Playing with the theme of “BECOMING”, there is such a wide space for potential ideas and projects here. I began by looking at the definition of BECOMING: verb be.came be.come be.coming: 1. To change, come, or grow to be, 2. To come into being…. SYNONYMS: metamorphose, develop, grow, evolve
METAMORPHOSIS: process of TRANSFORMATION
Thinking about symbolism, and how you can best represent these words through symbols and images- one of which is plants and natural growth. I began by collaging self portraits with flowers and plants- looking at potential compositions for larger pieces. These collages fragment my self portrait, implying a breakage- which in turn allows room for new growth/new life. Thinking about the purpose of breaking, or falling apart to make room for growth or positive changes. Constant balance between breaking and piecing together, positive and negative, giving yourself time and space to develop.
Some pages from my sketchbook…
The two illustrations above are visual representations of the symbols i think of when i think of becoming. They contain the tree of life, the sun and the moon, the unalome symbol, plants, and the all seeing eye. Commenting on my development into an illustrator- creator of visual content. As a creator you use your sense, primarily your eyes and your hands to produce imagery and content. The unalome symbol is the path to enlightenment in the Buddhist culture. The spirals are the twists and turns in life, and the straight lines are the journey to enlightenment/balance/harmony. I decided to incorporate this symbol because of its representation of a path- demonstrating the twists and turns, the highs and lows of life on whichever path you take, but how it all comes to balance in the end. I resonate with this particularly relating to both my personal life and my life as an art student. The sun and the moon resemble the seasons and the passage and cycle of time- life and earth, dark and light, yin and yang. You need both light and darkness to maintain a healthy balance. The tree of life symbolises our personal development and individuality as human beings: strong roots ground us, on which we build our foundations and grow steadily, branching out at various moment in life. Our branches are our aspects of character, our connections and relationships, our homes and hearts, our interests and knowledge and skills.
Experimenting with this idea in another medium, using a risograph machine to create multi layered designs of bright vibrant colours. Riso produces prints that are like a cross between photocopying and screen printing- also known as digital screen printing. Beginning with a black and white portrait photograph, I cut up the image into quarter, implying a “breakage” and allowing room for growth. I used plant to symbolise this growth- first illustrating onto the first layer, then adding another layer of tracing paper to add more detail. These two layers are important, as the base will come out as one colour, and the second layer as another (in this case, blue and orange). Riso is a method of mass producing work, and was originally used to produce masses of leaflets and posters. I really like the effect the colour has on the design, it brings more life to it. Block colours have a specific effect also, as they are more bold and statement than using a variety of more delicate colours.
Digital illustrations created in Procreate on my iPad. Working again with a self portrait (or aspects of), and an overall theme of growth using plants. During this project i have become particularly interested in inverting the colours of my illustrations- seeing the different impacts these colours have. They are reminiscent of Yin and Yang, balancing positive and negative energies. I personally prefer the white illustration on a black background (the inverted image)- I feel that it has a dominant impact on the viewer, and this its meaning is conveyed more powerfully. I find it interesting to see how this idea began as a collage in my sketchbook, cutting up images and experimenting with compositions and imagery, to a digital illustration that could be used itself as a screen print design, or more.
Researching this project led to me various illustration artists, such as: Rachel Urquhart, Alphonse Mucha, and Arthur Rackham. Each of these artists inspire me in different ways- for example i am drawn to the symbolic illustrations of Rachel Urquhart; and the identifiable style of Mucha.
Caitlin Noble 