Design Principles / Project 1

on

 

10.05.2021 - 10.12.2021 (Week 7 - Week 8)
Audrey Gracia Djohari / 0348120
Design Principles
Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylor’s University
Project 1: Self-Portrait



POST LINKS


JUMP LINKS


 LECTURES


WEEK 6:

Lec 6 (Self-Portrait)

Humans are social creature, sometimes what we intend to convey is understood as it is, but there are times when our message could be misconstrued. Our image to others may differ from what we view ourselves. We often define ourselves from what we own, or what we like. Sometimes we also emulate out favorite characters. 

'Self' can be formed by our experiences, our thoughts, how we see ourselves, how other people see ourselves, our interests, and many more.

Important Question:
  • What Defines Me?
Definitions:
  • Basically, self-portrait is something that represents ourselves as a person. It can be in terms of beauty, spirit, soul, visual, etc. 
  • A self representation in the form of a drawing/painting/sculpture/design. It is a visual depiction of the self.
  • A self-portrait artwork represents the designer/artist–in other words, how he sees himself, what he's feeling, and how he wants to be seen by others. It's not necessarily about creating a realistic image of yourself; instead, it's often an exercise of self-exploration.
What To Do:
  • Create a mindmap about yourself.
  • Carry on with starting to draw some sketches
  • Make the self-portrait
Throughout history, many artists have experimented with painting themselves. Turning from painting, camera and other technology. It can be depicted in traditional or straight-forward manner. Here are some examples of self-portrait.

Figure 1.0: Examples of Self-Portrait

Figure 1.1: Examples of Self-Portrait

Figure 1.2: Examples of Self-Portrait



INSTRUCTIONS


Create a portrait of yourself by applying the various principles that you had learnt through these weeks. The self-portrait allows the student to investigate both historical and contemporary forms of self-expression and also to review the design principles covered and thus better inform their particular direction. They are also now free to use any media and to even consider working 3D or digitally. As with the first weeks of class, the classroom is a lab for interaction, experimentation and critique. Students explore a range of possibilities and are able to better determine an outcome through the critiques either individually with the teachers and/or select students or with the class as a whole. They also are encouraged to look both critically and historically at the work of other designers and artists.

1. Upload your design for Self-Portrait
2. Make sure you also have:
a) recap of the lecture on Self-Portrait
b) visual research
c) idea exploration with brief descriptions
d) feedback from lecturer
e) final design outcome (pictures must neatly cropped and must not be shadowy/blur) with brief rationale
f) brief reflection for the week


VISUAL RESEARCH

Fig 2.0: The Art of Self-Portrait, Caesar Santos, Youtube

I found the video by Caesar Santos very helpful because he shows many examples of how famous painters make their self-portrait, he also explains everything very clearly and with detailed analysis. From watching this video, I could see how famous painters make the portraits with their own unique style. Some sticks with realism and create an honest portrait (like Rembrandt), but some (like Vincent Van Gogh and Picasso)  just go out of the box. They create their own reality and it really shows their identity.

Fig 2.1: Self-Portrait by Vincent Van Gogh, 1889

Fig 2.2 & 2.3: The Evolution of Self-Portrait by Picasso (Left: Age 15, Right: Age 25), 1896-1907

After looking at some famous self-portraits, I decided to create mine with my own style. I always draw 3D cartoonish people, so I think it represents me the most, and that's how I see myself in my own reality.

Fig 2.4: A Portrait I did in 2019


I also did some research by looking at a more advance contemporary illustrations. I liked the color and how they put the shadows in the figures below. These are the work of @samsdoearts and @tasia.m.s. The character they draw are so lovable, I like the color scheme, composition and the silhouette of the characters. 

