MAKING "RAINBOW EYE"

Here is a short video on how I made my fourth Photoshop image, "Rainbow Eye".

MAKING "LAVENDER"

Here is a short video on how I made my third photoshop image called "Lavender".

HEAD PIECE

Here are some pictures of my headpiece. I used fake feather and flowers and a pirate hat. I cut the edges off the pirate hat leaving just the dome. I started with fake blue-tongue dragon flower and hot glued them with their bases in the centre on top of the dome. I then hot glued some other purple fake flowers under that. On the stems of these flowers were like branches with buds on them. I decided to cut those off and glue them around the base and in between the purple flowers. I still felt like something was missing, so I made some paper flowers and stuck a fabric bauble in the middle. To finish I glues all the feathers on.

MAKING "TWO BLUE"

Here is a short video on how I made my Photoshop image "Two Blue".

PICTURES OF MY FINAL FACE PAINT

As you can see, I changed my design to make it more practical. The eyes had a more defined changed of colour and the head piece was changed, but the essential ideas stayed the same. The Karo Tribe influence is present in the simple colouring of the face and patterns, but I added certain elements on the eyes (rainbow colours and style of liner) to make the design original and more complex. The head piece was inspired by a picture of a man wearing a large head piece which you can see on my "Inspiration Page" Post.

MAKING MY "PHOTOSHOP PRACTICE" IMAGE

This is a short video on how I composed my first ever photoshop image!I hope you enjoy!

THIRD DESIGN

My third and final design, and also the one I went with, incorporated 5 cultures: Aztec, Egyptian, African, Indian and Japanese. The Aztec culture can be seen in the design of the headdress. The Egyptian culture is shown in the eyes, particularly in the eye liner which I copied directly from Cleopatra. The Indian Henna is only present in the jewellery that attaches at the base of the eyebrows and ends at the nose. The hints of red remind me of the Japanese culture because of the way they use red on occasions such as wedding days. Finally the circles and simple colours display the African culture.

SECOND DESIGN

I love the simplicity of this design. On my inspiration page, you can see that many of the African cultures drew lines that remind me of rivers and maps. I also liked the orange colour as a wash that was really simple, yet dramatic. The eyes and lips stood out because of the thick black lines. The jewellery is henna inspired. So as you can see I morphed two cultures into one on this design.

FIRST DESIGN

In my first design I used the inspiration for henna. I wanted the contrast of red on white and white on red. I also included some simple circles from the African cultures. The headdress was going to be yellow flowers with twigs and feather sticking out. I personally love this design still, although it's lack of practicality forced me to choice a different design.

INSPIRATION PAGE

At first I was overwhelmed with the amount of choice I had for designs. To clear up all of these ideas I made an inspiration page below.

I loved the simple designs of the African culture and also the complex designs of the Indian Henna. I knew I wanted the major focus point to be the eyes.

YASUMASA MORIMURA

Yasumasa Morimura is a Japanese postmodern artist who appropriates artworks from the Western Canon to question huge concepts such as Japanese assimilation of Western culture, the role of women in society and why western culture is more superior in art.

The above picture is called Self-Portrait After Marilyn Monroe. Here, he has taken a famous American female figure and transformed all assumptions and expectations by making her male and Asian. Is she still flirtatious and sexy? He is able to make a statement of his beliefs and preserve originality.

 

This questions our views on modern art, and particularly its influence on all cultures.

 

All up, Morimura has fanstastic art that is simple, but makes a large statement.



ORLAN

Orlan is a French artist who explores post-modern ideas through confronting the viewer with images of her body. Her first controversial artwork was called "The Kiss of the Artist" which she performed in 1977. She not only stirred many positive and negative responses, but also caused her suspension from her teaching position.

Basically, she photographed her torso, and transformed it into a vending machine. She called out to passers by to place five francs (coins) at the base of her neck, and in return, she would jump up and give them a kiss. This action reflects on the lack of women's presence and taboos in contemporary art. She provides an offensive image to comment on the act and reasons behind it's offensiveness.

Orlan also films herself having surgery. Without anaesthetic. One of these surgeries was called "Omnipresence Surgery" in 1993. She is not enhancing her appearance as some viewers believe, but creating a new identity. As a society, we are obsessed with mythical beings. She defends this hybridization and tolerance through her mutant and ever changing identities.

All up, Orlan is really confronting and a little bit scary, but her art raises serious questions of beauty and gender roles.

PICTURES OF KARO BODY PAINTING

NONE OF THE FOLLOWING PICTURES ARE MINE:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/abgefahren2004/5697416924/

http://indigohome.typepad.com/indigohome/travel/

: http://www.flickr.com/photos/deepblue66/7128174569/

http://franceleclerc.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/ethopia13.jpg

http://franceleclerc.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/ethopia12.jpg

 

These images are absolutely stunning. I love the white paint on the face and the dramatic patterns created.

 

PAINTED BODIES OF AFRICA

This is the video we watched in one of our first classes. It introduced the African body painting practices. The images shown are beautiful, and I'll post some pictures that inspired me to create my own design tomorrow.