Visual Storytelling Project

Visual Storytelling - Part 1 (Character Design)

For my story, I will be doing Three Blind Mice.

Flat-Pack Toy in Environments

TV Guy in his trailer 

(totally his style)

TV Guy in a corporate board room

(not so much his style)

Flat-Pack Toy

Street Art Post

In creating my first piece, I chose to merge the heads of Bill Clinton and George Bush. I think there is a category of street art that is intended to be thought provoking and reflect societies views on current events and even political discourse. I  chose to merge the heads of Clinton and Bush, because according to their opposing parties, they are quite possibly the most hated presidents of my lifetime. I drew stitches to hold their faces together, to suggest a Frankenstein type of monster created by and eventually hated by their creators (i.e. U.S. voters). It also reflects the unbreakable grip that the two party political system has on the U.S. I put the word Unity above the composition to reflect the rather comical combination of two presidents that were diametrically opposed.  

My second piece was more personal. The dog in the graphic is my Toy Fox Terrier, Peanut. The piece playfully suggests Peanut's constant hunger. She always wants a dog tread, so I created a bubble portraying  her thoughts; and of course, she is thinking about her next dog bone. I wrote "Give the dog a bone", because it seemed fitting. Finally, I dropped the piece on an existing photo of a spray painted wall.

In both pieces, I attempted to make the pieces seem like something that you would really see on the side of an urban alley. I personally like the picture of my dog better. I suppose it's because there is a personal connection to the subject. I'm happy with both pieces and don't really feel the need to change them.

"STREET ART" PROJECT

Exit Through the Giftshop

What was the overall message of the film?

Life isn’t fair.

Why do you think it was titled Exit Through the Gift Shop?

The title plays on the way visitor’s are sent through a gift shop after visiting an amusement park in an attempt to extract more money from them. In this case, the amusement park was societie’s introduction to street art and the gift shop was Thierry’s art show.

Do you think a particular artist in the film was more conceptually rich than another and why?

I think that several of the original street artists seemed fairly gifted, particularly Shepard Fairey and especially Banksy. Banksy seemed to be gifted in both 2D and 3D art. His subjects were all thought provoking and controversial. He was also good at planning and execution, which can make all the difference in art.

What are your opinions of the use of appropriation in street art/ graffiti?

I don’t agree with defacing someone else’s property, but I think street art is an important form of expression.

What are your opinions on street art/ graffiti in general?  Is it a valid form of art?

First off, I think there is a difference between street art and the random and thoughtless spray painting of a wall. One provokes thought and the other is just a form of vandalism. I know, “one man’s trash is another’s art”. I absolutely believe that street art is a valid form of art and that it is an important contribution to society. The world is often a boring place with rules and conformity in every direction. That being said, I think that defacing someone else’s property is a shitty thing to do. I’m glad that there is street art and I want it to continue, but I’m happy that people are arrested for doing it. Plus, if it weren’t against the law, it just wouldn’t have the mystique that makes it so cool.

Do you think the artists in the film have "sold out"?

Yes and no. I think if you can make a living doing what you love, why the hell not. On the other hand the entire street art scene was suppose to be counterculture, anti-establishment, and anti-capitalism.

Dynamic Composition Assignment

Dynamic Composition Assignment

Self Portrait Exercise

1.     What was the initial inspiration for your self-portrait?

In designing my self portrait, I attempted to stick with a theme of living organisms and or organic materials. The two items that deviate from this theme are the car headlight used as my left eye and the boat railing used for the chin. I thought that the headlight seemed to make the portrait appear more human than other objects that I originally attempted to use such as gears and marbles. I think this might be because the light coming from the headlight looked similar to the reflection from a human eye.  

2.     Why did you choose the images that used in your self-portrait?

I chose the images that I ended up using because they conformed to the living/organic theme that I originally decided to use. The headlight and boat were kind-of a second thought when I was unable to find items to build the eyeball and the chin that met my original theme. 

3.     What was your plan of attack in terms of the layout/composition of your self-portrait? 

My plan of attack was to start with the facial features, followed by the hair and chin to act as a frame for the face. I followed up with the shirt and neck, and ended by using the burlap material as the backdrop for the facial features. Last I dropped in a landscape painting to serve as the background for the portrait. 

4.     In retrospect, what would you change about your self-portrait to make it even more successful?

Looking back, I think that my portrait would be better if there were a sense of motion to it. It looks like I'm posing for a formal picture rather than being caught in a moment of time. 

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