aim of project + personal goals & expectations COMPOSITION + DESIGN PRINCIPLES To create a visual narrative expressing the quotes with attention to design principles, and reinterpret preconceived associations.
OLD ENGRAVING STYLE To put the image into context. “You guys won’t be exposed to the style otherwise,” – Shirley As mentioned in the brief, I started out merely hoping that this project would allow me to put the design principles we have learnt through weeks of class presentations into practice and come up with a composition that makes visual sense.
the 4 quotes In deciding on which quotes I wanted to engage with, I started out by picking humorously interesting quotes over quotes with value-meaning because I found the former to have more potential in initiating a unique composition featuring bizarre subject matter. However, along the process, I began to struggle with these quotes precisely due to their lack of meaning, or at least lack to relevance to me. The 4 final quotes I eventually stuck to (in red) were selected based on how much potential for personal interpretation I felt they had, and came from movies I thoroughly enjoyed.
Hence, my initial quotes included:
“One minute you're defending the whole galaxy, and, suddenly, you find yourself sucking down darjeeling with Marie Antoinette... and her little sister.” – Toy Story (1995) “Oh good, my dog found the chainsaw!” – Lilo and Stitch (2002) “This car’s automatic, it’s systematic, it’s hydromatic, why it’s greased lightnin’!” – Grease (1978) “When the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.” – The Sound of Music (1965) “Guy don’t need no sense to be a good fella.” – Of Mice and Men (1992) “Flattery won’t charge these batteries, civilian.” – Wreck-it Ralph (2012)
key references Since the brief specified for the wood engraving/etching style to be adopted in our compositions, a few artist references who came to mind include M.C. Escher, John Tenniel and printmaking works in general. These etchings by Escher are especially unique with his combined use of tessellation, negative space and metamorphosis. I really like how one animal subtly transforms into another through negative space, and as a whole create a stable sense of repetition and rhythm. This technique may possibly be employed in the background of some of my compositions.
key references
The illustrations of John Tenniel, on the other hand, are much more organic. Because they are illustrations featuring characters, each image has a specific focus – the character. Here, the background complements the main subject matter, presenting the character as the composition’s main focus even while other smaller, less significant objects are present around the character. I love how the crosshatched lines at the back can indicate lighting and shadows (to draw attention to the main subject matter),
while also filling up empty space in the background. This is likewise something I may incorporate in my compositions. In all, Tenniel’s work is a great example of the wood engraving style, and it’s certainly something that has quickly gotten me to embrace this historic style. While some may find this style too controlled, structured and therefore boring, the line work strikes me as intricate renderings that make up for the image’s lack of color. Moreover, the medium of woodcut/printmaking give off a sense of permanence and weight to each individual portrayed subject matter.
composition #1
context of the quote Toy Story (1995) This line was uttered by Buzz Lightyear after he breaks his arm, disillusioned by the fact that he is indeed merely a toy, and not a space ranger. He is discovered by Woody at a tea party with two headless dolls, and behaves in a drunk state. With this being one of the earlier quotes I chose based on humor, I ended up not including very much of my own take on the quote but rather, presenting it quite literally. Despite this, the subject matter in this composition were still interesting because the quote itself carried very interesting images, as underlined above.
“One minute you're defending the whole galaxy, and, suddenly, you find yourself sucking down darjeeling with Marie Antoinette... and her little sister.” – Toy Story (1995)
the composition
phrase
represented by image of
One minute
POCKET WATCH
defending the whole galaxy
SUPERHERO IN SPACE
suddenly sucking down darjeeling with Marie Antoinette
MARIE ANTOINETTE AND TEA CUP ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WATCH
... and her little sister.”
HEADLESS DOLL
OTHERS: To hint at buzz’s alleged ‘drunk’ state, I also added a wine bottle in the composition.
the composition
Draft
Composition-wise, the image was initially done without a background. However, I felt that adding small images to fill the background could not only fill up the empty space, but also unify the entire image. Hence, I added in stars and planets on one half, and flowers on the other to distinguish the two sides of the moment-to-moment shift as expressed in the quote. I made the images at the back almost the same size so that they look to be a consistent pattern from afar, but when observed in detail, one would realize that they represent two different situations.
Final Design
In my first draft (left), I was told that the images in the background were way to big and this takes the focus away from the foreground subject matter. I also realized that there were too many details in the flowers, and so I replaced them with dingbats and ornaments of floral designs instead. This simplification proved to be effective in shifting the focus away from the background and to the foreground instead.
the composition
I predominantly made use of the threshold effect in photoshop for this composition, with most of my found images being photographs/realistic representations. The threshold function was what allowed me to flatten the image to make it more akin to the wood engraving style. I also used half tones in some of the more 2-dimensional, simpler images found, such as the planets. Because they did not have shadows nor a variety of tonal values, they would appear one single color after the application of the threshold effect. I found that half tones were able to produce some depth and visual interest in these plain shapes.
composition #2
context of the quote
“When the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.�
This quote is a lot simpler, but is packed with meaning, at least to me. I interpreted this quote to be about the opportunities we are given in life, how the apparent end of one road would mean hope for a new opening and path elsewhere. This interpretation also meant that the elements within this composition can be a lot more straightforward and simple as well. I used the image of a vast field in nature to represent the idea of better, new opportunities that may potentially come about. The notion of one door closing to reveal an open window is represented with the cube – a closed door on one side, and an open window revealing the scenic view of nature on the other. When one steps through the room of the closed door, one would then be faced with the sight of something new, and for me, this depicts the quote perfectly.
