Legacy Illustration 5
What You Left Behind, I Must Pick Up - Legacy Project 5
Size: 27.94 x 20.32 cm
Medium: Digital Painting in Adobe Photoshop 2018
Completed: November 13th, 2018
"What You Left Behind, I Must Pick Up" is the fifth work in the Legacy Series with a theme of culture and society. This piece illustrates Ryan Legacy’s anxiety through his struggle to meet cultural obligations set by society. From Ryan’s anxiety he looks for guidance through a statue of his father. The work was produced in Adobe Photoshop, and takes artistic inspiration from “Ori and the Blind Forest" by Moon Studios and the "Christ the Redeemer" statue in Rio by Heitor da Silva Costa.
Size: 27.94 x 20.32 cm
Medium: Digital Painting in Adobe Photoshop 2018
Completed: November 13th, 2018
"What You Left Behind, I Must Pick Up" is the fifth work in the Legacy Series with a theme of culture and society. This piece illustrates Ryan Legacy’s anxiety through his struggle to meet cultural obligations set by society. From Ryan’s anxiety he looks for guidance through a statue of his father. The work was produced in Adobe Photoshop, and takes artistic inspiration from “Ori and the Blind Forest" by Moon Studios and the "Christ the Redeemer" statue in Rio by Heitor da Silva Costa.
ARTISTIC INSPIRATION
Simon Kopp - "Forlorn Ruins Heart Room" Ori and the Blind Forest
The "Forlorn Ruins Heart Room" is concept art made by Simon Kopp in May, 2015 for Ori and the Blind Forest. The art direction for Ori and the Blind Forest takes visual inspiration from the films of Hayao Miyazaki - a Japanese animator who co-founded Studio Ghibli. In Miyazaki's works he uses the colors blue to represent calmness and good; this is reflected in Simon Kopp's piece (seen on RIGHT), where blue is used throughout the entire piece to create an overwhelming feeling of safety and "good". Lighting is also similarly used to Hayao Miyazaki's work, where the light is used to guide the viewer in the work based on its angle and line weight. Simon Kopp utilizes Miyazaki's technique by having the rays of light coming from the center - shown by having the line weight heavier in the middle and lighter along the frame - to draw the viewer towards the center. |
He also uses the value of his limited color-palette to highlight key areas of focus. Having objects in the foreground and background darker and out of focus draws the viewer to the mid-ground and creates space. The contrast of warm- and cool- colors helps draw you directly towards the middle of the work. The piece also uses three colors: blue, green, and orange, in a range of values throughout in order to create unity within the work.
Heitor da Silva Costa - Christ the Redeemer
Christ the Redeemer is an Art Deco monument of Jesus Christ in Rio, Brazil. The original author of the work was engineer and architect Heitor da Silva Costa, and was resigned for practicality by artist Carlos Oswald and modeler Paul Landowski - the face of Jesus Christ produced by Romanian sculptor Gheorghe Leonida. Heitor da Silva Costa's original intention was to have Jesus Christ standing with a large cross in one hand and a globe in the other: showing Christianity’s restoration within Rio and Brazil as a whole. However, due to architectural and engineering limitations during the 1930’s, which caused Heitor’s vision to be redesigned; he chose Carlos Oswald to redesign the look of the statue, Paul Landowski to make a model of Carlos’ work, and Gheorghe Leonida to sculpt the head. |
The work today still retains the original idea of Heitor’s work, but is represented through its style, symbolism, and location. Jesus Christ stands with his arms crossed atop the Corcovado Mountain, facing towards and looking down at the city of Rio below. The simplicity of his arms and toga - in form and texture - are graphic in their design to better allow the viewer to see the cross’s shape. His face - aimed downward at the city - conveying severity and calmness, imposes respect. The location of the the statue on the top of Corcovado Mountain - combined with Jesus looking downward at Rio - symbolically translates Heitor’s idea about the duty Christianity serves in Rio and Brazil’s culture as a whole. From the late 1970's into the 21st Century, however, the statue has been interpreted differently as Brazil has diversified its culture. The open arms are symbolized as a way of welcoming different cultures and beliefs into Brazil.
