Female train conductors are a minority in the railroad community. Depicting a train conductor as a pin-up, fully clothed, shows that one can look up to women in careers.
Female train conductors are a minority in the railroad community. Depicting a train conductor as a pin-up, fully clothed, shows that one can look up to women in careers.
Using ink and colored pencil, the drawing above is of an unconventional, tattooed bride. The common bride is meant to portray purity, hence the white dress. Tattoos have been is practice for thousands of years and yet they still have a bad reputation. In my encounter, I went to a tattoo parlor and got my first tattoo. The encounter I focused on was with my mother. She had objected to the placement of the tattoo, which is on my forearm, her only reason was that it would not look good when I wore a wedding dress. My mother skipped passed job offers, and professional interactions I may encounter one day to say that my tattoo will effect how I look in a wedding dress. This drawing shows that a tattoo, or many, does not affect the beauty of a bride.
This is my tattoo, it’s including in the drawing.
I began writing out lists a webs of possibly topics to write my memoir about. It started with marching band and no matter what other topic I wrote down, marching band had the biggest web of ideas, and that’s how I chose the topic. I chose this topic because for four years I was a part of something bigger than myself. The people, and most importantly the directors, helped shape who I was as a person. I learned respect and discipline have taken it to heart. After band, I found art. I always doodled on the sides of notebook pages but had never taken it to heart as I did band. I decided to apply what I had learned in band to my art and now I am getting a further education to pursue a career in art. Digging into memories to try and figure out exactly when I remembered these lessons I had learned was a challenge, as well as combining all of my thoughts and writing them down.
For my encounter, I plan on going to a tattoo parlor. I chose this location because I’ll be getting matching tattoos with my sister and I also have a fear of needles.
Location: Body and Soul Tattoo in Jersey City, NJ.
Cost: Around $120
What my first time getting a tattoo might be like
Mentally preparing my self for my first tattoo
Ways I can document the encounter:
– Video of either myself of my sister getting the tattoo (Maybe a video of the whole procedure and then speeding it up?)
– Sound recording: the buzz of the tattoo machine, people in the shop
– Photos
– Also if there were other people getting tattoos maybe I could talk to them and photograph them (With permission)
*Before doing any of the above I would ask the tattoo artist if it would be acceptable*
I feel like I was most prepared for this project. The research helped me understand the encounter better and made me realize exactly what I wanted to focus on. I ended up using an encounter between my mother and myself about my planned encounter. My mother only cared about my appearance in a wedding dress and how my tattoo might affect that. I used this for my studio project and designed a “tattooed bride”.
The final project consists of a scene in the life of Ruth Rae. The narration, seen on top of each panel, is a poem being recited by Ruth. She talks about evil and how it is everywhere, whether on the streets (where she is rescuing someone from a possible mugging), or inner evils, being relieved by poetry.
In my beginning stages of this project I decided on an alter ego that was a Therapist/Poet. In a way, she would be helping people by citing poems.
Later, I decided on Ruth Rae. poet by day, crime fighter by night. I felt like this alter ego helped get my point across better than the therapist. I wanted someone who could help people all around. With Ruth, she can help people emotionally through her poems, and physically with her crime fighting.
This is the beginning stage of planning for the comic.
Moves for the action scenes.
These are two halves of a seemingly similar face. The space between the two shows how distant and empty it can be without the other half. The detailing in the hair depicts my sister and I. I have dark hair whereas she has light hair.
My process began with the theme of “twins” in mind. I wanted to include two halves or maybe a brain somehow.
Continuing with the brain idea, I went anatomical and made a yin-yang figure that shows the heart and brain combined. This idea was a little gory and cold, which wasn’t what I wanted to depict.
Ultimately, I went with a drawing of two halves of a face.
Medium: Tape
My timeline starts with St. Patrick arriving in Ireland a bringing Christianity in 432 A.D.
Next is the U.S. gaining its independence from Great Britain in 1776
Woman were granted the right to vote in 1926.
The Clifton High School Mustang Marching Band had been founded in 1938. Above is a picture of a mace, used for twirling and instructing by the Drum Major.
Widely known comic art in the 50’s.
New Bairn pre-school was founded in 1965.
New Jersey Transit was founded in 1979.
Inkheart was published by author Cornelia Funke in 2003.
The death of James Smith (Poppy) occurred in 2005 due to throat cancer.
The death of Eddie Gomez Sr. occurred in 2006 due to skin cancer.
March 2015, receiving my acceptance letter from The New School.
Arriving in New York in August of 2015, the smell of cigarettes reminds me of home.