DD1101 - sculpture

It took a long time to settle on what this sculpture should be. I had dozens of rough concepts of pre-existing characters and new bizarre-looking monsters, but nothing realy inspired me.

The Japanese freeware game Yume Nikki has always been a wild inspiration to me, so I looked up this character sheet from the fanmade wiki for ideas. Number 35 on this list, the Henkei Shita, really called out to me. Other candidates were the Pirori (number 21), and the first train passenger (number 56).

Here's an isolated image:



The henkei shita (meaning 'deformed') is generally perceived to be a headless, pregnant female. Due to the horrific and violent imagery there, fans (myself included) feel this symbolises a fear of pregnancy within the female protagonist. People believe this could conclude she is terrifed of her own sex and wishes to change it, but the process and the male sex or gender terrify her, so this puts her in such immense emotional turmoil she doesn't know what to do. That's more or less my interpretation of the game.

They are found on a path connecting the Eyeball World to Hell. In Hell, a red version which bleeds yellow, with yellowed teeth and a yellow eye can be found.

In a way, this monster feels personal to me, too.






Unfortunately, this hasn't been painted yet. As of typing this, it's not fully dry, so I can't do much with it. When I do paint it, it will either be the first or last design in that above screenshot.

DD1101 - silhouette character 02

Full version HERE!

The second character for the silhouette assignment!

This one's a total redesign of an old character, Nayamou! He/she/it/they (maybe just she? She looks like a transwoman, a little bit) has a very iteresting body, I think! A big ol' demon chimera dragon thing! Her skull is painted with various, generally random designs.

She's a major personal character of mine, even an alias I've used for a long time. A demon counterpart to Daryl.

DD1101 - silhouette character 01

Full version HERE!

So here's the first finished character for the silhouette assignment! I like this character... I think I'll name him Trent. He's possibly a hunter or a taxidermist, or both. He's probably a recluse, and revels in his androdyny. He probably doesn't like gender-specific pronouns in public. Who knows!

This was a really fun character to design, as he's largely outside of my comfort zone in terms of character design! He's growing on me!

DD1101 - silhouette batch

Here's a batch of silhouettes I cooked up for the main assignment! The assignment was to generate two silhouettes and devise two finalised characters from that, but I had too much fun coming up with all of these that I lost track of everything.

I ended up settling for the first and last ones.

Thw top row are all pre-existing characters--the demon chimera Nayamou, the demon lady STRAY (loosely inspired by the Pokemon Froslass), and former motocross enthusiast Leon Greene.

DD1101 - silhouette practice

First attempt with generating a character from a silhouette.

The left silhouete, with a triangle base, is a rough concept for an alien species based on the race known as Forever from the musical project Ayreon.

The left, with a circle base, is my character Houston again!

DD1000 - essay plan

This is very rough!

The Art Deco Design Movement--Essay Plan

Reasons For Choice
I have chosen Art Deco as the subject for my essay as I find a genuine attraction to the style. Art Deco is exceptionally elegant and ornate, with a strong sense of optimism and prosperity. This is probably because of the eras in which Art Deco crops up are always the most prosperous.

Beginning Stages and Key Figures
The movement began in Paris in the 1920’s. It reached international fame from 1930 to 1939, at the dawn of World War 2, where it then promptly fell apart.

It was founded by a group of French artists who referred to themselves as ‘the Society of Decorator Artists’. This group included Hector Guimard, Eugene Grasset, Rauol Lachenal, and Paul Bellot, who were the greatest influence on the principles of Art Deco. Their purpose was to demonstrate French decorative arts and how they would evolve.

Art Deco was not named as such until 1968.

Influences on the Movement
It was created as an extension of Art Nouveau, so that was the most crucial influence on the entire Art Deco movement.

Mathematical and geometric shapes also inspired the forms of figures in drawings, and the forms of buildings in architecture, something key in giving Art Deco such an iconic appearance. That also helps in making the art elegant, stylish, and modern: the core intention of the movement.

Many different cultures and civilisations were also inspirational of the movement, too, such as ancient Egypt, Babylon, Aztec Mexico, and African art. When Art Deco first raised its head, archaeology was fast becoming a popular pastime for the rich, and many of these new discoveries in themselves became a symbol of wealth, which, too, was the core of Art Deco.

Themes of the Movement
It was ornamental and modern with the intention of showing off wealth, especially post-War during the 1920s. No politics were involved within the movement as it was entirely a means of personal pride. The wealthier countries became, the more the themes of Art Deco crop up.

Commonly Used Materials
All materials used within Art Deco pieces are now strongly associated with wealth, and stylish elegance. These materials included animal hide, ebony, ivory, chrome, lacquer, stainless steel, inlaid wood, and aluminium.

Design Attributes
Art Deco often made use of many iconic shapes and motifs. These included steeped forms, geometric curves, chevron patterns, fountains, sunrise motifs, iconic ‘Broadway’ font.

Notable Works and Structures
Golden Gate Bridge, the Chrysler Building, Midland Hotel, old theatres, US railways (look up more)

End of the Movement
The initial surge of the movement ended at the dawn of the Second World War, due to many countries losing the wealth that formed Art Deco’s ethos.
There were resurgences in the 60’s and 80’s when there actually were booms of wealth.

Conclusion
Talk about how Art Deco has greatly influenced the art and design of today.

DD1000 - art deco

Art Deco began in Paris during the 1920’s, although it only saw international fame between 1932 and the dawn of the Second World War in 1939. It is a movement very strongly associated with wealth, and so sees resurgences in areas experiencing prosperity--such as, for example, Europe during the lull between the World Wars, where Art Deco began.

It was founded by a group of French artists (including Hector Guimard and Eugene Grasset) who referred to themselves as the ‘Society of Decorator Artists’. They aimed to demonstrate the French decorative arts internationally, and how they would evolve therein. Unsurprisingly, the ornate nature of Art Deco was an extension of Art Nouveau.

However, the term ‘Art Deco’ had not been coined until 1968, by historians.

It was largely inspired by mathematical and geometric shapes, which is a thing very much obvious through a mere glance at their architecture. Achieving a kind of stylish, modern elegance was extremely important for them. Another major inspiration came from history. The art and architecture of ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, Aztec Mexico and Babylon, especially, were an influence. This was due to, at the period in which Art Deco emerged, the world was in the midst of ground-breaking archaeological discoveries. It became fashionable in and of itself to excavate these ancient locations, which coincided brilliantly with the notion of Art Deco revolving around individuals showing off their wealth.

Art Deco was always ornamental. Politics was never involved in any pieces created in the movement, seeing as it centred on personal pride, rather than making statements to change the world. It needed to be modern and, if anything, push the world away from the past and misery, to move into an era of prosperity. This became more prevalent whenever countries grew wealthy post-war, and people were more inclined to showcase their prized possessions and earnings.

A whole host of different materials were incorporated in Art Deco pieces. These included aluminium, lacquer, chrome, stainless steel, ivory, ebony and animal hide: mostly expensive items, now generally considered iconic of the rich, entirely due to this movement. This is very much obvious in film noir, in which many middle-class and rich individuals were seen sporting animal hides or fur, as well as ivory. This is a mentality and association we still have today.

Common motifs in Art Deco included steeped shapes, along with geometric curves, with chevron patterns and ziggurat shapes. Fountains and sunburst designs were also very common.

However, as Art Deco became popular and mainstream and mass-produced, it was derided as gaudy and considered cheap by many. That mind-set was often why the movement would die out.