Reference (from Pinterest)
Sketch of Final Work: Pencil on Sketch Paper, 8 x 11 inches
Final Work
Lateral Thinking
“He Who Wears a Heart on His Head” | 2023
12 x 18 inches, Oil Pastel, Chalk Pastel, Colored Pencil, and Marker on Paper
For the logo square, I used chalk pastel for the background and blended it all to the direction of the subject. With marker, I drew a jar of milk, its cap wrapped in paper with a blue tie, a simplistic version of the cow, and the words “Hearty Milk” as the name of the brand.
I focused on geometric shapes for the kaleidoscope square. I used markers for a background of blue, green, pink, and green triangles. While I planned to include the cow’s entire head in my sketch, I wanted to convey a more accurate kaleidoscope view that distorts or cuts shapes. I eventually chose to draw only the cow’s forehead in my final work, which allows me to still include its heart spot. I used white oil pastel to divide the shapes of the kaleidoscope, which I found stood out over the bright background’s dominant colors, provided a different texture.
Finally, for the close-up square, I chose to zoom in on the cow’s eye as I have always been fascinated by the beauty of animals’ eyelashes. I used chalk pastel for both the background and the cow, so it could blend softly while also showing the texture of the cow’s fur and eyelashes.
Overall, my work valued contrast in texture, shape, and line. In approaching the image of the cow from six different angles, I became familiar with the subject, found the styles I enjoy the most, found the mediums that work best with different styles, and found the feelings a simple style change can convey. I learned that approaching a work from several angles allows you to find the best way to convey the message you desire, and I carried this to future projects.
“Lateral Thinking” is a manner of thinking that forces you to look at problems from new angels and take indirect, creative approaches. The goal of this project was just that, to take a single image and approach it from six different angles. The paper is divided into six squares focusing all on one subject - a brown cow with white spots, the most prominent being a large heart-shaped spot on his forehead. From left to right on the top row, the squares focus on realism, only straight lines, and only curved lines. From left to right on the bottom row, you see a logo-style, kaleidoscope view, and close-up.
I used oil pastel for the realism square, as well as colored pencil for the background, featuring a blue sky in the daytime, grass, and leaves of a tree. I found the medium worked well for the style I was trying to achieve, as the oil pastel allows for easy blending and texture. The two different mediums used for the subject and the background show depth in this square.
For the square using only straight lines, I attempted to replicate the style of an 8-bit video game to representing geometric shapes in a creative way. I divided the square into a faint grid, used chalk pastel for a more simple look, and colored pencil for the background, which helped accentuate the grid.
I found using only curved lines for the third square in my sketch created a soft look, so I decided to use colored pencils for the cow and chalk pastel for the background to emphasize this. The mediums made it easy to create a calm, well-blended sunset background, and a soft, lighter subject.