Title - A Premonition
Size - 16.93 x 29.63 cm Medium - Digital Completion - November 2022 Exhibition TextA Premonition is, as its title says, a feeling that something bad is about to happen. I wanted to portray that emotion of discontent, not knowing what will happen but dreading it all the same. Inspired by Alan Stephens Foster's The Fall and the ideas of the symbolism movement, a shadowy figure clings to the man, a sort of warning for the storm brewing in the distance. The storm itself represents that anxiety, surrounding the man as he waits for something to happen -- to figure out what will occur.
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Inspiration
Alan Stephens Foster
Foster was an artist that made illustrations for The Saturday Evening Post. There's not much information on him, but he lived in New York and was self-taught. The Fall captured my eye the most while looking for inspiration, and I think it's because of the composition. There's a clear downwards angle, fitting its name, and the texture of the work is interesting. There's also a wispy look to the edges of the car and other parts, making it look as if it had materialized. The dynamic pose of the men falling interested me as well, their faces hidden as one grabs onto the other. One thing I noted was the way he grabs onto the other, and it's more intimate as their faces are closer, implying a sense of familiarity between the two. I wanted to try and copy how Foster utilizes that texture in my work, and how the desaturated colors add to the somber look. For the other two figures to the left of his piece, I wouldn't include them in some form as I don't feel like they're necessary. There would also be a background for my work, instead of the more simplistic one Foster has. |
The Fall
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Second Thought
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Symbolism
The idea behind the symbolism movement was to emphasize emotions and ideas. Artists strayed away from presenting an object reality, but a piece that could be interpreted and had its own implications. Much of the symbolism artwork tended to focus on more somber topics like death or the dream world. The common ideals inspired me to try and explore ideas of what emotion I could do, something that was more melancholy or subtle. I thought about something that could be interpreted differently, but have its meaning not too vague. Eventually I settled on doing something with uneasiness, and it fit with symbolism's general focus. |
The Three Brides
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The Dance of Life
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Planning
For my first planning page I had decided on the emotion of unease. Some of the ideas I had for the piece could be storm clouds in the background, and a figure reaching towards the man as a representation of that anxiety. The storm could also be representative of that anxiety, a looming presence in the background. The colors would most likely be warmer and desaturated, like the colors in The Fall. I wanted to make this piece a digital work, and use some textured brushes for the clouds and edges. The pose I drew has the man standing, possibly looking up at the storm. I was thinking that he should acknowledge the storm in some form, watching it with worry. The longer jacket I thought would be more effective in portraying movement through wind, just to see if that would add some dynamic elements to my piece. For the man's features, I chose to give him dark hair, with some strands of white. There wasn't really a particular reason for his design, but rather just because I wanted to diversify a little bit and draw someone older. Additionally I thought about having the loose strands of hair be blown by the wind, just for a further dynamic element.
For the second page, I sketched out some ideas of backgrounds to use. I wanted to show some sense of scale, so the first idea was having him stand on the edge of a cliff near the sea. The idea is to represent the vastness of this anxiety, and I also decided that a horizontal orientation would be better to try and extend the distance. The man is by himself, only accompanied by the figure reaching out, and the scale would emphasize that. However, I did want to focus on the faces somewhat and have that detail visible to the viewer. The sea was better for scale, but it would most likely stray from the warmer color palette that Foster has. So for the second background idea, I did a grassy field with the sky in the back. The grass has less detail compared to the sea, and the scale isn't quite as emphasized, but there would be more movement. The figure would come out from the clouds with the man standing to the far left.
The third sketch is just a redraw of the field, but with less ground. I thought that this would be better for the scale, and I would be able to detail the sky more, since it's an important element. I also tried to draw out some of the texture in The Fall, mostly to figure out how I would go about it and how it should look.
