Final Outcome - Mask

Final Outcome

 For the 'Make a Mask of Yourself' task I decided to try and represent how I have felt this week in terms of starting university in a new city and meeting new people. I chose to represent the image of a deer and human with anxious, oversized eyes in order to display the said emotions. In contrast to the natural element of the deer, I decided to take the photographs in a dark, industrial alley in order to represent the feelings of being lost or out of place in some ways. I particularly like how the colours work well together, allowing myself and the mask to stand out against the dark and slightly threatening alley. If I were to improve the image and do it differently in some ways I would maybe taken a photograph where I was smaller or further up the alley in order to give the impression of feeling small against the overwhelming size of the looming walls.
Although this was the final shot, I also liked this image as I feel that it shows the details of the mask well, however I felt that it didn't represent the idea of feeling small in a big city.

I also liked this image, however I felt that there wasnt enough contrast between the natural deer and the background of the trees and foliage. However, I like the idea of the shadows of the leaves over the face and body almost representing the idea of staying hidden behind what you find comfortable.

Testing and Development - Mask - Orientation Week

Testing and Development 

During the creation of my mask I was faced with the main issue of the sizing of the mask. I wanted to whole head to be covered in able to give the illusion that when photographed, the mask is replacing the head. After experimenting and planning with smaller sizes, I decided to make the mask an oversized head as I thought this would make the large eyes and deer head a more effective element.

I decided to use watercolours to colour the mask, I considered other medium such as acrylic paint but I came to the conclusion that I wanted the mask to be a more subtle mixture of colours and tones rather than a bold combination. 
I decided to subtly blend the deer element of the head into the human part in order for the illustration to work in a different way to it just being a clear divide. 





Overall I was pleased with the outcome of the mask and I feel that I used the paints and other mediums such as glitter to add a shimmer effectively.

Initial Ideas - Mask - Orientation Week

Initial Ideas for 'Wearing a Mask of Yourself'

My initial ideas for the mask brief was to explore my feelings and emotions that I have experienced during the first week of moving to university and starting the Illustration course. I began to think about feelings of being nervous or shy and this led me to looking at timid animals such as deer. 
Another idea I explored was the idea of exaggerating features on the face such as the eyes to further put emphasis on the idea of feeling timid and anxious about the unknown events ahead. 
I explored the possibility of using my red hair as a feature to define myself in my mask, however I came to the conclusion that I wanted my emotions and feelings to be the defining feature for the piece.
Through experimenting with drawing and looking at colour, I came to my final idea which was to combine the deer features with the large eyes suggesting the idea of feeling timid and alert, emotions in which I have felt during the first week of university.