Lou i
January 2019 / issue 1 / Vol.1
100 Ignasi monreal, man behind gucci’s recent campaign
200 Explanation of the ‘clout aesthetic’
300 Clermont twins -contextual reference
OVERVIEW Of my A-level portfolio...
W
Editor-in-chief
elcome 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 my work in a better light, a magazine is very relevant in the project as I feel they have key influences in today's culture. Although a dying trade printed magazines are classics they have almost a nostalgic feel and portray almost an 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. I'm 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. Enjoy the read thank you.
Cover louie varney shot by louie varney styling louie varney
Contextual references Contextual sources may be works by artists, designers, craftspeople or architects, as well as cultural objects and artifacts. In this project, I will work from both primary and secondary contextual sources. Studying how other artists and designers work is
important to help your knowledge and understanding. I plan on making notes on their ideas, techniques, style, and development. A lot of my contextual references throughout this project are pop-culture influencers like the Clermont twins and Kanye West. I also have taken inspiration from tattoo artists and creators that don’t produce art in a stereotypical way. Contextual referencing will be a huge element in my project as most artists only portray the negative effects of living in the cultures, I plan on celebrating these areas of society with positive artist responses and portrayals and eventually my own piece.
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
Alternative culture Alternative Culture is ...
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 try 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 is 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 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. Their 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 encompasses 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’.
Thinking about how I would approach a piece in the style of Adria Mercuri for me was easy. I found her work very captivating and felt it would attract a much 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, modeling for major brands like Gucci. I also used primary images from a photoshoot I did previously. Using one 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 as it adds more fluidity too the piece.
Here I have increased the clarity and saturation, added a pixelated gradient tone in the ‘halo’. This yellow hue could link to religious iconography and the use of glow around the head to heighten the subjects importance.
Pop Culture Pop culture is referred to as modern popular culture transmitted via the mass media and aimed particularly at younger people. An 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 most controversial style really projects the ‘vibe’ I'm 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 idEa
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.
images
primary
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 guidelines 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.
Ignasi Monreal is known for his modern streetwear inspired perception of Gucci's Christmas 2017 Christmas collection
Ignasi Monreal
Gucci is one of the most influential brands behind the streetwear culture has a huge following and provides almost an unorthodoMonreal juxtaposes completely opposite societal norms forming amazing pieces which represent the different subcultures x 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.
Ignasi Monreal
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.
CLOUT AESTHETIC
A clout aesthetic is a style/lifestyle which often associated with high fashion streetwear. Clout is often given negative connotations, in actual fact clout celebrates and emphasizes 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 are and having an influence of seen 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 an 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.
imAGes
pRimARy
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 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 .
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.
Linking back to Ignasi Monreal, I added a coloured halo around the subject. I chose corresponding colors to compliment to subject and portray different feelings . Pink can be indicate delicacy and give a charming feminine vibe to a piece of work Looking into colour psychology and the potential meanings of colours is found that, yellow can portray fun, happiness, sunshine and other light playful feelings
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 a conservative way. Hiding the modesty of the subjects I feel his work is very relevant in today's climate considering everything's about an image on social media representation. His work gives an alternative view of popular mundane photography. I created an inspired piece using the social media icon Kylie Jenner, she 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 border and added braille using a homemade braille stencil. The brain reads Louie upside down .
This colored pencil study of model Gigi Hadid was my first attempt at using colored pencils for a portrait.
Coloured pencil study
I found the contours of the face where able to be much more characterized using colored pencils opposed to a tonal piece. However, I do find normal pencils are much easy to blend and manoeuver around the page and mistakes are easily rectifiable whereas colored pencils are very hard to erase.
Clermont twins These influential twins have captivated the public's attention this past year they seem to encompass the whole “clout� lifestyle. There style and way of living has inspired younger generations and gave them a huge social media following. They are often seen changing up their 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 an artist who captures 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 an 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.
Tonal pencil study
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.
UsiNg A woODbuRnINg ToOl When looking into different media and canvases I came across pyrography. Pyrography is is the art of decorating wood or other materials with burn marks resulting from the controlled application of a heated object such as a poker. I used a pyrography tool and started practicing on spare pieces of wood before completing any big pieces. I practicing doing random patterns and some typography onto the wood testing how powerful the tool was and the amount it burnt through the wood and what pressures achieved certain looks. I then decided on freehand burning a face into the wooden slab. The tool came with multiple different ‘tips’ to achieve certain looks; for this portrait, I used a rounded end as it had much more surface area and could achieve more shading. After that, I decided to complete an artist inspired piece of the artists Boris Schmitz, a German artist who predominantly use continuous line drawing to capture his audiences.
