Making 4

Having successfully covered the body in clay, the only difficulty I had was the detail of the face, notoriously the nose. after 5 attempts I was happy with the end result.
If I were to attempt this type of detail again I would have used a better quality molding clay or even Plasticine to make it easier to sculpt.

Making 3

making the arms and the head were two of the more detailed and delicate parts to make and took more time than the body/legs.
A problem that I encountered while trying to progress with the legs was that trying to spray prime styrofoam doesnt work, as it starts to dissolve. This means I will have to completely cover the parts in filler/ airdry clay for my next step

Making 2

This shows the progression between the initial cutting and the subsequent sanding of the model. here there has been some filling of gaps using a general purpose filler to ultimately give the model a smooth finish. next to be made is the arms which are thinner and will have to be made more delicately, as i had learnt with the legs and cracking while trying to sand between them.

Making

First and foremost the size of the model is marked out, then the real shaping could commence, this is the initial shape being prepared.
Need sandpaper/ wet&dry to make smooth ready for the clay exterior.

Final Design

for the final design illustrations i have focused on using similar techniques as previous in the project, sticking to the urban style (titi freak) and concentrating on pulling out many triats from myself as possible I have come up with this. Removing the eyes gives an impact that people said eyes gave, the awkward mouth has been hidden and embellished with a red bandanna. in terms of clothing i have stuck to clothing/ style that I would have which fits with the overall designs. from these designs i am intending to make the final figure and cast it using resin.

Traits

looking at the primary research of myself and creating sketches from the images you start to notice traits.
I have recognized that there is barely eye contact with the camera, and that my own mouth is usually tensed/ pursed. these are signs that show awkwardness. linking back to my previous research i think that this is something that can be communicated by removing the eyes and maybe even the moth in the image.
in terms of structure and being able to exaggerate, i have a strong brow line and cheek bones, something that play well into the previous styles i have used.
I would like to go back and experiment further with the style however at this point it is imperative that I move onto the actual figure design as i know the whole process will take time.

Idea

Looking over the research completed so far i think that it would be interesting to look at myself in terms of the same questions I had asked others, then to try and pick up out my own traits and communicate them through the figure. This I feel carries the idea of looking at myself as a product. something that is linked to style and clothing but in terms of me becoming a product.to start with I will need to gather primary research of myself to draw from and analyse.

Casting 2

I will have to plan my initial design before turning it into a model that can be molded around. I think the best way to go about this process of making the model is to make a basic shape from styrofoam and applying clay around this to mould the shape, keeping it lightweight yet stable. Although not quite yet at that stage in the design process to stay on track I have ordered the materials needed to be able to cast and are waiting on there delivery. I will need to locate the styrofoam in the next week while I begin working on finalizing an idea

Casting 1

My initial casting research would suggest would that the most effective way of making a cast would be to use the 2 part mold method. I think this is the most suited option for me because although pricey (£50-£90) it is accessible. The way I understand it to work is very much outlined in the video. this method is good because you get one solid part. The second choice I have is vacuum forming, this however would not get the same level of detail as resin casting would give. The very best method is suggestible rotocasting, but without a machine this is too difficult.

Artist research

the street artwork of hamilton yokota 'titi freak' is very interesting as it has the same feeling as the recent work I have done using found imagery. both have a gritty urban feeling and i think this comes through in the themes and styles in the imagery aswell. Clothing is as much a feature here as well as my own images. something also very interesting is the removal of the eyes.The artist may have his own stylistic reason for this however I am unsure about it. Street artwork is something that could have an influence on the style of my outcome because of artwork like this and the clear similarities in style.  I think that this may be key in taking my own designs a step further.
my own drawings are becoming more rounded as the style progresses between each showing the clear link. At this point in the project I feel I need to pick up pace and stick with my action plan, meaning that I have to start researching the appropriate methods for figure casting.

Style development

Style

Working on finding a style is difficult when soley working from life; using a progression of found imagery I have tried to play on the traits seen and draw more character like stylised versions around them. Concentrating on 2 main elements the face and the style I have tried to make play on what I had earlier researched asking people questions about people.

By exaggerating the facial features like brow and nose the faces become more comic, while holding resemblance to the original image.  My earlier findings suggested that people recognise eyes as being a main part of the face and something they notice/ look for in a person. By removing the eyes of the images I feel that it gives you a chance to recognise the other elements of the image more rather than being sucked into focusing on one thing.