PLANNING SKETCHES
For my planning sketch, I applied my inspirations and built upon it through reference of other Christian attire and modern architecture. Heitor de Silva Costa's Christ the Redeemer was the monument I had the intent on using before I had even researched it. After having researched it, however, I was solidified in choosing this statue for my piece because of its cultural relevance to Rio de Janeiro and how those metaphors could be to the story and world I was building within my piece. With the monument's design, I retained the crossed-arms pose, with the face referenced from Roman statues. The attire to a suit to reflect the world's focus on industry and business. The stole is an item worn by various Christian denominations, and is on the statue to show the culture's embrace in religion. The statue's attire in combination with the pose and stole is to show the world's embrace of technology and religion, and how they are viewed one and the same.
While the color-palette for my work wasn't implemented until during production, Simon Kopp's work played a larger role in the final product of my work. I use the three colors referenced in the "Forlorn Ruins Heart Room" piece: blue, orange, and green, for the color in the work. I made note of these colors in my planning sketches to reference later in the process when I worked digitally. |
PROCESS
During the start of the process, I first scanned in the final line-sketch I intended to use to recreate my digital work. I scanned in my planning sketch and saved it as a JPEG file, then pulled up the photo in Adobe Photoshop. Next, I plugged in my Wacom Intuos Pro 13HD Drawing Tablet into my PC. Using my drawing tablet pen, I worked on the tablet's monitor to colorpick - to select a color from the color wheel - a color for orange, blue, and green. I decided on going with "Pantone F7B42E Orange", "Pantone 358 Blue", and "Pantone 364 Green".
Once the color-palette was selected, I first worked on the base of the statue using the blue and orange, adjusting the colors for different values to create the illusion that the statue's base is circular and has depth. Next, I used lighter hues of the orange and blue to create the ground, loosely blending the different values together. Then I used the green and made quick, heavy lines over the ground to make grass. Then I used a leaf brush included with Photoshop and made the leaves along the bottom to frame the work.
Next, I added flora to create the trees, and started detailing the background environment. Next I prioritized on the statue, using the blue color and adjusting it to be more towards the white hues. Then I shaded the front of the statue to show that the light is coming from the back. Next, I worked on the man sitting in front of the statue, using darker colors of blue and orange. Then I used blue to flat-color the background buildings and the shape of the horse, followed up by shading with darker hues of the same color.
Once the color-palette was selected, I first worked on the base of the statue using the blue and orange, adjusting the colors for different values to create the illusion that the statue's base is circular and has depth. Next, I used lighter hues of the orange and blue to create the ground, loosely blending the different values together. Then I used the green and made quick, heavy lines over the ground to make grass. Then I used a leaf brush included with Photoshop and made the leaves along the bottom to frame the work.
Next, I added flora to create the trees, and started detailing the background environment. Next I prioritized on the statue, using the blue color and adjusting it to be more towards the white hues. Then I shaded the front of the statue to show that the light is coming from the back. Next, I worked on the man sitting in front of the statue, using darker colors of blue and orange. Then I used blue to flat-color the background buildings and the shape of the horse, followed up by shading with darker hues of the same color.
Experimentation
In "What You Left Behind, I Will Pick Up", I experimented with my technique through the use of contrast, texture and color to create unity. Simon Kopp's illustrations played a large part in better understanding color. In most of Simon Kopp's work he uses a palette of three to four colors, and then only uses different values of the same colors in order to create contrast between key objects, and unity through color. Kopp's uses texture through line and shape as a way to create more contrast, depth, and detail. My piece applies these technical skills by using a similar color-palette: blue, orange, green to create unity - including red as a complementary color to green. As I added in the lighting, I noted that some of the facial features - mainly the eyes - blended into the monument. In order to add highlight back to the eyes, I added a gold line on the eye's upper-lash line to contrast from the statue color.
Critique
When critiquing the implementation of my inspirations into "What You Left Behind, I Will Pick Up", I was successful in staying true to Heitor de Silva Costa's "Christ the Redeemer" monument, but struggled with implementation the visual art-style of Simon Kopp (and directly Hayao Miyazaki). With "Christ the Redeemer", I was able to retain the original crossed-arms pose and metaphors Heitor intended, but still apply my new look to the monument for the purposes of the story being told. With Simon Kopp's work, however, while his work did influence my effectiveness of color - I understand that my lack of commitment towards realism or fiction may have harmed the overall look of the piece. I used the similar techniques complimentary colors of blue, orange, green, and [added] red, but desaturated the blue as an attempt to ground my piece in realism. While this helps contrast from the work's focus, using bolder values of blue would create a more interesting visual style and stray closer to Simon Kopp's work.