Here are some the the pyrography attachments and their effects. As you can see the more surface area the thicker and lighter the burn will be whereas, the thinner tools has a much darker more detailed effect .
FADED music video
This influential music video set a tone for a new style of videography and is also very influential in my project. Kanye West's work encompassed pop culture mixed with a retro aesthetic. There seems to be a huge surge in mainstream media using grained images to portray almost an ‘old timey’ look now and I personally love it. Here I have taken a still from the video used different graded pencils to create a smooth tonal image. I would like to complete an acrylic piece like this using more vibrant colors.
Chelsea dawn leopold
Leopold is an Instagram artist with an evident passion for image portrayed through art. Or even hairstyles. Her work depicts vulnerable looking women and adds almost childlike accents to her pieces hrough the hair.
Her work inspired me to create a eries of images all based on the ame portrait. During this experiment, I felt my portrait skills weren't as good as they once were and wasn't too impressed with the outcome. I also found it quite hard to oughly draw flowing hair without any structure. It didn't seem to match.
These images are in order of when i done them. The first was a portrait without hair, the second, third and fourth was the same but with the child like rough hairstyles and the fifth and sixth are directly inspired from leopold's pieces where she randomly places splashes of colour to add depth into her work, overall i feel this experiment was a fail because the pieces were not a good portrayal of the artist.
ILLEGAL HAIR TRADE IN THIRD WORLD COUNTRIES A documentary made by refinery29 inspired me to incorporate how the hair trade has exploited poor women in third world countries into my project. The woman in the documentary was a Vietnamese housewife who earned very little and for the past two years has been approached by traders offering minimal amounts for her hip length hair (£2.30).
It's been known in previous years for women to be abducted or drugged for ‘hair smugglers’ cut away their long locks. These women are not being celebrated for there long black well-kept hair instead they are being exploited in benefit of the multi-million dollar industry.
However, in this documentary, there was a man who would ethically source the hair from these rural villages offering the woman decent pay and benefits in return for their long hair.
This really interested me and inspired me to look further into how their hair is used and how these ‘wigs’ are made. I took advice from my teachers and started learning how to make small hair pieces.
The process the piece was then dried and glued again as without two layers of glue the was potential for failure. Once I reached ear level I sectioned the top into segments to create partings in the hair. I initially used a hair dryer to dry the glue and found that due to the synthetic hair being plastic is set the hair in place almost acting as straighteners - which worked to my I initially started off by paper mache a advantage. However, I found using a ball - 3 times to ensure stability. Then I heat gun much more effective as it drew a hairline and carefully cut out the dried quicker but it did slightly singe excess using a knife making sure I did the hair but it just made the piece not puncture the ball. look more voluminous. I then began applying the hair I used The final wig was very successful, artificial ‘plastic’ hair for this as real however in unsure iI would do this hair could potentially be unethical and again as its very time consuming and too expensive. I cut it into small strips unsure whether it's relevant to my and glued them onto the ‘scalp’. Each project.
Current project position And where my creative mindset is ...
M
y project at its current state has taken a slight deviation from its initial idea of ‘alternative cultures’ and now delved into more real world issues and how I can portray them through art. An issue I have with this is a feel my creative ability and artistic ideas have seriously lacked when it comes to portraying important ‘world’ topics. My passion is for pop culture and the ‘new-world’ fame that has come from social media. And this is where I'm going to now take my project. This is not a random jump as most of my project up to now still inks with this idea. Most of my contextual references, artists, and photography has been inspired/is from social media influencers and creators. I'm now going to delve into a art from modern art-pop culture and relevant contextual references. My artists inspired pieces I want to become more vibrant and I want to be able to use much more of a huge color pallet. Neon colors are a huge trend as well as metallics at the moment so I plan on testing using them on portraits of different relevant individuals.
These pieces have a very distinct look and create almost a feeling on the subject being lost in the color. The yellow is extremely overpowering and leaves the subject behind at first glance. I believe if the subject was outlines in a good quality black biro or fine liner it would be more efficient, due to black and yellow being contrasting colors on the color chart. I could also experiment by using different colors and patterns instead of using one block color. This could create a more depth feel and add dimension to the pieces.
