Crit Reviews

So this week we looked at work in our thesis groups and were asked to comment on two presentations.  First, I really enjoyed what Steph showed that she had been working on.  Her little toys that were comprised of sort of found objects mixed with anamatronic toys really highlights here use of mixed media and collage like video work.  It is almost as if you can see her video work through her dolls because they are so similar i composition and technique.
I thought her ideas towards the presentation were also coming along nicely.  She expressed interest with creating cabinets or cubbie holes to allow the viewer to explore a kindergarden like setting and encourage interactions with the objects.  I raised the question to her though that there needs to be a clear definition of the line where playing and rearranging and even taking part these objects ends (if there even is a line that is).  This is because the nature of the toys, being that they are fragile in nature and rather delicate seem like they could almost be interchangeable with the other toys presented and this may pose a problem when i comes to people interacting with them.

The next work we looked at was Alex's photos of her surfer friends.  I really responded to the compositions of the close up photos and i thought that the texture of the faces and sand were easily the strong points of the pieces.  One thing that was raised was how exactly she was going to show the connection between her photographs and the subject matter, which is looking at this close group of surfers and their culture.  She expressed interest in incorporating drift wood, which I thought was an excellent idea for bridging that gap.  This would provide us with so reference, all the while still being discreet when it comes to the subject matter.  

MFA Show Review

This year's MFA show really impressed me due to the fact that it diffidently had a different composition than the past ones I have looked through.  This year's seemed to have larger, more concise rooms and set ups as opposed the intricate smaller and more concise set up.  All in all I would say that this set up made the show look like it contained generally larger images and pieces.



I was immediately drawn to the boars head that spews blood as i entered the gallery.  First, the noise was very attractive, aside from the fact that it is a god damn boar's head spewing blood, Ha Ha.  It was very reminiscent of imagery used in Lord of the Flies, where kids take over an island and anarchy results.  It is also very closely related to some of the imagery in Saw, where a mask of pig head is used to frighten people.

I also really responded to the blood stains that amassed around the bottom of the of the bucket.  I felt that this not only created some nice gruesome imagery that could get on your shoes, but also something about it made it seem like the instillation was part of the room, more-so than the others.  Now the piece was interacting with its ground, instead of just standing on it and it was this fact that made me continuously pace around it, searching for something to smear, touch, or get on my shoe.


Another thing I really liked about this show was the rainbow room to the left of the gallery when you walk in.  Not only did it remind me of some old 80's cartoons, but it was generally an impressive, immense work to take in, as it had reached all the way up the wall.  These drawings responded with me not only because they were done in a gaudy, colorful palette, but also because of the expertly rendered anatomy, clothing and drapery, and hair.  The way that these aspects, particularly the flowing hair, are rendered in an old masters-esc way combined with a cartoon, colorful, gleeful way just goes to show you that the artist was trying to combine two separate styles of art into one communicable way.  All in all this show really impressed me  and made me look forward to our show next spring.

Studio Journal 5

Here are some pages of a Diary comic that I worked on for a class.

I tried to emphasize an extremely linear stroyline composition that has two strands.  One is a pictoral representation of the days while the other is an abstract representation  of what those feelings were like.  i tried to make it appear to all be one line to show how the days moved in my mind.

Studio Journal 4

Recently I have been working on some shots for my film piece that would be used as the opening credits.  They consist primarily of nature scenes mixed with pieces of broken down architecture and industrial works.  

For instance, I shot a broken down gate with stumps protruding out of it as-well as windows broken from ivy growth and foliage.  I am trying to emphasize the setting with these shots, basically trying to summarize the world that now exists for the characters.  I want to use these simple ideas to illustrate the point of overgrowth and how nature can topple and grow within a deescalate, barren landscape.  I plan on continuing with these types of shooting schedules as well as planning for some actual acting and scene shooting in the near future.

I am having trouble uploading a scene I shot from a while back that I plan on reshooting.

Studio Journal 3

Here is my first draft of my proposal.  I most certainly expect to be editing it upon review of some of my peers:

For my thesis I want to compose a film piece with a comic companion piece.  This would mean that I would be creating a film, and then drawing the panels and deciding the composition after the film is completed.  This would be in contrast to the normal process, which usually consists of the comic being done first.  I feel like this process will give me the model lie quality that accompanies realistically drawn figures and settings.

            The piece would be heavily narrative and would consist of being roughly a post- apocalyptic western.  I am also planning on using my brother’s band to compose a multitude of original pieces to provide a strong score.  Seeing as how this is very typical of the spaghetti westerns that I am trying to emulate, this will be a satisfying and appropriate measure.  I will also be attempting to do all special effects in camera and desperately avoid using any after effects.  I feel that this will aid in the homemade, gritty feel that I would like to shoot for.

            The palette that I want to incorporate would be that of organic tones, like green, grays, reds, yellows and browns in order to emphasize the feel of natures overpowering force.  This palette will also give the feel of the seasons and how they affect the environment outside, as well as how people begin to act through them.  I feel that this composition will also be easily transferable to the pencil gradient     that I will be doing the graphic work in.

            All in all I feel that the film and comic media allow for an easy transfer from page to picture screen.  The easy thing about the transfer is that the shots can be easily transferred to panels.  This could be viewed as being backwards to the normal process, seeing as how it would look like I am using the shots as a story board for the comic but in actuality I would like to use simple panels to compose the shots and then transfer it beck to the page when I have lined up my reference (the shot that is).  This process will be tedious and will probable get repetitive, but such usually the case in drawing and film, so this will be nothing new.

           


And here is another comic that I had worked on for my Graphic Narrative class.  it is a demonstration of a simple anecdote.  I wanted to mess around with the subtleties of pencil vs. pen vs. ink and some stuff in between.  I was really pleased with the way the animals were rendered, not only in the close -ups (which is usually easier to accomplish) but also at a distance.  All in all I was very pleased with this work and was happy with this homage to Fantasia's Rite of Spring segment.

Studio Journal 2

For this installment of the studio journal i thought hat i would display my recent work in the comic media that shows an understanding of space, not only within but around the panels as well.  Here are some shorter comics that showcase what I have been working on lately.

and the second page

The narrative of the comic, though vague, is executed using the visuals more so than the words on the page.  The basic gist is to explore the idea of space travel and dreams.  The color is specifically used used to show the difference of these two topics.

These two pages also utilize the age old technique of symmetry within the pages.  I also tried to incorporate symmetry within the individual panel compositions, thus reiterating the idea of the conditioning and the dreamlike aspect of the piece.  The black gutters on the page also aid in the idea of space, as well as a dream.

Here is another comic that I did recently that was intended to e a simple narrative.  Situation, setup, conflict, denouement.  It is executed in the simplest way and in a strictly visual way.  Just a simple attempt a humor and an exercise in spacial studies and blocking.

Studio Journal 1

Here are some sketches of my roommates, the people who
will be playing the roles in my movie and
thusly the models for the illustrations.

I wanted to incorporate elements of realism through the idea of actually using the models, and I feel that it would be just as appropriate to conduct the sittings in a filmmaking aspect.  This will also allow for easy model drawings, seeing as it will not be any trouble to have the models in front of me.

I also plan to incorporate all practical effects (such as blood work, gun props, and all other aspects of the shooting process).  This will aid me being able to render the action and unconventional scenes realistically.