For my bridge project 1 for integrative studio, the personal object I chose was a fluffy bunny key chain. The key chain is a present from my younger sister, it is symbolic because it reminds me of my younger sister whenever I see it or use it. More importantly, I chose this object because I realized that I was possessive of it and protective of it, as I always have the tendency to preserve it and keep it clean.
In order to further explore my personal object and why my object is significant to me, I decided to conduct some research. I first did some online research about the basic information of the object as it is being sold online as an online product, and found out its price, material, size, and instructions for cleaning. Then, I started taking photographs of my personal object. I photographed both where I keep the object in my dorm, and where I hang it when it’s being used. In addition, I also took close-up shots of the specific parts of the object, for instance its paws, its ears, and the keychain ring.
What appeared to be intriguing was that after the photographs of the object are being blown up, the details of the object and the repetitive textures are quite abstract. Moreover, I had an image of the multiple key chains being placed in a circle; the increase in the quantity of the objects also creates an impact. After speaking to my professor, I decided to work with the photographs in which I’ve already taken, and further develop my project from there. I printed out photographs that I took on larger pieces of paper and experimented with drawing, painting, and applying photomontages on top of them.
To start off my experimentations, I used a sharpie and drew patterns on top of my photographs, and tried to recreate the patterns of fur that were on the key chain. After that I tried to make photomontages from cutting and pasting different parts of photographs on top of photographs. I tried to remake the body parts of the fluffy bunny using photographs, as well as just playing around with the different compositions being formed by the photographs.
To investigate further, I determined to use watercolor to paint on top of the photographs. I fabricated the fur on the fluffy bunny by using small brushstrokes and larger brushstrokes. As larger brushstrokes are more incontrollable, the marks being left are more bold and impactful. I also tried altering the volume of water being absorbed in the brush, which also affects the brushstrokes, as the marks left on the paper are less saturated and more watery with more water absorbed.
For my bridge project 1 studio piece, I made a mixed media piece that involves drawing and painting on top of photomontages. I came up with this idea from my previous experimentations, as the use of both techniques are effective and make the piece looks visually impactful, I decided to use a combination of both media.