Idea 1

        My initial idea was based of tieing/ wrapping string and wire around the mannequin whilst being stuck in a frame, as if the mannequin was trapped, even suffocating like a fly in a spiders web. The mannequin would be conveying the image of how the mind feels when too afraid to face reality, therefore trapping themself in a fantasy. However, i needed to develop this idea as i wanted my final piece to show the growth of overcoming this stage, that's when i realised i needed to do a series of different frames showing the change happening. I also decided to move slightly away from using mannequins as they are difficult to get/ stay in the correct body language. But i still liked the idea of the mannequin representing emotion, creativity or the soul of the person.
   I moved onto the idea of doing a series of 3 frames and drawing a nude woman showing the progression of overcoming her depression; growing into a more confident, ambitious person who has learned how to balance her fantasy to be creative in her reality. I decided she should be nude so no clothes would be distracting and her bareness showing her vulnerability and how stepped out from reality she is. After looking at different body languages i could draw i thought the idea of the woman being huddled on the floor to appear disconnected and defeated. Then standing up but still looking down and shy as she struggles to step back into reality before her confidence breaks through. This idea of her creativity breaking out was when i knew how to use the mannequins. A 3D object breaking through a 2D drawing would show the power of fulfillment that was achieved. Breaking out of the frame became more of a focus as the frame acted as a real box trapping the woman so i changed the three frames to four to show the breaking out of the box.
   
   I looked at different ways to draw her body to see which position showed the most isolation and sadness. I concluded to use the fourth sketch as she is completely on the floor, showing her loss of hope and has no energy to support herself. She also covers her face the most, with closed huddles body language conveys how she doesnt want to be seen. She doesn't even want to see herself in this reality only in her fantasy. The drawing that got close to be chosen was the one with her back turned but i felt i would need another frame to show her turning around as jumping to standing up was too much of a change and the viewer would not have connected to her. My next few drawings were for the last few frames. I had already imagined what i wanted i just needed to practice. I struggled slightly with the last one, where she is standing up but still huddled; i feel i couldn't get the organic closed off body language instead it looks too emotionless. It would have helped if i took some photos of someone doing the body language i wanted.
  
 
    I also experimented with the idea of painting the girl with colours, in an overlapping, expressive style to show her emotions radiating. I drew a close up of her face twice and then painted one side to compare. I like how it isn't completely all covered in colours, i like the random unfinished look as it shows she is still human underneath but she doesn't hide her feelings anymore. However, i made the colours too thick, or tried creating small detail areas like around the eye which does not work. For the painting idea to work i would need to plan a way to converge the colours with the drawing and plan exactly where the colours should go and overlap.

 I roughly created another quick piece with her whole body but as i rushed it i wasn't pleased with the outcome. I would need softer colours like watercolour so they mix together and i don't lose details of her body. Overall i decided this wouldnt work for the best and stuck with the idea of the mannequin representing these feelings.


     Next i looked into the mannequin breaking through the paper. I looked at the mannequin bursting through the paper but felt it disregarded the idea of the woman being there. Even though the mannequin represents her, is till want a moment where they are seen as separate as if the mannequin slowly became part of her as it doesn't happen in one quick step. I did discover a small technique where i put a little bit of paint on the page then used a wet wipe to spread the colour. It made the colour more faded and washed out but also rough.
I also looked at the idea of the mannequin peering over the top of the paper, as if the paper acted as a wall, like the fantasy developed from books prevented the access.
 Although i couldn't see how it would work with the frames as there would not be enough room. I finally settled on the idea of the mannequin ripping through the corner as it would show the emotions gradually coming together. I would also have paint drip from the mannequin to show how the creativity is spreading to the woman.

   After looking at different techniques that i wanted to show in my final piece i decided i wanted some line printing around the woman's body as if she was part of an illustration for a book, therefore making her look more 2D and unreal. I wanted something simple so decided line printing worked best as i just had to roll paint on some paper then place it on top and draw the lines i wanted. I used thin sheet of clear plastic so i could see where the lines go on her body. After rolling ink on some plastic that was not on a flat surface, i found it created interesting markings so kept it. The circles and dark line is from the edge of a piece of paper. I also find the small dotted lines from the tale intriguing.








   I had to do a few practices of line drawing print as too much ink caused more of it to pass onto the paper. I wanted distinct lines and no mess so the image would be clear. Although a fuzzy image could show her detachment like a TV screen when there is no connection. I didn't do this though as book illustrations are not unclear otherwise they wouldn't work and the woman is still present in reality even if her mind isn't. It would show how fantasy doesn't change your life, life carries on. I did a few practices to see which consistency of ink worked on the paper. I found ink drawing like this was quite free flowing but can create effective outcomes with dark lines and i think this is a technique i would like to develop with drawing. It would work best doing quick, continuous lines in a short amount of time.


   Lastly, i rolled some ink onto a page and did a quick practice with white ink. I like the simplicity with using monotone colours and not huge amount of detail. I think this piece is a whole 'nother thing to develop into a piece of art alone. The technique could be layered with more print adding detail or could keep to a simple bold line appearance like pop art.


 



   I also looked at some song lyrics that i wanted to use as music is just as important as books are to escaping. People connect to the lyrics and feel more emotions. They are also used to block out the world and enhance the feeling of the fantasy so it seems more real. I decided i wanted to write some lyrics that express the feeling of holding onto dreams but also hope and freedom so the viewer feels the same when viewing it. I looked at two songs "Dream State" by Son Lux that i have referenced in my work  before. The song didn't quite catch that hope feeling but instead the present emotion that would be felt when the woman is still trapped in her fantasy. The lyrics use words like "awake", "survive" and "photographs" which convey the feeling of being trapped in the past and becoming lost in the dream. I didn't feel it was right for the piece.


     The next song was "I have a dream " by ABBA. The lyrics for this song was more hopeful and actually described the whole idea of dreaming to cope with reality but using that dream to push further to the future and achieve happiness. This song felt perfect and i grew up listening to this song after hearing it in Mamma Mia so it felt more personal to me as i hold old childhood emotions along with the new. I decided to make specific words bolder if they were direct about what i am trying to touch in my piece, like "fairytale", "sing" and "destination". All these words needed to stand out more as they almost act as the title for the piece. I also painted a page with this blue/purple/grey colour as i accidentally made it when mixing colours. I really liked the outcome so decided to sample it. Colours help bring out an emotional connection and i have been looking deeply into that when looking into dreams. This colour is quite deep but doesn't feel sad, instead it feels clear and at peace. This helped me to decided to paint the frames different colours to show the feelings through the frames appearance.