Fig 2.5 & 2.6: Digital Illustration by @samsdoearts & @tasia.m.s, Instagram


Fig 2.7: "Mrs. Carl Meyer and Her Children" by John Singer Sargent, 1896

Fig 2.8: 'Elizabeth II' by Unknown

Fig 2.9: "Monalisa" Installed in the Louvre

PROGRESS & IDEA EXPLORATION

- Mindmap

I made a mindmap about myself to understand more of who I am as a person. My personalities, hobbies, thoughts, good habits, bad habits. I circled some things that I want to represent in my self-portrait. 


Fig 3.0: Who Am I? Mind Map, 10.05.2021

It's interesting how people don't see the same things about me as I see myself. So I wanted to focus on my secret trait that nobody really realizes, unfortunately it's a bad one: Narcissism. Narcissism is a self-centered personality style characterized as having an excessive interest in oneself and an excessive pre-occupation with one's own needs, often at the expense of others.

I've always tried to hide this feeling and I don't really think about it as such a big part of me, but this project made me reflect on it, and I realized how bad it can be–how narcissism can lead to a darker path: Hypocrisy and Vanity. So I think it's time for me to open up about this and show how dark I really see myself (so scaryyyy). The word Narcissism comes from the story of Narcissus. I've read many books about Greek Mythology, and this story in particular is super interesting. Simply, it's about a handsome young man (yup, his name is Narcissus) who is cursed by the gods to fall in love with his own face. He stares at his reflection until he dies.

For the design, I wanted to create a visual of all the things I only like. So I decided to combine 1800s oil painting style with modern illustration (my own style). I wanted all the elements to look regal because I'm emphasizing 'Vanity'. So I need something to show off. I'm thinking of drawing myself as a royalty, but I would be drawn inside a frame like I'm a painting in the Musee de Louvre.

- Progression

I took some pictures of myself with my corgi to have the right angle and reference. Then, I started sketching in ProCreate.

Fig 3.1: My Corgi as a Reference, 10.05.2021

Below is the sketch of my self-portrait: a painting installation in a museum that has me as the subject. I always liked 1700s-1800s European paintings of the royals. And I think having a concept of me being a "royalty" is a suitable representation of my hidden traits: Narcissism, Controlling, Pride, or in a scarier and darker word: Vanity. I planned to put the symbols in the background and I planned to add a spray paint on the painting as a finishing touch as a symbol of rebel.
Fig 3.2: Digital Sketch, 10.05.2021


First of all, I colored my face. People say (and I realize it) that I have a dropping lips so it makes me look as if I'm irritated and contemptuous even though I'm not feeling that way. I wanted the portrait to show that facial expression, but at least in this painting I made my face look more graceful (lol), because I'm the queen here.

Fig 3.3: Person Details, Progress, 10.13.2021

Yes, The figure below is my corgi. I created the fur using Pandani brush to bring the furry texture more alive.

Fig 3.4: Corgi Details, Progress, 10.14.2021

Fig 3.5: Gown Details, Progress, 10.14.2021

The dress was inspired by a painting titled  "Mrs. Carl Meyer and Her Children" by John Singer Sargent (1896). I always wanted to go to that era when all women wore big dresses. It was the most beautiful era of fashion in my opinion. However, I still keep my hoodie which is my go-to outfit. People most often see me in a hoodie, so I guess it has become part of me. It took me so long to figure out how to create the flowy dress texture. But I'm quite happy with the result.

Fig 3.6: Hoodie and Chair Details, Progress, 10.14.2021

Furthermore, I tried using golden ratio to determine the placement of the elements:

Fig 3.7: Golden Ratio, 10.14.2021

Progression Video: 

Fig 3.8: Progression Video, 10.14.2021


- Hidden Symbols

I love easter eggs, so I added some more elements on the background that tells my background story, my hometown, a few of my favorite things, and my family name. They might not be visible in the final outcome, but I just like the fact that they're there, and only the readers of this blog and I know about it. 
  1. Gedung Sate, a historical building located in Bandung, symbolizing my hometown.
  2. A reflection of myself while making this portrait. I'm sitting in my living room while holding my iPad.
  3. My Chinese surname: Zou (simplified Chinese: 邹).
  4. Donuts, because i like them.
  5. Hydrangeas, my favorite flower.
  6. 1 Corinthians 10:13, "–And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.". The verse that's keeping me alive.
  7. The letter A, which is the initial letter of my name.
  8. Peacock, one of my favorite animals. Symbol of self-confidence, dignity and pride.

