Month: June 2020

Type Ones, have a strong sense of morals, and their sense of right and wrong. They are idealists and are always striving to improve not only themselves but the world them and have a strong sense of purpose, however they are afraid of making mistakes. They have high standards and can be very critical in themselves but also others and can be perfectionistic. They are determined, hardworking characters, but can have issues with resentment and impatience.

I decided to use a plain flat background because of the idea of making it ‘perfect’. The expression, even though I was never aiming to use extreme expressions in these pieces, was this idea of being in thought, idealising, dreaming of what could be. The monarch Butterflies represents the hardworking nature of a one, as the monarch butterfly has extreme and difficult a migration.

This is my type, which obviously made it personal, and it some ways I wanted to make it personal. I am a real perfectionist and hard-worker, but I also have the same sense of idealism, and because of this these were the main features I wanted to represent in the painting. However when one looks at me they usually see a little bit of a mess, I don’t wear make-up I wear a mish-mash of different clothes, my glasses are always dirty etc. I don’t care about my appearance and my perfectionism is more towards the things I do instead of the way I appear/look.

Therefore, I didn’t make her made up or neat, I wanted this messy hair, no make-up simple look. The background was supposed to be a completely flat wash to emphasise the simplicity and perfection, however the ink didn’t want to play ball so there is a little texture in there. The expression was more linked to the idea of idealism, and being deep in thought, and the monarch butterflies as mentioned to represent the perfectionism, the determination and the hard work, but also how in my experience even if you try and let it go it kind of clings to you, it is always there, and that is why they are sitting on her.

This is another of one of my favourite images, I love the simplicity and the beauty. I also believe it is very well executed. But again maybe I could of emphasised the personality more, and it is quite different to all the others in the collection however I believe they are all still cohesive. This piece was also one of the favourites among my family.

Type Twos are always about others, they are emphatic and people pleasing. They are friendly and warm hearted and willing to self-sacrifice for others. However, they can then forget about their own needs and not look after one’s self, and sometimes struggle with feelings of possessiveness. As I have explained previous with two the idea behind the piece as to represent the empathy of a two and giving away a part of themselves to help another.

Instead of focusing on trying to find a concept which fit all the enneagrams at once I decided to take one of the type, Two, and try paint my interpretation of it without the connection to the others.

The lines from the song Two, by Sleeping at Last was very important for me in the development of this painting,

‘It’s okay if you can’t catch your breath
You can take the oxygen straight out of my own chest’

To listen to the song on YouTube follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrDzd4ufypE

The idea of giving away yourself, to help others without thought for your own needs resonated and to me felt the most important part of the personality. While creating this painting I realised I couldn’t be all encompassing in my paintings, as it would be impossible to capture everything without it become muddled and complicated. Therefore I picked a certain element and focus on that.

The painting symbolises this idea of giving your own oxygen away. The character is trying to help the bird, in my mind heal it. The faded oxygen lines around the women in contrast to the heavy bold and vibrant lines around the bird is me trying to symbolise this, her giving away a part of herself to help another. I didn’t want to include another character as it would get confusing to which person I was referring to with the personality type, and bird fitted well.

Threes are highly driven and they desire to feel valuable and worthwhile. Usually they are self-assured, competent, energetic, and charming. They can have issues though of becoming overly concerned with their images, what other think of them, workaholism and competitiveness.

This was the piece I struggled with most, with the concept. I tried to represent the idea of self competence with the character holding her head up but which the swirling lines around here could represent many different things. The main being all these negative thoughts which she believes others think about her but still in the image she is holding her head up.

I knew I needed another painting with a lighter background to tie in One, and as this was the last painting I painted, this was my last chance to tie it in. I had been having problems with my masking fluid and not laying down or peeling up properly leaving slight residue therefore I decided to do something different and use the pattern in black and just have a smaller area with white, and with the pattern instead of using masking fluid I took my time and just filled in the black areas.

Even though I love this painting I think the contrast, I made the background slightly too dark, it was lighter in the mockup, however I made the ink wash too dark, only by ever so slightly, but once it has two layers so it becomes smooth it was too dark, and even though the rest of the image was quite dark there isn’t much light and sits on this middle tones.

I think this is more of an abstract idea formation and I think it is hard to pick out the details of the personality typing however with the difficulties of formulating an idea I am proud of the result in the end.

Fours are sensitive and reserved but generally self-aware. The are open with their emotions, wearing their heart on their sleeves, and are personal and creative. However, because of this they can become moody and self-conscious. They can feel vulnerable and defective, therefore leading to problems with melancholy, self-indulgence, and self-pity. Their main desire is to create an identity and the significance which goes along with it and fear not having that.

Straight away I had the idea of water for this image, as it can represent a lot of things, but for this the idea of a reflection in water seems so real but a simple of ripple or another form of interruption can lead to the image distorting or even disappearing for a moment. This was me trying to represent the vulnerability.