I like this style of work and I feel the drawings have potential to progress into something 3D. 

DIY 2

Complete munny/ mark ryden influence

looking at and designing the munny made me think of Mark Ryden because of the anatomical shape of his images. Here in the ‘WOLF’ Rydens style has enlarged the head and exaggerated the features, inadvertently this has occurred in the outcome of my own design. Although surreal imagery is used the palette is very much realistic which adds another element to the image. The essence being that he has played on the protagonists most prominent facial traits.

For me the successes of the figure at this early stage are more about the process of sculpting rather than aesthetic.

Different materials need to be used to paint as acrylic leaves evidence of brush strokes when applied and I could not find a means to rectify this. Spray paint could have been employed however details would have been lost to block/ chunky colour which I wasn’t looking for

DIY

MUNNY

DIY munny figures are cheap and easy way to create your own vinyl figure. The ease comes from having a standard stock base to work with, therefore being able to play with whatever style you like as long as it is tailored to the figure, obviously speeding up the process of making. In terms of a final piece down the line this would hinder the creative process as not everything can be expressed with a big round head. Therefore using this to practice sculpting is a good place to start before getting serious with final designs.

Artist research

Huck gee

the ability to create something so polished by hand is envious. Masterful sculpting and hand casting ability is shown in all of huck gees designs. Simple clean cut designs usually based or housing a Munny doll make the designs so impressive, using a basic stock product and being able to completely change it to a point where it becomes his own, fluent in the style.

Something else I like about huck gee is that his designer toys/ figures are accompanied my an illustration. This is something I would replicate if able to make my own product and making artwork to coincide with it

This is something I feel I should practice before attempting to cast or even sculpt towards my final outcome. I will have to make further research into Munny and what materials are suitable to use.

Artist Research

Frank Kozik.

I have looked at Kozik because I find his work and him interesting, learning about how he came about in the artwork is influential to me as someone who is interested in the same work of art. The works that he puts out art simple stylized designs. He deals with political slurring and lighter material in form of ‘labbit’

I like the fact that it is clean in design and aesthetic. Something I feel is important when communicating an idea/ design.

The simplicity makes the design something that becomes iconic looking without necessarily being so. This is something I would try and replicate in the design of my own work.

To do so I feel that further drawing studies are necessary in order to find a sense of style but also to follow on from the questionnaire and peoples opinions.

Questionnaire

Questionnaire

Questions to ask people:

What do you first notice about a person?

How does your eye proceed? Why?

What attracts you to look at a person?

What features do you find most interesting in the face?

How does style effect how you see someone?

Do you notice style over face?

What do you think people notice first about you?

What do you want people to notice first about you?

Asking these questions during the day lead to some interesting answers some unsurprising based on my own opinion. The main points to take are that people look at fashion as much as they look at the face or body. The most frequent answer for interesting feature was eyes. This therefore is something to utilize in drawing studying the eye. What people think and want people to notice are usually very similar things, but are they right/ kidding themselves?

At this point I have looked at artists that I generally find interesting in terms of making figures and personal taste (action plan) these include work by frank kozik. Huck gee. Buffmonster. 

Starting.

My initial starting point for the project, which is outlined in my plan, was to draw from life. this was mainly to gather information in terms of shape and proportion of real people. it is also something i have done loosely to be able to play with how I or my mind processes people. Through drawing you start to recognize key features such as the nose and eyes which draw you in and become focus points. While drawing I also realized that there are certain visual elements that my mind will naturally exaggerate such as volume/depth (or on  person weight) and features such as eyes made bigger/smaller to change the character of the person depending on how i have processed them.
Away from the actual body image/ looking at people I am drawn to certain types of people in terms of my drawing more than others. This comes in two forms, one in terms of how interesting they look (and how much of a story you can imagine them having) and the other in terms of there style. This is something that at this early stage could have an impact on my project as urban art styles appeal to me and this coincides with how people look, as in modern society style is considered important by many.
I feel that further studies drawing studies are necessary, perhaps playing with style to develop character/ theme. Also I feel that to develop this theme based around people I need to consider what other people feel when they see someone else initially (in the same way I have been drawing people) and find out what things they notice first etc so devising a questionnaire to further my research should be beneficial.