My set task project explores the theme of ‘Insects’, within this theme, I have decided to focus on the beauty of butterflies. I hope that through my project, I will be able to explore not only the beauty of butterflies but also the change and hope that surrounds them.   

 

I have been influenced by the following two artists: Aaron Griffin and Peony Yip as I feel that their painting style and meaning behind their work will allow me to express the beauty of butterflies and the beauty that they bring into our lives in my own work.  

 

Aaron Griffin’s work has inspired me as in his work he creates a realistic, almost mystical feel through his digital painting styles. His thicker brush strokes, combined with the vibrancy of the colours he uses add to the overall fascination and enchantment that is evoked from the viewer. I wanted to carry this into my own work therefore I also used thicker brushstrokes to create movement and depth. I embodied his vibrant colours through the way I set up the lighting for my photographs and then completed my digital paintings and animations. I believe that this draws my viewer’s attention to the butterflies and subsequently the beauty and hope that they symbolise. 

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My second artist, Peony Yip, has also greatly influenced my work as she looks at the bond between humans and nature and the power that nature holds. Therefore, I am inspired by her work in terms of the meaning behind it but also the style and colours she uses. I enjoy the way she draws the human subject in grey tones and uses colour to ensure that nature I.e., the butterflies in her work stand out and are the centre of attention. Her influence is evident in my work as along with Griffin’s colour scheme I combine Yip’s tones in my pieces to make certain parts of my work the focal point. This allows me to draw the viewer’s attention to the butterfly's beauty as well as add to that more realistic digital painting style. 

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My development work is inspired by my two artists as it merges the skills and ideas I have learnt from these two artists as I have created digital paintings and animations incorporating Griffin’s painting style, Yip’s use of nature and both of their colour schemes. When completing my photography for my developments I ensured the lighting I used encompassed my artist’s style and their use of shadows and negative space. I also experimented with the placement of my subject in terms of what third they were in and how much negative space this created.I hope that my developments illustrate the energy and life butterflies bring into our lives through their own beauty.

 

My first development takes inspiration from both of my artists to produce a piece of work where the viewer can be captivated by the beauty of butterflies.I have been inspired by the way Yip uses colour so in my development I will portray my human subject using different grey tones while the butterflies stand out in yellow; this will draw attention to their beauty, hence illustrating my theme centred around insects. The subject will be surrounded by negative space as the background will also be one solid colour, meaning that the viewer is not distracted and can focus on the butterflies. Griffin's influence on my work will be seen through the painting style as I will be using thicker brush strokes on my subject and the strokes on the side that will frame my subject. My subject is centred in the middle third and there are three butterflies surrounding her as the human eye is visually attracted to items that present themselves in threes.; this also means that the viewer's attention is immediately drawn to the butterflies in the centre. 
For my second development, I decided to experiment by animating the butterflies as I believe that through their movement further attention is drawn to them and their transformative nature. With this development, I especially wanted to focus on Griffin’s colour scheme and vibrancy of the pinks and purples to depict the beauty of the butterfly so I ensured to use gel coloured lighting when taking my photos. This development was also influenced by Yip's colour scheme as I had part of the background in different grey tones to draw emphasis to the butterflies and the subject's fascination with them; I hope that this intrigue will also be mirrored in my viewers.  

My third development is a continuation of my second development as I decided to complete an animation of both the subject and the butterflies where the subject's eye line is following a set of butterflies that are coming in and across the screen.The lighting for this piece was inspired by Aaron Griffin as I used sunset-style colours to create an energetic mood. The butterflies and the background are painted using vivid colours where as the subject is painted using grey tones, influenced by Yip, to portray the fact the butterfly's beauty and the liveliness of their nature. I hope that through the colours I have used the focus is on the butterflies and the energy and change that they bring. 

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My final piece is in the form of an animation which has taken inspiration from different aspects of my two artists and has incorporated their style and ideas which has evolved through my development work. For my final piece, I took a video of my subject looking around and then painted in butterflies; I used a blue and purple coloured filter on top of the ring light , this inspiration came from Griffin’s colour scheme. The piece starts black and white, which is inspired by Yip’s tones but as the butterflies come into the frame colour is exposed. I decided to do this as I wanted to illustrate the beauty that comes with butterflies and the change that they symbolise: before the butterflies come in the grey tones connote boredom, perhaps even loss but then when the butterflies come in the colour symbolises hope, life and energy. My subjects facial expressions also suggest excitement and fascination which depicts their beauty even further. I hope that through my digitally painted animation, the viewer is captivated by the beauty and change that a butterfly carries and is inspired to pay closer attention to the nature and beauty around them. 

 

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