TomASz Mro
Here I have taken inspiration from artist Tomasz Mro. His work really resonates with projects current state, my plan now is to start introducing more vibrancy into my work. More does exactly that and that's what encouraged me to create these pieces. Here I have used two images of pencils studies I already had, one of the computer generated model lil Miquela and the other from a primary image I took during a photo shoot. I also used an app called ‘enlighten’ (which is very similar to photoshop) to block out the existing pencil study with the yellow.
This piece was inspired by Ben Lustenhouwer watercolor portrait. I wanted to test using watercolor to create tonal images and I actually found it was quite effective. The patchy elements to the piece give an effect of a vulnerability within the painting but, is quickly contracted by the fluorescent neon hair. The fluorescent green hair is my spin on Lustenhouwer work as it resonates with my projects current direction. Fluorescent colors are now associated with almost an affluent culture as they are now seen in the mainstream media on celebrities and social influencers. I also worked into this piece using a biro to add depth and define the ‘lighter’ areas of the image; around the eyes, creases in the armpits, collarbone, and hair parts.
I took this image from a previous tonal study done for this project. I thought using an image from the already existing project and applying the ‘new techniques’ I've learned and applying my new ideas to it would show how adaptable I am as an artist and how all my pieces can be cross-referenced and correlate to the same meaning ‘culture’. Whether this image was of a white middle-class woman or a suburban afro-Caribbean mother the idea behind this image is the affluent attitudes that can be portrayed by things on the exterior; the hair in this case.
Inspired by her surroundings (London) Beetson uses social conventions to create masterpieces which her audience can relate to. Sarah Beetson creates illustrations using bright color and overlapping of different techniques and mediums i.e. biro, pencil, and acrylic. I would describe her work as perfectly executed chaotic colorful madness. I really enjoyed using this technique, I found it to be very effective. If I were to do that again I would consider using the brown card to achieve a better flesh tone instead of trying to create one using colored pencils. This study also broadened my appreciation for different media, I found using these different inks to create mesmerizing patterns really adds depth and illusion to my piece. Which I don't necessarily feel I get from Beetsons pieces.
Warhol use bright flat colours in his work making his subjects appear 2D. The use of different colours would be heavily influenced by Warhols avant garde style His work portrayed an alternative view on mass media, his famous paintings have been at the forefront of modern art for years. His work is iconic. Taking inspiration from his work i've created a duplicate piece like his Marilyn Monroe piece using completely different colour pallets on each image.
One using very ‘negative’ colou and the other using more a ‘uplifting pallet to show the subjects multip personality traits. I found trying to get rid of the brus strokes very difficult and after th third coat it wasnt seeming to go t plan so, if i was to complete piec similar again i would ensure m canvas was appropriate to achieve th block colour ‘look’ like warhol.
Of the back of my original Beetson inspired piece I decided to take my own advice and try it on the card to capture more of a ‘skin tone’. I used primary images I already had on a family member to do this. I found it to actually be much more effective and felt it capture Beetsons athletic much more. Taking inspiration from the use of brown card I tried some colored pencil drawings. I continued using an image on my cousin family member (Charlie) as they were the photos at hand. The vibrancy of the pencils was really exaggerated by using the color card and this was the reasoning behind choosing Kylie Jenner as a subject of interest for these ‘pieces’. Her diverse style and unusual choice of hair color really relate to Sarah beetson exaggerated use of color.
Greg Swales
Nick Saglimbeni
Both Greg swales and Nick Saglimbeni are both photographers who capture relevant pop culture subjects. However, they s both seem to use very neutral tones and capture the subject in their purest form. This is a complete juxtaposition of their culture as they are very affluent women being stripped of any material goods that could be representative of their community. The use of neutral tones really captures the vulnerability and natural beauty of the subject.
Inspired photoshoot
I experimented trying to achieve the vibe both swales and Saglimbeni achieve, I personally am unsure if I did. However I am pleased with the end products, both photographers seem to capitalize on the closeness of their subjects (almost to close). The images I took I felt really depicted the empowerment of women and captured the raw ambition and strength of my subjects. There was also some logistical issues due to it being a low budget photo shoot and if I was to do it I would plan it to ensure the model's hair, makeup and positions were perfect. Both photographers encompass the state of pop culture in the 21st century almost this new era of highly marketized perfection, both swales and Saglimbeni's subjects are flawless there images depict visions of perfection. So with my primary images, I decided to use photoshop and make some adjustments, some might say a few too many adjustments.
This idea of flawless perfection really resonates with my project as women (and men) from all cultures face this constant pressure to portray a perfect image on social media and real life.