Fig 3.9: Hidden Symbols in the Background, 10.14.2021

Fig 3.10: 'A' Symbol, 10.14.2021

Fig 3.11: Peacock Symbol, 10.14.2021

- Idea Exploration

Fig 3.12 & 3.13: Color Experimentation 10.15.2021


I decided to go with the pink background. The first one was too dark and scary, that's not part of who I am and it just doesn't suit the 'Vanity' theme. The right one has a better ambience and it's more aesthetically pleasing to me. Also, I like pink. Lastly, I got rid of the velvet queue ropes because they just don't seem right.


- Final Outcome

Fig 3.14: "The Not-So-Modest Girl", Final Outcome in JPG, 10.15.2021

Fig 3.15: "The Not-So-Modest Girl", Final Outcome in PDF, 10.15.2021

  • Title: The Not-So-Modest Girl
  • Medium: Digital Painting (ProCreate)
  • Concept:
Title:  "The Not-So-Modest Girl". 

I came up with the design concept after doing research on some 1800s European oil paintings. And I wondered, what if I combine them with my own modern style in drawing human character? And that's how I decided to make myself as a 1800's royalty dressed in ball gown and sitting in my mansion while holding my corgi. But I also added a modern touch: spray paint (a symbol of rebel). For the color scheme, I kept it bright but I also payed attention to the emphasis, that's why I made dark purple as the dominant color of the painting and I colored the background wall with soft pink.

The story behind this portrait is my hidden negative trait that nobody really knows. It's so scary to expose something so personal, in fact, I've thought over this idea so many times. But finally,  I decided to let my hidden self take over this painting, I want to be honest and I want this self-portrait to express something new about me that nobody realized before. 

Paintings are meant to be shown off, and that's exactly how my negative self wants to be (metaphorically) in this self-portrait, which is Narcissism. I like showing off my work and my achievement, thus I become the painting. The painting's frame is a symbol of me being trapped in my own reality, not being able to free myself from my bad trait. And there's the painting description below that says "The Modest Girl", it depicts how people tend to see me, but that's not how I see myself. So my hidden self decided to hijack the painting and write down how she truly feels about herself, thus there's the spray paint that says "Vanity", which is the exact opposite of modesty, and the worst product of Narcissism. Furthermore, the spray painted crown symbolizes pride. And the fact that I self-painted the crown (instead of other people) on my own head  symbolizes how I have excessive pride of myself.

Narcissism in psychology means "selfishness, involving a sense of entitlement, a lack of empathy, and a need for admiration, as characterizing a personality type". And I realized that this negative trait could lead me to vanity and hypocrisy. And of the seven deadly sins, theologians and philosophers reserve a special place for pride (aka vanity), meaning it's the deadliest.

  • Design Elements and Principles Present:
  1. Balance: Symmetry, Asymmetry
  2. White Space: the wall as the background.
  3. Emphasis: The painting of me is emphasized thanks to the white space around it and a darker color that I used compared to other parts.
  4. Unity: It is shown by how the whole picture of me is united in the picture frame.
  5. Harmony: I tried making the colors as harmonious as I can. I ended up with the color palette of pink, purple and creamy beige.
  6. Texture: I used canvas-like texture for the painting. And I made the wall rough with Currawong brush. A different texture can also be seen on the corgi, it looks furry and fluffy.
  7. Symbol: There are many symbols that can be found in my self-portrait. I've written the description in the symbol part.
  8. Golden ratio & Rule of Thirds: Used in the painting
  9. Word & Image: It can be found in the painting and painting description below the frame.

