4/6/2021 - 2/7/2021 / Week 10 - Week 14
Lui Hsiao Hui (Tressa) / 0342003
Design Principles / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Final Project: Visual Analysis
Lui Hsiao Hui (Tressa) / 0342003
Design Principles / Bachelor of Design (Hons) in Creative Media
Final Project: Visual Analysis
LECTURES
Week 10: Friday 4/6/2021
Visual Analysis: A method of understanding design that focuses on the
visual elements and principles. It is a critical part of visual literacy -
read and critically interpret images.
- A description and explanation of visual structure for its own sake.
- To recognise the choices of a designer, how the formal properties of a
design communicate ideas, content, or meaning.
- Sharpens critical judgement skills and helps people seek out answers.
Phase 1: Observation
- Identifying visual elements of a design and describing them in your own
words. (Do not read beforehand about the design at all)
-
Looking, thinking and finding good language to communicate what you
notice.
Phase 2: Analysis
- Think about your observations and make statements about the work based on
the evidence of your observations.
- How the specific visual elements combine together to create a whole, and
what effect that whole has on the viewer.
- How your eye is led through the work and why?
Phase 3: Interpretation
- Observations, descriptions and analysis of the work are fused with facts
about the design work (and in some cases the designer) and historical context
that you find in trustworthy published sources.
- What is the meaning of the design? What was the purpose for it to be
created?
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Visual Analysis
- Select a design of your choice (poster/billboard/illustration/etc).
- Conduct a visual analysis of the design in about 500 words.
2. Design
- Produce a work of design, in A4 or in A3 size, inspired/influenced by the
design you have analysed, or as a reaction to it.
- Write a 150-200 word rationale for your design.
1. VISUAL ANALYSIS
Fig. 1.1 "The Throne" by Angela Wang (@awanqi), October 2020
1. Observation
"The Throne" is a digital illustration by Angela Wang, also known as
awanqi. It is in a portrait format and focuses on humanoid figures, or
more specifically angels, along with soft clouds which are organic visual
elements. Contrasting that are the lines coming from the main figure's
hand. The main colours are ivory, dirty brown, pastel yellow and mint
green. So the colours are on the cool spectrum with a hint of warmth with
the pastel yellow. There is also a balance between the light and dark
values, so the artwork maintains its brightness. Overall, it is a very
soft, flowy, whimsical and dramatic-looking illustration with the way all
these visual elements are tied together.
2. Analysis
Fig. 1.2 Movement in "The Throne"
This illustration's composition is composed of an
asymmetrical balance. The main angel is slightly off-centered, while his hand is aligned in
the center. There is a leading line in the form of an arc with
the placement of the clouds, starting from the top to the bottom as seen
in Fig. 1.2 This creates visual movement and a rhythm to the
illustration, also enhancing visual hierarchy because it
draws viewers to look from the top to the bottom, following the
invisible leading curve of the clouds.
Fig. 1.3 Framing, leading lines and contrast in "The Throne"
Besides that, there is a sense of framing with the dark edges on
the bottom left and top right - this also adds to the asymmetrical
balance. These dark edges also serve the purpose of creating
depth in the artwork, such as foreground and background -
showing the layers of the clouds and angels. The angels differ in
proportion as well to add to that depth and perspective.
Additionally, the dark edges contrast the dominant pale
colours, creating dramatic lighting. Another element of contrast
is the lines shooting from the main angel's hands, they contrast
the organic elements in the artwork. The lines also serve as an
emphasis and leading line so people would focus on it first (the
focal point of the artwork).
Fig. 1.4 Close-up of the angels in "The Throne"
Upon closer inspection, the background angels' eyes and face are mostly
facing the main figure which adds to drawing attention to the center
(another form of leading line and visual movement). The use of pale and
dusty colours creates a soft and ethereal look to the
illustration, which aids in the concept of the illustration since it
depicts angels and the sky/heavens. Furthermore, there is the design
principle repetition - the repeated angels overlayed over one
another.
3. Interpretations
“The Throne” is a digital illustration inspired by religious art, mythology and the Rococo style of the
late 17th - 18th century. The characteristics of the Rococo style are
asymmetry, serpentine lines, pastel colours, and trompe-l'œil frescoes
(forced perspective optical illusion) to create surprise, motion and drama.
