An Introduction - Anatomy

Hey folks!

After my first blog failed on me ive had to create a new account, so thinking where to start off proved a little tricky. Ive decided I might as well introduce what im going to be doing within the first Unit, as well as treating this blog like a diary where I can elaborate on my thoughts.

The first Unit is based on Anatomy. This is a subject which personally I find very interesting due to my interest into character designing. Im positive this Unit will help give me a better insight into the structure of the human anatomy, thus making my general character designs more distinctive to their subjects. The human body can be treated as a subject from which other humanoid (or not in some cases) creatures can elaborate from, which I feel is a vital skill to have as an Artist especially in CGA.

I have been given the grand task to create an image of my own ugly mugg. Thats right - its self portrait time! The final peice is to be digitally enhanced in whatever technique I wish to pursue. I beleive after a lot of research and conceptual drawings i'll get a good idea for how i'll carry this out. The subject of self portrait however, as ive come to understand through Phils wonderfull lectures, isnt just a pretty face on canvas. Theres an inner meaning behind every picture which carries out the personality of the sitter. It may not just be the personality an Artist wishes to portray though, it could very well be an opinion or beleif. This would possibly show into the soul of the subject however, which one could argue depicts an aspect of that individuals personality. Through mind numbing thought and consideration about this, I came to understand why some Artists prefer the shock approach within their conjurations. Angst, pain, or even abrasive brush strokes used within some portraits in my personal view help to tell the tale of a subject so much more direct. The power that dark manifestations within portraiture can bring directly invokes the onlooker with somewhat unease.

Ive noticed that even subjects who may very well be happy in life, have an undertone of distinct thought. (observe this portrait I found on the net http://badbanana.typepad.com/weblog/images/2008/04/22/3.jpg )
How an Artist chooses to display this is up to them personally, but to me a happy portrait stenches of disturbing qualities. In that image I linked, the lady appears happy and content. However the haunting unease I get from its aura tells me that theres something on her mind. Due to the erratic brush strokes, the dark tones especially around the eyes, the focusing of black around her presence isolating her within the painting, I feel people around her knew of her situation. Perhaps she was ill? Or perhaps there was nothing wrong at all and the artist was just reversing what is considered as happy? Perhaps it even reflects her wealth? If she is poor and frail, her life would be troublesome. If she is rich and overpowering, perhaps the Artist took a grudge at their sitters presence.

One artist ive become rather fond of is Robert Mapplethorpe. I know Phils gonna kill me for that, coz he couldnt show most of his work in the lecture. Thats why I became curious! You tempted me man! lol Offensive material shows us the truths of things we dont want to hear or see, due to societal pressures and our own faults. This is what made me suddenly realise where im going with this assignment. To show myself im going to show a side to unease the onlooker, to create a sense of my flaws and worries in life. I'll probably acheive this by elongating certain features and conforming to cold colour schemes. I feel that to live you must learn from your mistakes, we all get things wrong when trying to learn new chapters in our lives and this makes our individualities stronger for others to recognise. I'll contrast the darkness with light, perhaps using a Christ like reference such as Albrecht Durer uses within his own self portrait. So there will be something positive in there, im a happy guy really folks! haha XD (http://www.theartwolf.com/self-portraits/images/self-portrait-durer.jpg observe his visual similarities to Christ's steriotyped image)

As I create my conceptual artwork and gather evidence I shall post it up on here for others to observe.
I'll also post updates on how my technical classes are coming on so you can see a Maya noOb like me in action. Oh the fun I shall have... lol Hopefully im not the only one new to Maya in my group =P

I still need to get Adobe suite/maya/3D Studio for this new PC of mine. I need to get my scanner fixed too, until then I appologise for lack of images on my blog. There will be some on here over the next week, so keep your eyes peeled!

Until we meet again,
Chris