OVERVIEW Of my A-level portfolio... Editor-in-chief
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welcome to my carefully curated a level
portfolio. In here you'll find my thoughts and annotations on work, ideas for future projects and pieces and regular explanations of the way the project going. I decided on placing all my work into a magazine because i feel it would showcase by work in a better light, a magazine is very relevant in project as i feel they have key influences in today's culture. All though a dying trade printed magazines are classics they have almost a nostalgic feel and portray almost a affluent attitude; obviously only if the magazine is good. I plan to model my magazine around modern 21st century art culture magazines like juxtapoz,summit and art & culture. As Well as using artists that inspired me i'm going to use contextual references that link to my project and create pieces of art inspired by them. Using my artistic license im going to take aspects from different areas of society and merge them together to create a magazine full of interesting perspectives on art and modern culture . Hopefully i make no mistakes and you enjoy the read thank you .
Cover louie varney shot by louie varney styling louie varney
Alternativ e
Non-living things
people
People who live on the edge
Top 10% percent
Celebrities , influencers
D
Rebellious images celebrities portray
Young celebrities
health
perceptions of society
Mental health
Negative and positive
Key influences and their implications on mental health
Non stereotypical fame
Homeless in luxury
unorthodox
Young and successful
Success through illegitimate industries
Talented youths
Image and how looks can determine your life
alternative ɔːlˈtəːnətɪv,ɒlˈtəːnətɪv/ Adjective 1. (of one or more things) available as another possibility or choice. 2. relating to activities that depart from or challenge traditional norms.
Drugs and crime
Goals
metaphorical
literal
Personal goals
Life goals
Football goals
a pair of posts linked by a crossbar
value
Support , strength and solidarity
ambitions
Ideal life
Key figures
Key influences and their implications on mental health
Stereotypical way someone should lead their life
family
Struggles of reaching goals
How having goals can be negative
Morals behind teamwork
negatives
Problems due to living by norms
goal
ɡəʊl/ noun plural noun: goals 1. (in football, rugby, hockey, and some other games) a pair of posts linked by a crossbar and typically with a net between, forming a space into or over which the ball has to be sent in order to score. 2. the object of a person's ambition or effort; an aim or desired result.
Culture
people
Cultural beauty
D f
ff
f
totems
Cultural identity
Values of different totems
stereotypical
What these things provide for the community
Powerful people within these groups
How the young are influenced
Key influences in areas around the world
Rebellion to stick to cultural norms
Success through foreign culture
Common group activities
Unknown cultures
Overall image of a culture
culture ˈkʌltʃə/ noun noun: culture; plural noun: cultures 1. the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively. 2. the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society.
rituals
dances
Cover louie varney shot by louie varney styling louie varney
Alternative culture Alternative Culture is ... Editor-in-chief
A
alternative culture is a type of culture that exists
outside or on the fringes of mainstream or popular culture, usually under the domain of one or more subcultures. My initial plan is to create pieces inspired by these ‘subcultures’ and trying to link my work to relevant artists. Due to me having such an interest in street culture and urban streetwear and how it has inspired designer labels. I plan on using mixed media to develop my project but first i'm going to use the media i'm most confident in; pencil. I plan on this project being a culmination of multiple different subcultures, maybe even the taboo subcultures that are under-represented like ‘clout’ and ‘gang culture’. These pictures here are just a brief insight into the project and hopefully act as a reference point for me .
Adria mercuri Adria Mercuri an up and coming illustrator, creates pieces that seem to portray a vulnerable subject. His work gives a feel of uncomfortableness and seems to represent the juxtapositions within society .i.e flowers and a boy. Adria’s art combines seriousness with lightness in a very captivating way. Adria’s style can be described as youthful and self-aware with a twist of ethereal freedom. In my opinion Mercuri captures the younger generations vibe perfectly it emcompasses the freedom and affluent attitude of today's culture. I decided to do an artist inspired piece using some of my secondary images of young people from the stereotypical “streetwear culture’.
How did the
T
artist inspired piece happen?
thinking about how i would approach a piece in the style of adria mercuri for me was easy. I found her work very captiating and felt it would attract a much more younger audience. I also felt that it has almost a street-grunge style to it which coincidentally is the first subculture i'm looking into. Streetwear. I found two secondary images of subjects who almost have stereotypical streetwear model look, one of the subjects being the stranger things star finn wolfhard. Recently he seems to very relevant in the streetwear scene, modelling for major brands like gucci. Using on of my strong points, tonal studies, i decided on creating two individual pieces . i feel they are both majorly detailed and very accurate representations of my subjects and the artist. I surrounded the subject with a halo because that is the stereotypical mercuri attribute. Once these pieces are completed i can manipulate them using a photo editing app i use called ‘enlight’.