Paintings of this period were exuberant with sensuous colouring and depicted
many myths, themes of love, youth and playfulness. The most notable
characteristic of rococo paintings is the pastel colours, to portray the
themes mentioned. Pastel colours are also more pleasing compared to natural
colours (realism) and they give the effect of drama, lightheartedness, airy
and soft look to the paintings.
Fig. 2.1 "Boreas Abducting Oreithyia" by François Boucher, 1769
"Boreas Abducting Oreithyia" is one out of a series of six
mythological-based oil paintings by François Boucher. It was painted for
Jean-François Bergeret de Frouville's hotel in Paris in 1769. François
Boucher is a famous artist whose work defines the Rococo style. It has a
similar sense of rhythm to "The Throne", and also a similar theme of
mythology. The placement of the subjects and where they're looking in this
painting conveys a sense of motion, depth and visual hierarchy. It's not
just a still shot of something symbolic, but it also shows the sequence of
what is happening, which is present in Angela Wang's illustrations.
With inspiration from the Rococo style, "The Throne" has that sense of
drama and airiness because of the pastel colours. The use of pastel
colours in Rococo paintings creates this glowy and ethereal effect,
generating drama to the painted scene. Besides that, other visual elements
in her illustration enhance the grandeur of the angels depicted, such as
asymmetrical contrast in the clouds (ivory and dark brown), and the
ornamental look with the overlaid angels and light coming out from the
main angel’s hands. The way it is painted (light and shadows) also is
reminiscent of the Rococo style, and it portrays the scene in an ethereal
and fantasy-like style - similarly in historical paintings depicting
mythology and religion.
Fig. 2.2 "The Throne" angels comparison with angel sculptures
of Ponte Sant’Angelo (Bridge of Angels), Rome, Italy
(Angel with the Whips & Angel with the Sponge)
The angels are also painted and drawn similarly to angel sculptures. The
sculptures on the right are by the famous Italian sculptor Gian Lorenzo
Bernini (Baroque art period). Each sculptured angel symbolises a part from
the story of Jesus Christ’s suffering and death by crucifixion. These
sculptures are a form of religious art, which is what the artist, Angela
Wang was inspired by.
2. DESIGN
In response to Angela Wang's illustration, I want to create something of a similar theme and feeling. I decided to center my theme around romance and revenge as a way to portray the dramatic narrative and art style of my artist reference, along with her inspirations from mythology and historical art. My concept idea and art style is also inspired by rococo art and a poem I wrote a long time ago called "Dance with Me".
The reason why I chose to analyse "The Throne" is also because I really admired the digital art style and I wanted to do a digital painting because I had never done one before. I thought it's also good practice and doing it for my assignment would force me to work hard to produce something good.
Fig. 3.1 "Dance with Me" rough digital sketch, Week 12 (18/6/2021)
My rough sketch depicts a girl luring her past lover to his death. There is an arrow piercing through her ear, aimed at the guy's eyes. The idea of having the arrow was inspired by Greek mythology - Eros, the god of love. He is also known as "Cupid", his Roman counterpart which is more well known, and he is the son of Aphrodite. Eros would make people fall in love by shooting his arrow. I was trying to incorporate Angela Wang's inspirations into my work hence I drew inspiration from Greek mythology. Not to mention that I'm also a fan of it. In this case, the arrow signifies her making her past lover infatuated with her again.
Besides that, there is wing scars/blood on the guy's back, symbolising a fallen angel. I did this because it tells a story indicating that he has done something bad that caused him to lose his wings. That 'something bad' he did was hurt his lover of course. Lastly, I composed both figures with the help of the rule of thirds. I wanted the girl to be dominant, so I placed her above and had her hair flowing down, enveloping him, signifying control and domain.
Fig. 3.2 Painting progress, Week 12-14 (18-27/6/2021)
After the rough sketch, I drew a line art for the girl. But it took so long
because of the precision needed to create smooth lines, it's not like pencil which is easier to control. So I abandoned the
idea of having a line art and went straight to painting instead, it saved me so much time and worked for me. I have a background in fine arts so I managed well without line art as a guide.
For the hands, I took photos of my own hand for reference. For the hair, I
didn't know how to paint hair at first, but I just tried and used my way of drawing hair with pencil (traditional art). First, I painted block
colours/thick lines, blended them out slightly and then drew thinner lines
over them rendering the texture of hair. I didn't really struggle with the faces since I often draw portraits. The expressions came naturally too because I was really emotionally in tune with the painting.