For the second page, I sketched out some ideas of backgrounds to use. I wanted to show some sense of scale, so the first idea was having him stand on the edge of a cliff near the sea. The idea is to represent the vastness of this anxiety, and I also decided that a horizontal orientation would be better to try and extend the distance. The man is by himself, only accompanied by the figure reaching out, and the scale would emphasize that. However, I did want to focus on the faces somewhat and have that detail visible to the viewer. The sea was better for scale, but it would most likely stray from the warmer color palette that Foster has. So for the second background idea, I did a grassy field with the sky in the back. The grass has less detail compared to the sea, and the scale isn't quite as emphasized, but there would be more movement. The figure would come out from the clouds with the man standing to the far left.
The third sketch is just a redraw of the field, but with less ground. I thought that this would be better for the scale, and I would be able to detail the sky more, since it's an important element. I also tried to draw out some of the texture in The Fall, mostly to figure out how I would go about it and how it should look.
Process
I started with a rough sketch of the body, figuring out where to place everything before doing another final sketch over it. The final sketch surprisingly didn't take a lot of time, and I was able to get it done without much editing. I then sketched the figure, and I didn't refine it much because I was going to use it as a guideline for the shape. The figure would be painted in and changed along the way. After everything with the sketch was done, I lowered the opacity of the lines and began to fill in the base colors. For the colors, I tried to keep them more desaturated to fit the background and Foster's work. I did the skin first, then the eyes and hair. With those parts, I kept the shading more faint. I debated on giving the eyes highlights or more detail, but I eventually left it alone as the dark color felt more effective in portraying dread.
I shaded in the hair next, adding gray to it afterwards, and then did the jacket and shirt. After that, I colored the background a base gray color and added green to the bottom. For the storm clouds, I used shades of desaturated purple and gray and tried to render the shapes in the sky. The grass was simple to do, and I used a darker green for some of the strands to add some contrast. For the figure, I started with making the initial sketch I did visible, and colored the general shape in. Then I hid the sketch, and began to use a textured brush, alternating between the dark purple color and transparency. I kept some transparency in the face and contrast of values to keep the figure visibly defined, and to make it feel more faint. The torso was the most defined part, and I kept the rest of the body vague to follow the edges of The Fall.
Experimentation
One of the things I experimented with was the lineart. I initially thought about doing a more painterly style, but I found that I liked the lines better. I didn't want the lineart to be too dark, though, so I adjusted the opacity and lowered it a bit. It turned out pretty well and so I kept it. Another part was the background. I wasn't sure of what to do for the background, so I started with blocking out the shapes and experimenting with the color of the clouds. I didn't want to use a dark brown, and so I decided on a dark purple instead and it worked for the sky. With the first version of the background, I used a harder brush for rendering the clouds and grass. I did this twice, trying to make something I was satisfied with. In the end, though, I didn't like how the clouds looked and so decided to use a softer brush for the background. The softer brush was better for blending, and I also reduced the size of the grass during the process. With the softer brush, the clouds looked less harsh and the colors improved. I tried to keep the values consistent and not lose some of the contrast in the clouds, but I didn't have that trouble with the grass.
With the colors, I decided to experiment with gradient maps, mostly to see if I could improve the mood of the piece in some way. I went through making the piece have warmer colors, or be more desaturated. For the image on the left, I had a gradient map that tinted the piece more red. It looked nice, but the lighting felt a bit too dark for that one. When going through the colors, I chose a green one and I thought it fit more. The piece looked closer to the inspiration and improved the unsettling feeling I was going for.
Critique
Similarities
One similar part is the orientation of the works, as they're both longer horizontally. There's a visible direction to the figure coming at the man, which is a downwards angle that adds a dynamic element. The figure grabs the man, holding his head, and his face is hidden. There's a sense of urgency not only in how the figure holds him but also just in general, something looming behind them. Both works utilize texture to give a wispy look, such as the edges of the piece. The general palette of the works are desaturated, and this adds to the mood.
