FREEDOM evaluation

FMP Evaluation

 

In this project I was tasked with creating something that was my interpretation of the word FREEDOM. Overall I feel that I have succeeded in making its context relevant and is generally up to the best standard I can work in. I am quite proud of how it has turned out upon completion and believe some of it to be some of the best drawings I have done. I based all the work I have done on the concept of CENSORSHIP AND FREEDOM OF SPEECH; although there are some examples where I have strayed onto the big idea of freedom: drawing American Indian symbols, logos for freedom organisations, animal captivity, etc. I think in hindsight, I have, in some cases, leaned towards the idea of being trapped in society (I don’t know the term for that) as evidenced in the “subliminal” A2 sheet and 4 small pages that show a man tied up with responsibilities (metaphor). It works I think and helps enforce the different ideas in the whole FMP.

Things I have researched are to do with how censorship is seen by certain people. I researched some musicians’ opinions on censorship and how it has often affected the right to express and the freedom of expression. I found out more about how music has been under censorship’s shadow and how it has hurt it. I looked at some drawings by Frank Miller and his thoughts on censorship. I also researched quotes that refer to censorship including one by Mark Twain of which I included on one of my pages. Pinterest was a good tool for finding images that inspired me.

The 63 10cm x 10cm pieces of assorted card and paper I have made can fit together well; I feel that the context is evidenced crystal clear. Although slightly uneven in what I have drawn and rushed in areas, I feel that my message is obvious and they portray how I feel about freedom/censorship. The media I have used could have had a wider range; I stuck to what I work best with: pencil, brush pen, biro, acrylic paint, coloured pen /pencils. I have tried to make each page significant and different to the others in colour, style, etc. The annotation is on my blog and I think is adequate in detailed analysis of each page.

The A2 sheets I created to back up my pages are the best examples of the FMP in my opinion. I have demonstrated excellent realistic drawing ability with pencil as shown in the Native American, chimp and final piece. I have also proved I can draw scenery good on my sheet labelled “subliminal” The first sheet I drew was the basis for how my project was headed and the most important. I copied an image by Frank Miller of which is a metaphor for censorship; showing a girl having plasters placed on her eyes, mouth, nose, etc. I have based my final piece on this and the metaphor has carried on to other sheets. I feel that I could have used more varied media, but I don’t regret sticking to media I am most comfortable with using, if I didn’t they may have turned out different. My favourites are the Indian and Chimp because I feel I captured the mood better than more or less any other sheet.

I decided that my final piece would definitely be a metaphor for censorship. I decided to base the concept on the image by Frank Miller, one I have already researched and attempted myself, due to it being very effective and dark. I was not sure whether it was going to be drawn or sculpted so I took pictures of myself with plasters on my eyes, mouth and ears. After seeing how it turned out, I decided that it would be good to do both. Sculpted, it looks realistic and smooth with the real plasters adding a dark aura around it. Drawn (in pencil) it looks gritty and moody with the real tape across the eyes adding depth to the picture.

FREEDOM research + links

http://scans-daily.dreamwidth.org/5305544.html
http://ilovecomiccovers.tumblr.com/post/75271160358/fight-censorship-by-frank-miller-the-comic-book

research on native americans and early photographs of them

Three Horses

http://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2013/04/native-americans-portraits-from-a-century-ago/100489/
http://twistedsifter.com/2012/03/portraits-of-native-americans-early-1900s/
https://www.google.co.uk/search?

chimpanzee pictures that i have researched


hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=643&q=chimpanzee&oq=chimpanzee&gs_l=img.3..0l10.983.5226.0.6493.10.10.0.0.0.0.111.582.9j1.10.0.ekpsrh...0...1.1.64.img..0.10.574.kDo-6vtxd0I
https://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=643&q=chimpanzee&oq=chimpanzee&gs_l=img.3..0l10.983.5226.0.6493.10.10.0.0.0.0.111.582.9j1.10.0.ekpsrh...0...1.1.64.img..0.10.574.kDo-6vtxd0I#hl=en&tbm=isch&q=chimpanzee+face

research for subliminal messages and the film, They Live

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=they+live&biw=1366&bih=643&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=XZ1oVeDwBIHwUKfugaAD&sqi=2&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#imgrc=_
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI8AMRbqY6w

a photo of my dad that I used for the sheet, Censorship 2


research on the average man relating to the final piece

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=the+average+man&biw=1366&bih=643&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=-zBuVZeZKcrkUeb2gdAJ&ved=0CCAQsAQ&dpr=1#imgrc=_
http://aplus.com/a/what-the-average-man-s-body-looks-like-in-different-countries?so=tSG55EmWPcwcguSB5jrkW5&ref=ns

FREEDOM pages (63)

Here are all the pages I have completed over the course of 5 weeks in the FMP. The general concept they are leaning to is that of CENSORSHIP and FREEDOM OF SPEECH, although there are symbols, logos and other imagery based on the term freedom as a whole.

