My attempt to produce an image for Dream 3 is based around a dream like state. I attempted to replicate the beauty and uneasiness of a dream all in one image.
When I first started listening to Dream 3 I noted down some of the images and initial thoughts that popped into my head. I also made a very brief sketch of a recurring idea to remember later. Looking back on the small doodle I realised with some polishing it could become a strong submission and idea so I took an image of it and used it as the basis for my design.
For the outlining and colouring I used photoshop, a programme I don't often use but is perfect for a more painted, freer style of line art and illustration. Usually when I attempt illustrations I opt for a more strict style with very defined lines, however with this design I wanted to try something different. The ability to treat the line art almost like a sketch made the whole process a lot more enjoyable and more akin to how I sketch in real life.
There were some elements of the design I struggled with, specifically the hands. I used reference pictures to draw something that actually looked like a hand, loosely tracing around it in the same style applied to the rest of the drawing.
For the colouring style I was inspired by Cezanne's Large Bathers. The abstract looseness used in the brush work mirrored what I was attempting to achieve with the line art. With this painting I particularly like the abstract forms and the use of white bare canvas, areas where Cezanne specifically chose not to add paint giving the figures a ghostly unfinished feel. The whole piece feels like the construction of a dream, the gist of a subject is there but the brain fails to fill in the details. I wanted to translate this feeling into my design in a more contemporary way.
I attempted to mess around with backgrounds asking for suggestions of what would work well with the image. I tried a few ideas out with only a couple of the attempts shown here. Though after a certain amount of time was spent on playing around I realised that the image looked better on a stark plain background. The isolation of the subject from it's surroundings not only draws further attention to the figure but also adds to the dream-like surrealist feel, the figure is alone, falling at quite the wrong angle in a very deep unstoppable dream.
Richter’s work is described as postminimalism, adding in detail and layering his music rather than stripping back to the bare bones. I wanted to nod to this construction and so placed high amounts of detail, layers and intricate brush work against a stark minimal background. Not only does the eerie contrast represent a dream like state but also Richter’s music against minimalistic compositions.
Although there are lots of details and intricacies I kept the brush work light and free, not only as a representation of Cezanne but also to maintain the free flowing and momentum of a dream. Visible brush work represents a physical construct within our own heads, free and open but built by ourselves.
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