As mentioned earlier, this is actually my first time painting digitally. I had drawn digitally before but not paint. I never liked painting because of how tedious it is to mix paints. But digital painting is so much more convenient and fun. The best thing is I can get the right colours and do some adjustments if I'm not happy with it.
Fig. 3.3 Painting progress - GIF, Week 12-14 (18-27/6/2021)
The constant background colour changes are
because I couldn't settle on which shade of red. I'm very particular with my reds because they evoke different feelings, and it's my favourite colour to use in my works. Besides that, the guy's
hair colour went through all stages of grief. I was trying to not make him
stand out so much because the girl is the emphasis, so I kept tweaking his
hair colour. He really went from golden blonde to ash brown to brunette and finally auburn.
Differences from rough sketch
I decided to not paint the arrow piercing through the girl's ear because I didn't want it to obstruct her eye. Her eye is quite important because people would be able to see her malice and have a clear view of her beauty. To replace that symbol, I painted scars on her face instead, to show the pain her past lover inflicted upon her. Furthermore, I didn't paint the guy's wing scars because halfway through the painting I thought it'd be better if he was human (rather than a fallen angel) and the girl depicted as supernatural - a Fae to be exact. It creates better contrast between the two, and a show of clear power (who's in charge). Not to mention I adjusted the positioning of the guy, so if I were to paint the wing scars they'll be obstructed by the girl's hair. I wanted his back to be covered as much to show the girl's control.
Final Outcome
Fig. 4.1 "Dance with Me", Week 14 (27/6/2021)
Final digital illustration, titled "Dance with Me". Time: About 28 hours or more, done in a span of 4 days. Painted in Adobe Photoshop.
This illustration is based on a poem I wrote called "Dance with Me". The poem is located below after this section (Fig. 5). The art style, approach and narrative are inspired by Angela Wang (@awanqi) and her inspirations. It also has influences of historical art and the many depictions of mythology (especially Greek myths) during those art periods. I implemented the dramatic approach my artist reference uses into the composition and story.
The story and the visuals
This artwork depicts a scene of a girl back for revenge after being killed by her past lover. I like to think that she was killed by love though, with the guy being the cause of it. She returns as a fae hence her pointed ears. Faes are 'considered' a malevolent version of fairies. The guy, however, is human. This clearly displays her status, also showing the switch in power.
The guy has a look of ecstasy, longing and desire, with his furrowed brows, slightly parted lips and eyes in a trance-like state. He desperately wants her even though he knows she's poison. The girl on the other hand, has a glint of malice and mischief in her eyes. She also has a slight smirk with the tilt at the corner of her lips, expressing her satisfaction of her control and power over him. Overall, she looks extremely beautiful, yet there's a sense of cunningness and danger to her. The way she grips his face with her right hand, wounding his cheek with her sharp claws. Whereas her left hand gently tips his chin up, with her thumb caressing his lips. She purposely does that, luring him to his demise with the promise of intimacy. Every little detail of their expressions and poses create tension, resulting in suspense. Additionally, the guy's hands aren't seen, which indicates his helplessness, lack of control and sensibility to what is happening. She acts like a siren, lulling him with her beauty. Even with the last 2 stanzas of the poem, that's her song:
dance with me
now on your knees
I'm grace, I'm beauty
I'm all you need
dance with me
now on your knees
I'm grace, I'm beauty
I'm death, you see
Technicalities and intentions
The guy was painted to look like the figures reminiscent of Greek mythology and historical paintings and statues. I got the idea to do this from the angels in the illustration "The Throne" by my artist reference. Besides that, the overall painting was painted and composed this way to show a sense of alluringness, an attraction or pull to draw attention and create drama. I used her hair as a way to frame the artwork and act as a leading line. It gives off fluidity and airiness, and also adds to bringing about an ethereal and enchanting look to her.
Contrast, emphasis and colour
The girl is portrayed as a higher being because her colours are light, making her the focal point. It shows that she dominates him and it highlights her importance. Whereas the guy almost blends in with the background, suggesting that he's a secondary character. The positioning of both figures also plays a vital part in the narrative. It is obvious that she seems to be more important than him. Viewers often look at objects which are most eye-catching first. In this case, the brightest part is the girl and her hair because the rest of the elements are dark.
