Midterm Exploration

Digital Collage Practice

3/10 Progress: This is another digital collage I've been working on that touches on just how far people might go for beauty. I used a fake old vintage ad and combined other elements to make it feel like a poke at the advertisements in magazines that tell readers to do the craziest things to achieve youth/beauty. This was also a reference to the vampire facial that was popularized in LA by Kim Kardashian which was a procedure where patients would give their own blood to be used on their face to decrease wrinkles and signs of aging.

This is a digital collage that I completed and I've been looking at the different ways in which I can layer images and blend textures to create a certain feeling. I'm pretty interested in combining both hand-drawn elements alongside found and gathered images to create this level of visual interest. I also like the idea of using figural elements to discuss media and beauty as well as possibly text and locational places. The piece above was a commentary on the cultural pressures that are placed on beauty specifically in China. There's pressure to appear to meet a western standard with lighter skin and English/European features there's also this idea of contact manipulation of the media which is why I included the newspaper title. This was just a look into some of the stuff that I could begin to do in a digital way combining drawn forms with images.

This drawing is another exploration into the pressures that women feel as they're looking to the media for images of beauty. The original drawing of the girl's face, hands, and features was created using pencil and the text and colors were added later in Photoshop. I wanted to make her seem like she was attempting to shield her eyes from the media but was forced to view unrealistic standards and her identity was affected. For the text overlapping, I'd like to use specifically chosen words and phrases that would emphasize my focus (youth, beauty, perfection).

These are some other found examples of interesting collages and visual styles I could use to create an impact. The louder composition with brighter colors could convey the chaos of media. Using text in this bold way could also aid to portray the pressure of media.

Source: http://www.fubiz.net/en/2014/11/26/classical-paintings-covered-with-colorful-elements/

This collage utilized vintage prints and I think almost communicates a total loss of self for the sake of beauty as her head is being engulfed by an octopus. Using animal features could mimic the unpredictability of media and also the wild nature of the system of achieving beauty. Using this kind of classic vintage ad could also show how the concept of being the most beautiful has a historical root and has been engrained into the framework of our society.

I'm working to move forward on my concepts and since I haven't been able to put as much time as I was hoping to so far into everything due to other classwork I'll be working on it a lot this week.

Source: https://hifructose.com/2016/04/13/afarin-sajedi-explores-inner-feelings-in-new-portrait-series/