Joy Han

In my project I hope to portray the feeling of creepiness by portraying a zombie-looking figure. I hope to draw a figure that looks beautiful at first sight, but starts giving viewers a creepy feeling after the viewers take a closer look. In other words, on the surface, everything would look idealized, but in reality, the drawing would contain a very dark image. In order to make that portrayal, I will use dramatic lighting for the entire page, with two-thirds of the composition occupied by the figure. The figure’s body would be in a relaxed sitting pose, while the figure would smile with his/her eyes wide open. As for the rest of the composition, I will include some symbolisms of death, such as a reaper or a tombstone. I might even also include things that represent happiness, conveying the message that only the surface of things look promising. I also envision fabrics surrounding the figure and the symbolisms of death, creating a slight ambiguity of the mood of the drawing, so that viewers can’t immediately tell that it is an image with an eerie feel.

I plan to emphasize the verticality of the image in order to heighten the tension of the image. In order to do so, I will separate two 18x24 drawing papers each into two, creating a composition that consists of four long pieces of paper, thus creating the illusion of cut off limbs or torso. The media of the piece would be mostly charcoal, but I might add tinges of blue pastel to convey a sense of coldness. I choose Francis Bacon, Ivan Albright, and Tim Burton as my sources of inspirations. The Dark and vertical quality of Bacon’s paintings gives me the idea of using dark tones and a vertical emphasis; the stark contrast in Albright’s painting inspires me to use contrast to create a sense of creepiness; the eerie atmosphere of many of Tim Burton’s creations inspires me to reproduce that atmosphere with similar techniques, such as eerie colors. In order to create an accurate depiction of a figure, I will bring in photographs of someone as a reference.