physically as well as emotionally.

This is also another watercolour drawing that depicts emotion. I wanted to capture the feelings and emotions of a rape victim. I have also tried to indicate depression by using the water colour paint to run down the painting to show textural balance.

As i went indepth with my chosen topic i wanted to connect the emotional aspects of a rape victim with the aspects of social media and how it is becoming an issue in society. this black ink drawing depicts the emotional status of a rape victim and how she is questioning herself and reality. The question mark symbolizes her confusion with reality and herself and the other elements would symbolize the other aspects of life she is having to deal with; social media can be an example.

The Main IDEA for my FINAL DESIGN PROJECT

This idea was based on an article "How the media removes Rape victim's voices." It  indicated that children who were sexually abused/ raped were given a teddy bear where they would draw on it, what had happened (How they were raped). It helped them communicate without having to voice out whatever that happened. I felt that this context seemed relevant in my chosen topic as not only do i want to create a drawing i also want to send out a message to society as a whole. Hence i went ahead with the idea of the "teddy bear" and connected it with the emotional aspects that a rape victim goes through; Having to deal with the media as well as the other emotionally draining aspects that play a role in her life. 

Field Trip to Central Market- 22nd March 2013

The Central Market is located in Kuala Lumpur in a town named "Pasar Seni". It was a Friday afternoon and the whether was not so great. Due to the heavy rain I did not want to step out of my home but the fact that I have always heard people talk about this place (Central Market) and that it was one of the major tourist attractions in Malaysia, I decided that it wont be a big deal to get drenched in the rain once in awhile so took a taxi to the Central Market with two of my other classmates.
As I entered I saw many ornaments for sale as well as clothing (batik) and other items like bags, wooden tables/ objects etc. This was none other than the best tourist attraction in Kuala Lumpur! it was like Christmas in every shop, literally i mean. 

Men and women from most middle east countries/ Asian countries put up stalls to sell their products in this Central Market. 

This man is Pakistani and specializes in selling hand crafted wooden tables/ drawers/stools/ boxes etc. All the ornaments have detailed intricate designs carved on them. One item is sold at the price of 50rm-60rm.

I also met a Young lady from Myanmar selling turquoise stones/ pearls there were different kinds of jewerlery( mostly rings/ necklaces made with the original turquoise stone and pearls). I loved the blue Turquoise rings! 

  

I also came across many stalls where different types of  Artist's showcase all their work (displayed for Sale). Batik painting is the most famous form of Art. They can be seen as real true works of art. No two are exactly alike! The batik painting from famous Malaysian artists such as Tuan Haji Abdullah Haji Yusof and Indonesian painters such as Raden Saleh, command high prices on the international market and at auctions in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta. In the Central Market I found a young married couple who sold Batik paintings as a part time job/ hobby. when I asked them how they termed it as, they said that it was called "wax painting" they use the wax to make intricate details on the canvas cloth and then paint over it, the parts that come out clean are the areas where the wax has been applied. Its quite interesting how the patterns are formed by the use of wax. 

Wax Painting (Batik)

Another form of Art that I came across was "Sand Art" where coloured sand is placed in glass bottles forming detailed intricate designs.

Reference : http://www.finebatik.com/batik-paintings.asp

Tutorial - Pop Art - 22nd February 2013

I have breifly divided the steps that i took to create my Pop Art collage.

 Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3:

Step 4:

Step 5:

Final Collage - Pop Art image

So after several ideas on which concept to use for this collage i finally came up with this as my final piece. I created my own background using the brush tool and three colours that i felt would compliment the collage. I wanted to portray emotion and how it plays a part in our everyday life. i feel that these four elements (Happiness, Fear, Love, Dream) is what is most common in our lives in general. I have also added three eyes because i felt that an eye would symbolize "The Future" and all these elements play a part in futuristic goals/ambitions.

Tutorial Exercise 4 - 25th February 2013

In this Tutorial we were asked to create something using a transparent object or image, using 'perspective'.

I used a pair of tinted spectacles from which I cut out the the lenses and placed on the lion's eyes.  

