n a m e o f a r t p i e c e : d i s c o n n e c t e d
Title: Disconnected Size: 8 x 5 inches Medium: Ink Illustration on Bristol Paper Completion: December 2019 |
Exhibition Text:Using inspiration from Norman Rockwell's black and white personal sketches and Keane's song 'Disconnected', my piece "Disconnected" explores the distance between individuals, people who grew up together yet split apart, even as they're in the same room. With personal characters of mine from my story called "Exit 7", this piece is a black inked illustration, and by putting all the characters in frame, yet non-communicative with one another, it shows the disconnect we have from the people we grow up with through change.
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Inspirations:
Artist In Focus: Norman Rockwell
Norman Rockwell has always pegged my interest, even in my past projects such as 'Natural Born Killer' and 'Growing Pains'. That being said, his illustration technique through unity in form and the way he adds character into his pieces through facial expression and variety is something I always strive to do in my own work. To the right, reading a book provided by my art teacher, I found a lot of inspiration in the way he sketches in ink. It's includes an interesting twist to line work, and even plays around with stippling. Normal sketches almost become their own finished things |
, and I wanted to do the same. Using pencil as a base, and building off with ink, could create an even more powerful narrative for what I'm trying to get at fully
Above, to the very right, are some of Norman Rockwell's personal sketches that he drew in real time. "A night on a troop train" is a series based on sketches Rockwell took while on a troop train. To the left above, I've also included other personal observational sketches that Rockwell did during his life as an artist.
The way I wanted to lay things out was in a way where my main protagonist, Melanie Baker, could be contrasted with everyone else on the train as the main focus for the image. She'd be put in the middle of the train, and all of the other Exit 7 kids... Cole Joseph, Irene Lee Crimson, Salt Davis, and Toddy Davidson. The background story for this piece goes as follows: Melanie Baker, and the Exit 7 Kids (Check Growing Pains for more background), are headed to one of their first locations to find Anthony Cody as a group, the South Creek. They're taking the subway out of the town they live in to get there, and, Melanie Baker who is our main character, starts to realize how disconnected she feels with the people she used to be severely close with.
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Branching off of teen expression and the attitudes of teens today, my overall High School portfolio theme, Melanie Baker will be facing issue in change of peers, those we grew up with being not the same as we knew, and thus she has to, in a way, re-introduce who she is now to the "new," yet old people of her past. Everyone changes; teens indefinitely change because, at this time of life, one really tries to figure out the kind of person they want to be in all instances.
Above are some photos of the Tokyo Metro of which I incorporated for background inspiration. These served as a place setter.
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Music Inspiration - Keane
One of my favorite bands I found at the peak of my teen years was Keane, so it felt fitting to incorporate in a song that I still link closely to as I grow from adolescence into adult hood. "Disconnected" contains the entire aroma that I want this piece to speak towards. It contains lyrics such as "... I feel like I just don't know you anymore, but I've been burned and I've been wrong so many times. We walk in circles, the blind leading the blind." or even, "We've been leaning on each other so hard...Tied so tight we wound up miles apart... Making simple things so hard". The song's overall objective is getting into the idea of closeness in past relationships being entirely gone; a person
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can change and disconnect so easily even for how close they were and how unbelievable that concept is, yet it still happens. This is a personal piece as well, if I'm being quite frank.
Leaving behind my High School life next year for college, I'm sure I'll have the same dilemma into my adulthood as my characters are with their childhood being different than their teen life. It's hard to deal with change, I'm sure lots relate, but its okay to reintroduce yourself as a new since things change for a reason. |
Planning for the Final Product:
This project has been one of my more complicated decisions, as, if you look to the first page on the right, I had three original ideas to play around with. to focuses & etc through planning
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Creating thumbnails for each idea really helped me. I fleshed out my ideas enough to choose idea three.
Building off of my third piece idea, I began by concepting where I'd want everyone standing and collecting small sketches that would remain as bases for the characters in the shot. Melanie Baker, for being the main character of Exit 7, would be smack in the middle, and I had this vision of red marker going around her head saying "What now?". Since Melanie was the one who got the gang back together, she is suddenly at this point of no return with these strangers she used to have such a strong bond with.
