Design boards

Essay

Collage test

I wanted to test what it would look like if I combined my two final designs. This is just a further experiment to see how I could cut out shapes and objects and rearrange them to create different compositions. This is another way in which different uses of media can create alternate versions of an image so it is just fun to play around and see what can be made. Working on the spray pint textures gives it a new dynamic which could also be developed further. Overall I have discovered much about my practice both aesthetically and conceptually and this will be a big part of helping me to become a more informed image psychedelic image maker.

Background textures created with spray paint for a cosmic effect 

Final psychedelic image

This is the finalised psychedelic design for this research project. I personally think that this could be my most well informed and refined piece. I am very happy with the final outcome of this. The use of water colour, paint pens, crayons, felt tips and paint has allowed me to get a diverse range of colour depth and texture. This is something new to my practice and I think it is an essential turning point as to how I will be approaching future designs. Geometric shapes, space and planets, sacred geometry, landscape, character, depth and colour have all been explored to create this. I think the character in this image really draws the attention and give the image more reliability. The shapes that leave the frame really add another dimension of depth to the overall aesthetic as it acts as an optical illusion. This something I will continue to explore. Bringing my different psychedelic styles together has proven to be successful in creating a more random and complex image which was what I originally intended.

I have tried to design an image that works in conjunction to my theoretical research and essay. I intended on designing an image that reflects upon the concept that psychedelics can allow more creativity to flow. I decided to not put any direct and obvious links to drugs or mushrooms and have been more subtle in my approach. I am definitely going to continue this way of working into my personal and professional practice.

Final Image - Development

This is the final drawing of my psychedelic image. I have really tried to play around with the composition and I am trying get more random by including a wider range of styles and media.

This image as a drawing is already an improvement from my last final design. It has been much more considered and I have included many more objects and features that add to the psychedelic aesthetic.

Bringing character into my work is really allowing me to push boundaries with what I can create and also allows me to bring a sense or story or narrative within my images. I will be continuing to bring more and more elements of spiritual characters into my art.

It is really interesting to see my work slowly come to life piece by piece as I add colour. Colour is one of the most important factors within my work so I have tried to consider the overall balance of the image rather than my usual approach. 

Sketch for second final image

I had a random idea that I can create more depth in my psychedelic image by having a few shapes or objects coming out of the boarder of the image. This sketch has helped me to visualise how this will look. I will definitely be including this idea in my final outcome.

This is my final sketched version of the psychedelic piece. I have tried to consider many different factors within this to achieve the desired aesthetic. I plan on using many different forms of media on this and it will be a way of experimentation of bringing different styles into one image.

Bringing different styles into one image

These are a different psychedelic aesthetics that I have been exploring. They are very different from each other, one being graphic, vibrant and bold, one consisting of only pattern and the other soft crayons. I have only had them as separate styles that I have been exploring individually but I think now is the perfect time for me to start bringing elements of these various aesthetics into one complex psychedelic design. This will defiantly be adding new levels of complexity to my imagery and will hopefully bring more visual depth and also communicate the psychedelic more effectively.

Finalised image

I am very pleased with the final outcome of this image. It has been a completely new way for me to work and I have thoroughly enjoyed the process. This could be the most psychedelic image I have created so far and is a good change from my usual approach. The grainy textures makes it much softer on the eyes. Bringing a spirit-like character has really been an important factor of this image, it is the main feature, representing the divine. However this image for me doesn't have quite the refined professional and polished finish that I was hoping to see. I think this is because of the use of crayons, it defiantly has some flaws but I am taking more from my discoveries and how I can progress this further to become more refined. I will be making a second final image so I can take what I have learned from this and add new elements. My issue here was that I just used crayons and I think If I bring a variation of medias into one image,  it may result in a more professional design.

Drawing of final image

This is the final dating of my psychedelic image. I have decided that I am not really aiming for a specific applicable purpose to this final piece is is more of an experiment. I am pretty pleased with the composition of this as it is starting to become much more complex and involves a character as the main feature. I have used the element of randomness for this design but I have also tried to be strategic so the image does have some balance. When the colour of is added to this, It will really bring it to life. I don't have a specific colour scheme to be working with and will me figuring that out as I proceed but pastel tones should be most evident.

Sketch for final design

This is the sketch for a design that I will be turning into a full completed image. It may not look like much but it is certainly enough for me transform this into a finalised concept.

I have chosen this image to make because I feel it has all of the necessary components to achieve the aesthetic I am wanting to create. Random objects, complicated compositions, space, shapes, geometry, character and colour will all be included in this image. 

Researching the various artists has allowed me to take a different route for this project and I am excited to see how it will turn out. I will be using crayons for this piece as I want more grain, texture and tone to be evident in my image, just a new approach to my usual bold graphic style.

Refining ideas

I have started to refine a few of my ideas and bring new elements into this project. The Practical of this project is suppose to be communicating the psychedelic so I will be trying to show this through colour, character, space and randomness of composition and objects. This might be bit more difficult for me to explore as it will be going out of my comfort zone of aesthetic, but I need to do this in order to develop further.