REFLECTION
"What You Left Behind, I Will Pick Up" has been a very successful piece. With Heitor de Silva Costa's "Christ the Redeemer", I incorporated the monument's crossed-arms position and original intent to embrace Christianity back into Brazil. However, the change of the figure's appearance demonstrates the culture's blend of technology and its religion, and his face to show emotions of both respect and intimidation. The monument's placement in its setting - sunken within the city than on a mountain summit - is metaphorical to show the fall of humanity. Simon Kopp's concept art for Ori and the Blind forest was integral in establishing the main complementary colors: blue and orange, and secondly the look of the environment. The "Forlorn Ruins Heart Room" was the work that inspired the color-palette for the work, and allowed me to take reference for the flora and fungi around the piece. One improvement that I'd make to the piece would be a better way to make the colors bolder, while still finding a way to ground the work in realism for better unity. The other improvement would be to add more flora to liven the environment and to complete the frame encasing the piece.
On a technical level, I made significant growth with "What You Left Behind, I Will Pick Up". The piece has strong unity by using the same base complimentary colors of blue, green, orange, and red. The repetition of texture using the charcoal and fading brush in the work's background allows for the viewer to be drawn towards the work's mid- and fore-ground, where the values are brighter to give them emphasis. The blue and orange lighting is used to highlight the statue (William Legacy) and the man (Ryan Legacy). The shape of the leaves surrounding a majority of the work's frame draws the viewer towards the middle of the piece, establishing the work's space. In the work's composition, the use of line and shape - the slant in the wall behind the statue and the vertical lines - further aids in bringing emphasis to the man. One improvement I'd make would be to add more green in the background and foreground to create balance with the blue, which currently overpowers the work (however, blue contributes towards the negative emotions meant to be felt from the work).
On a technical level, I made significant growth with "What You Left Behind, I Will Pick Up". The piece has strong unity by using the same base complimentary colors of blue, green, orange, and red. The repetition of texture using the charcoal and fading brush in the work's background allows for the viewer to be drawn towards the work's mid- and fore-ground, where the values are brighter to give them emphasis. The blue and orange lighting is used to highlight the statue (William Legacy) and the man (Ryan Legacy). The shape of the leaves surrounding a majority of the work's frame draws the viewer towards the middle of the piece, establishing the work's space. In the work's composition, the use of line and shape - the slant in the wall behind the statue and the vertical lines - further aids in bringing emphasis to the man. One improvement I'd make would be to add more green in the background and foreground to create balance with the blue, which currently overpowers the work (however, blue contributes towards the negative emotions meant to be felt from the work).
ACT Response
- Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause-effect relationships between your inspiration and its affect upon your artwork: Heitor de Silva Costa had a large contribution towards developing the monument and its looks and intentions. Simon Kopp inspired the work's color palette and some of the techniques used to create composition within the piece.
- What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration: The intent behind Heitor de Silva Costa's Christ the Redeemer was to embrace Christianity back into Rio and Brazil. Simon Kopp's illustration were to tell key parts of the story for Ori and the Blind Forest, incorporating elements of art and principle of design used in Chibli animation - such as color and contrast.
- What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures, etc. while you researched your inspiration: What I've learned is how culture played a large part in both of my inspirations. Heitor de Silva Costa's work was influenced by Christianity and Rio's culture, and Simon Kopp took inspiration from Japenese animation - specifically Hayao Miyazaki's work from Studio Ghibli.
- What was the central idea of theme around your inspirational research: The original intention with this work was to show a man's anxiety from expectations set by his father - who in this piece indirectly represents society. Through my inspirational research, however, my intention with this work changed to show the negative influence that society, through its culture, has on people.
- What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research: Inferences I made during my research was the role that culture and religion play in society. In Heitor de Silva Costa's Christ the Redeemer, Christianity influenced its creation and today stands as a representation of Rio, and more broadly Brazil. Simon Kopp's illustrations were influenced by Japenese culture through Hayao Miyazaki's films.
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