Conceptual Intentions
What did you find meaningful about the process and practice of this project? How did you address the notion of mapping? Where does your voice and style as an artist emerge in this project? If you did not find the practice and process meaningful or you do not feel that your voice emerged in this work, why not?
I think of the map as an extremely powerful narrative too, because it contians so much in its very design. Thus, I tried to exploit the idea of being off the map, and the subversion of this material tool in favor of the path. I hoped to capture the emotion of this moment in the central panel. My style, which by now I realize is very graphic and simplified, was epitimized in this project, and I also hoped to tell a narrative - exploring the unknown.
Stretch and Explore
In what ways did your intentions change over the course of your project? What opportunities or occurrences led to these changes? Given what you know now about your work and your materials choices, how might you have changed your concept or approach to working?
I had a pretty clear vision about this project from the very beginning. The sketch I made on the first day was identical to the final version. But the use of photoshop allowed for me to explore details - such as the fungus creeping away in the final panel (the forest looks scary, but when you jump in, it becomes less so). I decided to go with a wider shot for the last panel as well, as it tied the piece together more. The addition of vines and trees in the backround give a real sense of depth as well. Because I'm not that experienced with photoshop, I would have liked to be more efficient, but that just comes with practice, especially in terms of intelligently creating layers.
Understanding the Art World
Who influenced your process for this project? Who are the artists you looked at? How did their work inspire your conceptual intentions and/or process?
Jeff Smith, the creator of Bone, is one of my favorite artists. He actually uses ink for his panels, but for coloring, he does something similar, using photoshop to color the work. I tried to emulate his focus on narrative over any distractions like weird lines, colors etc.
Reflect
What did you the experience of the critique provide you? What insights were helpful to you in future process? What insights were you able to provide your peers in their process?
The critique was very eye-opening, as well as affirmative for me. Most of the criticism was along the lines of "I want to see what happens next", "is the character a guy or a girl", or "what is in that darkness?" Although these might seem like negative responses, this was exactly what I was going for. I really wanted for this to be the spark that could ignite a story in many different ways.
