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WHY are these artist? What is IN GENERAL of their works?

These artists are trying to present some viewpoints to people from the perspective of animals or plants

Any STYLE or VISUAL ELEMENT?

Realistic, decorative, retro, gorgeous, elegant, strange

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Tutorial Feedback about Project for Portfolio 

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Tutorial Feedback about Project for Portfolio 

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I want to apply for illustration related majors in UAL and RCA using this project, so I asked some mentors for their opinions.

The advice I received regarding the major I am applying for and my future career plan is to have a three-dimensional installation that reflects my hands-on ability, and preferably has similarities in style with other works, reflecting my personal characteristics. Encourage me to use this material as it is relevant to my other works - about humans and nature, about the forms of life, and about moral exploration.

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Design Concept:Humans have become accustomed to being the active party and freely modifying and appreciating objects, but what if I exchange positions? If humans become the ones being watched and changed, we will feel what these creatures felt. I choose the form of bonsai because it is a very representative horticultural art. When the person's body is trimmed, twisted, and fixed like the branches of a bonsai tree, this visual effect is intuitive, and remind us that we used to do all of this to trees only for aesthetic purposes.

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How to show feelings/attitude/ideas through human body?

Posture

Skin textile

Scars

Clothing

Faces

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Size

I chose to make a figure that measures approximately 30x20x25cm because it was the size of bonsai I see in my daily life. This size is easy to match with the pot and base, and also has a decorative effect.

Colour

I have been torn between the color of plants and the color of the human body, but I believe that the color of humans and the color of blood can make the audience more empathetic about the pain of plants, so I chose the latter.

Shape

I have learned that in sculpture art, there is a concept of outer and inner contours, and this expression surpasses complex but non primary designs. So I reduced the decorations on the main body and added an inner contour - I designed the chest of the humanoid to be open, like a tree hole.

Other materials selection(pot, pebbles, tinfoil, cable,etc)

I tested two types of sealing coatings. I originally wanted to use a matte coating because I was worried that the bright light would look too much like a ceramic doll, but I found that the effect seen in the lens was much weaker than the naked eye, so the matte coating was almost non-existent in the lens. So in the end, we chose a glossy coating.

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For the research on human body aesthetics, I extensively drew inspiration from athletes' body shapes. Coincidentally, this project started after the Paris Olympics, and I am very interested in sports such as swimming. Therefore, I used the posture of athletes during competitions as a reference and drew inspiration from the beauty of healthy, agile, and powerful bodies.

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What I want to show the AUDIENCES?

I wanted to make the audience think about the meaning of bonsai from a different perspective. The looks humans consider beuatiful atually mean small branches cut off, twisted trunks with wire, and limited space to restrict growth.

The connection built with the audiences?

Typical bonsai are plants appreciated by humans, but my work aims to have the characters switch and humans act as the 'bonsai character' being admired. As a human audience, this should resonate more with the work.

What reflection I EXPECT from them.

In fact, I don't want people to give up potted plants or gardening, but I hope to share some of my doubts and feelings with more people, stimulate more thinking, and treat life beyond human beings with caution.

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Different species of goldfish

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Why NOT real plants or animals? And how's the avocado plant I grew?

At the beginning of this project, I originally planned to conduct some experiments using real plants. I even planted an avocado seed for this, but I couldn't bear to change its shape as originally planned. I literally couldn't twist plants into strange shapes just for the purpose of artistic creation. Now it has grown very lush.

What KIND of clay and what's the differences?

Because I didn't have much time, I directly consulted my friends who study sculpture. I described my needs: I want to make a sculpture of about 20x30x25, using clay materials that can dry quickly, be colored, and have a certain load-bearing capacity. They recommended me plastic clay.

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Comparison between Digital & On-paper sketch

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Comparison between Digital & On-paper sketch

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I think although sketches on paper are more beautiful and textured, digital drawings can be freely dragged to change size, shape, and placement, allowing for more detailed design of the final product and is more practical.

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I used a lot of rope art to express the feeling of being tightly controlled in the first few drawings, but I received feedback that it was too superficial and focused people's attention on these decorations rather than the sculpture itself.