Using the app enlight i created different effects using the ‘mixer’ tool. Adding different shapes and designs. I kept all the detail within the halo to keep it relevant to mercuri and her style . this specific piece i staurated the image so it would appear more detailed and realistic .
Using the app enlight i created different effects using the ‘mixer’ tool. I was able to clean up the uneven edges of the circle and add a splash of colour. This effect almost gives the watercolor effect and i think it's very effective.
Ignasi Monreal Ignasi Monreal is known for his modern streetwear inspired perception of gucci’s christmas 2017 christmas collection Gucci being one of the most influential brands behind the streetwear culture has a huge following and provides almost an unorthodox vibe which encapsulates modern society Monreal juxtaposes completely opposite societal norms forming amazing pieces which represent the different subcultures
Using Mercury as my first artist has inspired me to keep the ‘halo’ effect around the subject. I also took inspiration from Monreal’s work and one of his images had an ‘old-timey’ border look to it so i decided on using photoshop to impose my image onto the border on his.
Using the app enlight again i re-coloured both the border and the drawing. These illuminous colours don't really go with ignasi vibe but i feel its potentially relevant to my project . im planning on looking into ‘clout aesthetic and this colours are very relevant in that subculture.
imAGes
pRimARy
CLOUT AESTHETIC
A clout aesthetic is a style/lifestyle which often associated with high fashion streetwear Clout is often thought to be negative however it's not always, clout celebrates and emphasises the street/brand obsessed society we live in. continuously pushing the boundaries of streetwear and becoming almost a societal norm with the youth. Clout is all about being famous Aspects of a clout aesthetic is seen and having an influence of within mainstream fashion. society weather that being negative or positive. Often associated with clout is the extensive use of drugs. Especially since the rapper lil peep came ‘on the scene’, he would advocate the use of ‘designer drugs’ which in turn gave him a huge negative perspective from older generation.
Lilly Phillips is a graphic designer /fashion artists that predominantly does vibrant ‘messy’ pieces . Her work is very abstract and modern . i feel that when paired with a ‘clout’ subject it would really capture the culture that i'm trying to create. As of now my project is leaning towards modern and current artists with huge social media influence. So lilly phillips is very relevant . A couple of lilly’s pieces are on acetate i found this technique very effective and decided to do an artist inspired piece with ‘clout’ being the context.
These are my artist inspired pieces from lilly phillips. I used my primary images to create two pieces. To create theses i traced the outlines onto acetate with a black biro; left that to dry. Then started applying the acrylic paint. I found this style very affective but the application of the acrylic very tricky as its almost like blind painting because once the first layer is one you can see you image; you have to constantly turn over te acetate to see if you placed the acrylic in the right place.
In these pieces you can see i've tried to use contrasting colours to compliment the skin tones of my subjects. I feel this is most effective on my male subject, his dark skin tone really makes the yellow pop and stand out. I feel the is marginally less effective with my female subject however i do i feel it still looks good .overall for my first time painting on acetate i feel it was quite successful but, next time i would try and make more accurate skin tones .
Linking back to ignasi monreal, i added a coloured halo around the subejct. I chose corresponidng coloures to compliment to subject and portray different feelings . Looking into colour pyschology and the portential meanings of colours is found that, yellow can portray fun, happiness, sunshine and other light playful Pink can be inicate delicacy and give a charming femine feelings vibe to a piece of work
Nigel Tomm
This simple technique of scrunching up paper was very effective and created a brilliant distorted effect ‘Art determines a personal reality as a visual satisfaction constructed on pure nature of cognition forms’ I found his work really enticing and enjoyed this style of experimental photography as its controversial but in almost an conservative way. Hiding the modesty of the subjects I feel his work is very relevant in today's climate considering everything's about image on social media representation. His work gives an alternative view on popular mundane photography. I created a inspired piece using the social media icon kylie jenner, her presents online is huge. I used a semi provocative image scrunched it up and laid it flat between two books to capture the crease in the paper . I framed the image with a white boarder and added braille using a homemade braille stencil. The brain reads louie upside down .
This coloured pencil study of model gigi hadid was my first attempt at using coloured pencils for portrait.
Coloured pencil study
I found the contours of the face where able to be much more characterised using coloured pencils opposed to a tonal piece. However i do find normal pencils are much easy to blend and menover around the page and mistakes are easily rectifiable whereas coloured pencils are very hard to erase.
