Block Print
Vivid Nightmare Block Print 15cm x 23cm September 2019 Vivid Nightmare is a block print of the sleep paralysis demon, and how a person feels when in this stage of hallucination. It is inspired by German Expressionist, Emil Nolde, and Figural Expressionist, Francis Bacon. My peers' personal experiences with sleep paralysis are also part of the development of my final piece. |
Inspiration
Most of the inspiration for this piece was from hearing the memories of my peers' experiences. To create the universal feeling of; sleep paralysis. Another inspiration was from the European artists, Emil Nolde, and Francis Bacon. Nolde's technique inspired the face and feel of the sleep paralysis demon. The bold lines and texture were used for my demon's figure. Bacon's expressions would be used for the look of the victim. The facial features from his work helped create the look of the victim. |
Planning Sketches
Sketching the idea was one of the most difficult parts of the process. I wanted my story to be clear, and to show the audience what fear feels like.
I attempted different perspectives. In my first sketches, I drew a large figure grabbing at the foot of the bed, his abnormal eyes glued on the viewer. I didn't like that you couldn't see the victim. The other sketch showed the victim, it was surrounded by beady black eyes. I felt that the image had too much going on in the background and that there was no balance. Then I tried to make a visual from a third-person perspective. Being able to see the demon and victim in full, I felt that the piece looked boring. While I was in class, I doodled a mask, similar to Nolde's and that's when the final sketch hit me. I incorporated my favorite parts from the other sketches and came up with my final sketch. The victim lying in bed with their eyes wide open, sensing the demon's hands invading their mind with hallucinations. |
Process
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Experimentation
While I was printing I experimented with how much ink I used. I tried adding more or less ink than usual. I found that using a lighter amount of ink made the image look incomplete. When I pulled the image small white specks showed. I wanted my black to show up completely solid, with no white. I had a better chance of getting a clear image if I used more ink since I have so much black in my piece. I applied a thick layer of ink and I was right, my image came out exactly how I wanted. My image had clear, solid black.
Later that day I transferred my final print to Medibang, a drawing program. I extracted the line art and played with colors. I filled in my work with variations of blues and reds. It was mostly out of curiosity. I preferred my black and white print more. |
Reflection
I am very proud of my final product. I would have liked to add more to my piece, like bold colors and different types of mediums but, the more traditional look of the linoleum block print fit better. One of my worries was that my piece wouldn't convey my message but, my peers' said otherwise. They used the term, "deja vu," to describe my final piece. That my work was a flashback of what they went through. I'm glad that I was able to combine the descriptions they gave me, to be able to relate everyone's feelings. I hope that the viewers that haven't experienced this can now visualize what it's like, simply from my piece.
Compare and Contrast
Similarities
Differences
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ACT Responses
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
Nolde's organic shapes and lines in Still Life of Masks II inspired me to create the sleep paralysis character, Bacon's emphasis on facial features and contrast in Study for Portrait II (after the Life Mask of William Blake) inspired the emotion depicted on the victim's face, and the personal experiences from my peers' gave me the inspiration to create the entire piece.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author on the article on sleep paralysis, educates the readers on the why and how sleep paralysis occurs and how each culture interprets the event.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
That our youth is becoming more stressed, and that more and more teenagers are suffering from this.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The main theme is the emphasis on the emotion one feels when in a state of helplessness.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
That there needs to be more research as to why sleep paralysis even occurs in adolescence.
Clearly explain how you are able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your artwork?
Nolde's organic shapes and lines in Still Life of Masks II inspired me to create the sleep paralysis character, Bacon's emphasis on facial features and contrast in Study for Portrait II (after the Life Mask of William Blake) inspired the emotion depicted on the victim's face, and the personal experiences from my peers' gave me the inspiration to create the entire piece.
What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration?
The author on the article on sleep paralysis, educates the readers on the why and how sleep paralysis occurs and how each culture interprets the event.
What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, culture, etc. while you researched your inspiration?
That our youth is becoming more stressed, and that more and more teenagers are suffering from this.
What is the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
The main theme is the emphasis on the emotion one feels when in a state of helplessness.
What kind of inferences did you make while reading your research?
That there needs to be more research as to why sleep paralysis even occurs in adolescence.
Bibliography
Jones, Jonathan. “Study for Portrait II - after the Life Mask of William Blake, Francis Bacon (1955).” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 23 Feb. 2002, https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2002/feb/23/art.williamblake.
Olunu, Esther et al. “Sleep Paralysis, a Medical Condition with a Diverse Cultural Interpretation.” International journal of applied & basic medical research vol. 8,3 (2018): 137-142. doi:10.4103/ijabmr.IJABMR_19_18
Selz, Peter. Emil Nolde. Museum of Modern Art, Distributed by Doubleday, Garden City, N.Y., 1963.
Jones, Jonathan. “Study for Portrait II - after the Life Mask of William Blake, Francis Bacon (1955).” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 23 Feb. 2002, https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2002/feb/23/art.williamblake.
Olunu, Esther et al. “Sleep Paralysis, a Medical Condition with a Diverse Cultural Interpretation.” International journal of applied & basic medical research vol. 8,3 (2018): 137-142. doi:10.4103/ijabmr.IJABMR_19_18
Selz, Peter. Emil Nolde. Museum of Modern Art, Distributed by Doubleday, Garden City, N.Y., 1963.