  • Symbols and Meaning:
  1. A painting installed in muesum: A painting is meant to be shown off, and that's why I become the painting. Because that's what I'm doing here: showing off what I got.
  2. A picture frame: The frame depicts how I'm trap in my own reality, my own judgement of myself. This self-portrait shows a hidden bad side of me that I reflected on (which is narcissism that leads to vanity), and I realized how I often could not get out of that negative trait.
  3. Letter A on the corners of the frame: In addition to the details, I placed letter A as a symbol of my name.
  4. The gown and the hoodie: Metaphorically, the gown symbolizes my achievement or something I'm proud of. But I'm also wearing a hoodie to cover the gown a bit. It can be a modest move, but in fact, I'm sill showing off my gown in the painting, so it can be a symbol of hypocrisy if I see it with a negative point of view. But with a simpler view, hoodie is just my favorite, it's my go-to outfit (people see me most often in a hoodie). And I always like big party gowns from the 1700s and 1800s, they're beautiful.
  5. A corgi on my lap: My dog is my cheerleader, my stress ball and my side-kick. He's been in my life for a few years, so he truly deserves the spot in my portrait. Besides, he's a corgi, Queen Elizabeth II's favorite dog breed, so he completes this royal painting vibe. However, the queen is me!
  6. The background: They might be blurry, but the elements show a bit of my life's background story. (I described every hidden elements in the symbols part)
  7. The mirror on the background: It shows a scene of myself while sitting at my living room and making this digital self-portrait. The mirror symbolizes self-reflection. Because I found out a lot of things about myself while making this project, and it's both incredible and scary.
  8. The peacock: The symbol of pride, self-confidence and dignity, in other scarier and more extreme word: Vanity. Peacock is also one of the most beautiful animals in my opinion, I've done several paintings with peacocks in it.
  9. The flower motifs on the chair: They are roses in a vase. It depicts my strong relationship with flowers as a florist.
  10. The painting description: It says "The Modest Girl", which is the exact opposite of vanity. A modest person doesn't call for attention despite being successful. And that's how I want everybody to see me, but deep inside, I know I'm not that modest.
  11. Spray painted "Vanity xoxo": My true self is the person behind those spray painted words. She's usually hidden somewhere in me, but this time, she decided to expose herself, and even hijacking the whole painting by writing "Vanity xoxo" which means she loves it. She's in the mood of being brutally honest right now.
  12. Spray painted crown: The crown is a symbol of pride and and the fact that this self draws the crown and put it on her own head by herself represents what vanity means. 


FEEDBACK

General Feedback
Apply the design principles on your self-portrait.

Specific Feedback
Dr. Charles said he liked the mystery behind it, that's what special about it. It's also interesting that I had a frame within a frame, and the entire white space round it framed the composition. He found it interesting that I put the text and crown in the painting. There's a lot of things to talk about here, so he hoped that I write and analyze all of those elements in the blog.  


REFLECTION

Experience
This project is so different from the others. Because not only it's about design, but this project also made me understand myself deeper. Sure, it can be scary to reflect and expose something so personal, but it's quite incredible of how designing can also be a self-improvement therapy. 

Observations
I observed that research is important in every project, including this one. I did research on my myself which is a bit funny, but it really helps. Everything is better with research.

Findings
I found that it's very hard to express myself (my thoughts, traits, etc.) in a form of self-portrait, it wasn't easy at all. And I found that self portrait is one way to find out what my mistakes are and who I truly am, I think it's a unique way of self exploration.




Exercise 1 : Elements, Principles of Design, Contrast, Gestalt Theory
Exercise 2 : Balance, Emphasis, Repetition, Movement
Exercise 3 : Harmony, Unity, Symbol, Word & Image
Project 1 : Self-Portrait
Project 2 : Sense of Place
Project 3 : Visual Analysis

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