A full collection of projects I did for 2D Design and Color Theory in the Fall semester of 2022.
Title: Image Abstraction
Date Completed: September 6, 2022
Medium: Ink on Paper
Process: This project centered around linework and abstraction. I looked through magazines for large photos, then cut out fifteen 3×4 subsections from these images. I selected three of those subsections and created thumbnails for each one: identifying the key contours of the three-dimensional objects present within each image and abstracting them into linework. Finally, I selected one thumbnail to turn into a full-sized image, using a grid system to enlarge it.
Title: Too Late (Tears can’t put out this Fire)
Date Completed: September 24, 2022
Medium: Ink on Paper
Process: If I recall correctly, this project’s focus was on creating the illusion of depth in a 2D image, using methods such as overlapping and 2-point perspective, which were what I primarily employed here. I begun this project by creating thumbnails of different ideas revolving around depth, then selected my favorite and used the grid method to redraw it on a full-sized sheet of paper. From there, it was just a matter of inking the sketch and playing around with hatching.
Title: Selfie Portrait
Date Completed: October 24, 2022
Medium: Acrylic on Paper, Collage
Process: This project revolved around color value. It began with taking a full-color selfie, which was then digitally converted to a greyscale image. I sketched the selfie onto paper while identifying both large and small areas of the image that were separated by value, painted 7 pieces of paper with different values ranging from black to white, and then used an x-acto knife to cut out sections from the painted paper that corresponded to the shape and values of areas identified in the sketch. I remember spending a good bit of time planning out how to layer each piece of painted paper. Some pieces overlap each other while others slot into place like puzzle pieces, and many do a bit of both.
Title: Starry Mind (Self-Portrait)
Date Completed: December 12, 2022
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Process: This project was about the application of color theory in painting. Using the same selfie as before and building on my understanding of that image’s values, I selected a split complementary palette of blue, yellow-orange, and red-orange. My chosen palette reminded me of Vincent van Gogh’s Starry Night, so I decided to lean into making it a bit of a hommage. I converted the image into a night scene (the original selfie was taken in daylight), chose to omit my glasses (as I do not wear them to bed and thus associate their absence with night/sleeping/dreams), and leaned towards expressionism rather then realism.