The first three images were done in Phil Hosking's Photoshop class.
At the moment I'm most interested in the shape of the head. The combination of human and shark skull is quite difficult, as I want it to be recognisably human and shark.
Mike thought I was very weird for wanting to go to a hospital if I was undergoing an agonising transformation. It was quite hard to show my body collapsing as its bones softened, so I threw in an arm bending in the wrong direction to give a visual clue. I'm not sure whether to take this idea further - on the one hand it would be really interesting to look at the medical implications as well as the orthopedic ones, but in very practical terms ICUs are incredibly complex and I fear that in the final painting I would spend more time on the background than the actual figure.
In technical terms this one's probably my favourite so far. The image is refined enough to show the concept but rough enough not to have gone overboard with a simple sketch. In terms of concept I particularly like the little pectoral fins on the hips - I want to take that further.
At this point I consulted my chiropractor and learnt that actually, cartilage is pretty strong and would likely be able to support a human body. However, during the conversation we decided to invoke two things; a) the fact that human bones cannot naturally become cartilage and would thus have to break down in order to be replaced with cartilage, and b) artistic license.
More looking at silhouette and orthopedic supports, along with an idea about whether I would be able to carry on some semblance of an ordinary life as I transformed. Anyone who knows me will tell you that my greatest strength (and weakness) is that I am
impossibly stubborn, and even being hospitalised as my body turns against me isn't going to keep me from doing what I want, dammit.
Now if only I could figure out how to ride a horse with a collapsing spine and fused legs.
I really really like the top first one. Shows off some skills you have. Also, the fact that you blacked around it helps to distinguish the shape at a matter of sec.
ReplyDeleteOn another point, I see you want to show yourself transformed but not loosing your key self , an qualitys like being stubborn: you'd do what you used to do.
This is very very interesting.
Perhaps you know this writer Franz Kafka? he wrote a novel called (what a surpirze), Metamorphosis.
http://www.google.com/search?hl=lt&q=kafka%20metamorphosis&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=1855l4570l2l4734l10l7l0l7l7l1l560l1064l5-2l6l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&biw=1366&bih=559&noj=1&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi
It is telling a story about a man who turned into a bug one day, and as he was hugely still in shock, he, stubbornly, tried also doing things he used to, BUT! more and more he noticed that his new shape is restricting him, he is feeling uncomfortable and hence had to also change the way he did the ordinary things.
Example:
eating. he was only comfortable to eat when he had a heavy board crushing his back while he was eating. For us, readers/audience/viewers of this situation this moment is a true surprize, an unexpected take, trully interesting.
What I wan't to say here is
you could show yourself after metamorphosis, being still you and insisting on doing same things as you would, BUT also portraying how the metamorphosis inevitably effect it too, how different your ordinary became. How confsed and unused to all you are. (imagine your hands been tied round your back and given a spoon to eat porrige, what kind of emotions you'd be running through? all of this could be portrayed in your work)
I myself, feel massively curious how you'd portray it .
Want to hear your thoughts ?
Hi JJ! Thanks for your feedback, it's really helpful. I've never read anything by Kafka - keep meaning to - but I'll give Metamorphosis a shot when I have some time. I didn't consider how the transformation could really inhibit me except for in very practical ways like moving. I'll look into how things like eating and using my hands would be affected, especially as sharks aren't able to chew, instead having to rip chunks of meat off their prey and swallow it whole.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that the idea of remaining human despite being physically grotesque is the angle I want to take with this, partly due to watching the Elephant Man (I didn't cry! I just got lots and lots of dust in my eyes).
yes - the dust in lecture theatre 1 can be a real problem at times ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm not an elephant!
I'm not an animal.
I am a man!
*choke*