Title: Mask On Size: _ x _ (cm) Medium: Charcoal, Colored Pencil Date of Completion: Nov. 19nd 2020
Exhibition Text
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mask On is my vision of what a happy person looks like on the outside. From both my personal experiences, and from what I have heard from others, many people feel the need to put on their ‘happy face’ when in front of others. The drawing style is inspired by ‘The Lord Provides’ by Jacob Burck, and coloring inspired by a thermal image of the human body. |
Inspiration
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I took inspiration from ‘The Lord Provides’ by Jacob Burck, because when I saw his style, I liked how it was, in a way, both cartoon-esk, and realistic. I mostly took inspiration from how he shades his drawing. Especially looking at the leg and stomach of the lady in the piece. The way it was shaded looked very interesting to me. I liked how the light parts stuck out so much. I liked how the transition from dark to light was so smooth. I also liked how the anatomy of the women was realistic. She wasn't drawn as an hourglass shaped barbie. He drew the women with a realistic looking belly. I tried to draw my women as realistic as I could, with two different body shapes. However the drawing I was looking at for the model was a thin woman, and I could not quite get it as good as I would have liked. But I still wanted to put that aspect of realistic looking women in my drawing just like he did. Because not everyone has the same shape. Jacob "Jake" Burck was a Polish-born Jewish-American painter, sculptor, and award-winning editorial cartoonist. He was born on January 7, 1907, and died on May 11, 1982 (aged 75). He attended the Cleveland School of Art on a scholarship. He then moved to New York City, where he studied at the Art Students League of New York. I admire the man for how he was able to get recognized for his talent at such a young age, and was able to make a living off of it. I took inspiration from a thermal image of the human body, because it had some of the colors I wanted to use. Also, when I look at a thermal image, I always think about how alluring and bright it looks. And with my image supposed to be what I imagine a happy person looks like to the outside, and with it using the colors I wanted, I thought it was a perfect image to use for coloring inspiration. As for concept, I got my inspiration to draw the embodiment of depression, and my vision of what a happy person looks like from the outside from an illustration drawn by a person from a blog. She has this blog to tell her story, she talks about her husband in the navy, and three kids, one of which has autism. She also talks about her mental issues like anxiety and depression. When I finally chose what I wanted to do, I wanted to see if anyone has done anything similar. When I saw this illustration, “The Face behind the many masks. The true face of Depression” it just struck me differently then any other illustration I saw in this topic. |
Planing / Process
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When I first started this project, I had to choose between two different positive and negative duos. I was thinking of either doing an illustration of the physical and metaphorical heart, or the embodiment of happiness and depression. After I chose the second option, I went to google to see if it was done before. no one that I could see has, but there was one image that stopped me in my search. “The Face behind the many masks. The true face of Depression” by an unknown blogger. After I saw that, I knew I wanted some sort of 'mask' to be in my illustration. After looking at different poses, I saw that I wanted the entire drawing to be the 'mask'. I drew up the poses in a small version, then drew them bigger. Although, just because I knew the poses I wanted, it was still difficult to draw the women with a bigger frame. I couldn't find any drawing or even real picture of a woman with the build I wanted in that pose. I thought that if I posed in the positions I wanted, and saw a real person in the pose, maybe it would help with the anatomy. It did help with real proportions, and a realistic stance, but it was still difficult to draw the bigger women. I first drew it as I saw it, in the smaller version, but after that, I tried drawing in as a bigger woman, in the larger drawing. After that, I needed to see how I was going to color it. I'm not a big color person, so this was difficult. |
When I was done with the sketches, that is when I looked up my inspiration for shading and colors. And that is exactly when the inspiration came into play. Like said before, I knew what colors I wanted, just didn't know how I was going to use them. Then I remembered how I saw people painting thermal images of their bodies, and how stunning I thought they looked. I saw how most of the colors for that was already what I wanted to use. But the way thermal imaging looks, it seemed too harsh, and I wanted it to look a little more smooth. That is when I saw the image by Jacob Burck. I saw how smooth his shading was, and how from every line he has, his shading goes lighter from the line out, leaving the inside of each shape, the lightest.
Lastly, I had to plan out how I was going to do the background. my thought went back and forth between having nothing but colors, or having all the coloring in the focus of the image, so they pop more. I ended up going with that last thought. But I still wanted the idea of the 'mask' in the image. I thought that the coloring alone was not enough for a person to see what I was trying to do. So I came up with having some sort of sign in the background. Kind of like what Burck did. I looked up different ways to draw a sign on a wall, and came up with two designs. I ended up liking the look of a wooden sign, so that's what I ended up with. I do however feel it looks a little out of place, so I may go in later with a little bit of color.
