"The Stressed Woman"
Colored pencil on illustration board September 2022 |
Exhibition Text This self portrait was created using colored pencil on illustration board. My intentions for this illustration was to represent all of the stress and headaches that go on behind closed doors during school and how difficult it can be to manage and balance stress at school with hobbies, family, and friends. I was inspired by artist Gustave Courbet's well known painting, "The Desperate Man" and the emotion shown in his art. I wanted to represent a side of myself that many people don't often see.
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Critical Investigation
"The Desperate Man", Gustave Courbet
Inspiration
Gustave Courbet was a French painter in the late 1800's and lead the Realism movement. Courbet's most recognized painting is called "The Desperate Man", which depicted a man holding onto his hair with a concerned and astonished look on his face. The painting uses mostly cool toned colors exempt from the warm hues used for the skin. This could represent an exhausted and "cold" appearance because disparity and hopelessness is a negative emotion and is associated with cool toned colors like blue, green, and grey. The man is also seen grabbing onto his hair, almost pulling it, which is a common reaction to stress and anxiety. This painting has a very heavy and burdensome vibe to the point where when it is viewed it induces distress. Personally, I feel like I relate to this painting because of the stress that I have felt and currently feel in regards to stress and mental strain that school has put me through and the pain that stress causes me. I was drawn to "The Desperate Man" because I can relate to the appearance of the man and the exact expression he is making because I find myself looking like that all of the time when I am burned out or under a lot of pressure. I was also really inspired by this painting because I have been wanting to try and experiment with realism and my realism technique so I decided that I wanted to start off with a self-portrait. I wanted to be able to incorporate the same blank yet terrified stare that the man has in the painting. I also wanted to make sure that I also captured the same pose that the man has making sure that my hands were tangled up inside of my hair so that my portrait and Courbet's were as similar as possible.
Planning
To begin the planning process, I started off by choosing what artist I wanted to take inspiration from for this project. I started off by looking at Rembrandt's, "Self Portrait with Disheveled Hair" because I knew that I wanted to create a self portrait that would be able to portrait that stress and headache that comes along with school and daily life. I then stumbled upon the artist Gustave Courbet and his oil painting, "The Desperate Man". I was even more drawn to this painting and it's realist style so I decided that I would go with Courbet's painting. Next, I had to take a photo that I would use as my reference. I experimented using different photos and then I finally chose one that had good lighting and I placed a grid over the image so that I would be able to sketch out the image later on. Next, I realized that I needed to practice working on my technique for hair because I have never drawn hair before. I started off by laying down a light yellow/brown base color and then I took some darker browns, grays, and yellows and started to streak the colors in order to mimic the appearance of hair strands. Next, I began to take a sharp tool and I scratched lines into the colored pencil so that it looked like highlights in the hair. After I practiced the hair for a bit I started to plan out the different colors that I was going to use for this drawing. I already decided that I wanted to complete this drawing using colored pencil so I could increase my skills using colored pencils so I looked through my Prismacolor colored pencils and found some colors that would be appropriate for hair, skin, and clothes like pinks, browns, and yellows. I also decided to use a darker green color for the background as it was close to the colors in the photo I took of myself. In the final two sketches, I decided that I wanted to refine my skills in regards to facial expressions. I searched up some eyes on google and practiced sketching out different eyes so that I could get a hang of drawing basic shapes and sizes of the eyes. I also cut out some images of my actual facial features from my reference and began sketching those out as well because I again wanted to practice working on facial expressions.
Process
To begin, I started off by drawing 2 inch by 2 inch squares on my illustration board to create a basic grid. I then started to sketch out the basic outline of where my head would be along with my hands and arms. After I had my basic sketch down on the board I started to color in the shirt with the color 1013 and used it as a base coat.
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After I did that, started adding in some shading for the folds and wrinkled in the fabric with the color 1019 as it was a few shades darker than base color that I used. I also added lots of texture with that same color by drawing light, thin lines across the shirt to mimic each and every line of stitching that is prevalent in the sweater. I also went in with a white colored pencil and started to add in some light highlights where the light would hit my shirt.
