Western understandings of medicine have tainted our view of birthing, and have reduced the bodies of the individuals who are actually going through the process to a number. Showcasing non-Western methods of birthing I use color and movement, to empower these bodies and make them visible.
I choose an eccentric array of colors in the illustration so even if the viewer is unsure of what is happening at first, I have captivated them. I created these on Illustrator, but was referring to printmaking techniques in the layers of color and black. The abstract lines emanating from the bodies show their absolute power.
The MetaVerse is soon approaching, so I decided to render myself into and imagined version of my future VR avatar.
I first sewed the folded papers together, then drew my avatar in three different views, and then added the clear inserts found in keyboard over top through hand-sewing. The beads and computer keys to hang the pieces were then added after. I enjoyed drawing in this graphic style, where some elements are flat, and others shaded with line.
I wanted to illustrate my raw creative feelings throughout this series. Texture, layering, and line-work all come together to show how I feel when I am creatively inspired.
I played around with the exposure of each to find the correct color scheme. This process showed me I could animate the drawings in this way if I captured each step. I figured out how to do this, and the animations got used during the set changes of Spring Fling 2023 (see below).
Black+White design almost feels antithetical to my personal voice, but I pushed myself to create compositions inspired by Brutalist architecture: floor plans, harsh lines, ordered space.
These compositions started on a paper grid in which I collaged paper. I then transferred these into Illustrator where I played around with the composition more. I then printed them out and used the copy-machine to layer, cut, and edit the compositions further.