Panel I: Escape
Inspiration
As a continuation of an overarching project, this project shares similar inspirations with previous projects. In this case, it shares an inspiration with Forlorn Solitude. Although it doesn't directly share an inspiration of the Forlorn Hope from Yu Yu Hakusho, it shares the concept. It's about escaping from the world that abandoned her to her peaceful yet forlorn solitude.
This project also shares an idea with Is It Real, another previous project. Escape is the transition from the hard outside world to the peaceful yet forlorn solitude where her deepest wish comes true and she can escape from this horrid world to the fictional world she fantasizes being in. So the change in setting to something almost unreal is the goal here. The background has not been set up yet, however. The transition from Escape to Forlorn Solitude is shown not only in the walls, but also in the decorations.
In the "door" to Forlorn Solitude, there is going to be drawings, sketches. Those sketches also tell the story that the figures tell, about her fantasies in escaping this horrid world. This is the first panel, so it's only an introduction to the idea, but throughout the project as a whole once it's all put together, if one pays attention to the background, they will see the changes in the drawings. They will go from the pain she feels in this world, to her fantasies as she shuts the world away to mentally escape, to her actually entering that world as her wish comes true. And the final panel, New Life, will have photos of the world left behind instead of the drawings.
It's meant as a reversal of fiction and reality. This project more so incorporates both the ideas from Forlorn Solitude and Is It Real than the projects themselves had.
I want to challenge the reality, as if that wish can come true for me as well, even though it's not possible yet. I believe that someday, it will be possible for my wish to come true, and if it is before I die, I will run to that world. I won't turn back, I won't stop, I won't talk to anyone. Just run, leave everything behind and escape to the worlds I can only fantasize being in....
Worlds where my blood don't hold me down, where WHAT I am doesn't matter. I don't have to be the enemy.
Where yesterday's enemies can be tomorrow's friend, as guild master Macarov from Fairy Tail put it. I'd love to be in those worlds, where I am safe and free. Where I can be happy, where if I am in danger, I know that someone will come. Where if I cry, someone will fight for me, fight the person who caused those tears.
What would it take to get there? To go to those worlds?
For now, it's all I can do to survive and express my desires through my artwork, with one of my deepest wishes shown in this entire overarching project.
In the "door" to Forlorn Solitude, there is going to be drawings, sketches. Those sketches also tell the story that the figures tell, about her fantasies in escaping this horrid world. This is the first panel, so it's only an introduction to the idea, but throughout the project as a whole once it's all put together, if one pays attention to the background, they will see the changes in the drawings. They will go from the pain she feels in this world, to her fantasies as she shuts the world away to mentally escape, to her actually entering that world as her wish comes true. And the final panel, New Life, will have photos of the world left behind instead of the drawings.
It's meant as a reversal of fiction and reality. This project more so incorporates both the ideas from Forlorn Solitude and Is It Real than the projects themselves had.
I want to challenge the reality, as if that wish can come true for me as well, even though it's not possible yet. I believe that someday, it will be possible for my wish to come true, and if it is before I die, I will run to that world. I won't turn back, I won't stop, I won't talk to anyone. Just run, leave everything behind and escape to the worlds I can only fantasize being in....
Worlds where my blood don't hold me down, where WHAT I am doesn't matter. I don't have to be the enemy.
Where yesterday's enemies can be tomorrow's friend, as guild master Macarov from Fairy Tail put it. I'd love to be in those worlds, where I am safe and free. Where I can be happy, where if I am in danger, I know that someone will come. Where if I cry, someone will fight for me, fight the person who caused those tears.
What would it take to get there? To go to those worlds?
For now, it's all I can do to survive and express my desires through my artwork, with one of my deepest wishes shown in this entire overarching project.
Research
In this case, I was looking into how to adjust weight to keep balance in a standing figure.
“Isolation/Alienation.” Artsy, www.artsy.net/gene/isolation-slash-alienation.
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The first part was the same material as Forlorn Solitude, since it shares an inspiration. If it shares the inspiration, then there is no point in changing the research from that aspect. Might as well keep it the same.
Rogers, Leonard R. “Methods and techniques.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, inc., 8 Aug. 2016, www.britannica.com/art/sculpture/Methods-and-techniques.
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/pages/JOHN-SEARLES-SCULPTOR/110151555690257. “Free Standing Sculptures.” Searles Sculptures, 23 July 2015, www.johnsearles.com/free-standing-sculptures/2444/.
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The next part was just simply looking at how to make my figure stand on its own. I couldn't use a stand, so it had to stand freely. While researching, I found artists who didn't make their sculptures freely standing, but instead weighed them down with bricks. It's been difficult finding ways TO stand the figure since most websites that discuss the actual standing of the figure only tell me how other artists didn't make free-standing figures instead of the process and ideas of those who made those figures successfully. This made my research rather limited.
However, I did use the idea of weight at the bottom of the figure. Unlike the artists in my research, the weight in my piece is hidden within the bottom of the figure. It is actually a part of the project.
