samstephens222453

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The meanings behind the colors.

Gay pride flag - Gilbert Baker (1978)

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I would like to re-familiarise myself with traditional or hands-on methods of making. Document digitally, of course because it is required by this paper. But as a personal practice, because I find it so soothing to work with my hands and slow down my work. Find my own place as an artist because digital work while fast, has made me quite frustrated.

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Storytelling

I will need to research/continue researching methods of visual storytelling/narrative. Books, comics, paintings, prints, immersive illustration.

I will either need to tell a story that is close to me (as in, I understand it very well or have created it myself), have it handed to me, or choose it from something copyright-free.

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Over the last week I have read Michel Pastoureau’s Red: The History of a Colour. This book has helped me contextualise some aspects of colour theory that I would like to focus on. It focuses in areas of Europe origin, and as the authour puts it “I am not competent to speak about the whole planet.” So I don’t think I will attempt to either.

The overwhelming concept that I keep finding is that colour means stuff to different people in different settings. And those reasonings might be completely arbitrary.

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Dossier plan from Stream site

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Again this is my personal take on color! It really depends on the situation and what you personally value, and in the end practice is your best friend.

links:

genice’s color practices

color palette challenge (one iteration of it; there’s lot of people who made them)

(not mentioned, but helpful)

Patrick (H) Willems’s video essays on color in film; specifically his ones on

Wonder Woman and Marvel

I thought he had one on John Wick too but I can’t find it. If you like saturated colors though, check that movie out!!

those are only a couple of exterior references, there’s lots out there!! so good luck & I hope this helped!!

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Words about colour

“Colours ... Despite scientific theory, each of us perceives them in an individual manner and has our own favourites.”

“... The ambiguity and variation in a colour’s meanings, which can often be completely contradictory.”

Zuffi, Stefano. Colour In Art. New York: Abrams, 2012. Print. 6 - 7.

“Our response to a colour is based on our life experiences and cultural associations.”

Adams, Sean. The Designer’s Dictionary of Color. New York: Quid Publishing. 2017. Print. 10.

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Artists successful in using limited colour palettes (especially to tell stories)

Briony May Smith

FREAK CITY

La Nonette

Jiye Kim

“Thinking (Inside) the Box” IdN 24.3 (2017) 32-33, 50-51, 78-79, 66-67. Print.

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Research Areas

Responses and research areas that have come out of Friday:

What is my definition of colour theory?

Emotional connections to colour

I want to tell a story

Kandinsky

Delauneys

Focus in

Don’t limit myself to one thing

Person I could possibly contact: Brian Lucid

Books - sad grey dinosaur

Designer’s Dictionary of Colour by Sean Adams

Colour accessibilty

Symbolism of black and white in modern day media/literature/fantasy - white = good, black = bad, and subversion of this

Concertinas

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Friday class: First showing

Questions for others:

What does colour mean to you?

What does your process involce?

What ideas are driving your work?

Responses to my showing:

“OOOOOH!” “I find this very satisfying” “Really cute” “This is pretty” “The glitch on TV” “It annoys me that the centre doesn’t line up” “My eyes don’t work so this is hurting my head”

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Tiffany Singh - Indra's bow 2016 - 18 Te Papa, Wellington

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Statement of intent

“I am an illustrator exploring storytelling through colour theory.”

Last night as I was falling asleep I had an idea of what I could do for my major project.

I am taking the elective Innovations in Illustration. This elective is about exploring techniques that will help us in our major project. In our second tutorial yesterday for Research we used rapid ideation to come up with a major project topic. Mark selected the number “7″ out of the newspaper. Mark said he thought of the 7 days of the week, Jack said he thought of the seven colours of the rainbow (ROYGBIV) since I am exploring colour theory. I thought about the seven deadly sins. I had a vision of combining the techniques of paper cutting, inspired by watching antiques roadshow of old buildings and scenes which extend out and can be viewed into. And the technique of ink washes. I am very interested in what colours people would associate with the seven deadly sins.

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Over the past week I have been looking into readings on colour theory.

S. Hoskin’s “Following the Creative Path of Colour Theory” (SID, 2017)

D. Katinaitė’s “Colour Theories of Klee, Itten and Kandinsky as a Paradox of Aesthetic Sharing in Bauhaus” (Topos, 2015)

In my high school art history education related to “Towards Modernism” we learned about Chevruel’s theory of simultaneous contrast and how it influenced post-impressionist painters.

For tomorrow’s tutorial on “Things,” I thought it would be good to bring in a “thing” related to what I’ve been researching so far. Last year when I visited the Met, I purchased a postcard with a study Suerat did for this painting.

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Spectrum V by Ellsworth Kelly at The Metropolitan Museum of art in New York.

Video by me!

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Gabriel Dawe’s Plexus series.

[x]Source

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Week 1 - 2/3/18

CONTENT WARNING for discussion of depression/anxiety and its effects.

Over the past four(?) months before starting the fourth year of my design degree I have thought a lot about the topic of my major project in 2017. During December I worked six days a week in retail and at Massey’s in-house design agency, OpenLab. On those days I worked some 12 - 16 hour days and probably burnt myself out a little bit. I went to Nelson for Christmas, and enjoyed time with my immediate New Zealand family. I made new friends, went to Rhythm and Vines which I regret somewhat. I saw some horrible things and some wonderful things. I tried to do a summer paper at which point my anxiety and depression which has been steadily increasing since June last year culminated in hallucinations, vomiting, inability to eat, feel anything but pins and needles in my legs and arms. When my anxiety was extremely bad, I lost the ability to feel pain at all and the injuries I sustained while unable to feel them were particularly scary. I lost 15% of my body weight. Other things I experienced were a heightened sense of smell or phantom smells. In my head looped gory images, crippling me with fear. Enough about the gross/sad/scary stuff. I am deeply grateful to my parents, who dropped everything to come up and help me when I couldn’t help myself. My very close friends Jasmin and Sam who held my hands when they couldn’t stop shaking. The health services at Massey who gave me excellent advice and care when I needed it. My friends who went on walks with me. My ever-omniscient and kind sister. Everyone I have spoken to about mental health, who has been kind and understanding. My cat. Extremely kind lecturers at uni who believed in me when I did not believe in myself. I am sorry if I have not mentioned you by name but you know who you are. You mean everything to me and I am forever grateful. I am working hard on trying to be kinder to others and to myself. It has been very confusing and unsettling but I am determined to finish this my final year at university and reach a place where I can be proud of myself. With a lot of support I have made steps towards putting myself in a position to succeed, Thank you.

So what does this all have to do with my chosen topic for my major?

During my recovery period there were several things that helped me relating to colour.

When the mind is extremely distracted and can’t focus on what is right in front of you a simple exercise is to identify shapes and colours in the area around you. Example - red triangle, orange circle.

Rainbows projected by the cut glass that I got as my Secret Santa New Zealand Twitter present that bounced all over my room.

Doodle tops!

Rainbow by Kesha. The whole album, but this song is very good in particular.

The Seven by Primus

The rainbow/queer community.

During class on Friday, Lee talked about how over the past few years there are recurring themes that come through these major project such as craft beers and so the next year he said “Don’t do craft beer” and no one did. He asked that this year we don’t do any projects about “My depression”, “Anxiety” or mindfulness. I do not want this project to be about those things. I just am explaining how I got to what I am intending to research.

I am intending to research colour theory.

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House of Ruth Handler creator of Barbie in Santa Monica, L.A. California.