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After I completed the shirt, I started working on the hair and the skin on my arm. For the hair I used the same colors that I used in the planning sketch so I started off with a base coat of the color 1093 and then I began adding dark lines of brown using the colors 1074 and 1050. After I had those colors down, I repeated these steps with the lines with some lighter colors for highlights like 1080, 1085, and 1093 which are all beige/yellow toned hues. After I completed the hair, I went in with a sharp object and scraped small little lines into the hair so that it looked like there were little fly aways and highlighted strands in my hair. After I was happy with how the hair looked, I started coloring the skin on my arm in with the color 997. I found that this color was too orange for my skin so I colored a light layer of white over the skin and then I took the color 1013 which is a light baby pink and subbed it on top of the beige and white because I have lots of pink undertones in my skin. I then took some of the darker colors that I used for the hair and the mauve color that I used for the shirt shadows and I shaded the arm so it closely resembled the reference photo
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After I was completed with the hair, shirt, and arm, I began sketching out the face and coloring it in with my skin base color. I also decided to work in fragments so I began working on the first eye, using similar colors to the hair to add skin texture. Then I began working on the cheeks, trying my best to give the appearance that mascara is running down the side of my face. Then I worked on my nose using the same colors as before. Finally, I colored in the mouth and used similar colors to the ones I used in the sweater.
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After I was finished with the face, I completed the other half of my hair and arm using the same techniques that I used before for the rights side of my head. I also started to color in the background with an olive green color that I found to be very fitting for the background and matched the color that I used for my reference photo.
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Experimentation
I have been extremely interested in using colored pencils and the development of technique in regards to colored pencil. After my picture was taking I realized that I had never drawn hair before using colored pencil as I usually draw characters from horror movies and they don't normally have visible head of hair. During my planning, I decided that I was going to practice drawing strands of hair. I started off with a light yellow base color and then I went in with different dark browns and grays and started adding streaks and lines onto the light base. I went to my sample patch of hair and attempted to add highlights to my hair using white pencil however the white wasn't as opaque as I wanted and the highlights weren't standing out nearly enough. I realized that the best way I would be able to add highlights would be to scratch lines into my completed colored pencil patch. I also realized that by scratching into the patch, each strand would be very small which gave the appearance that real hair was coming off of the picture. I didn't have a sharp tool so I used a pointy crystal I had in my room and I found that it was actually perfect for adding in highlights. I also wanted to experiment with blending different colors together as a little refresher on creating a smooth gradient. I started off by using beige colors that matched my skin tone and then I slowly gravitated towards using baby pinks and adding layers to the beige gradients so that I would be able to replicate the look of my skin and the red/pink undertones that my face has. Finally, I experimented with making eyes. Although I have been drawing eyes for years, I haven't used colored pencil for awhile so I decided that I needed to refine my skills. I just practiced a few basic eye shapes making sure that they were as 3 dimensional and realistic as possible. I then experiment with drawing my own eye as well as adding some color and shading to that I could get a good grasp on how I would want to draw my eye in my final self-portrait.
Critique
This colored pencil project I was inspired by the work "The Desperate Man" by realist painter Gustave Courbet and there are many similarities and differences between our pieces. The most obvious difference between the two is the differing mediums. For the original, the medium that was being used was oil paint, however I decided that I wanted to work on my skills using colored pencil so I opted for using said colored pencils. Another difference would be the overall hue of the drawing. For my drawing I decided that I wanted to be able to show the warm undertones in my skin so I decided that using lots of warm tones would be beneficial for portraying those undertones. In Courbet's painting however the color scheme is heavily reliant on cool toned colors in the clothes, and the background, and even in the skin. A similarity between both of our pieces would be the pose that both the desperate man and I are in. We both have distressed/numb looks on our faces and our hands are in our hair to give off a stressed appearance. I tried my best to mimic the pose of the desperate man and I think that they are extremely similar. The final similarity would be the meaning of the pictures. In both images the topic of disparity, exhaustion, and stress is being brought up to the point where in both images you can tell that there is deep rooted suffering and pain.
