Visual Messaging: ‘Sell your house and buy gold’ week 3

This weeks brief was to develop upon our ideas from the last 2 weeks of working on the text ‘sell your house and buy gold’ and create a more finalised image. Over the last 2 weeks I worked on figure drawings and making a physical structure which I then photographed. I wanted to combine my 2 favourite figure drawings, which I think best represented the text, with the different colours and intensities of light that I explored in week 2.

This was my favourite image from the figure drawing. I think the pose clearly conveys the emotions and atmosphere so I chose to use this hunched over, sitting down pose. In week 2 I explored using intense lighting from different angles. I also looked at changing the colour by adding a red filter. I tested shining a hard red light from above and below the figure.

I preferred this composition with the light above as I think it helped further the themes of isolation and loneliness more.

I wanted to incorporate the hands from this image into my piece as I think the help to represent the text.

After deciding on the overall elements I wanted to include, I began to work on each part in more detail. I decided that I will use a black background to create an ominous and scary atmosphere.

This sitting down hunched over pose is what I decided to use. Using the white pencil I only wanted to add in highlights to create to figure without adding too much detail, especially on the face. I think a minimal figure reflects the theme of the text such as loneliness.

Hands are something that I’ve struggled with before I wanted to include them to try help me improve. I tested out a few different positions, I wanted them all to be reaching out to give the impression that they’re trying to reach the figure. This is a way of representing the theme of shadows that are mentioned in the text.

After working on the figure and hands separately I began to work on the composition. Scale is important for this as I wanted to figure to be small in comparison to the hands which appear to be reaching out tho grab him.

I then decided I wanted the paper to be a long, thin shape to mimic a tunnel or alleyway and make it look as though the walls and hands are closing in on the figure.

Here is my final image for this brief. I used white pencil on black paper. The light source is above the hands so they are much more detailed that the figure which is much more subtle. I wanted the figure to be less detailed to create the ominous atmosphere felt in the text. As mentioned above I tested different lighting but I think they actually take away from the piece so this is my favourite.