This was one of the paintings I struggled with the most the complex and detailed nature of this piece, however I believe I over designed, and the inverted image in the hair became too much. however at that point, with the background done and the face, they only way I could save it was by using opaque white ink/acrylic gouache. However this looks odd the the rest of the transparent delicate nature of the ink washes. Also with the stark nature of the opaque white and the flat and graphic nature of the hair means it looks really bold and slightly static and I wish I had a bit more texture and life which was impossible to achieve while keeping it cohesive, with the rest of the painting. Even though I am submitting this as a final outcome, this is the main painting which I believe needs the most work.

However I love the subetly in the colouring of the tint and using pink, however I believe it needed to be a little stronger as you can’t tell which colour was used with the piece standing alone or with the others.

I love the expression and the washes and the effect in the face, I believe it is an accomplished portrait.

Type Fives are considered independent, innovative and inventive and can become wrapped up in their own minds with their own thoughts and their imaginary ideas. Therefore, can become detached for the surrounding world around them, also intense and high strung. They can struggle with eccentricity, which can be also considered a positive thing, nihilism (rejection of religious ideas), and isolated themselves. However, many see the world in an entirely new way.

Here I was trying to represent the imaginary ideas and worlds which can be created in a Five’s mind and how they can detach from this reality. I tried to engulf the character in this nights sky surrounded by the birds which are in inverse trying to notion that is not a real construct.  

With this type, straight away I knew my idea and what I wanted to achieve. Therefore I sketched out my idea and skipped the process of the digital mock-up, which in someways I slightly regret however I am generally happy with this piece, the only issues I have are with the moon, and that wasn’t down to not planning correctly that just was myself not achieving in the painting what I wanted to achieve.

The main issues/only issues with this painting to myself is the moon and the hand. The moon looks are bit strange and draws too much attention to it because that fact I lost too much white of the paper when painting and then had to go in with white ink and is looks a little off putting and doesn’t fit with the rest of the image, also opaque white looks slightly blue when overlaid on top of the grey’s.

The hands, specifically the fingers look like sausages, that might sounds a little harsh, but they appear very smooth and have little detail and accuracy unlike the rest of the painting. This not in these words was also pointed out by Karl during the Wall of Artwork critique.

However I love the expression I believe it really represents the idea of the Dreamer, and in general the idea of the piece and it’s links to the idea of the type, and the idea of the imaginary world and the idealism created within her head and the way I expressed that.

Sixes are all about commitment and security. They are responsible, hardworking, reliable and trustworthy. They are trouble-shooters, they ensure cooperation and foresee problems before they occur. However, at their worst they can become anxious, defensive, cautious and indecisive. They can have issues as well with self-doubt. As their main desire is to have security and support they are very loyal to the people around them and they champion not only themselves but others as well.

In spirituality and some religions, deer represent and are symbolic to the idea of loyalty and compassion. The idea of the circle behind was also this idea of security and reliability as a circle never ends.

This was one of my favourite paintings, and I took a very different approach, I was worried about the all looking the same, but at the same time them not being cohesive, and this piece was the one I painting in the middle, and wanted to incorporate elements of other but make it even more so unique. I like the balance of the graphic elements are the softer, more natural and textural elements. The hair has the balance between the detailed hair I had been create and the stark graphic flat coloured hair.

I love the simplicity of the pattern and ties in the pattern from Two and the inverted nature ties into Eight.

I love this painting and the colour yellow tinting the black giving it this warm slightly sepia tone, is beautiful and a colour mix I would definitely use in the future.

The only thing I can think about improving this painting is working on the shape and the edges of the hair as they seem a bit haphazard and messy in places.

Sevens are always on the go, they are high-spirited and practical and want to be everywhere at once. They are always constantly seeking experiences which are new, exciting, and different. Therefore, try to apply their many talents and become over-extended, overworked, scattered, exhausted, distracted, and undisciplined. They can also struggle with feelings of impatience and impulsiveness. However, they are also extroverted, optimistic, versatile, and spontaneous.

The idea of the lightning was myself to emphasise and illustrate the strikes of inspiration and ideas, and the energy and high spirit nature of a seven, but at the same time how this can be dangerous, as even though lightning is beautiful it opens up the skies and can cause fires.

The sketch for this painting was really simple, I knew I wanted the edges of the hair to blend into the background even though in the end I gave a little definition, it was to mirror the painting Five. Also when working with images of rain and lightning it is hard to draw out with a line drawing, therefore I knew the mock-up would give me a better idea and insight into the painting and the outcome.

It was still a very simple mock-up because I have experience of painting thunderstorms in hair, specifically from the paintings I have completed of my interpretation of Zeus a couple of years ago. The main reason for the mock up was to work out the tones, as for this piece I knew I wanted darker hair, however not black and the idea of using a white background didn’t fit with the rest of the series therefore I needed to work out the values.