Below is me testing out different facial expressions and making rough figure drawings based on poses I did for the train. These are shown more in the Experimentation section. From here, I could start measuring out a base onto my Bristol illustration paper. |
Again, per usual, I explore my planning also in Experimentation. This is all shown below, and can be seen reflected above.
Experimentation:
Posing and taking references for my final product was important. Below I posed myself as every character that'd be in the shot, mostly the main ones. I pose as Melanie, hand holding pole on subway train, with a backpack over her shoulder, for Cole, sitting in the back either on his phone or reading (I feel like reading is too cliche, so I'll probably go with phone), for Salt and Todd, laying asleep on one another with a new friendly bond neither foresaw, and then Irene would just be slightly out of shot, showing her to be the member feeling most disconnected from everyone else in the shot. I drew out some of these poses above in my planning.
Experimentation with Medium: Tool(s)
Further project experimentation included testing out variety in strokes of marker and thin/thickness of line to create unity. Alike to Norman Rockwell, I wanted to play around perhaps with stippling and types of lines on paper in a way that will captivate scenes and create more character in the piece. This whole process of testing is done to the right...
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Process:
I began by measuring lines and, carefully, laying out the placement of people on the piece and the features of the metro photo I'd be using. As said above, I put a silhouette in the middle that would soon enough become Melanie Baker, and, around her, I inserted in the four others that'd need to be in shot. It was important for me to make sure features didn't look too flat, as this is supposed to have the qualities of an actual metro train, yet with my own personal touch to it. I'd be doing this piece in marker later on, so making sure that everything was neatly in place was something I needed to do efficently. |
Moving from a rough sketch on the Bristol paper, I tightened it into a neat (ish) tight sketch with details of my characters in place. Melanie Baker was my starting point. I reflected on the model I made of her on my last project 'Growing Pains', and carefully proportioned her body out next to clothing choice (brother's flannel over rolled up jeans and a black long sleeve). Moving on from her, I tackled Cole Joseph (I've had multiple models of him concepted before, but this would be his current look), then Salt and Toddy as they lay on each other, and Irene Lee Crimson in the right corner. These can be seen to the right...
The tight sketch also meant that I had to get the layout of the metro train down as well. I moved carefully with a ruler to measure out proportions of the metro train (top department areas, poles, buttons, signs, and certain handles) with the characters in contrast. I also shaped together the chairs, and made sure certain walls and windows all lined up. |
Once the tight sketch was ready, I erased some areas around Melanie Baker's head and made a rough layout of the phrase "What now?" This phrase ricochets off of Melanie's head, almost like her silent word to the audience of what she is currently wondering as the plot progresses. Plus, I simply thought it would be fun to play around with calligraphy or the art in lettering. I draw a lot of logo related stuff in my free time, as seen on how my planning pages are put out, so this was fun to test out. You can see me play around with different styles and marker choices to the left of this. I tried things out with my Posca Paint Markers and Tombow Markers, testing how it'd look, and then I lined out the words on my paper. |
I started on the left side of the piece, moving in with my marker and carefully beginning to line out the figures and shapes. This would occur on the left first because, as I move to ink the rest, my arm would then not completely smear the work. I shaped out Salt and Toddy as a starting point, and then moved in carefully with the background portions of the metro train. Moving along from that, I had to use my thinner marker to capture face details in Cole Joseph, and, using a ruler I started to |
actually shape out poles and chairs, even the walls of the train, with black line. Everything around this starting point would look rather plain and dull (it is just line art, after all), but, as I move around and get everything else tightly lined, I would finally get to tackle in with detail.