I want to include some sort of feminine being or deity in my final outcome as this is a good way to make a spiritual or psychedelic concept more relatable.

I have done this using paint pens and I am putting a stop on this media approach for the rest of this project. It isn't creating anything new for me and it is now becoming really restricting. This has been my primary aesthetic for a while now and is becoming to obvious for me now and I'm not learning anything new or developing by sticking to this way of working. 

I am glad I have done this because it has shown me that I need to switch up my approach and gather what I have discovered from my artist research and apply that to my own. especially with the media use and the level of visual depth and complexities. It is the best way for me to evolve so no more bold graphic paint pens and more texture and depth.

This drawing is a possible design for the festival we are one. I had an idea of making an image that represents people together at a festival in a collectively shared psychedelic experience.

Research - Art forms representing psychedelic

Wether people are are aware of it or not, the psychedelic experience has undoubtedly had an impact on the visual world. Psychedelia doesnt just influence image based art, but it is also shown through many other platforms of creativity.

psychedelic sculptures are another way to express and communicate. The vibrant colours and patterns play a big part in making these look more trippy but this just proves that psychedelic aesthetics can be shown with just the use of colour alone.

Typography is something have has been used to convey the psychedelic, this was originally created during the psychedelic 60's

Clothing is also a good way for this to be integrated into society. Many people both users and non-users of psychedelics like to wear bright and vibrant colours.

Psychedelic tattoos are now starting to be explored and more use of colour and trippy aesthetics are bing used. This isn't something that has always been done by tattoo artists and is a new emergence of design. This is helping me to realise just how far the aesthetic of the psychedelic experience is being influenced throughout society.

Body marbling is a new way of painting the body to create a psychedelic aesthetic. This is also a recent emergence that is used at festivals as a fun way to express colour through the human form.

Psychedelic images can be applied to a wide range of products such as skateboards and phone cases which is a good way to distribute the idea and concepts. This will be a good way for me to have my own work to become more recognised and established.

Artist research - Bryan Suanders

This artist has put the use of drug induced states of consciousness to the limits. He took 54 different types of drugs on different occasions and created a self portrait of himself. Not all of these substances were psychedelic (some of them were) but it is still very interesting to see how different states can cause different actions, decisions, media, motion, style, aesthetic and more within artwork. 

This helps me to see that certain chemicals can affect the ways in which artists create work, not all good, many can be bad but they defiantly do have an impact. 

I am trying to get the use of entheogenic psychedelics more integrated into my work and not unnatural chemicals.

Research - Psychedelic animation

Animation is becoming a new and very powerful way for the aesthetic and concept of psychedelia. This is something I will be discussing in my essay. Animation is such an effective way of contributing to the communication of psychedelics to the public. This is because animation has visual stimuli that can effectively simulate a trippy experience. Plus with dialogue, humour and character, psychedelic concepts can be much more relatable making them easier to understand for a wide range of people both old and young.

Adventure time

the Big Lez show

Rick and Morty

fantastic planet 

Jeff and some aliens 

These are a few of many titles of animations in pop culture that consistently and effectively deliver abstract and life concepts that are helping people become more aware of important subjects.

Animation is an incredibly useful tool and even though I don't make animations myself I still need to be aware of the many ways the psychedelic is manifesting in society.

Research - MAPS

With institutions like the Multidisciplinary association for psychedelic studies(MAPS) the beneficial uses are becoming more and more widely spread. Many studies they have taken are bringing new facts about psychedelics to the table that cannot be ignored. So with research groups like MAPS, the possibility of a psychedelic awakening is on the horizon which could have many different impacts on our culture and way of life.

This is a good time for me to help promote the psychedelic awareness and stick consistent to this and stay authentic.

Research - Psychotherapy

Psychedelic psychotherapy is something that is becoming much more recognised in our society. The use of psychedelic substances are known and are proven to be possibly beneficial in treating a wide spectrum of mental disorder such as Anxiety, depression, PTSD, trauma and much more. LSD, Mescaline, Psilocybin and DMT are all used as an alternative way to healing people. It has been used for thousands of years by shamans and is being rediscovered today.

This context of psychedelics is essential because it is showing the power they have and how they can impact society. As wanting to explore psychedelic art in my own practice it is very important for me to be aware of the different aspects of these substances so I am more informed. Having this extended knowledge of the subject will make it easier for me to show it in my artwork.

Artist research - Calliefinkart

This is an artist that I have recently discovered on instagram. I was instantly drawn to her unique psychedelic style. The textures and depths and use of vibrant colours really make her work appealing. She also uses a lot of geometry, character and spiritual/psychedelics in her work which makes her a great artist for this project.

Again this is making me want to get more diverse with my compositions making them more complicated and random. This may not be a generic approach to illustration but I feel that for me personally it is something that I need to explore and integrate into my own work.

She uses crayons and copic markers and this is something I am defiantly going to start including into my work. I am becoming bored and restricted with my usual media approach of using paint pens so I am hoping this will help me to diversify my aesthetic to help it evolve into something more balanced and harmonious.