Lastly, I had to plan out how I was going to do the background. my thought went back and forth between having nothing but colors, or having all the coloring in the focus of the image, so they pop more. I ended up going with that last thought. But I still wanted the idea of the 'mask' in the image. I thought that the coloring alone was not enough for a person to see what I was trying to do. So I came up with having some sort of sign in the background. Kind of like what Burck did. I looked up different ways to draw a sign on a wall, and came up with two designs. I ended up liking the look of a wooden sign, so that's what I ended up with. I do however feel it looks a little out of place, so I may go in later with a little bit of color.
Planing / Process
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The first thing that I did when I had to start drawing the final piece was to do the first layout sketch of how the body is going to look. It was kind of difficult to get the proportions right, the first time around especially not knowing what it's going to look like in the end, so I just had to basically put things where I think they would go. Then I did the first sketch on top of that of what the actual body looks like. Again because there weren't any bigger framed women that I could draw from as an example it was hard to get the correct look. I did a lot of trial and error, and used the eraser a lot. In the beginning of my Sketchbook I used all of my different types of pencils and did some sketches from the darkest I can go to the lightest and then erased a line through that to see what each pencil looks like from its darkest to lightest and to see which pencil looks the best for sketching and what can be raced the best. I came to the conclusion that a 2B and a 3B pencil works best for erasing. So that's what I used to do those sketches. |
After I got the first body drawn I moved on to the second one. Knowing what the framework looks like for the bodies from taking my own pictures in those poses helps with the step a lot. After that was done I then finished the final sketch for the second woman.
Because I already did a sketch in my notebook about how I wanted the coloring to look like I just went straight into it. Starting with a dark blue as the line works, then shaded inward with light blue, light purple, then a dark orange, a lighter orange, a yellow color and a gold color for the middle. I did each section one at a time, so that I wouldn't get overwhelmed and confused with where the colors went. I may not know exactly what the anatomy of a bigger person in this stance would look like but I think I did as well as I could for the stomach folds. If I were to do this again I would probably try to make those lines a little less harsh, probably not starting with the light blue but instead the dark orange with the lines there. After I was done with the first woman I moved on to the second woman sitting down, and did the same. I do wish that the shading of the faces was a little less harsh, but I at least wanted the cheekbones to be visible on the women's faces, because I didn't want to draw an entire face. I feel like that would take away too much of what I was trying to do.
lastly, I drew in the sign in the same order of how I drew the women, just minus the coloring.
Because I already did a sketch in my notebook about how I wanted the coloring to look like I just went straight into it. Starting with a dark blue as the line works, then shaded inward with light blue, light purple, then a dark orange, a lighter orange, a yellow color and a gold color for the middle. I did each section one at a time, so that I wouldn't get overwhelmed and confused with where the colors went. I may not know exactly what the anatomy of a bigger person in this stance would look like but I think I did as well as I could for the stomach folds. If I were to do this again I would probably try to make those lines a little less harsh, probably not starting with the light blue but instead the dark orange with the lines there. After I was done with the first woman I moved on to the second woman sitting down, and did the same. I do wish that the shading of the faces was a little less harsh, but I at least wanted the cheekbones to be visible on the women's faces, because I didn't want to draw an entire face. I feel like that would take away too much of what I was trying to do.
lastly, I drew in the sign in the same order of how I drew the women, just minus the coloring.
Reflection
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Overall I really like this illustration, not only do I think that the final product came out pretty good but I also really like the message I'm putting out there. My goal for when somebody looks at my drawing is to think. I want people to think about other people and especially with an illustration like this I feel like it's important to think about other people and to think about what is right. There's a lot of bad in this world and there's a lot of people who are very good at hiding the bad in their life with a smile or a goofy laugh. This illustration is to show that people can be bright and amazing on the outside but then they might not be on the inside and that's where the second illustration on the next page comes into play.
Like I said before the only thing that I probably would have done differently is making some lines a little softer or maybe making the sign have a little bit of color, even just a little bit. I don't think I would change anything about the message, or the drawing itself, just maybe some of the process.
