Thursday, December 5, 2013

FINAL PROJECT
graphite and ink on paper

Alise Roybal

In the last few years I feel like I have really started to get a grip on a style and aesthetics that resonate with me. I of course want to continue to expand on this ideas and aesthetics like any other artist, but I’ve never really stopped to think about where these ideas come from. For this final project I wanted to take a look at and really examine where my influences come from and why. With the previous master copy and study in mind I decided to do another master study. In this case it would be a small series of master studies where I could incorporate their styles and ideas. Since I work primarily in black and white, ink being my main tool, I wanted to focus on artist I love whose work is also in black and white. The masters I choose cover a nice range of work and style the master being, Hendrik Goltzius, Tsutomu Nihei, Lucian Stanculescu, and Simon Prades.

Goltzius was a 16th century printmaker known for his meticulous details and sweeping lines which follow the curve of the body. For my Goltzius master study I wanted to keep the image more traditional and do a simple figure study. I am in love with his line­work and the depth he creates in each piece. Tsutomu Nihei is a comic book artist whose lines consist of more sketchy and gestural line work. This style was a bit harder to incorporate than I thought but the image I created was that of a young woman sitting alone in a surreal and overrun cyberpunk environment. Stanculescu is a surrealist, he plays around with the human form and often twist or distorts it to a point that starts to embody something altogether. Figures become bulbous with overwhelming features or delicate and wispy. Inspired by Stanculescu I wanted to just let go and focus more on shapes than an idea. I found myself drawing sharp almost jagged lines around my figure study which gave me the feel of a mountain. Thus I turned the figures body into a mountain with slight features of a woman. I love Prades silhouette work which often involves the silhouette of a person but inside of the figure are these natural elements. I decided to fill the figures silhouettes with butterflies. 

I feel that all these elements relate to my ever growing artwork, these are elements that have greatly influenced me over the last year or so. The line­work and details of Goltzius, the free form and sketchiness of Nihei, the surreal and beautiful imagination of Stanculescu, and the powerful silhouettes of Prades. 

14 comments:

  1. this was unexpected and really cool. I particularly enjoyed the top right one. I think it brought across your style even though it was intended to portray others. I think they look complete and good as a group. overall really nice collection of images

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  2. I think your project came out so nice. The bottom right is my favorite! I like that you prtrayed different style in each image, it keeps me very interested. I think the top right and two bottom images are excellent in black and white; but I feel like the top right image would benefit from color. I'm not sure why, but I really miss the color in that one image.Great job!

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  3. I really enjoyed this concept of four images which all connect, yet are done in different inspired styles. The bottom left image is very distracting though. Firstly, it is done in portrait orientation, when the others are done in landscape. Secondly, the composition is so detached because you have a well developed background that is rich in value -it seems so much heavier than the rest. Nevertheless, the images are well done, and I applaud your research and inspiration.

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  5. I love your style in which you make them look as though they could all be in a comic book. The use of attempting different styles from artists is quite admirable. The variety in each piece really draws the viewer in and we are able to portray the meaning behind each one in such a different way. I agree with Amanda, the top right one would be beneficial with color or even just a darker hand with your strokes because all of the other studies seem so dark. I really enjoy your work, it's great to see you advance so much with each and every study.

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  6. I think your idea was really cool for this project. I think what bothers me the most is the way you displayed it. I would have liked to see them in a row. As Diego said having just the one portrait image really throws the composition off. The individual images are really cool though and it is fun to see a series of related master studies.

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  7. Ink work is some of my favorite work to look upon. I thought your idea to do individual master studies shows your true abilities and radiates this essence of personal craftsmanship. If these could of been put in a separated frame that framed all of them within one big one i think that would be quite nice. Also if you toned your background i think that would of been quite nice.

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  8. Your work is amazing! I love all the pieces, especially the depth in the Goltzius study. If I had to choose one piece to be push further, it would be the Prades study piece. I think with your creativity and ability to create depth like you did in the Goltzuis piece, you can make the butterflies feel like they a living part of the skin. I love your work and ideas, I hope to see more in the future.

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  9. I can definitely see your style emitted through your favorite artists. Your style is very delicate and well considered. I think that this was a nice exploration project that showed off your drawing skills. My favorite piece is in the upper right hand corner. That portrait of Anastasia is unexpected and interesting. First thoughts in my head were, "why is there a cone on her head." Every one of these pieces had an illustrative quality that conveys a different narrative. Overall good job!

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  10. You always come up with the best ides for your projects, and this one is no exception. Master studies are nice, because they provide a template of stylistic choices that can be easily incorporated into an original work, but they are are also dangerous in that the master's style can become too overpowering. I think you did a great job, as Rabia said, of maintaining your style through these studies. It is easy for me to tell that one person (you) created all of these; they are coherent and well done!

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  11. I really love that you did several variations of the poses! I can really see the influence of the artists you chose, specially the one in the upper right hand corner! That piece really speaks to me! I am also really impressed that you were able to maintain your personal style. I love the illustrative choices that you made, and can really see your progression in figure studies.

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  12. You were much more successful in this attempt at the master studies than your previous work. Your compositions and treatment of figures on canvas are balanced with the negative space. Each of the drawings are very obviously from differing eras and artists, which is partially due to the artists that you chose and how closely you stuck to their styles. Copying styles and working from other artists is one of the most useful things I know I have ever done and I definitely feel as though that has made me a better artist, soooo, I say keep up them jams!

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  13. I love how you incorporated the master studies and i feel mm like you truly got under thier skin and experienced there style. I really liked tje cohesivness between them all and also how ythey distant eachother at the same time. I really enjoyed your concepts through out the semester and I feel like this final project roared with your creativity. I hope to take more classes with you and I loved these drawings!

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  14. these master studies look awesome. i love work that is done in ink and i think you really pulled it off! each image has a different approach but at the same time i can see that you did them all

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