SW7



** With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility ** Acrylic   May 2012

This piece is a series of 3 acrylic paintings, eventhough they don't represent the main idea of my theme, i am planning on using them in the future project as a way to demonstrate the theme of different identities and people wanting to be something or somebody else. I'm going to be showing the same idea i showed with the 25 drawings i made for Barbie.

**What were the artistic and/or cultural influences for this project?** **Who/what influenced either the composition and/or the style.**

For this work i did not have any specific influence, the influence i had for my idea was from a previous project where i used Barbie as a symbol of an idol that people sometimes look up to. Later on, i will be adding on to this project and i will make the three superheroes seem like an identity that somebody wants to be. Marvel, the comic book was what had the influence on my technique, i wanted to copy the same technique found in Marvel comic books where it has several layers and they all blend together. This technique of layering the paint gives it a 3D feel.

**What materials/media/processes did you use and or experiment with, and how?** The materials i used for this project was acrylic. I used a series of comic books as a source instead of using the internet. I started by drawing out the superheroes, and then i started by painting the superherous using layers of paint and each layer is a different shade, the first one is the lightest one and the last layer is the darkest layer. I had to go through multiple trials to come up with the right color for each layer. The background color was picked randomly but i chose a color that was in contrast with the colors used on the superheroes. **How do you think you have responded to advice and criticism during this project (and during the term), both from fellow students and the teacher. Did you actively seek advice? If so, was it useful?**

During this project i seeked advice in the brainstorming phase because in the beginning i wasn't sure what i could do. My teacher helped me come up with several ideas and eventually i added on to these ideas. I also got help from students who helped me come up with a way to layer the paint in order for it to give the same effect of comic books. The advice was very useful and it helped develop my work successfuly.

**C****learly explain the weaknesses/areas for improvement**

The weaknesses and difficulties i had while working on the paintings was first drawing the superheroes, it took me a long time for me to draw the same exact drawing shown on the comic books. Another weakness was layering the paint, i had difficulty coming up with the right shade for each layer and sometimes i would have to repaint it to make it the way i want. I also wasn't sure which color was the right color so i had to test out a few colors by mixing them together. I need to practice more when it comes painting with that kind of technique in order to improve my skill.

**Clearly explain the strengths of the piece**

The strengths of the piece is the 3D effect that's shown eventhough it's painting, the shading of paint and different colors give it that effect. Also i find the contrast between the superhero and the background a strength because it adds focus on the superhero.

**What could you take through to the next project and develop further? This could be anything, from a technique to an idea, not neccessarily just the theme.**

For my next project i will be using these paintings and adding photography to it, i will be using the same idea i showed when doing barbie where a person is going to look up to these figures as an identity they want to become.