Project Overview
When I talked through my thoughts for this module with my tutor I mentioned that one of my biggest areas of frustration was the point at which I finished the sketching stage of a piece and then had to 'render' with tone, colour etc.
I have really struggled to find an approach that I both enjoy and has a look that resonates with my identity. I have followed countless tutorials of how to achieve different approaches (both traditional and digital) and I have not been able to get any of them to work for me.
I believe that part of the limitations are my skills, and there is likely a lot I can do to work on fundamental skills in light, colour and texture. At the same time, however, I feel like I am chasing a stylistic approach that I see on websites like Artstation, or magazines like ImagineFX. Whilst it's ok to be inspired, I think I am allowing myself to be pressured to emulate them.
I really do enjoy the entertainment industries, but I have to remind myself that it's also important to stand out with an approach and style that is my own. I don't intend to be a faceless cog in another industry - I want people to come to me because of how I create images and represent the world.
So I have decided to start my work with a project that will hopefully help me break through this consistent frustration and blocker. I am a firm believer that we are a sum of our experiences, and my style is a culmination of various influences and beliefs through my life. So my intention is to
analyse various different artists why influence my taste, paying attention to exactly what it is that appeals to me
use the analysis to identify any other similar artists I may not have known or considered
research and break down the working process to understand how they create images
attempt to replicate their approaches and styles
My hope is that I will explicitly and implicitly integrate aspects from each of the artists into my work as I go. I plan to culminate with a self-directed 'assignment' to review a previous assignment, and re-imagine the approach with what I have learned. I hope this work will then be something I will be able to add to my growing portfolio.
Title of the Project
"Combining Influences"
Objective
To create a 'starter dough' for my style/approach that can efficiently and expressively be baked into the pieces I produce for my practice and portfolio.
Client
Self-directed
Target Audience
Myself