Simplification Through Symbolism

This week  in class we discussed symbolism and simplicity. First we created a list of 10 quotes that had visual potential, from those 10 we chose 3 to develop into ideographs. Here's mine...

"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."

This is an old proverb that means it's better to have a lesser but certain advantage than the possibility of a greater one that may come to nothing. I basically simplified all of the words in this quote into symbols. I think the universal sign of 'equals' is what ties the whole ideograph together.

"Walls have ears."

I think everyone knows this quote means that someone is listening in on your conversation, and you don't want them to hear what you're saying. I depicted this in the most literal way. I think the lines by the ear help to convey the 'listening' element better than just the ear by itself. I added the white lines in the rectangle in a brick pattern to help show that it is a wall, otherwise it just looked like...well, a black rectangle.

"Small leaks sink the ship."

Most people take this to mean small flaws can spell mayhem for great things. Just as a little water dripping into the hold of a ship will eventually fill it up and sink the ship or, a little lie may cause a big problem. This is a literal composition of the quote.

Between Ugliness & Beauty



Lantern Bug

Look at this ugly beastie! Well, most people find insects repulsive but I think he is absolutely beautiful. This is a Lantern Bug from Brunei and he has wings that have an intricate pattern and vibrant hues of bright green, yellow and red. He's go-jus!

War

All wars are ugly and bring death, pain and suffering. However, if you have ever visited a war memorial here in the USA or Europe you will know that they are beautiful places of peace and serenity.

Oil Spill

There have been many major oil spills throughout the world and we are all aware of the huge environmental impact they have, especially for birds and marine animals. That was the ugliness that I wanted to convey in this sketch. The connection is when light hits the oil and creates a rainbow effect of beautiful purples, blues and maroons.

Blood Diamonds

Diamonds are prized and desired by many across the globe. These precious gems have become a symbol of wealth, power, love and beauty. However, to those who mine and extract them, these most desired gems are a symbol of pain, suffering, injustice, terror, fear, war, sorrow and even death. Blood diamonds, as they are called, bear a history associated with war, atrocities, death and slavery.

Emotional CYRK Poster

Intimidation by Gladys Hoachin

The challenge for this poster assignment was to create and convey a specific emotion. The style and rendering

of the artwork had to be done under our new pseudonym. Gladys decided intimidation was the best and closest

emotion that related to her personality.

Normally, I like my work to be clean and precise whereas Gladys loves chaos and mess. The position and stance of

the lion was a deliberate attempt to help convey the emotion and add depth to the artwork. A black background was

used for a number of reasons such as the color psychology associated with black and to reinforce the lion as the

focal point of the design. Gladys added texture and ink splatter marks to the poster to age and 'roughen' it up. The white

diagonal line was used to create motion, movement and perspective. 



      

Pseudonym

My Pseudonym, Gladys Hoachin

For our in-class assignment for this week we had to create a fictitious character that would be our pseudonym. We could make this character someone we would want to be but can't or someone who was diametrically opposite to you in every way. 

So here is Gladys Hoachin; an individual I admire and loathe at the same time! Gladys doesn't give a monkeys about what you or anyone else thinks of her. You tell her you hate her and she'll recant back " I hate you more!" She is loud and obnoxious, messy and a slob of the highest order. She is a total extrovert and thinks neon and clashing colors are the best thing since sliced bread! She loves her Doc Marten boots and thinks nothing of crushing amphibians, small animals and people that get in her way. Her name was chosen for the following reasons: Gladys is possibly one of the geekiest names an individual from the UK could be named by their parents...so sad. Hoachin is a Scottish slang word and has multiple meanings such as infested with something unpleasant, busy, or a hackit, ugly individual as is the case with Gladys.



 

Juxtaposition - Opposite Drawing

Good vs. Evil

Organic vs. Inanimate

Fat vs. Skinny

Chase really wanted to see this combination...

Totally Looks Like



This week we had to find 10 examples of objects that reminded us of something or someone else, photograph them and place them side by side for comparison. From the top down:

1. My sieve from the kitchen could double for a fencing mask.
2. Bean bag man (my favorite toy) looks just like Mr Happy from the Roger Hargreaves book series, Mr Men.
3. The hook is from a bike holder/rail and looks just like a question mark.
4. Everyday fan that looks like a propeller.
5. This lamp reminded me of an automated robot you'd see in automobile factories.
6. I think Jean Paul Gaultier was inspired by a funnel and created Madonna's infamous (and dodgy) brazier!
7. A close up of one of my favorite Arthur Beardsley drawings looks just like wild turkey plumage!
8. A blocker used in martial arts looks just like an ice lolly.
9. This is a picture of a coffee table leg, which is in bits because my kids destroyed it! Reminded me of a Viking ship.
10. Greta, the pug is just missing some tusks and flying goggles and she's a dead ringer for Major A Maggot!