WEEK 8- TRACE DRAWING: Wolf Variations

Craft: (See Composition for arrangement of variations concerning number order) Picture number one is the original, depicting the wolf as it is in the actual, real-life photograph.  It has as much color and detail as was necessary to duplicate the photograph through artistic means. The second wolf is the first monochromatic variation.  I chose blue values for most of the wolf and background, but made the eyes values of yellow.  Variation number three uses a plethora of hues, ranging from reds, to grays, to blues, to purples and greens.  When dealing with this extreme chromatic change, I also used different colors to contrast the fill and the outline colors.  Illustration number four through six use a subtle brush called "Marker- Rough" for most of the picture, with the exception of some fine hairs and the eyes.  Variation five mixes numbers two and four and their respective elements.  Variation six also combines numbers three and four.  When we get to third row (numbers seven through nine), we see the less subtle brush, "Text Divider 1."  Again, variation eight brings together features from both prior variations, number two and number seven.  This also applies for variation nine, acquiring its present form from a combination of variations three and seven.

Composition: Starting from the upper left hand corner, we have one, two, and three in sequential order, going from left to right. Similarly, the row that follows below the first row contains the fourth, fifth, and sixth variations, in that order. And lastly, the third row contains the seventh, eight, and ninth, illustrations. This organization made it possible to form a sort of grid in which the top row acted as a basis of color change, and the first column (left) focused on brush stroke. From there on, it was like bingo, where you combine space "B" with space "2" to get the new result of space "B2."

All variations come from the basic source- the first completed wolf.  From there they branch off into different types of art forms that concentrate either on color, brushstroke, or both.  Illustration two was one of the more simple, yet interesting outcomes.  By combining values of blue, I was able to contrast the shades of yellow in the wolf's eyes.  The values complemented each other while the hues could not be more opposite.  This contrast allowed for a fierce-looking wolf, that had life-like eyes that pierced the speculator.  Variation number three combined a large amounts of hues but not as many values.  At first, I wanted to do a an all hot-colored wolf (yellows, reds, and oranges) but it came out looking like a lion.  After that, I resulted to focus on black and white, with the hint of other colors to capture an evil looking wolf.  For variation four through six, I used the "marker -rough" paintbrush.  This was not much different from the regular, plain brushstroke I used in Row 1, but it did seem like the painting was less focused and less defined.  This brush made the illusion of a foggy blur, without actually using the effect "Gaussian Blur." Variations five and six follow the same combinations as seen in the above "Craft."  Row 3 was not expected but did seem to have some positive outcomes.  The "text divider 1" brush is very noticeable and inspired me to keep it for the outside borders and not the inside hairs.  The brush was not applied to the eyes again because it distorted the eyes, which I believe are a keen aspect to preserving the soul of the wolf.  This brush had a very intriguing effect on the outside, where it stretched and made a the lines overlap, zig-zag, and exalt the sharpness and rigidity of the outer hairs.  I did not like how it looked when it was applied to the fine, inner hairs but the Illustrator program seemed to have trouble taking off this brush.  Even if this was not intended, they still seem like the wolf have a more digital look, similar to works of art which use ones and zeros to portray an object. The recurring pattern looks like something from the movie, Matrix.

Concept: The wolf that resembled a photograph is now something more that a simple depiction of an animal.  It is a continuation of different elements and effects that make up new designs.  Through many trials and errors, I was able to get many wolf variations that appeal to my eye as well as many that don't.  In either case, good taste does not matter when interpreting the various different shapes and colors.