proposal for Unit 6
Section one - influence, research, sources and ideas
The initial starting point for this project was my large scale self portrait that was composed in late 2018. With the success of the piece, I wanted to reimagine it in an even more realistic way. I started by going back to what I knew best, Chuck Close and his large scale, Acrylic, hyper realistic portraits. I paired this with the numerous eye studies of celebrities I had done for Unit 1. These studies were in pen which offered simple and effective mark making, whilst allowing for an easy build up in tonal value. However, neither of these mediums would be the one I chose for the final major. I have always had an underlying love for graphite and after developing a photorealistic eye on paper, I was sure that was the medium I wanted to use to depict my face.
I focused heavily on Chuck Close’s 1967 ‘Big Self Portrait’, to grasp the exquisite detail that was required in order to get a likeness. Another stand out artist was Jason Brooks, whose work I first noticed on my trip to the National Portrait Gallery in London. The piece in question, titled PAUL, was a massive, hyperrealistic, 3 meter long, acrylic on linen composition. It furthered my exploration into skin and how to, consequently, create it; building the layers and manipulating tone to result in the desired effect. A potential contextual inspiration for the practical realisation was York Minster, more specifically, the tilted mirror that allows you to see the beauty of the ceiling. I theorised that I could create the same effect with my large scale portrait, by attaching it to the ceiling and having a mirror for viewers to look at it from different angles. Oddly enough, curved televisions have played a role in the realisation. Their enveloping screens gave me the idea of having the portrait mounted on a curved wall to give the sense of being surrounded and encapsulated. -323
Section two - Your major project
The goal and title of my project will be Silence(tbd). The idea behind it is that you stand in a relatively confined space with nothing between or around you albeit the portrait. Ideally, the space would be as quiet as possible, with the potential of handing out ear plugs to those that are viewing it; to give the viewer an almost eerie closeness to the portrait. The portrait itself will be a photo realistic self portrait, created using graphite and a mix of erasers and blending stumps. It should be larger than my last portrait, the ideal scale would aim for around 150cm x 150cm, to add a sense of intimidation. The end result will hopefully be a near perfect recreation of my face, with a level of detail that will truly shock the viewer and urges them to look closer and closer and ask technical questions. As I take pride in answering questions about my work, I aim to give viewers the opportunity to write questions down and put them in a box with their email on, so I can reply to each and every one.
A portrait of this scale will be sure to test my physical skill and ability as well as my mental resilience; due to the sheer time and patience it will require. For any fault or problem that arises, I will make sure to plan and test techniques for overcoming any problems, thus, expanding my ability and broadening my skills and techniques. To work on a scale so massive, yet so delicate, invites complications. However, if I manage to complete the composition, it will truly open doors to allow my creative ability to expand and to continue working on this scale, or bigger, with the same or different mediums. -297
Section 3 - Techniques, Processes and Timescale guide.
When it comes to techniques and processes, it is a simple yet strenuous procedure. Initially, the paper is measured to grasp a scale; then the photo is measured in the same way, length and height. Once both the measurements have been acquired, the length of the paper is divided by the length of the photo; giving a value that acts as the enlargement scale. Following this on, the rest of the photo is measured (eyes, ears, nose, gaps, negative space etc) and multiplied by the value of enlargement. As an example, if you had a sheet of paper 150cm long and a photo 30cm long, you divide the paper by the photo; giving you 5, then all the measurements on the photo are multiplied by 5 to achieve an accurate scale and equal proportions. This, in some way, leaves an almost dot to dot outline where the features of the face can be drawn in. Finally, it all comes down to tonal value and application of medium and the removal of tone using erasers. Blending is one of the most important elements if I hope to achieve photorealism, to ensure the skin is soft and there aren’t any stray pencil marks. This is most easily achieved with blending stumps.
Timescale: when I presented my idea of a large, photo realistic portrait to my tutor in October of last year, he suggested I start then because of the overwhelming amount of time it would take. We concluded it would take between 150-200 hours. Using the maximum prediction, if I averaged 5 hours a day, it would take 40 days to complete; which may not sound like a lot, but put into practise, it is astronomical. In reality, complications would mean that the ideal 5 hours a day would not be likely, so another way of looking at it would be over a 6 week period, averaging 33 hours per week. Or, over a 4 month period, 12.5 hours a week. -331
Section 4 - Review of your work prior to the major project
My work prior to and during the major project has altered rather dramatically, to ensure a wide range of mediums used and key development of skills and techniques. The mediums have varied from (hi david, i realise that my final major is kind of my prior work so not too sure what to say for this…)
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