Finishing up with doing a tight, black ink lined base to work on, I wanted to begin adding detail in all senses. Reflecting off of my experimentation and Norman Rockwell's sketching process above, I began with adding detail to the characters in my piece. I did the same as I said above, remaining to start from the left as I move into the right with my marker to prevent smearing. My main objective here was to create unity in line work choice, but also depth to the train in the back with my characters in the front. I played around with the flooring a bit to get a certain aesthetic to the bottom of the piece, and even made sure certain areas of the train had an actual living, breathing and activated mood to it. I still had to work cautious of smearing of course; I let things dry and took pauses once in a while to reflect on everything that was happening. |
The part of my piece that says "What Now?" was one of my last objectives, yet the part I had to be most careful with. I moved in with red marker, an intensity here in red symbolism (this can go along the lines of stress and intensity in mood), and this would stand out to only sharpen unity in all the line work through a harsh, abrupt incorporation of red hue on paper. I felt that this would really set the scene well enough, as if it was something right out of a comic series. |
The last step of this illustration was to balance out characters and the scenery around them with details that felt more fitting than just forced into the shot. If anything this part of the process was plainly filled with last minute details and fixes to the "everything" that was my piece. I wanted to go in and fill in certain portions with black, while also fixing up the characters on my piece to make them reach my personal satisfaction level. |
Critique:
This next area will be comparing my piece to it's original inspiration: The personal sketches by Norman Rockwell. I decidedly put these below, but my inspiration also come in "Disconnected" by Keane and even the metro train photos.
Norman Rockwell is a famous artist, known for his past of illustrations, and I used his personal sketches as major inspiration for my own illustration piece "Disconnected".
Similarities May Include:
- We're both using human emotion to really set the mood for a piece. Norman Rockwell's work is always far more personal than anything else; this meaning that he likes to make anything he does with the human form and the emotions it can have. I used that as a motif in mine as well, making the characters in mine all have their own personality to how they're acting on the train.
- I, and Rockwell, use line work and variation in thick and thin lines to build character/atmosphere in our work. Mine involves line variation such as stippling, straight lines in terms of texture/detail, and these elements truly created an interesting form of unity in the overall final product of the piece. |
- Rockwell and I use an alike medium; working beside ink and pen work to create drawings onto display. Perhaps it is just an assumption of myself, but his work also has a pen-like touch to it that mine has, thus similarly using the same method I did in my own illustration. Same mediums, yet different results.
Differences May Include:
- My art has a lot of background to it, as it comes from my Exit 7 story, while Rockwell's are really just observation sketches. His work was done while he simply watched people in public, which is way different than mine, as mine are fictional characters that actually have depth and backstory.
- My piece is a full piece, while his is just sketches done to pass time on commute. A lot like I said above, mine is still a full blown inked illustration that's supposed to be considered a done project. Rockwell |
has approached these sketches as something more personal, something he just did to practice style and execution of figure.
- My piece has a different artistic style than that of Norman Rockwell. My work overall just has a more cartoon, animated touch to it than a realistic taste. Personal style is something I love to consistently develop and re-configure. That being said, his sketches contain a feeling to them were they contain a more real-life, personal feel, while mine is imaginary characters being concepted.
- My piece has a different artistic style than that of Norman Rockwell. My work overall just has a more cartoon, animated touch to it than a realistic taste. Personal style is something I love to consistently develop and re-configure. That being said, his sketches contain a feeling to them were they contain a more real-life, personal feel, while mine is imaginary characters being concepted.
Reflection:
"Disconnected", especially for being my last official project as a Senior, felt fitting to everything I've ever wanted to do in art. My personal characters have always been a large part of me; they push my motivations and influence the future path I want to take. Melanie Baker, for example, is someone I've dragged along with me since the 4th grade, so there's this silent proud voice within myself speaking towards how far I came. Overall, this piece took me a lengthy few days to get things right. It felt like a good experience, especially in an illustration perspective, for work done physically. Lineart and areas of shade through line was fun to gradual figure out, I realized.
My favorite part of the piece out enough ended up being Salt Davis and Toddy Davidson in the lower left corner, the two laying on each other. Salt just looks... I can't put it in really any other terms, but she has so much character and her aesthetic really shined through in this. As for Toddy, I feel that his newfound closeness to Salt through the need for company, Salt being a very personal and touchy person, shines through in this piece. It's a hope for the future. I also really like Melanie and how she looks, as she is my main and original protagonist. Honestly, I just felt happy to draw out my characters and make them come alive on paper from my brain. If I was to change anything, I'd probably clean up a few spots and position the way things are layed out; it isn't too bad, but I see areas that I'd like to tweak.
