Practice SketchesI decided to create a selection of different observational sketches of ideas I had for subject matter, form, posing and design. Looking specifically at how to draw, paint and design elements I might use in my artwork for this project. Movement and FormThese are a few sketches I did of when studying movement and body forms I might include in my work. The sketches themselves are from secondary sources I found online, however I did go to see a performance of Shen Yun (Classical Chinese dance) recently in person. I specifically decided to include Shen Yun as I was inspired by the way in which the dance style uses movement to portrays a story. I also decided to include ballroom dance for similar reasons. Particularly the waltz as it is a very romantised classical dance that is easily recognisable and can be manipulated to have multiple meanings, depending upon the context in which you draw it. Something that’d go quite well with the themes of classical elegance I already had running through my project. When creating these sketches I tried to pay close attention to the form and the movement not just of the body, but of the clothes too. I specifically chose to focus in on these elements to better my understanding of they each behaved while in movement. Something I hoped would improve my work moving forwards. To ensure I knew how to go about this, I watched two YouTube videos on the matter. The first being a tutorial on how to draw people dancing, and the second on how to draw clothes in motion. When watching the first tutorial, it talks about drawing things fast so its easier to capture the motion and not overthink the details. And so I decided to try this method in one of sketch boards, that one being the ballroom dance. Meanwhile, the other I decided to sketch in relative detail so I could practice drawing clothes like how the second video talks about. I also wanted to be able to see the contrast between these two different ways of sketching so I could better make a decision upon which one (or both) to use in my future work.
NatureThese next few sketches are of flowers and thorns, two things I might include in my work for this project. My decision to include nature as part of my subject matter is as much about symbolism as it is about linking back to my research on Rococo and Naturalism. And so I created these sketches from a couple photos I took while at a national trust property. From these sketches I then looked into different ways of shading both using traditional methods like pencil sketching and contemporary such as digitally. I then applied these techniques to my digital sketches. Both these sketch boards where made in Procreate.
DesignI also decided to do a few sketches of the design elements I might want in my work. Particularly of the patterns and structural elements found in Rococo garments and architecture. As I had a feeling I might base any dress/outfit designs I had for my subjects, on Rococo dresses. I might also design the background of my work similarly with Rococo inspiration, I am particularly interested in the swirling patterns found in the wall features of the era. When constructing both of these design sketch boards I looked into tutorials about various design elements featured in Rococo. However I discovered there was a rather limited selection of videos so instead I had use videos that weren’t necessarily illustration centred. Such as the first video, which I used to achieve a better understanding of the structural make up of Rococo dress. So I could better draw it in my work moving forwards. The second video is a simiplied deconstruction of Rococo interior design elements, which I can use to better understand and recreate these elements and patterns.
Skin
sketch is one I made of a streamer, but I decided to re-use it to save some time. The videos I watched are featured below. The first is the one I directly drew from, in fact you can see screen grabs of me using it as reference in my video. I should also mention this first video is in the anime style of illustration. The second however is a more complicated render done in the semi-realism style. That I also watched to give me a better understanding of how to paint in this style, for possible future use in this project.
Initial IdeasAfter these practice sketches, i then drew out some initial sketches of ideas I had wearing a white dress symbolic of purity. Needless to say, there could be quite a few links drawn between this image and religion, specifically marriage. An analogy for forced relationships and traditions pushed onto the unwilling. In truth, this concept could be interpreted many ways, most of which don’t paint religion in a good light. When sketching this idea this wasn’t really my initial concept, but it just evolved into it during the creative process. This is most likely a result of me subconsciously drawing from my own experiences with religion as a whole. However, ultimately I decided not to continue with this concept any further as it seemed too likely to cause offence.
fitting as it re-contextualises the mythological subject matter, changing it from the traditional light pastel style and bringing it into the contemporary world with underlying symbolism and dark gothic pallet. If I were to develop this idea I would probably illustrate it in a contemporary Japanese style.
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