THESIS PROJECT 2017
SPOTTED BANANA Jia Gao
SPOTTED BANANA
THESIS PROJECT IN ILLUSTRATION PRACTICE MFA MICA 2017 Jia Gao
PERSONAL STATEMENT
Jia Gao is an illustrator, an visual artist, who loves life greatly and focuses on emotional expression as well as recording her life. Miga is inspired from provocative stories, artist books and the nature. Her art work is about sensitive emotions, observations in daily life, imaginations and her dreams. She loves though observations, thinkings and reflections to gain better understanding of cutting-edge concepts and art itself. Miga usually tries different and mixed media to express her idea. She is enthusiastic about exploring the stories and spirits behind everything. Before carrying out any illustration or design projects, she loves to research and dig out much info. Then just have fun with it without any intention or motivation. The most important thing for her to start a project is to enrich her own experiences to conceive creative ideas and new concepts. Homepage: migagao.co Instagram: miga_gao
INTRODUCTION OF ARTIST
Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MFA, US, 2015-2017 The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Exchange, HK, China, 2013-2014 Shanghai Jiao Tong University, BA, Shanghai, China, 2011-2015
CONTENTS
CONTENTS INTRODUCTION OF THESIS INSPIRATIONS/BEGINNING PROCESS 1 BUILD THE STORY PROCESS 2 FORM OF EXPRESSION PROCESS 3 BUILD THE BOOK THE EXHIBITION/ GRAD SHOW
INTRODUCTION OF THESIS
THESIS STATEMENT The Spotted Banana
“
What can a banana mean?
It depends on the meaning that you give it. Yet meanings can change. Spotted Banana is a project that examines how social stratification, resource distribution and information transfer is influenced by greed and prejudice. Spotted Banana explores the ultimate worth of the individual and their personal pursuits. This story begins in a world where apes live in social castes where resources are unfairly distributed—the most significant of them being Golden Bananas. Golden Bananas are widely advertised products that represent a materialistic path to virtue, status, and perfection. A Golden Banana is a symbol of an ideal state that all apes seek while a Spotted Banana represents a mundane and imperfect status. Social beliefs in banana status influence all castes: higher castes loathe and fear the lower castes, while middle and lower caste apes are envious of what they do not have. As the story unfolds we see that although stratified, everything in the ape’s world can be redefined through experience and perspective. Because perception is personal, the story asks the reader to draw their own conclusions, to make distinctions and uncover their own personal philosophy.
Book Cover
“
INSPIRATIONS/BEGINNING
A photo of Time Square
An image about Ayahuasca
A painting about Heaven
A IWW poster critiquing Capitalism by showing the class system
INSPIRATIONS/BEGINNING
VISUAL INSPIRATIONS
Storyline draft 1(original idea) Storyline draft 2 (revised)
PROCESS 1 BUILD THE STORY
PROCESS OF MAKING THE STORY The change of idea and storyline
Story 1(original idea)
The Spotted Banana is a series of illustrated books that raises philosophical questions through the eyes of an ape. Each book encompasses a different world – reality, hyperspace, consciousness, surrealism, and heaven. The resulting illustrations will be bound as an artist’s book, constructed in a circular fashion without a beginning or an end.
Story 2 (revised)
The Spotted Banana is an illustrated picture book that raises philosophical questions through the eyes of an ape. This picture book talks about an ape lived in a society which is class based. A story about his relationship with the food bananas, his dream, experiences and his thinkings. This picture book wanna let people to think about the world he lives independently, think about and do sth good for other people.
PROCESS 1 BUILD THE STORY
PROCESS OF MAKING THE STORY The change of idea and storyline
The finished book
Photos of apes
PROCESS 1 BUILD THE STORY Sketches
CHARACTER DESIGN Process of sketches
PROCESS 1 BUILD THE STORY
CHARACTER DESIGN Process of sketches
While design the images of characters in my picture book, I put my own understanding of how the apes in different class would look like in this story. Apes in different class will have different poses, different clothes and so on. Those apes reflect the living appearance and conditions of people in society.
High class apes
Middle class apes
Lower class apes
Sketches
Final Piece An illustration of the book
PROCESS 1 BUILD THE STORY
STORYBOARD
Sketches of Illustrations
To make my story book, the first thing I need to do was to make a storyboard. After finished the whole story, I stared to draft all the illustrations with color pencils. Then to write the descrpition of each illustration. When I got a clear line and illustrations of the story, the next step for me is writing the formal texts and invent the apes' languages.
The sketches of illustrations
Materials
Arylic gouache
Process
Color pencils
Oil pastels
Collage
PROCESS 2 FORM OF EXPRESSION
ILLUSTRATION
Working on Illustrations
Process
Size: 31''x 24'' Media:Mixed media, gouche, acrylic, color pencil, collage
Part
PROCESS 2 FORM OF EXPRESSION
“The elitist manager became mad.”
PROCESS 2 FORM OF EXPRESSION
“The elitist manager decided to commit suicide by eating a lot of spotted bananas.”
“The craft merchant puts many spotted bananas into golden pigment so that he can fool many apes and make money.�
PROCESS 2 FORM OF EXPRESSION
“The fake golden bananas are labelled and sold around the city.”
“The elitist manager see a world differently. All apes stand up right, even the elitist manager. Every ape is equal and empathetic. The elitist manager feels at peace.�
PROCESS 2 FORM OF EXPRESSION
“The elitist manager experiencing a new world.”
PROCESS 3 BUILD THE BOOK
THE INVENTION OF APES' LANGUAGES I put my own understaning to each ape's word. Every world is also a symbol of the world's meanings. Designing the new languages is the most difficult part of this project.
PROCESS 3 BUILD THE BOOK
THE INVENTION OF APES' LANGUAGES Thinking process and design drafts
Design process
Screenprint Studio
PROCESS 3 BUILD THE BOOK
SCREENPRINTING Process of making
Process
Process of making posters
PROCESS 3 BUILD THE BOOK
SCREENPRINTING Posters
Process of making posters
PROCESS 3 BUILD THE BOOK
SCREENPRINTING Propaganda Posters
Process of making posters
Posters in the illustration
PROCESS 3 BUILD THE BOOK
SCREENPRINTING
Finshed Propaganda Posters
THESIS SHOW
INSTALL THE SHOW
Process of install
THESIS SHOW
THESIS SHOW
INSTALL THE SHOW
The finished book
Screenprint prints
Screenprint posters
THESIS SHOW
THESIS SHOW
VISIT AND FEEDBACK
MANY MANY THANKS!