Differences
The differences between the pieces is the amount of figures. Foster has four, while I only have two, because I thought that having more would be unnecessary. The composition of the works are different as well, with mine's going to the left and Foster's going to the right. For the colors, The Fall has a more limited palette, using black and an offwhite and dark beige color. My work has a wider range of colors used, and the green contrasts against the warmer muted tones of the piece. The backgrounds are different and my background takes place outside while Foster's piece is a simplistic one, mostly beige with an offwhite shape encasing the subjects. With the figure grabbing the man, the one I drew is more vague, meant to be a representation rather than a more physical being like Foster's figure.
One similar part is the orientation of the works, as they're both longer horizontally. There's a visible direction to the figure coming at the man, which is a downwards angle that adds a dynamic element. The figure grabs the man, holding his head, and his face is hidden. There's a sense of urgency not only in how the figure holds him but also just in general, something looming behind them. Both works utilize texture to give a wispy look, such as the edges of the piece. The general palette of the works are desaturated, and this adds to the mood.
Differences
The differences between the pieces is the amount of figures. Foster has four, while I only have two, because I thought that having more would be unnecessary. The composition of the works are different as well, with mine's going to the left and Foster's going to the right. For the colors, The Fall has a more limited palette, using black and an offwhite and dark beige color. My work has a wider range of colors used, and the green contrasts against the warmer muted tones of the piece. The backgrounds are different and my background takes place outside while Foster's piece is a simplistic one, mostly beige with an offwhite shape encasing the subjects. With the figure grabbing the man, the one I drew is more vague, meant to be a representation rather than a more physical being like Foster's figure.
Reflection
At first, I had trouble deciding on an inspiration and how to go about my project. Once I found Foster's work and thought of my idea, though, it became easier to visualize the components of my piece. The background was the most difficult for me, as I tried to make the clouds clear and also give a sense of scale to the work. I redid the background several times to find what worked best. What I liked most was the figure and the man. The process of doing them wasn't too difficult, and I ended up liking the texture of the figure more than I thought. It looked similar to the texture in The Fall and captured that hazy look. Initially I was unsure of how the meaning would come off, but I thought the symbolism of the piece was able to be conveyed effectively in the end as I went through the process. Overall, I enjoyed this project since I was able to get more experience in doing natural backgrounds, and the two figures came out nicer than expected.
ACT
1. Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
I followed the way Foster includes texture in his work to give a hazy look to the figure, and used the pose as inspiration. The ideas of symbolism inspired my theme behind the piece.
2. What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Foster and symbolist artists wanted to express ideas through more abstract portrayals.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Symbolism and surrealism are similar in some ways, but symbolism is generally able to be interpreted more easily than surrealism.
4. What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme focused on expressing the idea of dread.
5. What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I thought about how symbolist artists had their own meaning behind pieces that could be seen, but also left that up to the viewer as well.
I followed the way Foster includes texture in his work to give a hazy look to the figure, and used the pose as inspiration. The ideas of symbolism inspired my theme behind the piece.
2. What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Foster and symbolist artists wanted to express ideas through more abstract portrayals.
3. What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Symbolism and surrealism are similar in some ways, but symbolism is generally able to be interpreted more easily than surrealism.
4. What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central theme focused on expressing the idea of dread.
5. What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
I thought about how symbolist artists had their own meaning behind pieces that could be seen, but also left that up to the viewer as well.
Citations
“The Fall - Alan Stephens Foster.” Www.wikiart.org, 13 May 2020, https://www.wikiart.org/en/alan-stephens-foster/53c057ad59f4bd6f22a2ef3a0710b11a.
“Second Thought - Alan Stephens Foster.” Www.wikiart.org, 13 May 2020, https://www.wikiart.org/en/alan-stephens-foster/second-thought.
“Symbolism Movement Overview.” The Art Story, 5 Dec. 2014, https://www.theartstory.org/movement/symbolism/.
“Second Thought - Alan Stephens Foster.” Www.wikiart.org, 13 May 2020, https://www.wikiart.org/en/alan-stephens-foster/second-thought.
“Symbolism Movement Overview.” The Art Story, 5 Dec. 2014, https://www.theartstory.org/movement/symbolism/.