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I have continued the design of the previous one in this picture, attempting to provide a more detailed and practical design for the vase and flower arrangement scheme. I drew the detailed appearance of this' flower ', as well as the arrangement of the vase and the' flower 'separately.

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This sketch is not just one branch, but a bouquet of many flowers. But this picture uses many gendered symbols with clear stereotypes, which I am not particularly satisfied with - it has nothing to do with the theme. And the structure of this plan is too simple, just tying a few 'flowers' together without forming any positional or structural relationship.

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I am trying to draw some potted plants or miniature trees in this picture. I try to incorporate classic elements with cultural backgrounds, such as Christmas trees and Asian bonsai art, to highlight the impact of cultural aesthetics on natural changes.

(As you can see, after this session, I chose the direction with Asian culture because I feel confident that I understand this culture and knows what I really mean by that.)

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Due to time constraints, the filming of my work was completed in China during the Christmas break. I built a simple studio and took photos, and later edited the cracks on the artwork caused by transportation. I have photoshopped two versions of the outcome images as alternative options for portfolio, one more realistic and bloody, and the other darker in color, resembling traditional style bonsai art.

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Although there are many types of coloring pigments to choose from, I ultimately skipped the experimental steps and chose acrylic pigments directly. The reason is simple: after coloring, it is necessary to apply a sealing coating to the sculpture, and in my experience, different pigments may react negatively with different sealing coatings, leading to surface cracking of the sculpture. And my time is limited, I don't have time to test different pigments and wait for them to dry before trying the sealing effect. So I chose acrylic pigments that are 100% compatible with any coating.

If given the opportunity, I would be happy to try more delicate and textured pigments such as color powder and watercolor. I think they are often used to express the radiance and texture of the skin.

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Bonsai is the 4th project in my portfolio

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Accessory made of baroque pearl

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Japanese Bonsai illustration

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Art by Xubing

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Art by Xubing

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Exhibition for dogs

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Exhibition for dogs

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Chinese Bonsai decoration art

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work by hubert duprat

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Imaginative illustration of human having a rabbit-like structure

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photo work by Sasha Elage

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photo work by Sasha Elage

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There are two plans drawn in this sketch, one is a shape inspired by a design from the movie Annihilation, that is, a human form grown from a plant; The other one is inspired by the traditional Spring Festival celebration flower decoration in my hometown - a narcissus potted plant.

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As the last project in my portfolio, this project is actually very important. Its target audience is actually the reviewers of the portfolio. So I abandoned some practical considerations for exhibition layout and focused on digital presentation. I carefully took photos of the finished product, fixed some flaws on the physical object, and even prepared two versions of photos for the portfolio layout to choose from.

Due to excessive reliance on post production photo editing, I believe that I lacked consideration in the exhibition of this work. Because it is the theme of bonsai, my ideal way of showcasing it is to place it outdoors and blend into the garden like a real plant for viewing.

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Reflection on Selection of Outcome Materials

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Reflection on Selection of Outcome Materials

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Actually, I used real plants to make finished products at the beginning (as shown in my brainstorming sketch in Theme Generation&Evolution). I did indeed plant an avocado sapling for this. But this is a bit cruel, and it seems contrary to my original intention to harm plants in order to prove the harm of doing so. So I chose lifeless materials such as iron wire, tin foil, and clay.

The disadvantage of doing so is that the biological elements are not well reflected in the material. So perhaps in terms of improvement, I can add some dead animal or plant limbs, or naturally shed body parts (such as feathers, cicada molts, dried leaves, seeds etc.)

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Comparing the draft and final design, I made some adjustments to the structure because one friend majoring in sculpture said that the sculpture structures I had designed before could not be realized and needed a more streamlined and gravity compliant design. At the same time, if I want to make it more sturdy, I need to build metal brackets inside the clay. With his help, I made the final design.

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小红书 - 你的生活指南

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After adjusting the design plan, I tried making several small models in different postures to test the load-bearing capacity and deformation degree of this clay after air drying.