Collection Title
Unprecedented
Files
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Academic Level at Time of Creation
Senior
Date of Creation
Fall 10-23-2020
Artist Statement
My goal as a designer is to draw the audience’s eye, making it clear what information is most important. I make my designs visually pleasing through the overall layout and use of color combinations. Recently I have discovered an interest in character design. I aim to improve diversity seen in tv, comics, and video games. Which is why I have decided to focus on designing a more diverse character, in this case one that is based off myself, half white and half black. I designed this character with the intent of him being in an animated tv show, which is why I chose a flat shading style. The color of the clothes was intended to work well with the skin tone but also to contrast the warm colors from his fire abilities. The cool green of the shirt as well as the dark pants and shoes both contrast the bright flames throughout the illustrations. Both the scale of these illustrations and the thick outlines on the character brings the piece to life a bit, adding an energy to the piece that would otherwise be missing. I feel it is much more impactful to see these near life size, rather than on a small poster you could just hold in your hands. I feel my biggest inspiration for my character designs would be Bryan Konietzko. He was the art director for Avatar the Last Airbender, a tv show I grew up watching. Even now, I like not just the show, but the art style. While many cartoons tend to greatly simplify the human figure or take liberties with the proportions, the style in this show is much more realistic as far as cartoons are concerned. The characters are rather simple in terms of line work but still have interesting designs and tend to be very memorable. These are some of the qualities I focused on bringing into my own design.
Advisor/Mentor
Jim Bryant; Timothy Martin
Description
Archival Ink on Paper. Digital Illustration. 39” x 20” & 72” x 36”
Recommended Citation
Reed, Drey and Reed, Drey, "Unprecedented" (2020). B.A./B.S. Practicum Group Exhibit (ART 499). 42.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art499/42