William Wallace - a symbol for freedom due to his involvement in creating revolution in Scotland against English rule. He is now more widely known for his portrayal in the movie Braveheart

this is meant to represent mental health and how darkness can lurk inside the brain. it is a metaphor for how sometimes true thoughts aren't free inside your head, either bad or good

The Native American Holocaust is, in my opinion, one of the biggest disgraces to human history of all time. I feel strongly about how it is almost completely ignored in American culture and mocked by Americans today when really it should be noticed as an important example of human behavior at its worst. The slaughter of 100 million people, the biggest genocide known to man, was brought on by white settlers when "their" new land was occupied by natives. They fought wars with them, had their food source (buffalo) almost brought to extinction, were given new diseases by settlers, forced into their society and raped of their pride and culture. And now the remaining native Americans are a diluted people, a true example of how freedom can be taken completely and never found again.

Native American symbol for freedom

a wolf, of which is known as a free spirited animal

a bird cage opened and battered, symbolizing hope and freedom from enslavement

a bird in flight, a well known and popular metaphor for freedom; because flight means having the ability to explore anywhere at will and go anywhere at will

a Celtic symbol for freedom

a mask worn by the character V from the graphic novel V for Vendetta of whom fights for freedom in a dystopian future England

quotes and sketches from the movie Fight Club

a metaphor for how society determines your life and questions whether the average man is really free or wrapped up in responsibilities and laws

Black Panthers Party logo, of whom fought for freedom on behalf of black people and equal rights

A representation of animal rights for freedom showing a chimpanzee tethered to a cage

a quote about censorship by Laurie Halse Andereson

a quote about how censorship is ignorant and nonsensical by the author, Mark Twain and a drawing of him

a magazine clipping that has been censored to hide profanity

a magazine clipping that has been censored to hide words of importance

a famous photograph of a Vietnamese monk who set himself on fire in protest of the war. it is a often used as an example of anti-war, freedom, and peace. it is also the album sleeve of the first album by Rage Against The Machine

here I copied a photo of a protest against the PMRC (parents music resource center) by the band Rage Against The Machine that is in about having freedom of expression and speech in the music industry

the three pages here are meant to represent finding freedom from controlling forces like society, a government or destiny. the first shows a man being controlled by puppet strings, the second him succumbing to them and becoming tangled and the last shows the breaking free and doing his own thing for once

FREEDOM final piece

stages of modelling
here you can see how the face of my final piece was created, how I built up the layers of clay and what techniques I used. Without any real picture to look at while creating the face and me working from pure imagination, it helped me try to replicate what I thought the average man looks like. This face is meant to be that of an average British man, working class. I decide to do this because in regards to censorship and having no right to freedom of speech, the average person is not high in power and is bound by the decisions of a higher authority; one that could be likely to censor what they say (no example).

here I have already added eyebrows, nose and started the eyes.

to make the eyes, I pushed in clay beneath the eyebrows to make sockets and then stuck simple blobs inside.

now the eyes have been sculpted with various tools to show eyelids and distinguish the eyeballs

now, the mouth, cheek bones and other simple details have been added. the eyes have now been smoothed out and restarted so i could make them look more realistic

the lips were simply made by adding a cylinder of clay to the mouth and carving it into shape.

the nostrils can been seen here as well as good depth in the eyes and brows

detail in the eyes has been added again aswel as smoother cheeks and around the mouth

the ears were put on as simple wads of clay before being moulded into shape and carved out. creases in the brow are now more prominent and face muscles shown more clearly

the hair is started with a sheet of thin clay placed over the top of the head

it is then molded around the head and details of depth are added

the finished model before painting, the eye now features a tear trickling down the face and etched details on the eyebrows, mouth, cheeks and hair are now present

here i have painted it white and with grey tones, created more depth within the cracks and crevasses. I think however, the final painted version may have looked better in normal colours, but I am very pleased with the outcome of this in black and white. I feel that it captures a comic book style of which is relevant to the work of Frank Miller, and the face looks darker in tone and has a ghostly feeling about it.

The final piece. Plasters have now been added to the man's senses, rendering him unable to speak, hear or see. These being imperative for human survival, the plasters are meant to derail the idea of the man being able to survive, and with the plasters used as a good metaphor for being censored in mine and Frank Miller's work, it ties in with censorship directly. THe main objective of the piece is to prove that just because you are not being physically prevented from speaking, listening or seeing freely, it makes no difference from being told what not to watch or say. I think I have achieved this. At first glance and without the rest of my work, it is quite vague in its message, but this fact adds to a mystery and would like to think that it intrigues people. It is more or less entirely based upon the drawing by Frank Miller that I attempted myself at the start of the project, I had planned not to stray far from the metaphor from the beginning due to it being very effective in its message. Although the man has a smirk and generally upbeat expression, the tear is the final touch that creates a disturbing aura and shows that although he is trying not to show it, the man is in pain. The plasters are meant to be the most detailed aspect of the piece, so I regret not making them more interesting; perhaps making them more tatty as if they were old or painting blood on parts of them would make it more disturbing as a whole. The grey tones are good in the way that they add depth to the face but I should have made them darker. Overall, the final piece is a direct metaphor to censorship and freedom of speech, of which I think is clear. I have stayed close to comic book art in the style of the features of the face and added a dark message behind it as I intended.