Clermont twins These influential twins have captivated the public's attention this past year they seem encompass the whole “clout� lifestyle. There style and way of living has inspired younger generations and gave them a huge social media following. Thy are often seen changing up there hairstyles but this image above is really inspiring as you can see how multiple subcultures have inspired there style .i.e. Rastafarianism, clout, haute couture and streetwear.
Melodie Perrault Continuing with the theme of social influencers and artists with a huge social media presence i decided to look for a artist who capture the naked form precisely and tastefully. Perrault i feel does just that. I decided on pairing her style of work with the clermont twins as they are often captured nude. Perraut uses dot work to shade and uses harsh lines to outline her subjects i feel creating a inspired piece in this style would fit perfectly into my project as harsh lines and dotting are completely opposite to one another and that is almost like my project. Almost like a juxtapose of society.
The dreadlocks hairstyle popularized in Western culture by Rastafarians has become universally identified with Jamaica and Reggae. People from all walks of life use it as a symbol of protest or as “going natural�. Read more about this in the article on Dreadlocks. Their adherence to natural medication and their many uses of marijuana has provided a stepping stone for many scientific studies of many of the herbs in Jamaica. They have been at the forefront of the legalization of Ganja worldwide for use in their religion and also for medical purposes.
Rastafarianism
Rastafari, sometimes termed Rastafarianism, is an Abrahamic religion. Classified as both a new religious movement and social movement, it developed in Jamaica during the 1930s
Rastafari refer to their beliefs, which are based on a specific interpretation of the Bible, as "Rastalogy". Central is a monotheistic belief in a single God—referred to as Jah—who partially resides within each individual.
Ojo Agi Ojo uses her platform to challenge the lens with which women of colour are portrayed Agi tries captures a feeling, an emotion and an expression withinOjo uses her platform to challenge the lens with which women of colour are portrayed her pieces. Focusing on women of colour she represents them in a new light.
Ojo agi describes her work as redefining black culture and changing perceptions of black women in a westernised society. Much of our identity as african women is handed down to us from our parents. We’re supposed to want to be doctors, lawyers or engineers; asexual throughout our teens but suddenly committed in a heterosexual relationship by our early twenties; studious, conservative and most of all not too entrenched in ‘western’ values. Some some us comply some of us rebel.
Alternative pop culture Pop culture is referred to as modern popular culture transmitted via the mass media and aimed particularly at younger people. And alternative is referred to when relating to activities that depart from or challenge traditional norms. People who challenge traditional norms are often referred to as ‘rebels’. Examples of people/cultures who preach alternative pop culture are rastafarians, hippies, chavs and lads and ladettes. Mass media's often supplies the public with the perfect idea of celebrity and fame however, it has been a regular thing where unstereotypical beings are reaching stardom .
When Thinking about how to represent ‘alternative pop culture’ i was inspired by multiple different streetwear photographers. Willy Vanderperre, Terry richardson and Bruce weber all have a similar style and represent the epitome of alternative pop culture. The almost controversial style really projects the ‘vibe’ im trying to achieve for my portfolio. I plan on doing a photoshoot in the style of these photographers but first i need to plan.
PhoTOsHoOt pLan
When sketching out ideas for a photoshoot i decided to do some in the style of a parisian tattoo artists MADAME BURAKA. His style is very modern and almost gothic but with pop culture references. He platforms his work on instagram and has tattooed multiple celebrities.
9 Top PhoTOgRapHy ComPOsiTIon RUleS 1. FilL tHe fRAme / CroPpINg 2. Don'T cuT OfF liMbS 3. UnDerStANd The RUle Of ThiRdS 4. Use FrAMes 5. MakE The MOsT of LEad IN liNEs / ShaPEs 6. SimPlIFy – KnoW yOuR fOCus 7. WatCh The BAcKgRoUnD 8. LoOk For SyMmeTrY/paTtERnS 9. CreATe dEPtH
PhoTOgRapHy
coMpOSitIoN RUle OF tHIrDs
The golden triangle: compose pictures classically. ... The golden triangle is instead a classical rule of composition used in paintings and photography. This timeless rule states that to create a harmonious image, the main subject should describe the shape of a triangle.
The rule of thirds is applied by aligning a subject with the guide lines and their intersection points, placing the horizon on the top or bottom line, or allowing linear features in the image to flow from section to section.
GolDEn RatIo
The Golden Ratio In Photography. Some argue that the rule of thirds is an oversimplification of a more advanced mathematical equation known as the golden ratio (also known as the golden mean). The golden ratio is a ratio which has continued to surprise artists, scientists, musicians and mathematicians for centuries.