so why grapefruit?

http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/4182/157501/antidepressants/

 

ive been painting some grapefruit to exhibit alongside the drawings and have hit a slight bump in the road as to how to visually explain via my work, that grapefruit is to be avoided when on my brand of anti depressant. any thoughts would be appreciated haha

Decisions

I have to make do with  Instagram photos until I can afford either a decent camera or or a giant scanner….

Either way, this is the finished product from the bag head experiments. I think the black bin bags do more visually than anything else has done previously so it’s definitely the direction I’m going to go in for the final works.
I’m still going to go for a nude model as I feel the clothing gives too much identification to the subject.

Progression

The project so far sitting together (minus the reference photos because I don’t have a printer…..)

Starting the other bag head drawing this time with the black bin liner instead of a shopper.

Test shots 2

Black or white?

I finished off the first baghead experiment but I’m really not happy with it at all. I rushed the entire body section and I feel the focus sits on the hair rather than the bag. Also the white bag against the white background looks washed out and not as contrasted as the bottom half of the drawing.

Next I’ll be taking some test shots with the black binbags on the head, and doing a drawing experiment based on those, to see how that compares next to this.

I’ve also been toying with some ideas that I’ll probably do a few small scale sketches of and see how I feel about them.

Oh and finally, I’m going to be putting together a pub crit session so people can come together in a relaxed environment and have a mini crit session about any current projects they have going on. I miss those all from uni and always found them helpful and would enjoy having some general feedback and ideas on these.

Oodles of doodles

Just a little update: working on the first full bag head drawings. Although I’m starting to wonder if the black bin bags are the way to go…. I feel like there’s not enough contrast in these yet. But we will see after its done!I’m awfully busy at work/commuting and I seem to now have tonsillitis again (I need to be locked in a germ free room) so I don’t have an awful lot of free time these days 😟

Every failure is a learning curve

Started on a piece from the test shots that I abandoned about 1.5 hours in.
Ultimately the fact there was a shape of a mouth and eyes created the entirely wrong aesthetic, coming across “horror” and “fetish” rather than a visual documentation of something that is not to be made a mockery of or made theatrical.

At this point I feel the head shape is more than enough humanisation in the portrait (at least in reguards to the facial portion) and will conclude these results with a few small and quick sketches over the coming days.

Ill go back and reshoot the test images with this idea in mind and take from that a few sketches and drawings to finalise.

Also at this point the black bag seems to have alot more visual impact than the white/clear however I will look more at these after more test shots have been done.

(The unsuccessful piece in question. Happily will share my failures as well!)

Studies, project board & the flu

I had some grand plans to properly photograph the initial drawings Ive done before doing some small and large scale experimental work & before moving on to the next piece of the puzzle.
However in true me fashion, Ive come down with the flu. Again. So ive been sweating myself to death in bed instead for the last week with no signs of slowing.
So Ive been spending this time instead on some research and getting some plans together for inital model test shots through my sisters new photography business (contacts eh!).
Until then these phone photos will have to do!

Test Shots

I decided to trial a couple of ideas in my head with the bags today, and learned a lot of valuable information from them.
Overall, the blue plain bag worked better on camera obviously because there was no interfering print, whereas the white one definitely lost a lot within the text across it.
However I felt that in the light the blue bag was far too thin a material and too much of the face could be seen through the plastic and I am trying to avoid any real human facial features within the portraits.
Also it is super hard to take photos how you want them when you are suffocating yourself in a bag (ha ha)!
In taking this forward, I’m going to have to have a collection of models for this project in order to get the bags wrapped the way I want them and the body position too. However this poses a problem with…you know, breathing?!
Possibilities include photo stitching 2 images together so the model can breathe at all times, or using another material that is more breathable & use a mannequin head for the wrapped plastic reference?
I guess this is also a call for potential models! Male and female, willing to pose nude and all wrapped up in the face in the name of art!
I’m still working away on the black bag drawing too, should have it done by the end of the week.