final drawing project

My concept for this piece revolves around the mechanism of fashion and the ideal sense of beauty throughout the ages. Fashion can dictate the shape and proportion of the body’s silhouette by artificially changing the structure. This is a broad topic so I chose to focus on one area of the body – the neck and shoulders.

The preference for a long neck is perhaps the only corporeal aesthetic that is universally shared. In all cultures, the head is held high – associate with dignity, authority and well-being (Extremes of Beauty by Harold Koda, pg. 16)

The open lace ruff that was popular in the 17^th century Europe framed the face and created the illusion of a larger plane of space between the head and torso. The head appears to float ambiguously form the body, farther than physical reality.

In Kenyan culture, a young Samburu woman’s eligibility for marriage was measured by the amount of beaded necklaces she wore on her neck. The coiled pile of beads exaggerates the length of her neck – the Samburu girl’s beauty accumulates as the evidence of her desirability increases.

My goal for this project is to show that the societal standard of having a long neck transcends time and geographical distance. To achieve this, I switched the materials around – for my two-dimensional drawing I did a detailed pencil drawing of the neck and shoulder area, unclothed. Then I did a colored drawing of a lace necklace and beaded ruff, and photocopied it onto an acetate overlay to go over the drawing. I chose to do a pencil drawing because I believe I can achieve more tonal compared to pen and ink. I left it grey/white so it would contrast with the colored overlay. The problems I encountered in this process were mostly conceptual. I wanted the overlay to be matched up with the pencil drawing, and I wanted to use the colors I wanted to use and not settle for physical availability. Printing was my best option, which made matching up the overlay with the drawing even more difficult. This was achieved through trial and error.

In all honesty, if money and time were not a huge factor I think I could make this project way better (even though I do love it as is). I would use thinner tubing more lace with extra gathers for additional volume. I would make more beaded sections and create a fuller-looking ruff.

As mentioned earlier, fashion can alter the appearance of the body by exaggerating and calling attention to certain areas, to conform to standards of beauty. I only focused on one area of the body, so if I were to develop this idea I would branch out to other regions: the chest, the waist, the hips, and feet.

I really like the way this project turned out. I like how the colors of the beads contrast with the neutral shade of the lace, and the juxtaposition of organic coils and geometric zigzags. I believe I translated my concept well.