Final Sketchbook

     The first two pages explain my previous research into fantasy vs reality; how i have explored the relationship with unhealthy dreaming and healthy dreaming. I feel altogether i need to create a piece that shows the overcoming of this unhealthy dreaming and using it to achieve creativity and fulfillment of life.

    I made a decision to use drawing mannequins as they look human but lack features, therefore creating an emotionless, sinister being when viewing it as ourselves. I have two main ideas that i want to try and depending on which the mannequin representations differs slightly. Overall i think it represents the soul.

   Next i explored how to paint the mannequin. The colour black would be coated on some mannequins to convey their lack of happiness/creativity. Then some colour would be on them from a mannequin that is completely colourful, filled with ambition and creativity. I wanted to try different ways to show their expressiveness through the presentation of  colour.

I tried splatting the paint from a paint brush on the page. This was very uncontrollable which was good and i like the outcome, it appears as if the creativity exploded off from the colourful mannequin. I then tried dripping the paint, i think the idea could work but it wouldn't look right with showing the message i want as there is too much colour. I thought about pouring the paint on the colourful mannequin as if it was overflowing. This was difficult to do as i like control and i would need a good consistency in the paint to make it drip. I also tried the idea of roughly painting the colours so they overlap. I think i personally don't like how it turned out on the page with the rough brush i used and thin paint, but with a more varied choice of colours it could work as the colours all show and don't get covered like with pouring the paint as they mix.

   

I also looked at other materials like covering the mannequin in fabrics but i thought that they would hide the lack of features and lose the purpose. I thought about printing and just leaving them as wood but with wire wrapped around with staples to look beaten and tortured, the plain wood would show the lack of feeling in their life but i still feel the need to use colour to show the opposite. I tried gluing pieces of text from books, but i feel using the text changes the focus from recovering and leaving behind the fantasy by accepting the ideas and achieving them as a reality. If the mannequin is covered with the text they still look as if they are trapped in the story. I especially like the next one i tried where i poured paint in a plastic bag and pressed it together so they would mix. I thought it would be a good way to cover the mannequin if i put that inside the bag too as a method to paint it with little control.  My last idea was burning the mannequin to make them look rough as if they couldn't handle the energy from the colourful mannequin. I also like the idea of pieces of text hidden behind the burn as stories and songs still influence this person and their life, as they are inspired by them. My piece isn't about giving up dreams its about finding a healthy balance where they can appreciate life with their dreams.

     I believe the splatting paint idea, with maybe a few drips would work best for the black mannequins, if i go through with that idea as it is not too much colour and shows how they have been in contact with the life fulfilling person, showing how happiness can be spread people inspire each other. For the colourful mannequin i like the idea of pouring paint so it looks overflowing and full of energy, it may be hard to control but that's exactly what i want to get into when doing my art, instead of being so neat all the time.