Have a purpose.
Word cloud created using this online tool.
I need to have an idea, a general direction, of what I’m trying to create. Otherwise, my brain goes into idle mode before I even get a chance to tap into my creativity pool.
What do I mean by purpose?
Well, for me that’s pretty open-ended. Maybe I want to explore a new medium. Or, if I want to challenge myself, I can try to mimic the style of an artist I like (check out that art project here).
The point is, there needs to be an aim, a target.
For this post, the purpose of the art project will be to create an abstract portrait.
I think I am drawn to creating portraits because I really like the idea of a character study, if you will, as a captured perspective. And to be really specific, I really enjoy creating abstract portraits.
Purpose: Create an abstract portrait.
Okay, now that I know what I am aiming for, let’s break it down so that I can plan out my design. The better I understand what I am aiming for, the smoother the brainstorming process will go.
First, I want to have some kind of definition to help me figure out what I want to do. So, let’s ask Google!
After scanning the search results, I realize that some of these definitions are not necessarily relevant to art. That doesn’t matter to me.
Right now I am just trying to get an idea of what I want to create. I can use whichever definition resonates with me.
Remember, art is subjective! It can be or mean whatever the heck you want it to mean.
That is both a great thing and an annoying thing about art, but that conversation is for a different blog post.
So, from the cherry-picked definitions, I want to pull keywords that I will use to help me figure out how I am going to aim, or how I am going to create an abstract portrait.
Keywords:
symbolic of an idea, quality, or state
representation using shapes, colors, and textures
separate, detach
summary of the contents
Now I’ll repeat that process for the word ‘portrait’. After scanning the search results, I pull the keywords below from a few chosen definitions.
Keywords:
various mediums
representation of a person
face and its expression is predominant
likeness, personality, and mood of person
After reviewing the keywords that I am using to define ‘abstract portrait’, I start to have a clear idea of what I will aim to create…
Abstract Portrait:
Representation of a person’s likeness, personality and mood of person using shapes, colors and textures.
Word cloud created using this online tool.
An abstract portrait is an exercise in capturing the essence of someone without having the actual likeness of the person as the main focus of the final piece.
From the definitions and keywords for ‘abstract’, I really gravitated towards this idea of separating and detaching the face and expression of a person.
This thought then leads to this notion of hidden feelings. I’m thinking of symbolizing the mood or personality that is hidden behind the facial expression in a picture.
Since I want to play with the idea of hidden feelings, I think a self-portrait will allow me to really dive deep into the symbolism (since I know myself the best). Because I will be using shapes and colors in this artwork, I think the best medium will be some kind of paint.
So to recap, in an effort to create an abstract portrait, I will make a self-portrait painting in which hidden feelings will be abstracted from a facial expression using shapes, colors and textures.
Now I will let my newly formed thoughts process for a bit.
