vector cuts

Some vector imagery...playing with space and lettering

show photos

body form studies

With this short experiment I took a photograph of one of my models and created a vector outline. Along with that I inserted some of my images of skin into the form to help further abstract the visual of the body. This was unique to see how the textures worked as close ups within this vector drawing of the model's body. 

 This is the vector image by itself. ^


This is the original image.

More Conjoined forms

more compositional choices, and color experimentation...trying to figure out how to utilize space more within the first image. 

thesis update

corpora

Often times the casing we live in is labeled, criticized, and packaged to look a way that meets the “ideal” in America. But what is this “ideal” that is so intensely pursued and gawked at? What does this mindset do to us on a deeper internal and physical level? Why aren’t we already this view of “perfect” the way we were born? My answer to this was to create work about celebrating bodies for the vast differences. We live in our bodies for the entirety of our lives and they bare all of our experiences. With each small detail we may see as flaws, there are actually stories behind them that allow us to share our human experiences with one another. We as a culture should be lifting each other up and recognizing that all of us are unique no matter where we come from or what consequences of life our bodies reflect.

book cover and book progress...

I am working on my book this week for the show, so here are some snippets of my cover, and spreads...My book is sectioned up as... 

- contact sheets

- landscapes

- conjoined forms

I am thinking about adding some of the vector art I have made as well...we will see where this leads to.

book cover (W.I.P.)

contact sheet page.

one spread of the landscapes section.

another landscapes section.

spread for the conjoined forms section.

wall sketch for show...

trying video stuff (unfinished)

Working in video again for a bit. It's not finished, but here is a look at an idea.

More photographs

So lately I have been thinking about my project, and I am leaning more toward just how bodies are looked at. I was thinking about how bodies in this country are kind of a taboo subject for people and it seems to be regarded in such a way that is mostly sexual. I want to work on creating imagery that is more about the art and appreciation for bodies rather than it being seen otherwise.

traditional black and white photo

more conjoined forms

landscape idea 1

landscape 2

light and conjoined forms version 1

version 2

light and landscape

the body continued

so lately I have been continuing with the visual meaning of the body and I have tried a few different methods in doing so...

these first two images follow the body as a landscape idea...

these 5 images below are a different approach to what I was working on prior...these 5 are heavily edited in comparison to the first round of photos.

Lastly this is another route that I would like to work in more which is creating abstract forms with the human body from photo collage.

the body as a landscape

A short series I have worked on recently is about the body; making is more of a landscape and breaking the boundaries of looking at a body as a sexualized image. I have not finished the rest of my editing for the photos yet, but this is an small little intro about the work...more to come Thursday!

dunes

slopes

Personal Writings

Some of my written works from the last two weeks. 

Still in progress of revising.

The first day.

When I was small

I loved to frolic

and tease,

smile;

too glee.

“Weirdo,

Freak,

Alien”,

screams.

I was 5, 

I knew nothing

of why these words

stuck to me

like tape mending 

ripped paper

as the hands of tiny children

kept tearing away at it.

07  |  2007

Why?

The corners of the room

come closing in

as the darkness

ate the space.

Your whispers 

creep into me,

crawling slowly with each breath

feeling as if they are the tiny legs

of centipedes trickling into my ears.

“you can’t tell anyone

that I did this to you.”

Everything felt encased

in this darkness forever

while his hands forced me

on my back, screaming 

in my face, tearing

greedily at my neck.

Those words echoed in my mind;

sunk deeper into me, more

than the bee sting I felt 

earlier that day

from plucking red roses

that grew in my backyard.

My mind felt lost in this unending eternity,

fading  into the darkness.

what did he to do my mind?

what does this mean?

why are you so mean?

Because I wasn’t strong enough.

Even screaming

feels silent.

There are many days

days where the mind sinks

deep inside an endless hollow place.

The stroke of sadness sweeps

across  my body.

My fingers start to lose feeling

and the numbness begins

to take over

working up to my forehead,

then shooting directly through my stomach

pushing me down so I can’t

get up.

The life is also taken

from my legs,

and shortly after

my feet.

All I can do is scream

but, I can’t hear it.

All I want to do is feel

like nothing is real

and everything can go

back to being surreal.

14; Dumb. 

Being 14 is just weird

especially in the spring

when we switched from gym

to health class.

Everything is just awkward at 14.

When I was 14

my friend Lele had 

a boyfriend named Andrew.

Andrew would wait for us

outside our school

with his flip phone

and a stupid smirk on his face.

“Hi cutie” was his greet for her.

“Hey sexy” was his greet for mine.

I fucking hated him.

I knew he secrelty liked me more than her

He always did.

“Meet me at Village Park at 3.”

His eye contact was more...

disgusting today.

I said,

“Ok.”

Trust. 

Never trust a man

who first starts his conversation with

“you’re so beautiful”

because,

He will leave you

for someone else

who he calls beautiful.

starting from the beginning

This semester I want to explore life growing up as a queer male, and creating visuals for this through means of animation and film. Generally throughout my experience being the way I am has led me to many predicaments that I won't ever forget, and that have shaped me into who I am today. These images below are sketches for one portion to this project I will be working on...I plan on making more sketches for short films and animations, but for now this is where I start.