My favorite part of the piece out enough ended up being Salt Davis and Toddy Davidson in the lower left corner, the two laying on each other. Salt just looks... I can't put it in really any other terms, but she has so much character and her aesthetic really shined through in this. As for Toddy, I feel that his newfound closeness to Salt through the need for company, Salt being a very personal and touchy person, shines through in this piece. It's a hope for the future. I also really like Melanie and how she looks, as she is my main and original protagonist. Honestly, I just felt happy to draw out my characters and make them come alive on paper from my brain. If I was to change anything, I'd probably clean up a few spots and position the way things are layed out; it isn't too bad, but I see areas that I'd like to tweak.
Connecting to the ACT:
1.) Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork:
Norman Rockwell's observational drawings show off even larger significance in expression and attention to detail through line work and ink. With this being done, I tried to replicate this dimension in my own work through line work a lot like what he did, yet in my own style.
2.) What is the overall approach ( point of view ) the author ( from your research ) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Rockwell is an illustrator, that means that his official illustrations have more depth than anything, but I learned that the idea of sketch and just clear line work, without color, can really become its own piece.
3.) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Line work can create an intensity that perhaps a simple sketch couldn't do the same; it emphasizes certain points while also letting other points in the piece breathe on their own.
4.) What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
Change and the Disconnection with those of our past.
5.) What kind of inferences ( conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning ) did you make while reading your research?
The project's overall objective is getting into the idea of closeness in past relationships being entirely gone; a person can change and disconnect so easily even for how close they were and how unbelievable that concept is, yet it still happens
Norman Rockwell's observational drawings show off even larger significance in expression and attention to detail through line work and ink. With this being done, I tried to replicate this dimension in my own work through line work a lot like what he did, yet in my own style.
2.) What is the overall approach ( point of view ) the author ( from your research ) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
Rockwell is an illustrator, that means that his official illustrations have more depth than anything, but I learned that the idea of sketch and just clear line work, without color, can really become its own piece.
3.) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Line work can create an intensity that perhaps a simple sketch couldn't do the same; it emphasizes certain points while also letting other points in the piece breathe on their own.
4.) What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
Change and the Disconnection with those of our past.
5.) What kind of inferences ( conclusions reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning ) did you make while reading your research?
The project's overall objective is getting into the idea of closeness in past relationships being entirely gone; a person can change and disconnect so easily even for how close they were and how unbelievable that concept is, yet it still happens
CITATIONS ( DONE IN MLA FORMAT )
“Disconnected," April 27, 2012 Keane Album Strangeland." Youtube.com, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfUHkPf9D9k
Facebook.com/passportsandspice. “Helpful Guide for Navigating the Tokyo Metro System.” Passports & Spice, Rose, 4 Dec. 2019, https://passportsandspice.com/helpful-guide-for-navigating-the-tokyo-metro-system/.
John, and Norman Rockwell. “AbeBooks.” By ROCKWELL, NORMAN) Falter, John (Cover Illustration). Norman Rockwell Et Al.: Curtis Publishing Company. Philadelphia. 05-08- 1943. Wrappers - Old Imprints ABAA/ILAB, Curtis Publishing Company. Philadelphia. 05-08- 1943., 1 Jan. 1970, https://www.abebooks.com/Saturday-Evening-Post-1943-05-08/20217443601/bd.
mbell1975. “Tokyo Metro Subway Station - Tokyo Japan.” Flickr, Yahoo!, 14 July 2018, https://www.flickr.com/photos/mbell1975/28533973577.
Facebook.com/passportsandspice. “Helpful Guide for Navigating the Tokyo Metro System.” Passports & Spice, Rose, 4 Dec. 2019, https://passportsandspice.com/helpful-guide-for-navigating-the-tokyo-metro-system/.
John, and Norman Rockwell. “AbeBooks.” By ROCKWELL, NORMAN) Falter, John (Cover Illustration). Norman Rockwell Et Al.: Curtis Publishing Company. Philadelphia. 05-08- 1943. Wrappers - Old Imprints ABAA/ILAB, Curtis Publishing Company. Philadelphia. 05-08- 1943., 1 Jan. 1970, https://www.abebooks.com/Saturday-Evening-Post-1943-05-08/20217443601/bd.
mbell1975. “Tokyo Metro Subway Station - Tokyo Japan.” Flickr, Yahoo!, 14 July 2018, https://www.flickr.com/photos/mbell1975/28533973577.