I used a pair of sunglasses and an image of a cartoon teeth on to a green apple. Here i focused more on perspective to give the teeth a smile. (or how i would call it " a cheeky grin") :P

Image sources:

https://www.google.com.my/search?q=glasses&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=zStnUfmeOYuJrAfr4YGAAw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=643#imgrc=AJY0vLHDGveeHM%3A%3BVxFBruUYpodUIM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fblog.kevineikenberry.com%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2011%252F05%252FGlasses-Spectacles_web.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fblog.kevineikenberry.com%252Fleadership%252Fwhat-glasses-are-you-wearing%252F%3B600%3B400

https://www.google.com.my/search?q=glasses&hl=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=zStnUfmeOYuJrAfr4YGAAw&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAQ&biw=1366&bih=643#hl=en&biw=1366&bih=600&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=green+apple&oq=green+apple&gs_l=img.3...10579.11810.1.12219.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0..0.0...0.0...1c.1.8.img.7x5dtGM_d4Y&bav=on.2,or.r_cp.r_qf.&bvm=bv.45107431,d.bmk&fp=e297ea310070c33e&imgrc=2D-lCqR0hLxc_M%3A%3Brj8_yUIpnQtP1M%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252F25.media.tumblr.com%252Ftumblr_m8v787PHfP1re49u9o1_500.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fgreenapplega.tumblr.com%252F%3B425%3B282

Research: Art Movement- 28th February 2013

Referral Art Movement: Synchromism

Synchromism, often wrongly spelt as Synchronism, was an American art movement founded in the year 1912-13. Cofounded by Abstractionists Morgan Russell (1886-1953) and Stanton MacDonald-Wright, this purely abstract style was the first to bring America on the international stage of fine arts. It is easy to draw a parallel between Synchromism and its contemporary Art form Orphism, which was essentially a trend or specialization in the Cubist art that placed a premium on the understanding and the use of colors

                 

AIRPLANE SYNCHROMY IN YELLOW ORANGE

by STANTON MACDONALD-WRIGHT

Synchromism is based on the idea that colour and sound are similar phenomena, and thatcolours and paintings can be showcased in the same harmonious way that a composer arranges notes in a symphony. Macdonald Wright believed that by painting in colour scales, their work could evoke musical sensations. it was a way to make art in an abstract as well as expressive form. The abstract "synchromies" are based on color scales, using rhythmic color forms with advancing and reducing hues. They typically have a central vortex and explode in complex color harmonies. The Synchromists avoided using atmospheric perspective or line, relying solely on color and shape to express form.

Art Movement- Synchromism

The earliest synchromist works were similar to Fauvist paintings. The multicolored shapes of synchromist paintings also resembled those found in orphism. MacDonald-Wright insisted, however, that Synchromism was a unique art form, and "has nothing to do with orphism and anybody who has read the first catalogue of synchromism ... would realize that we poked fun at orphism".

References- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchromism

http://makinamimarlik.blogspot.com/2012/06/synchronism.html

Visit to the National Art Gallery- 26th February 2013

The National Art Gallery is a place i'd like to call "A wonder land". The Gallery is located in Kuala Lumpur, off Jalan Tun Razak Street. The entrance was surrounded with palm trees and the large walls around it were painted using Graffiti Art, i found it a really interesting concept to have graffiti painted walls at the entrance.. Since I am not a local (Sri Lankan) it was quite an experience for me as it was my first time witnessing Art done by Malaysians. I felt that most of the artist's work were based in forms of abstract art and most work had texture and balance in it. there were alot of paintings done by Latiff Mohidin that I was interested in, however out of all the paintings displayed there was one in particular that caught my attention. i am not too sure of the Artist's name and background but the painting was of a "huge wave" probably symbolizing the vastness of the ocean or how i'd like to call it "Life".It was done in an abstract form of art and it had  very intricate details on it (Design Elements) Since blue is one of my favourite colours this may have been the primary reason as to why this painting caught my attention. i felt as if the Artist was being very expressive and tried to show alot of emotion (Blue can be seen as a colour to portray emotion) using alot of detailed elements in the painting. The "Wave" in the painting was the central focus i feel symbolizes "Life"  and the clusters of detailed work (different colours- texture) can be seen as the challenges in life.

Entrance of the "National Visual Art Gallery

Graffiti Painted Walls at the entrance. I found the patterns interesting and perhaps most of the Art work displayed here have a meaning behind it unfortunately many of us were more curious of what was in store inside the Gallery.

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A glimpse of what the Gallery looks like inside-We were told that no cameras were allowed inside the building but I managed to take a photo using my phone of the 1st floor where Latif Mohidin's Paintings were displayed. 

The entrance of the National Art Gallery - Graffiti Painted walls. Celebrating 60 years "Latiff Mohidin"