After receiving the unit 3 brief, Distorted Figures, I initially began thinking about the meaning of distortion and how I could use it in different ways; for example, could I used it subtly and make small changes that aren't noticeable until you really look? Or could I make my work quite abstract and use distortion on another level to emphasise different feature or even take away key features? Two questions which I aimed to explore through the unit.
The first ideas that came to mind were based on the more fashion illustrative route and how I could merge more illustrative portraits into an effective level of distortion but still keep a high level of detail, texture and depth. Although it initially sounded quite challenging, artists such as Haejung Lee, Silke Werzinger and Carrie Lim helped me to achieve this kind of style.
Some sub themes that came from the brief included shapes, figure, fashion and layers, however, the ultimate subheading I chose to focus most on was portraits and portraiture which I feel is my strength. Furthermore, the outcomes I thought of were much more portrait-based, rather than looking at figures and people in more of an abstract style. After researching artists like Silke Werzinger, I was interested to create a self portrait in the same style and see how I could use colour and shapes in a way that makes me look interesting in that kind of illustrative style. From this, I learnt that using could is something that I enjoy because it creates a much more bold effect, which is why I have thought of many more bold outcomes which include distortion of the face and facial features.