This artwork is a very personal piece - it was created with influences of my experiences in life. I see myself in the girl. I wanted her to be the emphasis, the main character in control in this scene depicted. In other words, this is also my own revenge fantasy. To make her the emphasis, I used contrasting colours - crimson background and a light skin tone. Furthermore, the painting has a green and red type of tint. This is not only a stylistic choice but also because I thought it looked magical and it somehow reminds me of a potion. Think about a dark red potion and how it looks mysterious, that's what I think about the colour scheme.
Imagery, symbols and metaphors
- Fae ear: This shows what she is (or has become). Symbolises immortality (because she's fae), divinity, status and power. Faes are
supernatural, her lover is human. It signifies the switch in power.
- Red-eye (girl): Mischief, anger, malice, revenge and passion.
- Scars: Scars on the girl's face represent the pain which was inflicted on her in the past.
- Wound on his cheek: She's inflicting the same pain/scars back. "Taste
of your own medicine" type of thing.
- Bloody fingers: Danger and malice under the
cover of her beauty.
- Platinum blonde hair: Ethereal, beauty, immortality and divinity.
Her hair hugging him is to show how she's luring him in,
giving him a false sense of security.
- Red background: Passion, revenge, bloodlust. It's also a stylistic choice because it's a colour I use often in my work - a personal touch if you will.
Alternate Crops and Close-ups Galore
Fig. 4.2 "Dance with Me" - film crop
Fig. 4.3 & 4.4 Scars
Fig. 4.5 & 4.6 Impending doom
*Chuckles I'm in danger-
Fig. 4.7 & 4.8 Hair details
These were a killer. But I'm a sucker for details.
Alternate Versions
Fig. 4.9 "Dance with Me" - alternate versions, Week 14 (27/6/2021)
Left to right: Original colours version, Mint version and Red version.
The mint and red versions are edited with curves (tonal adjustment) in
Photoshop, hence why their colours are different from the original colours version on
the left. I decided to not go with the original colours I painted them in
because the curves added spice to the artwork. With it, the colours became
saturated which is my style and resonated with me more. I love how glowy it looks and I thought it looked more impactful and magical. The
original colours version reminded me of renaissance and rococo paintings because of its colour scheme and also how the guy looks reminiscent of figures in historical paintings.
Poem
Fig. 5 "Dance with Me" - poem and its meaning, Week 14 (28/6/2021)
I wrote this poem back in January (21/1/2021). Without it, this painting wouldn't be here. It's about my experiences with being used and taken advantaged of by people because of my 'talents' but told from the perspective and concept of lovers. There is a double meaning, though one might see more than that. Up to interpretations.
Short Animatic
This short animatic features the poem this painting is based on. I created this with Adobe After Effects. I'm not that
experienced with the software, but I really wanted to bring my art to life and present the poem along with the art. Do
watch in HD, earphones would be a plus. It can be viewed vertically if on
mobile.
The song is "Young God" by Halsey. It's one of my old favourite songs and it
reminded me of my painting. How I interpret this song is that I see two young
lovers or rather two young people acting recklessly, thinking that they are
invincible, hence the lyrics "You know the two of us are just young gods". It also seems like a power hungry concept which fits my painting. The ethereal and psychedelic
instrumental also emphasises the animatic.
Breakdown of the scenes
*Please watch the animatic first because there's spoilers
ahead which will ruin the shock factor.
Fig. 6.2 Still #1 from the "Dance with Me" short animatic
When the artwork is first shown, it starts off with a close-up shot to show
intimacy. I did it with the intention of shock factor, because starting with close-up shots will make it feel more personal, and people wouldn't expect to see them up close straight away. I observed this technique from the many films I've watched throughout the years - I've always been into the film industry. Additionally, notice that the background is bright and not red or crimson like my final piece, and there's also
no scars. This indicates the beginning of their love.
Fig. 6.3-6.4 Stills #2 & #3 from the "Dance with Me" short animatic
As the poem progresses the background flashes red. First bright red -
symbolising passionate love (middle stage of their love) then crimson where everything revealed itself and revenge starts. At this point, the girl's scars
are revealed and she's seen inflicting the same scars onto her past lover. They are revealed with the build of the music for a stronger impact and emphasis.
