September 13, 2020
When I imagine any place that I would consider home, I always can picture the feeling of relaxation, the moment when I come home after a long day and I can finally relax and sink into my bed. That to me, is the purest essence of what makes a home so important to me, the ability to relax at home. Because of this, I knew it was essential for me to include the sinking, spiraling feeling into my piece, and I wanted it to be the core focus. I also knew I wanted an accompanying object, but before I started sketching I wasn't sure what that would be.
September 16, 2020
I was not quite sure what my composition for this piece would be, so my first three sketches were three different ideas I had brainstormed. The first involved a ship dropping anchor into the wormhole, symbolizing the idea of settling down at home before relaxing. The second focuses on the idea of falling into the sinking feeling, where the ball represents my body sinking into the sheets of the bed. The third idea revolves around the concept of personal achievement, and how home and relaxation is a break before climbing the stairs of achievement afterwards.
I decided to expand on my third sketch for my next two more refined sketches. The bottom left sketch depicts the same stair idea, with there being stairs above and below the wormhole. I quite like the geometric structure of this design, with there being nothing but straight lines except with the wormhole, leading the eye to focus on the depiction of the sinking feeling of relaxation first.
The second major sketch is a further expansion on the staircase concept. The whole sketch is meant to be almost an illusion, with the cube either extending out of the page or into the paper. Although I like this concept, and drawing it was quite fun, it does not capture the sinking feeling that I was going for, so instead I'll be expanding the other major sketch into a full size drawing.
October 1, 2020
Due to a biking accident that I was in, I was unable to further pursue my ideas for this art piece. Instead, I wrote a supplementary paper answering the following prompt:
"Imagine it is 2022 and you are graduating. Think of a city where you’d like to live and then research your ideal job that you would have in that location. Research real entities, not imaginary companies. Find out what a particular companies focus is and how that fits your skills and why you are attracted to that particular organization. . Does the company have a particular culture? Are they focused locally, nationally or internationally? Does that matter to you? Or do you want to be part of a start-up? Why? How would you do that?"
Henchmen Studios
As a child trying to understand the world, I would take apart my toys, observing their inner workings and visualizing ways that I could make them even cooler. Although I lacked the tools to properly alter my toys, I had thought that my desire to understand the internal mechanics would lead me to become a mechanical engineer. However, when I first went to college on that path, I quickly realized that my major was much more oriented towards the math and physics behind how things work, while I am fundamentally a person who focuses more on the conceptual and visual aspects. When I swapped to the Creative Technology Design (CTD) major, I was presented with the ability to focus all of my creative energy into projects that were judged on their ability to impress the audience, instead of on the math that makes them possible. This shift in learning has allowed me to create increasingly more complex and intriguing art pieces, and I have been able to expand myself as an artist who leaves a lasting impact on my audience.
To create a viewing experience for the audience that is memorable, I am constantly experimenting with presenting my concepts through new materials, canvases, and styles; as a result of that, the only commonality between my pieces is the element of depth. I use depth to add physical layers to my projects, and even in a 2D piece, I am considering how I can create levels within that plane to make the overall composition more interesting. To me, depth creates contrast, because the comparison between distinct layers causes the viewer to interpret the individual elements differently than when they are a part of the whole scene. In each piece that I am creating, there arises a conceptual depth from the physical layers of the composition itself.
Because of the focus on depth in my art, I would consider myself a 3D artist. This means that I have traditionally been working with 3D materials, such as polymer clay, epoxy resin, and plaster, and I have experience with 3D modeling programs and fabrication. Although I have experience with 3D modeling, I would not like to create digital objects exclusively, such as with a technical modeling position. I prefer a more hands-on experience, which is why my preference in the job force is to work for a company that combines 3D modeling with physical fabrication. I believe a perfect candidate for a future employer would be Henchmen Studios, which was founded in 2013 and is based in Toronto, Ontario. Through partnerships with large video game studios, Henchmen Studios gets sponsored to bring all sorts of video game characters to life. They are responsible for every stage of the process, from picking the model, to creating the costume, to showcasing it around the world. What I am interested in is the 3D modeling that must be done for all the extra components and accessories of a costume. They are then 3D printed, molds are made, and lighter, more durable plastic casts of the original model are created before being painted and weathered. The whole process is fascinating to me, and I have similar prior experiences with these processes from personal and school projects. The characters that this company brings to life are fictional, so they often have interesting designs with vivid personalities. The intricacies of these kinds of designs can only be brought to life via dedicated time and attention, and having the resources to properly capture the character would increase my capabilities as a 3D artist immensely.
On top of Henchmen Studios’ ability to improve me as an artist, their location is perfect too. I am a Colorado native, and when I graduate, I plan on leaving so I can gain some experience living in a different part of the world. I have visited Canada before, and I love the country. There is a friendly atmosphere in the air and in the social interactions that I have not experienced as commonly in the United States. In my opinion, there are some major flaws with Denver; it is too cluttered, the streets are not well planned, and the overall footprint is too small for the amount of people crowded within. Toronto is an example of a city with much better planning; the roads are organized into more of a grid system, there is ample sidewalk space, and the streets are wide even in the heart of the city. These may seem like small differences, but they have a significant impact on my overall impression. Toronto feels more open, inviting, and I would welcome the change of scenery and social atmosphere compared to Colorado.
Within the company itself, I would want a work environment that is open and supportive of my external interests, such as video games, pop culture, and entertainment. Henchmen Studios provides a job where I can actively express my love of video games and share it with others, and that is very valuable to me. The high-profile development studios that I would be working with are massively popular, and their characters are iconic, so having the opportunity to bring them to life would be an incredible and unforgettable experience. Because of their location, the work environment, and the ability to allow me to create 3D art, I will be further researching the process of obtaining a position at Henchmen Studios in the future.