Saturday 6 December 2014

How does he do it? ( an insight into Nick Cave's process )



I find Nick's process interesting because he doesn't focus on the look of his work primarily, it begins with movement. This is a whole new approach to artwork which I have never considered before but will do in the future. 

Friday 5 December 2014

Life Drawing Part 3. Dwarf life model or bad foreshortening?

Working in different media always is a challenge for me I DON'T LIKE CHANGE!! so when I was told that I would be using an app on my iPad to complete my life drawing for the week, I was less than impressed to say the least. But once I got into it, I realised I have been missing out a lot! admittedly the program was a little slow at time, and therefore the lag meant that it was hard to get clear and concise line in my drawings however once I got used to it, it was easy enough to overcome. A feature I did like was the ability to edit the brushes you used. This meant that I could always achieve the exact effect I wanted, helping me avoid 'over shading' for which I am a serial offender.

I was impressed with the work I managed to produce, I would almost go as far as saying I was a little proud.
A problem I was learning to overcome in this workshop was my issues with foreshortening. But after doing some research over the weekend I learnt one very important lesson. Draw only what you see. Not what you think you should see. By drawing what your mind is telling you to, you end up with an unrecognisable figure. However how ever much it goes again your instincts you must only draw what you see. If this means my drawing being 90% bum cheeks like the one above, then so be it, because it actually means its perfectly proportioned. 


I then began to experiment with colour once I found myself feeling a little more confident with my programme. Using green and yellow was an unconscious decision. One I made with no real reason or rhyme. But I liked it. 





Thursday 4 December 2014

Masks of Gnoumou

These suits I found of Youtube also remind me of Wilder Mann By Charles Freger. 

An Important think I took note of, which is more practical than anything else, is that the masks have a handle at the bottom that performers hold all the way through the dance. This helps put less stress on the neck and back as well as making free movement easier, and allow the performers to move their heads up and down quickly without too much resistance from the costume.

Nick Cave. . .

After looking at Wilder Mann by Charles Freger I noticed some similarities between his work and that of Nick Cave, which seems to be a more contemporary adaptation of the more traditional works photographed by Freger. 

Nick Caves sound suits are often intricately sewn with sequins, buttons, and pretty much any other random objects he can get his hands on and attach to a garment. Althought garish they have a strange appeal, not that I would be caught dead wearing one to one of my dance shows.

The eclectic nature of the work really interests me, every object on the suit seems to have a different story to tell, however random they may seem. But often his suits represent animals and are not as random as this one. 
 Its these animalistic looking suits that made the think of Charles Freger. The use of fur (although faux in some cases) is something both art works have in common. I may take inspiration from these two artists by using fur,  or similar materials in my work. Aswell as this I intend to make my outfit represent an animal of some kind. Maybe a fish or something that does not have fur in order to present new challenges.


The suits in action, I love the movement of the fabric. I want to gain movement in my chosen outfit. I may do this by using long strands of material similar to those used in by actors in mummers plays in traditional British folk art. 

Tuesday 2 December 2014

Life Drawing Part 2. Let there be light!

 
After creating work in black and white last week I decided to take It further and create more work, this time in colour. I did this by using the three primary colours as well as white paint to show light and dark without the use of black.
I used dark blues to indicate shadow instead and lights yellows to indicate the highlights.  This brought life into my artwork. However I find that when working more instinctively with colour I lose the accuracy in my work and can't therefore find it hard to keep work proportionally correct. I don't think its quite my style, everything being perfect. I prefer to have work with so many flaws that I can look at and learn from as a opposed to a piece which I've played it safe with and doesn't make me think or feel anything at all.

I think my work can be improved so much more but I'm just happy to see progress in my own, even though its not perfect, it is better than I anything I could even dream of producing months ago. I only hope my progression continues at such a rapid pace.