Lil miquela ; the model with no soul Lil
miquela
Lil miquela is a the account eats, sleep resonates with my breaths project as I'm focusing computer generated and cyborg, and no one trendy-ness. She's A on social media knows who behind the walking trend. in luencers and how Her af luent style and they are portraying 800k instagram . Despite the fact athletic-inspired me to this ‘unrealistic’ way of miquela looks like a lost incorporate the account living. Lil Miquela is Sims character her into my project, The definitely doing that. in luence on social soulless whites of her media is huge and her eyes and matt skin followers can back that texture would make for an easy subject to up. From her constant potentially paint or designer purchases to draw. Miquela social her computer Lil generated style changes platform really
The computer generated model The media have created a media storm around Miquela and asked enormous amounts of rhetorical questions. Who is she? Is she real? Is she alive? Is there an actual person behind this account? How is she made? All of these questions I would like to incorporate in a contextual reference inspired piece. Whether that be printed over a portrait or taking inspiration from micrography an artist such as Ralph Ueltzhoeffer.
I decided to take inspiration from American presidential campaigns. when thinking about this inspired piece as lil Miquela is a highly influential character in the media I thought I could be relevant. artist Shepard fairey creates these fascinating images which ultimately portray power and almost a regalness to there pieces. The contrasting colors and varying techniques combine together to create a visionary masterpiece. The first piece was created by using photoshop to create different depths and layers in different colors to portray the heights and the lows of lil Miquela facial features. I then transferred it onto cartridge paper and painted over it using acrylic. I found creating a smooth layer of acrylic extremely hard. As Shepard Fairey's main media is screen printing I decided to experiment with an image of lil Miquela and transferring her onto iconic ‘vogue’ covers. Almost delivering a juxtaposed view of how society is now seen, especially in today's era where we have key influences from pre-20th-century pop culture.
The pixelation on this image was intentional. Inspired by artist Bradley Hart who creates pixelated images by injecting paint into bubble wrap, I wanted to achieve the same effect but in a much easier way. So I scanned in my piece and increased the number of pixels and it actually worked out quite well.
I also feel that the population really fits in with this piece and the contextual reference behind it. Lil Miquela is merely a pixelated humanoid who lives within the four walls of Instagram so increasing the number of pixels in the image only enhances the portrayal of that message. I could go further and add a background perhaps the colors of Instagram.
Using the app enlight I created different effects using the ‘mixer’ tool. I enhanced the image blurring out any imperfections in the painting and added a ‘instagram’ gradient style background; as lil miquela is an instagram model it fits quite nicely.
Using adobe draw
I decided to experiment with a digital form of artistry, in the form of using the application ‘adobe draw’. On the app you can create all kinds of pieces but as my project is heavily based around people I decided to take primary images and almost create a 2D cartoon of them. I found this technique very ‘fun’ and enjoyed the whole process. I also found it linked quite nicely into my project as I'm going to start to look into how the media/internet is affecting culture and these pieces could be seen an almost hollow version of ourselves which in today's society is what people are posting on social media platforms to make themselves look good.
Following on from my previous point about how these pieces are two-dimensional media representations of ourselves, my whole idea behind creating these pieces was inspired by multiple Instagram ‘adobe’ artists who are doing the same thing but instead using secondary images of celebrities to draw in an audience on their page. These pieces take around an hour to complete each so they are quite time-consuming however if more time was spent you could create a deeply intricate piece however there would be no proof of using any time of different media as its all digital. For this reason, is decided to work back into the pieces once printed to create depth and highlights using tonal pencil and a white pen. (see next page)
Here is the image I plan on using for the magazine front cover but recreated in adobe draw. The two-dimensional effectreally does encompass the ethos of the magazine and would draw in my target audience. However, the photographic image, in my opinion, holds much more story behind it as it also includes the background and the atmosphere around the subject.
THE MET GALA
The Met Gala really encompasses everything my project is about. The effect cultures have on society, media and fashion. Throughout the project, I have struggled to find an exact link but researching the Met has really inspired me to continue with the theme of how the society is so heavily influenced by what influencers or cultures are promoting. The whole idea that religion has inspired fashion would not be completely obvious to the average civilian but exhibitions like these have bought these ideas/ theories to life.
