Design Principles - Project 1

20/09/2022 - ?/10/2022 (Week 4 - Week 7)

Jason Antony / 0356335

Design Principles / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media / Taylors university

Project 1: Self Portrait

INSTRUCTIONS

DESIGN PROCESS

Idea Exploration

Fig.2.1 Mind map

Visual references

Fig.1.1 https://pin.it/7yXJc1j

Fig.1.2 https://pin.it/5tYFT2V

Fig.1.3 https://pin.it/5tYFT2V

Fig.1.4 https://pin.it/NkXpkFX

Fig.1.5 https://pin.it/5QGeUrQ

Fig.1.6 https://pin.it/1za5P35

Fig.1.7 https://pin.it/2O2QDJL

Fig.1.8 https://pin.it/2O2QDJL

Fig.1.9 https://pin.it/xhUBtH7

Fig.1.10 portrait photo of me

Fig.1.11 selfie of me

Sketches

The features that I want to focus on in my self-portrait are my music and art interests, as well as my emotions and beliefs.

Fig.3.1 first idea

This sketch Fig.3.1 represents my relaxation state. With jazz music on my mind, while enjoying a cigarette, along with the body pose, I feel that this best represents that state.

Fig.3.2 second idea

This sketch Fig.3.2 represents my emotions and how they are affected by my extroverted self and my introverted self. this contrast between self is what I am and feel depending on my mood.

Fig.3.3 third idea

This sketch Fig.3.3 portrays the idea that I strongly believe in. the concept of not knowing yourself despite being yourself kind of scares but also fascinates me. The representation of this idea is shown by the repetition of myself (inception), similar to how you would look into an infinite mirror. 

Fig.3.4 fourth idea

This sketch Fig.3.4 portrays another idea that I strongly believe in. This portrait sketch shows the idea of ego death. the whole concept of the composition is basically me in the center and the swirls are basically a representation of the universe. The particles moving towards the swirls portray the meaning of ego death, which is letting go of your self and identity; as if I am fading back into the stardust that had created me. 

First draft

Fig.4.1 First draft

This is the first draft of my self-portrait (Fig.4.1). I decided to further develop my first idea (Fig. 3.1) and added my artistic style that is inspired by my visual references. I am particularly interested in the artistic style of artist Jaeyeol Han (Fig.1.1 and Fig.1.4) and I wanted to try this oil painting style because I feel that the different colors and shadings accentuate a lot of emotion and set the mood of the artwork very effectively. I am also very keen on the shading style of artist Noel Badges Pugh (Fig.1.2). the abstraction of highlights and shadows promotes a very interesting visual flow. 

Final Outcome 

Fig.5.1 Final Outcome

I've always loved music and thought of it as being a very significant part of who I am. I always looked forward to unwinding and de-stressing by listening to music. That's why I wanted to include it in my self-portrait. My enthusiasm for abstract art and music is reflected in the surrealistic hues and color schemes (Jazz as an abstract form of music). Jazz is highly dynamic, so I utilized a lot of various contrasting as well as harmonizing colors, thus I think it best captures the image. This depiction of my self-portrait has a strong emotional resonance for me, thus I'm quite delighted by it.

FEEDBACK

Week 5:

Dr.Jinchi advised me to choose a topic from the mind map that I feel comfortable revealing or consider expanding it to include likes and activities that are simpler to disclose to others.

Week 6:

Dr.Jinchi was fond of the 1st and 4th sketch designs and asked me to further develop them.

Week 7:

Dr.Jinchi said that the colors and art style were good. the only part that was lacking was the body pose. it did not portray the action of relaxation. Therefore, she advised me to improve on it. 

REFLECTIONS 

Personally, I believe self-portraits are difficult pieces of art to make. more often than not, I have always portrayed things that do not resonate deeply with me. I also do not frequently express and expose my thoughts, ideas, and my identity, hence a strange and unsettling feeling was felt as I was tasked to do a self-portrait for a project. However, It served as a useful exercise in the ability to express ourselves artistically. I gained knowledge about identity and art, as well as how to apply design concepts while making a successful self-portrait. I also liked the creative flexibility we were given for this project. Overall, due to the things I did via exploration and execution, I am pleased with my final work and I have enjoyed the project as a whole.