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Overall I really like this illustration, not only do I think that the final product came out pretty good but I also really like the message I'm putting out there. My goal for when somebody looks at my drawing is to think. I want people to think about other people and especially with an illustration like this I feel like it's important to think about other people and to think about what is right. There's a lot of bad in this world and there's a lot of people who are very good at hiding the bad in their life with a smile or a goofy laugh. This illustration is to show that people can be bright and amazing on the outside but then they might not be on the inside and that's where the second illustration on the next page comes into play.
Like I said before the only thing that I probably would have done differently is making some lines a little softer or maybe making the sign have a little bit of color, even just a little bit. I don't think I would change anything about the message, or the drawing itself, just maybe some of the process.
Similarities and Differences
Similarities-
- concept, the idea that some people put on a face to make others believe that everything is okay. Differences- - this illustration actually shows a woman either putting on a mask, or taking one off, mine shows my vision of what happy people look like from the outside. - inspiration piece has no color, mine does. - her style is more of one like a comic, where as mine doesn't quite have a style I can really tie it too. |
Similarities and Differences
Similarities-
- uses similar colors. - color goes from darkest color to lightest from the outside in. Differences- - inspiration uses greens. - transition from color to color is more bold then mine is. |
Similarities and Differences
Similarities-
- soft shading. - each line has a transition that goes from dark to light. - looks both realistic, but not at the same time. - has a sign that is important to the message being given from the art work. Differences- - color versus none. - his message ties to issues in history, where as my message ties to mental issues. |
ACT Questions
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Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause and effect relationship between your inspiration and it's effect on your artwork.
After seeing my first inspiration piece, “The Face behind the many masks. The true face of Depression,” it gave me the full identity of my concept. I then remembered about how people were painting their bodies from a thermal image of themselves, and that gave me an idea of how I wanted to color my illustration. Then I saw ‘The Lord Provides’ by Jacob Burck, and it showed my how I wanted to do my shading.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The women who drew the image of where I got my concept inspiration from, drew that image to show others a fraction of what it's like with a mental issue like depression, which is kind of what I am trying to do, but in a different way.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
After looking a little bit more into her blog, I came to the conclusion that all different types of backgrounds can have similar issues. I already knew this, but actually reading the story of someone else, along side the illustration drawn from the same person just puts it into perspective.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central idea from my inspiration is that just because someone looks happy and bright from the outside, the doesn't necessarily mean that s what they are like from the inside.
What inferences did you make while reading your research?
I can infer that even the happiest of people, can actually be the saddest when they get alone.
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Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause and effect relationship between your inspiration and it's effect on your artwork.
After seeing my first inspiration piece, “The Face behind the many masks. The true face of Depression,” it gave me the full identity of my concept. I then remembered about how people were painting their bodies from a thermal image of themselves, and that gave me an idea of how I wanted to color my illustration. Then I saw ‘The Lord Provides’ by Jacob Burck, and it showed my how I wanted to do my shading.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The women who drew the image of where I got my concept inspiration from, drew that image to show others a fraction of what it's like with a mental issue like depression, which is kind of what I am trying to do, but in a different way.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
After looking a little bit more into her blog, I came to the conclusion that all different types of backgrounds can have similar issues. I already knew this, but actually reading the story of someone else, along side the illustration drawn from the same person just puts it into perspective.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central idea from my inspiration is that just because someone looks happy and bright from the outside, the doesn't necessarily mean that s what they are like from the inside.
What inferences did you make while reading your research?
I can infer that even the happiest of people, can actually be the saddest when they get alone.
Bibliography
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“Although the True ‘Labor Day’ Is May 1...” ReligiousLeftLaw.com, 2 Sept. 2013, www.religiousleftlaw.com/2013/09/although-labor-day-is-may-1.html?utm_source=feedburner.
Jacob Burck, May 2017, en.wikipedia-on-ipfs.org/wiki/Jacob_Burck.html.
Unknown. The Face behind the Many Masks. The True Face of Depression, 17 Feb. 2016, spousekidsspecialneednotinaseabag.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-face-behind-many-masks-true-face-of.html.
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“Although the True ‘Labor Day’ Is May 1...” ReligiousLeftLaw.com, 2 Sept. 2013, www.religiousleftlaw.com/2013/09/although-labor-day-is-may-1.html?utm_source=feedburner.
Jacob Burck, May 2017, en.wikipedia-on-ipfs.org/wiki/Jacob_Burck.html.
Unknown. The Face behind the Many Masks. The True Face of Depression, 17 Feb. 2016, spousekidsspecialneednotinaseabag.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-face-behind-many-masks-true-face-of.html.