However, I did use the idea of weight at the bottom of the figure. Unlike the artists in my research, the weight in my piece is hidden within the bottom of the figure. It is actually a part of the project.
Planning (physical sketchbook)
Experimentation (physical sketchbook)
Process
This all started with a reflection on all previous projects. I was thinking about what worked and what didn't on Forlorn Solitude and Is It Real to create Escape. Over the course of the overarching project, I developed some skills and quite a few techniques.
In the beginning, I wanted to try something more stable, since the figure was going to stand up. At first I thought to use cardboard to shape the legs, but I thought maybe it's not as stable as using cardboard where the most joints meet, or more specifically, when all the limbs meet. I figured it would provide the most support.
So I took a rectangular piece of cardboard, and cut the general shape of the human torso. This provided a shape and sturdiness. Next was how to best attach the limbs to the center support. I decided to start by using the torso as a base. As a result, it had to be open for attachment. I decided to make shoulders from the beginning, and also thighs, so that attaching the legs to the waist is no risk. In Forlorn Solitude and Is It Real, I attached the limbs using the butt, which allowed little support. That would prevent the figure in Escape from being able to stand up. So in this case, I tried pre-attaching the joints so that the limbs will be easy to attach and be supported.
I lined up these water bottles to make a general shape, and then glued the bottoms of them to the cardboard, tying them in place with strings.
This gave me an idea. What if I attached the joints for the arms like this, too, instead of wrapping a lot of parts over and over? I gave that a try, by cutting slots in water bottles, stringing elastic through the holes, and tying them together on the other bottle. Then I positioned them to the right angle and wrapped the entire thing in plastic to seal it in place. And then I wrapped the arm to the figure a bit, used string to tie it together like the arms, and then wrapped all of it in plastic again. That made the entire torso. And I then added a couple cans at the bottoms of the torso to make a couple stubs that make up "thighs" of sorts. They were like bases, so that attaching the rest of the legs will be no problem.
The next item on the bucket list was the weight on the legs. I thought maybe I could take advantage of the bottles to do this. I filled the bottles almost all the way full, and then used plastic wrap to tie them together perpendicularly. This made the foot, the ankle, and the lower calf. It puts all the weight at the bottom of the figure, which is what I was hoping to do. I also tied the shoes tightly around the bottle. This makes the feet inside the shoes, of course, but it also forces a balance on a flat surface rather than the round bottle.
So I took a rectangular piece of cardboard, and cut the general shape of the human torso. This provided a shape and sturdiness. Next was how to best attach the limbs to the center support. I decided to start by using the torso as a base. As a result, it had to be open for attachment. I decided to make shoulders from the beginning, and also thighs, so that attaching the legs to the waist is no risk. In Forlorn Solitude and Is It Real, I attached the limbs using the butt, which allowed little support. That would prevent the figure in Escape from being able to stand up. So in this case, I tried pre-attaching the joints so that the limbs will be easy to attach and be supported.
I lined up these water bottles to make a general shape, and then glued the bottoms of them to the cardboard, tying them in place with strings.
This gave me an idea. What if I attached the joints for the arms like this, too, instead of wrapping a lot of parts over and over? I gave that a try, by cutting slots in water bottles, stringing elastic through the holes, and tying them together on the other bottle. Then I positioned them to the right angle and wrapped the entire thing in plastic to seal it in place. And then I wrapped the arm to the figure a bit, used string to tie it together like the arms, and then wrapped all of it in plastic again. That made the entire torso. And I then added a couple cans at the bottoms of the torso to make a couple stubs that make up "thighs" of sorts. They were like bases, so that attaching the rest of the legs will be no problem.
The next item on the bucket list was the weight on the legs. I thought maybe I could take advantage of the bottles to do this. I filled the bottles almost all the way full, and then used plastic wrap to tie them together perpendicularly. This made the foot, the ankle, and the lower calf. It puts all the weight at the bottom of the figure, which is what I was hoping to do. I also tied the shoes tightly around the bottle. This makes the feet inside the shoes, of course, but it also forces a balance on a flat surface rather than the round bottle.
As the project came along, I also made a couple mistakes. The first was when I was putting the legs together on the torso. I had forgotten to hold the foot upright when attaching it, so I attached it sideways, and had to try to twist it into place, creating an awkward position in the leg. The next was neglecting to measure along the way. While the legs were the right height, I had made the torso a bit short, putting the figure's shoulders far below my own, which is what I was using as a guide.
Even with such mistakes, the figure is stable enough so far, and it's standing completely on its own!
When I made Forlorn Solitude and Is It Real, I had had trouble with balance and stability, but when looking back at why I had such trouble, I was able to fix it for this project, and this is the result!
Even with such mistakes, the figure is stable enough so far, and it's standing completely on its own!
When I made Forlorn Solitude and Is It Real, I had had trouble with balance and stability, but when looking back at why I had such trouble, I was able to fix it for this project, and this is the result!
Finishing up in the project with the head and neck, as well as the hands, then clothing the figure and adding accessories. As well as layering the thighs more to make it stable.