I also wanted to include texture in this image in tie in with Six, and to express the same idea of the bubbling energy and enthusiasm of the personality type.

Generally I am overall happy with this painting and the outcome, however like previous paintings, I am not completely happy with the hands, I am generally more pleased with them than others, as there is more detail however I think they got a little dark while trying to achieve more detail, and there is some weird wobbly lines which makes some fingers look a little deformed.

The model in the reference I used was Hispanic, however I don’t believe I made her look so, and feels a bit ordinary, and this plays a part into as a whole I feel the collection is lacking diversity. I also believe I could of pushed the contrast and the texture more in this piece and it would have made it more unique and play more off the characteristics of the type.

Eights are leaders, self-confident, strong, and assertive. However, are protective of themselves and others around them, but resourceful and decisive. However, this can all lead to issues with becoming ego-centric and domineering. Plus, the need to control their environment including people and therefore can be seen and act confrontational and intimidating. They can also have issues with allowing themselves to be vulnerable and with their tempers. However they wish to use their strength to improve their own life and the lives of others and can become heroic, magnanimous and inspiring.

With this piece even though I roughly sketched out the girl, see below, I was mainly working with a digital mock-up. My sketches include very limited detail and just the bare minimum I would need when painting, as the sketches are ready to transfer to the watercolour paper.

With this image I didn’t need the lines, the needles or spikes as I could eyeball them in, plus I wanted to experiment with the tones, as I wanted stark contrast as the idea of the challenger and being dominant.

Here I was trying to find the balance of being protective but also strong and assertive. Therefore, I used this spikes as ones goings into her however there are ones going outwards as well, as if she is fighting back.

The texture in the background of this piece I absolutely love, I used a spray bottle and built up around 15 layers add more and more ink into the water with every layer, the texture is unique to this painting however still looked cohesive with the rest of the pieces.

This was one of the last pieces I painted and some of the elements in this piece were to tie in others and make the collection feel cohesive, and the texture was an important part of that.

The painting which inspired the feel, style, and the tone of this collection, see below, had this inverted image as the grass entered the hair and I wanted to honour that in this piece. I used Eight to do this as the lines are very similar to the grass in the image below.

I used red in this piece as it to me, not only colour psychology, represents quite a domineering personality, and anger and strength. The warmth in the tone of the black also worked well with this piece and I believe it would have felt a little cold when using a cold colour. I know sounds obvious however depending on the image and the colour depend on how the colour tinting the black works and gives the image, life in some pieces with the design, blue can give life and even warmth to the image, as it isn’t so flat, but also that coldness can extenuate something inside the image. This image I wanted to be warm, as the personality type at an extreme could be considered cold. However I wanted to find a balance and still have the image to be inviting even though some of the elements are quite harsh.

The black flat graphic hair is also one of my favourite elements, however unlike Nine, which had flat tone and no detail, this hair is still full of detail and the juxtaposition, and even though it is a single tone, the mind can fill in the detail and no more was needed than that. This was done in this specific piece to tie in the hair of Four and Nine, and bring the flat colour in but using detail to tie into the other pieces. I think this was sucessful.

Even though I like the spikes I believe I should have gone thinner and more delicate, as they seem a bit bulky in places. Also I found it really difficult to do the invert image in the hair accurately when the hair was so detailed, and could pull of the elegance I wanted or wished I could have achieved. Even though I planned this piece out, I forgot to think about this detail and I think if I planned more thoroughly I could have achieved the result I was looking for.

Nines are able to bring people together and heal conflicts as they are accepting, stable, trusting and supportive. However, can go along with others too willingly to keep the peace. They are afraid of conflict, and of loss and separation and their goal is for everything to go smoothly. However, this can lead to similar problems as Twos as they are not considering themselves as much. They can also struggle with being complacent and stubbornness, and minimising anything which could be considered as upsetting to others.

Nine was also a tricky one. I used the idea of her starting to blend into the background as that is what a nine can do when trying to resolve conflict, as they can minimise one’s self. I really wanted to use a reference to peace, even if it became more obvious than the others which were more subtle in nature, I used peace lilies, however I wanted them to sort of overwhelm the character.

The way I build and develop an image I overlay images/references to create a unique image, even when working in black and white, and even more so with monochrome work, I work out the values. This is important so there is enough contrast but also harmony. And this way of creating my image through collage and sketching, really gives me a good reference to work from.

When working on this tonal comp, I knew I didn’t want too much contrast as I had an idea of the character blended into her surroundings, coming part of them, therefore I knew most of the image would be quite dark however having some contrast with the stark white peace lilies, and white representing innocence, purity and light.

Due to the fact once all the final paintings were placed together there was a lot of compositions with the figure looking to the right I decided I would flip the image digitally to then give some variety in pose. As I intended for the final outcomes to be printed at some point, these little details are things I would do before printing.