The Met Gala formally called the Costume Institute Gala and also known as the Met Ball, is an annual fundraising gala for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City. It marks the grand opening of the Costume Institute's annual fashion exhibit. Each year a theme is chosen, ranging from “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination”, “fashion in an age of technology”, “China: through the looking glass” and in the early years “rock style’, “Gianni Versace’. All of these themes have a correlation they are all area's or cultures that are either going to or already have a huge influence on fashion and in turn the world. Vogue covers the whole event and depicts the best and worst dressed, resulting in a hierarchy of designers and fashion houses. This event often leaves the world influenced by the styles and creative ability of the designers for the coming year culminating in copies and versions of styles. Anna Wintour is the creative director and chief of Vogue and she also attends the event, she gets left unscrutinized of course.
Religious iconography Linking to the theme of Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination from the met gala. I decided to look into religious iconography (symbolism) and they way it's represented within mainstream society. I noticed specifically when looking at religious portraiture there was a consistent theme of using a ‘halo’ around the subjects head. I believe this could be a portrayal of a important figure or heavenly being. This has a link to my previous work on Adria Mercuri who also used halo’s to structure her paintings . Looking more in depth Taking inspiration at religious symbolism from another artist and iconography I came like Louis Welden across a artists Dante Hawkins and still Gabriel Rossetti, it Rosetti, I decided to depicts a nude female set up a small surrounding by shrubs photoshoot. with a halo present, Whereby I used a giving her a heavenly small light behind feel. I found this piece the subject to create very influential and a halo effect . decided to create a piece using primary images in pencil .
The photoshoot was a huge success, I used both male and female subjects. I done this to link back to relevant pop-culture and a huge reference to gender equality .
These pieces of art were often recognised as the pinups of the catholic culture, they would often be recreated into stained glass windows and would provide ‘church-goers’ with some eye candy. Described as ‘appetising young saints’ the author of ‘Symbolism’ michael Gibson econfireds that in actual fact these images of
nude women provided happiness and enjoyment to the community at the time in a virtuous and respectful way.
Looking into religious iconography i thought it may be interesting to look at other types of iconography such as art from the renaissance period and ancient greek methodology. This inspired me to focus more on the female form as in these pieces they are captured in such allegiant ways
These images were created by me on procreate using secondary sources found from the renaissance era and ancient greek statues.
Here are the images that came from the mini photoshoot testing how I portray this ‘heavenly’ glow’ with lighting. I found it extremely effective but felt I could have been more precise with the placement of the circle of light as in some images it isn't central to the subjects head.
History of stained glass The term stained glass can refer to the colored glass as a material or to works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Often depicting religious/heavenly bodies the art seems to be most prevalent in producing pieces with mainly masculine attributes i.e. male subject, harsh lines, highly structured shapes. However, in the rare occurrence of a woman being the subject of a piece there seems to be a real shift in more free-flowing shapes with little structure and more curvature within the piece. The design of a window may be abstract or figurative; may incorporate narratives drawn from the Bible, history, or literature; may represent saints or patrons, or use symbolic motifs, in particular, armorial. Windows within a building may be thematic, for example: within a church – episodes from the life of Christ; within a parliament building – shields of the constituencies; within a college hall – figures representing the arts and sciences; or within a home – flora, fauna, or landscape.
Stain glass Looking more in-depth at religious symbolism and iconography, a lot of the pieces would be in the form of stain glass images. Huguley intricate and beautiful pieces that often depicted heavenly bodies. Here you can see some examples.
I was inspired by these stained glass pieces and decided to practice some ways of portraying the same effect without actually using colored glass (as I didn’t have access to colored glass). I first used glass paints and then practiced sharpie and applied them onto small sections of glass. Used simple block patterns to start with as I was testing out the consistency of the product. I found the sharpie was most effective and produced a much flatter looking colour, however, the glass paint produced almost a streaky effect which I actually found to be quite effective.
My practice attempts
Also, I found a link between these recurring ‘halo’s’ in these religious imageries and Adria Mercuri. She uses relevant pop culture references/subjects and superimposed them over colorless halo’s this could be to represent a lost soul or away from the viewer to interpret their own ideas.
Here are some of my primary images from the local cathedral. Coventry cathedral. I specifically took pictures of the stained glass and there intricate designs. Within the cathedral the glass seemed to be segregated into color order with yellow in the centre.
Designed by architect Sir Basil Spence following the bombing of the city in 1940 it was opened in 1962, and contains some of the finest examples of 1950's and 60's art and architecture in the country. His work has obvious religious connotations due to their location. However there are relevant elements such as the colour pallet and the pattern. His work seems to have a central focal element like the white center probably referencing some alternative religious meaning (god).
