When it comes to my creative process, I can be very secretive. I always want the things I make to have an element of SURPRISE when they're unveiled. You know, that ridiculous taste explosion of visual awesomeness that leaves your senses confused and your toes feeling tingly. However, keeping with the fact that I get too excited about most of the ideas I'm mulling over, my "secrecy clause" I enter into with myself usually doesn't make it past the rough draft phase of my design process. Before I know it I'm yelling "Hey you! Stranger! Come here! I have something very exciting to tell you as it pertains to me and only me, but please - don't give me your feedback. I just need someone to tell, because I can't reach my mom on the house phone, she doesn't have a cell, my dad is at work and I'm too embarrassed to tell anyone else that might actually have a personal reaction to what I'm about to tell you as it relates back to me. Also, anything you might have to say might lessen my excitement and the future outcome of this project and I can't risk your shadow of negativity lessening my boisterous enthusiasm." Well, maybe its not exactly like that...but its pretty much exactly like that. Critiques, of any kind, can be a total bee-hatch.
I would prefer I have a more subtle approach to talking about my art, but I think that's just never going to happen. Playing it cool has never been my forte. I'm more of the awkward hello, nervous chuckle, and walk away type of player. However, in exposing my social art sharing neurosis, I've decided to go against my art secret keeping impulses, step out of my comfort zone and share this:
Everyone knows Alice originally wore blue, which I always hated. She wears blue in almost every adaptation. Green is a far superior color and much too overlooked by those in the animation business. Green isn't just for backgrounds people! Every freaking Disney Princess I can ever think of wore blue: Cinderella, Bell, Jasmine, Sleeping Beauty, that dude in the Sword and the Stone... ok, so he wasn't a princess, but who's really keeping track?
This fascination with blue can be very frustrating to a small child with an instantaneous love affair with the color green. When Disney animators clothed that awkward screwup fairy in Sleeping Beauty in green, that was so refreshing. Although, I have always thought that feisty little fat one would've pulled the color off better... but what color did they put her in? BLUE! ¡Ay, caramba!
Anyways! Back on track... So, MY Alice is wearing green, and she looks fabulous. She's also sporting an umbrella-esque skirt, an abundance of toule under said skirt, an ostrich feather corset, and the mad hatter's hat. She's both the clinically insane character and the heroine. Plus she finally caught that darn bunny! Très magnifique!
Obviously this piece is not quite finished. I think its still missing that... umph! thing. I have an idea for some additions to the white rabbit, but its unfinished in another aspect: the background. I've always struggled with the background aspect of art, and by "struggle with" I actually mean "do not like to do." I get waaay too caught up in the foreground and the subject of whatever I'm working on, so much so that my backgrounds always feel like an afterthought. Backgrounds always make me feel like I'm working on a landscape painting, and I do not like landscape paintings.
You should always start from the back of the painting and build it forward... obviously I did not, I never do. Apparently I'm a rebel. The female James Dean of artistic protocol. Nay sayer to the Golden Rule. The Golden Rule of art that is, I always always treat others how I want to be treated. Good manners are just good manners.
With this piece I don't want to put anything in the background that may distract from the figure. I was toying around with the idea of a large checkered background - in black and maybe a bit of white but keeping most of the pink. Something abstract, bold and busy, but non-focal. I thought it would compliment what I have so far while tying it into that crazy world of Wonderland, but that almost feels like it won't be enough...cats that talk, oysters with feet and Dodo birds with slightly enhanced brains? This calls for some drastic artistic measures.
With that said, I think I'm willing to ask for suggestions on it from YOU! Be forewarned: I'm extremely picky, detail oriented (or so I'm told) and anything but the word I'm desperately trying not to say when it comes to drawing and planning my creative execution. I hate to say it, but I'm very frustrating. However, the creativity connectors in my brain are quickly approaching an expiration date on this painting so any awesomeness you can conjure up from your own noggin would be just dandy! And keeping with the Golden Rule (as it pertains to people) I'll be nice. Reward for the most clever: a virtual pat on the back and two digital thumbs way, way up!
Cheerio!
1 comment:
Kailee,I luv luv luv your fashion banner, and often wonder if you would sell me the laquer-paper maniquins to display my wedding colleciton on. Love your suitcases. My first reaction was to do it to mine. I felt guilty until I read your how-to advice. About Alice, ( my middle namel and alter ego) I feel the reason the focal point is SO FOCAL, is because of the beautiful contrast! The UNITY is in that there's a minimum use of pink on the tan(the result of mixing pink and green). I feel that if you intro another color in the background,those oth will be diminished. My only thought is to use a paler pink to create a busy texture on the background to tone it down so as not to compete with the focal parts.
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