Reflection
My inspiration for this project was artist Gustave Courbet. I appreciated the way that the artist represent the emotions associated with struggle and stress. I wanted to be able to recreate this appearance by making my hands rest in my hair as well as making the picture look like mascara is running down my face. I also wanted to be able to recreate and practice this realism style that is shown in Courbet's painting. I loved how Courbet way able to represent emotion in the desperate mans face to the point where the painting almost looks like a photograph. I also really loved how Courbet was able to create a very realistic interpretation of cloth and the way that fabric lays. Every fold and wrinkle is extremely realistic and detailed. If I were to recreate this drawing, I would make sure that I would work on my proportions better. Although I used a grid to sketch out my idea, I feel like the image doesn't look 100 percent like me. I think that I drew the eyes a bit too close together and my nose needed to be a little wider. I also with that when I took the photo I didn't have my hair straightened because I would have liked for my natural hair to be on display because my whole theme surrounds identity. Although there were a few things I would want to change, I really loved how this drawing turned out and I am extremely satisfied by the hair as I had never drawn hair before and it turned out better than I had expected. My biggest challenge for this piece was trying to get the facial features as accurate as possible because when I usually draw faces, I tend to focus on drawing characters from horror movies so they don't have the same facial features as humans. Overall, I really like how this drawing turned out and I want to continue to create self portraits so that I can increase my skill for painting and drawing people and facial features.
ACT Questions
1) Clearly explain and describe how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its effect upon your artwork.
Gustave Courbet's realist style inspired me to create a realism colored pencil drawing so that I would be able to advance my realism skills.
2) What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The artist can relate to my topic of inspiration because we are both coming from desperate and negative emotions and we seem to both be struggling from some sort of stress.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Some generalizations that I have made about the artist specifically before I started researching is that the man in the painting is Gustave Courbet. After I did some research, I found this to be true. I also made the assumption that the man was going through some sort of trouble or stress and he seemed to be reaching a breaking point.
4) What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central idea behind my research was stress and burnout.
5) What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
While reading, I made the inference that Courbet was going through a rough time in his life, leading him to create his painting.
Gustave Courbet's realist style inspired me to create a realism colored pencil drawing so that I would be able to advance my realism skills.
2) What is the overall approach (point of view) the author (from your research) has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The artist can relate to my topic of inspiration because we are both coming from desperate and negative emotions and we seem to both be struggling from some sort of stress.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
Some generalizations that I have made about the artist specifically before I started researching is that the man in the painting is Gustave Courbet. After I did some research, I found this to be true. I also made the assumption that the man was going through some sort of trouble or stress and he seemed to be reaching a breaking point.
4) What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The central idea behind my research was stress and burnout.
5) What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
While reading, I made the inference that Courbet was going through a rough time in his life, leading him to create his painting.
Bibliography
1.) Gustave_Courbet_-_Le_Désespéré. (2022). Retrieved 13 September 2022, from https://hannahsartclub.wordpress.com/2012/08/23/making-faces-part-i-drawing-facial-expressions-june-2012/gustave_courbet_-_le_desespere/
2.) Fiore, J. (2022). Gustave Courbet’s “The Desperate Man” Is the Ultimate Self-Portrait of the Artist as Mad Genius | Artsy. Retrieved 13 September 2022, from https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-probing-gustave-courbets-inner-thoughts-the-desperate-man
2.) Fiore, J. (2022). Gustave Courbet’s “The Desperate Man” Is the Ultimate Self-Portrait of the Artist as Mad Genius | Artsy. Retrieved 13 September 2022, from https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-probing-gustave-courbets-inner-thoughts-the-desperate-man