As you've previously seen my experiments using glass paints and sharpie to try and create a stain glass effect. I found they didn't result in a very good effect after drying (very patchy). I placed a piece of news paper underneath to show the transparency of the ‘wax paper’ after being dipped.
I then thought of creating wax paper using a wax kettle. I first dipped strips of plain white paper into the kettle land leaving them to dry, I found this very effective as the paper would lose some of its opaque-ness and become almost transparent. I then thought i could test using colored paper, this was also extremely effective and worked brilliantly and really gave the effect of a stain glass window. Due to me needing bigger pieces of ‘wax paper’ I tested applying the wax onto the paper using a brush, this technique isn't as effective and left lumpy sections of wax around the paper. I also tested using coloured wax to give the ‘stain glass’ effect and found this wasn't very effective as the colour in the wax wasn't very consistent and after being dipped did not dry as well as the coloured paper experiment. Coloured wax
Using a brush to apply the wax, only left an uneven surface not appropriate for my needs
Here are some experiments submerging my artwork into a wax bath to create this ‘stain glass’ transparent look. I found it extremely successful, however, the landscape trial didn't work out the best as the border needed to be thicker and the wax paper didn't stick to the paper as well as it could have. If I were to score the edges of the wax paper and apply glue then the uneven surface should provide a good surface for the glue to stick to the border. The portrait, on the other hand, worked out very well as the watercolor paints really kept their pigment after being submerged in wax.
Linking back to Greg swales and Nick Saglimbeni’s work I decided to complete another photoshoot this time with much more advanced equipment and thought into the placement of the subjects. I felt this was enormously successful and portrayed the exact ‘vibe’ i planned on creating. Affluency .
Post photo shoot I decided to produce intricate digital pieces using online software called procreate. Using different layers I compiled different sections of the subjects face to produce one whole piece. The software is extremely useful as you can produce quality artwork in quite a small amount of time. There are also options for artist to produce video time lapses of their work. I found using the smudging tool to ensure seamless transitions between colours extremely effective . Adding the highlights for the high points and creating depth using low tones really gave these portraits realism
Using Procreate to produce portraits
Here was an improved attempt at one of the previous pieces . i added more depth and dimension in the form of light reflection in the necessary areas . Here is the progress images to screenshotted whilst completing the piece .
Wyoming : Kanye West Contextual reference Linking to the idea of creating a contemporary spin on a traditional stained glass window. When thinking about my background I'm going to link it to relevant pop culture with a reference to the mountains of Wyoming from Kanye west album artwork. The mountains are almost representative of the calm before the storm when in reference to Kanye west, however, within my work I plan on it representing a higher level of spiritual consciousness linking back to the religious iconography.
Primary photos : Mount Snowdon
In the process of planning my final piece i decided i would like to incorporate mountains in my project. Using The contextual link to kanye west's mountains of wyoming i decided to also take inspiration from my own trip to mount snowdon last year. These images are not going to be directly used when producing the final piece but i will take huge inspiration from the infrastructure of these beautiful scenes and how the mountains are positioned. Mountains symbolise the courage to overcome something and rising to the occasion and ill combination with the subjects will hopefully create a piece that can resonate with an audience specifically females in the age of the ‘me too’ movement.
Here I have taken inspiration from my key artist link Mercuri and created a watercolor piece with worked in tonal aspects. I used the images from my recent photo shoot as I feel they encompass the whole vibe of 21st-century pop culture. I found this extremely successful however as you can see this was not my first attempt at it. My initial attempt was too patchy and the watercolor just didn't look right and match the subjects skin tone. I had also done a crossover of the halos which I hoped to portray almost a joining of people and cultures within society however I saturated the paper too much and this resulted in the paper flaking and going wrong, I had also used a dark color and this did not suit the piece at all. So when trying to identify the flaws in my initial piece I decided to instead of paint directly onto the paper with the watercolor, I lay a heavy layer of water down first and then watercolor I found this extremely effective and gave me a much more even skin tone for me to work with. I then using watercolor pencils worked into the piece creating dimension and depth within the contours of the face and body. I then decided to reference Mercuri and added a halo to encompass the whole idea of referencing to religious iconography which I found really effective as gave my subjects a heavenly effect. After this process is tested dipping the piece into wax creating the ‘stain glass’ effect. My first attempt was extremely successful and i later completed it with the second attempt at this piece (as shown on the next page) for my final piece. The addition of the wax really ensured the papers opaqueness and allows quite a lot of light in without losing the detail i have created using tonal pencils.
The final piece ; close up