The Exploration of Ideas
Hieronymus Bosch
Tim Burton
H.R Giger
Gothic Portraiture
Maya Kulenovic
Gothic Landscapes
Vanitas – Walking Dead Stills
Francis Bacon
Final Piece – Influenced By Francis Bacon
The Development of Ideas Influenced by Everything I have Explored so Far
In response to my final piece and all of the work I have explored so far, I wanted to begin manipulating faces whilst paying close attention to the eyes. I wanted to try and develop upon the idea that the eyes are ‘windows to the soul’ and therefore can exhibit the horror from within.
To begin developing my ideas I created a variety of sketches manipulating facial features; creating creatures with two eyes, depicting portraits emerging from landscapes and creating faces with multiples of the same features in different places, all based off of the references I have accumulated.
The Development of References and Ideas in Adobe Photoshop
I then utilized my skills within Adobe Photoshop by manipulating faces, landscapes and gothic architecture. Masking features of different faces with aspects of horror and editing other features within horror like scenery; paying close attention to the eyes and how I manipulate them within different locations.
Eyes – Merging My Personal Project With My Main Project
Eyes were the theme of my personal project which I had been developing for a while outside of school, however since both of my projects were becoming so closely related I decided to bring all of the work I had completed in my personal project and merge it with my main project. Bellow are a range of eyes that I illustrated with the intention of developing my skill within my chosen area.
Developing Eyes Within The Theme of Horror
To further develop the manipulation of eyes within the theme horror I decided to explore different designs using a range of mediums including pencil, acrylic inks, acrylic paints, cyanotype paper and the manipulation of photographs using mixed media. I used the cyanotype paper as a background for my acrylic paint and ink illustration; its patterns acting as a guide for the flow of my paints which branched off into different shaped eyes.
Experimentation and Further Development of My Ideas Using Cyanotype Paper
I furthered my experimentation with cyanotype paper by photocopying my original designs and manipulating them together using some portraits I had taken; bringing in elements of mixed media to explore potential backgrounds and shapes that could be used to alongside the eyes that I create.
Watercolour Portraits
Once I had practiced facial proportions using coloured pencil I began developing my skills by painting portraits using watercolours. I tried to paint the faces from different perspectives which is something I struggled with a lot, whilst using acrylic white paint, white pens and black fine liner to refine my designs. I used light complementary colours as the backgrounds for my portraits, allowing the water to bleed against the colour creating a very textural effect in my last painting.
When beginning to paint my portraits I began by laying down the undertones; blue either side of the chin, red across the nose and cheeks and yellow for the forehead. By laying down the necessary undertones it allows for a more accurate variation of colour within the shadows after you have applied the skin tones; as they show through the layers that you place on top. I used my smallest brushes to create details around the eyes, such as the eyelashes and eyebrows using Prussian blue mixed with dark brown.
Although my last painting isn’t my favourite and the proportions aren’t the best, I think that I was important for me to begin extending my skills within portraiture by developing the range of portraits that I create; such as faces that hold different facial expressions which are a lot more difficult to paint proportionately.
Pencil Studies in Portraiture
Bellow are some pencil studies that I drew in my sketchbook whilst working on my main project. I thought they would be good to include within my portfolio because it shows my development within portraiture as a whole and how far my proportions have come across the entirety of the project.
The Triptych
Bellow is the Triptych I painted influenced by all of the work I have created so far. At this point in my portfolio I have begun to physically manipulate faces within eyes using more advanced mediums, such as watercolor. I have reached a point where I have developed my designs to the extent where I can start exploring my ideas in greater depth; I began this by developing a tryptic which will influence my final piece.
I painted my triptych using watercolour and black and white pens to refine them. Overall these three paintings took me 15+ hours to create, paying particular attention to the details within the iris and the placement of the eyes reflection. When painting my triptych I worked from several different references combining all of them together and painting it straight onto the paper.
Each painting focuses on a different development of all of my unique design ideas. One depicts two faces hidden within one singular eye; the second face only partially visible within the Iris. The second painting depicts one large eye surrounded by many others; smaller irises emerging from its corners and a face can be visible caught up in between. My last painting depicts one large eye full of smaller eyes within even smaller eyes; two faces emerge from the sides whilst the reflection can be seen on the largest eye, suggesting that all of the smaller ones are bellow its surface building upon my idea that horror comes from within.
Whilst creating my triptych my ideas gradually became more sophisticated, creating greater depth and detail whilst trying to incorporate all different aspects of everything I have learnt so far. I am so pleased with outcome and how I was able to bring my ideas to life.
Design Ideas
Horror Throughout History
Horror Within The Media
Gothic Horror
Own Photography – The Exploration of Gothic Landscapes
Own Photography – Inspired by the Walking Dead Stills
Self Portrait in The Style of Francis Bacon
For my final piece I wanted to create something that embodied different aspects of Bacon’s style without copying his work completely. I painted a portrait of my friend Bethany in a void of pattern and dancing colour; flowers and leaves swirling around her head in an intricate design. The application of tone is similar to the way Bacon applies his colour to the creatures he creates within his work; using blends of blue to add depth and reds to create a dull sense of warmth. However, instead of using dull lifeless colours like Bacon uses within his own paintings, I used bright and bold colours, drawing influence from some of the other artists I have looked at so far. The portrait has a very Giger feel to it, its defined facial features surrounded by pattern is similar to his portraits ornamented with biomechanical aspects, however I surrounded my portrait with more organic elements; incorporating aspects of flowers and leaves.
To create my painting I used acrylic paints and acrylic inks applied using a dip pen onto a piece of scrap wood. I used the dip pen to add details to the eyes and the bursts of colour exploding from their centre, suggesting that that horror can come from within; specifically from the eyes. They say that the eyes are windows to the soul so I thought that creating something showing a creature physically emerging from the eyes could illustrate this ideas. I created this by painting swirls of colour stretching out from where the left eye should be; creating string like tentacles that stretch out and wrap themselves around the surrounding face and area. I allowed some to escape from the other eye, whilst still depicting the penetrable glare of the victim by allowing some of her right eye to remain seen by the viewer. I allowed for some of the swirls to entangle themselves in the intricate pattern of colour behind the subject, showing how the horror within can corrupt your surroundings.
To add further details I dipped a toothbrush in white paint and flicked it across the surface of my painting to depict stars. In addition, the dark tones surrounding the face and emerging in different places amongst the swirls of colour suggest that the subject is trapped floating in a void; further adding to the horror feel that I was trying to create.
Combining both Eyes and Portraiture Within The Theme Horror
To further the development of my ideas manipulating facial features around eyes within the theme of horror, I began exploring works of other artists who had worked with the same concept whilst drawing inspiration from their work and creating a range of designs using different media.
Developing My Skills within Portraiture
Before creating larger designs manipulating both faces and eyes within gothic architecture and horror like landscapes, I wanted to develop my skills within portraiture and improve the accuracy of my proportions.
I like how this pencil study is a lot more illustrative than some of the others I have created; the facial features are a little more exaggerated, however this style of portrait adds variety to the main body of my study and shows the range of my skillset in terms of drawing faces.
These are the three potential references that I created using Adobe Photoshop for my final piece. I selected lots of different images off of Pinterest and edited them together in a similar style to the images I created for my Triptych above. I plan on painting my final piece using watercolour; refining with black pens, white pens and coloured felt pens to add detail.
Ellen Louise McDermott 