The illustrated self

Making a mind map

Creating a mind map of myself is something I find particularly difficult. I don't really like doing projects about myself as I feel it is quite personal and i struggle to come up with interesting things to illustrate. After getting stuck into it however I found it relatively fun and it was very interesting seeing the links between what influences my creative practice.

 Reflections

One of the main things I learnt from doing this mind map is that colour and simple shapes are something which I am very much into and this is also reflected in my fashion. Colour is paramount to m y practice and it is something I would love to really experiment further with. Photography is an area in which I find really interesting and it is definitely something i want to include more in my practice. I really like the concept of dressing up as a character - something which was so successful in my previous gif project. The main reason for this is that i like seeing myself from different perspectives - it hides away my insecurities and I am able to fully immerse myself in a character. It also reflects my interior creative thoughts - i like to express my positive attitude in the clothes i wear - bright colours reflect my interior emotions. I like my work to stand out that is why I have been really drawn to the idea of analogue technology, specifically after doing a lot of research for my cop essay - creating something real and authentic that cannot be reproduced. I think at the beginning of the year I struggled a bit with reflecting my own personality in my work (having a tone of voice).

Illustration and Ambitions links

simple shapes - make a colouring book

Children books and character design - publish a book

Sewing - design and make my own outfit

Cultural art - Travel the world

Personal and Illustration

Festivals - colour

Fashion - colour

Grit (voice) - Texture

Individuality - Analogue

Modelling - Photography 

Initial thoughts

For my 'illustrated self project' I want to create something different. We have to create a poster of something that represents ourselves in some way. I am thinking of using myself as the subject but covered up reflecting my alter ego character interest. Perhaps using my body as a canvas instead of paper? I have developed so much in terms of my drawing style - I used to be so conscious of creating amazing perfectly crafted drawing outcomes but through crits and looking through other people's work I have favoured the idea of having a 'care free' attitude - this way you can create pieces of art without caring so much about how the final piece will turn out - expressive style creates much more interesting outcomes. I could play with this idea perhaps by painting on my own body. I need to start looking at artists, illustrators and photographers to help me to generate further ideas.