Fig. 6.5 Still #4 from the "Dance with Me" short animatic
At 0:23 there's a hidden text saying "you hurt me". It's intentional and it's
the reason why the girl is back for revenge. Just another hidden message which I love putting in my works.
Fig. 6.6 Still #5 from the "Dance with Me" short animatic
Lastly, the close-up shots in the middle of the animatic are to build up
tension, showing the intimacy, as well as following the build up of the music.
Creation of animatic in After Effects
Fig. 6.7 Grid system in After Effects, Week 14 (28/6/2021)
For the beauty shots, I used the proportional grid in After Effects to
help with the cropping and composition.
Fig. 6.8 Keyframes in After Effects, Week 14 (28/6/2021)
For most of the keyframes, I used the graph editor so I can control the
speed of the movements. This makes it less mechanical and more dynamic than
if I were to just stick to a linear graph.
The hardest part of making this were the fast scenes - all the blinking and
following the beat of the music. Making the movements and transitions match
the beat of the music took time and a lot of adjustments. To make the
animation more interesting, I used the camera blur and motion blur effect
because I can't make the actual figures move their limbs or change their expressions. I also tried to do transitions or panning movements that mimic
camera movements in films.
Thoughts from friends
I sent this to a few of my close friends (most are not design or art students) to find out what they thought and felt about this animatic and painting. I decided to include screenshots of it since they 'explain' it better than me trying to explain what they thought about it.
Most of their responses were that there was a sense of trance-like state because of how breathtaking the painting is presented along with the music. In short, the painting seems enchanting at a glance but then you notice there's something 'wrong' with it. It's also funny how my friend got frustrated at how they never kissed. It keeps them on their toes with all the suspense and tension. A friend mentioned that it felt uneasy, which was surprising to me but I suppose it can seem that way with the sudden scars and blood flashing. I'm glad I shared it with them, I never would've gotten their views on it if I didn't. Besides that, one of my friends thought it was based on Greek mythology, which was pretty cool since it was something I was inspired by. I'm glad that the shock factor shows since some of my friends seemed surprised at some parts. It proves that I've managed to give the effect across about this painting and I'm very satisfied with that.
PDF FILE
Fig. 8 Final Project: Visual Analysis - PDF, Week 14 (27/6/2021)
FEEDBACK
*Included everything Dr. Charles said because it was very interesting the way the concept and my intentions were immediately pointed out without me explaining anything. Comments given were very insightful.
Week 13: He looks enticed and seduced,
drawn to her but he's also not sure if he realises that. It seems that
he's probably going to die. She dominates the composition - has a
dominating presence. Everything leads viewers to her. You can see how
the lines move and complement her (fluidity), how there's a straight
line from her eyes to his eyes. It is really powerful and almost like
she's piercing him. There's a subliminal type of piercing to him
(illusory effect). Alignment is well placed and connects to the story.
Her beauty is not just the element that exists here but her presence
too. He has a second tier presence, helpless, and obviously under her
spell. You can tell something is really going on here. Good use of space
and depth. Her hair allowed her to be much more emphasised despite there
being another figure. Both figures have contrasting expressions, which
plays an important role in composition. The tension is necessary.
Week 14: Two faces and their positioning converge as their eyes meet each other. Her hair wrapping him signifies a sense of entrapment or enchantment. It also seems like he wants to be under her spell. Beautiful line work and great composition. Poetic and it works because of how it is composed. Appropriate music for the animatic.
REFLECTION
I'm so insanely happy with my work on this project. This project is the best and most fun in the whole of my semester 1. I finally got to create my first digital painting after getting a tablet at the beginning of the semester. I was always so busy with assignments that I didn't have time to explore digital painting and create personal art so I decided to do it for my final project since we could do anything. It was truly a great opportunity for creative expression besides learning to analyse visuals. My final artwork of this project is very meaningful to me, bringing it to life was a thrill. It's a painting I will forever treasure and be proud of.
With this project, I found my new strength which is digital painting. I feel more relaxed and happier painting digitally than traditionally, because I always hated the tedious task of mixing paint to get the right colour. I'm stoked to start exploring more with this new medium and I'm glad I chose to do digital painting for this project. It was always something I wanted to do when I was young and it feels like a dream to finally be able to create art with this medium. Furthermore, this project makes me want to explore more with animation because it's so ecstatic to see my art come to life.
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