Drawing
Hope in the Afterlife11 in. x 14 in.
Drawing September 8, 2020 Hope in the Afterlife was inspired by Nilo's No name 6 and Aykut's Untitled, as well as using the Uighors in concentration camps as the main topic This piece is meant to showcase the passing of Uighors and moving on to something better.
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Inspiration
Most of the inspiration was drawn "No name 6" by Nilo and "Untitled" by Aykut Aydogdu. I was very intrigued by the facial cut outs and wanted to play around with the negative and positive space like Nilo did. I was also very interested in the amount of faces he included as well as how he made them face various directions. Nilo did manage to include the three primary colors on to the face, which was going for a pop of color, ss for Aykut I was heavily inspired by the use of color. He maintained very dull and "sad" colors throughout the whole composition. I wanted to include the dullness of Aykut's piece along with the pop of color from Nilo. I decided to use charcoal pencils to represent the "doll" figures and use color pencils to represent the Hope in the after life. He also made the figure look almost like a doll which is something I believed would bring the idea together. Aykut made sure to include the strings that would be attached to the doll, which I believed was something to include in my piece as well. as for the lighting he made sure the figure was facing the light, unlike Nilo the light came from various directions allowing him to create layers, which was something I was not sure I wanted.
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Planning
When Sketching I wanted to show how the concentration camps took away from the people, and how it basically controlled them, which is the main reason I included the doll. To show the government controlled them. Butterflies symbolize hope and moving. After a person dies it is said their soul moves on to the after life, which is why I tried incorporating movement and use a butterfly in the sketch. When looking at Nilo's piece I did try and use the same geometry and organic cut outs, as seen on the first and third sketch.
Once making them black and white I made another copy to create a grid. I did this digitally. This will allow me to have correct proportions though out.
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Once I had the pictures I liked and wanted to include I decided to convert them into black and white, that way it would be easier for me to figure out the values of the images . I also made sure to have all pictures edited the same.
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Process
After having the pictures I made two grids on the sheets, keeping in mind how big I wanted the figures to be. I began sketching very lightly this way I would be able to erase any marks I do not want. After having the basic outline of the figures I drew the places I wanted cut out. I decided to cut out the eyes to show how the Uighors see no hope in getting out of the concentration camps, while alive.
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I first began with the two smaller butterflies coloring them in, I then continued to the faces, while doing the right face I did get some water drops on the paper setting me behind. As for the hair I did reference the picture and created guide lines for me to follow. Since I tried making the figures represent a doll I made sure to try and do the same with the hair. I was trying to go for more of a porcelain doll does include very straight lines when it comes to detail, which is why I kept the ends somewhat straight.
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When doing the hair I did start off with a 6B pencil being the darkest, creating strokes following the guides. When getting the highlights in the hair I would use a variety of upward and downward strokes, all varying lengths. I then went in with a HB pencil and made both upward and downward strokes, overlapping the dark strokes, making sure to follow the guides. If I was not happy with the highlights I did I went over with an small eraser with a sharp edge, until I was pleased.
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When blending with the face I made sure to start of with a base which was 2H, I then focused on the darker areas going with the 6B and then changing the values, and using a blending tool and a cotton swab to blend. If I had to create lighter areas I would erase the spot and blend with a CLEAN cotton swab.
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When completing I used a dark blue to shade going darker closer to the drawing and going softer as I went further away. I then went with a light blue, over the darker blue and softened my grip as I went outer. I made sure to do everything in a circling motion, as it would allow me to create the best blend, without needing to use a pencil blender or cotton swab. At the end I also went in with a white gel pen to go over the brightest points of the figure, whether that be the hair or face.
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Experimentation
When experimenting I focused on the tools I was using I practiced shading with different color pencils and trying out a couple brands. I then focused on how the order of the colors would effect the overall look. I made sure to do this with all the colors I used. For the Black part of the butterfly I made sure to do a navy blue color first, as it would provide more depth, then using plain black would.
I also tried the pencils I would have been using. I did make a box and provided the number of the pencil as a reference to how it would show. I also did a gradient from darkest to lightest, one with the blending pencil took and one without. I did practice the strokes before working on the hair. |
Reflection
Looking at the final piece I am very pleased with how it turned out. I believe I was able to bring out the different elements from both and utilize them in a way that would help me showcase an idea of an afterlife. Although there I do believe there could have been another way to represent the Uighors other then the blue colors. I do think I could have changed the clothing of the figure to also help represent the community better then what it did. I did get a slight set back because of dropping some water on the piece making the paper wavy, and if I were to have drawn on top of it would have teared the paper, making me wait about a day and a half for it to set
Similarities and Differences to "No Name 6" and "Untitled"
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ACT Responses
1. Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your work.
I was able to use the elements I loved from both and combine them to make one piece while keeping in mind my idea.
2. What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Focusing on Nilo, he would focus on the feeling the image gave rather then being able to identify the person.
3. What kind of generalization and the conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while your researched your inspiration?
There has been little to nothing done to help the Uighurs, and while thousands of them being killed in concentration camps, many other countries are not aware of what it happening.
4. What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research ?
My central Idea was after the death of the Uighurs, they look for hope of a better and second chance in life, something of which they are not being given, while alive.
5. What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
There is little to no social media coverage on this situation, wondering if other countries do not care or just aren't aware.
I was able to use the elements I loved from both and combine them to make one piece while keeping in mind my idea.
2. What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Focusing on Nilo, he would focus on the feeling the image gave rather then being able to identify the person.
3. What kind of generalization and the conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while your researched your inspiration?
There has been little to nothing done to help the Uighurs, and while thousands of them being killed in concentration camps, many other countries are not aware of what it happening.
4. What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research ?
My central Idea was after the death of the Uighurs, they look for hope of a better and second chance in life, something of which they are not being given, while alive.
5. What kind of inferences (conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning) did you make while reading your research?
There is little to no social media coverage on this situation, wondering if other countries do not care or just aren't aware.
Bibliography
Aydogdu, Aykut. Untitled, 2017.
Experts, Agora. "Finding Our Humanity: New Portaits on Artmine."
https://www.agora-gallery.com/artgalleryblog/finding-our-humanity-new-portraits-to-artmine/i
Nilo, No Name 6. New York, New York
"Xinjiang: Large Numbers of New Detention Camps Uncovered In Report." BBC News, September 24, 2020. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-54277430
Experts, Agora. "Finding Our Humanity: New Portaits on Artmine."
https://www.agora-gallery.com/artgalleryblog/finding-our-humanity-new-portraits-to-artmine/i
Nilo, No Name 6. New York, New York
"Xinjiang: Large Numbers of New Detention Camps Uncovered In Report." BBC News, September 24, 2020. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-54277430