The hills in the background were collaged in, and I used threshold to allow the separate image to blend in better with the other found image of the field. I also included the iconic figure of Maria the nun (played by Julie Andrews) dancing in the fields, to pay tribute to the movie as well as the character, whom the quote was directed towards. I did this by using the pen tool to create a mask around a photograph of Maria, and used the threshold effect after that.
composition #2
Initially, I was going to leave the half of the composition without the field empty. However, I ended up adopting Escher’s tessellation of cubes, which matched the large cube in the image, in the background. This was especially relevant because the structured repetition of the cubes gave a sense of mundaneness, and would be a reason why a journey would be put to an end in life. It’s essentially stepping out of mundaneness and into newer, fresher events.
With reference to the design principles, I would say that this composition is rather well balanced because the separate elements take up a 30% to 70% ratio presence in the whole image, and because the large cube is meant to stand out on its own, the divided background is not split perfectly in half diagonally. Rather, the split takes place slightly off-center, allowing the cube to be positioned strategically within the rule of thirds.
composition #2
Draft
Initially, my design took the path of presenting the quote rather literally, as evident in the image above. The only aspect I found interesting (which sadly did not make it to the final stage of the design) was the use of Maria’s silhouette to form the window sill. Even then, however, I don’t think it turned out exceptionally successful as one would not immediately take to be the window sill. Rather, it would be instantly recognized as the figure of Maria.
Final Design
composition #3
context of the quote Wreck-it Ralph (2012) This line was uttered by Sergeant Calhoun, a female character who leads the troops in her game, Hero’s Duty. The quote in itself reflects an important part of Calhoun’s headstrong character, as well as the notion of gir lpower/ the strong, confident and upright feminine character. Hence, I decided to present this aspect of Calhoun through the quote.
“Flattery won’t charge these batteries, civilian.” – Wreck-it Ralph (2012)
composition #3
I used the image of flowers to represent the idea of flattery, because of its associations with romanticism and decadence, which are essentially functions of flattery. They are put in a trash can, which reflects Calhoun’s direct rejection of flattery. She deems flattery useless, that they won’t charge batteries, essentially asserting that she won’t allow flowery (pun intended) language and compliments to get in her way and cause her to drop her guard.
I used the figure of a woman to represent Calhoun’s feminine yet headstrong character, and this is further accentuated with the gun I collaged into her hand. I placed cybugs in the background in that rotation to frame the foreground of the woman and trashcan, and also to insert the context of the quote, that being the game Hero’s Duty within the movie.
composition #4
context of the quote In the movie, this line was uttered by Slim, when he talks about Lennie’s innocence. Lennie, who is mentally retarded, is framed to have committed crimes he did not commit in reality. With this, the quote itself seemed like a portrait of Lennie. No sense, but a good person. Therefore, I knew I wanted this composition to be a simple portrait of a single subject matter. Rather than to take an image of Lennie and collage other elements on top of it, I used a rabbit to represent Lennie. Rabbits are a recurring motif in the movie, and Lennie oftens talks about how he wants to touch the soft fur of Rabbits. For the image I chose, I ensured that the rabbit had a particularly blank, clueless expression that mirrored Lennie’s expression. I then collaged a hat similar to Lennie’s on the Rabbit, and gave it a bindle on a stick, which is also something carried by Lennie in the movie. The main purpose of this is to create a more obvious reference to the character.
To present the aspect of Lennie being a good person, I put angel wings on the rabbit, and also added a halo similar to that of saints’.
new technical takeaways
Printmaking with silkscreen was something very new to me. The process was very tedious, and involved many steps and lots of time in order to create a single print. Previously, I have done printmaking in the form of lino cut and solar ammonia printing. Comparing these three methods of printmaking, I would say that although it takes the longest and probably the most effort as well, silkscreen printing is a very efficient way of transferring an image onto another surface, because details can be captured rather accurately and quickly reproduced in a matter of seconds.
My tote bags did not turn out ideal, but the process of experimenting and actually engaging with the silkscreen was certainly one that allowed me to learn a lot and I am thankful for the exposure (pun intended) to this traditional craft. The design principles were also really put into practice through this project, and I have found myself consciously becoming more observant to the basic elements and composition of my works, which is certainly a good thing to have because these rules are the fundamentals of design and are the reason why an image can be visually stimulating and an effective means of communicating a message, or a movie quote, in this context.
the works that didn’t make the cut
Special thanks G03 Shirley San Veda My family
KOH JIE LYN ADM 2016